The Fellowship's Silvertongue

The Council of Elrond

  Slowly the darkness in my eyes became red, the sounds of flutes and harps filled the air. I opened my eyes and looked around, another dress was hung up by the mirror. One of the servants must have been in here.
I got out of bed, splashed my face with the water in the bowl and got into the new dress. Instead of a blue color, the white faded into a sunset orange, almost an autumn leaf color. I took my hair out of it's braid and put it into a fishtail braid instead. I walked outside my room and almost yelped when I saw the three servants standing there waiting for me.

"Oh, Lady Rosa, that dress goes beautifully with your hair." Ellawin pressed her hands together.
  "Good morning?" My hand had been placed on my chest to stifle my pounding heart.

"Lord Elrond requests that you eat breakfast immediately and arrive in the courtyard as soon as you can for a private council." Elathia reported.
Looks like I will be attending the council after all.

"Thank you ladies." I nodded and made my way back down to the dining hall, where plates were set out with bread, berries and water. I sat down and began eating. Then an elf maiden sat down next to me.

"Quel amrun." She said.

"Sorry?" I turned towards her.

"Good morning." She repeated looking at me. It was Arwen.

"Oh, M' Lady." I bowed my head.   "Good morning to you as well."
"You are Aragorn's sister?" She asked.
"Yes." I nodded.
"Welcome to Rivendell." She smiled.
  "Thank you." I nodded.
"Aragorn told me that you both met in Bree?" Arwen asked.
  "Yes, I um... Accidentally caught him in my deer trap." I said.
  Arwen chuckled. "I am sure he enjoyed that."
  "You could say that." I laughed as well.
  "I hope that you enjoy your stay." Arwen stood up and left.

  I watched as she left, wondering why she had approached me. I suppose talking to her brothers was getting boring.
  I finished eating and, mindlessly, found my way to the court yard. A few people were already there, including Aragorn, and Elrond. And a few others that I did not recognize as any important character.

"Good morning, Rosa." Aragorn greeted.
"Hello." I returned.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Mhm." I nodded and sat down as others arrived. A loud bell indicating the warning call for the council sounded, and moments after Gandalf and Frodo arrived. I caught Sam falter back into the bushes. Elrond escorted Frodo to a seat next to Gandalf, and then took a seat himself.

"Here, my friends is the hobbit, Frodo son of Drogo. Few have ever come hither through greater peril or an errand more urgent." He introduced Frodo to the company. Then went along the line of people introducing who they were, as I already knew.

At first comers told events of the outside world, not much needed to be told. Soon enough, the topic came to The Ring.

And Boromir, for the first time, spoke, "And what has become of the ring? Many tells I have been told, but all different. For the true story has become forgotten in the south."

"Alas. In the last alliance of men and elf, Isildur took the ring, what should have been done was not. For the ring took over him." Elrond answered. "He took it as a treasure, but was soon betrayed by it for his death. These tidings only came to the north, Boromir, which is why you have little knowledge of what has become of it."

More tales were told, mostly about what had become of the ring, including the part of who ever broke the sword that diminished Sauron owns the ring. That part Aragorn explained.

"And what have you known to it?" Boromir asked him.

"He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Isildur's blood runs in his veins." Elrond said.

"Then it should belong to you and not me!" Frodo stood up.

"It belongs to neither of us." Aragorn held up his hand. "It has been ordained that you hold it for a while."

"Bring out the ring, Frodo." Gandalf said. Everyone grew quiet and drew their eyes towards Frodo, who held it out on the palm of his hand.

"Isildur's Bane is found you say? But how do we know that this is his ring after it's been one hundred years?" Boromir pressed on.

"That shall be told." Elrond looked over to another halfling that I hadn't noticed before. He was older than Frodo- it was Bilbo.

"Very well," said Bilbo, "I will do as you bid. I will now tell the true story, as some I have asked to forget it-" He glanced towards Gloin, "and forgive me. But here we go.."

Everyone listened in amazement as Bilbo told exactly what happened, his riddles with Gollum at full length, each real riddle. He could've started telling of how he left the Shire, but Elrond raised his hand to stop him.

"Well told my friend."

Then it went on to Gandalf telling what happened between him and Saruman the Great. Then it came to the writing on the ring, Gandalf had said those words out loud. Astonishingly, his voice changed as he spoke the words, they became dark and menacing. It translated to:

One Ring to Rule Them All, One Ring to Find Them, One Ring to Bring Them All, and In Darkness Bind Them.

"Know also my friends that Gollum has been taken captive in Mordor, the enemy knows that the ring has a knew owner." Elrond informed.

"And what has become of the mischievous creature?" Boromir asked.

"He is in prison and know worse." Answered Aragorn. "But I do not doubt that Mordor will set him free at any point."

"Alas!" Legolas pulled the attention to himself. "The tidings I was sent with must now be told, and they are not good. For Smeagol, now called Gollum, has escaped."

"That is very ill news indeed!" Aragorn turned to him. "How came the folk of Thranduil to fail in their trust?" The Mirkwood Elves were entrusted to keep an eye on Mordor's keeping of Gollum.

"Not through lack of watchfulness, but through kindliness." Legolas said. "We had not the heart to keep him in prison for too long." 

"You were less tender to me." Mumbled Gloin. For the Company of Thorin Oakenshield had been held captive by the Wood Elves during their journey, and it was not pleasant.

Legolas glared at him and continued, "We have failed to recapture Gollum, for we do not know where he is."

"Well, he is gone." Said Gandalf, "that's all we need to know."

Throughout the Council, everyone argued on who would go, and soon enough Elrond chose Frodo, then caught Sam. And chose him as Frodo's companion.

"And if that's all the news we can bring, I suppose we can come to a conclusion." Elrond began. "Legolas, your news of Gollum has brought great attention, and I suggest that we go on a search for the creature. At that, I bring this council to a closing. I will alert some of you on the details of the hunt. Dismissed."

I looked around as everyone got up.

'That's it?' I thought to myself. I remember it the book it being far longer.

A/N: Sorry this was a short chapter. I looked up the actual chapter and realized that there was no way I was going to write the entire thing. I felt that it was crappy. I'm truly, very sorry. Next chapter I promise will be better.