A/N: I hope the 3rd chapter wasn't too bad. I went to see the movie for the 4th time yesterday, and I instantly wanted to write the next chapter. It was kinda late, and I was a tiny little bit sleepy. But now, I'm wide awake, so lets get on with the 4th chapter!

Disclaimer:………….getting tired of this……read the previous chapters

Chapter 4

Nairu scanned the room, hoping that she could finally talk to Lord Elrond, or maybe, if he had arrived, Gandalf.

An opened book at a table in the middle of the room caught her eye. It seemed to be e very ancient book, judging by the yellowish colored pages.

Nairu walked to the table and cast a look at the pages the book was opened at. And, to her immense surprise, there was a ring drawn, and it had Elvis marks on it, saying:

One Ring To Rule Them All

One Ring To Find Them

One Ring To Bring Them All

And In Darkness Bind Them

Nairu gasped in astonishment. This was the Ring Gandalf had told her about. This was the Ring she had suffered so much for.

She whirled around when a soft voice spoke from behind her.

" I see that you are familiar with the Ring. Why are you so surprised now that you have seen her drawed in a book?"

An Elf had entered the room. His face was ageless, however it showed that he had many memories of happy and sad things. He had long brown hair and he wore silver band around his head. To Nairu, it looked like some sort of crown.

" Forgive me, my lord, for I did not mean to read in your belongings, but Gandalf has told me a lot about this One Ring. It's just that it looks so beautiful, so innocent, so pure. I find it very hard to imagine that such a beautiful and small ring bears so much evil with it, if I had not heard about it's owner and it's intentions", she answered, assuming that this Elf had to be Lord Elrond.

Elrond nodded slowly, his eyes taking in the sight of the girl, no, young woman, that stood before him. She had bright green eyes and raven black long hair, which fell upon her waist. Judging by the long, dark blue robe she was wearing, she appeared to be some sort of witch, although he noticed she did not carry a staff with her. He also saw that her eyes shone with pain and exhaustion.

"Gandalf?" he spoke with a hint of surprise in his voice. "You know Gandalf the Grey?"

Nairu nodded. "My name is Nairu, and I am Gandalf's apprentice. I have traveled far to meet him in your house. That is, if you are Lord Elrond, leader of the Elves in Rivendell, the one that Gandalf told me about. Could you please tell me where I can find him?"

Elrond smiled. "Forgive me, Nairu, for not introducing myself. I am Lord Elrond, leader of the Elves in Rivendell. I am pleased to finally meet you, for Gandalf has spoken very high of you. But where have you been, my child? Many days have passed since I have last spoken to Gandalf. The day he came, he told me that you two were supposed to meet each other in my house two days before. He feared that you might have encountered problems on the way of your long journey to Isengard". He gazed intently at the womanize face after saying so, to see that the hope that shone in her eyes, disappeared, making room for despair.

Nairu feared the worse, for she had known Gandalf for quite some years now. She would almost bet her life for it that Gandalf could not wait for her return, and that he went to see Saruman himself.

"He has gone to Saruman, hasn't he?", she asked, closing her eyes and shaking her head after the Elf had confirmed this.

Elrond was confused when Nairu did so. Gandalf had told him that Saruman was wise and powerful. The way he saw it, his apprentice had no reason to be so worried and despaired. And he said so.

"I can agree with you on one point, my lord. Saruman is powerful. But his wisdom has left him, leaving madness behind. He has become Sauron's servant".

A look of disbelief crossed Elrond's face. "It cannot be", he whispered, as he sat himself in a chair.

Nairu would have smiled if things weren't so bad. Lord Elrond showed the exact same reaction as she did when she found out about Saruman's betrayal.

"How did you find out about this?", Elrond asked in a still disbelieving voice.

Nairu stood before him and showed him her left wrist. The Elvish letters were glowing, clearly giving away that the spell was fighting against the good it felt in this land. "Mornie utúlië, the darkness has come. A visible mark Saruman has left on me when he performed his spell on me. I came here to ask for your help, my lord. For his is spell is strong. I need you to cure me from this evilness, I can feel it in my very soul. It has marked me, and I strongly wish the marks to be removed. I shall be in your service for as long as I shall live, I will do whatever it is that you ask of me, if you would just make my soul pure again".

Elrond stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger, as his thoughts were filled with the news that Gandalf's apprentice had brought upon him. He looked into the woman's pleading eyes. He suddenly felt a deep respect for the woman, who had showed a loyalty which made it very obvious that she would rather die than to give the Dark Side any information about the whereabouts of the Ring or it's Bearer.

"My child, do not worry any longer. I will cure you from Saruman's spell, and I shall ask no more of you than to rest and find peace in my house. You have a strong spirit, and your resistance against Saruman may have given us the very valuable and precious time to get the Ring save to Rivendell".

Elrond did as he promised. With his magic and ancient spell books, he managed to cure Nairu from the spell, only leaving the words Mornie utúlië vaguely on her left wrist. These words would most likely stay there until the end of her days, Elrond told her.

"It is however a gift, for you have survived the spell. Through this, you have possessed a certain resistance against black magic, and yet you shall be more sensitive towards it. You will know, sooner than others, when evil is near. You can compare it to Bilbo's sword Sting. As this sword will glow blue when Orcs are near, so will the words on your wrist glow when evil is near. You should be very grateful for it, for one day it may save your live".

After saying, Elrond left as one his servants called him, leaving Nairu wandering around in his house. She thought about what he said, and about the Hobbit he had spoken of.

She had met him some days after Elrond healed her and she was well rested. Bilbo and she could spend whole days together, for she never grew tired of the stories he told her. They talked about his adventures, the life he had lived in the Shire and, of course, Frodo Baggings, the Ringbearer who happened to be his cousin. She had also read his book, and so learned a lot about Hobbits and their history. She had really grown quite fond of him.

And if they were not seen together, one could perhaps find her in Elrond's library, reading one of his many ancient books. And if she was not there to be found, she was trained in the arts of sword-fighting and shooting arrows by one of Elrond's Elves. She asked Elrond if she could be taught how to handle a sword or a bow, for in the future, she desperately wanted to be able to defend herself against enemies, or die trying. Elrond gave his permission, so she spend a great deal of time being trained by his best Elves, as often as Elrond could spare them.

And so, the days passed by in the peaceful land of Rivendell. However, the days were not completely peaceful, for there was yet no sign of Gandalf the Grey or Frodo Baggings, the Ringbearer.

A/N: that's it for today, folks! I'll add the next chapter ASAP, if my job gives me the opportunity