His heart had finally ceased its hammering as the Last Homely House came into view. The terror that had consumed Frodo's entire being subsided as he entered one of the few places left in Middle Earth to be left free from Sauron's shadow. "You will find sanctuary here Frodo Baggins." Glorfindel assured him. The elven warrior's voice seemed tired and strained from the events earlier that day. It was in the late afternoon now and Frodo was left wondering how much had time had passed since they'd began their mad ride for Rivendell. Thinking of the close encounter with the Nazgul reminded him of the terrifying image of Merry writhing and crying out in pain on Elrohir's horse, and Legolas screaming in elvish. "What happened to Merry and Legolas back there?" he asked the golden elf in a shaky voice. Glorfindel sighed, his shoulders sagged as if a great weight had suddenly been placed upon them. "Merry was cut with a Morgul blade. A weapon that those acursed wraiths carry. If he is not treated he will soon die, but do not fret penneth, my Lord Elrond is the most skilled healer in all of Middle Earth. He will be able to save him."
Frodo sighed in relief, but there was one more thing he needed to know. "What about Legolas? He was not stabbed and yet he seemed to be in pain as well. Why was he screaming like that?"
Glorfindel's jaw tightened and his brow furrowed. "I fear that he has been exposed to the Black Breath, it is a dark "energy" that the Nazgul emanate. I myself have not experienced it before and my knowledge of it comes from Elrond, but those who are exposed to it become weary and may slip out of conciousness from time to time, have bad dreams, and are known to be irritable after being woken at the least."

Frodo sensed that there was more that he wasn't telling him. "And when it is at its worse?" he questioned. "They lose conciousness immediately, have illusions and nightmares, and die within a few days. Sometimes even less."
Frodo stared blankly ahead of them as they made their way slowly down the path that led into the valley. "Will Elrond be able to help him?"
Though he didn't see it, Glorfindel smiled assuringly behind him. "As I said before, he is the most skilled healer in all of Middle Earth. And I have known Legolas for many years, he is very strong despite his young age. He will overcome this just as your friend will."
This lifted Frodo's spirits somewhat, they rode the rest of the way in silence before arriving at the entrance to the house of Elrond. Glorfindel urged his horse to a stop, patting his neck and whispering words of praise. He dismounted and helped Frodo do likewise. "I fear that I cannot stay Frodo, I promised Aragorn that I would send riders out to bring them the rest of the way here. I will not leave you alone though, enter the house and ask for Arwen, she will accompany you until Elrond himself can greet you."

Frodo nodded and offered him a warm smile. "Thank you Glorfindel, if you hadn't come along when you did, I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened."
Glorfindel chuckled.
"I am glad to be of assistance. Though I must say I am inpressed that you had the courage to raise your voice and defy the Nazgul. Many would faint in terror at just the mention of their name."
Frodo hung his head bashfully at his praise. If only I could have been as brave everyone else when they put their lives at risk for me. He watched as Glorfindel led his horse away and vanished from sight, then he himself slowly turned to face the home of Elrond. His terror of their ride having been shaken off somewhat Frodo timidly made his way into the house. Though worry for Merry and the others was constantly at the front of his mind, he couldn't help the rush of excitement that coursed through him as he laid eyes on the very place Bilbo had stayed at during his adventures. If only he were here now. I wonder what he would have to say about all of this.
The beautiful structure left Frodo staring in awe as he passed through the doors and entered. Several elves were walking about and one noticed Frodo the moment he came in. He smiled kindly and dipped his head in greeting. "Welcome to Rivendell. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Frodo smiled back and remembered what Glorfindel had told him earlier. "I was told to ask for an elf named Arwen, is she here?"
The dark haired elf nodded his head. "She is with her brothers now. Come, I will lead you to
her."

Frodo followed the elf through the many halls of the Last Homely House. Paintings adorned the walls and the windows were open allowing sunlight to fill the house. He couldn't help but wonder whether his uncle had walked through this very hall when he'd stayed here. A pang of sadness filled his heart as he thought of Bilbo. He remembered Gandalf telling him that he had gone to stay with the elves, perhaps he was here now, should he ask? "Exscuse me, but is there a chance that another hobbit has passed through here?"
Frodo asked, not counting on the answer being yes. The elf tilted his head to the side as if trying to recall some memory. "I may have heard someone mention an elderly hobbit passing through here. But I myself have just returned from Lothlorien and have not been here long. If I were you I would ask one of Elrond's children, they would know more than I would."
Hope fluttered in Frodo's chest. There was a chance that Bilbo was here! "Thank you, I will be sure to ask them." Frodo paused for a moment when he realized that he hadn't even asked the elf's name. "What is your name?"
He asked. The elf looked down at him and answered, "Erthor, and what is your name?"
"Frodo Bagggins."
Frodo replied.
Erthor's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah yes, now I remember. Lord Elrond told us that you would be arrivng, but not on your own, where are your other companions?"
Frodo's smile faded at the mention of the others. Were Sam and Pippin alright? Had the other Nazgul found them? What about Merry? Would he live?
Erthor took his silence as a sign that he didn't want to talk about his missing friends and decided not to push the subject. Instead he led Frodo the rest of the way in silence to where they would find the children of Elrond.

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When they found them Frodo found himself unable to speak as he and Erthor approached the three elves. For one thing Elladan and Elrohir had helped bring Merry to safety, and he was dying to ask them if they knew anything concerning his cousin. The twins were speaking quietly with an elf that Frodo assumed was Arwen. The three noticed his and Erthor's approach and smiled. "Erthor, it is good to see you again." Elladan commented. "How was your trip to Lothlorien?"
Erthor sighed and shook his head. "I wish that it could have gone better, we were ambushed by orcs on the way back, they have grown bolder. Three of our warriors were wounded though no one was killed, thank Elbereth."
Elladan's face hardened at the news. "Times are becoming dark. The enemy is growing in strength and confidence everyday."
The oldest child of Elrond shook his head and managed a slight grin. "I will speak no more of it now, not when we have other matters to attend to."

At this all four elves looked at Frodo, who began to feel rather small under the uncanny stares of the elves. "We did not get to properly introduce ourselves earlier." Elrohir said smiling. "I am Elrohir and this is Elladan, our sister here is Arwen."
So this elf is Arwen.
Frodo thought, happy that his assumptiom had been correct. "Pleased to meet you."
Frodo dipped his head in greeting. "We know who you are, Frodo Baggins correct?"
Arwen said, her voice caught Frodo off guard. It was soft and gentle, beautiful. He dipped his head and fought to keep his cheeks from turning red.
"Yes, that's me."
For a moment no one said anything until Erthor broke the silence. "I'm afraid that I have some business to attend to. I will be leaving now, it was a pleasure to meet you Frodo."
Frodo smiled and watched as he strode away down the hall. Now it was just him and Elrond's three children. "Are you tired Frodo?" Arwen asked. "If so we can provide you with a room where you could rest."

The thought of sleeping in a soft, warm bed sounded great to Frodo, but first he wanted to know how Merry and Legolas were. "Do you know if Merry's alright? Or Legolas?"
Elladan glanced at Elrohir who sighed. The oldest looked down at Frodo with a grim expression on his face.
"Our father is doing everything he can for them Frodo. For now all we can do is wait. Come, rest for awhile and renew your strength."
Reluctantly Frodo followed the three elves further down the hall. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was exausted from the past few days and felt as though he would collapse at any moment. Before they made it to the room Frodo looked up at Elladan and asked, "If there's any change in Merry's condition will you let me know?"
Elladan nodded.
"I will inform you immediately if anything happens."
As they approached the room Elrohir and Elladan exscused themselves to tend to some business while Arwen was left to ensure that Frodo receieved everything he needed. Which at that moment, was simply a warm bed and some peace and quiet. "Are you certain that you don't need anything else?"
Arwen asked as Frodo looked around at the room.
"I will be fine for now, thank
you."
Arwen smiled and left, closing the door gently behind her. Frodo cast off his cloak and immediately crawled into the bed, not even bothering to change out of his worn traveling clothes. All he wanted to do was sleep and hopefully awake to news of Merry's condition improving.

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A voice awoke Frodo several hours later. When he opened his eyes he was shocked to see Sam and Pippin standing beside his bed. "Sam! When did you get here?"
He asked throwing his covers off and standing to his feet, wrapping his arms around the two hobbits. "We got here just a bit ago. We were told that you've been sleeping since you arrived." Sam replied, his eyes filled with relief at being reunited with his friend. "What about the others? Are they alright?"
Frodo asked, he was a bit surprised at how much concern he had for the three strangers who had risked their lives to get them to Rivendell.
"Boromir's having his wounds treated, and I think that Strider and Gimli are with him. I think they mentioned going to see Legolas after they were sure that Boromir was alright."
Pippin answered his question, but one look at his youngest cousin told Frodo that he was worried sick about Merry. "Perhaps if they are going to see Legolas then we can go see Merry." Frodo suggested. Pippin's face held no other emotion besides absolute sorrow, and that alone caused a shiver to run down Frodo's spine. He hadn't thought about how seeing Merry in the state he was in would affect Pippin. He could only hope that Elrond had been able to heal their cousin as Glorfindel assured him that he would.
"Come on." Frodo led them out of the room and down the hall. He had to rely on Sam and Pippin to lead them to the Healing Wing where they had parted with Strider and the others.

When they reached their destination they were greeted by Lord Elrond himself. The elf lord seemed tired, but still held his head high and managed to smile warmly at the hobbits.
"I am glad to see that you arrived here safely Frodo Baggins. I'm guessing that you are here to see Merry?"
The hobbits nodded and Pippin was the first to ask, "Is he alright?"
Elrond's smile faded and Frodo braced himself for bad news. "His wound was not deep, but that did not stop the blade's poison from spreading throughout his body. I almost lost him but I can say now that his life is no longer in danger."

Frodo sighed in relief and he noticed Pippin relax as his face lit up. "Is he awake then?" he asked hopefully. Elrond shook his head and the young hobbits face fell. "I do not know how long he will remain unconcious, but I can assure you that he will be fine."
"May we go see him?"
Pippin asked timidly.
The elf lord dipped his head and motioned for the three hobbits to follow him. Quietly they moved throughout the Healing Wing, none of them making a sound until Sam's voice broke the silence. "Is Legolas alright? Strider told us all a bit about what happened to him and Merry, and I'm worried that he-" Sam's voice trailed off and he didn't complete his thought.

Frodo was surprised and a bit confused as to why Sam showed so much concern towards the elf. They'd only known each other for less than a day, surely that wasn't long enough for them to become friends was it?
"I will not lie when I say that we nearly lost both him and Merry. I could not be in two places at once and I am the only one who knew how to heal both of them. I had to pray to the Valar that Legolas would be strong enough to hold on while I treated Merry, he is still unconcious but his life is no longer in danger. It is now simply a matter of waiting for both of them to awake. Aragorn and Gimli are going to see him after Boromir has been cared for."
Frodo almost forgot that Strider's true name was Aragorn. He wondered if Sam knew and from the look on his face he did. Elrond led them to Merry's room and after instructing them to keep quiet, he opened the door and allowed them to enter. Pippin's eyes widened and Sam couldn't help the startled gasp that escaped his lips. Frodo however, stood shocked and speechless as he gazed at the small, pale figure on the bed. Merry barely moved as he lay still underneath white covers. His forehead was drenched with sweat and his eyes were closed. Only the faint rising and falling of his chest and the occasional twitch of the hand assured the hobbits that he was alive. Slowly they approached his bedside and stood in silence as they gazed down at him.

Pippin let all of the tears he had been holding in fall as he reached to touch Merry's hand, but quickly pulled away, as if afraid that touching him would harm his cousin in some way. Sam's face was a mess of emotions, mostly grief, but shockingly, there were traces of anger there as well. Frodo's own eyes filled with tears as he looked down at Merry, his cousin, his best friend. Merry had always been there for him, always looked out for him. Whenever Frodo felt as though he needed to voice his thoughts and fears to someone Merry was always there to listen. And now he's lying here on this bed because he risked his life to save mine.

Frodo knew without a shadow of a doubt that this would always come back to haunt him. The image of Merry being stabbed by the Nazgul, screaming in pain on Elrohir's horse, lying pale and lifeless in front of him, all of it would plague Frodo with guilt for the rest of his days. I promise it will never happen again.
Frodo looked at Merry's face as he made a promise to himself.
I swear that I will not let any of you be harmed ever again for my sake.
He glanced sideways at Sam and Pippin, neither one of them were aware of the oath he has just taken. From now on their safety came before his own. He didn't care what the cost would be, he wouldn't let anyone else's life be threatened because of him.
Elrond watched them in silence. He didn't say a word as he stepped out of the room. The hobbits deserved some time alone with their friend, and in the meantime he had some urgent business to attend to. The scouts he had sent out several days ago had finally returned, and the news they brought was very disturbing. Gandalf had told him that he would be arriving in Rivendell after he sought Saruman's advice at Isengard, yet that had been many weeks ago, and the scouts whom he had sent to search for him, reported no sign of the grey wizard.
Something had gone terribly wrong, and Elrond feared the worst.