Through Darkness and Despair
Chapter 2: The Council of Elrond
As Legolas and Aragorn took their seats (Legolas next to Glorfindel, a close kin to Elrond and Aragorn sitting next to a proud looking man with a horn), Legolas noticed that they were the last ones there. He cast Aragorn and sheepish look, and Aragorn grinned back. Legolas felt shivers go down his back after that grin, for a very strange reason.
In the courtyard, about 15 chairs were laid out in a semi-circle, on a stone platform. A single stone table stood at the front, and a solitary chair sat behind the table. Elrond sat in that chair. He then cleared his throat and all the chattering subsided instantly.
"Welcome to the Council of Elrond," he said in a deep, powerful and wise voice, "You have all been selected to come here for a very important reason. To discuss the uprising of the Shadow."
At this, Legolas looked around the courtyard, and found Aragorn staring at him. When he caught the elf looking at him, he quickly averted his eyes.
"Before we begin, I would like to make sure that everyone here knows each other. As you all know, I am Elrond Half-Elven, lord of Rivendell. To your right, sits Gloin, of Durin's Dwarves. Sitting next to him would be his son Gimli." Legolas noticed that Gimli the dwarf had wild red hair and beard, and was short and stout, like all dwarves. He also carried a heavy ax glittering with dwarf symbols on the hilt. Legolas could not help but dislike the dwarves, like all elves. Elrond's gaze next fell on the man sitting next to Aragorn.
"Sitting next to Gimli we have Boromir, son of Denethor, steward of Gondor. He has traveled far and wide to come to this council." Boromir the mortal had wavy brown hair, and a handsome face, but he looked wearied to the bone. He had a proud look upon him, and merely nodded and Elrond introduced him. Boromir's gaze traveled around the courtyard, and then stopped abruptly at Legolas'. He held his dark brown eyes on the elves' misty blue ones for a moment, and then dropped it. Legolas was very puzzled by this, but thought no more of it. Next, Elrond introduced Aragorn.
"Here is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, some of you may know him as Dunedain, Strider, Ellessar, Elfstone, and many other aliases. He is the heir of Isildur and Elendil, and rightful king of Gondor."
Everyone in the courtyard gasped. The only one who didn't (other than Elrond) was an elderly man dressed in blue robes. But Legolas quickly stifled his surprise. He remembered that only a minute ago that he thought the Ranger had a look of immense power on him, and he turned out to be right. This must have been the most powerful man in all of Middle-earth! Aragorn too searched the council with his eyes, and he too stopped at Legolas. His eyes twinkled, seemed as if he shared a secret with the elf prince. Legolas' lips twitched up into a smile, and Aragorn smiled the tinniest of smiles back.
* * * * * *
Aragorn saw Legolas' soft pink lips turn up into a little smile, and Aragorn felt as shivers ran down his back. Caught up in the princes' eyes and barely being able to breathe, Aragorn forced a smile back.
"Here sits Laeran, the king of the Silvan elves." Elrond's clear, voice interrupted both their thoughts. Finally, they tore their eyes off each other and made themselves pay attention to the council. After a couple more elves were introduced, Elrond came to Glorfindel, and the Legolas.
"Here friends, is Prince Legolas, son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood forest." Aragorn saw Legolas' beautiful, proud face smile faintly and nod to the crowd. Then, after a few more people were passed, the half-elven's eyes stopped to the elderly man in blue who hadn't gasped when Aragorn was revealed as the hidden heir of Gondor.
"Sitting before you is Gandalf the Grey, member o the White Council, and called Mithrandir in the elven tongue. He has been a help to all creatures of Middle-earth, and now he has come to help us fight of the Dark Lord."
* * * * * *
Next to Mithrandir sat the most unusual…well, thing that Legolas had ever seen. It was obvious whatever it was, it was very short, since it's shoeless feet were dangling a foot above the ground .It also had curly dark brown hair, a fair face, and clear clue-green eyes. In fact, it looked as if it were a child!
"Last, and definitely not least, here is Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, and the Bearer of the One Ring."
At this, the whole council fell silent and stared at the halfling. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the birds singing high up, and the rushing sound of a small waterfall nearby. It seemed as though this childlike looking "hobbit" did have some bravery after all, because even though he looked nervous, he held every one of the stares defiantly.
He has carried the One Ring of Power all the wall from the Shire here to Rivendell while escaping the Nine Ringwraiths, orcs, and other minions of the Dark Lord. We must be grateful to him that the ring was not captures along the way.
The room was silent, still. Elrond cleared his throat, and the 15 pairs of eyes that were on Frodo were dropped.
"Frodo, would you please place the ring on the table?" asked Elrond, while gesturing to the small stone tablet.
The hobbit slid down from his chair, and reached into his vest pocket, and drew out a thin gold band. The courtyard hushed again, and Frodo reluctantly put the Ring of Power on the table.
Everyone held their breath, as If expecting something evil to happen, until the half-elven interrupted the silence.
"As you all know, this is the One Ring of Power, forged by Sauron in the scalding fires of Orunduin, the Fire Mountain many millennia ago. Elven smiths made three rings for the elven kings under the sky, six for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, and nine rings for mortal men doomed to die. But Sauron forged this one in secret, and kept it hidden to bind all the rings to his own. The Last Alliance of Elves and Men took place, where Isildur, son of Elendil struck the ring from Sauron's finger. There, Sauron was vanquished… for the time being. Isildur kept the ring, and therefore, it corrupted him. When he was suddenly killed by orcs on the mountains, and his body was swept away by the current, the ring was lost. Five hundred years later, a creature called Gollum found the ring, and only sixty years ago, it came into the possession of the hobbits. Long ago, Sauron corrupted the nine mortal ring-bearers, and now they only serve him as the dreaded Black Riders, the Ringwraiths, the Nazgul. The six for dwarves have also been captured, but the three remaining have been kept hidden by the elves. The Shadow will no longer need the three, if he can have the one. The one ring to rule them all, the one ring to find them, the one ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. Thus we must be rid of this ring, and decide whether to hide it, or destroy it. "
At this powerful oration, the council leapt up to their feet, and started talking wildly to their neighbors.
"Order, Order!" Elrond practically shouted. "We must destroy this rings, and whoever will bear it must cast it into the pits of Mount Doom!"
"Why can we not just simply destroy it here?" asked Gimli the dwarf, and at this, he swept up his ax, and struck the ring with such immense force that Legolas thought that for sure the ring had been smashed. A noise equaling comparing to thunder rang out, and Gimli's ax was broken.
"Stupid dwarf!" Gandalf the Grey shouted. "Did you not know that the Ring cannot be destroyed by any mortal weapon? It can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, where the hottest fire in the world burns, and there, and only there, will the ring be destroyed.
Then, the courtyard rang out with voices again, and no one heard the tiny voice that whispered, "I will bear the ring." Nobody but Legolas.
He strained his ears to hear the voice again.
"I will bear the ring." Said an unknown source, a bit louder this time.
Legolas pushed through the crowd, until his gaze rested upon the face of the small hobbit, Frodo. Now, they had the attention of everyone in the courtyard.
"I will bear the ring, though I do not know the way." Frodo said a finally time, with all eyes on him.
"Are you certain you would accept this challenge? The ring will be a heavy burden for you indeed." Elrond said.
"Yes, I will accept it, though I do not know the way to Mount Doom."
"Alas! The ring bearer has chosen!" Gandalf cried, putting an arm around Frodo's shoulder and standing behind him. " I will go with him on this treacherous journey, to guide and advise him."
"And I too will go. I will swear him fealty and my sword, to protect him through battle, always." Put in Aragorn.
Moved by Aragorn's strong words, Legolas also said, "And I will wear him my bow!"
"And I my ax." Said Gimli the dwarf.
"And I," Boromir the mortal said, " I will promise the ring bearer my loyalty."
"Me too, me too!" Legolas heard a light voice say from the bushes. "Master Frodo, you wouldn't think of leaving your poor, faithful Sam behind, would you? " asked another hobbit with sandy hair, bursting out of the bushes.
Frodo let out a merry little laugh, and said," Of course not, Sam, of course not."
"Of course not," Elrond said with a twinkle in his eye, "Even when his master has been invited to a secret council, and he has not." Elrond peered at the plump little hobbit, and Sam blushed.
"Us too! Us too! Don't forget us!" Two young joyful voices shouted, running up from inside the palace.
"Merry, Pippin!" Frodo exclaimed.
Elrond chuckled, then got serious again.
The nine member of the company gathered around Frodo, the ring bearer, Legolas next to Aragorn, and waited for Elrond to speak.
"So be it." He said. "The Fellowship of the Ring shall be nine, and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil.
"You will set out in nine days, and from then on, you are on your own."
Chapter 2: The Council of Elrond
As Legolas and Aragorn took their seats (Legolas next to Glorfindel, a close kin to Elrond and Aragorn sitting next to a proud looking man with a horn), Legolas noticed that they were the last ones there. He cast Aragorn and sheepish look, and Aragorn grinned back. Legolas felt shivers go down his back after that grin, for a very strange reason.
In the courtyard, about 15 chairs were laid out in a semi-circle, on a stone platform. A single stone table stood at the front, and a solitary chair sat behind the table. Elrond sat in that chair. He then cleared his throat and all the chattering subsided instantly.
"Welcome to the Council of Elrond," he said in a deep, powerful and wise voice, "You have all been selected to come here for a very important reason. To discuss the uprising of the Shadow."
At this, Legolas looked around the courtyard, and found Aragorn staring at him. When he caught the elf looking at him, he quickly averted his eyes.
"Before we begin, I would like to make sure that everyone here knows each other. As you all know, I am Elrond Half-Elven, lord of Rivendell. To your right, sits Gloin, of Durin's Dwarves. Sitting next to him would be his son Gimli." Legolas noticed that Gimli the dwarf had wild red hair and beard, and was short and stout, like all dwarves. He also carried a heavy ax glittering with dwarf symbols on the hilt. Legolas could not help but dislike the dwarves, like all elves. Elrond's gaze next fell on the man sitting next to Aragorn.
"Sitting next to Gimli we have Boromir, son of Denethor, steward of Gondor. He has traveled far and wide to come to this council." Boromir the mortal had wavy brown hair, and a handsome face, but he looked wearied to the bone. He had a proud look upon him, and merely nodded and Elrond introduced him. Boromir's gaze traveled around the courtyard, and then stopped abruptly at Legolas'. He held his dark brown eyes on the elves' misty blue ones for a moment, and then dropped it. Legolas was very puzzled by this, but thought no more of it. Next, Elrond introduced Aragorn.
"Here is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, some of you may know him as Dunedain, Strider, Ellessar, Elfstone, and many other aliases. He is the heir of Isildur and Elendil, and rightful king of Gondor."
Everyone in the courtyard gasped. The only one who didn't (other than Elrond) was an elderly man dressed in blue robes. But Legolas quickly stifled his surprise. He remembered that only a minute ago that he thought the Ranger had a look of immense power on him, and he turned out to be right. This must have been the most powerful man in all of Middle-earth! Aragorn too searched the council with his eyes, and he too stopped at Legolas. His eyes twinkled, seemed as if he shared a secret with the elf prince. Legolas' lips twitched up into a smile, and Aragorn smiled the tinniest of smiles back.
* * * * * *
Aragorn saw Legolas' soft pink lips turn up into a little smile, and Aragorn felt as shivers ran down his back. Caught up in the princes' eyes and barely being able to breathe, Aragorn forced a smile back.
"Here sits Laeran, the king of the Silvan elves." Elrond's clear, voice interrupted both their thoughts. Finally, they tore their eyes off each other and made themselves pay attention to the council. After a couple more elves were introduced, Elrond came to Glorfindel, and the Legolas.
"Here friends, is Prince Legolas, son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood forest." Aragorn saw Legolas' beautiful, proud face smile faintly and nod to the crowd. Then, after a few more people were passed, the half-elven's eyes stopped to the elderly man in blue who hadn't gasped when Aragorn was revealed as the hidden heir of Gondor.
"Sitting before you is Gandalf the Grey, member o the White Council, and called Mithrandir in the elven tongue. He has been a help to all creatures of Middle-earth, and now he has come to help us fight of the Dark Lord."
* * * * * *
Next to Mithrandir sat the most unusual…well, thing that Legolas had ever seen. It was obvious whatever it was, it was very short, since it's shoeless feet were dangling a foot above the ground .It also had curly dark brown hair, a fair face, and clear clue-green eyes. In fact, it looked as if it were a child!
"Last, and definitely not least, here is Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, and the Bearer of the One Ring."
At this, the whole council fell silent and stared at the halfling. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the birds singing high up, and the rushing sound of a small waterfall nearby. It seemed as though this childlike looking "hobbit" did have some bravery after all, because even though he looked nervous, he held every one of the stares defiantly.
He has carried the One Ring of Power all the wall from the Shire here to Rivendell while escaping the Nine Ringwraiths, orcs, and other minions of the Dark Lord. We must be grateful to him that the ring was not captures along the way.
The room was silent, still. Elrond cleared his throat, and the 15 pairs of eyes that were on Frodo were dropped.
"Frodo, would you please place the ring on the table?" asked Elrond, while gesturing to the small stone tablet.
The hobbit slid down from his chair, and reached into his vest pocket, and drew out a thin gold band. The courtyard hushed again, and Frodo reluctantly put the Ring of Power on the table.
Everyone held their breath, as If expecting something evil to happen, until the half-elven interrupted the silence.
"As you all know, this is the One Ring of Power, forged by Sauron in the scalding fires of Orunduin, the Fire Mountain many millennia ago. Elven smiths made three rings for the elven kings under the sky, six for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, and nine rings for mortal men doomed to die. But Sauron forged this one in secret, and kept it hidden to bind all the rings to his own. The Last Alliance of Elves and Men took place, where Isildur, son of Elendil struck the ring from Sauron's finger. There, Sauron was vanquished… for the time being. Isildur kept the ring, and therefore, it corrupted him. When he was suddenly killed by orcs on the mountains, and his body was swept away by the current, the ring was lost. Five hundred years later, a creature called Gollum found the ring, and only sixty years ago, it came into the possession of the hobbits. Long ago, Sauron corrupted the nine mortal ring-bearers, and now they only serve him as the dreaded Black Riders, the Ringwraiths, the Nazgul. The six for dwarves have also been captured, but the three remaining have been kept hidden by the elves. The Shadow will no longer need the three, if he can have the one. The one ring to rule them all, the one ring to find them, the one ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. Thus we must be rid of this ring, and decide whether to hide it, or destroy it. "
At this powerful oration, the council leapt up to their feet, and started talking wildly to their neighbors.
"Order, Order!" Elrond practically shouted. "We must destroy this rings, and whoever will bear it must cast it into the pits of Mount Doom!"
"Why can we not just simply destroy it here?" asked Gimli the dwarf, and at this, he swept up his ax, and struck the ring with such immense force that Legolas thought that for sure the ring had been smashed. A noise equaling comparing to thunder rang out, and Gimli's ax was broken.
"Stupid dwarf!" Gandalf the Grey shouted. "Did you not know that the Ring cannot be destroyed by any mortal weapon? It can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, where the hottest fire in the world burns, and there, and only there, will the ring be destroyed.
Then, the courtyard rang out with voices again, and no one heard the tiny voice that whispered, "I will bear the ring." Nobody but Legolas.
He strained his ears to hear the voice again.
"I will bear the ring." Said an unknown source, a bit louder this time.
Legolas pushed through the crowd, until his gaze rested upon the face of the small hobbit, Frodo. Now, they had the attention of everyone in the courtyard.
"I will bear the ring, though I do not know the way." Frodo said a finally time, with all eyes on him.
"Are you certain you would accept this challenge? The ring will be a heavy burden for you indeed." Elrond said.
"Yes, I will accept it, though I do not know the way to Mount Doom."
"Alas! The ring bearer has chosen!" Gandalf cried, putting an arm around Frodo's shoulder and standing behind him. " I will go with him on this treacherous journey, to guide and advise him."
"And I too will go. I will swear him fealty and my sword, to protect him through battle, always." Put in Aragorn.
Moved by Aragorn's strong words, Legolas also said, "And I will wear him my bow!"
"And I my ax." Said Gimli the dwarf.
"And I," Boromir the mortal said, " I will promise the ring bearer my loyalty."
"Me too, me too!" Legolas heard a light voice say from the bushes. "Master Frodo, you wouldn't think of leaving your poor, faithful Sam behind, would you? " asked another hobbit with sandy hair, bursting out of the bushes.
Frodo let out a merry little laugh, and said," Of course not, Sam, of course not."
"Of course not," Elrond said with a twinkle in his eye, "Even when his master has been invited to a secret council, and he has not." Elrond peered at the plump little hobbit, and Sam blushed.
"Us too! Us too! Don't forget us!" Two young joyful voices shouted, running up from inside the palace.
"Merry, Pippin!" Frodo exclaimed.
Elrond chuckled, then got serious again.
The nine member of the company gathered around Frodo, the ring bearer, Legolas next to Aragorn, and waited for Elrond to speak.
"So be it." He said. "The Fellowship of the Ring shall be nine, and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil.
"You will set out in nine days, and from then on, you are on your own."