Dawn (A Hobbit Fanfic)

Chapter 2 - But wait! There's more!

~-Five weeks ago-~

It was a warm and peaceful evening in late spring. I stood outside the Tower of Isengard practising my footwork and swordsmanship. I usually travelled with Gandalf everywhere he went but this time he dropped me off at Isengard and told me to wait for his return. Not that it would have mattered much fighting practise wise. The most treathening thing I'd had to fight off on our travels was a hungry wolf that fled after realising a wizard and his apprentice are not an easy meal.
I had been in Isengard for a couple of days already and there was very little I could do to keep the boredom at bay. I could only study so much before I could recite the entire content of the book without looking at it and Saruman wasn't that eager a conversation partner.

It really sucked that I couldn't spar with actual opponents. Throughout the years. Or more accurately, whenever Gandalf went to the Dwarves, I'd asked every available Wizard, I'd even tried Saruman.
That wasn't a succes, as you can imagine. Most of the Wizards had more important stuff to do if they found themselves to be in the area. I did too, usually, but I seemed to find myself in the area more often than anyone else. Either Gandalf was growing tired of me and wanted me to be a Wizard in my own right, or he just wanted to get on Saruman's nerves without lifting a finger. My money is on the second option because I know that Gandalf knows that wizardry doesn't work that way. There five Wizards. There always have been five Wizards. There will always be five Wizards. It doesn't matter how good I will become at doing magic or how many spells I will invent, nothing will change that.
Unless one of them dies but I'm not entirely sure that's even possible.

Isengard didn't come equipped with proper practise dummies, because who would use them, Saruman?
Bucky Buckethead made a fairly poor duelling partner but he would have to do. (I'm not great at names, you shut it.)
I hacked away and jumped at it, until the sun was starting it's descend.
My bad luck had been dormant for almost fifty years. So of course, it decided to awaken.
Saruman had called a court meeting but didn't tell Gandalf because he's a prick. In his opinion, there are only five true Wizards. That much is true, I am no Valar sent deity, just one's apprentice. Why Saruman gave me an official seat and vote in the court is beyond me but he seems to regret it now. He is actively looking for reasons revoke the title he gave me and kick me out.
He also didn't like my destroying of his property. It's not like he used the used the old spades, sack and bucket anyway. All he did was mope around in his dark tower and set off to Rivendell every so often.
Speak of the Balrog and he shall appear.
"I thought you would be travelling with Gandalf?" Saruman's voice suddenly behind me scared me half to death, I spun around with my sword pointing at him, but regained my composure and put it away when I saw who it was.

"No, Gandalf went to Bree to meet with a Dwarf this morning. You know how they feel about my kind. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be at the council of the White something?"
"I just returned," Saruman answered my question in a tone that suggested I was in trouble. When I saw he looked both annoyed and pleased at the same time, I knew the day had come.
He was going to have a vote to let me go and strip me of the title I had worked so hard for. I made a mental tally and saw the odds against me. Radagast and Gandalf liked me enough to vote for my stay, and the Blue Wizards were indifferent toward me, because they barely knew me. If given one or two good reasons they would vote for whichever side they agreed with most. Which, in all fairness, is how voting works.
With Gandalf in Bree, Saruman could throw me out in this court meeting. He had already gathered enough reason to do so. My vocal issue with his authority being one of them.
He didn't seem to have a problem with the decimation of the old grain sack at all.
"The Wizards are seated already, so come in and have yours," Saruman informed me in a sly tone.
I rolled my eyes and went inside to the court room. I took my seat next to Gandalf's empty chair.
I zoned out when Saruman opened the meeting but he took my attention back when he spoke my full name; "Kahlahari Thranduiliell, I present a movement to expel you from the Court of Wizards on grounds of you being banished from the Mirkwood Realm when you were found guilty of disloyalty and treason," he addressed the court in a regal voice.

Ah. He'd spoken with my father in Rivendell. That was quite inconvenient to say the least. I wasn't aware that father had appeared when summoned in at least two thousand years. He'd either send an envoy to represent him or just ignore the summons entirely, trusting that a letter would be sent if there was anything that he specifically needed to know about.

My famously succesful diplomatic skills engaged, I made my counter move: "I'm surprised it took you fifty years to find out." I'm a blonde Elf that didn't mention that I was from Lothlòrien. You now have three guesses.

Hold up, that came out wrong.

"So you do not deny your crimes against the kingdom your own father rules."

Welp. It has been fun.

"No, I do not deny their existence but I do question-"
Saruman cut me off. Rude. Do I not have the right to defend myself?
"All in favour of baninshment?"
"Wait, what does Kahlahari herself have to say?" one of the blue Wizards asked. I felt bad that he knew my name when I wasn't sure if he was Alatar or Pallando. In my defense, I've seen the both of them a grand total of three times in my five decades as an apprentice.
The worse thing was that I didn't have a good counter argument. Refusing to follow Thranduil's orders was disloyalty and siding with the Dwarves over him was probably treason. Otherwise not honouring the terms of the allegiance would be.

"Thranduil and I... have difficulties getting along. I do not feel the need to discuss it in depth. I just want to say that he betrayed our agreement with the Dwarves of Erebor before I disobeyed his orders."
The voting began. Saruman and both the Blue wizards raised their hands. He had found my defence weak then. Radagast stubbornly did not raise his hand, I really appreciated that. "Then hereby, you are no longer Kahlahari the Green. You may now gather your possessions and leave Isengard."

Yeah yeah, fuck you too. Thanks for the magic, kiss an Orc, I hope this was the last time we met, so long.