Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one.
Title: Mortality
Author: Sirebhirl
Rated: PG
A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! That really mad me want to write more!
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Arquellien rushed into the meeting just as everyone was sitting down. She skidded across the floor and plopped down next to Aragorn.
"Where were you?" Aragorn whispered leaning over to her.
"Madlyn held me up. She wanted me to be 'beautiful' for the meeting." She said rolling her eyes.
Aragorn chuckled. "Well, she did her job then. You look like a woman for once." Arquellien hit him on his arm roughly. "What? It is true my sister. I have never, in our lifetime together, seen you look more like a woman than you do now. You cannot be angry at me for speaking of your beauty."
Arquellien smiled at him and kissed his cheek, "Well thank you, but this will be the last time it happens. You know I hate getting all dressed up. I like to be comfortable, not uncomfortable." They grinned at each other.
Arqullien leaned back in her seat and looked around, taking in the people around her. Her eyes rested on a man entering the room. It was the same Elf that she had run into on the way over to the meeting. The pale red color began to return to her cheeks when he looked directly at her. He smiled and took a seat across the room from her.
'I am so stupid.' She thought to herself, 'I knocked down some gorgeous Elf and now he is sitting across from me.'
Arquellien covered her face with her hand and rested her elbow on the armrest. Aragorn knocked her on the arm lightly and nodded in the direction of Elrond who was now standing.
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." Elrond said. He then motioned for Frodo to stand.
Frodo slowly got up and placed the ring on the table. Arquellien watched him sit down with a sigh of relief. She could almost see the huge weight being lifted off his shoulders as he smiled. When he looked at her, she smiled and they nodded at each other in greeting.
When the ring had been set, the people around her had gasped and began mumbling things. The blond Elf's blue eyes had grown wide with wonder.
"The doom of men." said a man.
"So it is true." Said another. He stood and Arquellien recognized him as the man she had had the midnight meeting with last night.
"In a dream." He began quietly. He began walking towards where the ring lay. "I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the west, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: 'Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bain is found.'"
Then the man reached for the ring.
"Isildur's Bain." He said again.
At this moment, Elrond jumped from his place.
"BORIMIR!" He cried angrily.
Immediately after, an old man stood and began speaking the language of the ring.
"Ash nazg durbatuluk, Ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatuluk, Agh burzum- ishi krimpatul."
The people around her shuttered. One dwarf yelled. Arquellien looked towards the Blond Elf. He had closed his eyes in pain and had begun rubbing his head. The man, whom she found was named Borimir, had sat back down and was looking in awe at the old man.
It was not until the third verse had she begun to feel a throbbing in her mind. It grew larger and larger. She got the feeling it was going to explode. She slammed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. The pain was so bad, she did not even notice her brother had grasped her hand for support.
Then, almost as soon as the pain had come, it stopped. She opened her eyes timidly and looked around. Many still had their eyes closed and were rubbing their foreheads. Arquellien looked towards Elrond, who had also stopped massaging his head.
"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris." He said looking up at the wizard.
His reply came slowly, for he seemed to have lost a great amount of energy. "I do not beg your pardon, Master Elrond." the old man began, "For the black speech of Mordor may it be heard in every corner of the West. The ring is all together evil." He spat out the words as if the were poison and began walking back to his place next to Frodo.
"It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor." Borimir said shaking his head and yet again began standing, "Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor kept the forces of Mordor at bay by the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"
'What is this guy's problem?' Arquellien thought angrily, 'Does he not realize the ring is dangerous and evil?'
Apparently, Aragorn had thought the same as his sister because at this point, he was standing.
"You cannot wield it. None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." He said with a hint of frustration.
Borimir looked to him and spat, "And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"
"This is no mere Ranger." the blond Elf stated also standing, "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."
Arquellien put her face into her hands.
'The boys got beauty," she thought, 'but very little brains.'
She saw Aragorn grit his teeth and sigh. She could almost hear him cursing the Elf in anger.
Many people gasped at the thought of a future kind standing before them. Frodo's eyes grew wide and Arquellien took that he had not known. Borimir turned to face Aragorn, his mouth open.
"Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" He said almost unbelieving. Then he looked towards Arquellien and back towards Aragorn.
His bright eyes moved back and forth putting their faces together. Then his eyes shifted to Aragorn's ring and then to hers. They were exactically alike, except Arquellien's ring had dragons making the band instead of serpents.
"And an heir to the throne of Gondor." the Elf said angrily.
He smiled then, having figured it out. "And this must be the daughter. Arquellien, daughter of Arathorn. Rightful queen of Gondor if her brother chooses not to see it through."
Arquellien was very tempted to get up and start to lash out on him, but she restrained herself. She gripped the armrest until her entire arm had gone white. Her teeth felt as if they were glass and would break any moment from gritting them so hard. Her eyebrows had made a perfect 'V' and her eyes were glowing with rage.
People looked at Aragorn and Arquellien amazed. The blond Elf stood still with his mouth open. Frodo looked back and forth between the two and began comparing their features. All the dwarves' had their mouths open in shock.
Aragorn raised a hand to the Elf. "Havo dad, Legolas."
'Legolas,' Arquellien thought, 'You know if he hadn't blown our cover, there could have been something. Well, I guess someone was going to find out sooner or later. Better sooner. Okay so I guess we still have a chance.' She smiled faintly to herself, then glared at Borimir.
"Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." He said before glaring back at her and sitting down.
Aragorn took his seat next to Arquellien and they made eye contact. Although no emotion went through their eyes, they knew what each one was thinking. 'He is not to be trusted.'
"Argorn is right," said the old wizard, "We cannot use it."
Borimir looked down and covered his face with his hand. He looked as if he was about to say something else but he didn't and Arquellien was very happy for that reason. She knew if he had said one more thing, she would now be able to control herself.
"You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed." Elrond said forcefully.
One of the dwarves stood and raised his axe. "What are we waiting for?!" He yelled before trying to smash it with his axe. Instead, the axe breaks and he was sent flying backward into his dwarfish friends.
Arquellien looked to Frodo and saw that he had jammed his eyes shut in pain. He grabbed his forehead and looked away from the ring.
"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring 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." Elrond said, stopping the commotion.
A whispering entered Arquellien's mind. It sounded dark and deep. So quiet it was. Yet it was so loud she thought everyone might have heard it. She looked around for a sign of anyone hearing it. No one looked. Either because they did not want it to show, or because they did not hear it. Her eyes strayed to Frodo. Their eyes connected. He had heard it also. She was so sure of it.
"One of you must do this." Elrond said breaking her thoughts.
She heard a sigh coming from a couple seats down her where Borimir sat. He opened his mouth and Arquellien would have jumped on him if Aragorn had not been hanging on to her arm.
"One does not simply walk into Mordor." He said catching her attention. "Its black gates are guarded by more than just 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 that you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly."
Legolas stood again, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!"
"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!" said the one they called Gimli. Legolas' eyes flashed.
Borimir stood angrily, "And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"
Gimli, obviously not paying attention, yelled at Legolas, "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!"
The three elves sitting on either side of Legolas stood in anger ready to fight with the dwarf, but Legolas held them back. Then the dwarves stood ready to defend Gimli. Then everyone was standing except Frodo and Arquellien. She listened to the bickering and arguing around her.
"Never trust and Elf!" who was yelled by Gimli who was now being yanked back by the other dwarves.
"Do you not understand? While you bicker amongst yourselves, Sauron's power grows! None can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!" said the Grey wizard.
At this moment, Arquellien was standing. The look in Frodo's eyes was almost scary. He just sat there and stared at the ring. She knew he had heard the voices and might have even be hearing it then. She walked swiftly towards them, but was stopped was someone grabbing her arm.
She turned ready to lash out on the person, but stopped when she saw who it was. Legolas stood before her a half smile on his face. He placed his hand over his heart and bowed slowly. She did the same and they straitened.
Arquellien had been so captured by his eyes she completely forgot Frodo until she heard his voice.
"I will take it." He said.
Arquellien shut her eyes almost in pain from the thought of a little Hobbit going into Mordor alone. The bickering had not stopped and it had not gotten quieter. Arquellien turned away from Legolas and faced Frodo. He had a look of determination on his face.
"I will take it!" He said louder. The arguing stopped and everyone turned to the little Hobbit. "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though - though I do not know the way." He said lowering his voice, no longer a need to yell.
The Grey wizard stepped up next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins. As long as it is yours to bear." "If by my life or death, if I can protect you, I will." Much to Arquellien's surprise Aragorn knelt before Frodo, "You have my sword."
"And you have my bow." Legolas said stepping behind Frodo.
Gimli stood next to Legolas, "And my axe!"
Frodo smiled and looked at Arquellien with pleading eyes. She frowned at him for playing that game with her. Then she smiled and before all the council, a woman stepped up to face a battle with death.
"You, my little friend, have a brave soul. If such a small person could handle such a large task, I will go with you." she said kneeling before him, "You have my strength." She kissed his forehead gingerly and whispered so that only he could hear, "That was called cheating Frodo. I was going to come anyway."
Frodo smiled at her knowing she had been speaking of the face her had made.
She took her place at the edge. Then much to Arquellien's dislike, Borimir stepped up in front of Frodo.
"You carry the fates of us all, little one." He said softly, "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."
"Here!" said a voice from behind her. Arquellien turned to see Sam running out from the bushes. She smiled and shook her head. "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me." He said taking his place next to Frodo.
"No, indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you from him, even when he is summoned to a secret Council, and you are not." Elrond said jokingly.
"Oi! We're coming too!" Arquellien recognized the voice of Merry before he and Pippin ran out from behind a door just next to where she sat. "You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." They also stood next to Frodo.
"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission. Quest. Thing." Pippin said crossing his arms over his chest.
Merry leaned over to him, "Well that rules you out, Pip." Pippin glared at him and Arquellien laughed clapping them both on the shoulder.
"Ten companions. So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Elrond said.
Pippin smiled and uncrossed his arms. "Great! Where are we going?"
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Havo dad: Sit down
Ash nazg durbatuluk, Ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatuluk, Agh burzum- ishi krimpatul: One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
Well, how did you like this chapter? I only made this the making of the Fellowship because I need to go to school. So press that little blue button and tell me what you think! I appreciate it!
Title: Mortality
Author: Sirebhirl
Rated: PG
A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! That really mad me want to write more!
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Arquellien rushed into the meeting just as everyone was sitting down. She skidded across the floor and plopped down next to Aragorn.
"Where were you?" Aragorn whispered leaning over to her.
"Madlyn held me up. She wanted me to be 'beautiful' for the meeting." She said rolling her eyes.
Aragorn chuckled. "Well, she did her job then. You look like a woman for once." Arquellien hit him on his arm roughly. "What? It is true my sister. I have never, in our lifetime together, seen you look more like a woman than you do now. You cannot be angry at me for speaking of your beauty."
Arquellien smiled at him and kissed his cheek, "Well thank you, but this will be the last time it happens. You know I hate getting all dressed up. I like to be comfortable, not uncomfortable." They grinned at each other.
Arqullien leaned back in her seat and looked around, taking in the people around her. Her eyes rested on a man entering the room. It was the same Elf that she had run into on the way over to the meeting. The pale red color began to return to her cheeks when he looked directly at her. He smiled and took a seat across the room from her.
'I am so stupid.' She thought to herself, 'I knocked down some gorgeous Elf and now he is sitting across from me.'
Arquellien covered her face with her hand and rested her elbow on the armrest. Aragorn knocked her on the arm lightly and nodded in the direction of Elrond who was now standing.
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." Elrond said. He then motioned for Frodo to stand.
Frodo slowly got up and placed the ring on the table. Arquellien watched him sit down with a sigh of relief. She could almost see the huge weight being lifted off his shoulders as he smiled. When he looked at her, she smiled and they nodded at each other in greeting.
When the ring had been set, the people around her had gasped and began mumbling things. The blond Elf's blue eyes had grown wide with wonder.
"The doom of men." said a man.
"So it is true." Said another. He stood and Arquellien recognized him as the man she had had the midnight meeting with last night.
"In a dream." He began quietly. He began walking towards where the ring lay. "I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the west, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: 'Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bain is found.'"
Then the man reached for the ring.
"Isildur's Bain." He said again.
At this moment, Elrond jumped from his place.
"BORIMIR!" He cried angrily.
Immediately after, an old man stood and began speaking the language of the ring.
"Ash nazg durbatuluk, Ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatuluk, Agh burzum- ishi krimpatul."
The people around her shuttered. One dwarf yelled. Arquellien looked towards the Blond Elf. He had closed his eyes in pain and had begun rubbing his head. The man, whom she found was named Borimir, had sat back down and was looking in awe at the old man.
It was not until the third verse had she begun to feel a throbbing in her mind. It grew larger and larger. She got the feeling it was going to explode. She slammed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. The pain was so bad, she did not even notice her brother had grasped her hand for support.
Then, almost as soon as the pain had come, it stopped. She opened her eyes timidly and looked around. Many still had their eyes closed and were rubbing their foreheads. Arquellien looked towards Elrond, who had also stopped massaging his head.
"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris." He said looking up at the wizard.
His reply came slowly, for he seemed to have lost a great amount of energy. "I do not beg your pardon, Master Elrond." the old man began, "For the black speech of Mordor may it be heard in every corner of the West. The ring is all together evil." He spat out the words as if the were poison and began walking back to his place next to Frodo.
"It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor." Borimir said shaking his head and yet again began standing, "Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor kept the forces of Mordor at bay by the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"
'What is this guy's problem?' Arquellien thought angrily, 'Does he not realize the ring is dangerous and evil?'
Apparently, Aragorn had thought the same as his sister because at this point, he was standing.
"You cannot wield it. None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." He said with a hint of frustration.
Borimir looked to him and spat, "And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"
"This is no mere Ranger." the blond Elf stated also standing, "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."
Arquellien put her face into her hands.
'The boys got beauty," she thought, 'but very little brains.'
She saw Aragorn grit his teeth and sigh. She could almost hear him cursing the Elf in anger.
Many people gasped at the thought of a future kind standing before them. Frodo's eyes grew wide and Arquellien took that he had not known. Borimir turned to face Aragorn, his mouth open.
"Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" He said almost unbelieving. Then he looked towards Arquellien and back towards Aragorn.
His bright eyes moved back and forth putting their faces together. Then his eyes shifted to Aragorn's ring and then to hers. They were exactically alike, except Arquellien's ring had dragons making the band instead of serpents.
"And an heir to the throne of Gondor." the Elf said angrily.
He smiled then, having figured it out. "And this must be the daughter. Arquellien, daughter of Arathorn. Rightful queen of Gondor if her brother chooses not to see it through."
Arquellien was very tempted to get up and start to lash out on him, but she restrained herself. She gripped the armrest until her entire arm had gone white. Her teeth felt as if they were glass and would break any moment from gritting them so hard. Her eyebrows had made a perfect 'V' and her eyes were glowing with rage.
People looked at Aragorn and Arquellien amazed. The blond Elf stood still with his mouth open. Frodo looked back and forth between the two and began comparing their features. All the dwarves' had their mouths open in shock.
Aragorn raised a hand to the Elf. "Havo dad, Legolas."
'Legolas,' Arquellien thought, 'You know if he hadn't blown our cover, there could have been something. Well, I guess someone was going to find out sooner or later. Better sooner. Okay so I guess we still have a chance.' She smiled faintly to herself, then glared at Borimir.
"Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." He said before glaring back at her and sitting down.
Aragorn took his seat next to Arquellien and they made eye contact. Although no emotion went through their eyes, they knew what each one was thinking. 'He is not to be trusted.'
"Argorn is right," said the old wizard, "We cannot use it."
Borimir looked down and covered his face with his hand. He looked as if he was about to say something else but he didn't and Arquellien was very happy for that reason. She knew if he had said one more thing, she would now be able to control herself.
"You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed." Elrond said forcefully.
One of the dwarves stood and raised his axe. "What are we waiting for?!" He yelled before trying to smash it with his axe. Instead, the axe breaks and he was sent flying backward into his dwarfish friends.
Arquellien looked to Frodo and saw that he had jammed his eyes shut in pain. He grabbed his forehead and looked away from the ring.
"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring 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." Elrond said, stopping the commotion.
A whispering entered Arquellien's mind. It sounded dark and deep. So quiet it was. Yet it was so loud she thought everyone might have heard it. She looked around for a sign of anyone hearing it. No one looked. Either because they did not want it to show, or because they did not hear it. Her eyes strayed to Frodo. Their eyes connected. He had heard it also. She was so sure of it.
"One of you must do this." Elrond said breaking her thoughts.
She heard a sigh coming from a couple seats down her where Borimir sat. He opened his mouth and Arquellien would have jumped on him if Aragorn had not been hanging on to her arm.
"One does not simply walk into Mordor." He said catching her attention. "Its black gates are guarded by more than just 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 that you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly."
Legolas stood again, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!"
"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!" said the one they called Gimli. Legolas' eyes flashed.
Borimir stood angrily, "And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"
Gimli, obviously not paying attention, yelled at Legolas, "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!"
The three elves sitting on either side of Legolas stood in anger ready to fight with the dwarf, but Legolas held them back. Then the dwarves stood ready to defend Gimli. Then everyone was standing except Frodo and Arquellien. She listened to the bickering and arguing around her.
"Never trust and Elf!" who was yelled by Gimli who was now being yanked back by the other dwarves.
"Do you not understand? While you bicker amongst yourselves, Sauron's power grows! None can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!" said the Grey wizard.
At this moment, Arquellien was standing. The look in Frodo's eyes was almost scary. He just sat there and stared at the ring. She knew he had heard the voices and might have even be hearing it then. She walked swiftly towards them, but was stopped was someone grabbing her arm.
She turned ready to lash out on the person, but stopped when she saw who it was. Legolas stood before her a half smile on his face. He placed his hand over his heart and bowed slowly. She did the same and they straitened.
Arquellien had been so captured by his eyes she completely forgot Frodo until she heard his voice.
"I will take it." He said.
Arquellien shut her eyes almost in pain from the thought of a little Hobbit going into Mordor alone. The bickering had not stopped and it had not gotten quieter. Arquellien turned away from Legolas and faced Frodo. He had a look of determination on his face.
"I will take it!" He said louder. The arguing stopped and everyone turned to the little Hobbit. "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though - though I do not know the way." He said lowering his voice, no longer a need to yell.
The Grey wizard stepped up next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins. As long as it is yours to bear." "If by my life or death, if I can protect you, I will." Much to Arquellien's surprise Aragorn knelt before Frodo, "You have my sword."
"And you have my bow." Legolas said stepping behind Frodo.
Gimli stood next to Legolas, "And my axe!"
Frodo smiled and looked at Arquellien with pleading eyes. She frowned at him for playing that game with her. Then she smiled and before all the council, a woman stepped up to face a battle with death.
"You, my little friend, have a brave soul. If such a small person could handle such a large task, I will go with you." she said kneeling before him, "You have my strength." She kissed his forehead gingerly and whispered so that only he could hear, "That was called cheating Frodo. I was going to come anyway."
Frodo smiled at her knowing she had been speaking of the face her had made.
She took her place at the edge. Then much to Arquellien's dislike, Borimir stepped up in front of Frodo.
"You carry the fates of us all, little one." He said softly, "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."
"Here!" said a voice from behind her. Arquellien turned to see Sam running out from the bushes. She smiled and shook her head. "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me." He said taking his place next to Frodo.
"No, indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you from him, even when he is summoned to a secret Council, and you are not." Elrond said jokingly.
"Oi! We're coming too!" Arquellien recognized the voice of Merry before he and Pippin ran out from behind a door just next to where she sat. "You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." They also stood next to Frodo.
"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission. Quest. Thing." Pippin said crossing his arms over his chest.
Merry leaned over to him, "Well that rules you out, Pip." Pippin glared at him and Arquellien laughed clapping them both on the shoulder.
"Ten companions. So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Elrond said.
Pippin smiled and uncrossed his arms. "Great! Where are we going?"
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Havo dad: Sit down
Ash nazg durbatuluk, Ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatuluk, Agh burzum- ishi krimpatul: One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
Well, how did you like this chapter? I only made this the making of the Fellowship because I need to go to school. So press that little blue button and tell me what you think! I appreciate it!