Chapter 3

Adette's POV

"What did you just say to me you filthy whore?" Boromir jumped to his feet, edging closer to me. Dínendal and Lenwë were about to rise and I was about to unsheathe my sword when something whizzed past Boromir's head. I turned to see an arrow stuck in a nearby tree.

"Legolas." I breathed, looking up to see him and Aragorn standing on the balcony. Legolas had another arrow ready in his bow, glaring angrily at Boromir.

Boromir simply laughed, turning to see Legolas on the balcony. He bowed, mocking him I could only assume.

"You missed your target prince!" He called.

"That was a warning Boromir! If you do not want an arrow in your head, stay away from my wife!" Legolas spat venomously, lowering his bow.

When he and Aragorn disappeared from the balcony, Boromir turned back to me. He looked fairly embarrassed and very angry. I just glared at him, unafraid of the man standing in front of me.

"We'll finish this later." He promised, pointing a finger at me. He then turned and headed back to his seat.

"Nadorhuan." I growled under my breath, raising a middle finger to his back.

(Cowardly dog.)

Legolas had arrived just in time to see me lower my middle finger. He chuckled and took my hands in his, squeezing it affectionately.

"Ndengina ho." I muttered as we took our seats in between Dínendal and Lenwë. Legolas looked at me, a smile tugging at his lips.

(Kill him.)

"Manke lle merna."

(If you wish.)

He reached for his sword, but I grabbed his hand. Legolas would do anything for me, and I wasn't sure if he had been serious or not. I reached out with my other hand to stroke his hair as his grip on the hilt of his sword loosened.

"Lle naa curucuar." I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Aragorn, who had heard me, began laughing from where he sat across from us. He shook his head, looking at me.

(You are a skillful bowman.)

Legolas laughed too, eyeing the arrow still lodged in the tree. He got up, letting go of my hand, and went to it. He put his hand against the bark, quietly apologizing for injuring the tree. From the look on his face, the tree had forgiven him. He then ripped the arrow from the place it was imbedded and turned to wave it threateningly at Boromir.

From inside came Lord Elrond. He was dressed in a mauve colored cloak in the same design as Legolas, Dínendal, and Lenwë. He looked as serious as stone, as he always looked, as he went to his place in the center of the circle.

"Hama sinome." He motioned to Legolas, who immediately went to his seat beside me.

(Have a seat.)

"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.

Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." Lord Elrond motioned to the pedestal in the midst of us.

I leaned forward a little to see Frodo, hesitant to stand. He saw me looking and I smiled, hoping that a little bit of warmth would do the trick. He smiled back briefly before standing and slowly going to the pedestal. With a tiny hand, he placed the Ring carefully on the stone.

I had never seen the Ring before and when I finally did, I felt its power. It was only a golden ring but then again, it was so much more. It had the power to destroy Middle Earth in one, effortless move. Something so dangerous shouldn't have been created.

I noticed that Boromir was looking upon the Ring hungrily, as if it was a piece of meat and he hadn't eaten in days. His eyes were wide with curiosity and longing – longing for the Ring.

Legolas seemed to notice my sudden interest in the man and looked his way. I knew that he saw the same longing in Boromir's eyes and he turned to me. His face was solemn, and I wondered if we were thinking the same thing – could the Ring eventually take us over? He took a hold of my hand at that moment, as if he had read my mind. I smiled up at him.

"So it is true." Boromir murmured, still staring at the Ring. "In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: 'Your doom is near at hand.' Isildur's Bane is found."

The foolish man had gotten up from his seat, and reached out a finger to the Ring. It was as if everyone in the circle had lost their breath as a sudden, evil voice began chanting in a harsh tone. Boromir pulled back his finger in surprise, a look of awe and wonder on his face.

I closed my eyes against the chant, feeling the pain in my shoulder from the vision. It was as if the chant was bringing back painful memories. Legolas sensed my uneasiness and touched my cheek with his free hand. Even with my eyes closed I could feel his worried gaze.

"Lle tyava quel?" He questioned against my ear in a whisper.

(Do you feel well?")

I nodded weakly, restraining myself from gripping my pained shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes to see that he had leaned in front of me, his eyes staring at mine. The soft blue calmed me, and I slowly felt the pain die down. I smiled in relief, and mouthed a, "Thanks."

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!" Lord Elrond exclaimed as everyone slowly calmed down. Aragorn was looking over at us, mouthing words to Legolas. I glared at him to let him know that I had seen, and he looked away.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West. The Ring is altogether evil." Gandalf's voice was raspy as he spoke, but his words were hard. He meant what he said, and I knew he was directing it at Boromir.

Boromir, being the idiot he was, argued against Gandalf. Why anyone would argue with him, I didn't know.

"It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring?" He had gotten up once more, preaching to us. His words were stupid and foolish, just like he was. The Ring was evil, and it was to be used in an evil cause.

I went to stand but I felt Legolas's hand shoot out and tighten around my wrist. He glanced sideways at me, shaking his head.

"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."

"You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." Aragorn said calmly. Finally someone was speaking up, and I was glad that it was my brother. He was wise in these matters.

Boromir glared at him, a scowl on his face.

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?" He asked in a cocky voice.

That was it. He was not going to speak to my brother that way and get away with it. This time when I went to stand, Legolas did not stop me. I knew that if I had not stood, he would have stood up for Aragorn himself.

"This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." I spat at him, stepping a bit closer to the center. Boromir turned to look at me, a bit surprised by what I had said. I was sure he was going to snap back, but Legolas gave him a look that would frighten Sauron himself.

"Aragorn? This is…Isildur's heir?" He asked softly, trying to keep the anger from his voice.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor. So keep your mouth shut and sit down you dirty-"

"Havo dad, sister." Aragorn held up a hand, still speaking calmly. His eyes seemed to plead with me to just sit down. I shot Boromir one more nasty look before sitting down, feeling a bit better.

"Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." Boromir then took his seat. I hoped he felt ashamed of himself. He had just spoken ill to the heir of the throne. He deserved to be ripped to pieces by a band of orcs.

"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it." Gandalf agreed.

"You have only once choice," Lord Elrond looked around the circle at us all, "you must destroy the Ring."

Before anyone could suggest something, a dwarf stood up. He had a scraggly, red beard that was braided neatly. He seemed like the type that was small on the outside, but on the inside he was fierce. He had an axe in his hands.

"Then what are we waiting for?" He asked. He then rushed forward and swung down on the Ring with his axe. There was a loud crash and the dwarf's axe was in pieces. The Ring was unharmed.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Glóin, 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 fiery chasm from whence it came." Lord Elrond explained, eyeing the pieces of Gimli's axe.

"One of you must do this."

I gasped, a hand flying to my mouth. One of us? One of us would have to travel to Mordor and destroy the Ring. But who would be the one to cast it back into the fiery pits of Mount Doom?

"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. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly." Boromir pointed out. Although I did not agree with him on most things, he was right.

It was Legolas's turn to stand. He let go of me and got to his feet, and I was secretly proud when I realized that he was taller than Boromir. I could see him glaring daggers at Legolas when he stood up.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed."

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli got to his feet once again, stepping close to our side of the circle.

At this point, everyone was having their own debates and arguments. Gimli continued to offend Legolas and the elves, causing an uproar. Although I was not an elf, I was insulted because my friends and my husband were elves. I got to my feet, avoiding the arm Legolas held out to keep us back, and socked Gimli right in his face.

I could hear other fights raging on as I tackled Gimli to the ground, wrestling him. Suddenly, two strong arms wrapped themselves around my chest, trapping my arms at my sides. I was picked up, my legs kicking, and carried away from where Gimli now stood. He had blood dripping from his large nose.

"Lle tela dúlin?" Legolas asked from behind me, still holding me up so that my feet nearly touched the ground.

(Are you finished nightingale?)

"Not even close." I struggled against him but he finally set me down, only to spin me around to face him.

"Calm down dúlin." He murmured, holding my face in his hands. "He is ignorant."

Suddenly we were interrupted by a voice crying out, "I will take it!"

Legolas let his hands drop and I turned to see Frodo standing in the midst of the commotion. He looked at Lord Elrond, a look of certainty on his face.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor…although I do not know the way." He admitted sheepishly, running a hand quickly through his curls.

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." Gandalf said proudly, going to his side. He put a hand on Frodo's shoulder, smiling down at him. Frodo seemed happy that Gandalf would be joining him.

"If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will." Aragorn made his way to Frodo and kneeled before him. "You have my sword."

I saw Legolas looking at me nervously, and I knew at once that he didn't want me going. All the more reason to go.

"Frodo, you have my sword as well." I kneeled to him just as Aragorn had, and went forward to rest my chin on his shoulder so that I could whisper in his ear. "I will look out for you Frodo. Do not worry."

I kissed his cheek before pulling back and getting to my feet.

Legolas's POV

I walked along the path, attempting to ease my mind. The fellowship was leaving to begin the journey soon, and I had a lot to think about. I wondered how long we would be gone, what would happen if the Ring didn't make it to Mordor, and what would happen to Adette? If I lost her, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

I looked up at the sky, seeing that it was free of clouds. It was beautiful, and it reminded me of earlier times when the Ring was not a worry.

The leaves on the trees were reds, golds, and browns. They contrasted well with the mountains and with the green fields of Rivendell. Adette and I had talked about coming to live in Rivendell, although we knew it was only a dream of ours. We had duties in Mirkwood.

Suddenly a hand grabbed me and pulled me behind a tree.

"Do you hear that?" Adette asked, our bodies pressed against each other.

I perked up my ears, listening. I heard thesoft wind, the bird singing, and the muffled sound of rushing water.

"No."

"Cormamin lindua ele lle." She spoke against my cheek. Hers was pressed to mine, her arms wrapped around me. She was standing against the tree she had pulled me behind.

(My heart sings to see thee.)

"As does mine." I replied, pulling back to kiss her softly. She ran a hand through my hair as our lips met for a brief moment. "But we saw each other only moments ago."

"I know." She smiled, leaning her head against my shoulder.

I put my arms around her waist, holding her against me. I rested my head against hers, inhaling her scent. It entwined with the scent of Rivendell and filled my nose with a heavenly aroma. We did not speak for awhile.

"Legolas, mani naa ta?"

(Legolas, what is it?)

"Mani?" I questioned, pulling her away from me to look into her eyes. They seemed to see right through me, and I knew she knew the reason I was upset. She rolled her eyes.

(What?)

She then pushed me backwards, startling me, and I rolled down the hill. Although dizzy and still rolling, I could see her tumbling after me. When I finally reached the bottom, she landed with a thud on top of me. I groaned.

"Naa lle awra?" She asked in a concerned voice.

(Are you hurt?)

I shook my head, smoothing back her now untidy, grass filled hair. She smiled and pressed her lips to mine before getting off of me. She laughed when I did not follow.

"Lle anta amin tu?" She held out a hand to me, which I took. I then pulled her against me, earning a surprised gasp and slightly widened eyes from her.

(Do you need help?)

"I am worried for you on the journey. I don't want you to get hurt dúlin." I told her softly, kissing her forehead.

"Is that it?" She asked, acting as though it were the funniest thing. I was about to speak when she cupped a hand over my mouth.

"Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha ar' thar." She simply said, touching her lips to the hand that covered my mouth.

(I will follow you to death and beyond.)

She then took her hand from my mouth and kissed my lips. How I loved my Adette.