The Quest of the White Tree

The Quest of the White Tree- Chapter 1

In her dream, she stood atop a mountain. Beneath her sprawled Minas Tirith in the height of its majesty; the White City, it was called, and in the slanting rays of the sun it seemed to her that it was emanating a pure radiance that bathed the valley in a silvery light. From her vantage point, she could see both the blossoming terraces spiralling up the hill upon which the city was built, and the tall protective walls encasing it. If she stood on the tips of her toes she could make out the sacred courtyard at the very top of the hill, where the Tree of Gondor was kept; she could imagine its slender branches reaching up to greet the morning sun, and the residents of the city below basking in its beauty, living their lives in bliss. She felt a longing she had never felt before, and she could not shake the feeling that she belonged there, that she simply belonged. She turned to face the forest, and her dream began to fade; but in the fraction of a second before she woke up, she thought she saw a pair of deep, clear blue eyes piercing her from behind a thicket of leaves.

"Rose, darling, is that you?" Her mother's face, slightly flushed, poked out from behind the kitchen door.

"Yes, mother."

"Rose, could you possibly run down to Pip's for me? He promised he would give me some of his radishes, that is of course if he hasn't scoffed the lot- greedy pig- and you know how much Elanor loves them... Oh, didn't you know?" She said brightly, at the confused expression on Rose's face. "She's coming over for luncheon today! Won't that be lovely? She says she's simply dying to see you all, it's so kind of her- after all, she doesn't have much time these days-"

"I'll go down now." Rose cut in. "I have to give Di her dress back anyway."

Her mother beamed, slightly distracted by a billow of steam that had issued from one of the various pots on the stove. "There's a good girl, I'm sure your sister will be very grateful. Oh, blast-" The lid of the pot had blown clean off and the boiling water was bubbling over the sides. Leaving her mother muttering frantically, Rose quietly left the house, bending slightly under the doorframe.

Her hands were clenched in tight fists as she walked down the hill. She felt a familiar surge of jealousy that she had always felt, for as long as she could remember, when her sister Elanor was mentioned. Elanor the Fair. She laughed bitterly. Everyone in the Shire worshipped her- her mother included. Although she insisted that she didn't have favourites amongst her children, Rose couldn't help but notice the way her mother's eyes lit up when Elanor entered the room, and the way she always spoke about her with so much pride and affection in her voice. Elanor was perfect- the eldest daughter of Samwise Gamgee, the mayor of the Shire; as flawless as an elf; and, to top it off, a year ago she was chosen to be the maid of Queen Evenstar. To live in Minas Tirith, the White City of kings, in the service of the beautiful Queen Arwen Undomniel, living the life Rose had only lived in her wildest dreams. Of what importance was Rose, in comparison to her? She was nobody, nobody but the little sister of Elanor the Fair, fit only to run errands for her mother. She shifted the bunched up dress to her other arm and with her spare hand, she fingered the well-worn hilt of the knife she always wore, hidden under her belt; she felt an urge to pull it out and throw it at something. She wasn't even blessed with the same beauty, she thought resentfully; with her plain dark eyes and lumpy features, she wasn't anything special to look at. That is, if you excepted her extraordinary height. She was so tall she had to duck underneath the small round doorways that were commonplace in the Shire and her arms and legs were so long and spindly she was constantly knocking things off the shelves. She felt clumsy and out of place in the village where she was meant to belong. But she didn't belong. She knew it, and everyone else knew it too, though she knew they were too kind to say anything. The only person who understood her was Diamond Took. She smiled suddenly at the thought of impatient, fidgety Di, who dreamt of one day going beyond the confines of Hobbiton and out into the unknown.

"Rose! Come to give my dress back?"

There she was, standing with her hands on her hips, looking so much like her mother that Rose stifled a giggle.

"Well, it's about time!"

After a few seconds, her face split into a wide smile and she hugged her friend.

"Mother wants to get the radishes off your dad before he eats them all," Rose grinned, dumping the lacy white dress into Di's arms. "Pretty Girl is coming over for lunch." Her face soured immediately, and Di looked thoughtfully at her for a while.

"Has it ever crossed your mind that you could ask to visit her once in a while? No, I mean-" she added hastily after seeing Rose's expression- "It would give you an excuse to go to Minas Tirith, wouldn't it? You've always wanted to go,and I'm sure your mother will allow you, you're of age after all..."

Rose still looked incredulous. "Visit her? Are you out of your mind? I can hardly stand her when she comes to visit us! The only reason she even comes-" she spat, "is for the enjoyment of having the whole of the Shire admire her elegant elven-made clothes, and having her parents dote on her like she's the centre of Middle Earth."

"Still," Di shrugged, "all you would have to do is pretend..."

"Yes, but Di, I don't think even you could pretend you want to spend the summer with her!" Rose said, punching her gently in the stomach, half-expecting the savage punch in return, but still wincing. "For goodness's sake, do you have to ruin the moment?"

Di smirked and punched her once more for good measure. Aching, but feeling much better, Rose laughed and they both sprinted up to the Took's house.

Diamond accompanied Rose back to the house, both of them laden with huge baskets of radishes; surprisingly, Pippin had been sincere in his promise to give them some of his crop. "Di, please please please stay for a while, I couldn't stand being with her alone," Rose pleaded in a low voice as they reached the door. Di looked agitated. "I'm so sorry, Rose, but I said I'd meet Faramir down by Merry's place at twelve, he said he needed help with his project..." Her voice trailed off helplessly.

"Oh- thats okay, Di, it's fine. No, seriously! Just tell him I said hello and-" she broke off, her eyes suddenly wide, and Di turned. In the distance they could make out a white palomino pony trotting stiffly around the windy road of The Hill, in a procession which could only signify the arrival of Elanor. Their suspicions were confirmed as they saw hobbits line the roads, silently watching with adoring eyes; Rose looked back at her friend and said hoarsely, "She's here. Sorry, I've got to go-"

"Look, I can stay if you-"

"No, it's fine, I- thanks for walking me."

And without another word Rose dashed into the house, banging her head on the door as she went; her curses drifted out of the house, and Di could hear Rosie Gamgee's sharp repercussions from where she was standing. She looked on, half apprehensive, half amused, as Elanor the Fair dismounted haughtily off her pony and, without giving Diamond Took a second glance, swept loftily inside.