Sirithwen sat down at the breakfast table the next morning with Gandalf. Saruman had failed to join them at his appointed time for breakfast, but Sirithwen and Gandalf waited for him to show up before they ate.

"Are you feeling better, my dear?" Gandalf asked her, as he fiddled with a napkin.

"Oh, yes. Much better, thanks to you." She smiled warmly at him and he would not look at her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh no, nothing at all." He looked at her for a second, then he turned away.

Saruman burst into the room. He snapped his fingers and three plates of food appeared on the table so he quickly sat down and started to eat from one of them. When he noticed that Gandalf and Sirithwen were not joining him, he stopped.

"Eat. What are you waiting for?" Sirithwen look at Gandalf as Saruman dug in again. Gandalf winked at her and her plate of food went white for a second. It came back as the same foods, but with Gandalf's hand. She mouthed "thank you" and proceeded to eat her food. [Hey, would you trust food from Saruman?]

Later that day, Sirithwen had wandered into Saruman's enormous library. Four two story high walls were covered in books with a big fireplace in one of the corners.

"Well Saruman, it seems as if you have good taste somewhere."

"Why thank you, Sirithwen." She turned around to see Saruman, looking somewhat nicer than he had at breakfast.

"Hello, Saruman." She said his name as if her were the dirtiest thing on earth…and was not far from true. He took a few steps towards her but she took a few steps backwards.

"Do you like books?" He smiled and Sirithwen felt sick.

"Yes, but not yours."

"You have wit, my sweet." He took some more steps closer and she backed into a table. "Remember whose house you are in." He smiled and eyed her hair like he wanted to touch it. "You are very beautiful, Sirithwen."

"Yes, I did notice that." Gandalf shut the doors behind him but Saruman didn't move from one foot away from her.

"I thought that I locked those doors."

"You forget, Saruman. I can open anything that you close." Saruman looked disgusted and backed away from Sirithwen, much to her delight.

"Excuse me, Sirithwen." He left the room in a huff and Gandalf locked the doors behind him.

"Did he hurt you?" Gandalf walked towards her.

"No. I'm fine."

"Good. I don't know what I would've done if he had. I mean, I don't know what I would've told the council." He blushed and looked away. Sirithwen was starting to get a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever he looked at her.

'Well,' she thought. 'It can't be breakfast, because I didn't eat Saruman's food.' She did think that he was kind of cute though. 'But he'll never like me. He's twice my age. Well, sort of.' Gandalf brought her out of her dreamlike state.

"Well, your horse is saddled, I guess that you have to go now." He began to edge towards the doorway.

"Go? But I haven't finished my report!" She followed him.

"Trust me, the sooner you leave, the better."

She did want to leave Saruman, but grey started to be appealing to her all of the sudden.

"Goodbye, Gandalf. I'll miss you."

The heavy sounds of her horse's hoofs were a reminder to Gandalf of what he was losing.