Nother chapter-apter-apter… o.0;;; I'm scarring myself. Well, ANYWAY! Tee hee… read, read read! Thankies!

~Hoshiko

Before the Departure

            Param and Terry led their friends through the halls of Imladris to a room full of books and a statue holding a horn. On the wall was a painting, and when they reached the room, Param and Terry stepped out from their view. The other two hobbits looked in awe, and wondered into the room.

'When did you find this?' Ondril asked, and his eyes fell onto the painting.

'We were looking around, and we found it. We got the book here.' Param said excitedly, putting the book back. Ondril didn't hear him, though; he was still looking at the painting.

'That's a nice one, isn't it?' Terry said, and stood back, admiring it. Brom had found it, too, and he looked on in awe.

'They look like… us…' he said, and Param nodded.

'Yes, it's the Fellowship. See? That's the hobbits, and the Ranger Relnik was talking about, Strider. The other human, Boromir, the dwarf, Gimli, and the elf Legolas.' He said, obviously proud of his knowledge. And he was right, for there in front of them was a gigantic painting of the Fellowship of the Ring. The humans, elf, Gandalf were in back, and Gimli and the hobbits in the middle. They're expressions were grave, but brave, though Merry was giving Pippin a look like he couldn't believe what he was saying. 'And we think we know who everyone of the hobbits are.' He said, and was about to explain it when Ondril reached out to the painting as if to touch something that wasn't really there.

'Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin…' Ondril said, and Terry nodded.

'Yes! But how did you know that?' he asked, and Ondril shook his head.

'Just… knew…' he said, and Terry and Param nodded, Terry nudging Param. They left the other two alone in the room, sense they had been there a lot sense their arrival in Rivendell. Brom looked up in the picture, still in awe, almost frightened of it. After a while he shook his head, and sat down in the chair that was there. Ondril became frightened that something was wrong, and he was about to say something when Brom interrupted.

'Remember yesterday when I said I was having visions?' he asked, and Ondril nodded.

'Yes.'

'Well, Mr. Frodo, I just had another one…' he said, and Ondril looked at him, startled.

'What did you call me?'

'Mr. Ondril.'

'No, you called me Frodo.'

'I did? Well, it's just, this vision-'

'No, it' ok Sam. I am Frodo.' He said, and embraced his best friend for the first time in a very, very long time.

'Oh, Mr. Frodo!' Brom said, half crying. 'I've been thinking that I've gone mad, thinking that you were him, and I was Sam!' he said, and they let go of each other.

'I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time, Sam.' Ondril said, and smiled. Brom smiled, too, but the smile turned to a frown.

'Mr. Frodo, why did you say you'd take it again? You know what happened last time, and I don't want you to go through that again!' he said, and Ondril shook his head.

'It needs to be done, Brom. I had no choice.' He said, and Brom nodded.

'Yes… I think I understand, just… I wish there was another way.'

'So do I, Sam, so do I.'

'And Param and Terry, they're…'

'Pippin and Merry.' Ondril said, but looked behind him. 'But don't tell them that. They don't know yet, and Brendalin told me not to tell them.'

Brom nodded. 'Of course, Mr. Frodo.' He said, and they stayed, looking at the old artifacts around the room. They found many books written about the Fellowship, and the broken horn of Gondor being held by the statue that used to be the home of the Shards of Narsil.

They stayed in the room for a good amount of time before Param and Terry came in, seeing if they wanted to come to the dinning-hall for dinner. They agreed to, and when they got there they found that dinner had all ready started. They took seats at the end, and started eating, listening to the dwarf's conversation, which, as usual, was picking on Froin.

'Are you sure your going to be able to handle being one of the only female's there, Froin?' a rather fat one asked, and she shrugged.

'You're just jealous. You want to be female, and you know it.' She said, and the dwarves, who had all ready been laughing burst out in a rather loud boom of voices. The other dwarf turned a rather bright red, and she smiled contently with herself.

'Just try to control yourself, all right?' he said, and they stopped laughing to hear her response.

'I suggest the same for you on the return home.' She said, and they roared with laughter again. Even the hobbits laughed at this, though the elves shuddered and turned the other way.

Now, you might consider these jokes rather crude or unreasonable, but they are really not. For you see, Dwarven woman hardly ever leave their homes under the mountains, and when they do, it is only for something like retrieving a child or lost item.

When one does so, they are normally alone, for Dwarven women fight just as well as Dwarven men, and they are hardly distinguishable from the males. They have beards, though not as long, and they have deep voices, though not as deep. Their beards tend to cover their more distinguishable features, and they tend to be very gruff. The fact that Froin left the mines to come on this journey is very rare among the dwarves, and the fact that she offered to go along with the Fellowship is even rarer.

 So the jokes that were being said about her and her responses are very acceptable in Dwarven culture. This was most likely normal, and if the dwarf being picked on felt violated in any way they just had to ask for them to stop they would. The jokes do not show lack of respect, but a very high level of it, and are nothing out of the ordinary.

They ate the rest of dinner in this fashion, the elves leaving in a short time, as they were quick eaters, and left only the men, dwarves and hobbits behind. The hobbits, by this time, had had a few wines and were starting to loosen up a bit. They started laughing with the dwarves, and after a while the conversation turned to songs. The dwarves had been singing some of their own songs, but now one of the dwarves turned to Brom and nudged him with his elbows.

'Let's hear some of yours! I want to see what hobbits have locked up in their mind's' he said, and Brom looked at the others, and Param and Terry jumped up onto their chairs, grinning.

'You want to hear a song, do you?'

'Which one do you suggest, Param?'

'I believe our personal favorite is called for this occasion.' They then started off together in a song like their grandfather's thousands of years before in the comfortable Green Dragon.

Hey! Ho! To the bottle we go!

For our thirst is high, just like our woe

There's rain that falls, and wind that blows

Nice would be ale as along we go

Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain

And the stream that falls from hill to plain.

Better than rain or rippling brook

 Is a mug of beer inside this Took!

Param finished, and they smiled cheekily at each other. They had heard the original song from Ondril when they were young hobbit-lads, and had changed the first part to their own liking. It was a personal favorite.

The dwarves broke out in laughter and started clapping widely. They hadn't thought that the hobbits would have such a song. Param and Terry bowed and sat, laughing the whole time. They spent a good part of the rest of the night like this, sharing songs of their cultures. This proved that, again, hobbits and dwarves could form a common bond with each other.

They were scheduled to stay in the Last Homely house for another month, while the elves went out to see that none of the Nazgul had come for them. The hobbits received sword lessons from Dweller, and when they were sure the Nazgul had not come back, Relnohen gathered the group together.

'You will leave in the next week. Make sure you have everything you will need, and ask if there is something you don't have.' He said, and they heeded him, checking their packs thoroughly before they left. When the day came, they gathered early in the morning and only had to await the hobbits and Dweller.

The hobbits were being led by Dweller to a small building behind the main one. When they got there Dweller opened the door quietly and ushered them inside. There they found another room like the one Param and Terry had found and shown Brom and Ondril, but full of armor.

'Relnohen was very cautious about us using the old equipment; he would only let us take the swords.' She said, which explained the reason of their coming there. She went to the opposite side and took four swords. The hobbit's old swords.

'How did you get these?' Brom asked, taking the one that had been his companion years before.

'Relnohen has told me of a great fire in the Shire many years ago. During this fire the swords were lost, and were picked up by dark men, who also came to Imladris to try and obtain some artifacts from here. He caught them, though, and made them give him the stolen artifacts. He had tried to give them to the right people in the Shire, but no one claimed them, so he could not. He kept them instead, giving them a shrine in the sword room.' She said, and the other's nodded. She gave Ondril Sting, and the other's their rightful swords. 'You have them according to your last name.' she said, and they nodded their thanks. 'We must leave, now, they are waiting for us.' She then led them out the door, and down to where they were greeted by Relnohen.

'I see you are now properly equipped.' He said, and looked solemnly at the group of nine in front of him. 'The world of Middle-earth rests on your shoulders. I give you the luck of the elves to go with, and I hope to see you back here in a rather short amount of time with your task finished. None of you are held by any oath or vow and if you feel you cannot go on you may return. We understand.' He said, and they bowed, Brendalin having Ondril lead them out of Imladris.

'Brendalin…' he said, and Brendalin looked down at him.

'Yes?'

'It's left, isn't it?'

'Yes.' Brendalin answered, and they turned, walking down the road to the left of them. As they walked, Teredon walked to the front of the group, looking ahead.

'What path are we taking, Brendalin?'

'I plan to go over the High Pass, take the Old Road down to the Old Bridge. From there our journey takes us south, following the Anduin to Mordor.' Brendalin answered, and Teredon nodded.

''Tis a dangerous road.'

'Yes it is, but we have no other choice. There are more evil things dwelling on the West side of the Misty Mountains than on the East, or even in Mirkwood.' He said, face grave.