The Forbidden Child

The Council That Was Not Permitted

Lessien wondered and wondered while she walked nonchalantly past the conversing Elrond and Aragorn, acting like she didn't care. 

She hoped she would not run into Arwen once more. The woman who called herself Lessien's mother that Lessien herself did not have much attachment to. How could she? She barely even knew Arwen and Arwen barely knew her. It pained Lessien to be around such a character that held so much affection for her.

With this in mind and the growing impression that Aragorn would be long occupied with his discussion with Elrond, Lessien decided to retire to her room. She was weary of contemplating her life and the way it was and the way it could have been.

-

The next morning, Lessien was determined on finding the hobbits. Rivendell's grounds, though gorgeous, grew dismal with the prospect of running into either Elrond or Arwen. The shades of blue, green, greys, and whites were suddenly distasteful. She knew it would be wonderful when she had a change of company. Or rather, any company at all. The fortress was huge, for though Lessien would walk and walk and walk, she would somehow never tread on a place that she had seen before.

In the process of finding the hobbits, Lessien came across two young elves. The two girls were whispering but for no reason, for Lessien could hear everything they said.

"All of those men coming here?"

"Not only men but dwarves as well! Men, elves, and dwarves have not been united for such a very long time."

"What strange creatures they are. How I wonder about them."

Lessien's brow furrowed. Such a meeting was no discrete thing. Even these servants knew about it after all. She took one of the girls roughly by the arm. "Whatever are you speaking of?"

The girls eyes widened, looking down at Lessien's hand that held her. "The Council is taking place today. I thought everyone knew. It is very important, after all. I rather think we should all worry over such a thing. As it is always said, 'Elves, dwarves, and men will only come together when the world is about to end.' It is quite the grim nursery rhyme, I believe. What a marvel it all is! Oh, how I wonder what all of them speak of! But, of course, I am not nearly important enough to take part in such things."

Lessien frowned and shook the girl. "Skip all of the nonsense and make it so I can understand!"

"There is a meeting. Lord Elrond invited all manner of people from many different kingdoms. There are elves, men, and dwarves all adjoined here. He oversees them all. What they speak of is unknown but it seems to be very important. They speak of it at the Lord's throne-"

Lessien needed no ending to the answer. She took off storming down the hall. Whatever this meeting was, there was no doubt that her father had knowledge of it. Why had she not been invited?

Well, because no one took her seriously.

When she arrived, her footsteps echoing on the floor and her heart pounding, the meeting was just letting out. Men of all different races came out, muttering one to another. Some shook their heads while others did not speak at all. Lessien shoved past a few of them, getting a few lame exclamations as a response.

The hallway was soon clear, the meeting having been dispersed and no explanation of what it was evident. There had also been no sighting of Aragorn or any of the others.

It was in that empty hallway, only inhabited by far off footsteps and mutterings of old men that were nearly completely faded, that Lessien saw him again.

Legolas was standing there, motionless, gazing at Lessien with an open mouth. "Eve?" he finally managed to get out.

Lessien, though she would never admit it to anyone, was caught off guard. She looked at him with contempt but with some longing as well. The little spark of romance that had started her new life as Lessien the warrior, no longer Eve the commoner, lit a small fire in her heart. Legolas was so handsome. He seemed very smooth in a masculine way with clear skin. He was tall and lean, just as Lessien remembered him, with his beautiful white-blond hair.

Perhaps with this is start of something new.

Lessien shook her head of the thought and scoffed outwardly at herself. She acknowledged shortly and tartly, "Legolas."

A pause.

Lessien held her breath.

Their reunion was nothing like she had imagined.

Legolas looked as though he was formulating what he was to say next when she turned swiftly on her heal. Obviously, their past relationship had so little matter to her, that she would not even speak to him.

"I go by Lessien now," she called over her shoulder.

It was in the throne room that Lessien found them. The four hobbits stood in a line, Merry and Pippin looking very pleased with themselves and Frodo and Sam looking uneasy. Aragorn stood beside them, hand on his chin as he contemplated something. Lord Elrond stood by his throne, gazing at the company.

"There you are! Whatever happened? Aragorn, why did you not tell me of this all?" Lessien looked between Aragorn and Lord Elrond, receiving no answer until-

"Lord Elrond would not permit your attendance at the Council," Aragorn explained briskly.

Lessien folded her arms and looked to Elrond. "And why would you not allow me to be here?"

"You should not be involved in such things."

Lessien's frown deepened. "Well this is simply ridiculous. Time and time again this happens and," she drifted off and closed her mouth. "Although I was not allowed to attend, I demand to know what took place in this Council. If there was such a gathering of all of these races, it could not have been a small matter."

Aragorn's expression was grim.

Merry piped up, "We're all going to help Frodo destroy the Ring. We're going to Mordor to Mount Doom all together to help him along!"

Lessien winced as her heart dropped in her chest. How had the hobbits been roped into all of this business? Such a nasty affair it was, too, for this was a seemingly impossible task. The way the wicked word Mordor left Merry's lips proved his innocence. "Why? Well, who in the world would be coming on such a-" Lessien stopped. On such a suicide mission.

"Well, lemme remember," Merry began. "I think there were nine of them including my dear friends here. There was, ah."

Merry looked to Aragorn, as did Lessien. 

He pursed his lips. 

Lessien even looked to Lord Elrond but he was seated in his throne once again, seeming to be contemplating something. Neither would speak.

Surprisingly, Frodo spoke up. "There are five others. Boromir of Gondor, son of the steward Denethor; a dwarf, Gimli, son of Gloin; Gandalf the Grey," Frodo looked to Lessien's father, "Aragorn, and Legolas Greenleaf of the Woodland Realm."

Lessien felt her stomach jolt. Legolas? She would have to revisit that old memory? She held her breath but continued on to say, "When do we leave?"

Aragorn shot Lessien a look.

Lessien's nostrils flared and she scoffed for the second time. "So you mean to leave without me?"

"You were not appointed to go on this mission," Elrond interjected.

"That is only because I was not permitted to go because of you. You are always interrupting my life, Lord Elrond, and this time I will not let you interfere so easily," Lessien interjected through clenched teeth. "Besides, were these nine appointed by anyone else? I have a hard time believing that men were throwing themselves to get involved in all of this. I also think you need as much help as you can get."

Lord Elrond scrutinized Lessien. "I will not allow it," he finalized.

Meanwhile, the hobbits and Aragorn said nothing to support her. This flustered Lessien but did nothing to alter the intensity of her argumentations. "As you did not allow me to go to the Council? Well, here I am, Elrond," she dropped his title disrespectfully. "Gathering information on the meeting I was not supposed to know of. This is but an example of what I will do to be apart of the group that is to complete such a quest."

Aragorn opened his mouth finally, his words a shock to Lessien. "The Nine have been set for a reason. No others should attend. Not even you."

Lessien guffawed but shook her head. "Then I will not be a part of the Nine. The number will be set as whatever you want but I will be accompanying it nonetheless."