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Frodo had heard stories from his Uncle about the Hall of Fire that resided deep within the Elven valley of Rivendell, but he had expected to find that Bilbo had exaggerated the story a bit. As he was well known for doing. He was surprised to find that everything Bilbo had said seemed to be true. The mood was so lifted Frodo felt as if he were nearly drunk with it, even during such dark times at least the Elves seemed to be in reasonably good cheer.
Most conversations were held in swift Elvish, so it was difficult for Frodo to catch anything meaningful that might have been said. He could pick out words here or there, but he was contented to simply watch the proceedings before him.
Many Elves drifted over to speak with Bilbo for a few moments every now and then, even though the visiting Dwarves had taken a seat with them as well. Gloin had been ecstatic to find that his old burglar friend had found his way back into the world, and had rushed over to sit with him.
Even so the Elves seemed quite fond of the Hobbit. Not that Frodo could blame them, for he was quite fond of his uncle as well.
Two identical Elves with black hair and silver eyes had made a passing comments to one another in the common tongue as they went. Speaking in a language all could understand was a courtesy Frodo did not take lightly, even if it was only for two sentences.
"It would appear our dear friend Bilbo is not the only adventurous Hobbit to be born into this world." One said to the other, giving the older hobbit a warm smile, and a friendly nod to the other hobbits sitting with him.
The others eyes twinkled with a sort of mischievous mirth Frodo had come to expect from Pippin,"As it appears, although I have heard Ada say many times that stupidity is contagious," He gave them all a bright laugh to take the sting from his words. Pippin beamed merrily with pride, yet Frodo could not shake the feeling that there was a certain truth to the words.
Leaving the Shire was in all probability, was stupidity. The world was a big one and Hobbits are but small creatures. Stupidity or not, it still felt like the right course of action. Plus, at least he had finally gotten the adventure his bones had been longing for.
"That is Elladan and Elrohir." Bilbo muttered to him, indicating to the pair of twin elves making their way back across the room, "They are two of Lord Elrond's sons."
Bilbo turned back to the dwarves, and Frodo looked about the room wondering who else might be a son of the Lord. The resemblance between the twins and the Lord was obvious, but Frodo did not see anybody else who shared their likeness.
Nearby Glion rumbled to his son Gimli in a dwarvish language Frodo did not know the name for. The dwarves seemed uncomfortable in the setting, but Glion had been too eager to talk with Bilbo to give the others unease much attention most of the time. Only occasionally did he turn away from the hobbit, and only to talk to his son.
The other ones that did not appear to relax completely in this peaceful valley, were the small cluster of men from Gondor. Or so that is where Bilbo had told him they had come from. All the races had travelled here for a supposed secret meeting that Lord Elrond was holding, a meeting that Frodo was not supposed to tell his companions about. For it was a meeting about the ring he carried, and what was to be done with it.
The guest that surprised him the most was Strider. He seemed to have bloomed from the quiet and recluse figure the hobbits had come to know, to a lively young man full of life and laughter. He spoke to the elves in their own language with such ease it seemed almost more natural to him than the common tongue.
Currently the Ranger was sitting at a table with Lord Elrond, his twin sons, Glorfindel, and a few other elves that Frodo did not recognize. His demeanor had quited greatly as the night had worn on, and now he was in deep conversation with the Lord of the Valley.
It caused Frodo to ponder how much time Strider had spent here amongst the ageless creatures. It must have been substantial for him to become as comfortable and at ease as one would be in their own home. Yet he had passed his knowledge of how to get to Rivendell as causal knowledge of the Rangers, and Frodo had seen him slipping in and out of rooms and corridors without any confusion.
If it werent for his rugged appearance, and unpointed ears Strider could have passed as any other inhabitant of the valley.
A elf scuttled through the door and approached the Lord of the Valley, and bent down to speak to the table quietly. It seemed as soon as the words had been said, a bright smile lit Striders face and he jumped to his feet with a merry clap of his hands.
Strider said something to Lord Elrond, which caused a smile to form on the elf's face, followed an exasperated head shake. The words had been in elvish and too far away for him to hear much, but Frodo had distinctly heard the word, "Ada."
The elvish word for father.
Elladan and Elrohir both gave cries of joy and swiftly made for the door. Strider followed soon after them, and they all made a swift and playful exit from the room, jostling one another in an attempt to reach the door first. Strider had even tripped one of them in a desperate attempt to pass him.
Frodo frowned, it was an impossibility for a human to be the offspring of an Elf. Perhaps he had misheard what the man had said, even though he was fairly certain he had not.
"What's wrong Mister Frodo?" Sam asked worriedly from his right, "Is it your wound? Is it hurting you? Shall I go get Lord Elrond?"
The stout hobbit was already halfway out of his chair by the time Frodo could even open his mouth to answer, "No Sam, I am well. Do not fear. I just overheard something that caused me to wonder." He gave the gardener a smile to prove his words and rest his heart.
Somewhat suspiciously, Sam sank back down into his chair, "Wonder what?"
"Wonder about our guide." Frodo answered cryptically, going back to watching the room. Every minute or so his eye wandered back to the door, he was curious at what had caused such a joyous reaction from the ranger.
The twins arrived back not long after their departure, both grinning widely. Strider had not come back with them, and Frodo was incredibly intrigued by the entire situation.
The Hall of Fire was a gathering place for the entire valley, it seemed logical enough that if he were to stay put long enough Strider world return.
After the twin by just over an hour was the man, although this time he was not alone. Another elf Frodo did not recognize followed him inside.
The elf was tall, though not as tall as the man. He had long blond hair braided from his face, and his clothes were various shades of greens and browns. Not the shades that Frodo had seen the elves of the valley wearing, they were far more earthy. As if whoever had made them bled the color from the bark of trees and the green of the leaves to add to his clothes.
His smile was warm and his laugh bright, yet a bow was still strung across his back and even from across the room Frodo could make out the tale end of a wound peaking over the collar of his shirt. It was the first injury Frodo had ever seen on an elf.
Without a word Strider grabbed at the bow, and began to lift it from its spot. Quickly but with great care he rested it by the door, before nearly tearing off the Elfs cloak and hanging it on the top off the bow.
Words and a laugh were exchanged between the man and the elf. Frodo watched as they softly bumped their heads against one another, and kept their foreheads touching for a moment before entering farther into the room.
The others in the room seemed to take that as their que that the moment had passed, and the twin sons of Elrond bounded across the room and embraced the new elf fiercely. There three of them have a laughed merrily over something when they broke apart, laughing harder when Strider made a shout of protest.
Glorfindel was the next one to embrace him, towering over him slightly. Pulling away he placed his hands on both sides of the others face and asked him what Frodo imagined were rather important questions. Although when they broke apart, they were laughing as he had been with the twins.
Even Elrond got out of his chair and approached the visitor, much more regally than the others had done. He did not embrace the new elf, but pressed a fatherly kiss to his forehead before peering skeptically at the wound beneath the shirt.
Slowly all the other elves in the hall of fire made their greetings, Strider never once leaving the blond Elfs side. Frodo watched curiously as the two occasionally bumped one another playfully, murmuring jokes between themselves, and Frodo had even witnessed them flinging small amounts of food at one another when they thought nobody was watching.
Their actions towards one another reminded Frodo almost exactly of Merry and Pippin.
Eventually the blond elf approached the hobbits, clearly intending to speak with Bilbo. In his hands was a relatively large object, especially for hobbits, covered with a sheet. He came to a stop before them, giving the dwarves a small nod of respect but not exchanging any words with them.
Strider lingered nearby, clearing anticipating what was to come.
"Legolas!" Bilbo cried, beaming widely. "It is such a pleasure to see you again."
"Thank you, my little friend. I must admit I was joyful to hear that you had returned once again to Rivendell, and with more friends!"
"My nephew, Frodo, Samwise he is a lovely gardener I do believe you will like him, and Merry and Pippin" Bilbo introduced with some flourish, Sam flushed scarlet next to Frodo when the Elfs bright smile and blue eyes turned to him.
"Yes, Estel has told me much about all of you." He set the object down softly, but solidly on the ground before the eldest hobbit. "I am Legolas of the Woodland Realm, it is my honor to meet all of you."
Legolas' eyes came to rest on Frodo and he felt the pressure from the Ring shift beneath his shirt, just as it had done when it had recognized and called for Bilbo early that same night. Yet this seemed less welcoming pressure, it was as if the Ring knew the elf and did not like him. The elf's eyes dropped down to chest exactly where Ring lay beneath his shirt, his eyes narrowed by a fraction and he tilted his head slightly to the right as if he was listening for something.
Strider snorted from behind the elf and the moment was broken, "Of the Woodland Realm."
The blond elf turned to give him a grin and raised eyebrow, "Of the Woodland Realm."
The Ranger lifted his hands in a form of silent defeat, and Legolas turned his now dancing eyes back to the hobbits, showing no signs of what Frood had just witnessed.
"The ElvenKing was also pleased to hear that his favorite burglar was about the world again. He sent me with this, to give to you upon my arrival with a message: In case you need to make a Hobbit sized escape from Imladris as well."
With that, he pulled the cloth off of the object revealing a truly hobbit sized barrel of elven wine. There was a pause as Bilbo and Glion made swift eye contact, and then Bibo burst into laughter.
Legolas and Strider joined him quickly, also apparently finding great joy in the king's joke. Other elves that sat near them who had heard the joke chuckled as well, and both twins snorted loudly from across the room.
"Please tell the King I am very grateful for the gift."
Legolas placed a hand over his heart with a bow, just as Gandalf made a sudden reappearance from wherever he had disappeared, "Ah yes, Legolas!" He grinned at the Lord Elrond as if he had just won an arguement, "I was wondering how long it world take you to finally turn up, how is your father?"
Legolas turned away from the hobbits and walked over to the wizard laughing, "Not happy with you, he knows you are avoiding him Mithrandir."
Gandalf made a disgruntled noise, making to light his pipe until Glorfindel cleared his throat loudly in warning, "And I intend to keep doing so until he comes to his senses and calms down."
This time Legolas smirked, "He says to tell you that he will see you in Valinor sooner or later."
The wizard made another disgruntled noise, looking to Elrond who cut him off before he could speak, "Don't look at me Mithrandir, you are alone in this. I advised you not to wake the Dragon." Something flashed in the Lord's eyes and his lips curved upwards, "Or Smaug."
"I will not help you either, Mithrandir. I intend to stay on the right side of Thranduils anger." Glorfindel added.
THe Elves seemed to naturally switch back as their conversation continued, Frodo frowned again and turned to Bilbo, "Thranduil is the ElvenKing."
Bilbo smiled at his nephew, like he used to whenever Frodo guessed the right answer to a riddle, "Yes."
"So Legolas a Prince."
"The Prince." Bilbo corrected, Sam gasped next to him, obviously eavesdropping.
"Elladan and Elrohir are only two of the sons of Elrond…" He paused, and Bilbo nodded encouragingly, "Strider is his other son?"
Bilbo sat back in his chair, looking immensely pleased, "Yes."
One of his favorite games had always been giving Frodo pieces of information and waiting for him to see how long it would take for his nephew to come up with the answer. Frodo often did not even notice it had happened until after he had the answers, and he often wondered exactly how long his Uncle had been waiting for him to solve them.
Frodo looked back to Strider: Rugged Ranger of the north, son of an Elf Lord and friend to a Prince.
"His parents were killed by Orcs when he was very young, and he was brought here to Rivendell by Elladan and Elrohir. They had been riding often with the Rangers of the North, and had come upon the scene."
At least that explained the changes of behavior, when they had returned to Rivendell, Strider had returned home. He was so comfortable because this is where he had grown, and the Elven tongue likely was more comfortable to him than the common one.
"I have heard Lord Elrond say many times that Aragorn and Legolas' fates are tightly wound, and I do believe your path has come to merge with theirs."
Bilbo had told him much about the Prince of Mirkwood when he grew up, yet the Prince had never had a name. It was possible Bilbo had never heard it, or perhaps he had forgotten it, but he had not forgotten the impossibilities he could accomplish with a bow. Bilbo had also mentioned the kindness he had shown to the people of Laketown after the battle, and the leadership he had owned with his people.
Frood had already seen everything he need to know about Strider. Estel. Aragorn. If his path was destined to be entwined with anybody's, he supposed he could do much worse.
"And that path is going to be quite the adventure."
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