A/N: Welcome back to Frodo's Trilogy! Mwahahaha! I couldn't remember what I wanted to call this story so I had to look it up on the last chapter of A Bond Broken. Heh...

"Wake up!" Gollum shook Valia. "Wake up!"

She groaned and weakly opened her eyes. "Gollum…" She sat up a little.

"Wake up, sleepies! We must go, yes. We must go at once." He scampered off.

Frodo knelt by her side. "Are you feeling better?"

She sighed deeply and leaned into his arms. "Yes. What happened? Where are we?"

He held her close. "You fainted at Orthanc, and I convinced Gollum to stop here for the night."

She sighed again and took the lembas he offered her. "Why is it still so dark?"

"The days are growing darker." He helped her up as Gollum ran up again.

"Come hobbitses! Very close now! Very close to Mordor! No safe places. Hurry!" He scampered away once more, and Valia and Frodo tiredly followed him.

Estellia rode with Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Gandalf, and many others. As they reached the end of the forest, they heard a voice laughing and call out to them.

Merry leapt to his feet. "Welcome, my lords!" He pointed to the black tower behind them. "To Isengard!"

Pippin held up his tankard in welcome. "Estellia, you made it!" Sam waved.

"You young rascals!" Gimli roared while Estellia and Legolas laughed. "A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you feasting and…and smoking!"

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

Gimli stared at them. "S-salted pork?"

Gandalf shook his head. "Hobbits," he muttered.

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

They rode forward with Pippin riding behind Aragorn while Merry rode with Gandalf. Sam rode behind Estellia. Isengard was still flooded up to the horses knees.

"Young, master Gandalf, I'm glad you've come," Treebeard said. "Wood and water, stock and stone I can master, but there's a wizard to manage here; locked in his tower."

"And there Saruman must remain under your guard, Treebeard," Gandalf ordered.

"Let's just have his head and be done with it!" Gimli muttered.

"No," Gandalf disagreed, "he has no power any more."

"The filth of Saruman is washing away," Treebeard said. "Trees will come back to live here."

Pippin suddenly leapt down. "Pippin," Aragorn called.

Pippin reached into the water and pulled out a dark globe Estellia recognized as a palantir.

"Bless my bark!" Treebeard muttered.

Gandalf rode up to Pippin. "Peregrin Took, I'll take that, my lad."

Pippin walked toward Gandalf, hesitated, then reluctantly handed the palantir to the wizard who hastily wrapped it in his robes. Pippin glanced at Gandalf before staring back down at the ground.