(This is the Updated version. I will add the other updated versions later on as I go back and fix a few things.)

Chapter 1

Secret Council of Rivendell

Rivendell was even more beautiful than I had ever imagined. Then again it was built by the elves, and everything they did was beautiful, from the way they walked and talked, to their fighting style. Looking up at my older brother I give him a big smile hoping it shows him how happy I am that he brought me along.

"Tell me brother, is this your first time here?" I ask throwing my arms out as if to take it all in. Boromir just laughs and rumples my hair.

"Yes sister, even I have yet to have been everywhere," admiration shines through my eyes as I recall his tales of adventure. Unlike him though, this is my first time out of Gondor. Since my father is the Steward of Gondor and my mother died giving birth to me, he has always wanted me close by. Father always says that I am the image of my mother, having her soft raven curls and bright icy blue eyes. My build is also similar to her's, with me being more slender than most girls. Though unlike most girls I could hold my own in a fight if it came down do it. My brother's made sure of that. Practically training me since I could walk. Unlike my brothers who preferred sword and shield, I prefer to be a rogue, a master in the art of stealth and disguise, but my real desire is to become an archer. To be able to help protect those I love in a fight from a distance.

"Sweet sister are you thinking of home again?" Boromir asks with a bit of concern. I only shake my head. My brother had walked with me to a room that has been assigned for me to use while we are visiting. Looking around and admiring the architecture of these halls I wonder what it must be like to actually live in a place as beautiful and peaceful as this.

"Just thinking of Faramir and Father. What do you they could be doing right now?" My brother only laughs as a far off look emerges on his face.

"Knowing our brother he shall be doing anything that might appease our dear father. You know how much Faramir yearns for our father's approval," I give a soft smile to him as I know this to be true. 'I truly hope that someday father realizes what an amazing man Faramir has turned out to be and will give him the same love and affection that he so obviously gives Boromir.' I think to myself. "Now go get ready, the Council shall be starting soon."

"Really? Do you know who all shall be in attendance?" My curiosity has piqued. I find it very curious that Lord Elrond is calling a secret council now of all times. Maybe the threats of Mordor that have been plaguing my people have finally caught his attention. Though that does not seem to be correct. Why would the elves want to help, from what I hear many of them are leaving these shores. No, if it was that it would just be Men that would have called a meeting. It must be about that thing father was talking to Boromir about..

"Representatives from every Race shall be here..." He trails off. From the look on his face I can see that there is something he is not telling me. Immediately he clears his throat to get my attention. "It would not be wise to keep Lord Elrond wait, dear sister." With that Boromir turns on his heel and starts to walk away. Quickly refocusing I rush after him, totally forgetting what I was supposed to be doing in the first place.

Taking the seat next to Boromir I scan the people assembled. I feel slightly ashamed that the first thing I look for are their weaknesses. It's not my fault that I grew up knowing the only ones that you can trust are your family members, and even then you must have a slight guard up. My eyes soon meet with beautiful blue eyes of one across from me. They belong to a tall, slender elf with long blond hair. Almost mesmerized it takes all my willpower to look away and focus on Lord Elrond.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands on the brink of destruction. No one can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the ring Frodo." Elrond's says, his voice demanded that we listen. My attention is once again drawn away by the whispering voices all around. Looking over I see that a young man, almost the size of a child is retaking his seat. My eyes are drawn towards a small golden ring that lay innocently on the center of a pedestal.

"In a dream...I saw the Eastern sky grow dark." Boromir stands up, his gaze fixed on the ring. Personally I didn't get what made these people go crazy with desire for the Ring. "But in the West...a pale light lingers and a voice was crying, 'Your doom is near at hand.'" Finally he starts reaching for the Ring.

"Brother!" I shout, the same time Lord Elrond calls his name. Fear immediately grips my heart when even my voice can't break him from his trance. This just goes to show that something so small can cripple even the strongest of Men, and that was a frightening thought. He seemed to be mumbling something but I was unable to catch on. Boromir has been acting very strangely since the Halfling brought out the Ring. My thoughts are put to an abrupt stop as splitting pain wreaks havoc through my head and body. I find the source to be the wizard shouting strange, dark words.

"Never before has a voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!" Lord Elrond said as he looked towards the wizard. Gandalf is standing with a frightful face.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond!" He replied and made his way back to his seat. Only to say, "For the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil!" My eyes immediately go to my brother hoping he will see it for the danger it truly is.

"No, it is a gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring?" This drew many wary glances and mistrusting stares. None of which fazed him. "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!" I give him a look that makes him see that I sincerely hope he is just fooling around and not actually serious. Unfortunately I'm wrong.

"You cannot wield it! None of us can, the ring answers to Sauron alone! It has no other master." My gaze turns to see who rebuked my brother. Instantly my eyes meet the hazel eyes of a man that looks somewhat familiar..

'Something about this man is very familiar,' I think softly to myself. 'But where have I seen him before?'

"And what a mere ranger know of this matter?" Boromir almost sneers looking at the ranger in an almost disgusted look.

"This is no mere ranger! He is Aragorn son of Arathorn! You owe him your allegiance." I am shocked to hear blue eyes speak. This news is a shock to both my brother and me as we have both heard stories of this man, and how he is Isildur's heir. The man that turned his back on his people and choose exile, the man who was not to be seen when his people needed him most.

"Aragon?" Boromir said in a hushed tone, looking back at him with disbelief. "This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." The elf finished. I clench my fist at hearing this as I think back on how if he truly wished to be the heir of Gondor he would have been there when Orcs repeated raided our shores and killed our people.

"Havo dad...Legolas." Aragon says in what sounds like Elvish.

"Gondor has no king, Gondor needs no king!" Boromir spat as he returned to his seat next to me. Gently I rest a hand on his arm as a way of comfort, hoping to quell his rage as well as my own at hearing this. Having been raised to believe that he chose exile of his own people makes my blood boil, knowing fully well how much our people have suffered as they pray for the rightful heir to come and take his rightful place on the throne of Gondor. It kills me to know how hard my father has worked to keep the peace and protect his citizens. If this Ranger won't claim his birth rite then they should just name my father king as our family has been the Stewards of the land for many generations. All because this man won't take the throne. It saddens me greatly to know that the White Tree shall never blossom as it once did until the rightful heir sits upon the throne.

"Aragon is right we cannot use it." Gandalf said. Lord Elrond finally decided to intervene. "You have but one choice. The Ring must be destroyed."

"Then what are we waiting for?" a dwarf with a thick fiery red beard and thick chain-mail armor says as he stands up, grabs his axe and swings it with all his might at the Ring, hoping to destroy it. Due to the stories I had heard since infancy, I knew that it was not that simple. If it was, then all of us wouldn't be sitting here right now. With a loud crash the dwarf is thrown back and lands with a thump on his back. The axe he used was now shattered all over the ground.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed Gimli, son of Glorin, by any craft we here possess." Lord Elrond says sparing him a short look. "It was made in the fires of Mount Doom, and only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fire chasm from whence it came." I held my breath knowing what would most likely come next, "One of you must do this." A sigh escapes me with the knowledge that this is almost a suicide mission.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its Black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash and dust. The very air is poisonous fumes. Not with ten thousand men could you do this" my brother said, "It is folly". He was right but this had to be done, otherwise the whole of Middle Earth will be doomed.

"My brother is right!" I declare, drawing every eye to me. "To send anyone into the caverns of Mount Doom would be suicide. They would not be able to even reach the Black Gate before alerting a patrol of Orcs to their whereabouts. That is, if they are able resist the Ring for as long as a journey such as this would take."

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!" says the blue-eyed elf, standing up. His gaze locks on my brother and me but is soon drawn away.

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" the dwarf named Gimli says with a sneer towards the elf.

"And what if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" Boromir snaps at them. I stand right next to him and place my hand on his arm as a way to try and call him down.

"I'll be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli bellows as loudly as he can. Once again a sigh escapes as the arguing escalades. It's a shock that they have yet to pull out their weapons.

"I will take it." The little hobbit, Frodo, says, quietly. Sadly everyone else is too busy shouting at each other that they fail to hear him. After saying it one more time, much louder, the noise dies down and all eyes turn on him. "I will take the ring to Mordor... though I do not know the way."

The wizard, Gandalf, gives the Halfling a solemn look and steps toward him and rests his hand on his shoulder. "I will help you with this burden, so long as it's yours to bare."

Aragon is the next to get up and walk over to him. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will," he kneels in front of Frodo, "You have my sword."

Next the elf comes forward. "And you have my bow."

"And my axe," the red headed dwarf says as he stands next to the elf who glare at each other slightly.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council then Gondor will see it done." Boromir says as he takes a place near the hobbit.

"Since my dear brother is going it seems as shall I," I say with a wink. "You have my cunning and my wit." Boromir only shakes his head at this, knowing just how upset father would be if he heard about me going on this quest.

"Hey!" A hobbit with sandy blond colored hair and a bit large around the middle bursts in between Gandalf and Aragorn, taking a firm stand next to Frodo. "Mister Frodo is not goin' anywhere without me."

"No indeed, it's hard to separate you, even when he's invited to a secret council meeting and you are not." Lord Elrond says with amusement in his words.

"Oi, we're coming too!" Two other hobbits burst in and take a place with us. "You'd have to send us home tied in sacks to stop us." Says a hobbit with very curly blondish hair.

"Anyway you need some people with intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing." The other, also with very curly light brown hair, says crossing his arms. From the looks of him, he doesn't really come off as the real intelligent type so I must try to stifle the small laugh bubbling in my throat.

"Well that rules you out Pip." The first says with a slightly serious look on his face. "Ten companions, so be it. You shall be the fellowship of the Ring."

"Great. Where are we going?" asked the hobbit named Pip. At this point I just had to let the laugh out, though I don't feel too bad for killing the serious mood.

"So when shall we embark on this perilous journey that shall more than likely lead to our deaths?" I inquire cheerfully. Elrond just shakes his head. "Get a good night's rest. You all shall leave on the morrow at dawn." With that he dismisses us all to go our separate ways.

Swiftly I retreat to my room in hopes that I might be able to catch a few hours of sleep in a nice warm bed as I have a feeling that it will be the last time for a long time, as it is most likely that we shall be sleeping on the ground. Reaching it I open the door and walk over to my rucksack and pull out my nightgown and change into it before I walk to the bed and collapse and instantly feel a wave of tiredness sweep over me. My eyelids slowly close and before I know it I enter into a deep sleep that is riddled in nightmares.

The nightmares are the same as every night for the past week. In them I dream of my mother, and the day that she brought me into this world. That night, shortly after I took my first breath I was handed off to my wet nurse who took me to my father. He seemed slightly disappointed that I was a girl instead of the third son that he was hoping for. Though that all changed when he first held me in his arms. Telling me how much he loved me and that he would protect me no matter what. Though everything changed when one of the midwives can rushing down the hallway and gave my father the news that my mother was dying. Not sparing a moment he rushes to my mother's bedside. A soft smile graces her face as she looks upon her husband and her newborn daughter.

"I wish to name her Araella," she says in a raspy voice. My father nods as he hears this. "Please, my lord husband let me hold her at least once. Not able to deny her this request he gently placed me in my mother's arms. Her eyes are filled with love as she knows that even when she passes from this world; it was to bring her precious daughter into this world, healthy as any babe can be. "She will be very beautiful when she grows into a young woman. Her brothers will have to protect her from all unwanted suitors that pursue her." My brothers, having heard the news slam open the door and rush to our mother's side.

"Mother, I swear to you, no harm shall ever befall her for as long as I draw breath." Boromir vows as he looks down at me and smiles. "She looks like you." He remarks as he gently caresses my cheek. She smiles at him and shakily raises her hand and places it on his cheek. Instinctively my brother leans in and places a kiss on mother's forehead. Faramir awkwardly stands away from the touching scene. Seeing this mother beckons him toward her, taking a few moments he eventually moves closer and our mother takes his hand and smiles up at him.

"I love you Faramir. All three of you are the treasures of my heart, and I have no regrets when I leave this world, just knowing that the two of you shall protect your sister for as long as you live," mother says in a breathy voice. Looking down at me she places a gentle kiss on my forehead before having to lay back down and hand me back over to my father. She gives each of us a smile, right before she somehow notices me fully grown as I watch the scene play out, just as it is every night. I am always in the background, and none seem to be able to see me, except for her. Seeing her look right at me I know that the little time she has is almost over and as she passes a part of my father passes with her.

The last thing we hear her say is, "Yes, she shall definitely grow into an amazing and beautiful woman once she has grown." She gives me a loving smile and lets out a sigh of contentment. Most likely from knowing about the woman that I shall grow to be; even though she barely knows me but somehow can just see how I shall grow even though she will not be there to raise me herself. She will not be able to teach me how to be a proper lady of the court and what skills I would need to know should I ever marry and become in charge of a household. From a slight sadness I can easily see the sadness in her eyes as realizes that I shall be raised by my wet nurse for the first couple of years of my life before she is replaced by a governess of my father's choosing, or if my father chooses to marry again, raised by a step mother who might see me as a threat and make my life horrible. Sliding between everyone, making sure not to touch them I take hold of her hand and give her a confident smile as I tell about all that I shall accomplish.

As I sit down on her bed I see the light slowly leave her beautiful blue eyes. As with every time I have dreamed of this I feel a few tears fall down my cheek and watch as one of the midwives closes her eyes and my father gently runs his fingers through her raven colored hair and places a light kiss on her forehead, knowing that this will be the last time that he will see her as she once was, instead of having to bury a decaying body. The midwife looks at her after she closes her eyes and brushes her hair out of her face and cleans away the sweat that covers, as if she is starting to prepare my mother's body for her burial. With her eyes closed it is almost as if she has simply fallen into a deep sleep and would wake up soon and this nightmare would just be that; a nightmare. Though we are not fooled by this, for we all know that she shall never awaken again. It is at this time the dream begins to become blurry and I wake up. Though for some reason this doesn't happen as I watch my father look at me with such love and holds me close. Not even letting my wet nurse take me to the nursery. Even as a child he always wanted near him at all times, that is except for where my bedchamber is. Though to be extra cautious there are always at least two guards that stand vigil in front of my room just on the off chance that an assassin choses me as a target, knowing how my death would impact my father so deeply.

"My beautiful daughter, my precious Araella," I hear father whisper. Hearing him say those words make me believe that this is but a figment of my imagination as he would almost never speak to me like that, unless it is a special occasion, but even then he would not say such words. Looking over at my brothers I see them follow father closely behind. It is at this moment that everything begins to blur all around me and I know that I am on the verge of waking up.

Waking up I find myself covered in sweat, I also notice that it is dark out, indicating that dawn is still far off. Stretching I leave my heavenly bed and change out of my nightgown and pull on a beautiful dress that is unlike any dress I have ever worn. The lavender color I can honestly say brings out my fair skin color, black hair, and blue eyes. Right after I change I place my clothes that are fit for traveling long distances on my bed. In other words, a set of armor I had the greatest blacksmith in Gondor make for me. It consists of full body light armor that is black as night, gloves of the same color, boots that are also black and tend to be able to muffle my footsteps as they do not make as much noise when I walk, which is excellent when I am trying to sneak into the larder in the middle of the night to steal a few pastries that our wonderful cook made earlier that day, and lastly a hooded cloak. Due to my armor being black it is much easier to blend into the shadows.

Looking into the mirror just above the vanity I rummage through my ruck sack and pull out my light red lip coloring and powder. Gently I use soft strokes to try to evenly distribute the powder across my face. Next I lightly run the lip coloring across my top and bottom lips, turning them into a lighter shade of red. Accepting my appearance I walk over to my door and leave my room and struggle to find the dining room. Though the closer I got the easier it is to find as the scent of the food has my mouth watering. Looking around I see that everyone has settled around the long tables and vigorously eating their dinner. Smiling I find that my brother has saved me a seat next to him. For some reason my heart begins to beat erratically when I see that on the other side of me sits the very attractive Legolas, whom I have found out is the prince of Mirkwood.

Almost as if it is instinctual my brother looks my eye and beckons me. Not wasting any time I swiftly walk over to him as he stands and takes his hand in mine, and gently kisses my knuckles. Right after he pulls out my chair and I gracefully take my seat. From what I pick up every conversation seems to be about the Ring and the quest to Mordor. Just the sound of the name sends shivers down my spine, though thankfully no one seemed to notice, though if anyone had seen it they kept their mouths shut. After placing the few items of food that looked appetizing I begin to eat and engage in small talk with my brother and surprisingly I actually have a conversation with the aloof Elvish Prince.

"If you are able to, or willing to, why did you come to this council?" I ask Legolas, curiosity getting the better of me. He grows quiet, as if he is having an internal debate as to whether or not tell me. After a few awkward moments of silence he seems to have decided on his answer. "My father sent me as a messenger to inform Lord Elrond about a prisoner of ours that has escaped our custody." He simply states, somehow I am able to quickly figure out that that is all that he will tell me. Then again, we have just met and he is under no obligation to tell me things that do not pertain to me or the quest.

Thankfully the dinner ended quickly and we all split up to go to the rooms that we are occupying for the duration of our stay. Laying down on the bed sleep seems to elude me. Most likely from the nervousness of the quest that we are about to embark on in just a few hours. After about an hour of laying in bed I finally fall into a light sleep, only to be awakened after what seemed to just have been a few moments. Stretching I let out a sigh and change from my dress to the armor that I have lain out. Once everything is in place I grab my sword and attach it to my hip, for me it is a strange comfort to have it by my side at all times. As soon as that is securely in place I pick up my throwing knives and put them into the various compartment in my armor. One of which I put in my boots and another is strapped to my thigh. Looking around I do a double check to make sure that I have everything that need packed and head out to where we will be meeting up.

As always,

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-Kiro