Rise (Lord of the Rings)

13 - The Council

The fact that there was once again a small napkin of food and a new outfit to change into lying at the foot of the bed gave me a small sense of déjà vu. I quickly changed since nobody was in the room; Frodo got an earlier start than me.

I felt semi-formal, being in a dress. It was a warm brown color. Like the nightgown, it was comfortable. The sleeves stopped at my elbows, my feet were concealed as well. I wondered how there were clothes that fit me here. Surely the Elves didn't make clothes for Hobbits—especially for women—and just lock them up in a drawer, ready to pull them out whenever one came wandering into Rivendell.

I folded up my nightgown; there was no way I could take it with me after the meeting today, though I did love how comfortable it felt. I decided to put my hair into a simple braid that ran down my back.

I walked towards the small balcony of the room, picking at the food I held in my napkin. Today seemed to be a very bright day. Just think, after the meeting, it's back home to the Shire. I could already feel the dirt paths I always walked on, hear the children laugh as they fooled around outside.

I tried to imprint Rivendell in my head so I could tell Rosie about where I'd gone. She'd like this place.

Something else flickered in my brain: if I ever saw her again, I'd have to thank Arwen for helping save Frodo. If it weren't for her, he would definitely be a Wraith right now. But, sadly, Rivendell was a huge place, so I doubted that I would see her again.

After soaking in everything that I could about Rivendell, I slipped out of the room. Frodo met me halfway, pulling me along to the meeting.

"I can't believe that I've never once been in a dining hall here," I whimpered. "I've always had food brought to me in a napkin."

"You don't eat much anyway," Frodo retorted lightly.

"Do the boys know about the Council?"

"No. It's a secret meeting, remember?"

"You never know." I shrugged. "Sam might just go snooping around since he acts like your body guard, and knowing Merry and Pippin, they'd find a way to sneak to the meeting. Those two have a knack for being too curious. Besides, it's not so secret if you told me."

"I only told you because I felt you deserved to know, and I know you can keep secrets."

During the time it took for us to get to the meeting, I kept getting the feeling that we were being followed. I didn't think anything of it the first few times, but after a while, it was bothering me. I kept myself from looking back, though I was really tempted to.

When we got to the meeting area, I became shy and almost wanted to run off. Frodo sensed my mood change, he kept an iron grip on my wrist. Most eyes flickered to Frodo and me as we made our way to a few seats. It was like those in attendance in the Council had never seen our kind before.

Thankfully, our seats had been put on the end, far away from all races, and next to Gandalf. We had passed a small stone column as well—I assumed it resembled a small table.

"I thought I made it clear that only you were to attend, Frodo," Lord Elrond said quietly. He didn't sound angry, but I could detect a little bit of annoyance. I nearly jumped, seeing him sitting in an elegant chair on my right, dressed in mahogany robes.

"You did," Frodo agreed. "But Marlena deserves to be here as much as I do."

"Does that go for the rest of the Hobbits here?"