Hello Hello :)
Hope you all are doing well! I apologize for the lateness in updates. A lot of writing, rewriting, thinking, bouncing ideas around, and then writing again took a lot of time for this chapter. Spoiler alert, but this is the council scene, so I tried to keep the premise and most of the details in tact, however, I did add some new dialog and actions just to make it so it's not just like the script.
Anyhow, thank you again to Jo and all of you who follow, favorite, and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own aaaaaanything.
It wasn't until the morning of the council meeting that Stella was able to see Gandalf.
After she bathed and redressed, she was immediately caught by a squealing Glassada. The little elfling was so excited to see her friend that she launched herself into Stella's unsuspecting arms, babbling happily. Stella had known Glassada as long as she had known Minuial and had met the young child when she was in training with Aragorn. On her breaks from sword fighting and archery, Stella and Glassada would share bread and cheese while the elleth would teach the child what she learned in lessons that day.
Glassada was wonderfully sweet, with big green eyes, long golden hair, and a small, slightly lifted nose. Her slight, lean body gave her some grace when she absolutely needed it, but, since she was still a child, Glassada was a bit clumsy.
As the impatiently ecstatic elfling dragged Stella to the training grounds, she spoke too quickly to be understood. However, when she finally slowed down, Glassada elaborated on her new archery skills and how she beat her brother at shooting. Her eyes were wild and her hands fluttered like excited butterflies to describe each motion perfectly.
Needless to say, the pair had stayed until the sky grew dark and they were too tired to shoot another arrow.
Now, Stella was lacing up her black riding boots and smoothing out her plum tunic with it's elegantly laced bodice. She debated on strapping on her black chest plate and arm guards, but she decided against it. It was only a council meeting after all. However, that fact did not prevent her from strapping her belted sword over her tunic and leather leggings.
Stella slid down each staircase like she was floating on the wisps of clouds that were suspended over Rivendell. She turned hallway after hallway in search of Frodo's bedchambers. After striding to the proper hall, she turned left and into the first open door. There sat Frodo and Gandalf, the hobbit resting against his headboard and the wizard puffing smoke from his pipe.
Stella beamed at the sight. It had only been three years, but Stella had never gone three years without seeing her old friend at least once. He looked exactly as he did when he galloped off into the woods, leaving her and Aragorn awkwardly standing there until the Ranger pulled her onto his horse to take her to the beautiful Rivendell.
The grey wizard looked up from the smiling hobbit to the elven girl with a happy look on his withered face."I was beginning to think you were not going to show, Estella."
At his words Stella eagerly launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around the wizard's neck. He chuckled, patting her back until she pulled away grinning.
"You have been avoiding me mellon," Stella said flopping down on the bed to scold him teasingly. "It's not nice to avoid old friends."
Gandalf nodded, sucking his pipe with a twinkle in his eye. "Indeed, you are right."
"I usually am," Stella agreed, before swiveling to see a grinning and very much alive Frodo. "And how are you Master Hobbit?"
"Much better, thank you," Frodo replied, inclining his head to her slightly.
"Good," Stella said, standing from the bed and smoothing out the wrinkles in her outfit. "Because I have come to take you to your doom."
Frodo's face dropped and Stella repressed the urge to laugh, keeping her expression painfully serious.
Gandalf, however, just rolled his eyes. "Always the melodramatic one, aren't you Estella?"
Stella grinned happily and a little color came back to the frightened hobbit's face. "Of course. Would you expect nothing less?"
The grey wizard only shook his head in amusement before too standing. "The meeting will begin shortly. We must go and meet our fellow councilmen."
"And woman," Stella pointed out, following Gandalf out the door. Frodo hopped off the bed and scurried to the door, trying to keep up with his long-legged friends as they turned down the corridors.
At the very end of an open marble corridor was a staircase that lead down to a circular marble pathway with chairs lining the edges. Voices could be heard from all the way down the hall, gruff and demanding.
"Gandalf," Stella muttered quietly. "Who exactly got called for the meeting?"
Before Gandalf could reply, an axe flew at her head at an alarming speed. She ducked instinctively, popping back up to shoot her old friend a bewildered stare.
"What the—?" Stella asked, surprised and confused. "Axes...?You don't mean to tell me—".
"That there are dwarves folk present here? Indeed," Gandalf said, a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile on his face. A round dwarf with a bushy red beard and clunky metal armor ran up the stairs in the almost waddle-like way his kind usually do, grumbling to himself all the way.
The grey wizard nodded to the red bearded male. "Gimli, it is a pleasure to see you again. How is your father?"
Gimli stopped short and wheezed gruffly. "Ah, Gandalf. He is well. As are you, I trust?"
"Yes, very well indeed," Gandalf answered. Gimli nodded, shoving through the tall wizard and Stella, snarling at her before retrieving his axe at the end of the hall.
Stella blew a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, slightly irritated. "Well, he seems pleasant. I cannot wait to meet the others."
"Dwarves tend to hold long grudges. I would not take it personally," Gandalf reassured, patting Stella on the head. She wrinkled her nose.
"Why don't dwarves like elves?" Frodo asked curiously. The elves were very kind and hospitable, and the young hobbit couldn't quite figure how people, or even an entire race of people, could hate them.
Stella shrugged. "Long and brutal history. Apparently, in the eyes of elves, dwarves are greedy and too stubborn for their own good. And to dwarves, elves are vain and selfish. It's a messy business and a bit unnecessary, if you ask me."
"Unfortunately," Gandalf added, peering down at Frodo. "Not everyone sees it that way."
Frodo stayed silent after that. For a fleeting moment, Stella was concerned they may have spoken out of place, causing some alarm to be risen in the hobbit's thoughts. However, before she could get the chance to reassure him, Gandalf stepped aside to reveal councils of elves, dwarves, and humans, all facing Lord Elrond with expectant looks on their faces.
The participants of the meeting swiveled their heads from Lord Elrond to Gandalf, Stella, and Frodo.
Stella peered past the heads of the elves to where Aragorn sat, whispering to his blonde elven friend in the seat next to him. When he looked up at her, Stella shot him her most devilish side smirk. She had not seen her friend much since they had arrived and she never got the chance to fully tease him about his budding relationship. Aragorn narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the grinning girl. His elven friend turned to see what he was intently staring at, but by that time, Stella was striding over, keeping her face as neutral as possible. When she stood beside Aragorn, he tugged at her arm until her ear was level with his mouth.
"Who told you?" he hissed in Sindarin. He did not tell anyone, especially Stella of his evening strolls with Arwen, and he was uncertain on how the girl had received the information. She had been yearning to find something to bother him with, yet he had given her nothing to go on.
"Told me what?" she asked innocently, schooling her features to be utterly calm and collected
"About me and...Arwen."said Aragorn, looking slightly uncomfortable
Stella cast him a triumphant stare, fighting a giggle. "You just did."
And, with that, Stella sat in the chair next to Aragorn, straightening her back against the seat. She saw the blonde elf, whom her Ranger friend was conversing with, cast his eyes curiously on her and she shot him a friendly grin. The corner of his lip twitched up, as if he was about to smile back, but Stella had to divert her attention from his face when Lord Elrond cleared his throat.
"Friends," the elf lord began, standing behind a small stone podium that would barely come up to Stella's waist if she were standing. "You have traveled here under terrible circumstances. I wish we were not called together under the impending threat of death and darkness, however, this is of the upmost importance. This, my friends, it about Mordor."
The members of the meeting glanced at each other, some fearful, some confused. Stella knitted her brow together, waiting for Lord Elrond to continue.
"Bring forth the Ring," he said, gesturing to Frodo. The young hobbit hesitantly stood from his chair and placed a small golden trinket in his right hand on the podium. It glinted in the low sun light, tempting and beautiful. The only sound that was heard was the rustling of golden leaves. Even the birds had stopped mid-way into their song.
The Ring seemed to have some sort of trance over everyone in the area. Each person stared at it like they had found the meaning of life in the small object. Stella glanced nervously around at the entranced men. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man dresses in Gondorian apparel with dirty golden hair stand.
"So it is true," he began. He started forward, breaking everyone out of their entrancement. "The Ring of Power is real."
"Boromir," Gandalf warned. Stella and Aragorn shared a skeptical glance.
"Gondorian blood has been shed for you," Boromir spit out, slowing but surly making rounds, looking each person he passed in the eye. "For all of you. Give the Ring to Gondor. Let us use the power of our enemy against our enemy. Against Sauron!"
Stella could feel the tempers of her fellow council men boil. This man, Boromir, was even causing her blood to run a little too warm and her fingers to tingle a little too much.
"It is not that simple," Stella interrupted, allowing the gazes to flash from Boromir to her. "The Ring of Power is evil. It will corrupt even the strongest of minds. It would kill us all before Sauron could have the chance."
Boromir sneered, causing Stella to go rigid. "And what would you, a woman, possibly know about of the Ring?"
Stella narrowed her eyes. The tingling in her fingertips spread and her blood continued to boil. "I can assure you, I know more than you think."
"She is right, Boromir," Aragorn spoke up, cutting off another snide comment from the Gondorian about the elven girl. "The Ring answers to Sauron alone. No one else can control it's power."
"And you would know any better than the girl, Ranger of the North?" Boromir shook his head, disgusted. Stella pursed her lips, ready to stand and defend her friend from the Gondorian buffoon.
The blonde elf next to Aragorn stood, beating her to the punch. "Do you not know who you are talking to? This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and future heir of Gondor. You owe him your allegiance."
Stella stared at the elf in utter disbelief. A smile broke out onto her lips as she suppressed the urge to laugh out loud at Boromir's bewildered face. The elf's features remained neutral, but Stella noticed the minuscule twitch of his lip and knew he was satisfied with Boromir's slightly stunned reaction.
"Sit down, Legolas," Aragorn said softly in elvish, placing a hand on his friend's forearm. Legolas sat and Stella averted her gaze to smirk at Boromir, who was still recovering. Aragorn cleared his throat, bringing the attention back into him. "The Ring cannot be possessed, for it is much too dangerous. Like my companion had said earlier, the Ring corrupts anyone, no matter what race they belong to. It must be destroyed at all costs."
"Then, what are we waiting for? A personal invitation?" Gimli shouted. He stomped forward, swinging his axe against the stone podium. However, instead of ruining the golden ring, Gimli's weapon shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Stella heard Frodo cry out in pain, clutching his head. She hurried over, kneeling by the chair with her hand on his shoulder.
"It is not so easily done, Gimli son of Gloin," Gandalf said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The Ring was forged in the fires of Mount Doom and can only be destroyed in the fires from which it was made."
The grey wizard and Lord Elrond shared a knowing look before the elf lord stood from his seat. "Who will be brave enough to take the Ring to Mordor?"
"I will," Boromir replied, a little too eagerly for Stella's comfort. Gimli sprang from his chair as if the bottom of his pants were on fire.
"The Ring must be destroyed. If I recall correctly, you wanted to keep it," The blonde elf, Legolas, said. He stood from his chair powerfully. "It is evil. Did you not hear what the Rangers just spoke of?"
"Then I suppose you want to take it!," the dwarf accused, he too standing. "Never will I live to see that Ring in the hands if you! Never trust an elf!"
The whole council erupted in angry voices, arguing back and forth. Stella, still kneeling by Frodo, scoffed at the sight of the arguing men.
'Power,' she though bitterly. 'All they desire is power.'
The arguing voices were starting to give her a dull ache behind her eye. They all blurred together into angry, incoherent words. She could feel the heat increasing and no matter how she shifted, it would not cease. It made Stella so sick to her stomach, that she almost didn't hear Frodo from where he was sitting right next to her.
"I will take it," Frodo said as loudly as he could, his face strained. Stella stared at the young hobbit's face, so full of concern and innocence. She knew that if he took the Ring to Mount Doom and survived, she may never again see his face the same way.
The elf girl took one last look at Frodo's determined eyes and small face before standing to take a deep breath and clenching her fists to her sides.
"QUIET," Stella bellowed at the top of her lungs. Almost immediately, the arguing subsided and every pair of eyes swiveled to her, some widened in shock and some in fear.
Stella cleared her throat. "Thank you. Now, if all of you are done acting like immature children, I believe Frodo Baggins was trying to speak but could not be heard over your obnoxious bickering."
Her stern, reprimanding voice caused a few members to look at their feet in shame, but others were too enamored by the enigmatic girl in front of them. Stella smoothed out her tunic and clasped her hands behind her in the most proper way she knew how.
"Carry on Frodo," Stella said, urging him forward with a nod of her head. Frodo snapped out of his stupor and took a shaky breath.
"I said, I will take it. I will take the Ring to Mordor," Frodo said, determinedly. However. after a few heartbeats of silence, Frodo's face visibly dropped. "But...I do not know the way."
Stella looked at Aragorn's knowing expression and a silent agreement was made between them. She turned back to Frodo, a smile blossoming on her angular face. "Then we will show you."
Frodo looked up at the Rangers, smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Miss Stella."
"You have my sword, Frodo Baggins," Aragorn said, kneeling by his elven friend and the hobbit.
"And my bow," Legolas bowed low, laying his beautifully refined bow with delicate carvings and a perfect string in front of him. Behind him, Gimli huffed and rolled his eyes before too kneeling, placing the axe that nearly took off Stella's head at his bent knee.
"And my axe," the red-bearded dwarf said, his voice filled with a gruff of impatience that Stella originally thought was out of anger, but soon realized it was just the way the dwarf spoke. But Frodo paid no mind, for he was too caught up in his state of bliss to pay attention.
Boromir stepped forward, and Stella's organs twisted uncomfortably. Instead of bowing like the others, he inclined his head forward as his sign of respect. "You carry a heavy burden, Frodo Baggins. It would be an honor to accompany you on your long journey."
Stella opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted suddenly by Sam bursting through the bushes, skidding to a halt next to the dark-haired hobbit.
"Frodo's not going anywhere. Not without me," Sam said, puffing his chest out. He stood a little taller and set his jaw.
"And me!" the voice of Merry piped up, he too hurrying over from his spot behind a stone pillar.
"Me too!" Pippin chimed, popping from behind a bush. He scurried over to the nine other participants of the quest, a gleeful smile on his thin face.
To say the very least, Stella was overwhelmed. She did not expect this many people to step forward, especially with the risk of certain death. It made her chest swell with admiration for their bravery, but it also made her heart rise in her throat. They knew they would not survive. They would fight to the death, and even then they may not succeed at stopping Sauron. Stella mentally shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts if inescapable demise and mortal danger away from her mind.
"There we have it. 10 members to defeat Sauron and bring back the safety of Middle Earth," Gandalf said, leaning on his wizard's staff. "The Fellowship of the Ring."
"And so you are correct, Mirthrandir," Lord Elrond spoke, staring at the Fellowship without blinking once. Out of the corner of her eye, Stella saw Boromir shift uncomfortably under the scrutinizing stare of the elf lord.
Pippin cleared his throat. "Well, that's all fine and good. But, ah, one question: where exactly are we going?"
Stella had to press her hand against her mouth to stifle her laughter as every other person in the collective group huffed in exasperation.
Oh, it would be a very long journey indeed.
What did you think, hmmm?
Never fear, there will be some Legolas and Stella scenes where they will be properly introduced. After I wrote this chapter, I told Jo about the meeting between the two elves in the upcoming chapters and tortured her with hints until she read it.
Tis fun, tis fun. :)
Read and Comment on what you thought!
Ciao,
-Halesie