Mistress of the Fellowship (LOTR)

* 7 * Council of Elrond

Elves, dwarves, men, hobbits, and a wizard were present at this meeting where Ryker was asked to wear her hooded cloak for the time. Elrond was unsure as to how the members of this council would react to the assassin.

Nonetheless she still strapped on her weapons and through Celegorn and Cadeyrn she was able to discover the what sort of guests were arriving.

At the council she stood in the shadows and listened as Elrond made a formal introduction of the hobbit in which Ryker has helped save and from there the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, and the grey wizard, Gandalf, told their stories in which the members agreed that indeed it was the One ring in which ignited tempers as to what should be done. Ryker watched almost amused by the foolish shouts and actions thinking that if she wanted to she could easily kill every man and dwarf and take the ring herself but one elf in particular had her leery. Under her cloak she looked over at him and feeling her gaze her turned to look at her and out of instinct she felt her hand in which rested on the handle of her dagger slowly begin to unsheathe it. At first she thought this was instinct but then she heard her father’s voice in her head saying, “Take it! You can wield it and once again our people will be dominate. Through you our people will live on!”

Immediately she jerked her dagger back into its sheath and exhaled a breath and she realized that this ring was too strong. It was tempting her into evil but she knew better.

She looked back at the elf and he looked at her a moment longer than she had liked before returning to the argument where she discovered that the man with dark hair, Aragorn, was the long lost prince of Gondor or rather he was the rightful king of Gondor now.

Things soon took a turn as the hobbit stepped forward and volunteered to bear the ring to the fire of mount doom and with that Aragorn stepped forward, vowing his sword which was followed by the elf that had been looking at her before vowing his bow, and then a dwarf vowing his ax. Before anyone knew it three more hobbits joined as did a man.

Elrond looked over at her almost pleading for her to step forward and speak but she stayed put in defiance. Yes she had sworn to protect the ring and that she had done and would continue to do but not under their terms.

Elrond then stood up still looking at her and it seemed as though he was trying to read her before he spoke.

“He announced the members would be the Fellowship of the ring in which the members stood proudly but Ryker couldn’t help but smirk under the shadow of her hood. She could taste the fear coming from the company.

Her smirk was soon a scowl as Elrond spoke again, “There is another that is bound to the ring.” The statement caused all of them to fall dead silent and look at him not wanting to believe that ore evil could be near.

Elrond looked at Ryker and went on, “There was a race of men and Numenorean that vowed to protect the ring.”

The elf that had looked at Ryker before, Legolas, spoke, “The Alexzandron people. Is that whom you speak of?”

“Yes Legolas.”

“Why do you speak of them? Their race vanished long ago. I have been to the lands and have seen only ruin and an abundant of graves.”

“But who dug those graves?” Elrondd countered. “I believed them to be gone just as you do only days ago but I have discovered rather by fate that there was a lone survivor.”

Whispered erupted and Ryker felt her cheeks radiate with heat. Elrond was cunning, was he also planning to see what the council members thought of her? Should she die for her killings?

“You all have heard of the assassinations throughout the kingdoms.” More whispering only a bit louder. “You know in the killings in which I speak and as you have probably guessed by now it was the last Alexzandron. The Alexzandron took an oath to protect middle earth from evil-”

“Then why is the Alexzandron killing at will?” One of the men shouted, causing Ryker to pull the dagger a few inches from its sheath once again. What insolent men!

“The Alexzandron people were massacred by a number of different parties.” This statement made them all fall silent. “They were killed in a dishonorable way and that lone rider took matter into their own hands and has been slaying those directly involved in the massacre. But that Alexzandron is still bound to their oath and whether the hobbits know it or not if it wasn’t for her the ring might not have made it to Rivendell.”

The members erupted in shouts of disbelief for they had only caught the word “her” in Elrond’s statement. The shouting and general foolishness of the arguments just about drove Ryker over the edge but rather than start a fight she threw one of her throwing knives at an ax one of the dwarves held causing and loud clang noise to erupt along with a bright spark before it ricocheted off and imbedded itself in the ring hole of the One ring. This caught their attention as they all put a hand to their weapons in preparations to fight. Ryker stepped forward proudly and unafraid, almost arrogant as she retrieved her knife and put it back in its rightful place before she stated in a confident voice, “To get to it, Lord Elrond would like to know what you think my fate should be. Will you entrust me to continue to fight for middle earth, fulfill my duties or will you try and stop me?”

She then took her hood off, “Your people have named me Ryker and I have much blood and death on my hands but that blood was of the wicked in which robbed this world of its protectors. I am responsible for many deaths but I have no remorse for killing them. That be said I have continued to fulfill my vow of protecting the world from falling into darkness. I stand here now telling you that I will continue to execute my duties until the day I die. I will continue to accompany the ring bearer and bring light to these dark days until my last dying breath. If you decide to imprison me now for murdering murders I will shed your blood. With your numbers you may overtake me but your loss will be too great. That is no empty promise.” And as fast as lightening she had her sword drawn and pointed at Legolas’s throat for making a slight motion toward an arrow.

“Do you dare elf?” she spit as him.

After a moment he smiled and replied, “You’re master skills will be most useful. I need not to hear more.”

She put her sword back into the leather scabbard before turning back to the rest of the members who nodded their agreement. All except for Aragorn who looked at her confused.

Needless to say she was an unofficial member of the Fellowship.