DISCLAIMER: My friend owns a guinea pig named Legolas. He likes celery and is noisy. I, however, own nothing but the idea.
AN: I LOVE REVIEWS! By the way, enjoy the chapter. It has all the lines that everyone's heard/read a thousand times. That's right. It's the Council of Elrond. And just so you know, "the man" is Boromir, just in case you couldn't guess. The girls don't know who he is yet.
Chapter 9
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor," Lord Elrond spoke clearly so the two dozen or so people there could hear him. "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."
Lord Elrond turned to Frodo. "Bring forth the ring, Frodo," he said, gesturing to a pedestal in the center of the circle they were sitting in.
Let's see . . ., thought Ami while looking around. There are elves, including Legolas and Lord Elrond, dwarves, men, including Aragorn, an old man who looks like a wizard or something, and the hobbit that Serenity saved, apparently named Frodo. The girls are all here, although Serenity barely arrived in time.
Frodo slowly walked towards the pedestal and placed the ring upon it. "So it is true," whispered one man to himself, although it was so quiet many, if not all those present, could hear him. Serenity noticed that it was the man who she had seen arriving yesterday. She also noticed that from then on Aragorn kept an eye on him.
Frodo returned to his seat and let out a long breath, as if a great burden had been lifted.
The girls could feel a clearly evil force emanating from the small ring. It almost made Serenity sick to her stomach. But they all tried to remain quiet and listen, for that is what Setsuna told them to do.
"The doom of man," someone muttered.
The man who had whispered before shook his head. "It is a gift," he began as he rose from his seat. "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay."
His voice became passionate. "By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him."
Aragorn, who had obviously been trying not to say anything, interrupted the man's speech. "You cannot wield it. None of us can." The man turned to Aragorn with a cold look in his eyes. "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone," Aragorn continued. "It has no other master."
"And what," said the other man slowly, "would a Ranger know of this matter?"
Legolas stood up quickly. "This is no mere Ranger," he said heatedly. "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."
"Aragorn," said the man in mild shock, turning back to the one who had first spoken to him. "This is Isildur's heir?"
"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas added.
Aragorn winced. Clearly Legolas had said too much.
Serenity and the Scouts turned to him, as did everyone at the council, shock apparent on their faces. But the old man and Lord Elrond seemed unfazed. Maybe they already knew, thought Rei.
'Havo dad, Legolas,' Aragorn said.
Ami allowed herself a small smile.She had spent much of her free time reading available books on Elvish and listening to conversations in Elvish, had learned enough Elvish to understand what had been just said.
But Legolas remained standing. The man was glaring at him. "Gondor has no king," the man said. Returning to his seat and giving Aragorn a stony glare, he added, "Gondor needs no king."
The old man brought everyone's attention back to the point. "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it."
Lord Elrond stood and said the ring must be destroyed. This brought a frustrated sigh from the son of the Steward of Gondor.
A dwarf tried to smash it with his axe, but the axe shattered, which surprised many of those present.
Lord Elrond explained that the One Ring must be taken to Mount Doom to be destroyed.
Minako sighed inwardly. They had heard all of this last night. To her and the girls this was nothing new.
The man, or Mr. Pessimist, as Minako had begun to call him in her mind, said that they couldn't just walk into Mordor. He briefly described the evils of it and "The Great Eye". Minako sure was glad she didn't have to go and see Mordor.
Legolas leapt up again and proclaimed that the Ring must be destroyed, at which point the dwarf who had tried to break the Ring said that he would not trust an elf with the Ring. In fact, he said he would not trust an elf at all.
This sent the whole council into an uproar. Everyone was yelling and arguing.
Suddenly, Serenity slid out of her chair and collapsed to the ground, holding her head with one hand. Rei, Minako, Ami, and Makoto were at her side right away. "What's wrong, Princess?" asked Minako. Serenity couldn't answer. The evil pounding through her head was overpowering any other thought she had.
Makoto looked up and noticed that Frodo seemed to be having a similar problem, although to a far lesser extent. He was still in his chair and was staring at the Ring. His eyes were full of turmoil and he was sweating. The hobbit rose.
"I will take it," he said. After a moment, everyone was quiet, watching him.
"I will take the Ring to Mordor," he said. The council members were, for the most part, astonished. "Though," Frodo continued, "I do not know the way. The old man said he would help Frodo bear his burden. Aragorn offered his assistance, as did Legolas, the dwarf, and the man.
Rei elbowed Serenity, who quietly sighed and stood up. "I will join you as well, and offer what help I can."
The dwarf scoffed, but he did not say anything, as he suddenly found himself being glared at be five young women. He had to admit they were quite good at glaring.
The Scout that had been chosen to accompany the Moon princess elbowed Ami repeatedly and gave her pointed looks until Ami rose and announced, "I will be going, too."
Rei smiled and was quite happy with herself. Makoto, Serenity, and Minako all glanced at Rei. They knew she had put Ami into the Fellowship in her place, but they really didn't mind. The Moon princess's protectors were content as long as one of them went with Serenity.
Several people didn't look happy that two women had joined the growing group.
Three hobbits came out and joined them before Lord Elrond finalized the decision.
"Eleven companions," he said. "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."
"Great," said the hobbit named Pippin. "Where are we going?"
The girls couldn't help but giggle.
People started leaving, but the Fellowship, Lord Elrond and the Sailor Scouts stayed. Frodo put the Ring on a chain around his neck.
Lord Elrond approached the group after everyone else had gone. "You should not wait too long before leaving," he said.
The old man said, "We will leave within a few days."
Aragorn turned to the girls. "Princesses, this is Gandalf the Grey," he said, gesturing to the old man. "Gandalf," Aragorn continued, "this is Princess Serenity and her protectors, Princess Makoto, Princess Rei, Princess Minako, and Princess Ami."
Chibi-Usa came running around the corner, followed by Luna-P and Arwen, who had been keeping an eye on her. Aragorn smiled. "And this is Princess Serenity's daughter, Princess Serenity, who we call Chibi-Usa."
"Future daughter, Aragorn," Serenity clarified. "I'm not that old yet". She sat in a nearby chair and pulled Chibi-Usa into her lap.
"I am Boromir, son of Denethor," said the man Minako had mentally called "Mr. Pessimist".
The dwarf stepped forward. "I am Gimli son of Gloin. Are you sure you ladies should be coming? It is a very dangerous journey. It isn't something to be taken lightly," he said gruffly.
Makoto frowned. "Are you implying that Serenity and Ami will be more hindrance than help?"
"Yes," Gimli said after a pause.
"Mars Fire Ignite," Rei whispered. Only the Scouts, Legolas, Lord Elrond, and Aragorn heard her, though.
The ends of Gimli's beard were suddenly on fire.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Ami said. A drenched dwarf now stood before them.
Ami turned to join the other girls who were glaring at Rei. "Rei, don't be so childish," she said. Rei was whistling and looking innocent.
"Wait," Serenity said. "You guys can use your powers without transforming?"
"No," said Minako. "We transformed and then changed our clothes."
"Hmph," Gimli grumbled.
Three days later they were just outside the main entrance of Rivendell. The fellowship was about to depart. Serenity and Ami were wearing Elvish dresses.
Chibi-Usa gave her future mother one last hug. "Promise me you'll come back?" she said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Serenity paused. "Yes. Yes, I promise."
"Good," Chibi-Usa said, trying to be cheerful. "See ya around, Meatball Head," she said jokingly.
"Goodbye, you sneaky little spore," Serenity said in the same tone.
Serenity faced Makoto, Minako, and Rei. "So," she began slowly, "I'll see you guys later?"
"Yup," said Rei. "Just try not to trip, Meatball Head."
"Yeah, don't embarrass yourself," Minako added.
"And don't hurt yourself," Makoto said.
Serenity frowned. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, you guys!"
"Seriously though, come back safe, OK Serenity?" asked Rei with a pleading look in her eyes.
"Don't worry," Serenity said, trying to be cheerful like Chibi-Usa had been. "When this is all over, we'll go home and everything will be back to normal."
With a chorus of "goodbyes" and "farewells", the Fellowship left Rivendell.
About five minutes later Serenity and Ami stopped. "Do you want to do it now, Serenity?" asked Ami.
Serenity nodded. The rest of the Fellowship had stopped as well and were waiting for the two girls. Serenity held up a pink pen and her and Ami joined hands.
"Disguise Power! Give us good traveling clothes!" shouted Serenity.
The pair was engulfed in pink and blue light. When that subsided their clothes were different.
They were wearing light brown pants and dark brown cloaks. Serenity had a pale pink shirt and Ami had a baby blue one.
Legolas asked, "What happened?"
Serenity giggled. "Did you think we'd go on a dangerous journey like this in those dresses? We just . . . changed clothes."
"But girls don't wear pants!" shouted Pippin.
"They do where we come from," said Ami. "And it will speed things up if we aren't always struggling on the trails with dresses. Now come on. Let's go."
The others decided not to comment and followed the girls along the path.
TwoWeeks Later...
"Two, one, five. Good!"
Boromir was teaching Pippin and Merry how to use swords. Frodo and Sam were eating and Aragorn was smoking his pipe. Ami and Serenity were watching the training session next to Frodo and Sam. Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas were keeping watch.
Frodo asked the girls, "Why aren't you two getting lessons as well?"
Ami answered, "We don't really need to. We can defend ourselves."
"How?" asked Sam.
Ami stood up. "Do you see that tree over there?" she said pointing to a rotting tree.
"Mm hmm," affirmed Sam.
Boromir, Merry, and Pippin had stopped. Everyone was watching Ami.
She raised her arms. "Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" The tree was covered in solid ice.
The Fellowship, especially Legolas, was shocked. "What about you, Serenity?" asked Merry, excited at this new development.
Serenity smiled mysteriously. "You'll see one day." Merry and Pippin's faces fell in disappointment.
After a moment, the lesson resumed.
"Move your feet," called Aragorn.
"Ahh!" Pippin was nicked by Boromir's sword. Him and Merry abruptly tackled Boromir. They were all laughing.
Ami looked over to Legolas, who had stepped up to a higher point and was looking far away. Ami turned to see where he was looking and saw . . . well, she wasn't sure what she saw.
Ami turned on her visor and whipped out her computer.
"What is that?" asked Sam, referring to the grey from approaching.
Gimli proclaimed it was just a wisp of cloud.
"It's moving fast. Against the wind," observed Boromir.
Ami completed her scans. "It looks like a bird, but it's giving off negative energy."
"Crebain!" Legolas said loudly. "From Dunland."
"Hide!" shouted Aragorn. The small fire was hastily put out and all their belongings were grabbed up and hidden as everyone dove for cover.
The high pitched screeching of the crebain blocked out all other sounds. The group waited until they had passed before crawling out of their hiding places. Gandalf announced that they would have to take the pass of Caradhras.
They made sure they had everything before setting off. Ami was walking a bit ahead of the group, still wearing her visor and typing at her mini-computer. Legolas walked up to her. "What is that over your eyes?" he asked.
"It helps me analyze things. It works with this machine here," Ami said absently.
"What are you analyzing now?" inquired Legolas.
"Those mountains up ahead," answered Ami. "It looks like a difficult trail."
"It likely will be," he said.
Days Later...
They were walking across the snow when Frodo stumbled and fell. He rolled through the snow until Aragorn stopped him. After a quick search, Frodo realized he didn't have the Ring.
Boromir had it. And he was staring at it intently. "It is a strange fate," he said quietly, "that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing.
Serenity could feel the negative forces between the Ring and Boromir, but now she also felt a new evil from inside Boromir.
"Boromir," called Aragorn. Boromir snapped out of the trance like state, and Serenity noticed the force between the Ring and Boromir was gone, but the negative energy inside Boromir remained.
"Give the Ring to Frodo," said Aragorn.
Boromir did so. "As you wish," he said. "I care not." He turned to continue up the trail, while Serenity went to ask Ami about the negative energy inside their companion.
Eventually...
"Why is it always cold when we go to defeat an enemy?" Serenity asked Ami. They were on a narrow ledge covered in snow, and more snow was being piled on top of that. They were in a blizzard.
Ami tried to smile down at Serenity, but her face was too cold. Ami could walk on top of the snow because she turned the snow in front of her to ice as she went along. Since it was no longer being controlled, the ice behind her turned back to snow as she continued on.
Suddenly a flash of gold tore itself from around Serenity's neck. "My locket!" she cried.
She clambered through the snow to get to it. She didn't know she stepped on an unsteady surface.
The ground collapsed from under Serenity's feet just as her hand closed over her gold star locket. Ami cried out as her princess disappeared from view.
Serenity's own shout was cut short. A hand was grasping her forearm. She looked up and saw Boromir. His eyes glinted with fear. Fear for my safety, thought Serenity. He helped her over the edge and on to safe ground.
Ami was at her side instantly. "Princess, I'm so sorry! I should have-"
"It's alright Ami. Calm down. I'm OK," Serenity assured the frantic Mercurian.
Ami continued talking, but Serenity wasn't listening. As she looked at Boromir, she felt that the evil force inside him was greatly diminished. She noticed, also, how handsome he was. He's strong, inside and out, she thought, but sometimes he's so . . . She didn't know exactly what that quality was.
They locked eyes with each other.
Ami had noticed Serenity wasn't listening, and she noticed what her princess was paying attention to. She sighed.
"What's that sound?" Legolas asked as he stepped towards them.
Serenity recognized that sound. It was her locket. She opened her hand and the locket was very quietly playing its gentle melody.
She stared at it curiously. "Why did it start to play?" asked Ami?
The words came to Serenity from nowhere. "It only plays when in the presence of the beginnings of love," she said softly, so softly only Legolas and Ami, who was right next to her, heard. She looked over at Boromir, who smiled, got up, and continued walking.
Serenity began thinking as she joined the group walking. Her locket had played once before, while they were on the trail a while back. Serenity had been walking next to Legolas and Ami. It had been playing much louder then.
Serenity glanced over at the pair. Ami was walking on the snow next to Legolas, who had his hand on her back, helping her sand against the fierce wind. Ami looked up at him with something soft in her eyes, and Legolas returned the look.
And then she realized why the locked had played earlier on the trail. Ami and Legolas were falling in love.
But she didn't have much more time to think on it, as the storm grew fiercer. Legolas called over the weather, "There is a fell voice on the air."
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted.
There was a cracking noise from above them. They all pulled closer to the mountain as icy rocks crashed along the edge of the ledge they stood on.
Gandalf spoke some words, but whatever he said didn't prevent a thick sheet of snow from covering them.
Legolas surfaced first, followed by Aragorn and Boromir, the four hobbits, Serenity, Gandalf, and Gimli. A hand broke through the snow. Legolas reached down and pulled Ami the rest of the way up.
They argued over where to go for several minutes, until Frodo declared they would go through the mines.
Days Later...
It was dark in the mines. The Fellowship had just made it inside before the doorway became blocked. Frodo had been attacked by a creature just in front of the door and they had escaped into the mines. Now they had been walking for hours.
Surprisingly, Serenity hadn't complained, yet. Ami could tell she was trying hard not to be a pest.
Now Gimli was mourning the loss of his cousin, Balin, and Gandalf was reading the last diary entry of one of the dwarves. "They are coming," he finished.
Pippin chose that moment to touch a skeleton. The body collapsed into the well, taking the bucket with it. The clattering echoed for almost a full minute.
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf said harshly. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"
Then they heard it. Drums. Shouting. Many approaching footsteps. Frodo's sword was glowing blue.
"Orcs," said Legolas. Boromir and Aragorn dashed to the door. Boromir looked out and almost got hit with an arrow. Serenity's heart lurched.
"They have a cave troll," Boromir said. He closed the great wooden door
They all took defensive stances and waited for the attack.
