Return to our Destiny.

14. Rivendell

The dragon and it's rider were met by Elrond and his assistants, but he is too focused on Frodo to really greet them which is fine as the dragon did what it had to and now had to leave. "Lasto beth nîn. Tolo dan na ngalad." (Hear my voice, come back to the light.) Frodo is lying in a vast bed. "Where am I?" he asked with out opening his eyes. "You are in the house of Elrond. And it is ten o'clock in the morning, on October the twenty-fourth, if you want to know." 

The familiar voice of Gandalf says. Frodo if now fully awake. "Gandalf!" he gasps as he sits up a bit. Gandalf is seated on Frodo's bed, smoking his pipe. The bedroom opens on to a beautiful garden. The noise of falling water is mixed with bird song. Leaves are gently falling. "Yes... I'm here. And you're lucky to be here, too. A few more hours and you would have been beyond our aid. But you have some strength in you, my dear hobbit!" Gandalf says with an old smile. 

"What happened, Gandalf? Why didn't you meet us?" Frodo says as his own smile falters. "Oh I'm sorry Frodo... I was delayed." Gandalf's mind shifts to his imprisonment in Isengard. On the tower top, Saruman is using his powers to flip Gandalf about. He then dangles him over the edge of Orthanc. "Friendship with Saruman is not lightly thrown aside. One ill turn deserves another. It is over! Embrace the power of the Ring... or embrace your own destruction!"

Gandalf lies at full stretch, completely at Saruman's mercy. A tiny white moth flutters across between them. Gandalf observes it as Saruman continues to taunt him. Saruman hurls Gandalf back towards the platform. Gandalf slowly raises himself as the shadowy form of a dragon appears in the background, "There is only one Lord of the Ring! Only one who can bend it to his will. And he... does... not... share... power!"

Rynnyl roars and blows fire to distract Saruman. Gandalf then leaps off the Tower of Orthanc and lands on the Rynnyl's back. As Rynnyl flies away she blows more fire onto the building and working orcs destroying as much as she can before she leaves with her friend safe on her back. Frodo calling to Gandalf has the old wizard focusing again. "Gandalf? What is it?" he asks worriedly with softly pinched brows and a frown. 

"Nothing, Frodo." Gandalf says with a soft smile. Sam enters the room and rushes to Frodo's side, clasping his hand in joy. "Frodo! Frodo!" he cheers happily. "Sam!" Frodo is just as happy to see Sam as Sam is to see him awake. "Bless you, you're awake!" Frodo laughs. "Sam has hardly left your side." Gandalf explained, "We were that worried about you, weren't we Mister Gandalf?" Sam says looking between Frodo and Gandalf. 

"By the rescue from Rynnyl and the skills of Lord Elrond, you're beginning to mend." Elrond entering the room, smiles down at Frodo, "Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins." Frodo smile and the frowns, "Rynnyl?" he asks wondering if he heard that right. "She was visiting an... old friend and when she was returning home saw you and the Lady Arwen and brought you here before actually leaving." 

Gandalf explained having heard the accounts of what happened from Arwen when she told him and Elrond upon her return. "Oh, so that was what the huge thing I saw before passing out." Elrond and Gandalf smiled softly. 

*** 

Rivendell sits high above a gorge which is thick with pines and deciduous shrubs. Delicate, lacy waterfalls trace their way down to the river below. A stone bridge spans the chasm as a cloaked rider upon a white horse plods towards the house. In the gardens, Frodo is reunited with his friends. Frodo spots a familiar figure sitting on a stone seat, reading from a large Red Book. "Bilbo!" he cheers as he moves towards his uncle. 

Bilbo looks aged and frail. He leans heavily upon a staff as he gets up to greet Frodo. "Hello, Frodo my lad!" "Bilbo!" Frodo gasps as he hugs his uncle, throwing their balance off a bit, "Oh!" Frodo reads aloud from Bilbo's book. "'There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins.'" he then leafs through the book, "This is wonderful!" Frodo says as he looks at the map Bilbo had drawn from memory.

"I meant to go back... wander the paths of Mirkwood... visit Laketown... see the Lonely Mountain again. But age it seems, has finally caught up with me." He gives Frodo a sad smile. Frodo stops to look at the map of the Shire. "I miss the Shire. I spent all my childhood pretending I was off somewhere else... off with you on one of your adventures! My own adventure turned out to be quite different. I'm not like you, Bilbo." Frodo says sadly.

Bilbo pats Frodo's cheek, "My dear boy." he knew Frodo wouldn't be like him he a Baggins through and through, "I heard my friend Rynnyl saved you," Bilbo mused, with a proud smile. Frodo also grinned. "When you told me you travelled with a dragon I always assumed you were just saying she's really strong and could use trick of magic like Gandalf. I didn't actually think you meant a real dragon." Frodo said as a now full believer, 

Bilbo smiled and nodded. "She had heard I was here and came to see me, asked if I wanted to go see our friends again, but I'm not as young as I used to be," he said and Frodo nodded.

***

On the balcony, Sam is trying to pack his bags. Sam is talking to himself, "Now what have I forgotten?" Frodo coming up behind him smiles, "Packed already?" Startled Sam stands and faces Frodo, "No harm in being prepared." Frodo smirks, "I thought you wanted to see the Elves, Sam." "I do!" Sam says with a sharp nod. "More than anything." Frodo teases, "I did! It's just... we did what Gandalf wanted didn't we?" he explains, 

"We got the Ring this far to Rivendell and then I thought, seein' as how you're on the mend, we'd be off soon. Off home." he finished and Frodo nods. "You're right Sam. We did what we set out to do." Frodo shows the Ring on his palm, "The Ring will be safe in Rivendell. I am ready to go home."