I'm back with another chapter, next one will take longer though, see A/N at
the bottom. First I wanna thank my reviewers
Hoshikolzumi: Glad you still love it, Rita will be calmed down though
Ithilwen: You still hungry now??? Here *hands sandwich* specially prepared by Pippin for you
Bina: Thanks for reviewing again, I wasn't sure about last chapter because a large part was from the movie but I'm happy that you still liked it
Lady Fae: Few, I was scared that people would hate me for making Elrond a little out of character, happy you liked the idea
DISCLAIMER: Do I really have to do this again???? Well here goes, I don't own any characters who were thought of by Tolkien, Rita is mine!!!!!
Rita stormed through Rivendell, a great fire inside of her still burning. *I can't believe I just did that, why did Frodo had to give me a look like THAT, exactly like Carol used to do. Stupid look, stupid Frodo, stupid Elrond, stupid Dark Lord, stupid ring!!!* She kicked against a branch lying on the ground as she found herself in a garden suddenly, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. *Great now I'm lost too, Great job Rita, first you put yourself in danger by telling Frodo you'd help him and now you got yourself lost, just great!*
She looked around and decided that if she didn't know where she was, she might as well sit. She fell against a huge tree with all kinds of branches. Rita thought about climbing it for a second but dismissed that thought. *No point in breaking my neck to avoid this, I promised already.* She sighed and closed her eyes, desperate to block out everything until she heard a voice.
"What troubles you so Milady, is there anything I can assist you with?"
Rita didn't even bother to open her eyes, *Great, why can't people leave me alone, can't this guy see I'm in the middle of something?*
"Milady, are you well?" *Well I guess that answers that question, he can't see that*
She decided to get this over with and said "I'm fine, just leave me alone will ya." It wasn't a question rather than a command, the hidden threat visible: Leave or else...
"With all due respect Milady, you don't look fine, nor do you sound fine, are you sure I can not help you?"
Rita opened her eyes and saw an elf crouched besides her. *Oh dear it's another elf, nosey and annoying creatures, lets see what this one wants* "What, what do you want? Do you want to tell me I have to go to some stupid mountain to drop in a silly piece of jewelry in too? Are you gonna do something worse then sending me away to fight those awful orcs? What?!?!"
This tirade made the elf back off a little, this would have made Rita smile if she weren't so angry. The elf studied her a little. Her cheeks were red because of her outburst but the thing that he noticed the most were her eyes. Eyes full of anger, yet if you examined them more closely, one could see the intense pain and sorrow which could make one wonder what she had gone through in her life.
"I will do none of the things you just asked me Milady, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Glorfindel, am I right to assume that you are Lady Rita Saunders who has been appointed to go on the quest to destroy the One Ring?"
"Ding ding ding, give the man a prize." it sounded very sarcastic "for I believe he nailed it. What!?! Did everybody know this already, nobody even considered the fact that I might not want to go to do this? Nooooo, who cares I might have an opinion of my own, it's not like Elrond would have listened. Just because I'm from another world doesn't mean I can save yours.. it's just plain silly! Besides it's just a ring what could it possibly do, be worn on a person's finger!"
Glorfindel sighed, he could see that Elrond had not explained the entire matter to the girl, she did not see the importance. "Has Elrond told you why the Ring must be destroyed, what effect it has on our world?" He saw Rita shake her head "Would you like me to explain this to you?"
Rita sat up "Please do, cause I just don't get it, and nobody would answer my questions earlier telling me all would be made clear at the Council, but that hasn't happened. All I have are more questions and now I'm stuck with going on this, this quest."
"The matter is indeed confusing if not explained, for one could not grasp the issue if one does not understand what a simple piece of jewelry, as you put it, can mean to our world." Glorfindel sat down beside Rita and cleared his throat before he started to talk.
"It began with the forging of the great rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else, desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race."
"How can rings be that powerful, I mean that would be impossible right, cause I thought that strength and will were things that were inside a person."
"Indeed they are, but the rings were created to be sure that those things would not be lost."
"Oh" was all that Rita could manage to say and Glorfindel took that as his cue to continue.
"But we were all deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring, to control all others. And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One by one, the free lands in Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor and on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth."
"You say this as if you were there Glorfindel."
"But I was Milady.." but he was interrupted by Rita.
"Please call me Rita, that Milady thing gets boring after a while."
"Fine, Rita. Now where was I, oh yes, I was fighting in the Last Alliance and it was a grand thing to see. Men and Elves, bound together to fight of evil. All dressed in armors so shiney that the mere sight could have blinded a person as he watched. We were attacked by a very large troop of orcs, but we held our ground. Victory was near. But the power of the Ring could not be undone. Sauron came onto the battlefield. All the hopes of victory seemed to be lost."
"Was he really that bad, Sauron I mean" Rita's voice sounded very small.
"Yes he was Rita, he was really that bad. He towered over both elves and men, mace in his hand and the Ring of Power glowing on his finger. In fear, some of the warriors backed off. Sauron hit a group of warriors and sent them flying across the field. He repeated it with another swing. Then Elendil, king of men, Lord of Gondor, raised his sword to strike but Sauron flung him against a rock, crushing him to death. Horrified, Isildur runs to his fallen father" Glorfindel's voice trailed of as if he were reliving the very moment. After a silence of a few minutes he once again continued his story.
"It was in this moment when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the King, took up his father's sword but Sauron quickly stomped it down, shattering the blade. Sauron, with the Ring on his finger, reached down towards Isildur. With a last desperate attempt, Isildur let out a battle cry and struck Sauron's hand with the shards of Narsil, the name of the sword, and he sliced the finger on which the One Ring was worn. Sauron cried out in pain or horror, that I do not know, as the Ring is separated from him. He imploded, sending a shock wave throughout the battlefield, knocking all off their feet. His armor falls unto the ground, his body had vaporized."
"But if Sauron was destroyed, how come he's back. What happened after the battle Glorfindel?"
"Sauron, the enemy of the free-peoples of Middle-Earth was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever. But the hearts of men are easily corrupted and the Ring of Power has a will of its own. Isildur took the Ring but it betrayed him, he was attacked and killed and so the line of kings was broken and the Ring was lost. Much about this was forgotten over time."
"Uhm, I hate to interrupt you again but didn't I just hear that Aragorn is going to be king as he is Isildur's heir or something?"
"Aragorn is indeed heir to the throne of Gondor, but after Isildur's passing the kings were no longer in command of Gondor, he is now king in exile."
"Oh" once again Rita was speechless, she had a lot of information to digest.
"Do you now see why it is so important that the Ring must be destroyed?" Glorfindel asked.
"Yeah, I get the part that the ring is pure evil and sort, but I thought that Sauron was killed, I mean he vaporized and everything right?"
"The body of Sauron was destroyed, but his spirit, the essence of Sauron still exits. For that part is bound with the Ring, for it to be destroyed the Ring must be destroyed."
"But what can his spirit do?" Rita sounded confused.
"He is mobilizing all evil once again, he is fixed to regain the power he once had. Finding the Ring is his primary goal, and his efforts to get possession of the Ring must be stopped at all costs. This is why the quest is so important, for Sauron does not see that the One Ring is going to be destroyed. He believes that one would use the Ring to gain power for oneself, he fears that his power will be overthrown as he overthrew the residing Dark Lord before him."
"So he won't be counting on a bunch of people, you know hobbits, elves, dwarves men, to march up to his palace of darkness, walk into the very depths of his kingdom and just drop the Ring back to where it was made?"
"It is what we hope for, because it is the last hope for Middle Earth."
"Oh, ok, thanks Glorfindel for explaining I mean. I understand why this quest has to be done now, but I still don't understand why I have to go with them to do it."
Glorfindel sighed "I cannot say that I understand it either, but both Elrond as Gandalf are very wise and they would not send you if there was not a very good reason. The Valar work in very mysterious ways none can say they understand them. But I have faith that they sent you to help the power of light and that they will protect you on your journey."
Rita frowned, she did not get it yet. "Thanks Glorfindel, you gave me a lot to think about."
"I merely told you things that you deserved to know, but I am pleased I could be of assistance." Glorfindel rose from the ground and looked down on Rita sitting with her legs crossed (Indian style) and her head resting against the tree. Her cheeks returned to their normal color and her eyes were no longer blazing with anger. They looked very thoughtful and confused.
"I will leave you now with your thoughts Rita, for I can see there are many things you have to understand." With those words he walked of, leaving her behind.
A/N) I know short chapter but really have to study.. exams are coming up and let me tell ya it is very hard. I'll try to update next week or so, wish me luck though cause math is killing me *makes strangled noises* Reviews make me feel better though so please review!!!! PS: I just love Glorfindel so I just HAD to add him in my fic. Don't get me wrong, Arwen rocked in the movie (it's one of my favorite scenes) but I hated it that Glorfindel was written out of the story.
Hoshikolzumi: Glad you still love it, Rita will be calmed down though
Ithilwen: You still hungry now??? Here *hands sandwich* specially prepared by Pippin for you
Bina: Thanks for reviewing again, I wasn't sure about last chapter because a large part was from the movie but I'm happy that you still liked it
Lady Fae: Few, I was scared that people would hate me for making Elrond a little out of character, happy you liked the idea
DISCLAIMER: Do I really have to do this again???? Well here goes, I don't own any characters who were thought of by Tolkien, Rita is mine!!!!!
Rita stormed through Rivendell, a great fire inside of her still burning. *I can't believe I just did that, why did Frodo had to give me a look like THAT, exactly like Carol used to do. Stupid look, stupid Frodo, stupid Elrond, stupid Dark Lord, stupid ring!!!* She kicked against a branch lying on the ground as she found herself in a garden suddenly, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. *Great now I'm lost too, Great job Rita, first you put yourself in danger by telling Frodo you'd help him and now you got yourself lost, just great!*
She looked around and decided that if she didn't know where she was, she might as well sit. She fell against a huge tree with all kinds of branches. Rita thought about climbing it for a second but dismissed that thought. *No point in breaking my neck to avoid this, I promised already.* She sighed and closed her eyes, desperate to block out everything until she heard a voice.
"What troubles you so Milady, is there anything I can assist you with?"
Rita didn't even bother to open her eyes, *Great, why can't people leave me alone, can't this guy see I'm in the middle of something?*
"Milady, are you well?" *Well I guess that answers that question, he can't see that*
She decided to get this over with and said "I'm fine, just leave me alone will ya." It wasn't a question rather than a command, the hidden threat visible: Leave or else...
"With all due respect Milady, you don't look fine, nor do you sound fine, are you sure I can not help you?"
Rita opened her eyes and saw an elf crouched besides her. *Oh dear it's another elf, nosey and annoying creatures, lets see what this one wants* "What, what do you want? Do you want to tell me I have to go to some stupid mountain to drop in a silly piece of jewelry in too? Are you gonna do something worse then sending me away to fight those awful orcs? What?!?!"
This tirade made the elf back off a little, this would have made Rita smile if she weren't so angry. The elf studied her a little. Her cheeks were red because of her outburst but the thing that he noticed the most were her eyes. Eyes full of anger, yet if you examined them more closely, one could see the intense pain and sorrow which could make one wonder what she had gone through in her life.
"I will do none of the things you just asked me Milady, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Glorfindel, am I right to assume that you are Lady Rita Saunders who has been appointed to go on the quest to destroy the One Ring?"
"Ding ding ding, give the man a prize." it sounded very sarcastic "for I believe he nailed it. What!?! Did everybody know this already, nobody even considered the fact that I might not want to go to do this? Nooooo, who cares I might have an opinion of my own, it's not like Elrond would have listened. Just because I'm from another world doesn't mean I can save yours.. it's just plain silly! Besides it's just a ring what could it possibly do, be worn on a person's finger!"
Glorfindel sighed, he could see that Elrond had not explained the entire matter to the girl, she did not see the importance. "Has Elrond told you why the Ring must be destroyed, what effect it has on our world?" He saw Rita shake her head "Would you like me to explain this to you?"
Rita sat up "Please do, cause I just don't get it, and nobody would answer my questions earlier telling me all would be made clear at the Council, but that hasn't happened. All I have are more questions and now I'm stuck with going on this, this quest."
"The matter is indeed confusing if not explained, for one could not grasp the issue if one does not understand what a simple piece of jewelry, as you put it, can mean to our world." Glorfindel sat down beside Rita and cleared his throat before he started to talk.
"It began with the forging of the great rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else, desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race."
"How can rings be that powerful, I mean that would be impossible right, cause I thought that strength and will were things that were inside a person."
"Indeed they are, but the rings were created to be sure that those things would not be lost."
"Oh" was all that Rita could manage to say and Glorfindel took that as his cue to continue.
"But we were all deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring, to control all others. And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One by one, the free lands in Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor and on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth."
"You say this as if you were there Glorfindel."
"But I was Milady.." but he was interrupted by Rita.
"Please call me Rita, that Milady thing gets boring after a while."
"Fine, Rita. Now where was I, oh yes, I was fighting in the Last Alliance and it was a grand thing to see. Men and Elves, bound together to fight of evil. All dressed in armors so shiney that the mere sight could have blinded a person as he watched. We were attacked by a very large troop of orcs, but we held our ground. Victory was near. But the power of the Ring could not be undone. Sauron came onto the battlefield. All the hopes of victory seemed to be lost."
"Was he really that bad, Sauron I mean" Rita's voice sounded very small.
"Yes he was Rita, he was really that bad. He towered over both elves and men, mace in his hand and the Ring of Power glowing on his finger. In fear, some of the warriors backed off. Sauron hit a group of warriors and sent them flying across the field. He repeated it with another swing. Then Elendil, king of men, Lord of Gondor, raised his sword to strike but Sauron flung him against a rock, crushing him to death. Horrified, Isildur runs to his fallen father" Glorfindel's voice trailed of as if he were reliving the very moment. After a silence of a few minutes he once again continued his story.
"It was in this moment when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the King, took up his father's sword but Sauron quickly stomped it down, shattering the blade. Sauron, with the Ring on his finger, reached down towards Isildur. With a last desperate attempt, Isildur let out a battle cry and struck Sauron's hand with the shards of Narsil, the name of the sword, and he sliced the finger on which the One Ring was worn. Sauron cried out in pain or horror, that I do not know, as the Ring is separated from him. He imploded, sending a shock wave throughout the battlefield, knocking all off their feet. His armor falls unto the ground, his body had vaporized."
"But if Sauron was destroyed, how come he's back. What happened after the battle Glorfindel?"
"Sauron, the enemy of the free-peoples of Middle-Earth was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever. But the hearts of men are easily corrupted and the Ring of Power has a will of its own. Isildur took the Ring but it betrayed him, he was attacked and killed and so the line of kings was broken and the Ring was lost. Much about this was forgotten over time."
"Uhm, I hate to interrupt you again but didn't I just hear that Aragorn is going to be king as he is Isildur's heir or something?"
"Aragorn is indeed heir to the throne of Gondor, but after Isildur's passing the kings were no longer in command of Gondor, he is now king in exile."
"Oh" once again Rita was speechless, she had a lot of information to digest.
"Do you now see why it is so important that the Ring must be destroyed?" Glorfindel asked.
"Yeah, I get the part that the ring is pure evil and sort, but I thought that Sauron was killed, I mean he vaporized and everything right?"
"The body of Sauron was destroyed, but his spirit, the essence of Sauron still exits. For that part is bound with the Ring, for it to be destroyed the Ring must be destroyed."
"But what can his spirit do?" Rita sounded confused.
"He is mobilizing all evil once again, he is fixed to regain the power he once had. Finding the Ring is his primary goal, and his efforts to get possession of the Ring must be stopped at all costs. This is why the quest is so important, for Sauron does not see that the One Ring is going to be destroyed. He believes that one would use the Ring to gain power for oneself, he fears that his power will be overthrown as he overthrew the residing Dark Lord before him."
"So he won't be counting on a bunch of people, you know hobbits, elves, dwarves men, to march up to his palace of darkness, walk into the very depths of his kingdom and just drop the Ring back to where it was made?"
"It is what we hope for, because it is the last hope for Middle Earth."
"Oh, ok, thanks Glorfindel for explaining I mean. I understand why this quest has to be done now, but I still don't understand why I have to go with them to do it."
Glorfindel sighed "I cannot say that I understand it either, but both Elrond as Gandalf are very wise and they would not send you if there was not a very good reason. The Valar work in very mysterious ways none can say they understand them. But I have faith that they sent you to help the power of light and that they will protect you on your journey."
Rita frowned, she did not get it yet. "Thanks Glorfindel, you gave me a lot to think about."
"I merely told you things that you deserved to know, but I am pleased I could be of assistance." Glorfindel rose from the ground and looked down on Rita sitting with her legs crossed (Indian style) and her head resting against the tree. Her cheeks returned to their normal color and her eyes were no longer blazing with anger. They looked very thoughtful and confused.
"I will leave you now with your thoughts Rita, for I can see there are many things you have to understand." With those words he walked of, leaving her behind.
A/N) I know short chapter but really have to study.. exams are coming up and let me tell ya it is very hard. I'll try to update next week or so, wish me luck though cause math is killing me *makes strangled noises* Reviews make me feel better though so please review!!!! PS: I just love Glorfindel so I just HAD to add him in my fic. Don't get me wrong, Arwen rocked in the movie (it's one of my favorite scenes) but I hated it that Glorfindel was written out of the story.