Chapter 19

The Last Debate

They brought Merry back into the city where they cared for him the best they could. He seemed so weak at first, and slept much of the time, but gradually his strength began to return, and the three friends took turns telling each other about all of their adventures, laughing and crying just to be reunited once again. Not long after the battle they heard tell of a meeting between Éomer, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, and Gandalf.

"What do you suppose it will be about?" Pippin wondered aloud, while Merry was fast asleep in his bed where he and Ruby stood watch.

"Probably about what our next move will be. After all, we can't expect Sauron to give up that easily." Ruby pointed out, and Pippin nodded slowly in agreement.

"I wish I could go. Just to try and hear what was going on, but I think Merry should save his strength, especially if we do have a battle coming so soon." Pippin said as his brow creased with worry.

"I'll go." Ruby offered, and he turned to stare at her in surprise. "Not officially or anything. I'll just see if I can sneak into the room and see if I can discover anything. That way you can stay here and continue caring for Merry." For a moment he looked as if he were about to protest, but she stopped him immediately. "Come on Pippin, it's one of the few useful things I can do, and besides Merry is your best friend. He needs you more than he needs me." At that he reluctantly nodded, so when the time came Ruby carefully crept up and into the hall where the men had gathered doing her best to hide behind the Steward's old chair, on which Gimli was sitting while listening to their conversation. It was perhaps the most devious thing she had ever done on her own.

"Frodo has passed beyond my sight. The darkness is deepening." Gandalf said his voice sounding wearier than Ruby had ever heard in her entire life.

"If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it." Aragorn reasoned, trying to reassure his friend and mentor.

"It's only a matter of time. He has suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor our enemy is regrouping." Gandalf replied rather gloomily his voice full of a foreboding that seemed to fill the entire room.

"Let him stay there. Let him rot! Why should we care?" Gimli demanded as he breathed out a puff of smoke, which nearly made Ruby cough.

"Because ten thousand Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom." Gandalf informed him sternly, before his voice turned to sorrow. "I've sent him to his death." Ruby recoiled at this. No! Frodo couldn't die! One, he was her friend and two, Hazel was with him and if anything happened to Frodo it would completely destroy her: whether emotionally or physically or both.

"No. There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time and safe passage across the Plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that." Aragorn insisted hanging on to the thin shred of hope that they all so desperately needed, but it seemed to keep slipping in and out of their fingers like some elusive butterfly.

"How?" Gimli asked him, seeming genuinely curious, and perhaps a bit suspicious of just what sort of plan his friend might have cooked up.

"Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate." Aragorn explained and Ruby nearly gasped. Was he serious? Could it work? Would they all die trying? Luckily Gimli's own choking cough covered what little noise she might have made.

"We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms." Éomer insisted, almost baffled at Aragorn's seeming insanity.

"Not for ourselves. But we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's Eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves." Aragorn argued.

"A diversion." Legolas said as the realization of what was being proposed suddenly became clear to all of them, and Ruby felt her heart fill with light. Yes. She would gladly give her life if it meant that she could help Hazel, as well as the rest of Middle- Earth.

"Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are you waiting for?" Gimli asked basically summing up the feelings of the entire room.

"Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait." Gandalf said aside to Aragorn so that no one else, not even Ruby could hear.

"Oh I think he will." Was Aragorn's only reply.

After the meeting was over, Ruby wanted to immediately rush to go and tell Pippin and Merry all the news. But she noticed Aragorn heading in a peculiar direction and decided to follow him instead. Being a Hobbit, she was able to do so quite easily without his even noticing. He first came to the room in which the dreaded Palantir was being kept, and Ruby shivered when she saw it, instantly recalling the agonizing pain that had ripped through her at its touch. Aragorn however continued to walk forward bravely, his brilliant beautiful new sword in one hand, as he reluctantly reached forward and placed his hand upon it.

"Long have you hunted me. Long have I eluded you. No more." He said, and with a start she realized he was addressing Sauron directly. "Behold the Sword of Elendil." He raised the blade as if to show it forth, and for a moment all was fine, but Sauron was not one to be stood up to. He fought back against Aragorn, and Ruby gasped as he dropped the ball and fell back in despair. She was about to rush forward from her hiding place to help him, when he got to his feet, and forced himself to leave the room of his own accord.

Ruby was slow to follow. She felt guilty for what she had just witnessed. Eaves dropping on a meeting that had basically everything to do with her immediate future (for she was determined to join the men in battle whether they wanted her or not) was one thing, but this was something completely different. Then she thought about how he had addressed Sauron and wondered if she could do the same.

Squaring her shoulders, she closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts as she began (not even sure it would work, and not really caring whether or not it did). "You have threatened my friends and my family. You have tried to destroy me, my Pippin, and my sister Hazel and you have failed. Now let me make one thing crystal clear, Sauron. It is you who will be destroyed, not us. Our light is stronger than your darkness. It is to that strength I hold, and I am not afraid!"

This girl! She gets tougher and tougher! I'm so proud of Ruby and the character she has become throughout this story! I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but I love her character development! GO RUBY!

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