The room was silent for a moment, before Boromir spoke, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!" Legolas, still holding Kleo, "Have you heard nothing of what Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!" Gimli rose to his feet, yelling, "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!" Boromir then rose, joining the yelling, "And if we fail what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his!?"
Gimli said the sentence that truly started the argument, "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" At that everyone, but Kleo, Legolas, and Frodo stood and started yelling at each other like children. Kelo heard the occasional sentence, "Never trust an Elf!" It had gone on long enough. Legolas stood and yelled like his father had done to Thorin when he had angered him, "Do you not understand that while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grow's?!" They all stared at him, having no idea he could yell like that. Aragorn looked at his friend, wondering if he was even the same Elf he knew. "No one can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!"
They all looked at each other in a tense silence that was broken when Kleo let out a cry of pain, Legolas quickly went to her aid, Elrond moving to her as well. "My child, speak to me. What do you see?" Kleo looked up at him, "Fire. I see Fire." Elrond looked scared for the first time in a long time. The look of fear across his face worried the others in the Council, but it didn't last long when they heard Frodo speak for the first time, "I will take the Ring to Mordor."
They all looked at the Hobbit, "Though I do not know the way." Gandalf walked to Frodo, resting his hand reassuringly on his shoulder, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." Aragorn was next to walk to the Hobbit, "If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will." He knelt before Frodo, "You have my sword." He stood and walked behind him to stand beside Gandalf.
Legolas looked at Elrond, Elrond looked back knowing what he was about to do. Elrond nodded as Legolas walked to Frodo, "And you have my bow." Legolas moved to stand beside Aragorn. Gimli then walked over, looking grimly at Legolas, "And my axe!" He joined Legolas's side. Boromir walked over, "You carry the fate of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, the Gondor will see it done." He took his place by Gimli. They heard a noise from the bushes as Sam joined them, "Mister Frodo is not goin' anywhere without me!" Elrond looked at him amused, "No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." gave the same sheepish look, but said nothing.
Elrond moved from Kleo as she had finally looked better now that the Ring was quiet and not messed with. Next they saw two other Hobbits run over from behind some pillars, "Wait! We are coming too!" Merry spoke to Elrond, "You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" Pippin then joined, "Anyway you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest...thing." Merry while smiling at Pippin spoke, 'Well that rules you out Pip."
Elrond went to speak, but was caught off guard when Kelo stood, she walked over to Frodo. She looked as healthy as she normally did, but more ethereal. They thought it was the way the sun dawned on her. She knelt down to Frodo, her dress fanning around her. She looked at him through her blue eyes, "I will follow the brave one into battle, my the blood of my people keep you from harm and if not, then damned will be my soul to the eternal suffering of the fire of Mordor."
Frodo's eyes widened at her words, he didn't know what to say. Out of everyones her's affected him the most. Elrond watched her carefully, he knew that this was inevitable after the Claim and Legolas joined the group, though it still hurt. She rose from the ground and let her gaze look over the group, "May we fail in our duty of protecting this world, then may we all burn." She joined the group standing beside Gandalf.
Elrond looked at them, sadder than before, "Ten companions..so be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" That's when Pippin made Kleo laugh softly with his words, "Great! Where are we going?"
The next morning everyone packed for the journey, Elrond watched as Legolas and Kleo packed, his eyes never leaving the two, for he didn't want to forget what his daughter and the Elf who brought her so much joy looked like. Kleo looked up to her father and walked to him, he quickly pulled her into his embrace, "I will miss you my child. This place will not be the same with you gone." She gripped onto him tighter, in case she never got to see him again, "I will miss you too ada, but I will return to you. I promise." What an empty promise it was, for they did not know if it would stay unbroken.
He walked the two to where the others were, holding Kleo close. The group watched as they walked to them, their eyes on the maiden, long gone were her dresses, she wore a tunic and leggings, along with boots. Silver and gold wrapped around her middle in a corset type style, a necklace laid on her chest, the seashell that was gifted to her from her sister, they also noticed she still wore her circlet. The gold weaving through the strains of her hair. Even going on an adventure she still managed to make everything seem so dull compared to her.
Legolas frowned at their faces, "If you are quite finished staring we have a world to save." They all looked away sheepishly, Kleo and Legolas joined the group. They watched as most of the city came to watch them leave. Kleo looked through the group and saw Arwen, though she was looking at someone else, Kleo guessed Aragorn, she could see the pain that coursed through her body.
The longer she looked however the more that Kleo noticed that Arwen looked ill, as if she was knocking on Death's door, how she was standing confused and amazed Kleo. Kleo's gaze then shifted to her fathers, where she not only saw the pain, the sorrow, or the anger, but felt it. She could feel all of the emotions radiating from him, how he was in pain because his oldest daughter is fighting something, what Kleo did not know, and because his youngest is leaving for a dark journey.
The sorrow was for all the members of the company, he knew not all would survive and if they did, they would not be the same as when they left. Finally the anger, oh how he was angry. Kleo did not know if it was at her, Legolas, or someone else, but the fury was strong.
Kleo sighed and bowed her head to him in an apology. He looked at her then, he watched as she apologized for everything that he felt as if it were her fault, but it wasn't. It was Sauron's and Elrond was going to make sure that he was destroyed before he left this world.
He then watched her move her gaze towards the city, as if she was memorizing everything she saw. He understood why, she didn't know if she was going to be able to return. Kleo took in a deep breath and turned to look at the others, "Shall we get to moving my friends? I don't think we will defeat Sauron from here now will we?"
Her words brought sad and forced laughter to everyone, that quieted as the group walked out of the city and to their doom.
