Imladris was, without a space for doubt a beautiful place to say the least. Every corner, every hall, window, door, ceiling was imbedded in that mystical aura that elven craftsmanship provides. Even now seated on the grass in a corner of the training grounds, watching elves and men train swordsmanship, archery and body combat the feeling of being completely out of place was overwhelming. Almost a week had passed from the moment she appeared outside Rivendel' s doors and that time had done nothing to decrease her uneasiness.
"Leanna" a cheerful voice called and the young woman didn't have to look in order to recognize the owner.
"Hi there, Merry, Pippin".
"What are you doing?"asked Pippin taking a seat on her side.
"Killing time"
"How can time be killed?"
Leanna was saved from having to give a very curious hobbit an explanation on what that expression meant, and probably all the other questions that would have followed, when a deep rich voice called for her.
"Are you the woman named Leanna?"
"That seems to be the case yes. Who's asking?"
The young woman turned around to found herself being studied by a pair of dark brown eyes, a man that she could only describe as handsome in a mouth watering way.
"My name is Aragorn, pardon my rudeness"
"No harm done, Aragorn" she answered honestly the man had a rather comforting presence and Leanna could welcome it "What can I do for you?"
The young woman started to get on her feet immediately helped by Aragorn's offered hand. The brief moment told her many things about this man.
"Gandalf told me about your sudden appearance at Imladris's doors"
"In a cryptic or a non cryptic way? Nevermind, don't answer that"
"Well maybe she fell from the sky, like a bird. I mean, she does has a beautiful voice" Pippin said and an instant later the hobbit's face turned red.
"That's very sweet of you, Pippin, thank you" Leanna smiled to her recently discovered admirer.
"Either the case, Gandalf and Lord Elrond requested your attendance to the council"
"Council?"
"I will explain the best I can during our way there"
''Strangers from distant lands, friends of old... You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor,'' spoke Lord Elrond, ''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.'' The boy, as Leanna thought of every hobbit she had met until that moment did as he was told. He looked tired, exhausted would be a far more accurate word.
The moment the woman set eyes on the Ring her stomach turned painfully, the beating of her heart rose and a screeching voice started to murmur in a deafening cacophony.
''In a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. But in the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, "The doom is near at hand, Isildur's Bane is found" said a tall blond man, a fire, a sort of lust was glimmering in his eyes.
The tension on the room arose as all those present prepared themselves for a fight.
"I don't care who this Mordor is! But could someone make the stupid ring quiet it's starting to get on my nerves!"
This phrase gained her once more the undivided attention from everyone in the room.
"What?" any contempt or restraint had been left behind on her memory.
"Can you listen words from the Ring, lady Leanna? And they are not tempting you?" Gandalf was undoubtedly and worryingly surprised.
"That's what I just said. It's making my head hurt like hell" she added and closed her eyes, resting the forehead in a hand." Why in the world do you all people look as if hearing to a mermaid's song?"
The blond man, Boromir was his name, she finally remembered thay had said before, reached for the Ring and then Gandalf started chanting something in a language unknown to her.
It felt dark, dense, foreign and familiar, it made her very soul feel drowned and exhausted, every one around seemed submerged in a sort of trance as the darkness invaded the room yet Leanna noticed it couldn't touch her, a sort of Silver halo glimmered lightly over her skin.
''Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!'' Lord Elrond spoke again, anger somewhat present in his voice.
''I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may have been heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil'' Gandalf responded.
''Ah, it is a gift! A gift to the foes of Mordor!'' Boromir started again. ''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!''
"Are you out of your mind?! That thing keeps calling it's true master and spilling a lot of gibberish about consuming this world in darkness and flames!" Leanna said in a stern voice.
''You cannot wield it. None of us can,'' Aragorn reasoned a hand resting on her shoulder, ''The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master.''
''And what would a Ranger and a wench know of this matter?'' Boromir fired back, poison in his voice.
''This is no mere Ranger!'' it was Legolas who spoke, no longer sitting in his chair. ''He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your
allegiance.''
''Aragorn?'' Boromir asked reluctantly. ''This is Isildur's heir?''
''He has more say in this than you.'' Leanna stood from her place both hands now on the table. "His reason speaks where your greed does"
''Havo dad, Legolas'' said Aragorn and the Elf retreated. He then looked at Leanna with a mixture of surprise and concern." My lady"
She was not sorry, in fact there were still quite a few of her opinions she wanted to voice to this Boromir guy. The man in question looked from her face to Legolas to the point where she arched a brow.
''Gondor has no King,'' he said before he faced Aragorn, ''Gondor needs no King.''
Leanna couldn't care less about kings and heirs, but that guy was getting on her nerves really quick.
''Aragorn is right. We cannot use it'' Gandalf concluded.
''You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed'' said Lord Elrond.
''Then what are we waiting for?!'' asked one of the dwarves before he practically jumped off his seat and rashly struck the Ring with his axe.
The only thing broken however, was the dwarf's axe; its pieces flew around and he himself fell to the ground, Leanna hissed as one of the pieces made a small cut on her cheek that she immediately covered with her hand. The Ring was left perfectly intact. The dwarf lay on the ground for a few moments, completely stunned by what had happened.
''The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess,'' Lord Elrond said. ''The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. The ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came... One of you must do this.''
''One does not simply walk into Mordor'' said Boromir. ''Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten-thousand men could you do this. It is folly!''
The great Eye, that from her memory flashed on her sight making her shoulders tremble and she laid both hands back on the table.
''Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said?!'' exclaimed Legolas again. He seemed annoyed.
"That thing" Leanna looked at the Ring as if it's simple existence offended her "has to be destroyed it brings nothing but darkness and chaos" How did she knew this, she wasn't certain she just knew it was the truth.
''And I suppose you two think you're the ones to do it?! An Elf and a lass?!'' Gimli the Dwarf exclaimed, shooting both unfriendly glares.
Leanna rolled her eyes, it wasn't as if she wanted to go to wherever they were planning to but the fact that the Dwarf was using that tone to refer to her gender kind of pissed her off. Looking to Legolas, she saw the anger in his face, and it really did surprised her. Elves are supposed to be very patient beings, or so had Arwen told her. It must have been the Dwarf in particular that bothered him.
''And if we fail, what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!'' asked Boromir, despair in his voice.
''Then at least we will have tried'' Gandalf said as calmly as possible.
''I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf! Never trust an Elf!'' Gimli shouted out and his words were what started a complete mess - everybody was arguing, screaming at each other.
Leanna could not believe everyone was fighting before a case like this. It was complete chaos She could no longer make out the voices around her nor what they were saying. She was a complete outsider and was yet able to understand the graveness of the situation.
''I will take it! I will take it! I will take the Ring to Mordor'' Frodo said, his frail voice managing to break up the fight.
They all looked at him, and Leanna felt kind of relieved for not being the center of the show. The child was giving all of those rockheads a lesson, he seemed the frailest of the present but he was also the bravest.
''Though... I do not know the way'' he added insecurely, and Leanna felt a warming concern sting her heart. They all stood in awe for a moment or few.
''I will help you bear this burdain, Frodo Baggins'' Gandalf said as he patted the hobbit's shoulder, ''As long as it is yours to bear.''
''If by my life or death I can protect you, I will,'' Aragorn said, approaching the little one. ''You have my sword.''
''And you have my bow'' offered Legolas.
''And my axe'' added Gimli as he shot another deadly glare at the fair-haired Elf.
''You carry the fate of us all, little one,'' stated Boromir, ''If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done.''
''Hey! Mr. Frodo is not going anywhere without me!'' a voice shouted out from somewhere and moments after Sam appeared and jumped to Frodo's side.
''Indeed, it seems hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not'' Lord Elrond said and Leanna chuckled.
Merry and Pippin were the next ones to appear out of nowhere. She had to resist a laughthis time. ''Oy! We're coming too!'' they shouted as they ran in and positioned themselves next to Frodo.
''You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!'' said Merry.
''Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission... quest... thing'' Pippin added.
''Well that rules you out, Pip'' retorted Merry and she unsuccessfully covered the laughter with a hand.
''Ten companions...'' said Lord Elrond.
That made her snap out of any fun those maths weren't ok. An elf, a dwarf, two men, four hobbits and a wizard made nine people not ten, she stared at Lord Elrond quite confused.
"In deed you shall join us, Lady Leanna" assured Gandalf.
"Wait, what!?"
''So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.'' finished Lord Elrond.
''Right... Where are we going?'' Pippin asked.
The Council's attendants were leaving the gathering place and she was still at the same seat, pale as paper.
"My lady" Legolas's voice brought her back to reality.
"Legolas"
A faint pinch surprised her when his hand caressed her cheek.
"There is a cut" he slowly traced the tiny wound and a pleasant shiver ran through her spine.
"Come we shall treat it"
Leanna was pacing back and forth in a sort of passage between the trees. The council had finished a scarce half hour ago and the woman still was unable to wrap her mind around the recent events. The visit to the healing quarters was just another touch of craziness to add to the pile. Her skin still remembered Legolas's touch applying the ointment over the cut. She had noticed that once passed the initial "who the hell are you? reaction" the elf seemed to feel somewhat responsible towards her wellbeing. Right her wellbeing that will be in short under the menace of imminent death because they were going in some sort of medieval suicide mission.
"Can't be that bad, Leanna you are just going to travel across an unknown Land, in a world different to your own with ten strangers and your destination is a place pretty close to hell. Morrigan have mercy."
She stopped halfway, and faced a tree.
"And you know what the worst part is? In this world I'm utterly useless and I'm not happy about it, in fact I hate it. I mean I can't use a sword, or axe, or bow, Morrigan takes me, I can't even touch the stupid talking Ring to help Frodo"
She sighed and stared at the tree, a defeated demeanor on her posture.
" So, any advice? Nothing? Yeah I know, I'm hopeless, but they are gonna have to carry me around as dead weight only because Gandalf says so"
"You will not burden us, Lady Leanna"
She turned around to find an equally amused and stern Aragorn watching her.
"How can you?" Leanna crossed both arms over her chest and took a defensive step back " I'm an outsider, a stranger, Dagda, I'm even surprised to be allowed to stay here and receive Lord Elrond's hospitality"
"You may not be from this land, yet you are no outsider. You are now our companion, a member of the fellowship"
"That's" she looked away "that's just because Gandalf said so, Aragorn, I have no skill whatsoever"
"Well, Arwen doesn't think so"
"Arwen is an angel, yet I don't believe a drawing pen and paper can do anything against, well, pretty much whatever it is we will be facing"
The young woman was frustrated, heart racing again, so she stopped her ranting and controlled her breathing, she needed to calm down, emotion was an enemy, always had been. She looked for support against a tree and soon Aragorn was next to her side.
"Is there anything wrong?"
"I'll be fine in a moment"
Silence grew between them as the older waited for her to calm down, it was then that the ranger noticed something a soft silvered glow of a sort over her skin, apparently fighting against her best attempts to restrain it.
" Yet I believe there's more of you than what meets the eye" he smiled softly at her when she arched a brow "that's why I would like to make a proposition"
