"So the only thing to do is go to Mount Doom itself and throw myself in," Edleneth finished.
Elrohir and Elladan glanced at each other once before fixing their eyes on Edleneth. They said nothing.
Unable to hold their gaze, Edleneth looked down at her hands. There was dirt underneath her nails, and her fingers were thinner than they used to be. The pads of her fingers were rough and her hands themselves were dry and beginning to crack in some places.
Elladan cleared his throat. Edleneth looked up. "I'm trying to think of an alternative," he announced. "Neither of us wants you to die."
Elrohir stroked his chin. "As remarkable as it is for you to be bearing the will of the Ring, it makes sense."
Edleneth raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
He glanced at his brother. "You were saying things in your sleep," he explained, "Things no elf would say."
"What do you mean?" Edleneth asked.
Elladan swallowed. "You were chanting in Black Speech, Edleneth."
Edleneth blanched. "What?" she breathed. "What have I been saying?"
Edleneth felt she knew the answer before Elrohir answered. "The words on the One Ring."
"We didn't know what to think," Elladan continued. "You seemed like you were in pain even as you spoke."
"I am sorry to have caused you pain," Edleneth murmured, "But do you understand now?"
The brothers nodded. "We will not abandon you, though we will make sure you return alive."
"But how?" Edleneth asked. "The Ring must be destroyed, or Sauron will never be defeated. And since it is what gave me my life again, surely once I lose it, I shall lose that as well."
"We will find a way. Eru will guide us," Elladan declared.
"For now, let's get some rest," Elrohir suggested. "We can think of solutions on the way, but Edleneth is right. We need to destroy the Ring."
Edleneth nodded. "I'll take first watch," she declared.
Her companions shook their heads. "No, you are sleeping the whole night," Elrohir told her, "Elladan and I will split the watch."
Edleneth opened her mouth to protest.
"You haven't slept in days, Edleneth, and you need your strength," Elladan spoke before she could. "Do not worry about causing us pain. We will be fine."
"Very well," she grudgingly agreed, "I shall try to sleep. Though my dreams may not allow it."
After they had each had a ration of food, the three elves split up for the night. Elladan took the first watch.
Edleneth lay awake, staring at the stars. She was strengthened by her friends' determination and hope, but had none for herself. And now that she knew she had been chanting the Black Speech in her sleep, she was afraid that the closer she came to Mount Doom, the less control she would have over the will of the Ring.
And by going towards Mordor, wasn't she doing what the Ring wanted? It wanted to reunite with its Lord, Sauron, and his great eye was in Mordor. What if it was just biding its time until she was close enough that it could take full control?
She reached up to her neck and clutched the charm that Galadriel had given her. If that was the case, then it was good that Elrohir and Elladan now knew. They could monitor her actions and take action if she suddenly turned on them. But knowing meant that they would never leave her, and that she was leading them to their deaths. How could three elves hope to infiltrate the very heart of evil without drawing attention to themselves? How had the Fellowship felt that they could do so?
There had been no hope in the beginning. It was a fool's mission. They might have had a chance with Gandalf by their side, but now he was gone too. Saruman had betrayed them all, and no one was strong enough to go against the alliance.
Uneasy, Edleneth fell into a fitful sleep.
Fire surrounded her. Bodies of thousands of elves, men, dwarves, and hobbits lay before her, bloody, mutilated, and almost unrecognizable. In her left hand she held a scepter and in her right a scimitar black with blood.
Behind her was a multitude of orcs, with Saruman at their head. Their black and ugly forms shouted cries of victory and raised their scimitar to her in honor.
When she looked to her left, she saw a man, and yet not a man. He was taller than any elf and larger than any strong man. He was clothed in shadow and his eyes were fire. He stretched one of his huge hands towards her and gently touched her cheek. "Ash nazg," he whispered, "You have returned to me."
Edleneth turned away from him and looked to her feet. There she saw the bodies of Elrohir, Elladan, and Arwen, looking unharmed except for the blood pooling underneath their bodies and the deep red slits on their throats.
"No!" she shouted, and fell to her knees.