Chief was glad that he was back on solid ground. The forest floor was warm and peaceful. Tranquil and safe. The hobbits are settling down for the night, stringing up their hammocks, laying down their cosy bedding. Amongst the branches of the trees above they can hear the elves, and they are starting to sing. Legolas hears the song, as do the others.

The elves sing in rounds. As one voice finishes, another takes over. They play instruments too, Chief had seen similar ones on earth, and were reminiscent of those from the Indian and mandarin traditions. A variety of stringed instruments, calved from pale and beautiful ash and chestnut. "It is a Lament to Gandalf" Legolas explains to everyone. The song is peaceful and sombre, but also chilling.

Spartans had little time for music in their lives, but they were of course sensitive to it. John listened in wonder. The song was soft and enchanting, nothing like he had ever heard before. Sergeant Johnson had played music, always before a new mission. As they had flown in their pelicans, whilst in transit to their drop zones, Johnson had often Played Flip Music, similar to the heavy metal of the past. Chief had never liked it. It was loud, and it made him think about the sounds of war too much.

John had always tried to clear his mind before battle. Cool and peaceful, his mind like the eye of the storm, the turmoil of war raging all around him. Yet this music the elves made, music similar to what he had heard at Rivendell, was something else entirely. He couldn't really describe what he was feeling.

Aragorn meanwhile is sharpening his sword, checking the blade, getting it as sharp as possible. Chief had already sharpened his, the claymore's leading edge had been pounded dull by the punishment he had subjected it to. He was sure it wouldn't last the entire journey.

Gimli lay beside them, sleeping, snoring. A lily-shaped lamp burned calmly next to him. Legolas has been with the elves, telling them all what had occurred over the course of the quest so far. It was indistinguishable from a missions debriefing.

"What did they say about him, Legolas?" Merry asks with respect.

"I do not have the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near." His statement took both Merry and Chief by surprise.

The elves often seemed so emotionless at times, much in the same way Spartan's could be. If Legolas was as torn up as he was claiming, he was doing an amazing job of concealing his true feelings. The archer had a split personality in many ways. He could be cold and dignified, like Elrond or like Thel 'Vadam. Other times he could be light and cheerful like Cortana, with mischief in his eyes and heart. Chief suspected that he was simply protecting the Hobbits. He didn't want to know what had been said either. A lot can be said about someone after they had died. You didn't always want to hear it.

Sam looked up into the trees, and sighed a little. "I wonder what they are saying? I bet it's nothing about his fireworks. They should definitely have a verse about them!" And he went back to the task of preparing his blankets. Pippin was thinking about his fireworks now. He was sad, he knew he mightn't ever see fireworks again now.

"The best things I ever saw!" He began to say, "The rockets and spinners, all sorts of colours, shapes and magical flames. Flames that turned into flowers, falling leaves, butterflies that would float after you, or fly away as the children chased them!" Merry smiled broadly at the memories, and joined in. "They burst into flame. Stars of green, red, blue, gold and even silver. You're right Pip. They would explode like thunder, shine with light. When the sparks would fall down from the sky, they would never burn you...it was like the sky was raining light!"

Sam smiled warmly "Yeah, that almost does them justice!"

Chief turns over. He almost feels at peace, but he is still troubled by his experiences...how Galadriel had seen into his mind, seen his thoughts. Yet whilst she had used her powers to help him, he imagined this was how the ring also saw into him. How it could change his thoughts so easily. He reflected once again on his conversation with Cortana. He had confided in her, about the ring, about Galadriel. All of it:

"I'm worried Cortana" He had said to her. "The experience made me feel vulnerable. If I cannot stop the ring from getting to me, there's no telling what it could do to me. I've been compromised. The UNSC would have rendered me unfit for duty if this had occurred in the past. If I can't stop the ring from manipulating me, than I cannot help them anymore. I'd just be a liability and a threat".

Cortana had never seen this happen before. Chief, her Chief, who had fought the Covenant for nearly three decades, who had rescued her from High Charity from the flood all those years ago...and John was on the verge of giving up! "The ring is cunning Chief. It knows how powerful you are, knows what you're capable of...you could kill all of them, three times over, and they wouldn't even touch you. But Chief, you're stronger than this. Think of all you've been through. The ring is nothing compared to all that!"

Cortana wasn't doing the best job of consoling him so far. Chief just shook his head. How had it come to this? "If I cannot guarantee that I can control myself, that I can't stop the ring from corrupting me, I can no longer help them. But if I can't help them, than there is no guarantee that they will succeed."

Chief had an impossible choice to make. If the ring corrupted him, than the quest would fail. If he left them, there was no guarantee that they could succeed. He couldn't underestimate the resourcefulness of the group. But there is only so much that eight people can do. It was like a bad joke, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. "Then you have to learn how to fight the ring Chief, it's your only solution."

Chief then remembered something, something that had happened in the depths of Moria. "Cortana, you told me once that the ring had tried to corrupt you. That it had tempted you, and that you had endured it. How have you been holding it off all this time?" Cortana sighed, then shuddered. It had not been pleasant.

"I'm an AI Chief, with a speed of intellect that no one can ever hope to contest. I could see the ring as it slowly began to twist my thoughts, alter my neuro-net, but I was able to separate any corruption from my CPU. The ring couldn't keep up. It was quite pathetic really!" She could remember how the ring had screamed in frustration, then given up completely once it had understood the nature of the mind it was trying to compromise. "But there was that first moment, when I felt myself slipping away. It was awful. I know what you are going through Chief...the problem is that the ring has stopped tempting me. It failed to corrupt me outright, but I also think that the ring knew I'm not worth it. As an AI, my control over your suit is limited to auxiliary systems only. If the ring does manage to corrupt me, there will be near to nothing I can do to aid it."

This allowed Chief a little comfort. At least Cortana seemed to be safe now. UNSC tech one, magic zero! But this didn't really help him directly. Chief couldn't de-frag his own brain. You can't run an antivirus on neurones! Then he thought about Frodo, how could the hobbit deal with it?

"Frodo seems to have the right ideas" he said matter of factly.

"He certainly does!" She replied. "And to think he came all the way from The Shire with it whispering in his ear. It's quite remarkable really." She had been wondering about it herself. "He's such a pleasant person. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. His innocence has to be a barrier against the rings corruption. There's not a wicked bone in his body! There is very little in his character that can be used against him."

She let this information sink in before continuing. "I know you Chief. You never give up, you never fail. You've got to fight it, you can't give up now. The fellowship need you Chief, you have to find a way." Chief wondered why Galadriel hadn't said anything. Surely she would have sensed if he were a threat to the others? Perhaps she didn't! She may have overlooked it. But how could she not have? Chief suddenly realised that Galadriel had absolute confidence that he would not fall to the power of the ring. All Chief had to do was make it happen.

"I will find a way. I promise!" That was enough for Cortana. She hadn't lost her faith in him, and when Chief made a promise, he kept it. Chief shuffled backwards a little, allowing the tree behind to support his weight, and gazing at the stars in the cloudless sky. Would he ever travel to them again? With the stillness of the night, and the soothing music of the elves cooing in his ear, he relaxed, and finally fell asleep. Galadriel was right, he was safe here.

Two and a half hours later, Chief had woken up. He opened his eyes slowly, just as he always did, and took in his surroundings once more. Chief had been dreaming, he always enjoyed dreaming. Dreams were one of the only luxuries that Spartans possessed, and every Spartan appreciated them. It was the only time in his life where Chief could ever find true sanctuary, and he valued every minute of it. Sadly, this night's session had now ended, and with a sigh he got back to the mundane tasks of the day.

The two men were sleeping soundly. Legolas was nowhere to be seen, heaven only knew where he was. Apparently elves never slept. He remembered the previous sharpshooters he had met. They were always restless characters, yet this was taking it to a whole new level. Gimli was still snoring, and the hobbits were sound asleep in their...wait! Something had caught his eye. John turned over, just in time to see the back of Frodo's head disappearing behind the hillside. Where was he off to at this time?