Wild Monster

by Matthew Harrington

"You left your home and carried this heavy burden that most would have abandoned at the quickest opportunity. You have faced so much danger and endured so much darkness, more than most could handle." Ann looked Frodo in the eyes and spoke honestly, acting on impulse she touched his chest where he had been stabbed by the Wraith. Frodo looked down to where she touched and simply stared in silence, his eyes clouding with the many thoughts in his head. Anoreth took a deep breath and gripped Frodo's small hands with hers.

  "You are small Frodo, but you are stronger than all of us." She whispered to him, her eyes never swaying from his. She wanted to help him feel strong, help him see that even though he was small he was... in a sense, bigger than all of them. After a long moment of silence, Frodo looked at her.

  "Do you think I should take the Ring to Mordor?" He asked seriously, his wide clear blue eyes clouded with so much emotion.

  "I cannot make that decision for you, Frodo." She said with a small sad smile and rose from the ground. "Think on it my friend. This will not be an easy journey Frodo but I know that, of all of us here, you are the only one strong enough to accomplish it." Ann smiled at him one last time before walking away to leave him to his thoughts, silently asking the Valar to help him make his decision. The council was still in uproar and Elrond had not made a move to stop it. As she arrived she saw Legolas look toward her curiously, as usual her nerves returned but she forced them away and smiled at the elf kindly before sitting down.

  "Unbelievable." Mae muttered as she walked back to stand by Ann. She looked rather irritated, but when she saw that Frodo was no where in sight her eyes widened with confusion and slight panic.

  "Where is Frodo?" Ann did not need to answer, for just then Frodo returned to the council. He looked for Anoreth and walked up to whisper to her softly.

  "Are you with me?" He asked, a nervous edge in his voice. Ann smiled.

  "I'm with you, Frodo. I promise you." Frodo smiled softly, nodded then proceeded to stand on his chair, a new determination bright in his eyes.

  "I will take it!" Instantly Aragorn's head snapped up at the sound of the hobbit's declaration. "I will take it!" He repeated as the arguments slowly began to die down, astonishment finding its way into most everyone's eyes. Once there was complete silence, Frodo steeled himself and looked at everyone in the council. "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though... I do not know the way."

  The sisters all looked to each other, they knew what they wanted to do, not had to, but wanted to. Without hesitation, the girl's readied themselves to offer their services. Gandalf beat them to it.

  "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, for a long as it is yours to bear." The wizard glided over to the hobbit with a smile on his face, he placed a large hand on his shoulder as he went to stand behind him, his hands still on his shoulders. Frodo un-tensed a little and looked to the wizard with relief in his eyes.

  Maethien spoke as she went to kneel before Frodo with a wide smile. "My sword is yours dear friend. I have faith in you." Mae spoke softly so that only the little hobbit could hear, Frodo looked at her and smiled.

  "I'm glad to have you with me, Maethien." She grinned at the hobbit then went to stand beside Gandalf. Frodo looked down to where Ann was smiling softly at him.

  "You know I'm with you, Frodo. Count on me." She rose from her seat to stand beside her sister. Together, they looked to where Elle was smiling at them with her hands on her hips.

  "Well you're not leaving without me. For as long as you need me, little friend, I will be with you." After Elle took her place beside her sisters, Aragorn finally came forward.

  "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." He clasped Frodo's hands firmly. "You have my sword."

  "And you have my bow." Legolas spoke next and went to stand with the group.

  "And my axe." Gimili spoke harshly as he strode forward to stand by Legolas awkwardly. Boromir took a hesitant step forward, staring down at Frodo who looked back a the man strongly.

  "You carry the fate of us all little one, if this is the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

  "Heh!" Elrond blinked is surprised disbelief as Sam darted out from behind the bushes, ducking under Aragorn's arm to stand by Frodo, crossing his arms and looking at everyone with defiant and determined eyes. " Mr. Frodo is not goin' anywhere without me." Ann giggled softly at the look on lord Elrond's face.

  "No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even hen he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."Elrond smiled with amusement at the sheepish blond hobbit. Just then Merry and Pippin rushed forward from behind the pillars, shouting as they rushed.

  "Wait! We are coming too!" Pippin shouted.

  "You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" Merry announced confidently, Elle tried not to laugh as the enthusiastic hobbits stood by their friend, so loyal and so sweet...

  "Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest... thing." Once again, the girls tried not to laugh as Pippin puffed out his chest proudly, oh he was so cute!

  "Well that rules you out Pip." Merry muttered and Pippin nodded eagerly before he realized what he meant, Elle attempted to hide her laugh by clearing her throat quietly. This was a serious situation, she couldn't laugh... she would not laugh.

  "Twelve companions... So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Lord Elrond declared.

  "Great! Where are we going?" Her efforts at holding back her laughter were futile, Elle finally released the laugh she had been trying hard to hold in.

  "Pip, I believe you and I are going to be very good friends."

  Maethien sat in her room alone. Thinking. Perhaps a little too much, so much so that she suddenly began to feel very restless and stood abruptly from her bed and begun to pack for the journey, taking only the bare minimum of what she thought she would need. She began to set all of her armour on the bed to inspect it, looking over her gauntlets and taking the time to admire the details on the strong leather. As she moved about her room, her thoughts continued to wander.

  In the moment that she had declared her allegiance to the Fellowship, and promised Frodo that she would help and protect him... she had been very well aware of what was to come. They all knew. There will be danger, pain, and war, she knew that it was not going to be an easy journey.

  As Mae looked at her armour, she realized that the unsettling feeling in her chest was fear. She was afraid... but not of the dangers or the war, no. The Valar had declared her a warrior and she was proud to be considered as such. She would fight to save Middle-Earth, to save her friends, and her sisters... Her sisters. That's was what she feared. Maethien dropped onto her bed beside her armour and stared at the ground. She was afraid of losing her sisters. What if they got hurt? What if she couldn't protect them? What if-

  Enough, child. Varada's firm voice spoke in her mind in an almost reprimanding way. Do you really have such little faith in your sisters?

  Maethien drew in a surprised breath and look up to the ceiling with wide eyes. "No! It's- I don't- I just..." Mae stopped trying to answer and looked back down at her armour, her shoulders slumped slightly in shame. Varda was right. She had to have faith in her sisters. She was the warrior, but that did not mean her sister's were any less capable of fighting, it did not mean that they weren't strong.

  "Mae, what are you doing?" Maethien looked to her door and saw her sisters come in with bright smiles on their faces.

  "Just getting ready for tomorrow." She answered and gestured to where her armour lay beside her.

  "Ah, yes. Tomorrow. This is going to be a difficult journey." Ann stared at the armour for a long moment, Mae smiled softly when she saw the sudden spark of fear cross her little sister's eyes. It seemed that she was not the only one with a fear. In that moment, Mae realized that she was far from alone and she reached over to take Ann's hand in hers, a strong and determined look in her eyes and an equally powerful feeling in her heart.

  "Don't be afraid, sister. We'll be a
lright. We're strong." Mae did not say much, but what she did say was filled with confidence. Surprise flickered in Ann's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with a fiery brass.

  "I know. No way in hell am I going down and if either of you even dare to get yourselves hurt, I'll kill you myself." The sisters laughed aloud.

  "Hey! Who do you think you're talking to? Orc's don't stand a chance against this warrior." Maethien declared, causing more laughter to fill the room. All earlier doubt and fear was now gone from her heart and from her sister's. Mae smiled and shook her head, she felt quite foolish now. She should not have doubted her sisters or the guidance of the Valar.

  "We'll be okay." Elle said and set a hand on both Mae and Ann's shoulders, a smile on her face. "And if we should falter, we'll be there to pick each other right back up." The sisters shared a nod of agreement.

  Mae, Elle, and Ann then moved on to preparing themselves for the long trip ahead of them. Packing the necessities, inspecting their armour, and choosing the appropriate attire for the long journey.

  "Do you think we should pack a gown?" The question came from the youngest sister, both Mae and Elle looked up to fix their sister with an are-you-insane look. Ann instantly stood up straight and crossed her arms.

  "Well a simple no would suffice. Don't look at me like I just grew horns!"

  "Sorry but... why on earth would we need to pack a gown?" Mae asked, softening her gaze as she spoke.

  "Well, we do end up in Edoras remember?" She shrugged and grinned. "We'll need gowns."

  "Ann, you know we have to separate eventually. One of us is going to need to go with Frodo and Sam." Saeleth spoke quietly, her amber eyes on the tunic she was folding. Mae and Ann both looked to the ground, tears rising up in all of their eyes.

  "I don't want to separate. How will we know we're all okay?" Ann asked, her voice quivering slightly.

  "We'll know." Maethien told her confidently, her eyes watered but she was smiling at her little sister. Ann sighed and wiped away the traitor tear that slid down her cheek, she blinked away her tears and nodded her understanding.

  "Who will go with Frodo?" She finally asked, solemnly. The sisters looked at each other and, though no one spoke, they came to an agreement. They knew who it had to be.

  "He will need me." Ann spoke and nodded. She knew it had to be her, the healer, she knew she could help Frodo.

  "He will need a healer. Someone who will be the light when the time seems dark. Someone who will give him strength, good advice, and encouragement." Saeleth spoke with a warm smile, her eyes on her little sister. The room became silent for a moment.

  "Don't worry though, I'll keep Legolas safe for you." Maethien spoke, wanting to lighten the mood a little. Anoreth burst into laughter and glared at her sister playfully.

  "You'd better." She teased and rolled her eyes. Maethien winked and turned to fasten on her gauntlets.

  "Wait, Mae, what is that?" Elle asked and stepped forward to take Maethien's gauntlet into her hands. She found that, fastened between the leather of her gauntlets, there was a shimmering white metal.

  "Mithril." Maethien gasped and looked at the bright metal. Upon inspecting their armour once again, they found that they each had mithril nestled in their wrist gauntlets and that they each had an armour of mithril to wear beneath their clothes.

  "Whoa. That's a lot of Mithril." Mae said and touched the cool metal with her fingertips. It definitely made her happy to know that they were well protected, she smiled at the sky then continued to set the shimmering white armor back on the bed.

  "Oh!" Ann gasped suddenly and whirled around to look at her sisters with wide eyes. "What are we going to do with the horses? We can't take them with us this time."

  Elle thought for a long moment before looking up, shrugging softly. "I suppose we should set them free." She said, and smiled when Ann exclaimed her denial.

  "But I love that horse." Ann frowned and looked at the ground, she looked genuinely upset.

  "They'll be okay, Ann. Besides, something tells me we'll see them again." Elle promised.

  "They were given to us by the Valar. I'm sure we'll see them again." Maethien nodded her agreement. Ann still looked a little upset but she nodded nonetheless. After they finished packing, Anoreth decided that she wanted to have one last ride with Lossen, Maethien and Saeleth were happy to do the same.

  Upon entering the stables to ride their horses one last time, the sisters each found a surprise waiting for them on their saddles.

  "What is this?" Ann asked in surprise. Set upon her saddle was a shimmering silver shield with gold intricate designs adorning it's face beautifully, reminding Ann of the many markings of the Valar they had seen in the book. She recognized the largest marking set in the center of the shield... it meant protection. Though that was not all. Along with her new shield there was a sheathed curved sword similar in look to that of a scimitar, the length seemingly about two feet. Unsure, Ann stepped forward and touched her new weapons carefully, her eyes wide and curious. Like the shield, the hilt of the blade was adorned with an assortment of exquisite designs, Ann's eyes studied every curl and slash and swirl on the hilt with wide smiling eyes.

  Not far beside Ann, Saeleth was staring at the gift upon her own saddle. A beautifully intricate bow waiting for her, but along with that bow there was a long lethal looking dual bladed spear with beautifully intricate designs adorning the hilt between the two bladed ends. Saeleth reached out and carefully took the weapon into her hands, her eyes explored every inch of her gift and, upon further inspection, she noticed something out of place. The intricate designs on the space between the blades didn't seem to align accurately, halfway through the hilt the designs changed patterns. They didn't match. Curious, Elle grabbed both sides of the hilt, one hand on each of the designs and, acting on instinct, she twisted one side to the right until the designs aligned perfectly.

  "Whoa!" Saeleth gasped when scabbards suddenly stretched over the blades and morphed the dual bladed spear into a beautifully ornate staff. Saeleth was in awe. This was a weapon she had never seen before. A smile began to form on her mouth as she twisted the hilt and brought back the dual bladed staff. Curious to see if her new gift had any other hidden talents she gave the hilt another twist, this time to the left. She jumped when, suddenly, the hilt split in two and revealed yet another hidden weapon. The staff also became two separate swords.

  While Saeleth continued to stare in awe at her new weapon, Maethien reached out to touch the hilt of her own gift. It was the most beautiful sword Maethien had ever seen. The hilt of the long blade gleamed an ethereal silvery white, intricate designs were carved into it and curled upwards to form an equally ornate gaurd. The blade was sharp and it glistened, even in the shadows it shimmered a snow colored aura. Lifting the sword Maethien narrowed her eyes upon noting that the blade also had an array of meticulous thin designs engraved into it, and set near the guard of the blade, there was a name... Silmacil. Maethien smiled and looked above to give her thanks to the Valar.

  May these gifts be of great help to you, my daughters. Use them well. It was Manwe who spoke to them in their minds this time... a warmth spread upon the sister's hearts.

  The sisters held their gifts closely and looked to the sky, each whispering their own unique thank you to the Valar. With misty eyes and smiles the girl's saddled their horses then fastened on their weapons, they did not speak as they prepared, their emotion still raw. They rode until the sun hid behind the high mountains and, as the first stars began to glisten in the colorful sky, the sisters made to return to Rivendell. Knowing that the time was drawing near.

  "You be safe out the Lossen. Understand?" Anoreth struggled against her tears as she unsaddled her horse. She gave the dappled horse a kiss in the center of his head then finally released her. The girls leaned on each other as they watched the three mares run into the golden evening with sad smiles, they continued to watch until they disappeared in the distance. Then, with a sigh, the girls turned and walke
d to the stables to put away the bridles and saddles, then went back to their rooms to rest for the journey to come.

  Maethien tossed and turned in her bed late in the night, unable to rest. Being an elf she did not need much sleep, the fact slightly annoyed her, she enjoyed being able to rest and relax in a soft bed with her mind wandering her dreamland. After another while of restlessness, Mae sighed and got out of bed; she was getting agitated. She stood and pulled on a white robe over her gown then walked out of her room, stopping to check on Anoreth and found her sleeping soundly in her bed she then checked on Saeleth and rolled her eyes when she saw that she was sitting up in her bed with a large book on her lap. Not wanting to disturb her, Maethien wandered out into the gardens and walked for a long time, bathing in the moonlight and enjoying the light breeze that tousled her hair. She began to sing a song, lost in the beauty of the night and lost in her thoughts. Still, she managed to stop herself from colliding with Aragorn when she turned a corner.

  "Oh!" She gasped and stepped back quickly. "I'm sorry." Mae apologized.

  "No need to apologize, Maethien." Aragorn said with a small smile, shaking his head softly as he did. "Cannot sleep?" Maethien smiled and shook her head.

  "Will you walk with me?" Maethien was a little surprised at the invitation but she hid it well as she smiled at the man kindly.

  "Of course." She agreed. Together, they turned and walked down the path where he had just come from. They were silent as they walked, but it did not feel uncomfortable at all it felt oddly peaceful to be in each other quiet company.

  "What was it you were singing a moment ago?" Mae's eyes widened with embarrassment but she smiled and looked at Aragorn.

  "You heard?"

  "It was what caused me to come this way." He said with a soft chuckle, Mae felt herself blush and casually looked away before Aragorn could see her rosy cheeks.

  "It was a song of believing in oneself when dark times come." Mae said quietly, her thoughts had gone to Frodo, and she had begun to sing a song that only she and her sisters knew, for it was a song from their own world. "Do you think Frodo will be alright? He's... afraid."