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Merry and Pippin stand waist-deep in water. They look up at the balcony of Orthanc.
-He doesn't look too happy, does he?- Merry comments.
-Not too happy at all, Merry.
Saruman and Wormtounge stalk along the balcony.
-Still, I suppose the view would be quite nice form up there.
-Oh yes, a quality establishment. I hear the staff are very good- Merry surreptitiously tries to measure his height against Pippin's. Pippin looks back at him, and Merry pretends to be picking something out of his hair -What are you doing?
-Nothing. The world's back to normal, that's all.
-No it isn't. I'm starving- the young hobbit hold his stomach.
-Good luck trying to find something decent around here. Probably only dead rats and moldy bread.
Pippin finds an apple floating in the water. He looks up, then he smiles. More apples are bobbing along in the water. He grabs them, then drops them to pick up a roast chicken, then finds a whole basket of apples. Merry finds a carafe of wine. They enter a storeroom filled with food.
-Saruman's storeroom!- they see barrels marked 'Southfarthing'.
-I don't believe it.
-It can't be.
-It is.
They open a barrel.
-Longbottom Leaf. The finest pipe-weed in South Farthing.
-It's perfect. One barrel each. Wait. Do you think we should share it with Treebeard?
-Share it? No. No. Dead plant and all that. Don't think he'd understand. Could be a distant relative.
-I get it. Don't be hasty- Pippin nods.
-Exactly. Bar-hrum.
Treebeard peeks into the storeroom as smoke begins to billow out.
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Faramir and the hobbits wade through the flooded city to an alcove. Gollum follows.
-This is the old sewer. Runs right under the river through to the edge of the city. You'll find cover in the woods there- he explains.
-Captain Faramir, you have shown your quality, sir. The very highest.
-The Shire must truly be a great realm, Master Gamgee, where gardeners are held in high honor. What road will you take once you reach the woods?
-Gollum says there's a path near Minas Morgul that climbs up into the mountains.
-Cirith Ungol?- Gollum crawls past him. Faramir grabs Gollum and holds him by the neck -Is that it's name?
-No. No! Yes- the disgusting creature shrivels up in the man's grasp.
-Frodo, they say a dark terror dwells in the passes above Minas Morgul. You cannot go that way.
-It is the only way. Master says we must go to Mordor, so we must try.
-I must.
Faramir throws Gollum down.
-Go, Frodo. Go with the goodwill of all Men.
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Dragon Rider in Middle Earth
FanfictionArya Lorawynn is the human child Eragon Bromsson had found centuries ago on the island in which he had been raising the dragon eggs when she had washed up on the shores. How she got past his barriers he didn't know, but he took pity on the child and...
