Disclaimer: Everything concerning Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien. The script of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring belongs to New Line Cinema. No money is being made.
The Imperfect One
By: JDArc
Chapter Six: Revelations of An Ancient Prophecy
After the Council, Elenmírë, Elrond and Gandalf walked toward Elrond's private office to discuss a few certain things involving her that the two males were sure she would not like. As soon as they settled inside with Elenmírë sitting across from both her father and Gandalf at a table, she burst out with questions that she had withheld since the beginning of the Council.
"Father, Gandalf, why was Mary Sue there?" she asked urgently, looking from one to the other and back again. "And where were Elladan and Elrohir?" Elrond sighed.
"That is why we have brought you here," he said slowly. "Gandalf and I have discovered a long forgotten prophecy, some of which is written on the One Ring. At first, we did not know what it all meant until Legolas arrived with Mary Sue, and that was when it became more clear."
"What became clear?" Her voice was just above a whisper, small and timid, as if she were afraid of the answer. The looks on their faces unnerved her, and she knew not how to deal with it. 'Is Mary Sue that important to all this?' she longed to ask, but the words caught in her throat, and her intuition was already telling her yes.
"Mary Sue has yet to know this, but her coming to Middle Earth had been foreshadowed long ago in this prophecy," Gandalf explained. "What we gather from its riddle is that she is the One sent to help save Middle Earth from the Darkness of Mordor." At first, Elenmírë cracked a small smile, thinking it only a joke, and waited for them to tell her the truth. However, their stern expressions erased her doubts away, and she shook her head vigorously.
"But that can't be," she denied, torn between laughing hysterically and bursting into tears. She had thought that when she was allowed to journey with the Fellowship, she would have been rid of Mary Sue for good, at least for a little while. "She cares not for our world, but only for the love of the Prince of Mirkwood does she stay! How can she, a simple human girl, save all of Middle Earth? She is but a weakling!"
"Elenmírë," Elrond started, his voice hinted with a touch of warning. "Your judgment of her will play no part in this. Her role is vital to our success over the Dark Lord. It has already been laid out in the prophecy, and we will not be the ones to hinder fate." He placed a loving hand over hers as she looked away, and his voice grew tender with fatherly affection. "My dear, I did not wish it to be so when you vowed your blade to protect Frodo, but you are one of the Ten that the prediction speaks of. Half of the prophecy has already been fulfilled. Who are we to deter the destiny of Middle Earth? Mary Sue must travel with the Fellowship, and this reality will be much easier to deal with if you accept it."
"How can you be so sure it is she that this prophecy speaks of?" she demanded, tears welling in her eyes. "Why is it that my fate is to risk my life to protect the one I loathe with all my being? It does not seem fair! I wish none of this had happened!"
"Ah, child," Gandalf pacified, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." He bestowed upon her a smile of reassurance. "There are many other forces at work in this world besides the will of evil, and that is an encouraging thought."
"None of this is encouraging, Gandalf," she whispered stubbornly, the light of her being wavering slightly. "If my only purpose in this world was merely to become an expert of the sword to protect her, then none of this is encouraging at all!"
"But, Elenmírë, you are not protecting just her life, but the life of all the Free Peoples of Middle Earth," Elrond pointed out, "and that is encouraging for you are a strong warrior. Think of it only in this way if you must: protect her only for the sake of our world, my dear." She bowed her head, rebellion seeping out of her bones, but she could not yet agree until she had seen all the proof pointing to Mary Sue's necessary involvement.
"I wish to see it," she stated, her voice even. "I want to see this prophecy." Elrond lifted a thin sheet of parchment from a stack of papers at his side and gently placed it on the tabletop, pushing it in her direction. The words were written with a steady hand, but the black ink had faded into a dark indigo, and the thick layer of dust that had covered the forgotten parchment had been hastily swept to the sides where it collected in bunches and clung to the edges. Her eyes slowly scanned over the runes, and it read thus:
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky;
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
Hope yet dwells in one savior alone
Assisted by a Fellowship of Ten
On the journey, powers she will hone
Far greater than those of her forefathers of Men.
From a faraway land hidden from all
She will emerge with the strangest of light
By her sword the Great Evil shall fall
The world will see naught another black night.
One life saved, One doomed to end
And two lives made into one.
A broken heart shall slowly mend
Then the deeds of the Ten will be done.
"As you see," Elrond said softly, "Mary Sue does fit all descriptions of the One. She is of another world that no one has seen, and she is of the line of Men. When Legolas had first informed us of how she arrived in Northern Mirkwood, she had appeared amid dazzling light. There is no doubt left in our minds of why she is here."
"It does point to her," Elenmírë admitted, keeping her eyes downcast to prevent the two from reading her emotions.
"We shall inform her this afternoon," he informed her. "We wanted her at the Council today to prepare her for what exactly she will be dealing with, even thought she knows nothing of this yet."
"And what of Elladan and Elrohir?" she asked, desperately looking for a change of subject. She hated talking about how important Mary Sue was to the future of them all, and she did not want another bout of jealousy to wash over her. "Why were they not with us at the Council?"
"While we were at the Council, they were gathering a group of scouts to travel to our allies," Elrond explained. "We had a long discussion early this morning, and inquiries of what happened to the Black Riders surfaced. Both felt it was important to discover what has become of them and to warn others to keep a watch for them. After the Council, they left immediately with Aragorn, and they will be back as soon as possible."
"I should have gone with them!" Elenmírë cried out in surprise at the news. She hated being left behind, and the fact that they had decided this without her hurt her immensely for they had never left her out of their affairs before.
"No, Elenmírë, we needed you here for another purpose," Gandalf clarified, his eyes twinkling. "Elladan and Elrohir had both given testimony that you are indeed great with the Elven blade. 'The best of the Guard,' they had said, and your expertise will be needed here. Besides, we were well aware of your fear of the outside world, Elenmírë-"
"Because of my parents, you mean," she cut in, her eyes filling with sorrow, but it made no sense to her at all. "But why, then, would you allow me leave for a dangerous mission with the Fellowship, but refuse my participation on a simple scouting expedition?"
"Your involvement in the Fellowship is foretold in the prophecy," Gandalf reiterated. "Besides, you would not want someone sent in your place to watch over Mary Sue and Legolas, now, would you?" A hot blush painted her cheeks and she ducked her head in embarrassment.
"No." Gandalf gave a low chuckle at her response. 'How is it he knows so much?' she thought idly before turning to her father to rescue her from more humiliation.
"Like we mentioned earlier, your expertise will be needed here while the scouting parties are away," Elrond stated quickly. "You must train Mary Sue."
"What!" she exploded, her eyes growing wide with distress. "B-But, father, you cannot be serious?" He met her gaze and nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, Elenmírë, I am," he answered sternly. "As much as you hate the idea, it must be done. We do not know when Mary Sue's powers will emerge, so you must train her with the blade in the meantime." The words of the prophecy repeated in her head, and she groaned with disappointment. By her sword the Great Evil shall fall, and the world will see naught another black night.
"To be the best, one must learn from the best, I always say," Gandalf declared, "and for Mary Sue to be her best, she must learn how to wield the sword just as well as you do, maybe even better." Her heart fell even more at his words, and her light dimmed to a soft haze. Her skill with the sword was the only thing she had left to gain respect from all of Rivendell, and if Mary Sue were to become better than she, where, then, would Elenmírë stand in their eyes? 'Curse you, fate!' she condemned angrily in her thoughts. 'Damn you for making a mockery of my life!' She inhaled deeply to keep her breath steady and to stabilize her shaken heart. 'This I must do for the sake of my people,' she internally rationalized, and finally she nodded.
"Yes, I shall do as you both command of me," she murmured quietly, just loud enough for them to hear. If this was her destiny, then so be it, but that did not mean she could not give Mary Sue a hard time in training, she realized suddenly. She suppressed the urge to smile at the insight, but her mind could not help but laugh merrily. Maybe training Mary Sue would not be as bad as she thought after all…
TBC.