The healer (Legolas love story)

Chapter 25: Saruman

"What kind of a hurricane has happened here?" asked Gimli shocked.  were all shocked in fact. Theoden and some of his men including Eomer, Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Nestarel had sat upon their horses, with Gimli riding with Legolas, on the now destroyed gates of the circle of Isengard. They had ridden for one and half day to come and talk with Saruman, but what they found had left them in bewilderment.

They slowly rode into the ring of Isengard. If the Great Sea had risen in wrath and fallen on the hills with storm, it could have worked no greater ruin.

The ring beyond was filled with steaming water, a bubbling cauldron, in which there heaved and floated a wreckage of beams and spars, chests and casks and broken gear. Twisted and leaning pillars reared their splintered stems above the flood, but all the roads were drowned. Far off, it seemed, half veiled in winding cloud, there loomed the island rock. Still dark and tall, unbroken by the storm, the tower of Orthanc stood. Pale waters lapped about its feet.

The king and all his company sat silently on their horses, marveling, perceiving that the power of Saruman was overthrown, but how, they could not guess. And now they turned their eyes towards the archway and the ruined gates. Suddenly they were aware of two small figures lying on it at their ease, gray-clad, hardly to be seen among the stones. There were bottles and bowls and platters laid beside them, as if they had just eaten well, and now rested from their labor. One seemed asleep, the other, with crossed legs and arms behind his head, leaned back against a broken rock and sent from his mouth long wisps and little rings of thin blue smoke.

"Merry! Pippin!" Cried Nestarel happily. Her heart warmed at the sight of the two small men as relief washed over her.

The two hobbits saw them and they smiled happily. Merry stood on the wall with his pipe in his hand. "Welcome, my lords to Isengard! " he said and pointed to the ruins of Isengard.

"You young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you feasting and ... and smoking! " cried Gimli who couldn't contain himself anymore.

"We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good." said Pippin.

"Salted pork?" said Gimli whose mouth had been watered. Nestarel chuckled.

"Hobbits." scuffed Gandalf.

"We're under orders from Treebeard, who's taken over management of Isengard." said Merry.

"Treebeard?" asked Nestarel confused. "I think you two have a great story to tell us and I'm sure it will be full of your courage and bravery," she said and smiled warmly at the hobbits she had come to adore dearly. 

Merry bowed in show off. "Well, my dear Nestarel, sure me and this useless of a hobbit here had done certain things and had a little bit of touch in the events that has happened here, but we were not alone and it was not only the two of us who has caused this mess. Ans for your first you will soon meet him. You know explaining them is a bit odd. But alas we are Shirelings and small and can't accompany you in this sea of water on foot." said Merry.

Nestarel laughed and rode next to the wall. "okay, my night in shining armour. One of you can come with me. The other can come with Aragorn." she said and helped Merry to sit in front of her. Pippin sat behind Aragorn. 

"It's good to see you two fine. We were so worried about you." she said.

"We were worried about you too. We saw the great host of Isengard heading for war. We were afraid that you get hurt." said Merry.

"Well, so we should be grateful that all of us are fine and together once more." said Legolas. They rode into the ring of Isengard and then they saw something very strange. Giant trees were walking in the ring. One of them with something like a beard on his face, walked to them.