Disclaimer: Disclaimer is not here at the moment, please read the message on chapter one at the beep. Beep!

Note: This is a retelling of the council of Elrond, if you don't want to read yet another one then don't and skip to the next chapter.

The Council

Everyone headed to the doors and Boramir opened them and went out first. It was outside with the bright sun shining down on the large, round, raised platform with several chairs arranged in a semi circle. In front of the semi circle was a big fancy throne in which everyone assumed was for Lord Elrond to sit in. In fact he was already sitting in it. He sat beside an unknown Rivendale Elf and the hooded man sat on his other side. Legolas glanced over as he took off his hood revealing that it was in fact a she. He could not see her properly though because she was looking away from him, but she did look strangely familiar. Lord Elrond welcomed them with a wave of his hand and once they were all sitting in the order the other Elf, who was an assumed servant, had told them, he started.

"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." He said slowly and clearly as Frodo stepped forward and placed the Ring on a stone pedestal in the middle of the council. His musings about the strange woman present at the council were inturupted by the distraction of the Ring. Everyone gasped and started to murmur. Frodo indeed looked as though a large wait had been lifted off his chest as he took his seat again. Legolas simply sat in silence, looking blankly at it, as his fellow Elves conversed in low voices.

"So it is true… It is a gift. 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 our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!" Boramir said with enthusiasm. Legolas was shocked by his stupidity and hoped for the lives of all that someone other than him knew that he was an idiot.

Aragorn shook his head. "You cannot wield it. None of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." As he smoked his long pipe.

"And would a ranger know of this matter?" Boramir asked suspiciously not liking the shooting down of his idea. This annoyed Legolas even further as Aragorn was in fact the heir of the thrown to Gondor, Isildur's heir.

He stood up and spoke out to Boramir's ignorance. "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Boramir's face fell as he turned toward Legolas, apparently annoyed. "Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" He turned toward Aragorn hardly believing that this scraggly looking ranger was the inheritance to all of Gondor, over him.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas added to his miniature lecture of Aragorn's family tree. He also didn't notice the look of slight disappointment on Aragorn's face.

"Havo dad, Legolas." He told Legolas to sit down in Elvish with a little hand gesture to go along. He did as he was told and took a seat.

Boramir continued with no regard for Legolas' words. "Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king."

"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it." Gandalf added. Legolas nodded slightly to this.

Elrond continued. "You have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed."

Gimli, the Dwarf, now stood with a look of definite impatience in his eyes. "Then what are we waiting for?!" he swung his ax onto ring only to have it's power smash the ax and throw him to the ground stunned.

With a look of dull annoyance Lord Elrond again, continued. "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 firey chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this." With this a hushed silence fell upon the council.

After a few moments Boramir chimed in again. "One does not simply walk into Mordor. 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. 'Tis 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 again was agitated by his ignorance. "Have you heard nothing that Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!" He knew it must be done but who would want to take possession of the source of all evil even if to destroy it.

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!" Gimli questioned arrogantly. Not to mention the accusation was exactly the opposite of what Legolas was thinking that moment.

"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" Boramir said his anger rising.

"I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli said in a raised voice as all the Elves stood up in offense. In reply to this gesture so did all the Dwarves followed by everyone at the council but two. Frodo and the mysterious woman whom Legolas had forgotten all about in the heat of argument. She was sitting looking quite casual, observing the debating of the council.

After a while of yelling and arguing the hobbit stood up again. "I will take it!" he said taking a step towards the middle, though no one heard him. He said it again a little louder so everyone could hear this time. "I will take it. I will take it to Mordor…though…though I do not know the way."

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins. As long as it is yours to bear." Gandalf said, reassuringly, kneeling down to look him in the eye.

"If by my life or death, if I can protect you, I will." He knelt down to Frodo and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You have my sword."

Legolas would not let his old friend go have an adventure without him. He took a step closer to Frodo. "And you have my bow."

"And my ax!" Gimli exclaimed.

It was Boramir who spoke next to express his allegiance to Frodo. "You carry the fate of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

Just then Sam, one of Frodo's hobbit friends, popped out of a bush to the side of the patio and came running to his side. "Here! Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me." He said crossing his arms stubbornly.

"No, indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you from him, even when he is summoned to a secret council, and you are not." Lord Elrond said with a true look of annoyance on his face now.

Pippin and Merry came out from behind to pillars from where they had entered and also rushed to Frodo's side. "Oi! We're coming too! You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." Merry said as Lord Elrond considered for a moment taking his advice.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… thing." Pippin chimed in.

Merry looked slightly agitated and turned to his friend. "Well that rules you out Pip."

"I'll go too!" the entire council turned around to see the strange cloaked woman, now standing and uncloaked, "I shall fight to the death for the freedom of Middle-Earth." Legolas' eyes widened a considerable amount as he finally recognized her now visible face. And surprisingly Aragorn remembered her too. Everyone stood in silence for a moment taken aback of the idea of a woman joining a great journey and possible war.

"I think it's a good idea." Legolas said eager to break the silence.

"I agree. Her skills will be put to good use on this kind of journey." Aragorn agreed. She smiled at both of them as she went to join the group standing in a mass in the middle of the patio.

Elrond decided it best to stop that conversation right there. "Ten companions. So be it! You shall be the fellowship of the ring." He said raising his hands making it final.

Pippin looked glad and excited. "Great. Where are we going?" he asked smiling confusedly. Everyone let out an exasperated sigh and rolled their eyes.

A/N: I am so so so so sorry about the lateness of this chapter but my stupid computer wasn't working and the part I needed to fix it took so long to get mailed here! Again I'm so sorry! I know we didn't see who the cloaked dude was but in the next chapter we do so hold on. Again we didn't get any reviews for last chapter (:() but at least this one is finally up! Nehoo, bye-bye!:D