Disclaimer: I own Drake, Amy, and Celeb'loki. Everything else belongs to
Tolkien.
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Chapter II - The Fellowship of Nine, Plus Two
Drake crouched in front of the hobbit, studying her. The hobbit shifted uncomfortably under the green-gold gaze.
"So," muttered Drake, "who are you, and why are you here?"
"My name is Amaranth Took," the hobbit answered, scowling. "I'm here because my cousin is here, and I followed him. The boys always have all the adventures...." She trailed off, still scowling.
"Your cousin would be the one who Mithrandir refers to as 'Fool of a Took?'"
Amaranth gave Drake a blank look. "Mithrandir?"
"Gandalf," Drake told her, smiling. She had forgotten that the hobbits of the Shire knew the old wizard by a different name than did the Elves.
"Oh! Yes, that's Pippin," Amaranth replied, grinning. "He's always getting into trouble. Why are you here?" She glanced at Drake's armor. "I didn't know female Elves were warriors, too."
"They aren't usually," Drake said, chuckling, "but I'm King Thranduil's bodyguard - Thranduil's the King of Mirkwood - and he sent me to keep an eye on his son." She jerked a thumb toward the Council Room. "My name's Dracoriel Ithilnor - that would be Moonfire in the Common Speech - but you can call me Drake."
"Frodo's Uncle Bilbo went to Mirkwood!" exclaimed the hobbit. But he told us that the Elves locked up his friends the Dwarves, and they had to escape in barrels." She giggled.
"You know Bilbo Baggins?" Drake asked, surprised.
"Yup. He lives here now, in Rivendell, and he's at the Council. How do you know him?"
"It's true about the Elves imprisoning the Dwarves, but Thranduil's just very paranoid. I helped them escape, and sent them down the river in barrels." Drake laughed, but then her face darkened. "But if I'd known what their mission was, I would have personally shut every Dwarf, and the hobbit, into a deeper, darker dungeon."
Amaranth looked puzzled. "Their mission was to destroy the dragon Smaug, and to take the Dwarves' treasure back," she said slowly. "I would think that that would seem a noble quest to an Elf. Elves despise dragons."
"All but one," muttered Drake.
Suddenly, the low voices coming from the Council Room were raised in anger, and Drake leapt to her feet, listening intently. The word "ring" was repeated several times, but everything else was lost in the jumble of voices. Then a small voice, reminding Drake of Bilbo's, shouted "I will take it!" and the angry voices stopped. A few voices spoke again, one by one, and Drake thought she heard Legolas's among them.
Then came a scraping of chairs, and the Council was ended.
Drake pushed Amaranth behind her and stepped to the side as the door of the Council Room opened. The Council members filed out, led by Elrond. Drake watched as Elves, Men, Dwarves, and a single hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins passed. The last nine were an odd assortment - Mithrandir, four more hobbits (whom Amaranth identified as Bilbo's young cousin Frodo, Frodo's gardener Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and her cousin Pippin Took), a dwarf, Aragorn, another man, and Legolas. These nine were talking among themselves, though Legolas and the Dwarf (who was the son of one of Bilbo's Dwarven companions) were pointedly ignoring each other, but Aragorn saw Drake and winked at her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hours later, Drake was once again stationed in her tree. Amaranth, who had asked Drake to call her "Amy," was sleeping at the tree's base. She had washed, and was dressed in some clothing Drake had "borrowed" from Pippin's room.
Aragorn was again wandering the grounds. Drake called to him, and he came over to her.
"What happened at the Council?" she asked, leaning out of her tree.
Aragorn told her of the finding of the One Ring, and of the forming of the Fellowship of the Ring. Upon hearing that Legolas was part of this Fellowship, Drake sighed. She had thought that Legolas would return to Mirkwood after the Council, and that she would as well.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
About a week before the Fellowship was to leave Rivendell, the Elf lord Glorfindel discovered Drake and Amy, and insisted that they sleep inside. He had apparently noticed Loki in the stables when tending to his own horse, Asfaloth. Drake accepted the rooms he offered them only after Glorfindel swore that he would tell no one, especially Legolas, that she was there.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The day the Fellowship left, Glorfindel brought some provisions for the journey to Drake. She was in the stable, tending to Loki. She had decided to go by foot, as the nine members of the Fellowship were, leaving Loki in Glorfindel's care
"Here," said Glorfindel, handing a small knapsack to Drake. "There's enough in there for a week or so, if the hobbit doesn't eat the six meals a day she's probably used to."
Drake grinned. "Don't worry. I won't let her eat it all. Hanno le. Namariƫ."
Then she turned, embraced Loki one last time, and left Rivendell with Amy at her heels.
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A/N: Ah, another chapter come and gone. Hanno le (thank you) to everyone who's reviewed! For the rest of you, here's the chance to redeem yourselves. *points toward the Review button*
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Chapter II - The Fellowship of Nine, Plus Two
Drake crouched in front of the hobbit, studying her. The hobbit shifted uncomfortably under the green-gold gaze.
"So," muttered Drake, "who are you, and why are you here?"
"My name is Amaranth Took," the hobbit answered, scowling. "I'm here because my cousin is here, and I followed him. The boys always have all the adventures...." She trailed off, still scowling.
"Your cousin would be the one who Mithrandir refers to as 'Fool of a Took?'"
Amaranth gave Drake a blank look. "Mithrandir?"
"Gandalf," Drake told her, smiling. She had forgotten that the hobbits of the Shire knew the old wizard by a different name than did the Elves.
"Oh! Yes, that's Pippin," Amaranth replied, grinning. "He's always getting into trouble. Why are you here?" She glanced at Drake's armor. "I didn't know female Elves were warriors, too."
"They aren't usually," Drake said, chuckling, "but I'm King Thranduil's bodyguard - Thranduil's the King of Mirkwood - and he sent me to keep an eye on his son." She jerked a thumb toward the Council Room. "My name's Dracoriel Ithilnor - that would be Moonfire in the Common Speech - but you can call me Drake."
"Frodo's Uncle Bilbo went to Mirkwood!" exclaimed the hobbit. But he told us that the Elves locked up his friends the Dwarves, and they had to escape in barrels." She giggled.
"You know Bilbo Baggins?" Drake asked, surprised.
"Yup. He lives here now, in Rivendell, and he's at the Council. How do you know him?"
"It's true about the Elves imprisoning the Dwarves, but Thranduil's just very paranoid. I helped them escape, and sent them down the river in barrels." Drake laughed, but then her face darkened. "But if I'd known what their mission was, I would have personally shut every Dwarf, and the hobbit, into a deeper, darker dungeon."
Amaranth looked puzzled. "Their mission was to destroy the dragon Smaug, and to take the Dwarves' treasure back," she said slowly. "I would think that that would seem a noble quest to an Elf. Elves despise dragons."
"All but one," muttered Drake.
Suddenly, the low voices coming from the Council Room were raised in anger, and Drake leapt to her feet, listening intently. The word "ring" was repeated several times, but everything else was lost in the jumble of voices. Then a small voice, reminding Drake of Bilbo's, shouted "I will take it!" and the angry voices stopped. A few voices spoke again, one by one, and Drake thought she heard Legolas's among them.
Then came a scraping of chairs, and the Council was ended.
Drake pushed Amaranth behind her and stepped to the side as the door of the Council Room opened. The Council members filed out, led by Elrond. Drake watched as Elves, Men, Dwarves, and a single hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins passed. The last nine were an odd assortment - Mithrandir, four more hobbits (whom Amaranth identified as Bilbo's young cousin Frodo, Frodo's gardener Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and her cousin Pippin Took), a dwarf, Aragorn, another man, and Legolas. These nine were talking among themselves, though Legolas and the Dwarf (who was the son of one of Bilbo's Dwarven companions) were pointedly ignoring each other, but Aragorn saw Drake and winked at her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hours later, Drake was once again stationed in her tree. Amaranth, who had asked Drake to call her "Amy," was sleeping at the tree's base. She had washed, and was dressed in some clothing Drake had "borrowed" from Pippin's room.
Aragorn was again wandering the grounds. Drake called to him, and he came over to her.
"What happened at the Council?" she asked, leaning out of her tree.
Aragorn told her of the finding of the One Ring, and of the forming of the Fellowship of the Ring. Upon hearing that Legolas was part of this Fellowship, Drake sighed. She had thought that Legolas would return to Mirkwood after the Council, and that she would as well.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
About a week before the Fellowship was to leave Rivendell, the Elf lord Glorfindel discovered Drake and Amy, and insisted that they sleep inside. He had apparently noticed Loki in the stables when tending to his own horse, Asfaloth. Drake accepted the rooms he offered them only after Glorfindel swore that he would tell no one, especially Legolas, that she was there.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The day the Fellowship left, Glorfindel brought some provisions for the journey to Drake. She was in the stable, tending to Loki. She had decided to go by foot, as the nine members of the Fellowship were, leaving Loki in Glorfindel's care
"Here," said Glorfindel, handing a small knapsack to Drake. "There's enough in there for a week or so, if the hobbit doesn't eat the six meals a day she's probably used to."
Drake grinned. "Don't worry. I won't let her eat it all. Hanno le. Namariƫ."
Then she turned, embraced Loki one last time, and left Rivendell with Amy at her heels.
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A/N: Ah, another chapter come and gone. Hanno le (thank you) to everyone who's reviewed! For the rest of you, here's the chance to redeem yourselves. *points toward the Review button*
