[Orual]

Anson glanced gratefully at Gondolin. He had been so surprised at the appearance of the Ent that he had not been able to speak. He shrugged his pack onto his shoulder, and took a step forward to beside Gondolin.

He took a deep breath to speak, but it was a struggle. Regrets flashed through his mind--he should have never left Hobbiton, he told himself--but it was too late for that. He bowed deeply. "My good Ent, I am, as my friend Gondolin has said, Anson Hornblower, farmer of the Shire. I have come here to find the ainereg plant, which is the only thing that can save my land from the plague that is ripping it apart. We are unfamiliar to this place, but this is your forest. We beg of you to help us find the plant." Anson abruptly stopped talking, fearing that he had said too much, or had said it too boldly. He waited anxiously for the Ent's reply.