Chapter 3
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They awoke the next morning, after and long sleep, to find Gandalf standing in their doorway.
"There is a meeting I'd like you to attend. It is to do with the ring. But keep yourselves cloaked, there are some who are attending that may not want women
present."
The girls excitedly cloaked themselves and joined the meeting. They pulled their hoods over their faces and stood behind Gandalf and a young hobbit that they
assumed was Frodo. Everyone fell silent as Lord Elrond began to speak;
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old." He began, "You are summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands on the brink of
destruction. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the ring, Frodo,"
The hobbit in front of Glory stood up and walked towards the center of the circle. He held out his hand and dropped something small and gold onto the stone
podium in front of him. It was the ring.
"So it is true. The Ring of power. The doom of man"
"It is a gift," said Boromir "a gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay.
By the blood of my people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him."
"You cannot wield it," said the Strider, "None of us can. The ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."
"What would a ranger know of this matter?" spat Boromir.
A blonde elf down from Gandalf stood up,
"He is no mere ranger," he said, "This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."
"This is Isildur's heir?" said Boromir, turning to face the blonde elf.
"And heir to the throne of Gondor," he said.
'Sit down Legolas," said Aragorn in elvish which both Glory and Alexandria were fluent in.
Boromir spoke again, "Gondor has no king, Gondor needs no king," he said.
"Aragorn is right. We cannot control it," said Gandalf
"We have but one choice," said Elrond, "The ring must be destroyed."
"What are we waiting for?" bellowed a burly dwarf, storming forward and striking the ring with his axe. There was a lot of sparks and a loud noise, but the ring
remained as it was. Which was more than you could say for the dwarfs axe.
"The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess," explained Elrond, "It was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can
it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor, and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this."
There was a short silence.
"One does not simply walk into Mordor," said Boromir suddenly, "Its black gates are guarded by more than orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the
great eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. It is folly. Not with ten thousand
men could you do this."
"Have you heard nothing that Lord Elrond has said?" said Legolas, jumping to his feet again, "The Ring must be destroyed!"
"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" bellowed Gimli, also getting to his feet.
"And what if we fail? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" inquired Boromir
"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" shouted Gimli, shaking a finger at Legolas, "Never trust an elf!"
Soon everyone was on their feet, arguing over the destiny of the ring.
"I will take it!" yelled Frodo
Gandalf heard this over the arguing and closed his eyes.
"I will take the ring to Mordor," said Frodo again, "Though... I do not know the way."
"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear," said Gandalf.
"If by my life or my death I can protect you, I will," said Aragorn, kneeling in front of Frodo, "You have my sword."
"And you have my bow" said Legolas
"And my axe" said Gimli.
"You carry the fate of us all, little one," said Boromir, "But if this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."
Glory and Alexandria were ready to offer themselves, but Gandalf gave them a look and they held back. Then there was a rusting in the bushes
"Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me" said another hobbit, hurrying up and taking a place next to Frodo.
"Not indeed. It is hardly possible to separate the two of you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."
"Wait!" called another voice, and two more hobbits ran up to join Frodo, "We're coming, too! You'll have to send us home tied in a sack to stop us," said one
hobbit.
"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission... Quest...Thing," said the other hobbit.
"Well, that rules you out, Pip."
"Nine companions," said Elrond, "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."
"Great!" said Pippin "Where are we going?"
* * * *
The council dismissed and the girls began to make their way back to their room when they felt and hand on each of their shoulders. They turned around and came
face to face with a beautiful, black haired woman. It was Arwen, Elrond's daughter.
"Lower your hoods. I know who you are. My father told me of you."
The girls lowered their hoods.
"I know you wanted to join the fellowship, but that Gandalf stopped you. I am telling you to go. Watch over them in secrecy. Protect them. And if I may ask a favor
for myself? Watch over the one named Aragorn," she said glancing down at the strider. Then she caught the smell of something. The smell of the sea. She closed her
eyes and took a deep breath, letting her nose guide her to the salty smell. Aragorn glanced up and saw Arwen with her nose in a young girls hair. She seemed to be
in a trance. He raised an eyebrow at the look of ecstasy on her face. Arwen opened her eyes to find that she had her face in Alexandria's hair. She pulled back in
embarrassment.
"You are from the ocean," she said.
"Uh...yes," said Alexandria, a little taken aback.
The girls agreed to what Arwen asked of them, however, and hurried back to their room. If they were going to follow the Fellowship they'd need to be prepared to
leave tomorrow.
Please Review !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*********************************************************************************************************************
They awoke the next morning, after and long sleep, to find Gandalf standing in their doorway.
"There is a meeting I'd like you to attend. It is to do with the ring. But keep yourselves cloaked, there are some who are attending that may not want women
present."
The girls excitedly cloaked themselves and joined the meeting. They pulled their hoods over their faces and stood behind Gandalf and a young hobbit that they
assumed was Frodo. Everyone fell silent as Lord Elrond began to speak;
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old." He began, "You are summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands on the brink of
destruction. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the ring, Frodo,"
The hobbit in front of Glory stood up and walked towards the center of the circle. He held out his hand and dropped something small and gold onto the stone
podium in front of him. It was the ring.
"So it is true. The Ring of power. The doom of man"
"It is a gift," said Boromir "a gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay.
By the blood of my people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him."
"You cannot wield it," said the Strider, "None of us can. The ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."
"What would a ranger know of this matter?" spat Boromir.
A blonde elf down from Gandalf stood up,
"He is no mere ranger," he said, "This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."
"This is Isildur's heir?" said Boromir, turning to face the blonde elf.
"And heir to the throne of Gondor," he said.
'Sit down Legolas," said Aragorn in elvish which both Glory and Alexandria were fluent in.
Boromir spoke again, "Gondor has no king, Gondor needs no king," he said.
"Aragorn is right. We cannot control it," said Gandalf
"We have but one choice," said Elrond, "The ring must be destroyed."
"What are we waiting for?" bellowed a burly dwarf, storming forward and striking the ring with his axe. There was a lot of sparks and a loud noise, but the ring
remained as it was. Which was more than you could say for the dwarfs axe.
"The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess," explained Elrond, "It was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can
it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor, and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this."
There was a short silence.
"One does not simply walk into Mordor," said Boromir suddenly, "Its black gates are guarded by more than orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the
great eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. It is folly. Not with ten thousand
men could you do this."
"Have you heard nothing that Lord Elrond has said?" said Legolas, jumping to his feet again, "The Ring must be destroyed!"
"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" bellowed Gimli, also getting to his feet.
"And what if we fail? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" inquired Boromir
"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" shouted Gimli, shaking a finger at Legolas, "Never trust an elf!"
Soon everyone was on their feet, arguing over the destiny of the ring.
"I will take it!" yelled Frodo
Gandalf heard this over the arguing and closed his eyes.
"I will take the ring to Mordor," said Frodo again, "Though... I do not know the way."
"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear," said Gandalf.
"If by my life or my death I can protect you, I will," said Aragorn, kneeling in front of Frodo, "You have my sword."
"And you have my bow" said Legolas
"And my axe" said Gimli.
"You carry the fate of us all, little one," said Boromir, "But if this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."
Glory and Alexandria were ready to offer themselves, but Gandalf gave them a look and they held back. Then there was a rusting in the bushes
"Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me" said another hobbit, hurrying up and taking a place next to Frodo.
"Not indeed. It is hardly possible to separate the two of you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."
"Wait!" called another voice, and two more hobbits ran up to join Frodo, "We're coming, too! You'll have to send us home tied in a sack to stop us," said one
hobbit.
"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission... Quest...Thing," said the other hobbit.
"Well, that rules you out, Pip."
"Nine companions," said Elrond, "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."
"Great!" said Pippin "Where are we going?"
* * * *
The council dismissed and the girls began to make their way back to their room when they felt and hand on each of their shoulders. They turned around and came
face to face with a beautiful, black haired woman. It was Arwen, Elrond's daughter.
"Lower your hoods. I know who you are. My father told me of you."
The girls lowered their hoods.
"I know you wanted to join the fellowship, but that Gandalf stopped you. I am telling you to go. Watch over them in secrecy. Protect them. And if I may ask a favor
for myself? Watch over the one named Aragorn," she said glancing down at the strider. Then she caught the smell of something. The smell of the sea. She closed her
eyes and took a deep breath, letting her nose guide her to the salty smell. Aragorn glanced up and saw Arwen with her nose in a young girls hair. She seemed to be
in a trance. He raised an eyebrow at the look of ecstasy on her face. Arwen opened her eyes to find that she had her face in Alexandria's hair. She pulled back in
embarrassment.
"You are from the ocean," she said.
"Uh...yes," said Alexandria, a little taken aback.
The girls agreed to what Arwen asked of them, however, and hurried back to their room. If they were going to follow the Fellowship they'd need to be prepared to
leave tomorrow.
Please Review !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
