Author's note:          Well, I'm trying to make up for lost time, so here's Chapter Seventeen.  Sorry that this one is a bit…slower than the last few, but it does things that need doing and – well, you know the drill.  Plot development, yada yada yada.  I'll shut up and leave you to the story now, but, as always, thanks for reading, and thank you for all the wonderful reviews I have gotten.  Watching them add up surely makes me want to write more, because I realize that I'm not the only one who wants to know how this ends.  Thanks, guys.

Where the Shadows Lie

A Tale Of The Ring

"And that is another reason why the Ring should be destroyed: as long as it is in the world it will be a danger even to the Wise.  For nothing is evil in the beginning.  Even Sauron was not so I fear to take the Ring to hide it.  I will not take the Ring to wield it."

Chapter Seventeen: Resolutions

          They stared at him silently as wind began whipping lightly across the battlements of Barad-dûr with warmth contained in it that Mordor had not encountered in far too many years to count.  Gandalf stood apart from them all, his eyes staring blankly at where Sauron's body had once been.  Slowly, his right hand rose once more, and his eyes fell to it; however, no expression betrayed his feelings.  He studied the One silently, perfectly still and seemingly not even breathing.  The ancient runes of Mordor glowed red once again upon its unmarred and golden surface; the Ring seemed to sparkle in the small light that had begun to dawn in the far east of the sky.  Gandalf, too, still glowed a bright and pure white, radiating power and strength.

          "Gandalf?" Frodo's small voice split the long moments of silence, and he started toward the wizard until a strong hand reached out to stop him. 

          "No."  That was all Elrond said before removing his hand from the other's shoulder and stepping forward himself.  Legolas could not help but wince inside; if Gandalf proved to be the enemy, Elrond was in no shape to face him – but then again, none of them were.

          Footsteps came from his side, and he saw Boromir step forward to Aragorn's side and, wordlessly, support his king.  The two men exchanged a silent glance, and the elf could see the pain on Aragorn's face, and the fear.  Both he understood perfectly, for he felt them too.  One threat had ended; had another begun?  Only time would tell…and Legolas knew that the Fellowship had not the strength for another battle, especially against one of their own.  From the corner of his eye, he saw Galadriel gather herself and move forward as well, stepping to Elrond's side with a shadow of her old grace.  The Elven lord and lady approached the wizard cautiously, and stopped when still several feet away from him.

          "Gandalf?" Elrond said softly, and the wizard's head finally came up.  He stared at the elf-lord blankly for one moment, then he blinked and lowered his hand to his side.

          "Elrond."

          Somewhat to Legolas' surprise, his voice had not changed.  No, it still held the same warmth, the same kindness – and held the same world-wise and weary undertone.  In fact, Gandalf did not look so different at all…save for his straighter back, his brighter eyes, and his eerie white glow…but all those had existed before the Ring.  Outwardly, he had not changed.  Inside, however, Legolas had a feeling would be another matter entirely.

          "You have taken the Ring."  Elrond's statement was not really a question, but it needed to be asked all the same.

          "I have."  Gandalf's reply came flatly; only then did Legolas hear the hint of exhaustion in his voice.  The wizard's eyes swept over them all, then, and his gaze touched briefly on every member of the Fellowship, reassembled in truth once more, save for the absence of Sam, whose death had scarred them all…and now seemed centuries in the past.  He continued, "As you once feared I would."

          Elrond responded with a quick shake of his head.  "I knew you would not… Not unless there was no other way."

          "And now you fear what I may become," Gandalf sighed quietly.  None dared voice an objection to his observation, for their fears were very real – but they were not, as one might think, purely for Middle-Earth.  No, those of the Fellowship, Elrond, and Galadriel feared for the being who had once been their friend, and was now the Bearer of the One, the defeater of Sauron.  He still glowed in the fading darkness, white against the blackness of the world, and yet all had to wonder if that would last.  White: it symbolized goodness, purity, and power…but the alternative was Black, and they feared that mightily.  Suddenly, Legolas got a horrible feeling that, as dangerous and powerful as Sauron had been, Gandalf would be far greater.

          Even if his actions were driven by all the right reasons.

          "It battles for control of me," the wizard spoke softly, "Even now."  He glanced down at the Ring once more, touched it lightly with the fingers of his left hand.  His touch was gentle, and suddenly Gollum's cries of his precious echoed in Legolas' mind.  "It would make me into something I am not," Gandalf continued.  "This Ring can be used for naught but evil."

          Elrond only nodded silently, but it was Galadriel who replied.  "We have always known that much," she said quietly, speaking coherently for the first time since before Gandalf's original loss to Sauron.  "Even though there have been those who would believe otherwise.  The question truly is, Gandalf: can you defeat it?"

          "No."  The shining figure shook his head.  He must have seen the fear on their faces, though, and he clarified.  "Oh, I can fight it for a time.  I can force it to my will…but even that will not last forever.  I have claimed the Ring, for good or for worse.  Sooner or later, it will claim me as well."

          Both of the great elves nodded, and silence threatened to press them into despair until Merry asked, "Can't you just take it off?"

          Gandalf smiled slightly.  "No, Merry," he replied.  "I cannot.  I cannot relinquish the One any more than Sauron could have stopped searching for it…and even if I did, there would be no guarantee against it controlling me.  The Ring possesses too great a calling.  Eventually, my desire would overcome my resolve."

          "Let us not rush too hastily to decisions," Galadriel said suddenly.  "Let us first talk, and also speak to those who have risked all to battle the Darkness."

          Her words brought to mind those gathered at the base of the tower, and Legolas wondered if they stared, as he did, trying to understand what had happened.  Oh, he was sure that they had seen it…but the defeat of Sauron was a difficult reality to digest.  He had been known as the enemy from far before Legolas' time; ever since the Third Age had begun, Sauron had existed, in one shape or another, to threaten Middle-Earth.  Now that threat was gone – though it had yet to be seen if his defeat had merely heralded a still greater and more potent evil.  The Prince of Mirkwood felt his innards writhe at that thought, and he could not help but remember the long years since he had made the new Lord of the Rings' acquaintance.  Gandalf was his friend.  He had been the leader of the Fellowship, but now he might be their enemy.  It was hard to think of without despair, but if Elrond and Galadriel, those with the most to risk, face it, Legolas was determined to do so as well.

          Elrond nodded in agreement with Galadriel.  "Let us speak to them, then," he said, "and determine the future together."

          Legolas watched the others nod, but before any could turn away, Gandalf spoke once more.  "Hold," he said softly.  "There is something we must do now."  The elven prince felt himself frown in confusion, but the wizard bent and retrieved the Three from amongst Sauron's robes.  Once more, he turned to Elrond and Galadriel, this time striding toward them with even steps.  "I believe the both of you are missing something."

          "Indeed?" Only a raised eyebrow revealed Elrond's feelings, but Galadriel's face clearly showed her surprise.

          Gandalf stopped.  "I realize the risk you would be taking," he said softly.  "But you must remember that the same risk would be mine as well.  I am still linked to Narya, and thus can be reached by those who bear Nenya and Vilya.  Thus, view repossession of the Rings as a safeguard against the One…for I give you my oath as a Maia of Valinor that I will not use the One Ring against you."

          Both blinked, but neither hesitated.  "Thank you," Galadriel replied softly, replacing Nenya.  To her right, Elrond did the same with Vilya in a show of blind trust.

          "And Narya?" Elrond asked.  "Can she aid you against the One?"

          "I believe so," the wizard responded.  "Either way, I fear I cannot let go of her…my bond with Narya runs too deep for that."

          "We would not ask you to," Galadriel whispered.  She reached out, suddenly, and in her courage, laid a hand on the wizard's shoulder.  "We understand your actions, old friend," she said, looking him in the eye.  "And we know the risks that you have taken.  Rest assured that you do not take them alone."

          A soft smile touched Gandalf's lips.  "Thank you, Galadriel."

          "Together," Elrond agreed.  "We have faced the same evil as comrades, Gandalf, and we have done so, unwavering, for many years.  The least we can do is see this to the end…whatever that might be."

          Celeborn stared up at the battlements of Barad-dûr, hardly able to believe what he had just seen.  Oh, he did not doubt his eyes, of course, for as an elf, he could see further and more clear than any man or dwarf, but his mind could hardly comprehend what had just passed.  Despite his strong words and his determination to succeed, Celeborn had always assumed that the Alliance would fail.  He had always known that they would lose, because there had never, ever, been a way to achieve victory against Sauron.  The first time, oh so many centuries ago, had happened via a trick of fate, and humanity had squandered the chance the world had been given.  The futility of the task, of course, did not make it any less important to try, for Sauron had to be opposed, but he had always known that defeating the Dark Lord would prove impossible.  He had never believed that they could succeed.

          But what scared him the most was the way that they had.

          Unlike the whispers of the others around him, the elf-lord knew exactly what had passed.  He was not venturing guesses, nor was he hoping for the best.  He knew that Gandalf had claimed the Ring.  He knew that the Maia had had to, in order to survive, in order to defeat Sauron.  Gandalf, like he, had always known that there was no way to defeat the Dark Lord without use of the Ring, for even another Maia, such as the wizard, could not stand against one of his own kind whose powers had been augmented by the One.  No, only one of the Valar could have defeated Sauron in pitched battle.  Both Celeborn and Gandalf – and Círdan, of course – had always known that there was no way to overpower Sauron without taking the path they would not take.

          Gandalf, however, had set forth upon that road, and had dammed himself in the process.

          "Grandfather…"  Arwen's voice came softly from beside him, and with an effort, he turned away from the scene upon the battlements – even as Elrond and Galadriel cautiously approached the new Lord of the Rings – and faced her.  Their eyes met, and she whispered, "He did, didn't he?"
          Pain and worry stabbed through Celeborn's heart, both for his friend and for the world.  "Yes."

          "What will we do?"

          Celeborn shook his head, unable to help the sense of foreboding that rose within his soul.  "The real question, Arwen, is: what will he do?"

          "You do not think…" She could not bring herself to say the rest of the words, and Celeborn felt her pain, for she stood now on the brink of regaining all that she had lost…only with the risk of losing it all again.

          "I do not know what I think," he responded truthfully.  "I do not know what the Ring will do to someone…even one such as him.  I fear, though…I fear the worst."