Not All Who Wander Are Lost (A Lord of the Rings fanfiction)

Chapter 2- The Council of Elrond

Chapter 2

It was October 25th, and this was the day that the Council would meet. Aragorn told me that Mr. Frodo had made a full recovery and Sam, Merry and Pippin were with him now. Sam hadn't left Frodo's side since they arrived two days ago. Gandalf was here in for the Council, and word had been sent out shortly after Frodo had arrived, to summon the races and their Ambassadors. The Council would take place at ten o'clock in the morning, and then we would decide what to do with the Ring.

"What happened in Bree?" I whispered. "What happened on your journey?"

Aragorn sighed, "I was in Bree, waiting for Gandalf and I happened to look up from my ale, and there and behold: four Hobbits. Merry and Pippin were laughing- I don't remember where Sam was- but Frodo... He just sat there in the corner, eyes closed and muttering something. Suddenly Pippin smiled and answered "Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins! Right over there is my cousin, Frodo Baggins!" Frodo jumped up and stumbled to the floor- that wasn't what caught my eye though."

"Then what did?" I asked.

"The Ring he fumbled for. It slipped right onto his finger and he was gone. This only confirmed my fears, so I when he reappeared, I grabbed him by his collar and dragged him upstairs. It wasn't long before the other Hobbits found me and threatened me, but I merely introduced myself as Strider and told them I knew what was hunting them."

"The Nazgul?" I whispered quietly.

"Yes, and the Nazgul came and not being able to find the Hobbits, they hurried off into the night. I led the Halflings for many days after this, and then we arrived at Amon Sul for the night. I was foolish and left them for only a short time- and in that time, the Nazgul found us. They surrounded the Hobbits and managed to stab Frodo with a Morgul blade."

I winced.

"We fought off the Wraiths," Aragorn continued. "And made our way to Rivendell, but I met someone in the forest, I did not expect."

I smiled. "How did you find Arwen?"

"I didn't find her, she found me. She brought Frodo here and I followed with the other Hobbits soon after she left."

"You've had quite the adventure," I said, enviously.

"Your time for adventure will come sooner than you think, Rayel. Before the Council, I need to tell you something about the Ring..." Aragorn spoke about the mysterious encounter he had with the Ring, saying that it spoke to him in small whisperings. "If you can avoid it, don't touch it or it will bewitch you." He warned me.

I nodded.

"Now, get dressed, sweetheart. We have a Council to get to."

"Yes sir!" I laughed as he left my room. I slipped into a pair of brown trousers and another of my green cotton blouses. Today however, I wore a leather breastplate over my chest and my curved Ergethian blades, a gift that Aragorn had brought me for my fifty-third birthday this summer. They were the length of my arms, made from a special sort of steel that was light but extremely sharp. The hilts were made from the antler of one of the Mirkwoodian Fallow Deer, and they were engraved with my name. Aragorn had done this for me, and it was the best gift I have ever received. I wore one blade on my hip and the other in its sheath over my shoulder. Around my neck I wore an Evenstar, the symbol of the Elven immortality and one of the only keepsakes I had of my mother's. Arwen had a one just like that had been a gift from her mother, Celebrain.

I quickly braided my hair off to the right side of my shoulder and turned to my reflection in the mirror. I thankful for the Elf-blood in my veins, my eyes were green and they were hidden behind my long, thick eyelashes. I had a rosy tint in my cheeks today, but I figured it was from anxiety more than anything else.