A Council Interrupted (Part II)

The members of Team Avatar woke up from their meditation from an electric-like sound above them when the portal was fully formed. Everyone looked up to the blue portal.

"What's that sound?" Toph asked.

"I think that's our way to Middle-Earth," Aang responded, looking at the portal. When he realized what was about to happen, he yelled, "Everyone hold on tight!"

They held on to each other and their belongings tightly as they were sucked up into the portal. They screamed as they were transported in a rapid speed by an immense force, surrounded by a bright blue light. Their speed caused them to lose each other's hands. Toph screamed out loud when her hand slipped from Katara's.

"Toph!" Katara yelled when she was unable to grab Toph's arm again.

Lucky enough, Suki was able to catch the blind Earthbender right in time.

"This is terrifying! When will it stop?!" Toph yelled.

"Just hold on to my hand, Toph! It'll be okay," Suki yelled back. She herself wasn't feeling all too comfortable with this way of travelling, let alone Toph who couldn't even see what was going on exactly.

Zuko tried to steady himself. "How long do you think this will take?" he asked to the Avatar.

"I have no idea!" Aang yelled back.

The loudest non-stopping screams probably came from Sokka. He was behind everyone, and had a difficult time steadying himself. "If we… come out of this thing… alive…" he started. "I will never… ever complain… about difficult situations again! Aaaaahh!"

"I think I can see the end of this thing!" Aang yelled. He was in front of everyone, and could see something at the end of the portal. It was some sort of pedestal that became clearer when he got closer. "Everyone, be careful when you get there," Aang warned them.

Aang fell out of the portal head down. He landed on the pedestal on his hands, lucky enough not on the shards that appeared to have been an axe before. He did a somersault and landed on his feet, right in front of two people whom Aang recognized to be a Man and the other a Hobbit. They looked very surprised to see the newcomer standing there.

After Aang followed Zuko, Katara, Suki and Toph, each landing on the pedestal, then jumping in front of it until they were surrounding it.

Toph was a bit dizzy from the journey. "That was by far the worst way of travelling," she mumbled to herself, inaudible to the rest.

The members of Team Avatar then stared in front of them at the people staring back at them in astonishment. There was a silence. No one really knew where to start or what to say.

When Aang looked around, he could recognize the different races that were present. Elves, Dwarfs, Hobbits, Men, and one old person carrying a staff who was probably a Wizard. Thankfully, there were no dark creatures, and taking in the beautiful environment, he was sure they had arrived in a proper place. All they had to do now was convince all the present people that they were there to help them. They were probably wondering whom they were anyway, judging from the looks on their faces.

The silence was then interrupted by another high-pitched scream, appearing to be Sokka's. When the screams got louder, indicating that Sokka was nearing the end of the portal, Aang used his Airbending to remove the shards of the axe from the pedestal, shooting them into a pillar. Some gasps of surprise were heard at that action. Right then, Sokka landed on top of the pedestal on his face and his butt up in the air, his screams coming to an end when he landed with a grunt. The portal disappeared.

"Ouch," he revealed. "I hate not being able to bend my own way into places like this," he then muttered as he sat up clumsily. He was always the dupe whenever it came to… anything basically. And he clearly didn't like it.

"Sokka…"

"What?!" he snapped at his sister. When he looked at her, he realized that everyone was staring at him. He smiled goofily and got off the pedestal. "Oh.. um.. hello everyone…" he said hesitatingly, scratching his head. "… I think." He wondered whether the people from Middle-Earth could even understand him or not.

Toph recovered from the journey, and only then was she able to sense the amount of people present, but more importantly, the size and beauty of the place they had come to. "Woah," Toph whispered to herself. "This place is beautiful," she said in awe.

"Yes, it is," Katara replied in a whisper. She took in their surroundings, noticing the beautiful view around them. She then looked back at the people they had just interrupted, wondering what was going to happen next.

The Council members eyed each other suspiciously. They examined all the teenagers in front of them, all appearing to be armed. They seemed like some kind of warriors. The first to have entered was a bald child, carrying some sort of staff. Especially strange were the arrow marks on his head and hands. The next was taller and appeared to be older, perhaps the oldest. He carried swords on his back and had a rather big scar on his face. Next to him was a teenage girl, wearing blue, her hair braided. She had a kind expression on her face. The next was another girl, clad in green. She carried a sword and something else in her belt. Next to her was a short girl, also wearing green. She seemed to be blind, yet she had commented on the beauty of Rivendell. She looked quite determined and fearless, considering the fact that she was blind. The ponytailed boy to have entered last wore something similar to the girl in blue. Compared to the rest, he made the impression of being of little intelligence and not very strong. Yet he carried a sword, and some other tool. Everyone wondered who these children were, what kind of magic it was that the bald boy had used exactly and how they had created the portal that had brought them there.

"What kind of people are they?" an inquisitive Pippin whispered to Merry.

"Never seen anybody like them before, Pip," was Merry's answer.

"What is the meaning of this?" one of the advisors of Lord Elrond's household asked. "How did you enter the secret Council of Lord Elrond?"

"My Lord," another of Elrond's advisors started. "What are we to do with the intruders?"

Elrond didn't answer, but decided to question the intruders about whom they were and how they had gotten there himself. He stepped forward and addressed the strangers. "Thousands of years have I, Elrond of Rivendell, walked the Earth and yet never have I met anyone who meets your appearances or who has ever been able to conjure the kind of magic that you just did," he said, looking at the arrow-tattooed boy as he was the one who'd used his Bending, and referring to the portal. "Who are you, and how did you enter Rivendell?" Elrond asked sternly.

"We're-," Aang started, but he was cut off by someone.

"They must be spies… Spies of the Enemy!" a man shouted. "They must have come to answer the Wizard's chanting in the Black Speech!" he cried.

"No, we're not spies!" Aang replied in protest.

"We cannot trust them!" Boromir stated, in agreement with the man who had spoken before. "If we do they'll destroy us, and they'll take the Ring. Or worse, give it to Sauron!"

At that comment, Aang became sure that they really had come to the right place as the Ring was probably there, and that they had met the right people whom they had to convince that they were there to help them. Only, it didn't seem like the convincing part would be as easy as he had thought it'd be.

Several people started to argue again, accusing the newly arrived people of many things, including them being minions of the Dark Lord. The people of Middle Earth couldn't reach a decision about whether to listen to the newcomers or not, and if they could be trusted. Some were of the opinion to imprison them, never to release them in order to protect their secret quest.

"Give us a chance to explain ourselves!" Aang shouted, but his voice was unheard by the rest. The Avatar turned to his friends. "They won't listen."

"How are we going to prove that we're on their side?" Suki asked.

Sokka had his thinking face up. His friends wondered what kind of genius plan he'd come up with this time. "The first step would be getting their attention," he stated.

"Not a problem," Toph said, cracking her knuckes.

"No, Toph," Aang said. "No Bending yet. Remember that they don't know anything about our abilities yet. They could think that we're trying to attack them."

"Then what do you suggest?" Zuko asked the Avatar.

"Talk to their leader?" Katara suggested, looking at Elrond. The Elf Lord was seated, his mind seeming to be filled with worry.

"Good idea!" Sokka said. "Let me handle it!" He started to make his way to Elrond, but was stopped by his sister.

"No offense, Sokka," Katara started. "But you didn't quite make the right first impression when you came here."

Sokka sighed. "Right."

"It's okay, Sokka," Suki said. "As the Avatar, Aang should be the one to do the talking anyway."

The Avatar looked at Elrond, then at the other people around them. He noticed that a Hobbit was staring at him. The Hobbit seemed to be in lost in thoughts, probably as he was thinking about what was going on. Aang noticed that he was clutching something in his fist. If he was clutching what Aang thought he was clutching, then that must have been the Hobbit he had turned into in his visions. The man standing behind the Hobbit hadn't mingled himself in the commotion that was going on. He held the Hobbit's shoulder protectively, yet there was a kindness towards the newcomers on his face. He'd probably give them a chance.

Aang then jumped on top of the pedestal and shouted, "Everyone! Please hear us out!"

The arguments slowly started to die down, and everyone looked up to the boy standing on the pedestal where the Ring had been resting earlier.

"Arguing amongst yourselves isn't going to help decide whether we're on your side or not, and that most certainly will not help you defeat the Dark Lord in time," Aang said.

Gandalf was rather impressed with the way the boy was talking to them. Arguing would indeed not be wise for them if they wanted to be successful in their quest. The boy also seemed rather mature for his age, judging by the way he addressed the Council. He sounded like a leader.

"Allow us to give you a proper introduction of who we are, where we're from and why we're here," Aang continued. He looked down to Elrond. "Will you give us a chance to do so?"

Aragorn stepped forward and looked at Lord Elrond. "I would hear what they have to say."

"We have a journey to prepare, a quest to fulfill," Boromir spoke. "We cannot waste time on listening to any strangers who drop in."

"We just saw a glimpse of the power they possess. If they are on our side, they could be of great help," Aragorn argued. "Especially now that Saruman has betrayed us, we could use all the help we can get."

Boromir shook his head in disagreement. "They're just children! Since when does Middle-Earth lack Men, Elves and Dwarfs powerful enough to fight against the Dark Lord that we have to join children to our quest?"

"Mind who you're calling children," Toph muttered, at which Katara nudged her in the side.

"Shh!" the Waterbender shushed her.

"I don't like him," Toph snapped whispering, based on everything that man had said since they'd gotten there. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and blew a stray of hair from her face.

"That makes two of us," Zuko added.

Gandalf cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the rest. "I too am interested to hear what they have to say," the Wizard started. "But since not every member of the Fellowship agrees, let the Ringbearer decide."

Frodo looked up in surprise. "Me?"

So this really was the one with the Ring and the Hobbit he had turned into, Aang thought.

Gandalf nodded to Frodo in reply.

Frodo looked at Aang standing on the pedestal. "I would hear them out," was the Hobbit's decision.

"Thank you," Aang said. Taking a deep breath, he started, "You were right that we're not from Middle-Earth. We come from a different world."

"A different world, you say?" Gimli asked. "That sounds like spy-talk to me!"

"We're not spies! We're on your side!" Sokka interrupted. "If you let him talk, he'll explain everything!"

"We only found out about the existence of multiple dimensions of the Earth a few days ago, Middle-Earth being one of them," Aang explained. "The world we come from is divided into four nations, much like you have the different races of Men, Elves, Dwarfs and so on. Our nations are based on the four elements of Water, Earth, Fire and Air. In each nation, some people are born with the special ability of controlling their element. These people are called Benders. Power is spread equally among each nation, but there is one Bender who masters all four elements; the Avatar."

"Yes, and that is him!" Sokka exclaimed proudly, pointing towards Aang.

The Council members looked at Aang, in awe, wondering what powers he possessed.

"Sokka!" Katara hissed. "Don't interrupt him!"

A rather impressed Lord Elrond took in the information that had just been revealed. "Are you related to Iluvatar, Avatar?" he asked in genuine curiosity.

Aang raised an eyebrow, at first not sure who Elrond was talking about. But then he remembered it from the books he'd read about Middle-Earth. "You mean, the one who created the world according to your history?"

"Yes, he who created Ea," Elrond answered.

"I don't suppose I am," Aang replied. "It wasn't the Avatar who created our world."

"What is the duty of the Avatar then, considering the amount of power he possesses?" Aragorn asked. He was rather intrigued by everything the Avatar had revealed so far.

"It's the duty of the Avatar to maintain order and balance in the world, and to restore the balance if it ever gets disrupted," Aang explained. "When the Avatar dies, he is reborn in another nation. And so the cycle goes on for the world to remain peaceful and balanced," he said, and then went on to finally introduce himself and his friends, "My name is Aang, and as you already know, I'm the Avatar. This is Katara, a Waterbender. Toph, the greatest Earthbender in our world, and this is Zuko, a Firebender and the Fire Lord of the Fire Nation. These Benders have helped me master their elements, as I was born as an Airbender," he introduced, then moved on, "This is Suki, a Kyoshi Warrior from our Earth Kingdom, named after one of the Avatars before me. And this is Sokka, Katara's brother and a warrior from the Water Tribe."

"It is quite an honor to meet you, young masters of the elements," Gandalf greeted them as he took in what powers and skills the newcomers possessed. "Would you enlighten us with the reason of your visit to Middle-Earth?"

"Of course," Aang answered. "Until a few days ago, I believed that my duty as the Avatar was to my world alone. But then I had a vision. A vision that showed me what would happen to Middle-Earth if Sauron would win. I knew then that I had to help you restore balance to Middle-Earth. My friends decided to come with me. We're here to join you."

Katara also stepped forward. "Aang is right. We're here to help you defeat Sauron and to save Middle-Earth."

"That is very much appreciated," Gandalf spoke. He turned to Elrond. "Having these Benders as our allies would be extremely beneficial for our quest," he said as if suggesting something to the Elf Lord.

Meanwhile, Aang jumped off the pedestal, now standing between his friends. "So, do you have any plans already of how to defeat him?"

"To defeat Sauron, the One Ring must be destroyed," Elrond answered. "For that, the Fellowship of nine companions shall travel to Mordor where the Ring was made. There, the Ring will be cast into Mount Doom by the Ringbearer, the only place in the world where the Ring can be unmade."

'Of course,' Aang thought to himself when he realized it. That was where Sauron made the Ring, and Sauron only survived because the Ring hadn't been destroyed when he was first defeated by Isildur. It now made complete sense to the Avatar.

"Could you introduce us to the members of the Fellowship?" Suki asked.

"This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn and heir of Isildur," Elrond started. Aragorn bowed his head slightly as he was introduced. "This is Gandalf the Grey, a Wizard." Gandalf gave a small smile and a nod in reply. "Legolas, son of Thranduil, an Elf from Mirkwood."

Legolas bowed his head. "It is an honor to meet you, Avatar."

"This is Gimli, son of Glóin, a Dwarf," Elrond continued. "Boromir of Gondor, son of Denethor. And these four Hobbits are from the Shire. Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins, the Ringbearer," he finished.

"You can just call me Merry," Merry said with a bow.

"And me Pippin," the Took added, following Merry's gesture.

"Nice to meet y'all!" Aang exclaimed.

Aang then looked at Frodo, the Ringbearer, as he was now sure it was him he'd turned into. "How is your shoulder?" he asked suddenly. When everyone looked at him as if he had three heads, he continued, "You were stabbed by that evil King, weren't you?"

The Council members all wondered how Aang could know this while he hadn't been in Middle-Earth when the incident had happened on Weathertop.

"Yes, I was stabbed by a Ringwraith, one of the Nazgul," Frodo admitted. "But how do you know this?" he then asked.

"I had two visions about Middle-Earth. In both of my visions I turned into you. I saw the Great Eye the first time, and in the second, I felt you getting stabbed in your shoulder," Aang explained.

"Those were the times I put on the Ring," Frodo said softly, thinking back of the incidents that the Avatar just described. He held his shoulder, the one that was stabbed as he looked at Aang. "My shoulder is fine, though."

"You came here to join us, Avatar," Lord Elrond then started. "We offer you our gratitude," he said. "I had intended the companions of the Fellowship to be few, since the quest is one that requires speed and secrecy. Nine was the preferred number as there are nine Ringwraiths out there. If you are to join the Fellowship, there will be fifteen companions." He was willing to let the people from the other world join the Fellowship. He trusted them and he respected their powers greatly. Only, the greater the number of companions, the greater also the risk of their secret to be revealed and the journey to be delayed.

"Don't worry about that, Elrond sir. We've had to travel our world before when we had to end a war of our own. We won't slow down the journey to Mordor," Aang said as a matter of fact. "And we are really good at keeping secrets," he added with a proud smile.

"Very well," Elrond spoke. "You shall join the Fellowship, and that is how you will aid us in the quest of the Ring."

"And together we will be "The Ring Destructor's Company!" Sokka announced proudly.

"What is it with you and the goofy names for everything?" Toph asked.

Sokka shrugged his shoulders. "It is a gift."

"The Company of the Ring will do just fine," Elrond spoke, slightly amused by the Water Tribe warrior.

"The Fellowship of the Ring also sounded kinda nice," Aang said in a considerate manner. "Anyway, it's really nice to be part of the Fellowship. Now we can help you defeat Sauron."

Boromir scoffed in disagreement. "Perhaps a demonstration of your 'abilities' before we decide to join you with the Fellowship?"

Zuko drew out his swords. "Gladly," he said with a slight tone of hatred towards the man of the South.

"My pleasure," Toph said in addition. Deciding to go easy, she dropped her metal stick, and raised a boulder from the Earth below her.

Several eyes widened in amazement at that display.

"Boromir!" Elrond called.

"Zuko, Toph," Aang said. "Put your weapons away."

"Do you question my decision?" the Elf Lord asked to the man.

"Forgive me, Lord Elrond," Boromir said. Since everyone was so content with joining the children to the Fellowship, he finally decided to let it rest.

"Starting in an unfriendly way doesn't seem very wise to me," Aang whispered to his friends as they still had their weapons raised.

Zuko put his swords back and Toph put the rock down. Both looked at Boromir in an annoyed manner.

"I'm sure you'll see plenty of Bending on the way to Mordor," Katara mused to Boromir, 'reassuring' him that he didn't have to worry about it.

"It is decided then," Elrond spoke. "Our scouts shall scour all the lands for many leagues to find out about the Ringwraiths' whereabouts. The Company of the Ring shall start the journey after the scouts return. Until then, this house shall be your home."

"You all must be weary from travelling between worlds. Why don't you get some rest first?" Gandalf suggested.

Sokka had been taking in their surroundings for a while. He turned to Elrond. "Would you grant us permission to take a look around this place, your Elfiness?"

Elrond smiled in amusement at the boy's request and his rather queer way of addressing him. "Of course."

"Thank you," he said, his voice still serious. Then he turned to his friends, "See y'all later!" He started to take off to explore the valley.

"Hey Sokka! How 'bout a race to the top of that hill?" Aang then suggested.

Sokka looked up at the hill Aang was referring to and turned back to the Avatar. "You're on."

Aang cheered in excitement, the child in him awakening. He created an air scooter and took off, laughing out loud as he did, nearly blowing Sokka away as he moved past him with great speed.

"Hey! No Bending!" Sokka yelled in protest. He chased after Aang.

"Nice place you got!" Aang called from a distance.

The members of the Council were rather amused by the scene.

"I guess the child in them has come up again," Katara spoke.

When she looked towards them, she noticed that Suki had also taken off behind the other two. Using her own skills, she passed her boyfriend with ease, though she wasn't fast enough to gain on the Airbender.

Suddenly Katara felt like joining them too. She smiled as she figured out a strategy to get to the peak of the hill the others had started to climb. Using her Bending, she revealed the water that was stored in her pouch. Creating wave after wave, she surfed as she took part in the race.

"Wait up!" Toph exclaimed. She started to Earth skate behind the others, leaving a large trail of dust behind her.

Zuko watched his friends racing each other, and noticed how Suki, Katara and Toph went past Sokka who clearly thought of the whole race to be unfair. The young Fire Lord then faced Boromir. "There's your demonstration."

The Fire Lord himself didn't take part with the race. He just watched his friends from where he was standing.

The two most inquisitive members of the Fellowship ran past Zuko and closer to the hill to get a better view of the race competition. Even the other members tried to get a closer look, as they were all curious about what the Benders were capable of.

"That is really great," Pippin stated, gazing at the scene in admiration.

"Yes it is, Pip," Merry said in reply and looked at his friend. "I think we will get along greatly."

"What are you thinking, Lord Elrond?" an amused Gandalf asked.

Elrond smiled. "I'm thinking that we did the right thing. Things are looking up."

"They are indeed."

ooooo

To be continued...