Chapter 17: Council of Elrond part 1
Disclaimer: There is a LOT of stuff here from the movie and the book, lines from the movie are copyright New Line Cinema and passages and chunks from the book copyright Tolkien.
Yay! It's Good Friday weekend! So, finally this chapter got straightened out. It was too long for me to type in one go (I have school too, you know!) so it's been split into two parts. This is a very weird chapter, part movie, part book sequence. Be prepared to be mixed up; it might get a little confusing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor."
Shuwen was mouthing along with Elrond, having memorized the entire movie sequence. Polinn and Inez were busy placing bets as to whether they would be joining the Fellowship. Claire sat prim and proper, listening intently, while Diana, Silei, Sara, Gwen, and Pris were caught up in some discussion of their own, presumably on hoe to best disrupt the Council.
"Middle Earth stands upon the Brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate - this one doom. Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."
Polinn silently "da-dum"-ed the Jaws theme as Frodo, in slow motion, walked up and *threw* thhe Ring onto the pedestal.
BOOM.
Then Boromir leapt up as is a giant-sized South-American porcupine had been shoved into his seat.
"What the -"
"Minus five points, m'dear."
"In a dream I saw the Eastern sky brow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: your doom is near at hand. Isildur's bane is found."
"Whatever it was that warned him, it either had a sore throat or was too lazy. Eight lines of poem reduced to.........*two sentences*"
Boromir was approaching the pedestal, talking to himself, his hand outstretched, oblivious to the horrified staring eyes.
"Isildur's bane......"
"Possessed." Shuwen sighed. Gwen was desperately motioning to Elrond to stop Boromir before he could take the Ring for his own. The lord of Imladris was busy talking to Glorfindel and Erestor. Boromir continued advancing.
"BOROMIR!!!" Polinn and Inez could not help it. Polinn threw herself at the man before he could get his itching hands on the Ring. Elrond spun round, shocked.
"What -" Glorfindel tried to *rescue* Boromir. The other people in the council leapt up to take sides. Elrond cast a hopeless look at Gandalf. Then, just before a clash could occur.....
"Ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg....."
"Stupid Maia." Diana scowled. Everyone was frozen to the spot in fear. Well, nearly everyone. It appeared that the girls, having been expecting this, were relatively unaffected. Polinn was resisting the urge to punch Gandalf in the face to shut him up. Meanwhile, as the Shadow crept into the fair valley of Imladris, Shuwen, Inez, and Sara were singing "Yesterday". Or rather, they were bawling bar-room-style.
"....Suddenleeeee......I'm not half the man I yoooosed to beeeeeee....There's a Shadow hangin' ooooover meeeeeeeee.....oh ah beleeve....in Yeesterdaaay......"
Finally Gandalf finished his brilliante recitation. Pale and freaked-out, everyone resumed their seats.
"Never before has anyone uttered the word of that tongue in Imladris, Gandalf the Grey. *However*, at least the rest of you are at last seeing some sense. Now can we discuss this in a more, *civilized* manner?"
Two more for Diana's ever-growing death list.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloin started on his tale of Balin's return to Moria and the friendly visit of the Nazgul. When he was done, it was Elrond's turn to speak his piece on the Rings of power. It appeared a lot of the council knew little of the story. Those who did knew only half of it.
Polinn shook her head pityingly.
"You're getting it all wrong!" she choked, when Elrond mentioned something about Celebrimbor having a part in the making of the One Ring.
"Then you can tell us." Elrond said scathingly.
"Definitely!"
Elrond's look of "she's mad" soon became replaced by one of surprise and disbelief as Polinn, with minor corrections from Shuwen and Diana, related the entire story in a *far* more accurate version.
"I told you so." muttered Glorfindel.
Smirking, Polinn sat back down. Elrond had a wistful, dreamy look on his face.
"I remember well the splendour of their banners. It recalled to me the glory of the Elder Days and the hosts of Beleriand, so many great princes and captains were assembled. And yet not so many, nor so fair, as when Thangdorim was broken, and the Elves deemed that evil was ended forever, and it was not so."
"You - you remember?" Frodo stammered incredelously. "But how long ago was that?"
"The last year of the Second Age, beginning of the Third."
"And to think the Third age will end quite soon." Sara said cheerfully.
Glorfindel rammed his head into the wall with frustration. Frodo gaped.
"Duh Elrond *remembers*." Shuwen sighed. "He's seen three ages already."
"Was the herald of Gil-galad too." Diana rolled her eyes at this (she considered) naivety. "He was right there when Isildur took the darned Ring, *and* was also unable to persuade Isildur to chuck it into Mount Doom, which is the main reason we see it here today."
"Alas! Yes." Said Elrond. "Isildur took it, as should not have been. It should have been cast then into Orodruin's fire nigh at hand where it was made."
Elrond continued with the tale of Isildur's being pincushioned and the history (his version, that is "they're all gonna die") of the rest of Isildur's heirs and of Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul, for the benefit of those that did not know the tale in full.
"This is worse than assembly." Shuwen moaned.
By the time Elrond had reached "the One has been found" the nine girls were all asleep.
Then once Elrond was done Boromir leapt up again.
"Give me leave, Master Elrond, to relate my tale in full, to say more of Gondor, for verily from the land of Gondor I am come. And it would be well for all to know what passes there, for few, I deem, know of our deeds, and therefore guess little of their peril, if we should fail at last."
Sara could be heard in a stage whisper, "Self praise is a great disgrace."
Pris added to that, "Oft the greatest deeds go unsung."
Boromir tried to pretend he hadn't heard that.
"Believe not that in the land of Gondor the blood of Numeanor is spent, nor all its pride and dignity forgotten. By our valour the wild folk of the East are kept at bay; and thus alone are peace and freedom mantained in the lands behind us, bulwark of the West. But if the passages of the River should be won, what then?"
His gaze switched back to the Ring on the pedestal.
"It is a gift, a gift to the foes of Mordor. Let us use it against them!"
Boromir got cut short as Aragorn *finally* broke his silence.
"You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone, it has no other master."
Boromir turned on him.
"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"
"This is no mere Ranger!" Legolas cried, outraged. "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."
Boromir was taken aback.
"This......is Isildur's heir?"
If anything could have described the look on Boromir's face, it would have been the look of someone about to burst out into loud cartoon laughter, complete with rolling on the floor kicking the legs in the air. Fortunately, he restrained himself.
"Isildur's heir?"
"And heir to the throne of Gondor."
Then it was Bilbo's turn to jump up. Gwen had a strong suspicion that someone had raided the local zoo and set loose all the porcupines and hedgehogs.
"All that is gold does not glitter
Not all those who wander are lost.
The old that is strong does not wither Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken
A light from the shadows will spring.
Renewed shall be blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be King.
'Not very good perhaps, but to the point - if you need more beyond the word of Elrond. If that was worth a journey of a hundred and ten days to hear, you had best listen to it."
"To the point my ass." Shuwen sniggered. Predictably came Diana's favourite reply to this phrase.
"What's wrong with your ass."
Aragorn gave a wry smile.
"For my part I forgive your doubt. Little do I resemble the figures of Elendil and Isildur as they stand carven in their majesty in the halls of Denethor."
"Yeah, at least they were clean-shaven."
Aragorn turned the same shade as Elrond's (tasteless) maroon robes.
"I am but the heir of Isildur, not Isildur himself. I have had a hard life and a long; and the leagues that lie between here and Gondor are a small part in the count of my journeys. I have crossed many mountains and many rivers, even into the far countries of Rhun and Harad where the stars are strange.
But my home, such as I have, is in the North. For here the heirs of Valandil Have dwelt in long line unbroken from father to son for many generations. Our days have darkened, and we have dwindled; but ever the sword has passed to a new keeper. And this I will say to you, Boromir, ere I end. Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters - but hunters of the servants of the enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.
If Gondor, Boromir, has been a stalwart tower, we have played another part. Many evil things there are that your strong walls (several loud coughs) and bright swords (more hacks) do not stay. You know little of the lands beyond your bounds."
There was laughter from the girls as Claire said something about a frog that lived at the bottom a well and thought that his world was very big, yet all that he could see was that little patch of sky above. [A/N: This is the literal translation of yet another Chinese proverb.]
"Peace and freedom, do you say? The North would have known them little, but for us. Fear would have destroyed them. But when dark things come from the houseless hills, or creep from sunless woods, they fly from us. What roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dunedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?
And yet less thanks have we than you. Travellers scowl at us, and countrymen give us scornful names. 'Strider' I am to one fat man who lives within a day's march of foes that would freeze his heart, or lay his little town in ruin, if he were not guarded ceaselessly. Yet we would not have it otherwise. If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so. That has been the task of my kindred, while the years have lengthened and the grass has grown.
But now the world is changing once again. A new hour comes. Isildur's bane is found. Battle is at hand. The Sword shall be reforged. I will come to Minas Tirith."
Sighs from the girls.
"He just *has* to talk heroic."
"*Yawn*"
Then Bilbo took his turn, telling the *new, revised* version of his story. Elrond had to cut his ramblings short, much to the relief of the girls.
"Well told, my friend. But that is enough at this time. For the moment it suffices to know that the Ring passed to Frodo, your heir. Let him now speak."
Bilbo looked robbed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gotta go now. Part 2 *should* be up in......three weeks.
Disclaimer: There is a LOT of stuff here from the movie and the book, lines from the movie are copyright New Line Cinema and passages and chunks from the book copyright Tolkien.
Yay! It's Good Friday weekend! So, finally this chapter got straightened out. It was too long for me to type in one go (I have school too, you know!) so it's been split into two parts. This is a very weird chapter, part movie, part book sequence. Be prepared to be mixed up; it might get a little confusing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor."
Shuwen was mouthing along with Elrond, having memorized the entire movie sequence. Polinn and Inez were busy placing bets as to whether they would be joining the Fellowship. Claire sat prim and proper, listening intently, while Diana, Silei, Sara, Gwen, and Pris were caught up in some discussion of their own, presumably on hoe to best disrupt the Council.
"Middle Earth stands upon the Brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate - this one doom. Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."
Polinn silently "da-dum"-ed the Jaws theme as Frodo, in slow motion, walked up and *threw* thhe Ring onto the pedestal.
BOOM.
Then Boromir leapt up as is a giant-sized South-American porcupine had been shoved into his seat.
"What the -"
"Minus five points, m'dear."
"In a dream I saw the Eastern sky brow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: your doom is near at hand. Isildur's bane is found."
"Whatever it was that warned him, it either had a sore throat or was too lazy. Eight lines of poem reduced to.........*two sentences*"
Boromir was approaching the pedestal, talking to himself, his hand outstretched, oblivious to the horrified staring eyes.
"Isildur's bane......"
"Possessed." Shuwen sighed. Gwen was desperately motioning to Elrond to stop Boromir before he could take the Ring for his own. The lord of Imladris was busy talking to Glorfindel and Erestor. Boromir continued advancing.
"BOROMIR!!!" Polinn and Inez could not help it. Polinn threw herself at the man before he could get his itching hands on the Ring. Elrond spun round, shocked.
"What -" Glorfindel tried to *rescue* Boromir. The other people in the council leapt up to take sides. Elrond cast a hopeless look at Gandalf. Then, just before a clash could occur.....
"Ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg....."
"Stupid Maia." Diana scowled. Everyone was frozen to the spot in fear. Well, nearly everyone. It appeared that the girls, having been expecting this, were relatively unaffected. Polinn was resisting the urge to punch Gandalf in the face to shut him up. Meanwhile, as the Shadow crept into the fair valley of Imladris, Shuwen, Inez, and Sara were singing "Yesterday". Or rather, they were bawling bar-room-style.
"....Suddenleeeee......I'm not half the man I yoooosed to beeeeeee....There's a Shadow hangin' ooooover meeeeeeeee.....oh ah beleeve....in Yeesterdaaay......"
Finally Gandalf finished his brilliante recitation. Pale and freaked-out, everyone resumed their seats.
"Never before has anyone uttered the word of that tongue in Imladris, Gandalf the Grey. *However*, at least the rest of you are at last seeing some sense. Now can we discuss this in a more, *civilized* manner?"
Two more for Diana's ever-growing death list.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloin started on his tale of Balin's return to Moria and the friendly visit of the Nazgul. When he was done, it was Elrond's turn to speak his piece on the Rings of power. It appeared a lot of the council knew little of the story. Those who did knew only half of it.
Polinn shook her head pityingly.
"You're getting it all wrong!" she choked, when Elrond mentioned something about Celebrimbor having a part in the making of the One Ring.
"Then you can tell us." Elrond said scathingly.
"Definitely!"
Elrond's look of "she's mad" soon became replaced by one of surprise and disbelief as Polinn, with minor corrections from Shuwen and Diana, related the entire story in a *far* more accurate version.
"I told you so." muttered Glorfindel.
Smirking, Polinn sat back down. Elrond had a wistful, dreamy look on his face.
"I remember well the splendour of their banners. It recalled to me the glory of the Elder Days and the hosts of Beleriand, so many great princes and captains were assembled. And yet not so many, nor so fair, as when Thangdorim was broken, and the Elves deemed that evil was ended forever, and it was not so."
"You - you remember?" Frodo stammered incredelously. "But how long ago was that?"
"The last year of the Second Age, beginning of the Third."
"And to think the Third age will end quite soon." Sara said cheerfully.
Glorfindel rammed his head into the wall with frustration. Frodo gaped.
"Duh Elrond *remembers*." Shuwen sighed. "He's seen three ages already."
"Was the herald of Gil-galad too." Diana rolled her eyes at this (she considered) naivety. "He was right there when Isildur took the darned Ring, *and* was also unable to persuade Isildur to chuck it into Mount Doom, which is the main reason we see it here today."
"Alas! Yes." Said Elrond. "Isildur took it, as should not have been. It should have been cast then into Orodruin's fire nigh at hand where it was made."
Elrond continued with the tale of Isildur's being pincushioned and the history (his version, that is "they're all gonna die") of the rest of Isildur's heirs and of Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul, for the benefit of those that did not know the tale in full.
"This is worse than assembly." Shuwen moaned.
By the time Elrond had reached "the One has been found" the nine girls were all asleep.
Then once Elrond was done Boromir leapt up again.
"Give me leave, Master Elrond, to relate my tale in full, to say more of Gondor, for verily from the land of Gondor I am come. And it would be well for all to know what passes there, for few, I deem, know of our deeds, and therefore guess little of their peril, if we should fail at last."
Sara could be heard in a stage whisper, "Self praise is a great disgrace."
Pris added to that, "Oft the greatest deeds go unsung."
Boromir tried to pretend he hadn't heard that.
"Believe not that in the land of Gondor the blood of Numeanor is spent, nor all its pride and dignity forgotten. By our valour the wild folk of the East are kept at bay; and thus alone are peace and freedom mantained in the lands behind us, bulwark of the West. But if the passages of the River should be won, what then?"
His gaze switched back to the Ring on the pedestal.
"It is a gift, a gift to the foes of Mordor. Let us use it against them!"
Boromir got cut short as Aragorn *finally* broke his silence.
"You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone, it has no other master."
Boromir turned on him.
"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"
"This is no mere Ranger!" Legolas cried, outraged. "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."
Boromir was taken aback.
"This......is Isildur's heir?"
If anything could have described the look on Boromir's face, it would have been the look of someone about to burst out into loud cartoon laughter, complete with rolling on the floor kicking the legs in the air. Fortunately, he restrained himself.
"Isildur's heir?"
"And heir to the throne of Gondor."
Then it was Bilbo's turn to jump up. Gwen had a strong suspicion that someone had raided the local zoo and set loose all the porcupines and hedgehogs.
"All that is gold does not glitter
Not all those who wander are lost.
The old that is strong does not wither Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken
A light from the shadows will spring.
Renewed shall be blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be King.
'Not very good perhaps, but to the point - if you need more beyond the word of Elrond. If that was worth a journey of a hundred and ten days to hear, you had best listen to it."
"To the point my ass." Shuwen sniggered. Predictably came Diana's favourite reply to this phrase.
"What's wrong with your ass."
Aragorn gave a wry smile.
"For my part I forgive your doubt. Little do I resemble the figures of Elendil and Isildur as they stand carven in their majesty in the halls of Denethor."
"Yeah, at least they were clean-shaven."
Aragorn turned the same shade as Elrond's (tasteless) maroon robes.
"I am but the heir of Isildur, not Isildur himself. I have had a hard life and a long; and the leagues that lie between here and Gondor are a small part in the count of my journeys. I have crossed many mountains and many rivers, even into the far countries of Rhun and Harad where the stars are strange.
But my home, such as I have, is in the North. For here the heirs of Valandil Have dwelt in long line unbroken from father to son for many generations. Our days have darkened, and we have dwindled; but ever the sword has passed to a new keeper. And this I will say to you, Boromir, ere I end. Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters - but hunters of the servants of the enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.
If Gondor, Boromir, has been a stalwart tower, we have played another part. Many evil things there are that your strong walls (several loud coughs) and bright swords (more hacks) do not stay. You know little of the lands beyond your bounds."
There was laughter from the girls as Claire said something about a frog that lived at the bottom a well and thought that his world was very big, yet all that he could see was that little patch of sky above. [A/N: This is the literal translation of yet another Chinese proverb.]
"Peace and freedom, do you say? The North would have known them little, but for us. Fear would have destroyed them. But when dark things come from the houseless hills, or creep from sunless woods, they fly from us. What roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dunedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?
And yet less thanks have we than you. Travellers scowl at us, and countrymen give us scornful names. 'Strider' I am to one fat man who lives within a day's march of foes that would freeze his heart, or lay his little town in ruin, if he were not guarded ceaselessly. Yet we would not have it otherwise. If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so. That has been the task of my kindred, while the years have lengthened and the grass has grown.
But now the world is changing once again. A new hour comes. Isildur's bane is found. Battle is at hand. The Sword shall be reforged. I will come to Minas Tirith."
Sighs from the girls.
"He just *has* to talk heroic."
"*Yawn*"
Then Bilbo took his turn, telling the *new, revised* version of his story. Elrond had to cut his ramblings short, much to the relief of the girls.
"Well told, my friend. But that is enough at this time. For the moment it suffices to know that the Ring passed to Frodo, your heir. Let him now speak."
Bilbo looked robbed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gotta go now. Part 2 *should* be up in......three weeks.