12. 12 - The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune
Elrond looked about the circle of chairs with interest. One of these would be moved, he knew, to rise and accept the role of Ringbearer, although he could not say for certain which it might be. There were certain individuals whose Light shone particularly brightly to his enhanced sight: Gandalf, he knew, would not take It, nor would Aragorn. That disposed of two of those seated in the ring.
He shuddered. A ring about the Ring, and a Ring intended to destroy the fortunes of all save one who sought to invoke Its power. Thranduil's son shone clearly, as, unexpectedly, did Gimli son of Glóin. Now, that was most interesting, when he saw a Dwarf as clearly as he did an Elf. Indeed, the Dwarf was almost as bright as was Glorfindel, whom he knew would not touch any artifice of the Enemy. There was a dull rosy aura about the warrior Boromir, and a warm glow about Bilbo that the influence of the Ring appeared to leave untouched. The Lights of the other Elves within the circle appeared somehow dampered, however.
That left but two others whose Lights could be discerned--Bilbo's kinsman Frodo and the gardener seated at his feet. The evil of the Ring pressed now against the Light of Frodo Baggins, which stubbornly shone a purer mithril in response.
He knew already where it was the wheel would point to once it stopped spinning....
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
