A/N: Last time we were together Arnen talked to Elrond, Glóin, Gandalf, Aragorn, and one mysterious elf (: I wonder who he is:). On with the story…

The Council of Elrond

Arnen, much to her frustration, greeted the morning before the sun did. Birds were out getting their early meal; some foolish crickets were still out chirping. Many elves were already going about their business in Rivendell for many of them did not sleep. Arnen's ceiling became her focus of attention as she tried to will herself back to her dreams. It was different than most in the Last Homely House. There were no rich beams of fine wood. Instead, it was a dome cut from the stone of the house. Painted on its smooth surface were two treetops in bloom. They were the Two Trees of Valinor.

Elrond had told her the tragic story of Laurelin and Telperion: how they were poisoned by Ungoliant, a great spider in the service of Morgoth, and how the Valar mourned their loss. But from Laurelin's last fruit came the Sun and from Telperion's ending flower came the Moon. The Two Tree's trunks stretched down opposite facing walls. One trunk was behind her bed; the other was beside the tapestry of Valinor. Between their blooming branches was a single star, Eärendil, named for the father of Elrond who rode a ship across the sky bearing one of the Silmarils.

The perturbed woman rolled over with a groan. Even after years of traveling with the early rising rangers she had never transformed into a morning person. Looking down at her body entangled in white bed sheets she cried, "What is wrong with you?! Your first chance in a very long time to sleep later than usual and you are awake with the birds."

She did not receive an answer, but felt herself become more alert. Grumbling under her breath she untangled her legs and stood to her feet on the cold stone floor. The leggings she wore to bed were rumpled and the shirt was beyond the help of any elf, the wrinkles would never come out. Long locks spilled in front of her eyes as she shook her head, scattering the last bits of sleep that clung to her.

On the trunk at the end of her bed a fresh dress was laid. Arnen guffawed. At the moment she did not feel like being a "gracious" lady. The breeze that entered through her open terrace doors made her long for a little exploring. Ignoring the beautiful white apparel prepared for her she went to her closet in hopes of finding her travel clothes. Sure enough, inside were freshly cleaned leggings, shirt, and cloak. With a smile she pulled them all out.

'Elves not needing sleep has many quirks…especially for me at the moment.' She smirked and went to the bathe.

She sat in the branches of Galadh and thought of the many times she had come to this place for comfort and peace. Bruinen rolled beneath the boughs of the ancient tree. Closing her eyes she took a deep breathe. The familiar scent of sap, green, and water soothed her travel-worn heart. She rested her chin on the one leg being hugged to her chest as the other dangled off the side of the thick branch. Childhood memories flooded her again: all the tears and the laughter, the hugs and the arguments. With a sigh she jumped down and began the trek back to the Homely House.

The sun was almost at the point of marking the twelfth hour when Arnen came up to the house again. Passing by one of the many walls outside of the structure she heard a clang from above. She looked up and wondered. Behind the sound she heard Lord Elrond's voice. Hurrying to where the noise came from, she found she was nearing a porch that was decorated with trees and bushes. Upon the porch she saw a gathering of elves, men, a couple hobbits, and even a few dwarves; immediately she pulled back and pressed herself against the wall.

She heard Bilbo speaking and she recognized the tale he was telling, it was of how he bested Gollum and gained his odd little ring. But there were some new parts to the story that she had not heard: a new riddle, different happenings. Listening intently she began to understand his unwillingness of telling the whole story to her. Elrond soon interrupted him and had Frodo tell his story.

Now Arnen's attention was fully captured for she was curious to hear more about this hobbit who the Grey Company had given so much to protect. There were many interruptions because of the numerous questions, but soon the tale was done and she heard him sit. At first she was in shock. Nothing could have prepared her for the fact that this young hobbit was the bearer of such a great evil. She remembered the many times she watched the Hobbits go about their daily business. They were a carefree folk, and it saddened her that something so dreadful could interrupt any of their lives. Her thoughts were suddenly broken through by a terrible voice that filled her ears.

"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul."

The sky overhead darkened. Arnen covered her ears and dropped to her knees in a sudden weakness. Just as quickly as the voice and darkness came it went away. The woman panted slightly for lack of breath. She sat back against the wall and tried to understand why she reacted like that when the terrible language tormented the air.

"Never before has any voice dared to utter words of that tongue in Imladris, Gandalf the Grey," she heard Elrond say.

'And I hope no one ever will again,' Arnen thought to herself. She was surprised that Gandalf would even use that speech for it could only be one…only one language was never spoken in Rivendell…the Black Speech of Mordor. Turning her mind back to the council, she heard that the silence that occurred shortly after the disturbance was broken. But the focus was set upon Gollum when a fair and familiar voice cried out in great distress, "Alas! Alas!..."

First Arnen could not put the voice with a face, but then realization dawned. It was the elf she had seen in the garden the previous night. Her eyes widened. So he was part of this company also. She listened as he told his story of how Gollum escaped from the forest Mirkwood. Gandalf's story of Saruman's treachery was also added to the council. Arnen was sad to hear that the great wizard had bent beneath his lusting for the Ring. But with Gandalf's story finished the council had a problem laid before them that needed to be solved. What to do with the Ring? Even Arnen sat and wondered at what they would be said.

Would they send it away? Or, would they destroy? But, how do you destroy it? She could hear voices rise and fall. With Bilbo's request for dinner everything fell silent. 'Just like a hobbit to think of food when a question requiring an answer that will determine the fate of all Middle Earth,' Arnen could almost laugh at his predictability and stomach.

Just as she almost thought that they would be sitting there forever, a small voice spoke up, "I will take the Ring though I do not know the way.'

Arnen's jaw dropped as she peeked around the corner to make certain that her ears had not been deceived. No, it was as she thought. Frodo Baggins had just volunteered himself as the bearer of probably one of the heaviest burdens in history…and Elrond approved his volunteering. On top of that, a hobbit she did not recognize popped out of the bushes and he was also to assist in the destroying of the Ring. 'This can not be happening,' she thought to herself.

"So, Mélië's (Q. Affectionate) time has finally come. It is the beginning of her end," a fair voice spoke with concern laced through it.

"She chose her path the moment she received the gift. We can no more save her from this road as Man can step foot on Aman," he comforted his spouse.

Both watched one of their most faithful servants as she began to step on a path she could not see leading her to a destiny that she had no idea would lead her to sorrow.

So you have to know who that mysterious elf is now. But a new mystery rises, who are these people talking in the end? How do they know Arnen? You'll find out…not in the next chapter or any in the near future. Keep reading, and let me know what you think.