Camille flipped over in her bed, and sighed contentedly, snuggling deeper into the covers. She had had a late night after the feast, what with all that singing and dancing and storytelling, and she didn't want to miss out on any of it. But the festivities had to be called to an end, and she and Eli reluctantly returned to their rooms to sleep.
And sleep they did. The wine and the merrymaking had all taken their toll on
them, and the moment their heads touched the pillows, they had wandered off
into Never-never Land.
But Camille's rest was not to last. She was just getting into the best part of her dream when a sudden thump sent her spinning out of her dream – and onto the floor.
"AAARRGH!!!!!" she cried as she struggled to stand up, but the sheets and blankets became tangled up in her legs, and sent her crashing back down. "WHO WAS THE MORON WHO WOKE ME UP?!?!?!?!"
Laughter echoed to her from the other side of the room. Growling with frustration at having her beauty sleep interrupted and forcing her to deal with a MAJOR hangover, she opened her eyes, and noticed Eli sitting in the chair across from her.
The other girl merely grinned at her from her seat, curled up in the chair. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You're not a morning person, are you, Camille?"
Camille was irritated beyond relief. She pulled herself up from the floor, finally managing to disentangle her limbs from the blankets and sheets now that she was no longer struggling against them and was forcing herself to think calmly. After rearranging the blankets on the bed, she whirled around to Eli, and demanded, "Why THE HELL did you have to do that?!?! You KNOW that mornings aren't my best time!"
Eli shrugged. "I know, but we've got to be present at the Council today. And if you don't get dressed soon, we're going to be late, and Elrond will have a time chewing us out about our tardiness."
This time, Camille sighed, and slumped her shoulders forward. Though no one would notice it, she could feel that her best friend was just as irritated as she was. However, unlike herself, Eli wasn't the type to show any emotion openly. But when the pressure became too great…well then, anyone within throwing and hearing range should run for cover as quickly as possible.
She straightened up, and stretched, trying to ease out the pulsing headache that was a result of drinking too much wine last night. "Fine, fine, I'll get dressed. I'll meet you in the hallway in fifteen minutes."
Eli nodded in agreement, and stood up. "That's cool by me. Just hurry up." With that, she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
* * *
Eli leaned against the wall near Camille's room, waiting for her to come out. She was already dressed, clad in an ice-blue long-sleeved Elven-dress with a dark blue cloak edged with silver trim thrown over her shoulders to keep the cold away. The cloak was held in place by the only non-Elvish object she was wearing: a silver dragon brooch, with flashing sapphire eyes. It was an intricate thing, the scales and whiskers of the dragon having been carved with care and much attention to detail. In its coils it held a larger sapphire. As for her hair, Imhiriel wasn't there to do it for her, so she simply tied it up in one big braid that started at the nape of her neck all the way to the middle of her shoulder blades. The end she had tied off with a silk ribbon the same color as her cloak.
She touched the brooch delicately. It had been a present to her from her uncle on her mother's side, saying that it was a precious heirloom passed down from generation to generation. Only one in the family would be able to have it, and she was the one who had been chosen. The owner of the brooch was then called "Bai Long"; the White Dragon.
The door creaked open, and she watched as Camille stepped out. She was wearing an Elven-dress that was the same style as hers, but had the color of a ruby, with a cloak of a dark crimson color trimmed with gold. Her hair was done up in almost the same way, but the braid was a little more complicated; having been done in the French plait style. The end – which reached all the way to the small of her back - she had tied off with a ribbon of blood-red silk.
Eli grinned. "Dressed in your favorite colors, I see."
Camille shrugged. "I felt like it, for some odd reason." Her hand flew to the brooch that held her cloak together at the throat. "I feel like shocking them all at the Council today."
Eli nodded, looking at the brooch. It was gold as opposed to her silver, and wasn't carved in the likeness of a dragon, but of a phoenix, with bright red rubies for the eyes. In its claws, it held a round ruby orb. Like the dragon brooch, it was very detailed, for every single feather was cut into the gold with intimate precision. This, she knew, had been a gift to Camille from her grandmother. Whoever held it was known in their family as "Jin Feng"; the Golden Phoenix.
Just then, the sound of a single bell ringing through the house reached their ears, and Eli sighed. "Looks like the Council is about to start. We might as well get our butts over there now."
Camille sighed, and nodded. "Let's go then. I don't want to know how Elrond chews people out."
Eli chuckled. "Now THAT'S something you won't want to see."
* * *
Legolas took his seat amongst those gathered at the Council, looking appraisingly at those who had come. Lord Elrond was there, sitting in his chair towards his right beneath the shade of a large birch tree. Next to him were Glorfindel and Erestor, whom Legolas knew were his counselors, and Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit who was supposed to have found the One Ring, and beside him was his nephew, Frodo son of Drogo, the one who now carried with Ring with him. Beside the young Hobbit sat Gandalf the Gray, a Wizard of great renown.
There were others there too. In one corner sat the Ranger Strider, but Legolas knew who he really was: Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Isildur's heir and the self-exiled King of Gondor. There too sat Galdor, an Elf from the Gray Havens, on an errand from Cirdan the Shipwright. There was another Man there, clad in travel-worn clothes, and with a horn on his knees. He seemed tall, and his face was noble and fair. His eyes were gray in hue, and his hair was dark, though not as dark as Aragorn's. He had said that his name was Boromir, a messenger from Gondor. There were Dwarves too, much to Legolas' dismay: Gloin, and his son Gimli.
However, he noticed that there were two seats left empty, right between Glorfindel and Elrond. I wonder who will be seated there…
Just then, his sensitive Elf-hearing heard the approach of velvet-clad feet, and he looked towards the doorway from the interior of the house. Elrond looked up as well, and every other Elf present turned to look.
At last, the persons who had been coming closer were revealed in the sunlight, and for a while, everyone attending the Council stared at them. Even Legolas couldn't help but let his mouth fall open slightly in surprise.
Camille and Eli had arrived, and they were quite a sight to behold. They were dressed almost alike, but not so. The former was dressed in brilliant red, her dress a shade comparable to a ruby, her cloak was colored crimson like the setting sun. At her throat was a golden brooch shaped like a bird, with ruby eyes and a ruby sphere in its talons. The latter, on the other hand, had chosen a cold blue color for her clothing, with a matching cloak for her shoulders. Her cloak was held together at the throat by a silver brooch, which, much to Legolas' surprise, was shaped in the form of a dragon with sapphire eyes and coiled around a sapphire orb.
Eli grinned at Lord Elrond. "Are we late, Lord Elrond?"
Elrond smiled slightly at the girl, and shook his head. "No, you are not. You have arrived just in time." He then looked at the other members of the Council. "For those of you who have just arrived," here he gave a pointed glance at Boromir, "this is Lady Camille Selvitar, and Lady Elisabeth Carnahan. My Ladies, I am sure you know most of those who have gathered here, but I must introduce you to this man. He is Boromir, from the South, son of the Steward of Gondor."
Camille and Eli took their time to curtsy to Boromir, and he stood up to bow to them, but the girls were looking at him with odd looks, as if of distrust. After the greetings were through, Elrond led them to the two vacant seats. The two girls sat down gracefully, their faces attentive and ready to listen to what was to be said at the Council.
Elrond then walked over to the center of the circle, tall and majestic, truly looking like the Elven-Lord he was. "And now I shall open the Council."
* * *
Frodo listened intently to what was had been said at the Council. He paid especially close attention to the stories of Gloin, about the temptation of Dain by one of the Ringwraiths; to Elrond's story of the Last Alliance and why the Ring was not destroyed; to Boromir's tale about how he decided to go to Rivendell; Bilbo's story on the Ring's finding; and lastly to Gandalf's escape from Saruman's fortress in Isengard.
There was a pause as Gandalf sat down again after his storytelling. Frodo had put the One Ring on a pedestal in the middle of the circle, and everyone was currently staring at it.
Suddenly, Elrond said, "However, there are still two more tales we are yet to hear." He turned to Camille and Eli. "My Ladies, I believe that now is the time that the people at the Council found out the truth."
Frodo watched as the two girls stared at each other, unsure looks on their faces. Eli turned to Elrond. "Lord Elrond, are you sure? Should everyone know about it?"
Elrond nodded gravely. "It is time for the truth to be known, My Ladies."
Once again, Eli and Camille glanced at each other, and at length, Eli sighed. She stood up, and, swathed in blue like she was, she seemed to look like a sea-nymph, radiating a cold blue light. "Okay, I'll go first. This is my version of the story." With that, she proceeded to tell the Council about how she got to Middle-Earth, and how she had found herself near the Ford of Bruinen, to be found by Elrond's sons. As she told her tale, Frodo couldn't help but feel a deep admiration for her, that she could remain so calm and collected in spite of the dangers that had befallen her. If I were in the same situation, I would probably just stand there and let the Orcs take me away.
With a curtsy, Eli finished her tale, and went back to her seat. Now it was Camille's turn. She got up, her crimson clothes shimmering in the sunlight, and to Frodo she seemed like a fire-spirit, her form outlined by a hot red aura. Her entry into Middle-Earth began the same way as Eli's, but she had faced greater peril. Frodo winced when he heard about how the Orc had chased and stabbed her. Where could she have summoned such strength of will, he wondered to himself. Truly, she and Eli could not have come from Middle-Earth.
When Camille had finished her tale and sat down again, it was Boromir who spoke first. He leaned forward slightly, and said, his voice full of scorn, "You two ladies spin such a remarkable tale; how can we believe that this is all truth and not some lie that you used to gain access to the circles of the Wise? For all we know, you could be spies sent by Saruman, or even the Evil One who now resides in Mordor."
Frodo felt the tension starting to rise in the air as that remark sent a wave of anger flowing through those who had known the girls. Elrond's eyes narrowed at Boromir, while the Elves beside him started to whisper amongst themselves in Elvish at the insult. The other Elf – Legolas, if Frodo remembered correctly – had a fire of hate burning in his dark blue eyes, and he had his fists clenched, as if in an attempt to stave his anger. Even the Dwarves seemed angered by what Boromir had said.
Even Bilbo was outraged. "Of all the things to say about them!" he muttered to Frodo. "If they had evil intentions, then Elrond wouldn't have let them get within ten leagues of Rivendell!"
Suddenly, Glorfindel stood up, and said to Boromir, "How dare you say such a thing about these Ladies?! They were welcomed into Imladris by Lord Elrond; he would not have done so if their hearts harbored wickedness of any sort. To say such a thing about these Ladies would be questioning Lord Elrond's judgment."
Murmurs of agreement to Glorfindel's statement rippled through the rest of the Council.
Elrond raised his hand. "Enough, Glorfindel."
Glorfindel clenched his jaw, nodded, and sat back down again.
Frodo looked at the two Ladies, and noticed that they had not taken the insult lightly, either. For a while, it seemed that there was a light around them; blue for Eli, and red for Camille.
At length, Eli stood up. Her voice was so cold that it could have chilled the heart of even the most hardened warrior. "Now listen here, BOROMIR," she all but spat out the name, "I don't blame you if you find our story so difficult to believe, but to say that we've got connections to Sauron or to this Saruman person, then you're wrong. We are TRULY from another world. If you wish for proof, take a look at this." With that, she started to undo the clasp that held her cloak together, and without further ado, she tossed it in Boromir's direction. She smirked as he caught it. "I bet that you won't find anything like that around here, not even if the Dwarves were to make it."
A glint of yellow flashed through the air, and Boromir was now holding two brooches instead of one. Frodo turned to Camille, and realized that she too had thrown him her clasp. Her eyes held a murderous fire in them that matched the glowing red light that emanated from her form. "Take a look at that one too, and I'd like to hear you tell us that they were made by the Dwarves."
Frodo turned back to Boromir, and watched as he lifted up the clasps. One was of gold, and was shaped like a large bird with a long tail. It had two rubies for eyes, and another, larger one clasped in its right claw. The other was of silver, and shaped like a dragon, its body twisted around a sapphire, and with eyes of the same gemstone.
Gloin the Dwarf looked at the clasps with awe. "Such incredible workmanship! Indeed, the Dwarves are yet to make such fine pieces of jewelry!" He frowned. "But why a dragon? I do not understand why anyone would want to fashion such a beast into a brooch – or any ornament, for that matter."
Eli smirked. "I don't know in this world, but in our world, particularly in my family, the dragon is a symbol of power and prestige. Long ago, my ancestors were known as the Dragon Clan, and were famous for teaching a sword fighting style that very few in our world and no one in this world know about. That clasp is an ancient heirloom that has been handed down in my family for as long as I can care to remember, and is given to the member of the clan who becomes the master of the sword style we used to teach. Whoever holds it becomes known as 'Bai Long'; the White Dragon."
"It's almost the same story for me," Camille said. "I am the last direct descendant of the Clan of the Phoenix, who were once renowned for not just their sword skills, but also for their skills of healing. The phoenix is the symbol of wisdom and eternal life, just as the dragon symbolizes strength and honor. That brooch you hold is passed on to whoever masters the sword style of our family, and the person who holds it is then known as 'Jin Feng'; the Golden Phoenix."
The Council gazed with amazement at the two girls, and to Frodo, they seemed to have grown suddenly in stature, to become almost queenly in appearance and might. Boromir, in the meantime, seemed to have shrunk somewhat as he handed the brooches back to their respective owners. The girls snatched their heirlooms back, fixed it back to their cloaks, and sat down again beside Elrond. The light around them died down a little, but it still remained.
Elrond cleared his throat, and this time, he looked graver than ever. "Now that the Ladies have told you their tales, I wish to tell them something, a tale upon which, perhaps, hangs the fate of Middle-Earth." With that, he began to tell the Council the tale of the Four Great Spirits of Middle-Earth and the Prophecy of the Summoners, just as Aragorn and Frodo himself had heard it the night before. Once again, all the Council was stunned to hear this, and even the two girls concerned stared at Elrond in shock.
But they had other emotions aside from mere surprise. Elrond had barely finished the tale, when Camille jumped to her feet, the red aura around her body suddenly flaring so brightly that Frodo was certain the other Council members could see it by now. Her eyes now blazed with an angry fire, as if one look from them would burn the unfortunate recipient of her gaze. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?!?!?! Why did you keep all of this a secret from us?!"
Frodo winced at the loudness of Camille's voice, and he thought he saw Elrond quail slightly before her, but he doubted it.
Elrond spoke again. "My Lady Camille, we did not wish to tell you about this to soon because of its implications. I deemed it best for you to know during this Council, when we would be able to decide the fate of the One Ring."
Eli got up slowly, the blue light around her now as bright as Camille's. "Then you didn't think very well, Elrond." Her voice was so icy it was as though every word she spoke would drop from her lips and shatter on the floor like icicles fallen from a tree in winter. Her eyes were also amazingly cold in their anger, so much so that Frodo was afraid to look at her, for fear that she would turn him into a statue of ice. "You didn't take time to consider the fact that WE might have been confused about being here, and that WE might have liked some answers."
"We didn't ask to be sent here, you know," Camille muttered. "It's not like we were handed a frigging job description that told us we'd be the saviors of Middle-Earth. If you had told us, it might have helped us think of a plan that would help us find our way home, but NOOOO, you had to hold back all this information!!!!" She glared at Elrond. "The next time you get the idea that we need someone else to make decisions for us, do us a favor and keep your 'decisions' to yourself!"
"Or even better," Eli added, "try to actually put your brain to good use and help us find a way out of this damn world before Sauron gets his grubby hands on his idiotic little toy and blows us all up!!!! We don't have plans on staying here to watch Armageddon come and fall on our heads. We're not THAT stupid."
The entire Council fell silent. No one was able to react to what the two Ladies had said. After all, it is rare to see a woman in such a state of wrath, and to have these two so angry was something they had not intended to see…or even WANT to see.
It was Gandalf who made the first move. He stood up, and walked over to the two girls, who were still seething with their anger. "Come now, enough of this. We must cooperate, My Ladies. Anger will not get anything done."
The two girls glared at Gandalf, but surprisingly, they relaxed, and sat down again. Camille was the first to speak. "You're right, Gandalf. I'm sorry Elrond, if I got a little carried away."
Eli nodded as well, but said nothing. She seemed too busy looking at the Ring.
Elrond sighed, and smiled slightly at the two. "If there is anyone who needs to be forgiven, it is I. It was wrong of me to withhold such information from you, and I will make it up to you the best way I know how."
Elrond turned, this time to address the Council. "As these tales have shown us, there is only one way by which we can be rid of Sauron's evil forever, and that is to send the Ring to the fires of Mount Doom."
* * *
Elrond paused a moment as the Council muttered amongst themselves. He took this time to recover from the shock the two Ladies had given him. Never before had he faced such fury, and to see it in the eyes and faces of two young girls not yet into womanhood made it all the more stunning. It is unbelievable how such seemingly delicate and peaceful countenances can hold anger so dreadful and frightening. He had to admit, even HE was afraid of their anger for a while.
Like fire and ice, they are…he mused as he glanced at them. "Fire" would have been Camille. He could well remember the flame that burned in her eyes as she glared at him, and it was a fire that could easily compete with the inferno of Orodruin. "Ice" would have been Eli. The words she spoke, so cold and hard, were now permanently etched in his memory, more for the way they were spoken than what the words were exactly.
He only returned to reality when he heard rising voices around him. He turned back to the Council, and noticed that an argument had arisen over who would take the Ring to Mordor. As of then, the quarrel was between Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir. He pulled himself to his full height, and was about to attempt to put a stop to the fight, but then he heard a small voice say, "I will take it!"
Elrond turned to the source of the voice, and smiled a little bitterly when he saw Frodo get up from his seat. He didn't say another word as the Hobbit raised his voice so as to be heard over the din, "I will take it!"
The disagreeing parties ceased their bickering, and turned in wonderment to Frodo. Frodo swallowed, and said, in a much softer voice, "I will take it to Mordor…though I don't know the way…"
At this, Gandalf smiled. He got up from his seat, and stood beside the young Hobbit. "Then I shall guide you there, my dear Frodo."
Next, Aragorn stood up from his seat in the corner, and knelt down before Frodo. "You shall have my sword, Frodo. I swore to protect you, by life or death, and I shall do my best to fulfill that promise."
Then Legolas stood up. "And you have my bow."
Much to Elrond's surprise, Gimli got up. "You shall have my axe, brave Hobbit."
And finally, Boromir reluctantly got up from his seat. "Forgive me for my rudeness to you earlier, sirs, but I will represent Gondor on this quest, and by my honor, I shall see that it is fulfilled!"
"Wait just a moment."
Elrond turned, and looked at the two Ladies. It was Eli who had spoken to him, so he asked, "Yes, My Ladies?"
Eli's words were slow and deliberate. "If you don't mind, Lord Elrond, we would like to find out just how great an evil the Ring holds."
"What do you intend to do?" Gimli asked, his voice tinged with insolence. "Would you wear it to find out just how much power lies therein?"
Camille stood up, shaking her head slowly as she approached the pedestal on which the Ring lay. "No. But there are other ways." She looked at the Council. "I'd like all of you to move back and give me some room. There's no telling what might happen while I try to gauge the Ring's power."
Elrond sensed the troubled minds of the Council, but he nodded in response to the Lady's request. He drew back, and the rest of the Council followed his actions, some a little more reluctantly than others.
When there was enough space, Camille sighed, and looked at Eli. "Eli, you'll support me?"
"Yeah, I will," replied the other Lady as she too got up.
With a sigh, Camille looked at the Ring. "Okay, here goes nothing." So saying, she held one hand over the Ring, and closed her eyes, concentrating.
Elrond looked on at the strange sight before him. What does the Lady intend to do? As he watched, however, he began to notice something. A red glow seemed to emanate from Camille's body, and that light flowed through her fingers and down into the Ring. A strange wind picked up, and swirled around her, throwing her cloak back and making the hem of her dress flutter in strange directions.
Her brow furrowed, and, to Elrond's surprise, the Ring started to slowly lift up from the pedestal, surrounded in a globe of red light. It spun slowly within the globe, and the markings that were written on it began to appear.
However, this seemed to be a massive effort for the girl, because she cried, "ELI!!! Help me!!!"
In moments, Eli was by her side, her hands held out around the red globe as a blue light issued forth from her body and mingled with the red. The Ring spun even faster in the globe now, the combined forces of red and blue-colored energy making it twirl and the markings glow ever brighter.
Elrond gazed worriedly at the two young girls. They had their eyes closed in immense concentration, their lips were set in grim lines, and their brows were knit together in an attempt to focus their force on the Ring. Within the globe, a swirl of dark energy seemed to emanate from the Ring, and apparently, it was this force that they were trying to contain.
But the evil of the Ring was too great for them. There was a loud CRACK, as that of thunder, and the girls were hurled back from their positions, almost striking the wall had not Aragorn and Boromir been there to prevent it. The Ring dropped back to the pedestal, the Elvish writing glowing before slowly winking out, even as it emitted a small stream of smoke.
Elrond approached the girls, who were now sitting on the ground, groaning and rubbing their heads. Kneeling down beside them, he asked, "Are you hurt?"
* * *
Camille groaned, and rubbed her head with her hand. "Oh, that hurt like HELL…" Her energy was almost completely drained now, thanks to her attempt at trying to contain the evil within the One Ring of Power. Boy, Elrond wasn't kidding about evil that thing is! Makes me wonder how Frodo and Bilbo managed to survive having it around them all the time…
Somewhere in the world outside her muddled mind, she heard Elrond ask them, "Are you hurt?"
Camille blinked, trying to clear her vision of the tiny black sparks that clouded it, and got up, grabbing Boromir's arm for support. "No, not really…" She glanced over at Eli, and noticed that she was in a no better state, leaning heavily on Aragorn as she staggered to a standing position. "But I think we know EXACTLY what we're going to have to deal with here."
"Evil in its purest form," Eli whispered, swallowing breath after breath. "An evil so strong that nothing in this world or in ours can match it. Not even a single spark of good in all that wickedness…"
"What WAS that?" Frodo asked them, his large Hobbit eyes wide in amazement and concern. "What did you just do?"
Camille smiled wearily at Frodo. "We don't have a name for that technique, but Eli and I have always been able to do it. And it was because of our so-called powers that we were shunned and avoided in our world. Everyone thought we were too weird."
Elrond spoke again. "Now that you know what Frodo has to deal with, I have a request for you both." He paused, and then said, "I wish that you join him and his companions on their quest to destroy the Ring."
Eli raised an eyebrow lazily. "Join them? Why? Look, when there's something THAT evil involved, I don't want to get tangled up in its affairs."
Camille grinned at Eli. "Eli, let's look at this logically, okay? They're going to be going out of Rivendell for Mordor, right?"
"Right."
"Elrond said that there are Spirits somewhere out there that need to be awakened, didn't he?"
"Yeah."
"And there's this prophecy that says two girls from another world will awaken them."
"So my memory tells me."
"We're from another world, of course."
"Duh."
Camille grinned. "Thus, the best option for the both of us is to go with Frodo on his trip, find the Spirits, wake them up, help Frodo out, and THEN go back home! If these Spirits are as powerful as Elrond says they are, then we can always have them rip a dimensional portal for us so we can go back home."
Eli scowled. "How sure are you that it'll work?"
"I'm not really sure, but hey, that's part of the adventure of the whole affair, right?!"
"Yeah right. The last time I followed your advice, I ended up in the middle of nowhere with a dozen Orcs on my tail."
"Okay, so maybe I was wrong about the shortcut through the woods, but even then, this is FATE! Even if we DIDN'T go down the path, we STILL would've ended up here! And besides, it's better that we were taken while walking rather than while we were taking dinner with the 'rents or in the middle of class! We're weird enough as it is without having to complicate things further with what they'd call an alien abduction!"
"What do I care if people think I'm weird? I don't give a damn about what other people say, and you know it. And as for Fate…I don't believe in it either. Whatever our lives are is what we make them to be, NOT the makings of some omnipotent being."
Camille's temper suddenly flickered into action. "Then you might as well make the best of the current situation and come along! We're here, and there's nothing we can do about it! We've GOT to find those Spirits, Eli! They're our only ticket out of here!!"
That did it. Eli clamped her mouth shut, and stared at the people who had gathered around Frodo for the trip. After a long moment, she turned to Elrond, and muttered, "Fine, I'll go with them."
"And I'll go too!" Camille declared, happy that she had managed to get Eli to go with them. Truth be told, I would've gone with Frodo even if Eli didn't want to come, but I'd miss her too much.
Elrond looked at them, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Very well then. We only lack one more to complete the Nine…"
Suddenly, from behind the pillars, the three other Hobbits – Sam, Merry, and Pippin, if Camille remembered right – jumped out, and stood beside Frodo.
"We'll come with Frodo, if Lord Elrond will allow," Merry said, and though he appeared brave and strong, Camille could detect a faint hint of fear in his voice.
"That's right! There is no way I will be leaving my cousin to go about this alone!" Pippin declared.
Sam was quieter than his companions, and yet he said, "I made a promise to accompany Master Frodo wherever he may go, and I will keep my word."
Camille looked at Elrond, and noticed that he seemed a little startled at these sudden turn of events, but he shook his head, then said, "I had only asked for Nine, but since you three Hobbits seem insistent on going, then you may. You eleven shall be known as the Fellowship of the Ring."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: MWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! I HAVE DONE IT!!!!! I HAVE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO MAKE ELROND FEEL AFRAID!!!! AND OF GIRLS, FOR THAT FACT!!! MWAAHAHAHAHAH!!! Um, that was wrong, right cringes? For all you Elrond and Boromir fans, I'm SO MUCHO SORRY if I made them look bad in this chapter. The girls really DID have a reason for getting mad at Elrond (we ALL want to scream at our parents like this sometimes and for the same reasons, right?), and as for Boromir…I just wanted to make him look bad. But Boromir fans, I PROMISE, in the upcoming chapters, your hero will NOT be insulted anymore! In fact, I think you're going to like what I'm going to do for him grins. Ooh, fluffy, fluffy ^_~… Just stay tuned and keep on reading! Au revoir!!