The Traveler: Chapter Twelve

The Council began early the next morning. The sun's light had barely begun to warm the air before Ariana found herself seated in a large circle with Legolas on one side and Gandalf on the other. Beside Legolas and Gandalf, many people she'd never seen before in her entire life surrounded Ariana. Elrond stood off to Ariana's right, before a large seat set away from the rest of the group. As Ariana's eyes traveled around the circle, Legolas quietly explained who each person was.

Only a few of the names stuck out in her memory though, the four small hobbits that sat across from her, for example. Ariana studied each of the four, stopping for a moment on Frodo Baggins. He sat almost exactly across from her and as her gaze feel across him, he looked up at her. Their eyes locked for a second, but it was enough for Ariana to notice his eyes were extremely blue and filled with a certain amount of sorrow. Ariana remember the tale Legolas and Gandalf had told her. Frodo had faced an enormous amount of evil as he bared the One Ring to Mordor and it still showed on his small face.

Next to the hobbit sat three men from the city of Gondor. According to Legolas, the man in the middle was King Aragorn, not so long ago known as Strider. He sat proudly in his chair; a small crown perched on the top of his head. Ariana did notice a small trace of a smile creep onto his face as two of the hobbits got into a small argument. The two were Merry and Pippin; "two hobbits that were the best of friends", Legolas told her.

Seated next were three dwarves. Ariana couldn't believe how odd they looked. She supposed her mind's eye automatically pictured Doc and Dopey when she heard dwarves but that picture couldn't be farther from the truth. The three had large beards that covered most of their faces. They talked to each other quickly and barely noticed the rest of the group around them.

One of the dwarves kept casting his glance in their direction though. Ariana finally realized it was meant for Legolas. He laughed and looked over at the dwarf. "My old friend, Gimli. He could never be trusted to keep himself out of other's private matters." The elf chuckled to himself and looked back at Ariana. She smiled back at him and looked down at her hands.

Legolas watched her for a few minutes then he also looked down to her hands. She had them clasped together in her lap. Her knuckles where quickly turning white. Legolas placed his hand on top of hers and gave them a small squeeze. Ariana looked back up at him and gave a slight smile.

At the moment, Lord Elrond stood up from his seat and looked around at the faces in front of him. His strong clear voice suddenly broke the quiet that had settled on the Council.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, we have joined here today to answer the threat of Mordor. The prophecy of Nahron has come true. The Traveler of Sauron has appeared in Middle Earth. The threat of Mordor is growing more powerful each day. We must decide what should be done if Sauron gains his power."

Elrond looked at the faces around him. Some showed fear, others concern, but one showed nothing but pain. Ariana had barely heard the first words of his speech before a powerful headache shocked her. She barely kept herself from moaning as the pain washed over her.

She faintly heard Aragorn as he asked, "The Traveler has reached Mordor?"

Gandalf spoke gently from beside her. "No, the Traveler was found in the woods of Mirkwood."

A few eyes fell upon Legolas at the mention of Mirkwood. He returned most of the looks, though he kept his thoughts to himself. Gandalf had told him earlier to speak no word of Ariana's true identity.

A small voice spoke up across from Ariana. She raised her head to see Frodo cast a glance at Aragorn before turning to Gandalf. "And now?"

Gandalf paused for a moment before he spoke again. "The Traveler rests now in Rivendall."

A few soft murmurs were heard as Gandalf words sunk in to most. Though suddenly a powerful voice burst forth from dwarves. The dwarf Legolas had told Ariana was Gimli could barely hide his excitement. "Well bring him forth! Surely he will listen to reason and join out fight against Sauron!"

Ariana looked down at her hands and stayed silent. She knew Gandalf must have his reason for keeping the fact she was the traveler a secret. She watched her feet as she heard Gandalf take a long sigh.

"The decision of the Traveler cannot be made lightly, Master Dwarf," Gandalf said almost sadly. Ariana cringed a little, but kept her thoughts to herself. "For Middle Earth to live, the Traveler must die. It is hardly a choice to be made in haste."

Ariana bit her lip and kept her head lowered. She felt the pain in the back of her head and a slight sick feeling passed over her.

Legolas looked over to Ariana. Her skin was pale and her hair had fallen over her ears to cover her face. He kept himself from reaching over and tucking it behind her ear.

Merry looked to Pippin, then back to Gandalf. He'd heard only stories about the wizard Nahron and his prophecy of the end of Middle Earth. At least, he's only thought they were stories. The sudden news that they in fact were true caused a sudden chill down his spine. "What will happen if the Traveler sides with Sauron?" his small voice asked.

Elrond looked at the hobbit. "The Dark Lord will have all the power he needs to cover all of Middle Earth in darkness. It will be as though the One Ring was never destroyed."

Ariana gently touched her head. The pain felt as though her head was splitting down the middle. Her vision blurred for a few seconds and she closed her eyes.

Pippin, taking the cue from Merry, quickly asked, "And if he sides with us?"

Elrond looked to Gandalf, who paused for a few seconds, studying the small hobbit. "Sauron's power will be destroyed. The shadow in Mirkwood will fade. The threat will die."

Ariana took a few deep breaths and looked up. She saw across from her that Frodo was watching her. His face was filled with concern. Ariana gave him a weak smile and lowered her head again.

"The armies of Mordor will be unstoppable if Sauron gains his power," Aragorn said softly, almost to himself. "Even with the help of the Elves we would not be able to stop them."

The council sat silent as Aragorn's words sank in. Some bowed their heads, deep in thought. Others looked to Aragorn, then to Gandalf or Elrond, looking for a word of comfort.

Gimli's voice rang out again in the silence. "It seems to me, the best idea is to talk wit this Traveler. See if we can get him to join us!"

Elrond looked to Gandalf, who silently shook his head. Gandalf looked over to Ariana, who once again had her eyes closed.

Ariana felt as though she was about to scream. Her head was throbbing and her body felt weak. Whatever was causing her headache was slowly spreading throughout her, causing her hands to shake.

Gandalf gently touched Ariana's trembling hand and leaned close to her. "Ariana," he said quietly.

She looked over to him. She had tears in her eyes but she seemed a little calmer. Gandalf gave her a small smile then looked back down at Gimli. "The Traveler will make they're decision when they are ready, Gimli, son of Gloin."

Ariana wanted to stand up and scream at everyone around her. She had this sudden urge to run from everyone and everything around her, but she didn't have the strength to do it. The rest of the council passed her by in a blur. Every once in awhile she felt Legolas' warm hand squeeze hers reassuringly, but it didn't help her aches. All she wanted was to get away from the Council. It wasn't just that the arguing made her head hurt even worse, but the fact she had to sit there caused her pain. Every time she looked up to find Frodo's blue eyes filled with concern for her it almost ripped her heart in two.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ariana heard the shuffle of feet. She opened her eyes and saw that most of the Council had stood up and were speaking together in small groups.

Legolas still sat beside her, his hand resting atop of hers. Ariana gave it a squeeze and smiled at him. Legolas smiled back and helped her out of her seat. Her knees gave a small wobble but held her up.

"How do you feel?" he asked her quietly. Ariana looked around. No one seemed to be listening to them but she replied in a quiet voice. "I got a little light headed, but I'm fine now, honest."

Legolas nodded his head and looked over her shoulder. Gandalf stood behind them, talking quietly with Elrond. When the wizard saw the elf looked at him, Gandalf gave him a small nod of his head and then turned back to Elrond. Legolas looked back into Ariana's eyes and smiled at her again. "There's nothing more you need to see here. Let me help you back to your room so you can rest."

Ariana gave him a genuine smile. "Like Gandalf said?" She laughed quietly and looked around herself. No one seemed to notice her except for the hobbits. They stood in a small circle, watching her and the elf. Ariana quickly looked back at Legolas as he slipped his arm around her waist and helped her away from the Council.

****Notes****

::groans:: Oh man. This chapter… ::sighs:: What a pain in the ass. I remember I wrote this while actually watching The Fellowship. I had a sheet of paper on my lap and as I was watching the Council scene from the movie, I wrote this kinda in play format, just with everyone's words. I got a little antsy around the other characters. I didn't want to portray them in the wrong light or anything. So yeah, that's about all I got. I think I'm going to fold up shop, head back home, plan my family's future. [Yep. I own everything. Mauhahahahaha! Er, wait. Except for all those characters that can be found in any of Tolien's work. So, how many characters could that be? Three? Four?]