Chapter 4

I looked around at everyone sitting in the half circle. Men, elves, and the three dwarves I had talked to the previous day were here. I had been surprised when Penneth told me I would be attending the Council. I couldn't imagine why though, what would I do? Even though I didn't know what would happen, I felt a heavy and unsettling feeling twisting inside my gut.

When I first sat down in my chair, Gandalf introduced me to the hobbit, Frodo. He seemed like a kind and gentle person, he was much different than everyone else here, and not because of his race. I knew we would get along well.

When I first took a look at everyone I noticed the drunk from the other night sitting across from me. We had made eye contact before he looked to the ground, clearly he must have been embarrassed or ashamed from his behavior last night. Good.

Once everyone had seated, Elrond took his place behind the stone-like table, and began to speak, "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. 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." Elrond spoke with passion, trying to get everyone in the group to understand the importance this meeting held. And, I had to say, the entire situation had me feeling intense deja vu. He paused and turned toward Frodo who sat between Gandalf and I. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

Frodo reluctantly stood and made his way to the stone. From his hand he placed a ring on the center of the table. For a reason I couldn't comprehend I wanted to touch it… I shook my head to clear my thoughts. What was I thinking?

I noticed everyone was talking in hushed tones of surprise and awe. Most everyone was staring at the Ring. When Frodo sat down he let out a sigh, as if a burden had been lifted from him. I placed a hand on his shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. Even I could tell there was something ominous about that ring, carrying it must have been a burden. He gave a small smile in return, but our attention was quickly caught by a familiar voice.

"It is a gift." The drunk from last night said with suppressed excitement. He stood and turned to everyone, "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring?" No one spoke, so he continued, "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."

It was then that someone spoke up, "You cannot wield it, none of us can." It was the man Legolas had been talking to the other night at the party. "The one Ring answers to Sauron alone, it has no other master."

The other man turned and said accusingly, "And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"

Legolas then stood. It seemed this man had struck a nerve within the elf. "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." The way he said it sent a chill down my spine. It was cool and calm, but when I looked at his eyes, there was a sharpness to them.

The man turned back toward Aragorn. "Aragorn. This is Isildur's heir?" he asked in slight disbelief.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas added.

Then Aragorn said something in Elvish I didn't understand. But, if I had to guess, based on his tone and expression, he wanted Legolas to stop defending him.

"Gondor has no king." The man said before returning to his seat. "Gondor needs no king."

An uncomfortable silence settled on the Council before Gandalf decided to speak up. "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it."

"You have only one choice." Elrond began, "The ring must be destroyed."

There was silence before the dwarf Gimli said, "What are we waiting for?" He grabbed his ax and wasted no time in attacking the Ring. When his ax made contact with the Ring, there was a bright light and the ax shattered. I held my hands up to protect myself from the broken ax pieces, but before my arms could fly up, I was shocked when I saw a massive flaming eye. My heart hit my feet and I shook my head from the shock. What the hell was that thing? Whatever it was, it made me feel sick.

I was brought out of my own thoughts by Elrond, "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli Son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor, and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you, must do this."

Once again, there was an eery silence. No one wanted to do such a task. Even though I didn't know what Mordor was like, I knew that it must be evil if no one here wanted to go.

The man from earlier spoke once again, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. It's 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, and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with 10,000 men you could do this, it is folly." Yup. I knew I didn't want to go there now! Fuck that.

Legolas shot from his seat, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli shot back at him.

"And if we fail, what then?" The man questioned, "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

Gimli stood as well, "I'll be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!"

And that's when all hell broke loose. Everyone was on their feet and yelling and shouting at one another. Gandalf stood and began yelling at them about how foolish they were for bickering at a time like this.

I was surprised when Frodo stood and yelled, "I will take it!" He had to shout it a few times for his usually soft-spoken voice to be heard. Once everyone had heard him though, everyone was stunned into silence. Even me. A hobbit. A man who looked like a child, was brave enough to take on a task like this.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor." Frodo said confidently. Everyone continued to stare at him for several moments before he continued, a little more reluctant, "Though, I do not know the way."

Gandalf nodded and moved to stand behind him, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

I turned to Aragorn who stood, "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." He walked up to Frodo and took one of the hobbits tiny hands in his, "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow." Legolas announced.

"And my ax." Gimli added.

Even though I was still sitting in my chair, from behind the group I could tell Legolas and Gimli felt awkward standing next to each other. Seems elves and dwarves don't get along.

And then the man from last night walked forward. "You carry the fates of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

Everyone was a little startled when a voice yelled out, "Hey!" I turned and saw another hobbit run right past me to stand beside Frodo. "He can't go anywhere without me!"

Without a pause Lord Elrond responded, "No indeed it is not possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

Not a moment later another shout came from the opposite direction. "You'll have to tie us up in a sack to stop us!" Two more hobbits came to stand beside Frodo.

The second of the two said, "Anyway, you need people of Intelligence on this sort of mission. Quest. Thing."

"Well that rules you out, Pip."

I had to chuckle at that one.

Elrond looked over the group, "Nine companions. Though..." There was a pause and Elrond looked at me, as did Gandalf with a knowing gaze. Everyone else followed suit, their eyes holding a look of confusion. My own eyes widened. What was going on? Elrond continued, "a tenth companion will join on this quest."

There were murmurs and for a second and I was too shocked to speak. When I regained my senses I stood up, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. You want me to go on this quest of doom? Why?" I wanted to hide the panic in my voice but it was hard to. I think I also might have been looking at them like they had three eyes and butts for mouths.

"This quest is no place for a lady." The man from Gondor said. "She knows not of how to protect herself and has seen nothing of war." There was a murmur of agreement from most everyone else.

Even though he had a point I wanted to defend myself. Besides, it's not like I had no idea how to fight, I had been told I was a pretty good shot with a bow at Archery club several years back. Before I could say anything, Gandalf spoke, "You forget Boromir, the hobbits are the same way. They have lived their life in the Shire, free from the horrors of war and violence. Saying she should not join for her lack of experience would suggest you feel this way about the hobbits as well."

Boromir said nothing. I thought I heard some of the elves say something under their breath, but it was in Elvish, so I wouldn't understand it even if I heard it clearly.

"But Gandalf," I stated again, "Why?"

The Wizard walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder, "It is by the will of the Valar that you have come to us. It is your fate that you accompany us on this journey." He paused, "But, do not be afraid, I will guide you, and watch over you." He gestured to the rest of the company and I looked at them all with wide eyes. I couldn't believe this. I was going to go on a death mission. My stomach was tied in knots and I could have thrown up right there.

I think Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn said something after that, but my panicked brain was racing. As Elrond gave us all his blessing I was running everything down in my head. So, I was going to accompany these men on a journey to Mordor, which according to Boromir is like a hell on Earth. If you couldn't do it with ten thousand men then how would someone expect us to do it with ten? Although, with such a small party, stealth would be something to account for. We could maybe sneak in. But the eye! That thing that I saw, was it always watching? And, if it was, would stealth tactics even work? On top of all that, I can't defend myself. I might know how to shoot a bow, but it has been years, and not to mention I've never aimed for a moving target! Or killed anything before, except bugs. But, these guys must have all been pretty experienced, right? All have seen battle and were powerful. Even so, protecting myself and the four hobbits has got to be a challenge, and it isn't hard to tell that I would be the biggest target! I am a foot taller than all of them!

I covered my face with my hands and heaved a stressed out sigh as everyone moved to get ready for the journey. I sat back down in the chair behind me and kept my face covered. My anxiety was acting up and I focused on my breathing, willing myself not to cry from the invisible hand squeezing my chest.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked.

Taking my shaking hands from my face I looked up and saw that all four hobbits were standing around me. If I wasn't on the verge of having an anxiety attack I would have found it amusing how they looked like children with huge hairy feet. I nodded, "Yeah, just nervous." I gave a small fake laugh and swallowed the ball in my throat. My hands rubbed together in an attempt to stop the tremors.

"You look more scared to death than nervous." one of them said, gaining a quick jab in the side by the third.

The heavier set hobbit who was the first to run into the council said, "If it makes you feel better Miss, we're all nervous as well."

I nodded and forced a laugh, "We're all a bit out of our element in this, aren't we?" Looking up at the four of them I said, "I know Frodo, but what are your names?" Distractions always worked best to calm me down, so I decided to focus on talking to these four.

"I'm Sam. Samwise Gamgee." I should have been a bit surprised to have one of them share my nickname, but my lack of surprise is what got me. It was as if I should have known that or something.

"I'm Meriadoc, but everyone calls me Merry."

"And I'm Pippin. Short for Peregrin."

I nodded, "Nice to meet you all. I'm Samantha."

Sam laughed, "I hope we don't get confused too much."

"We'll call you Sam, and me Samantha. That should help a bit, right?"

"Yeah, don't be worried about it, you two are very different after all." Pippin stated.

I smiled, feeling myself slowly beginning to calm down. "So, you guys are from the Shire? What's it like?" She remembered Gandalf saying where they were from. Since she couldn't say much about where she was from, they could tell her about their home.

The thought of home seemed to bring a smile to their faces and Sam was the first to speak. He spoke about the rolling hills and the lush landscape. He spoke of the other hobbits there and their love for good food and drink. I found it heartwarming see all their faces soften at the thoughts of home. It tugged at my heart realizing that they missed their homes just as much as I missed mine. Even though I was in an entirely different universe, it must feel like it to them. Their home compared to recent events are so different. They probably had never even held a sword before this journey, and now there was a chance they would die.

"Where is your home, Samantha?" Frodo asked. Shit. Talking about their home, of course they would ask about mine!

"Well," I looked up at the sky and thought quietly about how the sky was just like home. "It's a long way away from here. A lot different too. Where I am from, there are no hobbits, dwarves, or elves. Just humans. To me you look like children, to be honest."

I saw Merry nod in understanding at the last comment before Frodo asked, "That must be a long way from here if you have never seen any other race."

"Yeah," I nodded. "I still don't know how I ended up here though. Gandalf said it was the will of the Valor. What is that? Is it like God or something? A group of Wizards like Gandalf that like playing tricks?"

Before the hobbits could even give me their opinion on the matter Aragorn stepped forward, "You will find your purpose, do not fret. For now, we must all prepare for the journey ahead." He looked at them all and nodded, his eyes clearly saying that we needed to prepare.

The hobbits all said goodbye and headed off to prepare. I did the same. Walking to my room I did my best not to think about what could happen on the journey. I would do my best to only think about the present. The future was so uncertain and crazy to think about.

When I had arrived at my room I found Penneth preparing clothes for me. She looked up from her work of folding and gave a small smile, "Hello, M'lady, Lord Elrond sent me to help prepare you for your journey. He said to have everything prepared by midday."

I nodded, trying to wrap my head around everything. I sat as Penneth explained to me how I should bathe once a week if possible. I cringed at that, I was used to bathing every other day. Once a week or less was going to feel disgusting. She showed me strips of cloth that I was supposed to use for my period, and a few other things she had packed away in my bag.

Next she gave me my traveling clothes to change into. A cloth band was used as my bra, and I wore two layers. A thin cotton undershirt and pants to help with sweat, and then dark brown trousers and a dark blue long sleeved top. The leather boots given to me were uncomfortable, but she told me that they would mold to my feet better within a day. She handed me a belt to help keep the pants over my waist, as well as give me a place to hold small objects outside of my pack. Lastly, I was given a dark cloak. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought I could actually pass as a person from this world.

By the time Penneth had explained everything about traveling and answered any random questions I had along the way it was only a short time before I had to depart. As a last favor, I asked Penneth for a journal and something to write with. She seemed intrigued by my request and I told her I planned to write everything I could down on paper. I had never had much success in a diary before, but I was sure as hell gonna try this time. When she presented it to me, I shoved it into my pack, as well as my hoodie. No way I was leaving without that.

Once I had everything packed and ready to go, I gave my goodbye to Penneth. I hugged her and she seemed a little startled at first, but returned the embrace. I told her I would miss her and I hoped to see her again one day. Afterall, she had taken care of me since I arrived here.

Walking to the area we were supposed to meet, I ran into someone I didn't expect. Mister Boromir. I turned a corner and nearly ran into his chest. Why did everyone have to be so tall? He could rest his head on mine easily with how short I am! Not that I want that or anything.

"Are you alright? Forgive me, I did not see you."

Yeah, 'cause I'm short. "I'm fine. Just looking for all the others."

He nodded, "Of course. They are that way." He gestured with his head and of course it was in the opposite direction I was going to go. He began to walk and I followed after him, doing my best to keep pace with him and his long legs. After a few minutes of awkward silence he slowed and turned to me as he walked, "I am sorry about the other night. I was drunk and acted dishonorably."

I shrugged it off, "It's fine. Alcohol does some crazy stuff to people. I'll let it slide this time, but if it happens again you might just get slapped in the face. Besides, I can tell you were upset about it, you couldn't even look me in the eye earlier at the council." Boromir didn't say anything, just looked down at me with a perplexed expression. "So, how about we leave the past behind us and try to get along, huh?" I offered him a smile and to my surprise he returned it.

It only took us about five or so more minutes to get to the others, and in that time I asked him how far away his home was and what it was like. It sounded like a great city, white walls and all. As he spoke I felt another wave of deja vu but I shook it off. I was starting to get used to it now.

When we arrived, supplies were being packed onto a pony by Aragorn and Legolas. I noticed Legolas glance at us as we approached and even though his expression didn't change, something in his eyes did.

Not long after that, we were off. As we crossed over a bridge into the wilderness and left the Elven City, I gave one more glance over my shoulder and sighed. This was going to be one hell of an adventure.


A/N - Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! About time I updated again, right? :P Thank you so much for the favs, follows and reviews! It means a lot to me :)

I want to say just a few things... First, I am going to be writing a lot of things that are in the "downtime" of the films. The pace of the movies feels like it all happens in a few weeks of months. But, it actually it all happens in 13 months. So, because of this, I am going to use the downtime to develop relationships with characters. There will be chapters were there are only events that I have made up. Second, I don't want the relationship between Legolas and Samantha to be too fast paced. I want to make it feel more natural and not "instant" as some stories are. There will be plenty of bonding moments for the two to interact and get to know each other. So don't bite my head off if they haven't kissed in the next 10 chapters... please...? That's all for now.

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Bu-Bye~!