Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Fellowship of the Gundam ❯ Gandalf Arrives! ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6: Gandalf Arrives!

It was late by the time they returned to their lodging because the elves had demanded a detailed accounting of their journey over dinner. In fact, it seemed like the elves would have kept them telling stories all night, but once again Aragorn saved them by simply announcing that his visitors were retiring for the night. Then he escorted them back to their rooms and bid them goodnight.

“I'm sure you will be able to see Frodo in the morning, Sam,” Aragorn said to the anxious hobbit. “Be patient for just a little while longer. Good night, my friends.” With a bow, Aragorn slipped out.

Merry put a hand on Sam's arm. “I'm sure Frodo will be all right. Let's try to get some rest, shall we?” Sam just heaved a sigh as Merry and Pippin each took an arm and drew him into one of the several bedrooms that opened off of the sitting room. The three of them together would just fill the bed.

Alexa tugged on Zechs arm. “Mommy, can Jett and I have our own room?”

Zechs pursed his lips. “I suppose so, but you actually have to sleep. No sitting up giggling all night.”

Alexa made a face. “We'll sleep!”

“Eventually,” Treize murmured.

Zechs gave Alexa a stern look. “You promise?”

“Yes!”

“All right. Go ahead.”

“Yay!” The two girls scampered into a room and closed the door, whose artfully carved panels fitted neatly into the arched doorway.

Zechs shook his head. “That was probably a mistake.”

“We're not doing anything tomorrow,” Treize pointed out, “so it doesn't really matter if they don't sleep.”

“You're no help.”

“Besides,” Treize slipped an arm around Zechs' waist. “I wasn't planning to let you sleep either.”

“What? Wait a minute…”

“It's been days since we've been properly intimate. I want to pull an all-nighter.”

“Do I get any say in this matter?”

“No.” Treize pulled him into another room. “So get in here and start stripping.” He closed the door firmly.

Duo grinned. “I like what Treize is thinking,” he said. He grinned at Heero and stroked his fingers through his hair, lifting the heavy waves away from his shoulder and letting the luxurious locks ripple over his hand. “Want to play?”

Heero nodded and took Duo's hand.

Duo looked at Wu-Fei. “Coming?”

“In a minute. You guys get started without me. I know Heero likes it when you sit on him and drape your hair all over him. I'll join you later.”

“Ok.” Duo led a rather eager-looking Heero into another bedroom.

Quatre noticed that Trowa was staring at him. “What are you looking at?”

“Oh, I was just remembering how cute you look when your little bottom is bare.”

Quatre blushed and quickly patted the back of his loose-fitting elven trousers. “Nothing's showing is it?”

“No, but I could easily fix that.”

“Are you suggesting we engage in sexual activity like the rest of these lustful people?”

“I have this idea for an interesting new position,” Trowa responded.

Quatre raised his eyebrows. “A new position? It doesn't involve any props, does it?”

“We might need a chair. Or maybe a small table, unless the windowsill is the right height. Otherwise, I should be able to keep you in position without using any bindings. How's your balance?”

Quatre blinked. “Keep me in position? Balance?”

“You'll like it. Trust me. It'll feel really good.”

“You've said that before.”

“And it was true, wasn't it?”

“I think I'm going to regret this.”

“You'll love it. I promise.” Trowa took Quatre's hand. “The more I think about it, the more excited I get. Say you'll try it.”

Quatre sighed. “All right. I'll try it.”

“Oh, good!” Trowa eagerly pulled him into the second to last bedroom.

Roku, Hadeya and Wu-Fei exchanged a look. Roku flopped over on his side and closed his eyes. “I'm going to sleep right here,” he said drowsily. “I want to get up early and go exploring. There are a bunch of cool waterfalls and pools to play in.”

“Very well,” Wu-Fei said. “I guess that last bedroom's yours, Hadeya.”

“I suppose so,” Hadeya replied faintly.

Wu-Fei studied his face. “Is something the matter?”

“No, nothing,” Hadeya said quickly, but his cheeks flushed.

Wu-Fei folded his arms. “You've been going quite a while without getting any,” he stated.

“I need to learn to control my appetites,” Hadeya said. “Mother said that even a demi-god like me will pass on godlike traits to my offspring, so I should be careful.”

“Oh, pish!” Wu-Fei waved a hand. “If that were really important, we might have tried to stop Duo from sprinkling his genes all over Arthurian England. At any rate, there's no reason for you to suffer. It's not like you'll get any of us pregnant.”

Hadeya stared rather pointedly at Roku.

“Quatre was a girl when that happened!” Wu-Fei exclaimed defensively. “And so was Duo when Jett was born. And Alexa was born with magic. You have nothing to worry about. Come on.” He took Hadeya's hand. “In this case, I have to agree with Duo. Abstaining from sex for no medically necessary reason isn't good for your health.”

“Won't Father be angry with you, like he was with Duo, if we have sex together?” Hadeya asked anxiously, although he was not exactly resisting Wu-Fei's attempt to pull him into the remaining bedroom.

“It'll be fine,” Wu-Fei assured him. “Heero never gets as mad at me as he does at Duo, because he knows I always do things for a good reason. Duo is just impulsive.” The two of them disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door.

Roku yawned hugely. “That's the way it should be,” he purred. “Everyone's being naughty.” And he promptly fell asleep.

In the morning, Aragorn arrived looking tired. Roku sniffed him suspiciously. “Were you being naughty, too?”

Aragorn blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“Never mind.”

“Umm…” Aragorn took a moment to recover his equilibrium. “I've come to take you to Frodo,” he said. “He was still unconscious when I stopped by this morning, but Elrond says he is getting better. And I have good news.” He paused dramatically. “Gandalf is here!”

“Who's Gandalf, again?” Quatre inquired.

“He's a very powerful wizard and perhaps our greatest ally in the coming battle,” Aragorn intoned gravely.

“Powerful wizards can be useful,” Trowa remarked casually, glancing at Roku.

“Yeah, that whole end-of-the-world episode in Asgard could have been pretty ugly if not for Roku,” Wu-Fei agreed. He patted Roku on the head. “He's a good boy.”

Roku purred happily.

Sam edged toward the door. “So can we go see Frodo now?”

“Of course.”

“Before breakfast?” Jett protested loudly.

Everyone winced.

“Volume, please, Jett,” Heero grunted.

“Before breakfast?” Jett repeated in a lower, more plaintive tone.

“Better frequency choice,” Duo commended her. “But I agree with Jett. Can't we eat first? I'm starving after last night. I got a great workout and I'm really hungry.” He grinned at Heero.

Heero glared back.

“But I need to see Frodo!” Sam exclaimed. “Gandalf will have stern words for me for being absent this long!”

“We will pass the dining hall on the way to Frodo's room,” Aragorn said. “Those who wish to eat may stop there and the others may continue to see Frodo.” He led the way out of the room.

In the end, everyone stopped for a quick bite, including Sam, even though he looked like taking the time to eat was a huge personal failure on his part. Afterward, they proceeded to the room where Frodo was recuperating. It was a light, airy room with wide windows and a large sleigh bed that was much bigger than a person of his small size really needed. Seated beside the bed was an old man in a gray robe with a long gray beard and long gray hair. A tall, pointed gray hat was resting atop some kind of staff that was leaning against the edge of the headboard.

“I'd wager that's Gandalf the Gray,” Treize murmured.

“That would seem a safe bet,” Zechs murmured back.

“Gandalf!” Sam squealed. He scurried to the bed and climbed carefully onto the edge so he had a better view of Frodo. “How is Frodo? Will he be all right?”

“He'll be fine,” a rich baritone voice answered warmly. “Glorfindel got him here in time.” The speaker stepped toward them from one of the windows and inclined his head politely. His exquisitely and elaborately braided hair, which was a rich auburn shade, hung all the way to his knees. He wore finely embroidered robes that flowed over his limbs gracefully, and a friendly, slightly paternal smile graced his handsome face. “Welcome to Rivendell. I am Elrond.”

“Thank you for helping Mr. Frodo, Lord Elrond,” Sam said quickly. “I've been so worried!”

“The wound was grave,” Elrond acknowledged, “but I know how to tend that kind of injury.”

“Will he wake up soon?” Sam peered anxiously at Frodo's pale face.

“He needs a little more rest,” Elrond responded. “But you can stay with him if you like.”

“Thank you!” Sam sat down and took Frodo's hand, obviously intending to stay there for awhile.

Merry and Pippin exchanged a look.

“Since you're going to keep an eye on Frodo, Sam,” Merry said, “Pippin and I will just pop out for a minute and have a look around; check the place out.” Sam nodded without answering or taking his eyes off Frodo's face. “Right, then!” Merry said. He rubbed his hands together and looked at Pippin.

Pippin raised his eyebrows. “We'll explore for just a bit and come right back,” he said. The two of them promptly dashed out the door.

Elrond smiled at the others. “Don't worry about your companions. They'll be safe here.”

“It's not them I think we should be worried about,” Heero muttered. “Those two are way too much like Duo.”

“What's that?” Duo demanded. “There's nothing wrong with exploring. I was thinking of looking around a little myself. What do you say, Roku? You said you wanted to look at the waterfalls.”

“Yeah!” Roku waved his tail in the air excitedly.

Elrond blinked in surprise. “Your animal talks!”

“Did I forget to mention that?” Aragorn said

“He's my son,” Quatre said. “It's sort of a long story.”

“Really?” Elrond's eyes lit up. “Perhaps you could tell us over dinner. Is it tragic? Did he lose his mother in some heartrending way?”

“Should he say that quite so cheerfully?” Hadeya whispered to Wu-Fei.

“I'm his mother,” Quatre said with a faint sigh.

“You are?” Elrond looked him up and down. “Forgive me, but I was under the impression you were a man.”

“I am a man.”

“But how then…” Elrond trailed off and his expression grew more eager. “No, say nothing! You must tell us the full tale at dinner tonight. We love long stories and yours sounds especially intriguing.”

“Oh, great.” Quatre made a face.

By this time, Duo and Roku were long gone.

Elrond's three hairdressers came fluttering into the room.

“Oh!” exclaimed Asa. “We just saw your companion! His hair is all mussed but he wouldn't let us fix it.” He pouted.

“He said he had something else to do,” Aja added, also pouting.

“But here is Lord Elrond!” Ata exclaimed. “My lord, your hair has become mussed.”

Elrond paled. “No it hasn't!” he exclaimed quickly. He took a step back. “I've done nothing strenuous since you finished it this morning.”

Ata marched around behind Elrond and leaned over. “Right here!” He pointed. “There are five hairs overlapping. That won't do at all.”

“Five overlapping hairs?!” Asa and Aja exclaimed in horrified unison.

“My lord!” Asa gasped. “You weren't running, were you?”

“I never run!” Elrond retorted.

“But five hairs out of place! What else could have caused it?”

“You were standing by the window again, weren't you?” Aja said accusingly.

Elrond dropped his head with a deep sigh.

“I knew it!” Ata said. “Well, there's nothing for it. We'll have to take the whole thing out and do it again.”

Elrond threw a pleading look at Gandalf. “But Gandalf and I are having a very important discussion about the terrible crisis facing the entire world.”

Gandalf blinked once. “We can finish our conversation later,” he said. “I want to watch over Frodo for a little while.”

“But…”

“And Sam and I can discuss what he was doing when Frodo got hurt.”

“What?!” Sam flinched.

The three elves latched onto Elrond. “You see?” said Ata. “We have time. Come, my lord.”

Elrond slumped in resignation.

Alexa whispered something to Jett and Jett nodded. “Mommy?” Alexa said. “Can Jett and I go watch Mr. Elrond get his hair done?”

“Of course, dear, but don't get in the way.”

“I'll go with them,” Hadeya said.

“Thank you, Hadeya.”

Alexa, Jett and Hadeya followed a dejected Elrond as he was led away by his hairdressers.

Quatre found a chair and dragged it around to the other side of the bed so he could look at Gandalf. “So, Gandalf, I hear you're a wizard.”

“Yes, I am a member of the brotherhood of wizards,” Gandalf replied. “It has been my task all these long centuries to watch over the world of men.” He smiled at Frodo and Sam. “But I have a soft place in my heart for the hobbits of the Shire, I do admit.”

“Weren't you supposed to meet them in Bree?”

Gandalf pursed his lips. “I was delayed.”

When he failed to elaborate, Quatre frowned. “That's not much of an excuse.”

“A wizard does not have to explain himself,” Gandalf replied archly.

“That's a little pompous,” Trowa murmured.

“And not particularly helpful,” Quatre added. “Well, fortunately for you, we joined them before then and were able to protect them from the Nazgul in Bree. Just what is this ring that Frodo has? It's not strictly a magical item, is it?”

“It is the One Ring,” Gandalf said in a deep, resonant voice. “The ring which Sauron made to control all the other great rings. Much of Sauron's evil spirit is embedded in it. If he reclaims it, he will regain his full strength and power, and the world shall fall under his dark dominion.”

“Ah.” Quatre rubbed his chin. “Maybe we should put it in Roku's storage space.”

“The ring is evil, as Sauron is evil,” Gandalf continued. “Anyone who suffers prolonged contact with it is inevitably harmed by it. I would not have left it in Frodo's care, but it is safest with someone who has the will not to use it.”

“Does that mean you don't have the will not to use it?” Treize inquired shrewdly.

Gandalf sighed. “That is the true test,” he said. “The greater one's power, the weaker is one's resistance to its pervasive evil. It is a very powerful ring. With it, one could do great works, but in the end all those works would turn to corruption. It is a terrible thing.”

“Sounds like it,” Quatre said. “So what are you going to do with it?”

“There will be a council in a few days to address that very question,” Gandalf replied.

“All right.” Quatre nodded. “We'll be there. Roku and I are sorcerers, too. We can be of assistance.”

“Are you indeed?” Gandalf raised a bushy eyebrow. “What color are you?”

“Color?”

“As I am the Gray and my good friend Radagast is the Brown, we wizards of the order are known by our dominant color.” He peered closely at Quatre. “So what color are you?”

“Well, uh…” Quatre stammered.

“He's Quatre the Blond,” Trowa said with a straight face.

Gandalf's brow wrinkled. “The Blond?”

“It's a color,” Trowa said, still straight-faced.

“I suppose so,” Gandalf murmured.

Quatre gave Trowa a look. Trowa shrugged.

“And what color is the other sorcerer you mentioned?”

“Roku the Orange,” Trowa said immediately. The other Gundam pilots snickered. Quatre glared at him.

“Well, I can't say I'm familiar with either of those colors, but new members do enter the order from time to time and I spend a lot of time traveling about as part of my duties.” Gandalf nodded decisively and smiled. “I welcome you,” he said firmly. “We are faced with a grave trial, so any offer of help is received with deep gratitude.”

“Thank you,” Quatre replied.

“Frodo moved!” Sam exclaimed.

Everyone looked and sure enough, Frodo was stirring. He let out a low moan.

“Mr. Frodo!” Sam cried. “How do you feel?”

Frodo opened his eyes and blinked blearily at Sam. “Sam?” he croaked. “Where am I?”

“We're in Rivendell, Mr. Frodo. And look! Gandalf is here!”

“Gandalf?!” Frodo struggled to sit up and smiled weakly when he saw the old wizard. “Where were you?” he exclaimed. “I nearly messed everything up.”

“You did fine, Frodo,” Gandalf reassured him. “I'm sorry I was not there to meet you in Bree. I heard all about your journey from Aragorn. Under the circumstances, you all did extremely well. But I would like to hear how you met your other companions.” He studied the Gundam pilots from under his bushy eyebrows. “They are unlike any men I've ever met before.”

“Why doesn't he just ask us?” Heero muttered in annoyance.

“Probably because, if we're bad guys, he assumes we'd just lie,” Wu-Fei answered in a low voice. “Asking someone he trusts like Frodo makes sense.”

“Well, I'm still insulted,” Heero grumbled. But he listened without saying anything while Frodo recounted the story of their meeting in the Barrow Downs.

Meanwhile, in Elrond's elegantly appointed suite of rooms, his three hairdressers were happily brushing out his shining auburn hair, which was so smooth and healthy from constant oiling and brushing that it looked like silk.

“Your hair is really pretty Mr. Elrond,” Alexa said. “I wish my hair was smooth like yours.”

“You have lovely hair, Miss Alexa,” Aja cooed. “We could do wonderful things with your delightful curls.”

“And young hair like Miss Jett's takes well to styling,” Asa added, smiling sweetly at Jett.

Jett smiled back.

Elrond just sighed. After several more minutes of brushing, however, he started to fidget. “Aren't you done yet? Surely you must have something else to do?”

“Well, not really,” Ata said. “We had hoped to spend this morning tending to Elrohir and Elladan's hair, but we could not find your sons anywhere. In fact, we have not been able to find them for nearly two weeks. We think they've snuck off somewhere together.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, not together-together,” Ata amended quickly. “But together. You know, because they're twins. They're usually together.”

“But in a brotherly way,” Aja added.

“Although they do like squeezing into small spaces together,” Asa noted.

“That was just the one time we found them in that closet,” Ata pointed out.

“That's true.”

“And they were mostly clothed.”

“Very true.”

“But their hair was terribly mussed.”

“Oh my, very mussed!” Asa agreed.

“Do you know where they've gone, my lord?”

“No!”

Just then, another trio of elves marched into the room with yards of beautifully dyed and embroidered fabric draped over their arms.

“What are you doing?!” one exclaimed. “Hisa, Tisa and I are here to try on the robes Lord Elrond will wear to the council meeting!”

“That's right!” another added. “Nisa, Hisa and I must do the final fitting to make sure everything fits perfectly!”

“So of course, Tisa, Nisa and I must bathe him first,” said the third, “so there is no chance of soiling the new material.”

“You can't bathe him!” Aja exclaimed, horrified. “You'll get his hair wet!”

“Well, put it up!” Tisa said. “His lordship must be bathed!”

“Wait a minute…” Elrond began.

“But we've just finished brushing it out!” Asa protested.

“It can't be helped,” Nisa said. “Come to the bathing chamber my lord.”

“But…”

Elrond's protest fell on deaf ears as the three new attendants hustled him into the bathroom. Ignoring Alexa and Jett, who followed them in and watched with great amusement despite Hadeya's attempts to get them to leave, they stripped the handsome elf of his robes and his dignity, while Asa, Aja and Ata desperately swirled his long hair up into a neat coil, piled it on top of his head and pinned it in place.

“This is ridiculous!” Elrond roared. “I am the master here!”

“And you must look the part,” Hisa said. He lifted Elrond's right arm and began washing briskly.

With six elves in the bath with him, Elrond had little chance for escape. So in no time at all he was being very thoroughly washed.

“They're washing his privates!” Jett giggled rather loudly.

“Daddy washes Mommy's privates all the time.”

“That's not washing.”

“Girls!” Hadeya interrupted. “A little decorum, please.”

At length, Elrond was removed from the bath, dried, and dressed in his new robes so Tisa, Hisa and Nisa could make the final adjustments. When they were done, they rather unceremoniously bared him again so they could take the robes away for final stitching.

“Before we go,” Nisa said as Elrond, with a flushed frown on his face, quickly dressed in the clothes he'd been wearing before, “do you know where Elladan and Elrohir are? We have new robes for them and we haven't been able to do their final fittings.”

“No!”

“We haven't been able to find them either,” Ata said. “We think they're together.”

“Together?!”

“Not together-together. Just together.”

“Oh. Well, if you see them, let us know.”

“Of course. And you please do the same.”

“Of course.”

Tisa, Nisa and Hisa marched from the room, their yards of material cradled lovingly in their arms.

“Now then, Master Elrond,” Asa said, “where were we?” He reached for the pins holding Elrond's hair piled on his head.

Elrond paled. “I think we can just leave it.”

“Absolutely not,” the three retorted in unison.

“You can't go out in public without a single braid in your hair,” Asa said, rolling his eyes. “It would be as if you were naked.”

“I was just naked in front of these three!” Elrond cried, pointing at Hadeya and the girls.

Aja waved a hand. “That's different. You were bathing. But once you leave this chamber, every hair must be perfect.” He advanced on Elrond determinedly. “So just sit down, my lord, and let us finish. It won't take any time at all.”

Elrond allowed himself to be guided back into his sitting room and settled into a comfortable padded chair.

Hadeya looked at the girls. “I think this might be awhile. Feel like getting a snack?”

“Yeah!”

At Elrond's pitiful look, Hadeya gave him a sympathetic smile. “We'll see you later, Lord Elrond.”

Elrond heaved a heartfelt sigh. “I certainly hope so.”