After a while of running the Hobbits stumble and fall over causing me to stop and check to make sure they are okay. "Did we lose him? I think we lost him." Pippin says looking around when suddenly an Orc appears running through the trees saying, "I'm going to rip out your filthy little innards!" I let out an annoyed groan as I once again pull the Hobbit's to their feet and tell them to run. "Come here!"

"Up into the trees!" I say as I pick Pippin up and hoist him to a branch above my head. 

"What about you?" Merry asks and I smile as I say, "Don't worry about me. I'll think of something. Now go!" I say as I grab him and toss him up into the tree along with Pippin. I watch as they climb high and higher. I turn around looking for the Orc and am surprised to see that I'm alone. "He's gone." Merry says as he looks around.

I let out a sigh of relief and turn just in time to see the Orc appear in front of me making me let out a loud scream. Falling backwards onto my back I try to kick the Orc away. "_______!" I hear the Hobbits call out my name over and over again. I stare at the Orc my eyes filled with fear as he says holding his dagger over my body, "Let's put a maggot hole in your belly!" I glance past him to see the tree holding the Hobbits move and stare at it wide eyed. The Orc hears a noise just as the tree moves forward and stands on him.

"Run, _____!" I hear Merry and Pippin cry out but I stand fast as the tree reaches down and pick me up. The tree holds me in one hand and them in his other as he says, "Little Orcs. Buraroom." 

"It's talking, Merry. The tree is talking." Pippin says staring at the tree in shock like the rest of us.

 "Tree? I am no tree! I am an Ent." The tree says his voice deep and booming. 

 "A tree-herder. A shepherd of the forest." Merry says full of wonderment. 

"Don't talk to it, Merry. Don't encourage it!" Pippin says and I roll my eyes as I say, "Pippin don't be rude!"

"Treebeard, some call me." The Ent replies and I smile as Pippin says, "And whose side are you on?" 

"Side? I am on nobody's side, because nobody's on my side, little Orc. Nobody cares for the woods anymore." 

"We're not Orcs." I say getting his attention. "I'm an Elf and they are Hobbit's." 

"Hobbits? Never heard of a Hobbit before. Sounds like Orc mischief to me!" He replies squeezing us in his grasp making us gasp for air as he continues saying, "They come with fire. They come with axes. Gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning! Destroyers and usurpers! Curse them!"

"No! You don't understand. We're Hobbits! Halflings! Shire-folk!" Merry says as he tries to catch his breath. 

"Maybe you are......and maybe you aren't. The White Wizard will know." He replies and my heart jumps in my throat as I say to myself, "Gandalf!" 

Suddenly Treebeard puts us down and we look up to see the White Wizard. Tears fill my eyes as I jump to my feet and running into his arms cry out, "Gandalf!" His arms wrap around me a bright smiling covering his face as the Hobbits stare at him in confusion. 

"You're alive?" Pippin says as he helps Merry to his feet. 

"I am young Peregrin Took." He says pulling away from me. 

"How?" Merry asks as he stares at the now white wizard. 

"I will explain later for now I entrust you to the company of Treebeard. He will take you where you need to go. As _______ and I have some thing's to discuss."

The Hobbits had a look on their faces clearly saying that they were still curios but instead of arguing just nod until Merry realizes that I am not going with them. "Wait, why is ______ not coming with us?" 

"Because I have things I need to discuss with him," I say as I walk over an kneeling down in front of him continue saying as I place my hand on his shoulder, "I will meet you again and soon; but for now you need to go with Treebeard." 

"But?" I hear Pippin say and I turn toward him my face turning soft. 

"I'll be fine, I promise." I gently place a kiss upon his forehead before I turn back to Merry and do the same.

"Na lû e-govaned vîn, Meriadoc Brandybuck." I say as i pull away from him letting Treebeard pick them up and place them on his shoulders. They both look at us and I give them a faint smile and wave as I watch them disappear into the woods. 

When Gandalf and I are alone I slowly turn to him and ask, "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Tell you what?" He says as he starts to walk forward leaving me standing there. 

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you're my father?" I say and he instantly freezes and turning back to me says, "I see you have met the lady Galadriel?"

I nod and folding my arms over my chest say, "And you didn't tell me why?" 

"I figured it was best you hear it from her then from me." 

 "Right, so you just kept me by your side all this time with no inclination to tell me you were my father... That's just awesome."

 "I sense your words are not what you mean them to be." 

"It's called being sarcastic," I say as I start walking ahead of him toward the direction he had originally been heading. 

"Are you angry with me?" He asks and I let out a groan of anger as I say, "Yes, and no. I understand but I'm not happy about it. Can we just meet up with Aragorn and talk about this later?"

"How did you know we were going to meet up with Aragorn?" He asks and I freeze in my steps my eyes going wide. 

"I told you before, It all happened in the books." 

"That is why you wished to come along on this journey, you wanted to protect a couple of us from our fates did you not?" I nod as tears instantly feel my eyes as I say, "But I failed, I couldn't keep Boromir alive. If I had just gotten to him faster or used some of my magic-" I am instantly pulled into his chest his arms wrapping around me as he says, "It was not your fault my child. There was nothing you could have done."

"Then why do I feel like this? Why do I see him every time I close my eyes, him blaming me." 

"That is just you blaming yourself. Boromir would not want you to blame yourself for how he met his end, he would want you to remember the happy times." I nod into his chest but I knew in my heart I couldn't forgive myself. I never would be able too.

After a few moments he pulls away and giving me a reassuring smile says, "Shall we then?" I nod as I start follow him toward where we would reunite with our companions. It was two days before we finally met up with them. "Watch this," Gandalf says and I smile catching the devious look in his eyes. We start walking toward the unsuspecting company when Aragorn grips his sword, Gimli grasps his axe and Legolas loads his bow with an arrow.

They quickly turn around and are greeted by a brilliant white light. Gimli throws his axe, which is deflected. Legolas fires an arrow, again deflected and Aragorn's sword turns red hot so that he drops it. I bite my lip to control my giggling as my father dons apparently Saruman's voice from within the white light. No form can be made out. "You are tracking the footsteps of two young Hobbits and an Elven Princess."

"Where are they?" Aragorn cries out shielding his eyes from the intense white light.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" 

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Aragorn orders causing my father's white light to disappear as He steps out of the white light and reveals himself all dressed in white robes with a white staff. "It cannot be." Aragorn stares at the wizard eyes full of wonder. 

"Forgive me." Legolas says to Gandalf obviously not noticing me.

Legolas and Gimli bow down, "I mistook you for Saruman." Legolas says causing Gandalf to reply, "I am Saruman. Or rather, Saruman as he should have been." 

"You fell." Aragorn says in disbelief.

"Through fire, and water; From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak. I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last I threw down my enemy, and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as a life age of the Earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back, until my task is done."

"Gandalf." Aragorn says as he moves toward the wizard. 

"Gandalf? Yes. That was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."

"Gandalf." Gimli says a smile covering his face. 

"I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide." He says and I smile. 

"What of Merry, Pippin, and _______?" Aragorn says and Gandalf smiles as he says, "You can come out now." Taking a deep breath I walk out into the open and as I walk up to them Aragorn grabs me and pulls me into his arms holding me tightly.

Tears fill my eyes as my arms slowly wrap around him. "I am glad you are safe." He says and I find my hands clinging to his shirt not wanting him to let me go. I wanted to scream out into the air that I was sorry for not being able to protect Boromir but the words wouldn't come. After a few moments he pulls away and I turn toward Legolas and Gimli right as Gimli rushes up and wraps his arms around me almost crushing me. I let out a laugh as I say, "I missed you too Gimli." He pulls away as he says, "Thank Durin you're alive and unharmed."

I look over at Legolas to see an unknown look filling his eyes and before he is able to say anything Gandalf says, "Shall we be off then?" Everyone nods as they start to follow him away. I stand there for a moment eyes still on his until he walks past me not bothering to say anything. I gulp down a breath of air as I try not to cry again. 

"Come along lass," Gimli says as he waits patiently for me to catch up. All five of us walk through the forest. "One stage of your journey is over. Another begins. We must travel to Edoras with all speed." Gandalf says from the front of our company. 

"Edoras? That is no short distance!" Gimli says from beside as I keep my eyes planted firmly on the ground in front of me. 

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king." Aragorn says as he keeps in step with the white wizard.

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured." Gandalf replies causing Gimli to say, "Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor Hobbits here......in this horrid, dark, dank tree-infested--?" Suddenly there are groans heard in the forest making Gimli quickly say, "I mean, charming......quite charming forest." 

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones......that starts an avalanche in the mountains." Gandalf replies making me bite my lip.

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend. You still speak in riddles." Aragorn says to my father and I smile. That was one thing I was certain would never change about him. 

"A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days. The Ents are going to wake up.....and find that they are strong. So stop your fretting, Master Dwarf. Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be." Gandalf says as he glances at Gimli before looking back ahead of him.

"This new Gandalf's more grumpy than the old one." Gimli mutters to himself and I chuckle as I say, "That he is." 

Suddenly we are outside the forest Gandalf whistles a long high loud whistle. From the distance a great white horse comes galloping towards them. "That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas says as he stares at the horse with wonder. 

Gandalf greets the horse as he bows his head to him allowing him to stroke his head as he continues saying, "Shadowfax. He is the lord of all horses, and has been my friend through many dangers."

I look around to see Aragorn holding a chestnut stallion while Legolas holds the reins of a grey mare. "Ah ______, here!" Aragorn says as he tosses a bag at me and catching it I smile at the familiar pack. 

"Thank you," I say as I open it to find all my things still intact within it. 

Smiling he walks over until he is standing inches from me as he says, "Do not thank me, Legolas grabbed it for you." I glance past my friend to see Legolas helping Gimli onto the back of his grey mare. 

"Well thank you anyway. I don't think I could have lived without it." He nods as he turns to his chestnut stallion and says, "Shall we?"

"I am to ride double with you?" I ask questioningly as I tilt my head at him. 

Turning back to me he nods as he says, "Would you prefer to ride with Legolas?" 

"No!" I say a little too fast and I silently chastise myself as I say, "I didn't mean it to come out like that, of course I would be glad to ride with you." I say as I wait patiently for him to climb into the saddle. 

Once he is astride the tall stallion I take his arm and let him pull me up so I am sitting behind him. "If we are being honest, I've only been on a horse maybe three times in my entire life." I say as I wrap my arms tightly around his waist. He laughs as he says, "Then I would hold on if I were you." 

Suddenly the stallion jerks forward and I find my grip around his waist tightening as I let out a frightened squeak. I hear him laugh as we all ride off at great speed to Edoras.