A Council Interrupted (Part I)

Rivendell, Middle-Earth

A council was being held in Rivendell, led by Lord Elrond. This Council was going to decide what was going to happen to the one Ring that had been found. A congregation of Men, Elves and Dwarfs, along with Gandalf the Grey, the Wizard and Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit from the Shire sat in a semi-circle around a pedestal made of stone.

Frodo, who had inherited the Ring from his uncle Bilbo, had been carrying it for some time now. Together with Sam, and later also Merry and Pippin, they went from the Shire to the village of Bree, and were then brought to Rivendell by a Ranger called Strider. They had been through a lot on the way, but made it to the house of Elrond safely. Now he was part of a Council that was about to decide what would happen next.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor," Lord Elrond started. "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," he said, then gesturing to the pedestal and looking at Frodo, "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

At that, Frodo stood up. He made his way to the pedestal and put the Ring on top of it.

"So it is true…" a man from the South remarked.

Frodo returned to his seat beside Gandalf, and felt somewhat relieved now that it seemed to him that his task was completed and the burden of the Ring lifted off his shoulders. The members of the Council all stared at the Ring, mesmerized by it. The Ring started whispering to each of them in turn. Each person could hear it differently.

"The Doom of Men," a man said.

The man of the South got up to address the Council. "In a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: Your doom is near at hand," he started as he approached the Ring on the plinth. "Isildur's Bane is found," he added.

He reached for the Ring, trying to take it. Gandalf and Elrond exchanged slightly concerned looks as the man's fingers hovered above the Ring.

"Isildur's Bane…" he repeated.

Elrond leapt up and addressed the man loudly. "Boromir!"

The Ring started to utter a harsh chant at which Gandalf got up and also chanted the same in Black Speech. Thunder crackled and the sky darkened. The members of the Council stared around them in fear and total confusion while Gandalf chanted,

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

The voice of the Ring died away and the people resumed their seats, horrified.

Elrond, who clearly didn't like hearing the Black Speech, rebuked Gandalf strongly. "Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!"

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond," Gandalf started. "For the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil!" With that, Gandalf returned to his seat.

"It is a gift," Boromir then started. "A gift to the foes of Mordor," he continued, getting up as he started to pace. "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!"

"You cannot wield it!" Strider, the Ranger interrupted. "None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

Boromir looked at the Ranger with despise. "And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"

At Boromir's comment, an Elf stood up. "This is no mere Ranger," he cut in. "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

"Aragorn?" Boromir asked, unable to believe it. "This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," the Elf added.

"Havo dad, Legolas," Aragorn said in the tongue of the Elves, requesting Legolas to sit down in an attempt to change the subject.

Boromir looked at Aragorn, refusing to accept him as his king. "Gondor has no King. Gondor needs no King." He resumed his seat, unhappy about how things had turned out at the Council so far.

"Aragorn is right," Gandalf spoke after a short silence. "We cannot use it."

"You have only one choice," Lord Elrond then said. "The Ring must be destroyed," he said with a tone of urge.

"Then what are we waiting for?" a Dwarf who had been silent the entire time said. He grabbed his axe and made his way to the pedestal, determined about destroying the Ring right then and there. With a roar, the Dwarf struck the Ring with full force, but without any luck. The Dwarf got repelled back, thrown to the ground while his axe got shattered in many pieces.

At the Dwarf's assault on the Ring, Frodo saw the Eye of Sauron in his mind and winced in pain. The Ring, however, was still intact, now surrounded by the shards of the axe.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Glóin, by any craft that we here possess," Elrond started to explain. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there it can be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came," he said and paused for a bit. "One of you must do this."

The Council remained silent until Boromir spoke again. "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. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!"

Legolas stood up indignantly. "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

Gimli, who seemed to have certain issues with the Elf, got onto his feet. "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!"

"And if we fail, what then?!" Boromir cut in. "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!"

Having ignored Boromir's statement, but still focusing on the Elf, Gimli announced, "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!"

Several arguments erupted amongst the Council members, starting a commotion.

"Never trust an Elf!" Gimli shouted.

"Do you not understand that while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grows?!" Gandalf tried to reason. "None can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!"

Lord Elrond remained seated, his mind filled with worry and fear. If the representatives of each race invited to the Council could not even remain in peace together for a little while, and if they could not think alike or reach a decision, how would they ever unite to save the Middle-Earth?

Frodo, still sitting in his chair, watched the Ring somewhat uneasily. The angry figures of the other Council members were reflected on the surface of the Ring. As the intensity of the arguments increased, Frodo heard the evil chanting in the Black Speech in his mind. All of a sudden, flames flared up, engulfing the surface of the Ring and taking all the figures of the fighting people with them, indicating the doom of all if the Council would continue to fight amongst each other.

Slowly, determination dawned on Frodo's face. He stood up and took a few steps towards the arguing Council, trying to make himself audible to them.

"I will take it!" he shouted, though his voice was unheard. "I will take it!" Frodo shouted again.

The argument started to die down. Gandalf, having heard Frodo's decision, closed his eyes. He was more than proud of the young Hobbit, but worried at the same time as he knew what perils his Halfling friend was going to have to go through for the task he'd just agreed to. The members of the Council turned towards Frodo in astonishment.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor," Frodo said, determined. His expression turned from determination to being unsure. "Though," he started then. "I do not know the way."

Gandalf walked towards Frodo, determined to help him in this quest. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear," he said, placing his hand on Frodo's shoulder reassuringly.

Aragorn then stood up and made his way towards the Hobbit. "If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will," he said, kneeling in front of Frodo. "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," Legolas said, walking towards them to join them.

"And my axe!" Gimli exclaimed, joining the group as well.

Boromir thought for a second, then walked over to them. "You carry the fate of us all, little one," he said to Frodo. "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

"Heh!" Sam's voice came from behind the bushes. He hurried towards them and stood beside Frodo. "Mr. Frodo is not goin' anywhere without me!"

"No, indeed," Lord Elrond spoke, slightly amused by the scene. "It is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret Council and you are not."

Merry and Pippin then emerged from behind pillars, realizing that their friends were going to leave. "Wait! We are coming too!" they shouted.

Elrond's expression went from amused to somewhat annoyed when they ran to join them as well.

"You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us," Merry said in an attempt to convince the Council to let them join the group.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… thing," Pippin added.

"Well, that rules you out, Pip," Merry whispered to his friend.

Gandalf eyed the Elf Lord in an amused manner, wondering what Elrond would make of this and what he was thinking about the Hobbits who had just decided to join the quest.

Lord Elrond looked at the nine members in front of him. A small smile formed his lips. "Nine companions," he mused. "So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" he announced.

"Great!" Pippin exclaimed. "Where are we going?"

Merry shot a slightly pointed look in the direction of his friend at his question. Pippin always chose exactly the wrong times to ask the wrong questions. Thankfully, Pippin's foolish question remained unheard by the rest as their attention was drawn towards something else.

Something that appeared as a mixture of both dark clouds and lightning appeared right above the pedestal where the Ring was resting. The atmosphere grew darker in a similar way as right before Gandalf chanted in the Black Speech.

Lord Elrond turned to look at the Wizard to inquire whether this was his doing. But Gandalf himself was also wondering what was going on.

"What is that, Gandalf?" Frodo asked, looking up at the Wizard.

"I don't know, Frodo," Gandalf answered, his eyes fixed on the portal. He was sure Rivendell was a safe place to discuss their matter in secrecy, but what if the Enemy had somehow managed to find out about the secret Council and if he had overheard what they were planning? Had his earlier chanting been the cause of this?

The members of the Council glanced at each other in fear and worry about what was going on.

"What devilry is this?" Boromir asked.

"Is this the doing of the Enemy? Is it the Ring?" a man asked.

Realizing that the Ring was still on the pedestal below the portal, Frodo hurried towards the pedestal.

"Frodo!" Aragorn called out.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam yelled after Aragorn, urging the Hobbit to stay out of harm's way.

The Hobbit grabbed the Ring to make sure that it would not be taken by whatever magic was conjured there.

"Frodo, come back!" Aragorn called again. There was no telling what was going on, and who was behind the creation of the portal.

Frodo took a few steps backwards. Aragorn went to stand next to the Hobbit, making sure that he would be able to protect him if the need would arise.

"What is going on?" Pippin asked to his friend.

"I don't know, Pip," Merry answered, not looking away from the portal.

"Gandalf, can you stop this?" Lord Elrond asked.

Gandalf pointed his staff and his other free hand at the portal. He closed his eyes as he concentrated. Nothing happened.

Several people gasped when, all of a sudden, a number of screams started to fill the area. They got louder and louder as they came closer. Gandalf's eyes widened when the sound of the screams got at its peak, just when its source was about to emerge from the portal. He prayed that whatever or whoever was about to come out of it, they would be friendly and not subject to the Enemy.

To every Council member's biggest surprise, several people appearing as children started to fall out of the portal. Each of them landed on top of the pedestal where the Ring was resting earlier, then jumped and stood in front of the pedestal, facing the members of the Council. This continued until they all surrounded the pedestal.

The newcomers looked very different from anyone they had ever met, especially the bald boy with arrows on his head and hands who had appeared first. Who were these people, how had they come there and what kind of magic did they possess were the things that everyone present was wondering.

There was a short silence, as no one really knew how to start or what to say, until there was another loud, high-pitched scream that filled the area…

ooooo

To be continued…