Chapter 1
The Other Council of Elrond
It was a day like any other at the Elven outpost of Rivendell. Birds chirped, the water splashed about carelessly. The Elves were as merry as they had been for well...a long time. Thousands of years. They sang and acted perfect as usual. Yup. Imladris was as safe as it had always been. Oh wait...the Dark Lord? Hm, I guess that he's pretty dangerous and threatening. Just a bit.
Okay, seriously though. It was the Third Age, year 3018, if my mind serves me correctly. It was about a week or so before Christmas, but things were not so jolly and no stocking were hung with care, because now this Dark Lord I mentioned is trying to take over Middle-Earth. Sucks, doesn't it? It's like Hitler all over again! But! There was just one thing getting in the way of Sauron's complete domination. And that was the Ring of Power. Gasp! You mean the one forged years ago in which he poured all his cruelty and malice but then it was cut off by Isildur and he kept it for himself like a selfish idiot and then he was attacked by Orcs and it fell into the hands of Gollum for many years?! Yes! That's the one.
Except it's not really owned by Gollum anymore. Through his Uncle Bilbo, it fell into the hands of a young Frodo Baggins, who's shoulders were now burdened with the fate of Middle Earth. Pfft. Yeah. Like a Hobbit was going to save the world. If only that actually was a joke. But anyways. Now, taking the wise advice of Gandalf the Grump...I mean, Gray, sorry, Frodo traveled to Rivendell to seek the council of Lord Elrond. He was accompanied along with some of his little Hobbit friends, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Bradnybuck, and Peregrin Took. And he also met along the way a Ranger of the North, who went by the name of Aragorn.
And so in Rivendell, a council of super special proportions was held, in which Elrond kept babbling along about stuff like Mordor, death, Sauron, death, saving the world, hopelessness, and oh yeah. Death. Almost forgot that one. And so, after what seemed like forever, a sort of Company was formed. A Fellowship, created so that the Ring may be destroyed and Middle-Earth could be saved.
In this Fellowship, there was a total of nine members. Frodo, obviously, since he had the Ring. His three Hobbit friends. Gandalf, since he was the only one smart enough to lead all these helpless babies. Aragorn, who really just wanted to go to Gondor and get crowned King already. Boromir, son of Denethor, who just wanted to protect his people. Oh, and he wanted to bother Aragorn too. The two men had not got off to the most peaceful of starts. And then there was Legolas the Elf, who was so busy fixing his hair he hardly even knew what he'd gotten himself into. And then, lastly, there was Gimli, the angry little dwarf who everyone was secretly making fun of behind his back since he had tried to destroy the Ring with his silly little ax. Pfft. Amateur.
It would be a few weeks before the Fellowship was to depart, and this time gave the Fellowship time to bond and become more of a family. In other words, they all grew likes and dislikes towards certain individuals. I've already touched on the dislike Aragorn and Boromir shared for each other, but that wasn't all. Gandalf had a clear disliking for Pippin, and maybe even Merry, since the two were always running about and causing a muck. He was barely able to keep himself from blasting them into a million little pieces with his staff. And Legolas and Gimli had developed a certain competition between each other. Everything they did, whether it was a matter of walking faster or finishing dinner sooner, they always seemed to be in some sort of race.
One night, a few days after the council had commenced, Elrond summoned the Fellowship into his private chambers [he'd made sure to hide all of the strange portraits he'd acquired of Legolas and Aragorn]. There only being one chair, the nine all sat around in a circle as Elrond took his seat. He eyed each one of them, mainly receiving blank or impatient stares in return. "Who hear remembers me saying that you must destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom?" he began, his eyes flickering once more over each member. None of the Hobbits raised their hands, and wore dumbfounded looks on their faces. Both Legolas and Gimli raised their hands, Legolas raising his quicker, which caused Gimli to mutter dwarven curses under his breath. Aragorn, Boromir, and Gandalf had of course remembered, but they all found it too childish to raise their hands.
"Well. What I said was a lie. You guys don't really have to go to Mordor, but-," Elrond began but his voice was soon drowned out by an array of thunderous cheers. Legolas was already standing up to leave, and Aragorn seemed as though he were about to follow.
"You hear that Merry? We're not going to starve!" Pippin exclaimed, and also muttered something to his friend about not having to endure Gandalf's presence.
"Now hold on a minute, you idiots!" Elrond yelled above the excited and relieved chatter, and Legolas and Aragorn paused midway to the door. They grumbled to themselves and took their seats again.
"I only said the Ring must be destroyed so I could hide my true plans," Elrond began again, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "I've devised a far better, more efficient plan for all of you to take part in," he said, and from there he stood up and went into the corner of his room. And at that moment everyone say a large tarp covering something. Funny. It was so big yet they hadn't seen it before. Clutching the sheet, Elrond pulled back his creation. It was a giant portal seemingly, with an assortment of buttons and lights and from it shone a glowing purple aura. There were many 'oohs' and 'aahs', most of which came from Pippin and Legolas.
"Um. Would you mind telling us what the heck that is?" Boromir said with an arched eyebrow. Perhaps it was a weapon he could use for his people! Surely this contraption would give the men of Gondor an advantage in the war! So many thoughts as these raced through Boromir's mind that he did not even hear Elrond as he began to speak again.
"This, my friends, is a time travelling portal. You see, the best way to keep the Ring form Sauron, is by advancing yourselves into the future. That way, he'll never be able to get it!" Elrond explained, obviously believing that his plan was full proof. The others were dumb enough to believe it though, so why the heck not?
Gandalf, out of all, seemed the least convinced, though he couldn't deny he was intrigued. "How far do you plan on sending us, Elrond? And how long shall we stay?" he questioned suspiciously.
"Very far into the future, my dear friend. I do the year specifically, but I can promise you it will be far different from this Age. And do not worry about how long you stay, you're old! You haven't anything better to do!" Elrond replied with a hearty laugh, though he couldn't help but wince slightly from Gandalf's menacing gaze. He was one to talk about being old. He was nearly as old as dirt!
A silence washed over the room. The Fellowship were either looking at each other, sending silent questions like, 'Do you think it's safe?' or 'Is Elrond trying to kill us?', but after a few minutes, they all seemed to ready themselves to leave.
"Do not worry about food or clothing. Those things will still be there in the future! All will become clear to you when you get there," he reassured them, for the Hobbits all had worried looks on there faces.
And yet another pause. But Boromir was growing impatient. "Well, what are we waiting for?! FOR GONDOR!" he yelled valiantly, drawing his sword and charging for the purple portal. And then, like a flash, he vanished, which caused the others to gasp in shock. "We better follow him in there before he does something stupid. More stupid than usual, that is," Aragorn muttered irritably, now making his way for the portal at a much slower pace. He didn't even get to tell Arwen goodbye, dammit! She wasn't going to be happy about that, especially since it was that time of the month. But oh well. She wouldn't be able to yell at him in the future! After Aragorn, The four Hobbits were pushed forward one by one into the portal by Gandalf, who went in last, after Legolas and Gimli. Within a few minutes, the Fellowship had vanished, being mercilessly flung into a completely different world. Fellowship, meet California, in the year 2013. 2013 California, meet the Fellowship.
