Rivendell…I have not passed through these lands in nearly half a century. I've not even been in this realm in just as long. I forgot how bright this realm was. So unlike the darkness of my realm. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this land of life and virility.
However, I must put my sightseeing aside. I'm already late for Elrond's secret council meeting as it is, so I should cease my dallying. I stepped over to some shadows and melded into them. Traveling by shadows would cut my estimated arrival time in half if not more. Of course I was right, and so I found myself within the secret council as a shadow upon the wall.
My presence went unnoticed as I had intended. Not even Gandalf or Elrond noticed me. Apparently, I wasn't as late as I first thought.
Elrond was halfway through his introduction. "-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."
I watched a stressed looking Halfling with curly, black hair and blue eyes place the ring on the pedestal. He sat down with a sigh of great relief. No one spoke as the gazed at the Ring of Destruction.
Then a mortal with sandy blond hair stood with purpose. "So, it is true. It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use the ring? Long has my father, 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!"
"If your people were given the ring, the end of this world would only happen faster," I cut in from my shadows, which made my voice unintentionally echo through the area. I watched him and many others search for me, and the Gondorian man kept his hand on his sword.
"Show yourself, Coward!" he demanded despite his uncertainty.
I scoffed. It was a disappointing sight for one who is supposed to help save this world. "As you wish," I stepped from my shadows as they swirled around me before fading out, "but call me that again, and we shall see who the real coward is."
As the last wisp of shadows melded away, I stood close to the ring on the platform. The clacks of my heeled black boots echoed and my black leather cape swished behind me as I moved closer. I glanced at Elrond for permission to examine the ring. He nodded his consent, and I only halfheartedly listened to the conversation behind me.
Isildur's heir, Aragorn, tried to reason with the Gondorian. "You cannot wield it Boromire, none of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."
I could feel the sneer of this Boromire character, "And what would a Ranger know of this matter? As well as a woman who has no business being here in the first place!"
An elf quickly jumped to Aragorn's defense, "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Boromire was shocked, "This is Isildur's heir?" The Elf continued, "And heir to the throne of Gondor."
Aragorn interrupted then, "Havo dad, Legolas." So, that is Legolas; prince of Mirkwood, and Thraniduil's son. He is pleasantly different from his father from what I can tell. Boromire then turned to me, "And what of the woman? Why is this Witch here?"
A harsh laugh escaped me, "First a coward, now a witch. You do not make friends easy, do you, Boromire?" I turned to face him, though my face was still veiled by the hood of my cloak. He gripped his sword harder, "Why don't you unveil yourself then, 'friend'. Show us who you really are."
I scoffed again at his obvious sarcasm and disrespect. "Fine, as you wish." I unhooked my cloak and dramatically threw it aside with a slight flourish. I heard a couple gasps and intakes of breath. I'm sure they didn't know what to make of me, for the majority have never known or seen one of my kind.
My long crimson hair settled to my waist, and the bottom of my hair was tipped in black. My tanned skin held their attention for a moment, well the silvery markings did. They weaved all across my body never ceasing. I even had a few on my face as well. My golden eyes flicked between all their faces. There was a range of emotions, but primarily distrust and caution, and perhaps a little fear. A black diadem circled around my head, and my pointed ears were also on display.
Boromire stood dumbfounded, "W…What manner of elf are you? I've never seen an elf like you." I felt a large dose of animosity from the dwarves then at the mention of elf.
An exasperated groan left me, "Why do you assume I'm an elf? Is it the pointy ears? No, I am not an elf; I am something else entirely."
A red bearded dwarf stood then, "No, I suppose you can't be an elf. They'd not dare to dress as strange and revealing as you."
I glanced down as my attire. My clothes were made of black leather; I wore a female assassins dress from my realm. It was sleeveless, showed a bit of cleavage, and floor length with slits cut up both my legs to my upper thighs. My heeled boots came just above my knees with a dagger tucked into each. Two swords were strapped to my back, and a small pouch was attached to the belt around my waist.
"No, I suppose I am rather different. After all, our realms contrast greatly." I motioned for Boromire to cease whatever he was about to say. "I am from the realm of shadows. There are many different names people call my home. The Dark Lands, the Under Grounds…In your language, we call it the Demon Lands."
The fear in the room became palatable. I smiled showing my larger than normal k-9 teeth, "Fear not, not everything you hear about us is real. Not all of us Demons are as bad as you think us to be, and the ones who do mean harm to you mortals are strictly kept in my realm. In order for them to reach this realm they must have permission from the current ruler. You are safe."
Boromire glared at me, "And how do we know this ruler of yours will not allow them this permission? Who is your ruler?"
I smirked, "Well, I can answer both of those questions at once." My smirk grew as I tapped the black diadem on my head, "So far I have done an exemplary job for the last thousand years or so. I alone rule the Demon Lands. Elrond and Gandalf can assure you of my authenticity if you don't believe me."
Gandalf nodded and winked, "Of course. She will do you no harm so long as you do the same." He went back to smoking his pipe as Elrond also clarified my being here. "Yes, everything she has said is true. I personally would trust her with my life and my daughter's life." He gave me a small smile, and Gandalf raised his pipe is agreement, "Here, here!"
Boromire brought my attention back to him, "So, you just appear before us, without a name, and just expect us to believe you care about the happenings of our world? Only a fool would trust a creature like you!" He spat.
My temper got the better of me then. Flames bust forth around me, and my black shadows swirled within the flames.
I glared cruelly, "You know nothing of my concerns, Mortal. I don't demand your trust or your comradery. However, I do demand the common courtesy of the respect that is owed to me. Have the race of men fallen so far to not give that which is expected of them? I shall give you my name, though you don't deserve to know it. I am Myrna, Ruler of the Demon Lands, and master of Flame and Shadow. Descendant of Vraekor; God of Fire, and Belen; God of Death."
Silence followed my introduction, but it was broken by Elrond clearing his throat. "If there will be no more interruptions, we'll continue the meeting." I shrugged and Gandalf picked up where they left off.
"Aragorn and Myrna are right. We cannot use the ring." Elrond cut in, "You have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed."
No one moved until the red bearded dwarf jumped up, "Then what are we waiting for!" He shouted and ran to the ring with his axe drawn. Of course his weapon shattered upon impact with the ring that lay undisturbed.
Quiet whispers came from the ring, and I watched Frodo squeeze his eyes shut and his body tensed up. He was already connected to the ring, but not as bad as I thought he would be.
"The ring cannot be destroyed Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft 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. One of you must do this."
Everyone glanced around the room uneasily. No one wanted this terrible responsibility.
Boromire sat back tiredly, "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. Tis a barren wasteland riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with 10,000 men could you do this. It is folly."
Legolas jumped up, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!" "And I suppose you think you are the one to do it!" Gimli sneered to Legolas.
I scoffed; I've never understood the grudge between elves and dwarves. Boromire also joined the argument, "And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"
The races of Middle Earth started the loudest debate/argument I've seen. Gandalf also joined the fray, hoping to reason with them all. I shook my head at their behavior. This is what Middle Earth has to offer for its saviors. A pity. Then, my sensitive ears caught a small, timid voice, "I will take it…"
I looked to the owner of the voice. Frodo, the Halfling, tried to gain their attention, but they were too engrossed with arguing to hear him. Our eyes met and I motioned for him to pause. I took a breath as my flames burst to life once again as I yelled, "QUIET!" They stopped as my voice echoed, and I let my flames disperse.
Frodo repeated himself with more confidence, "I will take it! I will take the ring to Mordor. Though, I do not know the way."
Gandalf seemed resigned as he made his way to Frodo and put a hand on his small shoulder, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."
Aragorn knelt in front of Frodo, "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."
"And you have my bow,", "And my axe," Legolas and Gimli both pledged.
Then Boromire walked up, "You carry the fates of us all, Little One. If this is indeed the will of the counsel, Gondor will see it through."
"Frodo Baggins," I began towards him, "you have my flame, shadows, and my blades at your disposal. This evil cannot be allowed to linger any longer." I gave him a cocky smirk and a wink, and the edges of his lips slightly curved up.
Then a presence made itself known, "Here! Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me."
Elrond and I shared a surprised smile, "No, indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret counsel and you are not."
Then, two more hobbits joined the other. "Oi, we're coming, too! You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us," one said.
"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of…mission…quest…Thing!" he nodded. The other rolled his eyes, "Well, that rules you out, Pip."
That made me snort quietly. I have a feeling there won't be a dull moment around these two. Elrond observed our group, "Ten companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Pip grinned, "Great!...Where are we going?"
We all shared a good natured laugh, but it was short lived with Elrond's next words. "Now that the Fellowship has formed, you all have something very important to learn from Myrna. So, once the other guests of the counsel have left we shall have this second counsel." Everyone looked to me as the other guest made their way out.
I crossed my arms, "I'm going to need a drink before this conversation takes place."Gandalf spoke as soon as Elrond adopted a scolding look.
"Goodness sake Elrond, give the poor girl a drink. You should know how much this affects her." Elrond held my defiant gaze, but then he relented with a heavy sigh, "Very well."
No sooner than it was out of his mouth, I used my superior demon speed to fetch me a glass of Elvish wine. I was back in seconds. "Please, sit back down. It is a lengthy tale I'm about to share." They went back to their seats with question clear in their eyes. I sat on the pedestal that still held the ring, and took a sip of wine.
"Does anyone truly know how Sauron came to be?"
