The Falling Rain (Lord Of The Rings Fanfic)

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Finally Lou couldn't help it and with tears in her eyes, sobbing lightly she went over and pushed past Aragorn and Gimli to embrace the Wizard tightly. "Gandalf!" She sobbed into his cloak. Gandalf smiled and embraced the Stark and pat her back as she sobbed. They all smiled. It was a happy reunion. Gandalf was dead and now he was back. Soon, Lou gained control over her emotions again and pulled away sniffling and wiping her tears.

Gandalf chuckled. "I'm glad to see I was dearly missed" he joked.

Lou laughed and went over to Aragorn who smiled and gently wiped her tears from her cheeks. He kissed her forehead and she rested her head on his shoulder. Felina then stepped forward, her face straight and emotionless. But she couldn't fool them. They could practically feel all her overwhelmed emotions flooding the place. She quickly goes to Gandalf and hugs him tightly, burying his head on the Wizard's shoulder to hide the fact that she was crying silently. Gandalf smiled and embraced her.

"I'm glad you are back Gandalf" she told him in his mind.

Gandalf replied "Remember child, my death was not your fault"

Felina nodded"Yes I know. Naneth said so"

"That's good" Gandalf broke the hug. Felina failed to hide that she was wiping the remainder of her tears away. She turned to see her friends smiling softly at her. She thought that, other than Lou, maybe she could trust them with her emotions now as well.

They now trek through the dark forest with Gandalf in lead. They walk with haste. "One stage of your journey is over, another begins. We must travel to Edoras with speed" Gandalf says.

"Edoras?! That is no short distance!" Exclaimed Gimli.

"We hear there's trouble at Rohan. It goes ill with the king" Aragorn tells Gandalf.

"Yes and it will not be easily cured" Gandalf replied grimly.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing!" Gimli says exasperated. He had collapsed out of breath a hundred times to look for Merry and Pippin and now he needed a new set of legs and lungs. He was disappointed. "How can we leave those Hobbits here in this horrid, dank, tree infested-!"

Gimli cut himself off when the trees groaned even louder, as if threatening him. "Ah! I mean, charming! Quite charming forest!" He said looking up trying to please the trees. Their groans ceased.

Gandalf spun around and looked at Gimli with a pointed look. "It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the smelling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains"

Aragorn had a small smile on his face. "In one thing you have not changed dear friend"

"Hm?" Gandalf asked him.

Aragorn then replied with a wide smile "You still speak in riddles"

At that everyone gave a small laugh. What was with powerful all knowing beings and their complicated riddles? They could've just said things in a much simpler form.

Gandalf looks up to the trees. "A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder days. The Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong"

"Strong? Oh, that's good" Gimli says with a a small smile on his face.

"What are Ents?" Lou asks Gandalf.

"They are treelike creatures dear. Appearing in Middle Earth almost the same time as dwarves. They are envisioned as Shepherds of the Forest protecting it from Orcs and other foul things. They are tall, big, and strong" Gandalf explained to the curious Stark.

"That's interesting" she muttered. She looked around the Forest. How interested she knew certain scientists would be to learn of these creatures anatomy and history.

"So stop your fretting Master Dwarf" Gandalf said continuing their trek of the forest. "Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they're a lot safer than you are about to be"

Felina sighed at that. She already feels at peril. She still felt like the forest was caving in on her. She clenched her fists tight and her knuckles were turning pale white. She couldn't wait to get out of this forest.

"This Gandalf's grumpier than the old one" Gimli muttered. Lou heard him and couldn't help but laugh.

They have finally exited the forest and the sunlight was almost blinding. The horses they left thankfully weren't stolen and were right where they left them. Felina couldn't keep it in and put her hands to her knees bending down breathing heavily and gulping all the air she could. She felt like she was holding her breath the entire time she was in the forest. It was like she was being strangled and choked by an invisible force. The feeling of being on land but being unable to breathe still. Drowning on land.

Legolas immediately goes to her and bents down as well to level with her. He places his hands on her shoulder. His eyes are wide in panic. "Felina are you alright?! What's going on?" He asked.

Lou turned and saw what was  happening to her best friend. She knelt down and pat Felina's cheek. "Hey! Hey! Felina! Calm down its alright! Just breathe in and out"

Felina controls her breathing like Lou and her therapist had usually told her so. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Keep breathing, that's the key. Just like Gimli said. She tries to even out her breaths as they were shaky and ragged. The rest were about to crowd over her in concern but Lou motioned for them to back off. "No! No! Don't crowd over her, it will get worse" she said.

"What's going on with her?" Legolas asked. Lou merely grimaced. A few moments later, Felina finally caught her breath. She thought Legolas and the rest deserved to know. After a few more breaths she was finally okay once more. She stood upright. Legolas' hands were still on her shoulders and they were kind of close but to her surprise, she didnt mind the closeness.

"I have a bad case of claustrophobia. Fear of tight spaces. The air was so close and the forest felt like it was caving in on me. It must have triggered me" Felina said looking down at the ground.

Legolas fought against asking why she had such a fear that affected her in an extreme way. It looked personal to her. He placed his hands on her elbows. "You're alright now" he stepped aside and showed her the wide valley. "Breathe in the wide open air"

Felina inhaled and gave a big sigh finally calming down.

"Are you alright now my dear?" Gandalf asked. Felina nodded at him. The Wizard then did a high pitch whistle that echoed through the wide plains. A few seconds later, an elegant white horse with no saddle came galloping across the field with its almost silvery mane flying in the wind. The horse was beautiful.

Legolas' jaw dropped. "That is one of the Mearas. Unless my eyes are being cheated by some spell"

The horse stopped in front of Gandalf. Gandalf smiled at him. "This is Shadowfax. Lord of all horses. He's been my friend through many dangers"

They all mounted their horses. Aragorn and Lou on the brown horse, Hasufel. Legolas and Gimli on the white horse Arod, Felina on the black horse Magnar, and Gandalf on Shadowfax. They rode hard and fast, it was going to be a long journey to Edoras.