Chapter Text
Rivendell exists both out of space and out of time. That is the only way one could properly describe it. It's as though the troubles of the world could never reach those blessed enough to be sheltered in Imladris, and that morning I had awoken with peace in my heart. And I awoke feeling safe. I couldn't possibly recall the last time I'd felt that way.
The morning dawned bright and fair as well, as though reflecting the peace within. I checked on the halfling only to find him recovering too, surrounded by his little friends that didn't seem to know what the words ''he needs to be left to rest'' meant.
I felt something way beyond relief to finally be here, in Elrond's home. Despite not yet fully understanding the implications of the ring Frodo had been carrying, I knew enough to know it should never have been his burden to bear. We'd been in danger so many times from Bree to here, and the little hobbit nearly lost his life. It was time for the wiser among us to take care of the rest.
Well, maybe I did understand more than I allowed myself to admit. After all, every child in Gondor grew up on tales of the first War of the Ring. I suppose I still hoped beyond hope that we were not dealing with the exact same terror.
Just as I was to walk out of my chamber and into the sunlight of the morning, an Elven maiden wakes me from my thoughts. She brings me a change of clothes - a beautiful, long-sleeved green dress that I instantly knew I'd feel odd wearing. It had been too long since I so much as wore a skirt. I thanked her, and took it gratefully however, leaving it for dinner.
It was hard to think about war and death and destruction, walking among the trees of Imladris. The sounds of the waterfalls were enough to soothe the most troubled of minds. Each time I started to worry about what comes next, my thoughts would trail away and disappear with the spring breeze. For a moment, I wished time could stop. I wished we could hide out here forever.
I don't know how long I walked, but I needed it. And it was only upon walking back that I realized there were newcomers in Rivendell. Aragorn and I weren't the only ones who came seeking the council of Lord Elrond. Gandalf the Grey had asked of Aragorn to do this, and I followed as I always follow him, but I had no idea there was so much trouble stirring across the land. What were the dwarves doing here? I sought Aragorn for answers, and I found him at breakfast an hour later.
Some of the dwarves had joined the small feast, but among them was a face I did not expect to see - my brother. My heart skipped a beat upon realizing. It was undoubtedly him; I could recognize him in a crowd of a million light-haired men, and even after a hundred years.
How? Why? Would he recognize me? What would I tell him now, especially among all these people? I didn't know what to feel. It seemed to me that I felt everything at once, until the storm came to a calm and I once again emptied my mind. Best to leave the matter for now. If he wanted to, he could approach me at any time. Best act as though you haven't noticed him.
I sat next to Aragorn to finally find the answers to my questions, and he explained what he could have gathered. There would be a meeting in the afternoon, with all of these people. Everyone would voice their individual concerns and then discuss the matter of the Ring in our hands. It only made sense. I was only happy to finally be rid of it.
''Alanna, this is Legolas. A great friend of mine that I'm most happy to introduce to you,'' Aragorn said to me, and I had not even realized that a foreign Elf was there, sitting beside my friend. We were in an Elven home after all, so I had no reason to believe this particular Elf a newcomer.
Legolas was blonde and blue-eyed and, without doubt, beautiful. Most Elves I had so far met were handsome and beautiful, and this friend of Aragorn's was no exception, but looking with more perhaps I could have recognized him for a foreigner. He shared no common features with the Elves of Imladris, and fit right in with all of the Elven newcomers.
I'd heard of Legolas before. Aragorn would speak of his old friends sometimes, sharing stories that sometimes slipped out of his mouth as though with a mind of their own.
''Good day, Lady Alanna,'' he said as he bowed his head slightly and gave me a kind smile, ''It is a pleasure to meet you.'' If I hadn't already known him for a prince, I could have guessed it.
''Good day, Lord Legolas. The pleasure's all mine. Aragorn has told me great things about you,'' I said, giving a small courteous bow in return.
''Please, call me Legolas,'' he said, his gentle smile never leaving his face, ''You're a friend of Aragorn's, therefore you're a friend of mine as well.''
~
''Strangers from distant lands, friends of old... You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor,'' spoke Lord Elrond, ''Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom.''
Lord Elrond's voice brought me uneasy-ness. There we were, people of every race, gathered for the worst cause. Does it really take the threat of a Doomsday to gather all the peoples and unite them as comrades? Opposite of me sat my brother Boromir, and I tried my best not to make any eye-contact with him. I did not know if he saw me and I did not know if he recognized me. Every time he turned towards me, I looked the other way.
''Bring forth the Ring, Frodo.''
The halfling stood up and put the Ring on the center table. He looked very weak and tired still. The moment I looked at The Ring, I knew I wanted to never look at it again. Still, I could not tear my gaze off it. It was calling my name, drawing me to itself. I knew it would do that, but I never quite prepared myself for it. At first I did not understand anything of the whispers that were in my head, but then it turned into almost a sweet melody, like a lover whispering pretty things into one's ear to lure them in. It took a mental battle to fight its malicious grip off my mind. I could only imagine the struggle that was actually carrying it. Frodo was much stronger than I had previously thought. Boromir stood up and spoke, and for a moment I was thankful, for it broke whatever connection I had with the damned thing.
''In a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. But in the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, "The doom is near at hand, Isildur's Bane is found" he said.
His eyes were locked on The Ring and they had a dangerous glimmer to them. It was pure lust and I knew exactly what to expect. I think everyone did, as everyone watched him intently and I even saw a few hands brush the hilts of their daggers. Slowly, Boromir approached the table, whispering things I could not hear; and then he did it - he reached for it. Everyone jumped at the danger.
''Boromir!'' I cried out before Lord Elrond and many others did the same. I didn't think at all and I could not help it. I regretted it the very moment after. My brother snapped out of The Ring's seduction as Gandalf started chanting something in a language unknown to me.
It was more than just chanting; it was magic, and it was dark. Everything went dark for a few moments, and not only in weather, but in my very soul as well. I felt my heart sink low and I just wanted that dreadful feeling to disappear. I felt all joy being sucked out of me. I closed my eyes waiting for Gandalf to stop. When the light shone through the trees again, I opened my eyes, and I saw that my brother was back in his seat, with a disturbed look on his face. I took a deep breath and resisted the urge to rub my own arms. It wasn't cold at all and yet there were chills all over my body.
''Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!'' Lord Elrond spoke again, anger somewhat present in his voice.
''I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may have been heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil'' Gandalf responded.
''Ah, it is a gift! A gift to the foes of Mordor!'' Boromir started again. ''Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!''
''You cannot wield it. None of us can,'' Aragorn reasoned, ''The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master.''
''And what would a Ranger know of this matter?'' Boromir fired back, poison in his voice.
I got angry, and I got angry so quickly that I had forgotten about everything else. All the turmoil and confusion and chills just evaporated from my being.
''This is no mere Ranger!'' I heard a voice argue, and looking to my left I saw that it was Legolas who spoke, no longer sitting in his chair. ''He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.''
''Aragorn?'' Boromir asked reluctantly. ''This is Isildur's heir?''
''And heir to the throne of Gondor,'' I resisted the urge to hiss through my teeth and I said it as calmly as I could, and was satisfied to hear my own voice sound low and steady, ''He has more say in this than you.''
''Havo dad, Legolas'' said Aragorn and the Elf retreated. He then looked at me like a father scolding a child for behaving badly. I was not sorry. Boromir turned to me, and then to Legolas, his eyes glancing from one to the other.
''Gondor has no King,'' he said before he faced Aragorn, ''Gondor needs no King.''
I could not recognize my brother, not anymore. I recognized his face, but not his soul. I did not know the person he had become, and perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised. Years and years had passed, after all.
''Aragorn is right. We cannot use it'' Gandalf concluded.
''You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed'' said Lord Elrond.
''Then what are we waiting for?!'' asked one of the dwarves before he practically jumped off his seat and rashly struck the Ring with his axe.
I gasped at the sudden action. The only thing broken was the dwarf's axe; its pieces flew around and he himself fell to the ground. The Ring was left perfectly intact. The dwarf lay on the ground for a few moments, completely stunned by what had happened.
''The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess,'' Lord Elrond said. ''The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. The ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came... One of you must do this.''
''One does not simply walk into Mordor'' said Boromir. ''Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten-thousand men could you do this. It is folly!''
''Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said?!'' exclaimed Legolas again. He seemed annoyed, which wasn't common for Elves - letting emotion get the best of them. And rightfully so he was; I could not believe my brother was still persisting against everyone else's better reason.
''There is no other way'' I said firmly, hoping he would understand.
''And I suppose you two think you're the ones to do it?! An Elf and a woman?!'' Gimli the Dwarf exclaimed, shooting us both unfriendly glares.
If I had been angry in the first place, then this remark must have made me absolutely fume with anger. I resisted the urge to let my foul mouth do its preaching. Whenever someone tried to belittle the fact that I was a woman, I had to resist many urges - like the strong one to punch someone's teeth out. Me being a woman did not make it less possible for me to kill him with the dagger I had in my right boot. It would have taken me less than a second. Still, I only took a deep breath and kept my mouth shut.
Looking to Legolas, I saw the anger in his face, and it really did surprise me. Again, Elves are supposed to be very patient beings. I never considered myself a patient person, not even for a daughter of Men. And here stood an Elf, who I was sure had lost his temper quicker than I had. It must have been the Dwarf in particular that bothered him.
''And if we fail, what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!'' asked Boromir, despair in his voice.
''Then at least we will have tried'' I said as calmly as possible, making strong eye-contact with my brother for the first time.
''I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf! Never trust an Elf!'' Gimli shouted out and his words were what started a complete mess - everybody was arguing, screaming at each other. I wanted to take the damn Dwarf and toss it at another one. I could not believe everyone was fighting before a case like this. It was complete chaos - I could no longer make out the voices around me nor what they were saying.
''I will take it! I will take it! I will take the Ring to Mordor'' Frodo said, his frail voice managing to break up the fight. We all looked at him, and I myself felt the shame on behalf of everyone. The halfling, the little one - bravest and most reasonable of us all.
''Though... I do not know the way'' he added insecurely, and I felt a sting in my heart. We all stood in silence for a moment or few. We were all in awe.
''I will help you bear this burdain, Frodo Baggins'' Gandalf said as he patted the hobbit's shoulder, ''As long as it is yours to bear.''
''If by my life or death I can protect you, I will,'' Aragorn said, approaching the little one. ''You have my sword.''
''I have already sworn to protect you, Mr. Baggins. I stand by it. You have my sword too'' I said.
And I meant it - I would have given whatever it took to protect that little creature. This little hobbit deserved the entire world at his feet.
''And you have my bow'' offered Legolas.
''And my axe'' added Gimli as he shot another deadly glare at the fair-haired Elf.
''You carry the fate of us all, little one,'' stated Boromir, ''If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done.''
''Hey! Mr. Frodo is not going anywhere without me!'' a voice shouted out from somewhere and moments after Sam appeared and jumped to Frodo's side.
''Indeed, it seems hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not'' Lord Elrond said and I almost chuckled. I wasn't surprised by this turn of events at all.
Merry and Pippin were the next ones to appear out of nowhere. I had to resist slapping my forehead this time. This was outrageous. ''Oy! We're coming too!'' they shouted as they ran in and positioned themselves next to Frodo.
''You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!'' said Merry.
''Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission... quest... thing'' Pippin added.
''Well that rules you out, Pip'' retorted Merry and I stopped the laughter right in my throat. I smiled instead and ruffled Pippin's hair just a little bit.
''Ten companions...'' said Lord Elrond. ''So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.''
''Right... Where are we going?'' Pippin asked. I did what I resisted doing once - I slapped my forehead at that little walking trouble.