~Figwit, the Water-Horse~
by Oculus
PART 3 - THE FINALE
The wizard Radagast lives in Rhosgobel, a hovel located between the Carrock and the Old Forest Road, on the western borders of Mirkwood forest
Just as each wizard had a particular domain and focus, Radagast’s was on Nature, focusing his attention to the care of the flora and fauna that reside in the Mirkwood
his choice of travel is by rabbit, as the Giant Rabbits of Rhosgobel can match both dire-wolf and horse in speed
Radagast had received a message from the eagle Landroval, brother of Gwaihir, that his superior, Gandalf, was on his way to meet him
Gandalf had appeared at his door, with staff in hand
but, holding in his left hand was a pony
it was fully grown, and yet, Radagast senses, not fully formed
its features, while that clearly of a pony, also had a face and head that was different from other ponies
it was not long before Radagast realized what Gandalf had brought
“A fluffy! But we have not seen these beings since the flooding of Numenor!”
“Indeed, Radagast. The herd of the Bruinen bestowed onto me one of their kin, which was incarnate into this form.”
Radagast takes the fluffy into his hands
Gandalf had, with his staff, placed a sleeping spell on him, ensuring that the fluffy will not give trouble
placing the fluffy on a table in his hovel, Radagast hovers his hands over him, while reciting a mantra
as he does this, the blessing of Yavanna flows through him. His eyes closed, his eyes mutters
“I sense… sadness. Anger. Greed. I also sense a lack of fulfillment, an inhibition.”
lifting his hand from the fluffy and opening his eyes, he then turns to Gandalf
“How old is this creature?”
“Close to a decade. I passed him to Bilbo of the Shire, as a gift.”
“His mind is that of a child. His body is an adult, but some dark presence has twisted him into a puerile form that can only speak like a child, and act like one.”
“I am aware, Radagast. The head of our order said the same thing.”
“So he told you of their kind during the days of Numenor?”
“That he did. And he said that they were of Melkor.”
Radagast sighs, as he looks back at the fluffy
“There was an influence of Melkor, but, the truth is, it was also a blessing from Ulmo. When the first fluffies were given to Man, they were the first forms of what we call the land horse. Ulmo had devised the fluffy as a gift to Numenor. But alas, Morgoth and the ways of Mordor had always found a way to corrupt the innocent.”
As Radagast says this, a doubt lingers in Gandalf’s mind
“If what you say is true, why would Saruman then speak only of the influence of Melkor?”
Radagast puffs his cheeks, and scratches his head. At the current moment, he too would like some pipe-weed, something he has not tasted from the realm of Man in ages
“That I do not know. The head of our order is usually privy to knowledge that we do not know. One thing is for certain - this creature here, this fluffy, is in a state not too dissimilar from that of the Gollum creature.”
“Speaking of which, has there been any success in tracking him?”
“The rangers and some of the scouts of Thranduil have had some success in locating Gollum. We should be able to secure him soon.”
“Very well. I’ll place Figwit in your care.”
As Gandalf is about to depart, Figwit beckons to him
“There’s one more thing, old friend.”
“What is it, Radagast?”
“Whatever is afflicting this fluffy, this Figwit, seems to be the result of prolonged exposure to a devilry of Mordor. This kind of deceptive magic is powerful that the weak-willed can succumb to it instantly. Whatever caused this, you should investigate it further.”
“I am doing so, old friend,” reassures Gandalf
As he steps out into the road, and resolved to find out more about the trinket in Bilbo’s hand, he repeats to himself
“And I still will.”
~
For four long and difficult years, Figwit lived with Radagast
a patient wizard, who had lived for an age, he had the patience to deal with a creature as difficult as Figwit in his current state
to ensure that Figwit did not cause trouble to the other animals in Radagast’s keeping, he had isolated Figwit in an enclosure of his own, and kept the fluffy on a sort of leash
the leash was made of simple elf-rope, and was tied loosely, such that it would not really harm Figwit
but the elf-rope had an unintended effect on Figwit
“SCREEE! IT BUWNS, IT BUWNS, PH PWESHUS!!! Huu… huuu…”
Radagast was puzzled as to how the rope could affect Figwit to such a degree
and yet, every time he removed the rope, Figwit would start puffing his cheeks, and become demanding
“Stuppeh dummy! Gib nummies ow get poopies! Dis am smawty’s wand nao!”
all Radagast had to do was place the rope on him, and Figwit would be reeling in agony again
he hated to do it, but he knew that Figwit’s behaviour was incorrigible
thankfully, Figwit had not reached the level of corruption that came of Smeagol, but, he was still far from what he could and should have been.
~
About a day after his fifteenth birthday, Figwit had a dream.
Before him was a mighty palace, a beautiful house, more majestic than anything he had ever seen before, surrounded by lush forest
and out of the doors, stepping down the stairs, coming to greet him, was the elf-Lord, Annatar, the supposed “King of Middle-Earth”
“Nice ewf mistah! Hu-”
but the elf-lord was not happy to see him
before Figwit could finish his sentence, he takes out a whip, made of the elf-rope, and cracks it
the end of the rope hits Figwit’s leg, giving him the worstest hurt
“SCREEEEEEEEEEEE!”
Figwit yells out.
As he uses his other hoof to try and soothe his injury, the surroundings him lose their colour
the trees die, the ground turns to black, and the palace, the nice housie that Figwit saw, turns into a terrible thing of black with spikes and edges
and the elf-lord’s armour starts to overtake him, until he becomes a walking mass of black armour, dreadful and of death
“You have failed me! You were supposed to bring my precious to me! Now you are captive, and are worthless in this state!”
“Pwease, ewf mistah. Fwuffy twy his besties.”
“Silence! You will never get to see my house! You will never get to meet your master again!”
As the elf-lord turns his back on Figwit, Figwit makes one last, desperate plea to the elf-lord
“Pwease, mistah, can fwuffy haz Eastawin Dewite?”
Annatar barely moves his head. Figwit could hear a brief chuckle from him, as well as his final response.
“No.”
Figwit wakes up, and finds himself in the enclosure Radagast had made form him
with the leash of elf-rope around his body, he can only make one feeble sound of remorse
“Huu… huu…”
~
during the time that Figwit had been in the care of Radagast, Gandalf had begun on a quest to look into the nature of Bilbo’s ring
the elves of the Mirkwood forest, as well as a group of rangers led by Aragorn, had managed to track and finally capture the creature known as Gollum
during his time in interrogation, he had managed to confirm that, indeed, Gollum was, in his early days, a hobbit known as Smeagol
who, along with his friend Deagol, found one of the Rings of power in the river Anduin
however, the ring, apparently, “spoke” to him, and convinced him to kill his friend, Deagol so that he could claim the ring for himself
“So you say the ring ‘spoke’ to Gollum?”
Gandalf is with Saruman
the two had agreed to a private meeting at Orthanc, to share their findings and research
just as Gandalf was busy tracking the whereabouts of Gollum, Saruman had spent his time researching what became of the Nine
as Saruman was the last member of the Council of the Wise to leave the assault on Dul Guldur, Saruman was the closest to the Nazgul and the Necromancer, and thus, was able to determine which of the Nazgul was without their rings
“Indeed, Saruman. The ring “spoke” to Gollum. And according to Radagast, it may have done the same to Figwit.”
a grave look comes over Saruman’s face
“My old friend, I do not know how to express this, but none of the rings of power, neither the three, nor the seven, nor even the nine, had the ability to “speak” to its wearer. Only one Ring had that ability, and that was the One Ring, as it has a fragment of Sauron’s soul in it.”
a fear creeps on Gandalf. He hated to think that the worst is yet to happen. But it seemed to be the case. Before he could reply, however, Saruman quickly spoke
“If I were you, I would suggest putting this Gollum creature, as well as Figwit, out of their collective miseries.”
“But why? Figwit has done no wrong. And we still have much to learn from Gollum.”
“They have become agents of the Enemy. The Ring has done untold and unspeakable evil to them, and they will most likely pose a threat to the free peoples of Middle-Earth if they were to be released.”
“But you cannot be sure of that! And Figwit is but a meek creature…”
“The meek should not be underestimated. The Enemy has made spies of even the smallest of gnats. This Gollum creature will escape if you do not put an end to him, and his escape will cause further untold trouble. The same will apply to Figwit, if you let him stay with Radagast.”
Gandalf gets up. He is feeling furious, even though he understands his superior
“Saruman, you may be the head of my order, but I cannot agree to this.”
Saruman, at this point, could easily rebuke, or punish Gandalf for his insubordination. He instead, proceeds to laugh, mockingly.
“You are free to do what you want, Gandalf. But you have heard my advice. If you let both Gollum and this Figwit creeature remain free, you will only face peril.”
~
Gandalf is currently outside of Orthanc
Having spoken to Saruman, the idea is still abhorrent to him
Kill Gollum and Figwit? When both of them could provide more insight on Bilbo’s Ring? It just seemed wrong, even though it was coming from his superior
before Gandalf could get onto his carriage, he hears one of his horses neigh very loudly
in the distance, he sees a white, majestic horse, coming towards him
he recognizes it immediately as Shadowfax, one of the mightiest horses of Rohan
and also the steed of the White Wizard, and thus, Saruman
Gandalfs horses kneel before Shadowfax, as Gandalf is surprised by the appearance of this white horse
but he was even more surprised by the next thing the white horse did
“Greetings, Master Gandalf. I come with tidings from the herd of the Bruinen.”
Gandalf is wide-eyed, as he realized that Shadowfax was speaking to him in the Common Speech
“I too, was a water-horse. And a member of the herd of the Anduin, before I was given shape, and provided to the White Wizard as a steed.”
“Horses truly are remarkable fellows. You could learn everything about them, and yet, in the blink of an eye, they can surprise you.”
“I appreciate the flattery, Master Gandalf, but I do not have time for that. I would like to suggest to you to be wary of my master, Saruman. Figwit will need to speak to another figure of authority.”
“The herd of the Anduin suspect Saruman? That’s preposterous!”
“You are free to think whatever you want. But the leader of the Anduin does not want to see harm come to the young Figwit.”
“So do I, but I do not think there is a way to cure Figwit.”
“I disagree. There is a power, Master Gandalf, and a member of your Order whose authority supersedes the White Wizard. I have discussed with the herd, and we all agree that Radagast should bring Figwit to meet him.”
For a brief moment, Gandalf, could not think of who Shadowfax met.
and then the realization hits him with utter incredulity
~
“Him? But he has not been seen in Middle-Earth for ages!”
Radagast is speaking to Landroval again
Gandalf had asked the eagle to relay the message, as Gandalf had to tend to Gollum
the herd was of the opinion that only Radagast was needed to have an audience with this figure
As Radagast converses with Lanroval, his face bares the same shock Gandalf had upon learning of the reveleation
“Aye, Master Radagast. Gandalf clearly said that name.”
“I mean, He is the true head of our Order, but for him to be in Middle-Earth, that is just astounding! The presence of Sauron must be really grave if the true Head of our Order would involve himself in the matters of Middle-Earth once again!”
~
In the valley of the river Withywindle, east of the Shire, there lives a mysterious figure
his name, is Tom Bombadil
it is not know from when or whence he came, but he arrives in Middle-Earth from time to time
It is known that early in the history of Middle-Earth, he had met and married Goldberry, the river-woman’s daughter
it is not know how much of the area within the Shire are his lands
but what is known is that he has complete control and power over anything that exists within his realm
and that, as one comes into his presence, he performs his most famous song
"Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!
Ring a dong! hop along! Fal lal the willow!
Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"
But today was an unusual day for Tom Bombadil
for it is usually the case that Tom Bombadil appears to a person unexpectedly, as a sort of surprise
sometimes to pinch a unfortunate person out of misadventure
or to pacify the occasional threat from Mordor enroaching upon the Shire
but for the first time, in many a millennia, Tom Bombadil had a visitor who intended to meet him
having instructed Goldberry to tend to the garden outside, he opened the door to meet his guest
“Radagast the Brown! Its been a good time my dear old fellow. Come, come, I have set aside a feast of cream, butter and tea!”
“I’m afraid I’m not here for Tea, Master Bombadil.”
“Oh, oh, tone down with the formalities! I am Tom Bombadil, and you are my guest!”
“And you are the Head of our Order.”
Radagast lowers himself and genuflects, refusing to look up
“Saruman may be the White Wizard, but never have I thought that the true Head of the Order of Wizards would be in Middle-Earth at this time.”
Tom Bombadil is almost always joyous, taking after Tulkas the mighty
But in this instance, he realizes that he has to assume a different form for Radagast
“You always know to be around, Radagast.”
“Indeed, but the river-horses of the Anduin made a special request for you to observe-”
Just before Radagast could finish his sentence, he felt a sudden jerk, and a kick
for it seemed to be that, despite placing a sleeping spell on Figwit earlier, the fluffy pony had awakened
and now, was wriggling himself out
“Settle down, Figwit!”
but the fluffy would not listen
with a great feat of strength, rare for the fluffy, he kicked himself off of Radagast, as landed on the floor
with an angry countenance, he stuck out his tongue at Radagast
“I see. It is regarding this fluffy.”
“You knew?” asked Radagast in surprise.
“I know everything.”
Figwit, undeterred, looks up to Tom
Puffing his cheeks, and stamping his hoof on the ground, he makes his threat
“Stuppeh dummeh! Dis am smarty wand nao! Gib nummies, or git sowwy poopies.”
Tom Bombadil sighs, as he realizes what he has to do
“I have many forms, young water-horse. And many names.”
“Fwuffy nu cawe! GET POOPIES!”
And Figwit rears his rear up, preparing to make a mess within the wizard’s house, like the many times he did before
but nothing comes out
“Huh? Why nu poopies?! Come out, poopies!!”
as Figwit tries his best to excrete, he seems the gentle, smiling face of Bombadil
“As I was saying, this is but one of my forms.”
and as he says this, his body starts to change
his clothes do not disappear, or shred, but rather, change with his being
Tom gets down on all fours, and the totality of his body changes into a beast with brown fur
around his neck sprouts out a strong and might mane of brown
and his face, once human, becomes that of a mighty feline
Radagast is taken aback. He was familiar with Beorn, who could transform into a bear, but he had only heard of this creature before in legends about the Easterlings and their animals
for, in a split second, Tom Bombadil had turned into a lion
“I am Tom Bombadil of Middle-Earth, but I am also Aslan of Narnia.”
and Aslan opens his mouth, giving out a mighty, thunderous roar
as the roar rings out throughout the house, Figwit beholds the terrifying image of an apex predator, complete with fangs, and making a sound no mere creature would dare threaten
“SCREEEEEEEEEE!!!”
Figwit covers his eyes in fear, now no longer wanting to assert his feeble dominance
“Pweez, nu huwt fwuffy! Nu eat fwuffy!!! Huu huu…”
“Eat you? You wouldn’t even provide me sustenance. I’ve eaten many a thing before, and you wouldn’t interest me.”
This was a joke. But Figwit was too frightened to comprehend it
within moments, Figwit had scared himself to sleep
“A lion! And, Aslan of Narnia?”
“I have many names, Radagast. I am a wizard of Middle-Earth, yes. But I am also ruler of Narnia, which is a realm, far from Middle-Earth.”
as he says this, he observes Figwit. Aslan closes his eyes, and mutters a few words. Opening them, he then turns to Radagast
“I’m afraid that I cannot really help this little creature. For, like Gollum, Figwit chose to be this way. While its true that the ruling rings, especially the One, can have sway over the feeble, it is a different matter when the creature is no longer in the presence of a ring of power.”
“Are you saying that Figwit has become evil?”
"That I cannot say, Radagast. It is up to him.
However, I will give him my blessing."
As he says this, Aslan bends down towards the sleeping fluffy
opening his mouth, but not to roar, he exhales a soothing wind upon the fluffy
Figwit, who had scared himself into sleep, had a pained look on his face. However, the soothing nature of Aslan’s breath relaxes him, and the fluffy is at ease
upon doing so, Aslan then changes form again, and returns back to the form of Tom Bombadil
"Figwit has received my blessing, but whether or not he will go back to being himself, or become a servant of the enemy, is in his hands.
However, Master Radagast, there is something else I need to speak to you about."
Radagast is a bit taken aback. As a wizard of Middle-Earth, Radagast is more than just a conjurer of cheap tricks
and thus, he is fully aware of the true nature of Tom Bombadil. Not only as Aslan of Narnia, but what these titles, and his presence, truly embodies
“I am but a mere servant of yours, Master Bombadil.”
“Indeed you are, and the time will come when you will need to follow me to Narnia, Aiwendil.”
“Narnia? But what of Middle-Earth? We still need to defeat the Enemy, and we have not even secured the One Ring yet!”
“I am aware, Aiwendil. But, I have faith in Olorin. He has made great strides in curtailing the efforts of the Enemy in the form of Gandalf, and, he too, will follow us out of Middle-Earth, once his task has come to an end.”
“I understand, but why now? And why me?”
“A great battle is coming to Narnia, and one that will mark the end of its journey. Our presence will be needed there. In addition, Master Radagast, your hovel is in danger.”
“Danger?”
“The Nazgul have been hunting as of late, and you are one of their targets. They will be making an attack soon, and I would recommend that you leave with me within the week.”
“But what of Figwit? Gandalf has tasked me with his care.”
Tom Bombadil looks upon the fluffy
“A time will come when Figwit will return to the place that he truly belongs to. But whether he accepts his true nature, or fall into the hands of enemy, is up to him.”
~
Half a dozen days have passed since the meeting with Tom Bombadil
Radagast had already prepared for his departure from Middle-Earth
among his first tasks was to release his Rhosgobel Rabbits. Giving them his blessing, the rabbits went forth into the Mirkwood, and became the ancestors of the Giant Rabbits of the Shire
he also informed Beorn, and Gwaihir, about his departure from Middle-Earth. He worked out an agreement with Gwaihir and Bombadil that, should a time come when Gandalf would have need of Radagast, Gwaihir would bring the Brown Wizard back to Middle-Earth, but only momentarily
having cleared out most his hovel and released his animals, Radagast looked to an enclose where Figwit was housed
Bombadil advised that Figwit should be returned to the herd of Anduin, the place of his birth
however, in this state and mind, it is likely that Figwit will not easily return back to his original form, as a being of pure water, galloping through the rivers of the Middle-Earth
difficult as he had been in the past few years, Radagast nevertheless developed a softness for the fluffy
Just as he was about to open his enclosure, he heard the glaring sound of a horn.
~
Figwit was sleeping soundly in his enclosure
for the past few days, Radagast had kept the bwighty huwty ewf wope on him, and it had caused a burning effect on him
however, the brown wizard seemed to be in a hurry to do something
what is was, Figwit was not sure
Figwit woke up to the smell of smoke
it was becoming difficult to breathe
as he opened his eyes, he was greeted not the darkness of night
but by the glowing threat of fire
“BUWNY HUWTIES!!! SCREEEEEEEEE!!!”
A flicker of flame had landed on the rope that bound Figwit, and the fluffy was able to scape
the fluffy barged right out of the enclosure
in the blaze, he could hear the wizard calling out to him
“Figwit?!! FIGWIT?!!”
but at that moment, the only thing on Figwit’s mind was escape
seeing the entrance bare, he rushed out, as far as his fluffy legs could carry
~
“Figwit?!! FIGWIT?!!”
as the Radagast the Brown kept searching helplessly for Figwit, eyes from afar were watching the hovel of Rhosgobel
the orc commander looked on, seeing the success of the few arrows that had burnt down Rhosgobel
he then turned to a figure, shrouded in black, mounted upon a mighty black steed
“My master, we have the Brown Wizard surrounded.”
as the hovel continued to burn, the Ring-wraith gave his command
“Corner the Brown Wizard. I want his staff broken”
~
Figwit was alone in the forest
tears were streaming from his eyes
for the first time, in his life, he was truly alone
no Bilbo. No Frodo. No elf mister. No wizard
only him, a lone fluffy, in a dark forest
as he continues to trudge through the Mirkwood, he looks left and right, trying to look for danger
nothing was there to greet him, nothing was there to meet him
he then sees a light in the forest
not the blaze of a burning hovel, but a gentle light, like a candle light or a campfire
it reminds him of the time when Bilbo told him stories by the fireplace
with nothing else to turn to, Figwit rushes towards it
~
Figwit finds himself in a small clearing in the forest
in the centre of it is the head of a rabbit
impaled on a stick
Figwit recognized the head as one of the rabbits of Radagast
but excised from the body, it was no longer a living thing
bits of flesh had been haphazardly carved away from it, exposing its skill, and its teeth
near it, on the floor, were discarded guts, which the orcs did not consume
a black blob of flies that buzzed like a saw crowded over the guts
some made their way to Figwit
sensing the smell of the fluffy, they delighted themselves on his rear, feasting upon the decay and mess that he had made while trudging through the forest, alone
Trembling, Figwit walked towards the skull
for it was no longer a rabbit, but something entirely different
like Sauron commanding his legion of orcs, this skull was commanding its legion of flies
“You are a silly little fluffy,” said the skull, “just an ignorant, silly little boy.”
Figwit blinked. The skull was clearly dead. And yet, he felt like the skull was talking to him, verbally.
the voice felt familiar
it sounded like the elf-mister he met in the dream, a forever ago
but darker and more threatening
“Don’t you agree? Aren’t you just a silly little fluffy?”
Figwit puffs his cheeks
“Fwuffy nu am siwwy.”
“What are you doing out here all alone? Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Figwit shook his head
“There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me.”
“Jus a wabbit, foreva sweepies."
“I never sleep! And you know, don’t you? I am a part of you. I work through my servants, and I work through the ring. It all comes from me!”
“Wabbit am just a stuppeh dummeh!”
“And you are a stupid, ignorant, little water-horse. You have every chance to run back to your master and you don’t. You know why? Because you’re a coward! Weak, and pathetic. And you want what I offer. You want to be the greatest Smarty, the most powerful water-horse in the land! I could give you that. We can have a lot of fun together, you and I, in this land.”
Figwit’s mind starts to become delirious. Unlike the dream he had with the elf-lord or the Ring, there was something about the skull speaking to him that felt more real than those dreams, and yet, paradoxically less real
“And for that fun to work, everything you know must die. Bilbo. Frodo. Gandalf. Radagast. Your father. Your herd. All will die at my hands.”
“NU!”
As Figwit yells out his dissent ,a flash of lightning breaks out in the sky
frightened, Figwit gallops for the nearest hole in a tree, and hides
within moments, a heavy deluge rains down upon the clearing
the flies start to dissipate, moving away from the entrails, and the skull, as a strong wind bows the stick down
as Figwit remains in his whole, another flash of lightning illuminates the night sky
Figwit can make out a shape within the clouds
at first it seems like the lion he saw, not too long ago
but as the shape becomes clear, it resembles that of a giant horse
As Figwit steps into the rain, his fear of the water set aside, as he beholds the figure of the horse in the clouds
for a brief moment, it stares at him
and speaks in a voice of grandeur
“Remember who you are.”
another flash of lightning cracks, and the image of the water horse disappears
now reminded that he was soaked in rain, Figwit hurries back into the hole in the tree
with the rain around him getting heavier, and with his fear of water, Figwit turns to the only thing that can put his mind away from this trouble: sleep
~
Radagast is breathing heavily
his mortal shell is bruised and bleeding
over the course of the night, while searching for Figwit, he had fended off mobs of orcs as he escaped from the hovel
occasionally using the terrain and trees to his advantage, as well as help from the animals of the Mirkwood, he has managed to defeat and vanquish his orc attackers
but he is getting weaker
he has been following the trail of Figwit to the best of his knowledge, and is nearing a clearing, where the Orcs had most likely camped the night before
he could sense that Figwit was nearby
around him are the remains of what was a camping ground
earlier, the orcs had pitched a tent. There, they had caught one of Radagast’s rabbits, and feasted for its
roasting only the body, they left its head on a stick, which had now been blown down by the wind
for a brief moment, Radagast closes his eyes, to pray for a leporine companion he had known well
“SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
a loud, unearthly shriek rings throughout the forest, as Radagast is aware of his true opponent in the past day
as he hears the galloping of dark hooves, he struggles to find a refuge
glancing from one of the trees, he sees a ring-wraith, with sword unsheathed, ready to attack
while this Nazgul had lost his squadron of orcs, one ring-wraith can still pose a problem, especially when his combatant is weakened
trying his best not to to breathe loudly, Radagast clutches his staff, as he attempts to heal himself
~
Figwit opens his eyes
as he crawls out of the whole he took shelter in, he looks around
in the distance he sees Radagast the Brown
feeling a sense of safety, Figwit wants to yell out
but Radagast brings a finger to his mouth, cautioning the fluffy to be quiet
Figwit then sees the Ring-wraith, upon his steed, behind the very tree Radagast has his back against
literally inches away from Radagast the Brown, with sword drawn
Radagast, weak and wounded, clutches his staff, muttering a mantra as quietly he can
but the ring-wraith is about to see him
Figwit was not sure what came over him at that moment
he never much cared for Radagast. The wizard always placed that elf-rope on him, which “burned” him
and the wizard never gave him spaghetti, always feeding him very plain food, with the occasional “treat” of the yucky Elvish bread
and yet, he could not help but feel a sense of kindness and goodwill that reminded of Bilbo
and in this moment, like himself, Figwit did not see Radagast as a powerful being, as wizards usually were, but something weak, and defenseless much like him
despite Radagast’s warning, Figwit charged straight for the ring-wraith, as he yelled out
“OI! DUMMEH!”
the ring wraith, which was about to peer behind the tree, turns its head, and looks towards Figwit
Figwit stands before the Ring-wraith and its steed
looking at the steed, Figwit remembers the dream from long ago
the elf lord he once saw was riding a black horse much like this one
with the glowing, red eye
Figwit puffs up his cheeks, and stops his hoof on the ground, like he did many times before
but the words are different now
“Gu ‘way, meanie munstah, o’ fwuwwy wiww hurt 'ou!”
the ring-wraith did nothing
instead, the steed raises both of its hooves
Figwit did not scream
trying his best to be brave, he muffles his pain, as he feels every bone in his abdomen break
looking upon his assailant, he heard the unmistakable words coming out of the steed
“Dummie fwuffy git huwties. Gu an’ die, fwuffy nu cawe.”
for a brief moment, the ring-wraith laughs to himself, in amusement
he then turns around, and continues searching the forest
~
seeing that the ring-wraith was long gone, Radagast limps towards the body of Figwit
the fluffy pony was still breathing, but barely
the weight of the Nazguls’s steed had broken him, and some of his entrails were starting to come out
“Figwit!”
As Radagast bends down over Figwit, for the first time, the fluffy does not call him “dummeh”
“D-daddeh?”
“Figwit, oh my poor, brave Figwit.”
“Daddeh am okay. Fwuffy am happy.
Figwet twy his bestest, daddeh?”
“You did, my dear brave Figwit.”
“Fwuffy am happy.
Fwuffy am sowwy for bein’ a bad fwuff an’ gibbing sowwy poopies.”
“That’s all in the past, Figwit. You saved me.”
Figwit smiles
Despite the pain, despite his entrails spilling out, and despite the blood, Figwit feels a sense of bliss, knowing that, for the first and only time in his life, he did good.
~
Radagast is currently before the river Bruinen
there, a herd of water-horses greet him
the chief of the water horses comes forth, and speaks in the Common Speech
“Greetings, Master Radagast. I see you have brought my son before me.”
“Aye, but he is greatly injured. He has been injured by one of the beasts of the enemy, and is at death’s door.”
the herd leader looks upon his son
he then makes his decision
“It is time for my son to return to our number, if he is willing.”
upon saying this, Radagast takes the body of Figwit, barely breathing, and submerges him within the Bruinen
for a brief moment, Radagast expects Figwit to struggle, and potentially drown
but Figwit remains calm
instead, Figwit’s body starts to become one with the water, as his mortal shell, fluff, entrails, skin and all, moves away, until he becomes a being of pure water
however, having experienced great pain, and his mind still that of an infant, his figure remains much like that of his previous mortal-form, only now embodied by pure water
“F-fwuffy am wawa?”
the water horse chieftain looks upon his son, and smiles
“You have much to learn, my son.”
the herd then depart from Radagast, and continue on, through the Bruinen.
~
The 29th of September
in the 3021st year of the Third Age of Middle-Earth
Bilbo and Frodo have made their way to the Grey Havens, and have boarded one of the last ships to leave Middle-Earth
along the way, they pass by the river Anduin
for Bilbo, he hears a neigh coming from the river, and feels like he heard a voice, from a distant memory
for Frodo, he remembers a time when he was fleeing the Nazgul, and retreated to the river Anduin, where a wave, commanded by a herd of river-horses, assaulted the Nazgul and gave him safe passage
something in the river, however, stirred, as the currents started moving, towards the Grey Havens
~
Frodo and Bilbo are now aboard the boat that has departed Middle-earth
Frodo looks over deck and sees, in the sea
a herd of equine-like creatures, but entirely composed of water
“Uncle Bilbo, look, water-horses!”
as he says this, the head water-horse comes up to meet the two hobbits
hovering above the water, he genuflects
“I am not worthy to be in the presence of the Ringbearers.”
Frodo, too, kneels
“Your herd saved my life at the Anduin, and I am eternally grateful.”
as he says this, a water-horse comes up to be beside the chieftain
it is a most splendid creature. Like a younger version of his father
however, there was something that moves Bilbo, that makes him realize who he was seeing
“Figwit?”
“It is I.”
Figwit smiles. Bilbo wants to touch him, but, as he does so, he realizes that all he can touch is water
“My dear father Bilbo, who raised me. I will always be eternally grateful to you.”
though fully water, Figwit bends his body down, and lets Bilbo attempt to embrace
As Bilbo caressess the figure of water, a thought in his mind goes back to a time when he cared for Figwit as a fluffy foal, feeding him milk, and raising him in the world
the water-horses crowd around the boat, and help guide its path towards the land of Valinor
and thus the last of the Water-Horses departed Middle-Earth
Dedicated to Christopher Tolkien, and Ian Holm. Namárië.
