Thank you, Vanaluinihin, for your reviews! If I could hug you, I would!
The story of Elenion is based on the Lord of the Rings movies, directed by Peter Jackson. The characters, with the exception of Elenion, belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. Elenion is a character all my own. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 10: The Council of Elrond
Elrond's council had begun. Elrond sat at the head of the circle court area of Imladris, gazing out at the races in attendance. To his left was Elenion, seated on the lower floor. Going clockwise, the Council seating continued with Frodo, then Gandalf. Three elves were seated to his left, and further down were three dwarves. Then sat Boromir and two other men, then finally, finishing the semi-circle facing Elrond was Aragorn. Elrond began to speak after some moments, mixed with silence, some mumbling, and an awkward exchange of glances from the mixed races. Elenion felt as though she had received the most stares. This, mixed with the tension she was feeling from Frodo was beginning to overpower her thoughts, and she was thankful when Elrond finally spoke.
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here 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 to this fate--this one doom…," he paused and looked at Frodo.
"Bring forth the ring, Frodo…," he said, and Frodo rose to his feet and walked over to the pedestal that Elrond had gestured towards. He approached it and set the ring on top, directly in the center. Everybody sat up and took notice of the ring and Elenion watched in curiosity as they all reacted similarly, yet completely different at the same time. Frodo took his seat beside her and sighed in relief, feeling free from the ring's grasp.
Among whispers, Boromir sat upright in his seat and proceeded to talk.
"So it is true…," he said, and stood up to approach the ring. Elrond shot Gandalf a look of concern. Elenion sat up in her seat as Boromir inched closer to the pedestal. What was it about the ring that so captivated him? It was a feeling she would never understand. The ring had no effect on her.
"I had a dream…," Boromir continued, and he told the council of his dream. Elenion definitely understood the confusion that dreams bring, but for Boromir to feel that he could simply walk up to the ring and be powerless to it was something completely different.
"Boromir…," she said, but he didn't seem to hear her. His hand extended towards the ring and Elrond sat up on the edge of his seat. One of the dwarves, hair the color of deep flame, reached for an axe.
"Isildur's Bane..," he mumbled, hand getting even closer to the ring. Elrond cried out Boromir's name and Elenion sprang from her seat to stop him when the most unexpected thing happened. Elenion clutched onto Boromir as Gandalf rose from his seat, clutching his staff with both hands, and began to speak in the dark tongue of Mordor.
Dark clouds began to hover over Imladris, and Elenion, upon hearing the words, went to cover her ears….the volume of his voice was too much for her highly keen and sensitive hearing, and the words were that of pure evil. Boromir retreated back towards his seat.
"Ash Nazg durbatulûk…ash Nazg gimbatul. Ash Nazg thrakatulûk agh Burzum-ishi krimpatul…," Gandalf said, clutching to his staff as though it were a struggle to stand on his own. One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, he had said. Elenion stared at him, not in disdain or in shock, but out of concern. Wiping away the tears that had run down her face, she moved over to her father's side.
"Never before has someone uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris," Elrond stated, looking sharply at Gandalf.
"I do not beg your pardon, Master Elrond. For the Black Speech may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The ring is altogether evil," Gandalf said to everyone at the council. Elenion went to help him back to his seat as Boromir spoke again.
"But it is a gift," he argued. "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!"
Elenion and Gandalf stared at Boromir in disbelief. She left her father's side and went to look Boromir in the face. "To speak like that is absurd, Boromir," she said, hoping he could understand reason. She was about to continue when Aragorn spoke up.
"The ring cannot be swayed--it answers to Sauron alone…it has no other master," he spoke to Boromir with the same hope that Elenion had. Boromir turned his head slowly to look at Aragorn.
"What would a ranger know of this matter," he challenged. One of the elves shot up from his seat to speak. Elenion looked at him and recognized him instantly. He was the elf from the hall. Only now had she noticed that he was a member of the council.
"This is no mere ranger," he said, his voice soft, his tone anything but as he stared directly into Boromir's eyes.
"He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn….you owe him your allegiance….," the elf said sharply, the words seeming to sting Boromir as they hit him. He whipped his head around to study Aragorn.
"Aragorn? This…. is Isildur's heir," he asked, as if Aragorn wasn't there to hear his disapproving tone.
"And heir to the throne of Gondor," the elf shot back. This made Boromir flush red with anger. Aragorn put a hand up to stop the elf.
"Havo dad, Legolas," he said in elvish, and the elf took his seat amongst the other elves again. Elenion, still standing opposite Boromir, decided it was time for her to return to her seat as well. She looked at Boromir, feeling bad for him for some reason, although she couldn't grasp why. She looked at the elf Legolas out of the corner of her eye as she returned to her seat. There was something haunting about his eyes, but she couldn't place it. After some silence, Elrond spoke again.
"The ring must be destroyed. It must be taken deep into the heart of Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came…..one of you must do this," he finished. Boromir's distress was evident.
"One does not simply walk into Mordor," he began. He spoke of the evil that lied beyond the black gates. "The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!"
"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said," Legolas demanded to know from Boromir, rising from his seat again. Elenion rose from hers as well, in an attempt to prevent the oncoming argument.
"Maybe not ten thousand, Boromir. But a few? Overall, it does not matter who or how many…the point is that it must be done," she stated, looking at the others, who seemed to be in agreement with her, despite the fact that she was a woman among men. Legolas moved to her side.
"Elenion is right, the ring must be destroyed," he finished. One of the dwarves sat up.
"And I suppose you two think that you're the ones to do it," he shouted. Legolas exchanged glances with him while Elenion simply looked at her father. Boromir spoke again.
"And what if we fail? What then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his," he argued with nobody in particular. Elenion couldn't believe in his lack of faith. The dwarf with the red hair, known as Gimli, stood up.
"I'll never see the ring in the hands of an elf," he declared. "Never trust an elf!"
Elenion sighed and looked at Aragorn, who was just as perturbed by it all as she was. Chaos broke out among the council as Elrond rested his face in his hands. Gandalf rose from his seat and began to argue further with Boromir. Some of the other men got into the fray, and the only two remaining seated were Aragorn and Frodo. Elenion looked around, unaware anymore of what to do. She noticed the sad look on Frodo's face and knew what was coming. She closed her eyes for a second until he spoke up.
"I will take it," he shouted, fear and sadness mixed in the deep blue of his eyes. She gazed at him and he returned her gaze. She was the only one who had heard him.
"I will take it," he shouted again, therefore getting everybody's attention. Gandalf turned slowly to look at Frodo, a mixed look of sadness and relief on his face. Frodo spoke again.
" I will take the ring to Mordor….though I do not know the way," he said softly. Elenion's heart reached for him as she spoke before the council.
"I will bear this with you, my dearest Frodo. May my skills and my life serve you well as I have pledged to you before. I refuse to disgrace you now," she said as she strode to his side and knelt down beside him, taking him into a hug. She heard the council mumble to themselves about her decision as she stood at Frodo's side. She looked to Elrond, who bowed his head slightly towards her with a smile of approval. Gandalf then spoke.
"I will bear this burden with you as well, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." He went and stood alongside Elenion. She was happy to know that wherever this decision took them, they would be together. Aragorn finally rose from his seat and walked over, taking a knee in front of Frodo.
"Upon my life or death, if I can protect you, I will," he pledged, placing both hands on Frodo's shoulders. "You have my sword."
"And you have my bow," Legolas added, as he came to stand alongside Elenion. They exchanged glances before Gimli spoke.
"And my axe," he said proudly as he moved next to Legolas, who let out a sigh of exasperation. Elenion looked away with a slight smirk, feeling the dwarf glare at both of them. Boromir then stood up and walked over towards the small group and began to speak to Frodo.
"You carry the fates of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council…then Gondor will see it done," he said, looking at Elenion, who returned a grateful smile. He bowed his head towards her and she was relieved to see some of his former self returning. Upon that moment, a rustling sound came from the bushes behind them and Samwise Gamgee pushed his way between Aragorn and Elenion to stand beside Frodo.
"Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me," he said, stubbornly crossing his arms as though someone were going to try to force him away from Frodo and he needed to stand his ground. Elenion laughed lightly under her breath and looked over at Elrond.
"It seems highly impossible to separate you two even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not," he smirked at Sam. More rustling came from across the way, and Elenion spotted Merry and Pippin in their hiding places. They did not linger there for long.
"Wait, we're coming too," Merry yelled as he darted out from behind another bush, Pippin right on his heels. Elrond flinched as they darted over to join Sam and Frodo.
"You'd have to send us home in a sack to stop us," Merry cried out and Pippin laughed.
"Besides, you need people of intelligence on this kind of mission…quest…..THING," he stated, beaming at Elrond, who raised an eyebrow. Elenion laughed out loud as Gandalf shook his head in shame.
"Ten companions," Elrond muttered, clearly amazed. "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring," he confirmed. Pippin giggled and looked around.
"So, where are we going," he asked. All of the hobbits groaned in disbelief and Elenion found herself stifling a laugh.