Mary's New Adventure
Chapter Five: The Council and Apologies
Finally I got this Chapter done! Took me forever and hope that you'll like it. Thanks for waiting, since I didn't update like in forever. Oh, and this ones a little longer and I tried my best to summarize the council so you wouldn't get tired of reading it, but the beginning has it and there some more after word. So bear with me here. -The Author: Sophie -
At breakfast I learned Merry and Pippins point of view of Bilbo's Party, which I must say it was funny. They talked about their childhood, and different things that have happened to them. When breakfast was over Gandalf came over towards me.
"Lady Marian, are you ready to go to the council?" Gandalf asked
"As ready as I ever will. I'll talk to you guys later." I said waving to them
"So, Lady Marian, how are you doing so far at your stay in Rivendell?" Gandalf asked looking down at me
"It's been great. I've enjoyed my stay here and the chance to meet so many interesting people. Especially hobbits, I never knew of how difficult it is to tell how they are. One minute you figure out how they're like and the next they are the complete opposite."
"Yes, hobbits are truly amazing." Gandalf murmured
"So, where am I sitting?" I said walking into the area of chairs that were in a circle.
"You will sit, by Aragorn during the council. Be careful of what you speak here, if you want to put in your opinion." Gandalf said as he walked to his seat.
I looked around and noticed everyone was here, beside Lord Elrond and his sons. Everyone seemed to be talking amongst themselves. The elves and the dwarves were shooting glares at each other, I knew that their past history wasn't good but I never remembered why though.
"I see that Lord Elrond let you come to the council." Aragorn said sitting down.
"Yep, it's nice to see you too. This should be interesting, with elves and dwarves sitting next to each other." I said with an amused look on my face.
"Yes, it should be. They never had good history and sitting close to each other does seem a little odd." Aragorn said
Just then Bilbo and Frodo walked in. Bilbo sat down and Lord Elrond introduced Frodo to everyone as he showed Frodo his seat.
"Here, my friends, is the hobbit, Frodo son of Drogo. Few have ever come hither through greater peril or on an errand more urgent." Elrond said then stating out everyone then having Glóin speak first of his news.
"It is now many years ago, that a shadow of disquiet fell upon our people. Whence it came we did not at first know. Words began to be whispered in secret: it was said that we were hemmed in a narrow place, and that greater wealth and splendour would be found in a wider world. Some spoke of Moria: the mighty works of our fathers that are called in our own tongue Khazad-dûm; and they declared that now at last we had the power and the numbers to return." Glóin started
He went on for a while about the black riders and how they wanted to know where the one ring was. When he finished his tale Elrond spoke of Sauron and the Rings of Power, and spoke of the Last Alliance. He talked about Isildur and the one ring. When he finished speaking Boromir stood up and spoke of his and his brother's dream.
"Seek for the Sword that was broken: In Imladris it dwells; There shall be counsels taken Stronger then Morgul-spells. There shall be shown a toke That Doom is near at hand, For Isildur's Bane shall waken, and the Halfling forth shall stand." Boromir said then sat down.
"And here in the house of Elrond more shall be made clear to you. Here is the Sword that was Broken!" Aragorn said placing his sword on the table that was in two pieces.
"And who are you, and what have you to do with Minas Tirith?" Asked Boromir, looking at Aragorn in wonder.
"He is Aragorn son of Arathorn, and he is descended through many fathers from Isildur Elendil's son of Minas Ithil. He is the Chief of the Dúnedain in the North." I said looking at Boromir not seeing the appraising glance from Gandalf.
"Then it belongs to you and not to me at all." Cried Frodo standing on his feet
"It does not belong to either of us, but it has been decided that you should hold it for a while." Aragorn said calmly.
"Bring out the ring Frodo, the time has come. Hold it up, and then Boromir will understand the remainder of his riddle." Gandalf said
Everyone fell silent and looked at Frodo. Who now looked scared and wanted to run away. But in the end he held out his hand and in it was the ring.
"Behold, Isildur's Bane!" Elrond said
"Is then the doom of Minas Tirith come at last? But why then should we seek a broken sword?" Boromir asked clearly confused
"The words were not the doom of Minas Tirith, but doom and great deeds are indeed at hand. For the Sword that was Broken is the Sword of Elendil that broke beneath him when he fell. It has been treasured by his heirs when all other heirlooms were lost; for it was spoken of old among us that it should be made again when the Ring, Isildur's Bane, was found. Now you have seen the sword that you have sought what would you ask? Do you wish for the House of Elendil to return to the Land of Gondor?" Aragorn said
"I was not sent to beg any boon, but to seek the meaning of a riddle, yet we are hard pressed, and the Sword of Elendil would be help beyond our hope-if such a thing could indeed return our of the shadows of the past." Boromir said then looked at Aragorn.
"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 woke,
A light form the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king."
Bilbo said after much movement before hand. When he finished Aragorn smiled at Bilbo and looked at Boromir, and talked about him not looking of the figures of Elendil and Isildur. Then he spoke of his life and what not.
Soon afterward Galdor an elf of the Grey Havens spoke up about what Gandalf knows about this. He talked about his traveling and him speaking the language of Mordor that was on the ring which read: One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them.
They spoke of Gollum and how he was sent to Mirkwood. That is where Legolas spoke up and told us of how they lost him. This went on a while, talking about Gandalf's traveling. And how Saruman is evil now and of the Nine Riders. Then after Gandalf finished his tale Elrond spoke up.
"What shall we do with it?" Lord Elrond said
They then spoke of Bombadil and that he should hide it but Gandalf rejected it saying it wouldn't do any good there for he would lose it and forget all about it.
"Then if the Ring cannot be kept from him for ever by strength, two things only remain for us to attempt: to send it over the Sea or to destroy it." Glorfindel said
"We cannot destroy it, just like Gandalf said, and giving it to people who live beyond the Sea does no good. All it does is delay the process here more; only to say that people here gave up on it and that they won't go and face what is in front of them." I said getting looks from Boromir.
"Lady Marian is right, we cannot destroy it and sending it beyond the Sea to other people isn't good. It's Middle Earths task not people beyond the Sea." Gandalf said
"Then, there are but two courses, as Glorfindel already has declared: to hide the Ring for ever; or to unmake it. But both are beyond our power. Who will read this riddle for us?" Erestor said
Gandalf and Elrond looked at me, as if saying would you like to speak up or not.
"The riddle is, there is only one way to take care of this problem that's in front of us. We must go back to the beginning, if it was forged in the fires of Mount Doom then, that is were it will be destroyed. It will be a tough road to travel on, but if we do not do this, no one can." I said looking around at everyone.
"And what would you know of this!" Boromir said getting upset.
"Calm down Boromir, it is time that is explained. She has come to us from a distant land to help us in this decision." Lord Elrond said sternly.
Saying that everyone was staring at me, and whispering among each other. Boromir didn't listen to a thing Elrond said and went on talking. He said that we shouldn't hide it or destroy it but to use the ring and let it be our weapon.
"We cannot use the Ruling Ring. That we now know too well. It belongs to Sauron and was made by him alone, and that is altogether evil. Its strength, Boromir, is too great for anyone to wield at will, save only those who have already a great power of their own. As long as it's in the world it will be a danger even to the Wise." Lord Elrond said
"What does the Lady speak of this, will you not tell us what you think, since you are here." Boromir asked then and turning to me.
"I cannot tell you what is ahead of you; you here must decide what to do. I am here only to guide you, not tell you what you should do." I said solemnly
"Thus we return once more to the destroying of the Ring, and yet we come no nearer. What strength do we have of finding the fire in which it was made?" Erestor said
"The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere. Thus, there should be a group of people that travel with the ring bearer. Who they are, we have to decide." Elrond said looking around
"Why doesn't the Lady tell us, since she know much about this subject." Boromir said as if saying I should take the ring.
"I am sorry, but I cannot take the ring, that is saying suicidal. No doubt that some time Saruman and Sauron will find out I'm here and will want to get their hands on me. Making me have the ring is doubling the factors, if I have it, not only will I be dead but they'll already have the ring and have no use for me. Thus ending everything that is good in the world." I said sadly.
No one else spoke up; they all sat downcast after what I said. I looked at Frodo who was looking at everyone when he looked at me; I nodded my head, telling him that he was the one. He stood up and took the challenge that was ahead of him.
"I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way." Frodo said
"If I understand all that has been said, I think that this task is appointed for you, Frodo. And if you do not find a way, no one will. It's a heavy burden to carry. So heavy that none could lay it on another. If you take it freely, I will say that is your choice as right." Lord Elrond said
After saying that everyone one who wanted to go on this journey and protect Frodo, stood up and walked over to where Frodo was standing. The people that went was, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Merry, Pippin; Nine altogether. It was late when the meeting was over, and many went to get some things to eat. That is when Elrond came over to talk to me.
"Lady Marian, do you wish to go with them? Or at least until they make it to Lorien? It is your choice; you have until tomorrow morning to make your decision." Elrond said
"Yah let me think about that." I said fidgeting slightly.
Elrond nodded and walked away. I was watching as everyone talk with each other and joke around. I got up and decided that going to my room would be nice, just to relax for a while.
"Lady Marian, can I speak to you?" A voice said behind me
I looked up to see that it was Boromir, and he looked as if he came to say sorry after getting into trouble and was made to come here.
"Sure, what is it that you want to speak to me about?"
"I wanted to apologize to you. I didn't mean to make you think that I hate you only that women usually leave this kind of things to the men." He said looking at me
"Yes, well, I guess I'll let you off this time. So, who yelled at you?" I asked quirking an eyebrow
"Wha- wait how did you know someone talked to me?" Boromir asked surprised.
"Well, you have that look that kids usually have when they got caught doing something wrong, and had to go and say sorry to the person."
"I should have know, and thank you." Boromir said smiling
"You're welcome, so tell me, what is Gondor like in person?"
So I spent rest of the day talking to Boromir about honor, respect, and he told me about Gondor. I mean in the movie Gondor was really amazing, but think ten times as great.
"Mary, if you don't mind me asking, what made you be so different, compared to other women here?" Boromir asked later on
"Well, I guess it's because of how my parents brought me up and what I believe in. I mean I think women should be as equal as men; it's a tough subject to bring up since most men believe that women should be put in their place in the home. I mean I like cooking and cleaning and everything else, but I also like history and that's why I'm here I guess you could say."
"I heard what Lord Elrond asked of you. Are you going to be traveling with us?" Boromir asked
"I see, well, I'm not sure. I don't know what I'm going to do. I have by tomorrow morning to give him an answer and frankly I don't know what I want to do."
"Well, if you do not come with us, I hope that I'll be able to see you another time." Boromir said
"Aww, shucks, that's really sweet of you to say that. Well I don't know about you but I'm hungry." I said getting up after hear my stomach grumble
"Well, dinner is starting, would you mind if I escorted you to dinner?" Boromir asked as he stood up
"I'd love that."
He led me to my room and went to get ready while I cleaned up. I walked into my room and re combed my hair and thought over what my answer would be about whether I was going to go with them or not.
"I don't know, I mean I could go with them and possibly get myself killed. I know this isn't a walk in the park. Heck it's far from it actually. But if I just sit and wait that'll kill me too. I wish that life was easier. Grr, I hate this." I said mumbling to myself as I paced the room in thought.
"Ok, let's make this easier. Write down the goods and the bads about going and not going and see what has more and what my options are at."
I went to my bags and pulled out a sheet of paper and pencil, then sat nervously in the seat not really know why. Tapping the pencil on the table, a nervous habit that I do, and thought about what was my gain at going with them
Becoming Part of the Fellowship:
Goods:
Seeing the fellowship more often.
Learning to defend my self.
A chance to sight see Middle Earth.
To learn new things.
To meet new people.
Bad:
The chance of dieing on the road
Not being able to protect myself all the time
To endure difficult situations
The chance of me being caught and tortured
Not going with the Fellowship:
Good:
To settle down and get use to Middle Earth
Learn the elvish language
To comfort Arwen when she has rough times.
Hearing stories from Bilbo
Traveling on my own, after the fellowship leave or before
Bad:
Having to worry about the fellowship.
Not being able to talk with new friends
Having to sit back and watch as they fight
To hope that the future will go along with the book and not know whether it is or not.
Not being able to be there for them when they are need for comfort.
I looked at the list and tried to see what was for the best. I think that the best was, to travel with them all the way with them until Lorien and then leave with Gandalf when he comes back.
Or to go before or after them and stay in Lorien, because staying here in Rivendell would be nice and peaceful but after a while I would get to restless. So, I had two choices that I had to choose with.
"Lady Mary, are you ready for dinner?" Boromir asked outside my door.
"Yes, hold on a minute."
I sat up, straightened my dress and opened my door to find a smiling Boromir.
"Good evening milady." Boromir said kissing my hand
"Good evening to you as well Monsieur. "I said smiling
"Shall we go I'm sure they are waiting for us?" Boromir said taking my arm
"We shall."
I smiled as we made our way down to the dinning room for a lovely dinner that was awaiting us.
Well what did you think of it? I'm sure that the Boromir thing is confusing. He was angry because you know how women don't take part in like council's or what not, and why he was nicer was because he was yelled at for not being polite. So, it's kinda like starting over and forgetting what happened before. I hope it didn't get really bad with the Council. If you think that I missed something or did something wrong please tell me in the review. You will review wont you. Lol, thanks again for waiting patently for the story. –The Author: Sophie-