Disclaimer: It is with utmost certainty that if you recognise something I do not own it! The Genius that is J.R.R. Tolkien does.
Chapter 1
Ariana POV
I sighed softly as we dismounted our horses in the courtyard of Rivendell. Lord Elrond had summoned a council of representatives of the free people. I was surprised that we had been invited; we were nearly forgotten by many of the peoples in middle earth, the elves included. "Lord Elrond and the council await you, if you would follow me." An elf spoke to Wulfric, the man who had appointed himself our leader, in place of the High Priests who never left our mountain citadel.
I kept my hood up, covering my face and kept to the back of our group. I trusted none amongst them and would not trust them to negotiate the price of a sack of corn, let alone this meeting so why the Priests had let them come I had no idea. When the time comes, you will realise why we sent you, little Ariana. There is a higher reason behind every choice we make. Remember that and you will flourish.I remembered the words whispered to me as I had prayed for the strength to complete this task. We walked out onto a balcony looking out into the valley of Imladris, "The Warlocks, milord." The elf bowed and left. "Welcome, I am Lord Elrond, please have a seat." Lord Elrond gestured to the empty seats nearest to the men.
The group sat, leaving me the last chair, the one that separated them from the men. I walked silently to it and sat down; making sure my cloak covered every part of me but my feet. "Will you companion not lower their hood?" The grey Istari, Gandalf asked from across the circle. Wulfric chuckled, "He may, but the result would truly be frightening, for he is so scarred his face closely resembles that of an orc." I clenched my fists to keep my magic in check. How dare he! He knew why I never showed my face and it certainly wasn't because I was scarred. Gandalf however seemed to accept this and Lord Elrond began to speak.
"Strangers from distant lands; friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor." Elrond looked around as he spoke, "Middle-Earth stands on 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." He said, he gestured to a small child, no hobbit that was sat next to Gandalf. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." Frodo stood up and slowly walked over to the stone pedestal in the middle of the circle. He placed the Ring on it and his shoulders sagged as if a great burden was removed off of them. As he returned to his seat, the silence reigned.
"This is a gift." It was broken by the voice of a man to my right, everyone turned to look at the man that spoke. He stood up to address the Council. "A gift to the enemies of Mordor!" I sighed and turned to him, cloaking my voice as I did my body. "Hold your tongue, Son of Gondor. That ring is no gift to any living being. Sauron has already sent out his nine riders to bring it back to him. Can you not feel its poisonous call? It wishes only to be returned to its master, who is the only one who can wield it. That ring will only gift you with a quicker, more painful destruction of your people. It must be destroyed the same way it was made. In the fires of mount doom."
I looked at the ring, avoiding everyone's gaze. "One does not simply walk into Mordor." The man said and everyone looked at him. "Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep." The fear was evident in both his voice and his eyes. "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." "Never the less it must be done." Kaldan spoke from beside me. "Maybe you warlocks can do it, but we humans cannot." The man sneered at him, "We are human just as much as you are. Your father's influence and your fear are clouding your judgment, Son of Gondor." Kaldan sneered back
"Are you calling me a coward?!" He shouted and stood up, Kaldan stood as well. He towered over Kaldan by a few inches and Kaldan's hand twitched towards his belt. "Boromir, calm down." The man next to me spoke up and the two looked at him. "The master warlock is right. The Ring cannot be wielded by any other than Sauron. It has no other Master." "And what would a mere ranger know of this matter?!" Boromir snapped, I rolled my eyes already they were all falling prey to the accursed ring.
"That is no mere ranger." An elf of Mirkwood stood up and Boromir looked at him. "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Boromir looked at Aragorn who sighed and shook his head. "Havo dad, Legolas." He did as Aragorn asked and sat back down, "This is Aragorn?" Boromir asked weakly. "This is Isildur's heir?" Everyone turned to look at the ranger. "And heir to the throne of Gondor." Lord Elrond said and Boromir looked at him defiantly. "Gondor has no king." He spat and looked at Aragorn. "Gondor needs no king." With that said he returned to his seat and continued to sit there in silence, pouting. "Be that as it may." Gandalf spoke up. "The Ring must be destroyed." A heavy silence settled over the Council.
"Maybe the warlocks can just magic themselves inside and do it." Boromir sneered at us. I spoke before any of the party could. "Magic does not work that way Son of Gondor. If one of us were to carry the ring, no good would come of it. The ring would take advantage of the slightest hint of darkness within us and it would latch on to it. So while magic may be our greatest weapon, it is also in this case our weakness."
"I do believe that all of us here are threatened by that." Gandalf said and I nodded. "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said?" One of the Elves said. "The Ring must be destroyed!"Here we go.I thought. "And I suppose you believe you're the one to do it!" One of the Dwarves snapped and all of a sudden a great argument broke between the Council members. All the council members were on their feet and had surged into the middle of the circle. I looked around and found my eyes meeting Frodo's and my heart broke at the sorrow within his eyes.
'Fear not, young Frodo.' I whispered into his mind and his eyes widened as he looked at me. 'To have courage is not about not being frightened. It is about being afraid, but having the courage to do what you believe is right.' Frodo's back straightened and he stood up. "I will take it!" All of a sudden the argument stopped. Gandalf looked pained and I would have wondered why if I hadn't heard of Gandalf's love for the small race of Hobbits.
"I will take the Ring to Mordor." Frodo said. "Although I do not know the way" I smiled as he looked around the council who were staring at him, Aragorn smiled and took a step forward, kneeling in front of Frodo. "If by my life or death I can protect you, then so be it, You have my sword." He took his place beside Frodo as Legolas stepped forward to the shock of his Elven companions. "And my bow." He said and stood beside Aragorn. "And my axe." One of the Dwarves said, standing beside Legolas. Gandalf stepped over to them and Frodo looked up at them with a small smile.
"You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council then Gondor shall see it done." Boromir said and stopped beside Aragorn. Elrond nodded his head and went to speak, but paused as I stood. I walked over to the group and knelt in front of Frodo. "If I can make it so that you may return home safely, so shall it be. You have my magic at your disposal little Melekûn." I stated. The dwarves gasped at my use of Khuzdul, I knew I would have much to explain at a later date. I stood and moved next to Boromir, nodding at the bushes behind my group, Lord Elrond followed my gaze.
"I believe with have a few more companions for you Master Baggins." He said smiling. I watched as three more hobbits walked sheepishly out into the circle. Gandalf sighed and Aragorn chuckled. "You would have to send us back to Shire in sacks to stop us from following Frodo." One said. "Mr. Frodo isn't going anywhere without me." Another said and the third grinned. "Besides, you need men of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… thingy." Everyone chuckled at that while the first hobbit looked him with a smirk.
"That rules you out, Pip." He said and Pip glared at him. Elrond chuckled. "10 companions." He said and nodded. "Very well. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." I smiled as Pip said with a grin, "Great. Where are we going?"