The nearly four month journey was relatively easy with few things getting in my way. Mostly it was Orcs that I came across and they were dealt with easily enough. What was not expected was for the Wildmen to have wandered as far as they did. They usually stayed near the lands of Rohan, so I found it odd for them to have been so far out of their usual territory. Another odd thing was the amount of Orcs that were out and about. There must have been something big going on in Middle-earth for them to be roaming about as freely as they were. I crossed through the hidden path on the Great East Road and found myself looking at the beauty that was Rivendell. While this may not have been my most favorite of places there was no denying that it was truly beautiful. Most Elvish built places were, but there was just something about Rivendell that always took your breath away, no matter how many times you have seen it. I made it down onto the main path and after a little while I heard the sound of horses behind me. I moved to the side so they could pass and saw that the riders were human, and people of Gondor no less. This must have truly been important for Gondor to have sent representatives. Given the fact they were constantly fighting with the Orcs of Mordor they did not involve themselves in the lives and business of the other lands and their people. I generally did my best to stay away from Gondor and its neighbor Mordor. The riders of Gondor payed me no heed and continued on their way for which I was glad. When I finally arrived at the gates I was dirty, haggard and all together exhausted. I was met by none other than the Lord of Rivendell himself. I gave a bow because I knew if I did not I would hear about it from Lady Galadriel, she always had her eyes on me. He gave me a bow in turn and a small, tight smile.
"We were beginning to wonder if you would arrive in time. Lady Galadriel assured me you would, but I was becoming worried." Elrond said and gestured for me to follow him. I did and made sure to keep my head down so that my face remained unseen, not that it really mattered with the half mask over the lower part of my face. Yet, after coming this far I was now about to start taking chances. Elrond led me to his private study and closed the door once I had entered. After a nod from him I tossed the hood of my cloak back before taking it completely off and draping it over the back of a chair. I shook my hip length hair out and focused my eyes on the Elf Lord in front of me. He gestured to a chair and I sat. seconds after I had sat an elderly looking man in gray robes moved out from behind one of the towering bookcases. I could not help the small smile that graced my face at the sight of him.
"Cainmar, it is good that you've come." Gandalf said with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes and a nod of his head.
"One hardly refuses a request from the Lady of Light." I muttered. That made Gandalf chuckle and his smile to become a little more genuine. It also caused a small frown to pull on Elrond's mouth.
"Tell me, did you see anything strange on your journey here?" Gandalf asked. I frowned as I thought back through my journey.
"As a matter of fact I did. I ran across a seeming abundance of Orcs, while that did not really strike me as too terribly odd. They tend to come a go like the waves of the ocean, some years they will be in plenty while other years hardly more than two are seen. Even still, I did run across a group of Wildmen. They were far from their usual grounds in Rohan and I did find it very odd that they had gone so far north."
"From where did you begin to travel here from?" Elrond inquired.
"I was midway between the Icebay of Forochel and North Downs when I got Lady Galadriel's message. I came across the Wildmen around the Ettenmoors." I told him. They exchanged a worried look before turning back to me.
"It has already begun." Elrond said.
"Cainmar, do you know why the Lady Galadriel sent you here?" Gandalf asked.
"She spoke about not running from my lineage anymore and how here is where my journey truly begins. Other than those sentiments she did not say."
"The One Ring has been found. The council tomorrow is to see who will take it to Mount Doom to destroy it." Elrond said. At those words I could not help the raising of my brow. So the Ring had finally been found. It would then make sense why I had seen so many Orcs and why the Wildmen had ventured so far.
"Very well, why then was my presence requested?"
"This is a council of the Races, all the Races and major kingdoms have been asked to send someone. You are here as a representative of the Frost people. Not only that but it will be imperative that you go with those who set out to destroy the Ring." Elrond said. I stood from my chair and moved to lean against one of the windows that looked out across the great falls.
"Why should I care about what happens to the Ring and whether or not it is destroyed?" There was a sound of disbelief from Elrond and I turned to look at him so that he could see that I was not jesting with my words.
"Should the Ring be returned to Sauron he will sweep across this land like a plague of fire and death. Middle-earth will fall and your people along with it." Elrond snapped.
"You are wrong." I told him softly as I drew my finger lightly along the side of the window. Where my finger touched a line of frost spread out. "While he might be a bastard of the highest form, Sauron is no fool. Even with the Ring back in his possession he knows better than to bother me, an arrangement that has suited us very well these many years. He leaves me be and I leave him be. You Elves have already begun to depart in droves for the Undying Lands, soon none of you will be left here. I will still be here long after you have all gone and long after the rule of Man has fallen. So you see it matters little me who has Sauron's Ring." I told him softly and pulled my finger away from the window sill which was now covered in frost.
"Then you might as well be no better than Sauron! You will truly let this world fall and do nothing as women and children are slaughtered in their beds? As Gondor and the White City fall to smoke and ruin?!" Elrond demanded angrily.
"I have no care for Gondor or its people. Women and children die everyday. The world of Men is always at war with one thing or another. It is of no concern to me." I snapped harshly.
Elseath! The voice of Lady Galadriel sliced through my mind like a knife and I flinched from the angry force of it. Whether or not you care for the White City of Gondor or its people does not mean that you should abandon them in their time of need. Your mother gave you a precious gift and with it you can help save the peoples of Middle-earth. She would be greatly saddened to see the apathy that her daughter has for the place she loved most! At her words I felt like I had punched in the gut by an Orc. I wanted to deny her words and tell her that she was wrong. That it was not this world that she had loved, but rather a man and that was what led to my birth, but the words would not come. I had to give in and admit that this world was one that my mother had loved dearly, just as much as she loved me and the man who fathered me. I stood there for a long time thinking about all the things that I had seen through my life and all the things that she had told me and I realized that I didn't really want this world to become the desolate wasteland that Sauron would surly make of it.
"As you wish. I shall go with whoever is chosen to destroy the Ring. Perhaps I will learn something along my journey that will help me to understand why my mother so loved this world." I informed them. There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief from both Gandalf and Elrond.
"Thank you Cainmar. I know this is not something that you wish to do, but I think you find many wonderful things along the way." Gandalf said with a bow and he left the room. I gathered my black cloak and pulled it on before raising the hood and stepping toward the door. Elrond's voice stopped me.
"Will you not speak with him?" He asked softly.
"I want nothing to do with him. Had I wanted to speak with him I would have. He knows nothing of me and I would like to keep it so. I am here at the request of Lady Galadriel and for no other reason."
"There may come a time when you have no choice, but to speak to him." Elrond said. That caused my entire body to freeze. I knew of his gift of sight and I wondered if he had seen something that would cause him to speak such words.
"What do you care if he knows me or not, given who that man loves I would think this arrangement would suit you well?" I snapped. It wasn't a secret that I had no particular love for Elrond, and especially none for his daughter. I was not about to change that on something he may or may not have seen. With those words I strode from the room in time to hear the distinctive sound of something frozen cracking and I could only assume it was the window sill where I had allowed my frost to sink into the strange stone like material.