Disclaimer: I own Marie, and Ari.
This story is rightfully dedicated to my Ari, my "sister", whom I would take that Ringwraith's strike for.

The correct answer is Elwing, which Ynnealay got correct! That one was rather hard, sorry.
This chapter in particular is a lot more in-depth, mostly because of what happened to Ari last chapter, just warning you, if you don't like suicidal thoughts and stuff. Also, its more detailed because of the council (yay!).

Enjoy and review please!

Chapter X
Council and Shampoo

Ari's POV

The darkness that took over after just an hour or so away from Weathertop was shrouding me, crushing the life out of me, bringing me to the brink of my sanity. I wanted out of this. I wanted to just be healed already, or to die instantly, not deal with this torture. Who, besides Marie, would care if I died? Certainly not my parents back in Cincinnati! Maybe I'd get to see my real parents in death... That was something to look forward to.

I immediately hated myself for thinking that. Marie would cry her eyes out and hate herself for living. I pictured my older sister, eyes red and puffy, tears streaming down her face and hitting the ground like bullets as she watched me being buried in a garden in Rivendell. I imagined her becoming cold and irritable, never speaking to anyone, and maybe even resorting to suicide in the end because of the unbearable pain of my death.

No, I'd never wish myself dead for her sake. Well, I couldn't promise that; I am suicidal after all. But, now I couldn't make myself want to die, yet. Marie needed me just as desperately as I needed her. She was the thing that kept me going back on Earth, the person who convinced me not to do the extreme when all hope was lost, the only person I found that I loved more than anything. She was the person who I loved no matter what. So what if no one loved me here or back in Cincinnati? Marie loved me! That counted for something! And she loved me too. I could not die on her.

I fought back, which surprised the darkness surrounding me. Yeah, I know that's weird. Darkness got surprised by me fighting it. But, I'm being serious. It was as if it had feelings and was a real person I was attacking.

The shadows whispered to me now, trying to convince me to let go of my will to live. They tried to persuade me to become a Wraith like the Nine, to live eternally and serve Sauron. I almost laughed at that idea. Not a chance! Why would I go serve the Eye?

However, once the shadows realized that I was not impressed by their persuading, they chose a new persuasion topic: family. They whispered, "You will not be able to fight back. You're weak and useless. Why are you even fighting this? They told you the truth back where you came from; you are pathetic and a mistake. You're a burden nobody wants. No one loves you! That girl, Marie, why would she love you? You met online, honestly! She is pretending! If she loved you, she would have taken that strike for you! You are weak!"

I admit that I could not ignore their words. As much as I hate myself for it, I listened and almost believed them. Yes, my fake parents had told me these things. Why hadn't I believed them? Marie was the reason... And, the shadows were telling me she was just a pretender, like my fake friends, who betrayed me back on Earth, the people who never cared.

Did she care? She told me she loved me and that she cared a ton, but did she? Or was it just an act? How could I know?

If I had truly believed in what the shadows told me, what darkness whispered, I would have not withstood the call of death very long. The thing that rescued my mind from these doubts was her face when she saw me get stabbed. Her expression. Her tears, falling and hitting the ground like raindrops on a gloomy day. Her eyes, full of tears, disbelieving, terrified, heartbroken. Her scream of fear, fear for my life, as I fell from being wounded. Her scream rang in my ears, and I knew what the answer was.

Marie loved me. If she didn't, that was some act she kept up.

Those tears were real. That scream was definitely real. Her words were genuine and sincere.

I fought back harder at the thought of the lies I was being told. I would not let the darkness crawl its way to my heart, to transform me into a Ringwraith, to become Sauron's new play toy. I built a barrier against it the best I possibly could and fought for my sister's sake. There was nothing that propelled me more than determination to see my sister happy again, to hug her, to tell her how much I truly loved her. I realized that Aragorn had been right all along; motivation helped a lot when you fought against something. Without motivation, I would have been lost.

After a long while, I don't know how long, I saw a white brilliant glow surrounding a beautiful god-like woman. I vaguely thought to myself Is this Arwen? She whispered words to me, probably Elvish, but I did not understand. Maybe it was because I didn't know the words, or because of the darkness clouding my mind. I couldn't understand and went right back to my difficult battle against the shadows.

I could no longer feel my body. I was numb on the outside. On the inside, I was in my blood, fighting the poison, defending my heart and mind. It was the strangest feeling, being somehow inside my body and brain. I can not describe it, honestly, except perhaps to say that it was as if my body had been turned inside out, as if I was looking in at my heart, brain, and other functions.

After many, many long hours, I found it extremely hard to keep up with the shadows. They were slowly succeeding. I was dying, passing on to become a Ringwraith. No matter how hard I fought, believing in my sister, I discovered unfortunately, that I simply could not win this battle. Unless the Elves healed me, I would become the tenth Wraith, which nobody wanted.

I heard a man's voice say, "Hear my voice. Come back to the light, Ardhoniel!" and somehow knew it was Elvish. I wanted to tell him that I could not fight, that I heard him loud and clear, but couldn't hold off the darkness any longer. The shadows defeated me and I suddenly knew no more.

I heard birds chirping. My body felt warm, my wound aching dully. I muttered, "Where am I?" There was no reply. I must have been alone.

I stirred and turned over in the soft covers of the bed.

Wait, bed?

I sat up, eyes opening quickly as I took in my surroundings. I was wearing a snow-white nightgown made of soft silk and sitting upright in a fancy bed in a room I had never seen before. I was blinded by the sunlight streaming in from the open window in the room and winced, looking away. There was a tall wardrobe by the bed, as well as a dresser. I knew this was definitely not my room, and that scared me. Where was I?

All of my memories from the past few days came rushing back to me and I recalled the darkness about to win when I had blacked out. How was I alive? Or, was I in heaven?

The door to the room opened and I tensed for a split-second, worried about who might come in. Then the person stepped inside and I saw that it was only Frodo. My heart fluttered like a bird trapped inside a cage at the sight of him. Gosh, he was so cute!

Frodo saw me and his eyes lit up. He raced over, saying, "Ari! You're awake! We were so worried about you!"

I couldn't resist giving him a hug, which surprised him for a moment before he hugged back. He smelled of honey and strawberries, which I liked. It was a good scent for him. I said, "I missed you guys." and Frodo said quietly, "For a second... I thought you were going to become a Wraith like them. Or, die. Marie was really quiet after Arwen rode off with you, to try to get help, and she didn't speak a word until we got here, to Rivendell. Then she started smiling and I thought she would pass out from happiness!"

I smiled weakly, my heart aching at the thought of how much pain I had put my older sister through. I told Frodo, "I thought I would die too. But, I kept on fighting to stay myself, because who would want to serve the Eye? I missed you guys a lot..."

"What was supposed to happen?" This inquiry caught me off-guard. I said, "What?"

Frodo repeated, "What should have happened at Weathertop?"

I got suspicious instantly. "Why do you want to know?"

"Marie told us how you two know everything that is going to happen, so I want to know what would have happened that night. It isn't the future, it's the past I wish to know about." His big blue eyes pleaded for information and I hesitated. I didn't want to tell him how he would have been stabbed; he would probably start lecturing me on why I shouldn't mess with the plot of the tale and so on.

However, he had a point. It wasn't like I was explaining how to destroy the Ring or anything. Weathertop was over now, so it should be alright to tell, right?

I sighed. "Sam, Merry, and Pippin would have been tossed aside as the Wraiths tried to get to you. You'd put the Ring on and disappear, but the Ringwraiths would see you and one would...one would stab you in the chest. You'd survive but..." My voice trailed off when I saw how rapidly his face was changing to a white color. Oh, crud.

"It should have been me...? Ari... Why did it stab you instead, then?" I shrugged, unsure and uneasy about this question. I honestly admitted, "I do not know. I'm kinda glad it stabbed me instead, but-"

"Glad? Glad?! Ari, why are you glad? It should have been me! Do you know how much pain you caused Marie? How much pain we all went through? We were devastated when you got stabbed! You didn't deserve that kind of pain, Ari." He didn't look angry; instead, Frodo seemed rather frustrated.

I said, "Yes, I did! I had a horrible life in the other world and I am... I am suicidal, Frodo! I thought I deserved the pain anyways, so I didn't fight at first! Then I realized what it would do to Marie and began fighting back. But, I couldn't win, so I had no choice in the end! You have no idea what it feels like to be all alone in darkness, fighting for your life, trying to beat yourself before you transform into a Wraith!"

I had never been this angry in my life, not even back on Earth. I climbed out of the bed, not caring that I was wearing only a nightgown, and left the room, ignoring Frodo's call. If I were a cartoon character, I would probably have steam flying out of my ears while my face turned red.

How dare he say that he deserved that kind of pain! He wouldn't last very long against the shadows if he were in my place! Sure, he survived in the story, but only because Elrond healed him! Frodo did not do much to fight back, whereas I had.

I had no clue where I was heading, but I just kept on walking in the white nightgown down the halls of Rivendell, ignoring the stares I got from tall Elves. This was not how I had wanted to wake up, if I had ever dreamed of waking up, from the poison of the Morgul blade.

Suddenly, as I walked into a garden with dozens of types of flowers, a voice cried, "ARI!" and I was nearly tackled by a hobbit. I laughed and steadied myself, pulling away to see that it was Pippin who had almost knocked me over. A small smile spread on my face and Merry appeared beside me, laughing at Pippin. "Sorry about that! We've all been worried about you, especially since we arrived yesterday."

I shook my head, the smile slowly growing, and hugged both of the hobbits, which made them laugh. I said, "Oh, how I missed you two! And, the others, obviously."

Merry replied, "We were told you had healed but you were still asleep. Marie went to your bedside every hour, checking on you, refusing to go to dinner, which forced Pip and I to drag her to the hall. It was hilarious! Frodo also was in there for a bit a couple hours or so, which I found interesting." He waggled his eyebrows at me and I blushed red.

"Merry! It's not like that!" I exclaimed, biting my lip as Pippin chuckled. Though I wish it was. I thought secretly to myself.

"Oh, really?" He looked like he was trying extremely hard to keep a straight face, which made me punch his arm, blushing harder. "Yes, really! He was probably just concerned. He said so himself."

Pippin asked, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, he came into my room a few minutes after I had awakened. We talked for a bit..." I didn't go on, not wanting to tell them about my angry burst at the hobbit.

Merry seemed to understand that something bad had happened and said, thankfully changing the subject, "So, who wants to go give your sister the news?" I smiled wide at that idea. I could not wait to see Marie again.

Pippin went off to the kitchen for food (which I expected) while Merry led me to Marie's room, where he told me he had seen her last. I found that I was very nervous when we arrived at the door. What if she started lecturing me? What if she got angry that I had caused her a ton of pain and grief and ended up never speaking to me again?

Merry saw my fear and said quietly, "Hey, it's going to be alright! She'll probably tackle you in a hug, like Pip almost did! She was really worried and will be pleased to see you, Ari."

I nodded and smiled thinly, not entirely believing my friend. As much as I tried to, I could not believe that Marie wouldn't be furious with me.

I knocked hesitantly on the bedroom door and held my breath, heart pounding quickly, hands trembling in excitement and nervousness. Merry smiled warmly at me but I couldn't bring myself to return the favor. I was too scared.

There was the sound of feet moving across the floor and then the handle turned, revealing a glum-looking half hobbit half Elf, otherwise known as my sister. She didn't notice me at first, just looked at Merry. She started to say, "What do you-?" and then her green eyes focused on me, trembling, eyes wide with fear. I drank in the sight of my older sister, the one person I loved more than anything in this world and the next. Marie's jaw dropped and she just stood there, eyes as wide as baseballs, hands turning white from gripping the door so tightly. I whispered, "Marie... I'm so sorry." and fought back a wave of tears.

She suddenly embraced me, crying and shaking silently. I released the dam I had created against the tears and they hit Marie's shoulder like arrows piercing skin. Merry must have walked away once we started hugging and crying because when we both let go after a long time, he was gone. Marie wiped her eyes, her lip quivering. She whispered softly, "Don't you dare do that to me again, Ardhoniel. I had never been more terrified for you in my life. Not even when you tried to commit suicide a bunch of times."

I sniffled and said, "I know. I missed you in the darkness. I was fighting solely to get back to you, Marie. I realized that I could not leave you all alone in this world and the shadows made it difficult to stay alive."

"Shadows? Darkness?" She looked puzzled and I remembered that she knew nothing of my time during the poisoned state.

I explained to her about the shadows, their whispers, how I had motivation to fight back against them, how I had nearly crossed over to the shadow world until Elrond saved me. Marie was a good listener. She made no sounds at all, not one, and stared intently at me the entire time, listening with both fear and interest. Her face blanched a couple times at the whispers but overall, her expression was unreadable. I was surprised that at the end she didn't start getting angry and tell me how stupid I was to get stabbed by the Wraith and go through all of that pain.

Instead, Marie hugged me close, her grip tight, her words soothing to me. "I am so sorry. It was my fault; I drew the Wraith over to you when I yelled, Ari. I felt so empty without you."

I said sternly, pulling back reluctantly, instantly missing the warmth of my sister's body, "Marie, it was not your fault. I was stupid enough to go for Ruin even when I knew that there was a Wraith near it. I felt horrible when I was in that state. I kept imagining you crying your eyes out and never recovering."

Marie laughed bitterly at that, brushing aside unwelcome tears. "Well, that is probably true... But, I'm so happy that you're alive!"

I laughed as she hugged me for the third time today and I hugged back, smelling an odd scent on her. I asked her, "Do you have on perfume or something?"

"Oh!" She laughed and let go of me, pulling me gently into her room. "That's the smell of the soap and shampoo. I took a bath an hour ago. The bathroom stuff smells amazing! The shampoo was lemon-scented and I believe that the soap smelled like gardenias! You can take one in here if you want. I also have some clothes you can wear; the Elves stocked the wardrobe with new clothes and I don't mind if you borrow any, honestly. Most-wait, no, I think all of them are dresses." She wrinkled up her nose and I smiled. I knew she hated dresses.

"Thanks. I hope you don't mind if I take a bit. The bath sounds like an amazing idea." I said, which made her laugh.

"Alright! Don't take forever though!"

I smiled wider and went into the marble white bathroom, where there sat a big bathtub that was shiny and held a bunch of soaps and shampoos, not in bottles or anything though, like on Earth. The shampoos were just basically like soap, except they just sat in liquid form on a shelf, which I found odd. I smelled each shampoo before climbing into the tub and turning on the water. I found that I liked the scent of the bright yellow liquid, which I believed was the smell of oranges, so I scooped a bit onto my hand and scrubbed it madly into my hair, feeling rather grimy when I saw how dirty the water was becoming from my presence. Ew, was I really that filthy after living in the wild?!

Apparently.

I sighed in happiness when the water grew warmer and I felt as if I were in a salon back in Cincinnati. I washed out the orange shampoo stuff good and made sure to grab a good-smelling soap bar. I picked a dark blue one on random and sniffed it warily before scrubbing. I discovered, to my surprise, that it smelled of delicious blueberries. I smiled and hummed to myself as I washed myself the best I could, feeling actually clean for the first time since arriving in this world. Who knew the Elves had such pleasant baths while living in Rivendell? I sure didn't!

I was saddened when I forced myself to climb out of the tub and shut off the water. I wrapped myself in a soft fluffy white towel and saw that my sister had slipped some clothes underneath the door for me. I rolled my eyes when I saw it was a dress but then gasped in wonder.

It was gorgeous. Its color was a rich purple, my favorite color, and the trim was a soft green, which went rather nicely together. Its sleeves were long and flowy, just like my old blouse had been, and the neckline was not low at all, to my relief. There was a small swirl pattern on the neckline in a dark green color and the waistline wasn't too small so that it would not fit me. I thanked Marie silently and put it on, spinning around giddily as I examined my reflection in a mirror close by. I gasped loudly. I looked grown up, like a woman. Well, even more than I already was. The dress was perfect length as well.

Marie knocked softly on the door. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, fine, and thank you so much!" I told her, smiling as I opened the door. Marie gasped when she saw the dress on me and I saw that she was smiling wider than I was currently. "Oh, Ari! You look beautiful! It fits perfectly! Keep it!"

"Oh, no, its yours." I said, shocked by her words.

"No, really, I have probably dozens more! Keep it, Ari. Its my present to you." She smiled softly and I embraced her tight. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, Marie! I love you!"

"I love you even more, Ari." She said softly, hugging me tight. I didn't question her words like I had when the shadows made me doubt her love; I knew for sure that the words my sister spoke to me were genuine.

After that, we both sat down on her bed and talked together for a while, which was a first since arrival in Middle Earth. Marie told me about everything that had happened while I was stuck fighting darkness and I listened to her words while fiddling with the seam on her bed covers. I was not surprised that everything that should have happened (Arwen coming, Elrond saving me, Gandalf arriving) did occur; perhaps it was meant to be that way.

I was not prepared to hear my older sibling say, "Ari, I think we have changed something big and... I'm scared that something bad will happen now."

"Wh-What do you mean?" I asked curiously. Marie sighed and said, "We changed history! Frodo should have been stabbed, but you were. That's one of the two reasons he leaves for Valinor, remember? What if he doesn't leave now? What if something else happens to him, like, he could die from some other fate? Or, maybe another character will die!"

My heart fluttered inside my chest and I realized she was right. We had changed something and that could have dire consequences now. Gosh, what had I done?!

I choked out, "Um, maybe nothing will happen..." but I didn't believe my words. Neither did Marie, who groaned and said, "Ari, I'm so scared now..."

I hugged my sister close, and was shocked when I realized she was trembling so I held her even closer. "Hey, it'll be alright! You'll see. We'll survive during the quest and live here happily, maybe in the Shire even."

Marie wiped her eyes and frowned. "Huh?"

"We're going with the Fellowship, remember?" I said.

"Oh, right... Uh, about that..." Marie looked nervous and that scared me. Did something bad happen? "Ari, I dunno if we should go with the Fellowship on their journey..."

"What? Why?" I was surprised by this.

She sighed. "Don't be mad but... I'm worried. After you got stabbed... I... I don't want to endanger you again! I don't want to lose you when the Fellowship breaks, or watch you die, or see you get seriously injured! I want to keep you safe, Ari. If anything were to happen to you again... I... I dunno... I dunno what I'd do without you. You're my sister. I love you so much."

Tears cascaded down her cheeks and her voice faltered. Marie look away, embarrassed. I just stared at her, shocked by her words.

What she said was completely selfless. All she cared about was my safety? That was why she didn't want me to go? Wow... I had never realized that Marie cared so much. Well, as much as she was revealing to me now.

I hugged my older sister close and she hugged back, shaking again. I whispered, feeling awkward, since she was the older one who should be comforting me, "Marie... It's alright. I understand."

"Y-You do?" She pulled away from me, looking surprised, her translucent green eyes wide.

"Yeah! You're being overprotective and I get it. I know you're scared. But, Marie... I want to go. And, if you don't, I'm okay with it..."

"Are you kidding? Of course I want to go!" She sounded even more surprised. "I was just trying to make sure you didn't get hurt!"

I laughed at that. "Well then, shall we be going on the quest with them or not?"

My sister smiled and giggled happily. She said, "Yes, yes we shall!"

We both decided to head to Elrond immediately so we both ran down the halls of Rivendell, laughing and racing each other as we tried to find the Elf. It was a miracle we ran into no one. Well, the reason was probably because nobody was out in the halls anyway, which was weird.

I came to an abrupt stop when I ran into my sister. She whispered, eyes as wide as golf balls, "Ari... I found him."

"Great!" I started to move around her but Marie dragged me behind a large thorn bush, ignoring my quiet protests.

She added, which made me stop protesting and fighting, "And, I believe I just found the council."

I peered around the bush and gasped inaudibly. It was indeed the council I was staring at. Many men sat in stiff chairs in a wide circle, among them Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn. I studied each of the men and my eyes rested on a blonde Elf. I thought to myself This must be Legolas Greenleaf. By glancing around more, I saw a short Dwarf with a red-brown beard (Gimli), a man with a thoughtful expression and brownish hair (Boromir), and a tall Elf with braided dark hair and a golden circlet upon his head (Lord Elrond). There was a stone pedestal in the middle of the circle and everyone in the circle was silent, looking to Elrond, as if expecting a speech. How far into the meeting were they?

I heard the Elf say, "Bring forth the Ring." and my question was answered. Marie whispered to me, "Ari, don't look at it. We might become like Boromir if we do!"

I realized what she meant and shut my eyes tight, not risking anything. I heard collective gasps after a moment and Boromir's voice rang out, loud and commanding, among them. "So, it's true..."

I opened up my eyes, curious to see what was going on despite my sister's worries. Boromir stood and moved closer to the Ring, his back to us, his words muffled. I heard someone cry, "Boromir, no!" and suddenly, as the man reached for the Ring, Gandalf stood and began shouting out words in the Black Tongue, the words dark and giving me a severe headache. Marie's face paled and I hugged her tight, shaking as the words filled my head before the wizard finally stopped and sat down again, looking weary.

Elrond looked cross at the wizard because of this and turned to Boromir, who had stood up again.

Here comes the speech I thought to myself.

Sure enough, he started his little speech about how the Ring was a gift from Sauron, how they should wield it against him, how the power could save Middle Earth. I was almost put to sleep for a minute once he started talking. Wow, I had never loked him much in the movies, but here, I really didn't like him. What an idiot! How could we use the Ring's power? Only Sauron could, duh!

Then again, Boromir was being corrupted by the One Ring so I shouldn't be too harsh.

Aragorn spoke up just then, interrupting my thoughts. "You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." I smiled as he tried to explain this to Boromir; I recalled our talk about motivation that night and pictured him fighting Sauron. He was a likeable person in reality and a strong future King.

Boromir scoffed, "And what would a ranger know of this matter?" Marie sighed and rolled her eyes, obviously frustrated. I couldn't blame her. Boromir was very difficult to like in real life, and I was hoping he'd be better once we started the quest.

I heard Legolas' voice now. He said, "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." His tone was angry and commanding, a bit like Elrond's in a way.

"Aragorn? This… is Isildur's heir?" Boromir sounded shocked, but not at all impressed by this claim.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor!" Legolas added, sounding proud of his friend. Aragorn, seeming very uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving, said, "Sit down, Legolas." I recognized his words from the movie, having watched it many times before, so I knew he had said Havo dad, Legolas.

"Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." sneered Boromir, and I saw him sit down with a sigh. Marie whispered to me, "He seems rather rude... Is he nicer in the films or is it just me?"

"Definitely not just you." I confirmed. "Although, maybe he is just this way because of the Ring..."

I was cut off by Elrond's voice then. "You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed." I heard Boromir sigh again and everyone in the council shifted uneasily. They all looked nervous.

Gimli growled suddenly, "What are we waiting for? ARGH!" He grabbed his axe and lunged at the pedestal, hurling his axe down at the One Ring, which just sat there innocently. I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a scream when a brilliant flash of light sprang from the evil trinket and I saw, for a brief second, the flaming red eye of Sauron. Marie gasped and I looked over to find my sister as white as snow, trembling. I whispered, "Did you see...it?"

She nodded, eyes widening. "Yes..."

We became silent once Lord Elrond spoke again, averting his eyes from the intact golden ring. "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."

He paused for a brief moment to let this new information (well, not new to Marie and I) sink into our brains. Then he said quietly, "One of you must do this."

Instantly, dead silence insued. Nobody spoke a single word. Most of the members in the council fidgeted and looked very nervous and uncomfortable. I could not blame them; the Elf had just decreed that someone would need to volunteer to go on a suicide mission. Some people looked thoughtful, as if maybe they were considering the quest. Boromir was one of these men. He said after a few minutes of quiet, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And 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 ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!"

I snickered softly at the first statement. I knew that line by heart and hearing him say it in real life was funny.

Legolas then stood up, looking rather irritated with the man's speeches so far. "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!" No, duh! I thought to myself.

Gimli stood as well, seeming annoyed too, only this time with the blonde Elf. He snapped, "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!"

Before Legolas could reply to that, Boromir stood up and said, "And if we fail, what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!"

I murmured to my older sibling, "Here comes the fight..." and she smiled slightly. The smile grew when Gimli cried, "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!"

We both sniggered when the Elves and Dwarves rose to their feet, arguing, barely stopping themselves from launching into a full-out brawl. It was rather funny when everyone began standing and bickering; I was amused by the fact that no one (besides Frodo, Elrond, and Aragorn, who remained sitting) got along and could stop fighting amongst each other. I whispered to Marie, stopping my chuckling for a few moments, "Uh, when exactly do you plan on getting out of hiding? We are going to have to volunteer to go on the journey sometime soon."

"Well, um, how about before Sam, Merry, and Pippin?" She suggested, no longer laughing.

"Alright." I shrugged, my heart hammering against my chest as I imagined standing in front of everyone to declare I was heading on a suicide quest. Yeah, this would be fun.

"I will take it!"

Frodo's small voice rang out in the courtyard, but no one acknowledged him. I saw him standing as tall as he could, trying to get the members' attention, looking nervous. I felt for him; I was about to go through the same when I announced I was going too. I then recalled my outburst earlier and felt rather ashamed of myself. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know what I had gone through in the darkness during the time I had been ill from the poison. I hoped I'd be able to apologize later on.

Frodo yelled again, "I will take it!" and this time, everyone heard the hobbit. They all halted their fierce arguments and turned to stare incredulously at the small creature, as if shocked that he had dared say those words. Some looked amused, as if they thought it was a joke, but that look faded away quickly when they heard Frodo then say, "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though.. I do not know the way."

I smiled at that. Gosh, he sounded so brave.

Gandalf walked toward Frodo, laying a hand on his short shoulder. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, so long as it is yours to bear."

Aragorn rose and walked toward the hobbit. He said, "If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will." He knelt in front of Frodo briefly. "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow." Legolas said as he walked over beside Gandalf.

"And my axe!" Gimli stood on the other side of the wizard and the Elf and Dwarf exchanged dark venomous looks.

Boromir headed over to the small group forming, looking hesitant about what he said next. "You carry the fates of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

Marie unexpectedly burst out of hiding and I wondered for a second what she was doing. Then I remembered how we were going to volunteer to go on the quest and felt a bit stupid. Oh.

I stood up as I watched my sister stand by Frodo, hands trembling, but eyes focused on Elrond. Her voice did not waver when she said, "I'm going with you, Frodo. No matter what, we're in this together, just as we have been from the start."

I walked over to the forming Fellowship, knees going numb from the fear I felt, and I declared in a shaky voice, "You can't stop me from going either! I promised a certain someone I'd protect you, Frodo, and I do not intend to break it anytime soon."

Frodo looked surprised by the presence of Marie and I, and Boromir said, disbelieving, "A pair of women wish to travel to Mordor?" I nodded, feeling irritated. "Yeah, got a problem with that, big guy?"

I saw Marie hide a grin at Boromir's annoyed expression. Sam's voice drifted over to us just then. "Hey!" He ran out from behind a bush not too far from Aragorn's chair and stood defiantly by Marie. He announced, "Mr. Frodo is not goin' anywhere without me!"

Elrond said, eyebrows raised, "No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Sam blushed and looked a bit guilty, which I smiled at.

"Wait! We are coming too!" I turned and nearly laughed when Merry and Pippin ran into view from behind two pillars, coming to stand beside Frodo. "You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" declared Merry, arms crossed over his chest.

"Anyway you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest… thing..." Pippin said.

"Well, that rules you out, Pip." Merry muttered, which made my sister and I laugh quietly.

Elrond actually grinned at all of us, seeming a bit hopeful almost. He announced, "Eleven companions… So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" I thought to myself, smiling inwardly And...cue heroic music.

Pippin smiled and said, "Great! So...where are we going?"

There was a collective groan from the council and the Fellowship, which made me snigger.

Oh, Pip...

Elvish Translation:

Havo dad, Legolas=Sit down, Legolas

Well, that chapter I just wrote is the longest one so far! Over 6,000 words! (not very long to you maybe but to me it is!)
I apologize in advance to Boromir lovers; no, I don't hate him! Don't flame and murder me in my sleep please. I am not being mean or anything! Besides, he isn't evil, and will be better than he was in this chapter, ok?

Trivia Question: When Frodo whispers to Gandalf, when leaving Rivendell, "Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?" which way does the wizard reply the Black Land is?