Thorodriel

Chapter 8 - The Council

Thorodriel: Chapter 8 - The Council

When she awoke the spot beside her was already empty, but a patch of grass lay flattened still. Aeweneth smiled to herself, realising Legolas had spent the night at her side. After all this time, it was nice to have him back in her life. She looked to the sky and basked in the sun for a few moments.

"Shit!" she suddenly realised the time. She was so late, "Ada is going to kill me!"

Grabbing her things scattered around where she lay, the elf dusted grass stains and earth off her clothing. She knew she probably didn't have enough time to change, but that was too bad. There was no way in hell she was going to turn up to the meeting dressed in her old nightgown; she would look like a complete amateur.

"Shit shit shit!" she cursed herself in her head as she sprinted back inside to grab something more suitable.

***

Her heart was pounding when she eventually made it to the chamber. In a circle sat the representatives of Middle Earth, with her father in the middle. Aeweneth's face turned beetroot realising they were waiting for her arrival and had not yet begun. Glancing at her father, she didn't need to invade his thoughts to know how disappointed he was. His furious eyes spoke volumes and she quickly sent him her apologies. Looking around the circle, she noticed the only empty seat was beside Aragorn.

"At least I'm not alone in this torture." she thought to herself, adjusting the blades at her belt and sitting down beside the ranger.

Slowly, she took in the faces gathered to discuss the fate of Middle Earth. At the edge of the group sat Frodo, looking less deathly than in their previous meeting. Aeweneth could sense the Ring in his pocket and tried to ignore its dark pull. Resisting its power, her eyes travelled around the circle. To the left of the hobbit were Gandalf and the elves of Mirkwood, Legolas among them. Beside them sat both dwarves and men. It had been a long time since Aeweneth had been among a crowd this big and the thought put her on edge slightly. She was completely out of her comfort zone and turned to the grey wizard, looking for reassurance. Gandalf winked at her, knowing her hesitancy at being among such a large group of strangers. Finally, the young elf turned back to her father, who appeared to be waiting on her for the go-ahead. Her heart warmed slightly, realising he wanted to make sure she was comfortable with the situation before beginning. Maybe he didn't completely blame her after all...

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom."

At Elrond's voice, the entire room drew to attention. Every race seemed to know the importance of this single meeting and you could hear a pin drop throughout Rivendell. He turned to the young hobbit at the edge of the group, the bearer of their fate.

"Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

All eyes followed the hobbit. Among these men and elves, he looked almost like a child, yet he had carried a burden heavier than most. He walked over to the stone plinth in the centre, and carefully placed the Ring of power upon it. Looking at trinket it seemed so harmless: just an innocent little ring. But Aeweneth could feel it's power. The more she looked at it, glinting in the sunlight, the more she felt the tug at her consciousness. The dark temptation pulling at her mind. She dragged her eyes away, only to realise that the man on her left had started speaking.

"In a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. In the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, "Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bane is found""