http://engarian.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
engarian.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
b2mem2012-03-17 06:41 pm
engarian.livejournal.com) wrote in b2mem2012-03-17 06:41 pm
G-51 - Erulisse - The Message
B2MeM Challenge: G-51 – 5 Characters/5 Books – Fangorn
Format: Ficlet
Genre: Drama
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Merry, Pippin, Fangorn
Pairings: None
Word Count: 1775
Summary: A gift of great value has been given to the Twins for them to deliver to two very special friends.
The Message
Elrohir and Elladan smiled at each other. They had just left Bree and were heading towards Buckland to visit with their friends, Meriadoc Brandybuck and his cousin Peregrin Took, the Thain of Tookland who was visiting for the Yule season. They had a small wagon pulled by a small piebald pony and also a pack pony. The wagon bed was covered by a tarp hiding unknown delights underneath the canvas covering. Interesting bumps and bulges were visible on the burden carried by the pack pony, a sturdy and good-natured bay.
The Twins loved visiting their Shire friends, but they didn’t come this way too often, having no desire to overstay any welcome they might be given by their small hosts, and having other duties in far away places in Middle Earth. It had been ten years since they had last passed the borders of Buckland. After they had completed visiting their old friends, they would continue on to visit the northern Dúnedain in Annúminas on the shores of Lake Nenuial. They were carrying messages from the King, their brother-in-law, to the Northern Council, but the messages weren’t urgent so they felt that a small side trip was justified.
Pulling up in the yard, they were suddenly surrounded by excited hobbit children, jumping up and down and bidding them welcome in their high-pitched voices.
“Easy there, Narothal,” said Elladan quietly. “They mean no harm. Stand steady.” His brother was giving similar instructions to his own horse. It would not do to have come all this way with gifts and tales and then injure a young hobbit by accident. The Twins dismounted.
“I’ll have Darby take care of your horses for you.” The voice came from the entryway of Brandy Hall where Merry and Pippin were coming towards the two elves with broad smiles on their faces.
“No, Merry,” Elrohir said, as he walked towards the two hobbits, taking their hands in his and clasping them in welcome. “Have your groomsman take care of the two ponies, but ‘Dan and I will take care of the horses. Come with us. We can begin to catch up while we groom and water the beasts.” He heard his horse snort behind him. Apparently Celedae didn’t like being called a ‘beast’.
The four friends walked towards the stable area, following Darby and his assistant. Once there, they found the stalls made for 'big man's' horses and began getting their two elven steeds settled. Elrohir was busy grooming Celedae when Elladan took a sharp look towards the groomsman.
“Darby,” he called out. The hobbit stopped short, turned around, and looked at the elf. “The items on the pack pony and in the wagon are to be placed in our rooms. Make sure that caution is taken with the items, it would not do to have them broken when some of them have come all the way from Minas Tirith and Edoras.”
“Yes sir!” Darby said, giving a small bob and touching his forelock in respect. “Timot, get two other strong hobbits to help you take Master Elladan and Master Elrohir's items to their rooms.” He clapped his hands. “Hurry now!”
As Elladan smiled, Elrohir turned to the two middle-aged hobbits. “We bear greetings and Yule wishes from many of your friends in the south,” he said, pouring fresh water into the trough for the two steeds and then checking on the feed. “There is one special friend who sent something very unexpected.”
“Well,” Elladan picked up his brother's thought and continued. “We are finished here, let's go and get bathed and clean for polite hobbit society, brother.”
The four friends, two tall and two short, walked back to the entrance of Brandy Hall. It was an imposing structure, the residence of generations of Brandybucks going back hundreds of years. It took up the entire small hill and was expanding closer to the Old Forest hedge every year. One of the things that Merry had immediately arranged when becoming Master of the Hall was the construction of rooms made for Big Folk. Men weren't allowed into the Shire by edict of the King, but Brandy Hall was outside of the proper border of the Shire and often played host to visiting men on the King's business, or elves such as the Twins, who usually stopped by for a night if they were passing through the area.
An hour or so later, two freshly-bathed and clothed elves had left the smell of horse behind them and had settled down in comfortable, overstuffed chairs with cups of tea nearby and their hobbit friends across from them. The goods from the wagon and pack horse had been brought into the room and placed against the wall. Prominent among these was a small wooden barrel, similar to what ale or wine would be kept in.
“First of all,” Elrohir began. “We are making you a gift of both the pack pony and the wagon and its pony. I know you may not need them, but if you don't, you probably know of another hobbit family that could benefit from having them. Pass the two steeds and the wagon to the places where they will do the most good. We no longer need them and they will be happy and well cared for here in the Shire.”
Merry exclaimed, “That is too large a gift, Elrohir. Truly. I...well, I thank you. I do indeed know of a nice gentlehobbit who would benefit from a wagon and pony.”
“And I,” said Pippin, “know of the perfect home for the pack pony. It will be lovingly cared for and very appreciated. Thank you very much.”
Elladan smiled, “We felt sure that they would be welcomed. Now, we have letters for each of you. Here's one for you, Pippin, from Beregond, another from Faramir, and one from the King.”
“And for you, Merry,” Elrohir pulled several parchments from his saddle bag. “I have letters from the King as well as from Eomer and Eowyn.”
“But that's not the most unusual message we were given,” Elrohir continued. He settled down and took a sip of tea. The hobbits, attuned to storytelling for generations, also settled down comfortably in their chairs, each one looking forward to some quiet time later in the day when he could read through his letters.
“We had left Edoras and were journeying towards the Gap of Rohan. Of course, you know that this road passes close to Isenguard. We thought we would take a small detour to Orthanc and see how the reforestation that the Ents were doing was coming along. We knew that Aragorn would be interested in hearing a progress report.
We had no sooner passed through the wall into the enclave then we heard a familiar 'Hoom, hoom.... sound'.
The two hobbits could hardly contain themselves. “Treebeard,” they exclaimed together.
“Exactly right,” said Elladan, taking up the story from his brother. “We met with Fangorn for more than a day, bringing him up-to-date on events in the realm, although it seemed that often he had already heard the news we discussed. Finally, towards the end of our visit when we were making ready to continue our journey, he asked about you two.”
“Now you must understand, of course,” interjected Elrohir, “that the conversation was as slow as you would expect from Fangorn and we are shortening things up quite a bit for you. Being positively 'hasty' as he would say.”
“Yes,” his brother nodded, and continued the story. “In any case, he asked about the two of you, how you were doing and what you were up to. We told him as much as we knew about your marriages and your ascensions to be the heads of your families. Fangorn nodded. 'Very good,' he said. And then he asked us something peculiar.”
Elrohir took over again. “He asked us if we would be seeing you on this trip. When we told him that we were planning to spend Yule with you, he asked us to bring you that barrel that you see against the wall there. 'For it has been long since they shared Ent draught with me, yet I think of them often and would wish it's healing properties to be theirs as they age.' He instructed us about where we could find a container 'suitable for carrying liquids' and we washed the barrel out per his instructions. Then, bidding us stay one more night, he left, carrying the empty barrel. The next day he returned and handed the filled barrel to us with strict instructions that it was to be given to the two of you only.”
“So there you have it,” Elladan said. “Ent draught from Fangorn himself, given to the small ones who made such a large impact on him.”
Merry and Pippin looked at each other, delighted smiles on their faces. “Merry, this is wonderful. Remember how refreshed we felt when we drank this for the first time?” Merry nodded, his thoughts having shifted back in time and place to a sunlit waterfall and a kindly tree shepherd.
“The remainder of the packages are lengths of cloth for your womenfolk, bows and arrows for the men, and a variety of toys for the children. But the barrel and the letters, well those are for the two of you alone.”
The two elves stayed and celebrated Yule with the large and joyful hobbit families, then left, heading north on their other errands. They assured the hobbits that they would drop by again in the Spring when they were heading back from Annúminas towards Minas Tirith once again.
Merry arranged for the barrel to be placed on a stand in the corner of his private study. He and Pippin would share drinks from the barrel every now and again, and always they felt invigorated, the liquid containing the essence of life that was the forest of Fangorn. Many years later when the two hobbits traveled south for their final visits with Eomer King and Aragorn, they stopped by Isenguard and once more spent a few hours talking with their old friend. They finally had the chance to thank him for the unusual but cherished gift he had sent with the two Sons of Elrond. The good-byes were difficult because they knew they would not be seeing Treebeard again, but the meeting so sweet that they cherished the memory until the day they died.
Format: Ficlet
Genre: Drama
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Merry, Pippin, Fangorn
Pairings: None
Word Count: 1775
Summary: A gift of great value has been given to the Twins for them to deliver to two very special friends.
The Message
Elrohir and Elladan smiled at each other. They had just left Bree and were heading towards Buckland to visit with their friends, Meriadoc Brandybuck and his cousin Peregrin Took, the Thain of Tookland who was visiting for the Yule season. They had a small wagon pulled by a small piebald pony and also a pack pony. The wagon bed was covered by a tarp hiding unknown delights underneath the canvas covering. Interesting bumps and bulges were visible on the burden carried by the pack pony, a sturdy and good-natured bay.
The Twins loved visiting their Shire friends, but they didn’t come this way too often, having no desire to overstay any welcome they might be given by their small hosts, and having other duties in far away places in Middle Earth. It had been ten years since they had last passed the borders of Buckland. After they had completed visiting their old friends, they would continue on to visit the northern Dúnedain in Annúminas on the shores of Lake Nenuial. They were carrying messages from the King, their brother-in-law, to the Northern Council, but the messages weren’t urgent so they felt that a small side trip was justified.
Pulling up in the yard, they were suddenly surrounded by excited hobbit children, jumping up and down and bidding them welcome in their high-pitched voices.
“Easy there, Narothal,” said Elladan quietly. “They mean no harm. Stand steady.” His brother was giving similar instructions to his own horse. It would not do to have come all this way with gifts and tales and then injure a young hobbit by accident. The Twins dismounted.
“I’ll have Darby take care of your horses for you.” The voice came from the entryway of Brandy Hall where Merry and Pippin were coming towards the two elves with broad smiles on their faces.
“No, Merry,” Elrohir said, as he walked towards the two hobbits, taking their hands in his and clasping them in welcome. “Have your groomsman take care of the two ponies, but ‘Dan and I will take care of the horses. Come with us. We can begin to catch up while we groom and water the beasts.” He heard his horse snort behind him. Apparently Celedae didn’t like being called a ‘beast’.
The four friends walked towards the stable area, following Darby and his assistant. Once there, they found the stalls made for 'big man's' horses and began getting their two elven steeds settled. Elrohir was busy grooming Celedae when Elladan took a sharp look towards the groomsman.
“Darby,” he called out. The hobbit stopped short, turned around, and looked at the elf. “The items on the pack pony and in the wagon are to be placed in our rooms. Make sure that caution is taken with the items, it would not do to have them broken when some of them have come all the way from Minas Tirith and Edoras.”
“Yes sir!” Darby said, giving a small bob and touching his forelock in respect. “Timot, get two other strong hobbits to help you take Master Elladan and Master Elrohir's items to their rooms.” He clapped his hands. “Hurry now!”
As Elladan smiled, Elrohir turned to the two middle-aged hobbits. “We bear greetings and Yule wishes from many of your friends in the south,” he said, pouring fresh water into the trough for the two steeds and then checking on the feed. “There is one special friend who sent something very unexpected.”
“Well,” Elladan picked up his brother's thought and continued. “We are finished here, let's go and get bathed and clean for polite hobbit society, brother.”
The four friends, two tall and two short, walked back to the entrance of Brandy Hall. It was an imposing structure, the residence of generations of Brandybucks going back hundreds of years. It took up the entire small hill and was expanding closer to the Old Forest hedge every year. One of the things that Merry had immediately arranged when becoming Master of the Hall was the construction of rooms made for Big Folk. Men weren't allowed into the Shire by edict of the King, but Brandy Hall was outside of the proper border of the Shire and often played host to visiting men on the King's business, or elves such as the Twins, who usually stopped by for a night if they were passing through the area.
An hour or so later, two freshly-bathed and clothed elves had left the smell of horse behind them and had settled down in comfortable, overstuffed chairs with cups of tea nearby and their hobbit friends across from them. The goods from the wagon and pack horse had been brought into the room and placed against the wall. Prominent among these was a small wooden barrel, similar to what ale or wine would be kept in.
“First of all,” Elrohir began. “We are making you a gift of both the pack pony and the wagon and its pony. I know you may not need them, but if you don't, you probably know of another hobbit family that could benefit from having them. Pass the two steeds and the wagon to the places where they will do the most good. We no longer need them and they will be happy and well cared for here in the Shire.”
Merry exclaimed, “That is too large a gift, Elrohir. Truly. I...well, I thank you. I do indeed know of a nice gentlehobbit who would benefit from a wagon and pony.”
“And I,” said Pippin, “know of the perfect home for the pack pony. It will be lovingly cared for and very appreciated. Thank you very much.”
Elladan smiled, “We felt sure that they would be welcomed. Now, we have letters for each of you. Here's one for you, Pippin, from Beregond, another from Faramir, and one from the King.”
“And for you, Merry,” Elrohir pulled several parchments from his saddle bag. “I have letters from the King as well as from Eomer and Eowyn.”
“But that's not the most unusual message we were given,” Elrohir continued. He settled down and took a sip of tea. The hobbits, attuned to storytelling for generations, also settled down comfortably in their chairs, each one looking forward to some quiet time later in the day when he could read through his letters.
“We had left Edoras and were journeying towards the Gap of Rohan. Of course, you know that this road passes close to Isenguard. We thought we would take a small detour to Orthanc and see how the reforestation that the Ents were doing was coming along. We knew that Aragorn would be interested in hearing a progress report.
We had no sooner passed through the wall into the enclave then we heard a familiar 'Hoom, hoom.... sound'.
The two hobbits could hardly contain themselves. “Treebeard,” they exclaimed together.
“Exactly right,” said Elladan, taking up the story from his brother. “We met with Fangorn for more than a day, bringing him up-to-date on events in the realm, although it seemed that often he had already heard the news we discussed. Finally, towards the end of our visit when we were making ready to continue our journey, he asked about you two.”
“Now you must understand, of course,” interjected Elrohir, “that the conversation was as slow as you would expect from Fangorn and we are shortening things up quite a bit for you. Being positively 'hasty' as he would say.”
“Yes,” his brother nodded, and continued the story. “In any case, he asked about the two of you, how you were doing and what you were up to. We told him as much as we knew about your marriages and your ascensions to be the heads of your families. Fangorn nodded. 'Very good,' he said. And then he asked us something peculiar.”
Elrohir took over again. “He asked us if we would be seeing you on this trip. When we told him that we were planning to spend Yule with you, he asked us to bring you that barrel that you see against the wall there. 'For it has been long since they shared Ent draught with me, yet I think of them often and would wish it's healing properties to be theirs as they age.' He instructed us about where we could find a container 'suitable for carrying liquids' and we washed the barrel out per his instructions. Then, bidding us stay one more night, he left, carrying the empty barrel. The next day he returned and handed the filled barrel to us with strict instructions that it was to be given to the two of you only.”
“So there you have it,” Elladan said. “Ent draught from Fangorn himself, given to the small ones who made such a large impact on him.”
Merry and Pippin looked at each other, delighted smiles on their faces. “Merry, this is wonderful. Remember how refreshed we felt when we drank this for the first time?” Merry nodded, his thoughts having shifted back in time and place to a sunlit waterfall and a kindly tree shepherd.
“The remainder of the packages are lengths of cloth for your womenfolk, bows and arrows for the men, and a variety of toys for the children. But the barrel and the letters, well those are for the two of you alone.”
The two elves stayed and celebrated Yule with the large and joyful hobbit families, then left, heading north on their other errands. They assured the hobbits that they would drop by again in the Spring when they were heading back from Annúminas towards Minas Tirith once again.
Merry arranged for the barrel to be placed on a stand in the corner of his private study. He and Pippin would share drinks from the barrel every now and again, and always they felt invigorated, the liquid containing the essence of life that was the forest of Fangorn. Many years later when the two hobbits traveled south for their final visits with Eomer King and Aragorn, they stopped by Isenguard and once more spent a few hours talking with their old friend. They finally had the chance to thank him for the unusual but cherished gift he had sent with the two Sons of Elrond. The good-byes were difficult because they knew they would not be seeing Treebeard again, but the meeting so sweet that they cherished the memory until the day they died.
no subject
no subject
- Erulisse (one L)
no subject
no subject
- Erulisse (one L)
no subject
no subject
- Erulisse (one L)
no subject
no subject
- Erulisse (one L)
no subject
no subject
- Erulisse (one L)
no subject
no subject
- Erulisse (one L)