The morning came and though it was not very early, the Hobbits were still sleeping heavily when Míriel walked out to the gardens to get some air. It was understandable, though, for they deserved a long, comfortable sleep after everything they had been through. Míriel had promised them a large breakfast which did not please the cooks, but it was also something well-deserved.

As Míriel walked through the garden her eyes surprised her when they fixed onto Bilbo Baggins sitting on one of the benches and scribbling in his book. Míriel smiled widely at the sight of him and walked up to him slowly, sitting down next to him. It would be nice to tell him about Frodo as soon as she had gone to see that the Hobbit was indeed going to recover well.

"Oh!" he said and smiled as soon as he noticed her. "Good morning, Míriel."

"Good morning, Bilbo," Míriel said and beamed. "Have you had any breakfast yet?"

"Not yet, not yet," he said and shook his head. "I thought I'd wait for the three young lads to wake up, Meriadoc, Samwise and Peregrin. I haven't gotten the pleasure to speak to them since I slept early yesterday. I did meet Gandalf when I woke and he brought me the news of Frodo."

"So you know then," Míriel said and her smile faded slowly. How much he knew, she did not know. Perhaps Gandalf had not told Bilbo everything in order to protect him. The old Hobbit might feel guilty about all that Frodo had been through since Bilbo was the one who had left him the Ring in the first place.

"I know that I... I brought him misery," Bilbo said sadly and closed his book. "Scars that he will bear for the rest of his life."

"Frodo went by his own will, no matter what we may think," Míriel assured Bilbo. "You could never have known what Ring you possessed, Bilbo. My dear friend, not even Gandalf wanted to believe it at first."

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up, dear," said Bilbo and smiled a little.

Míriel smiled back at him and thought to herself that she had not lied to Bilbo. Although he should have told someone about the Ring long ago so they could have investigated it, it was still not his fault that they were now in the position they were in. There were other magical rings in the world and the chances of Bilbo's being the One had been very slim. No one could have blamed him for wanting to keep his treasure hidden to himself when he thought it could do no harm.

"I see you've come far in your book," Míriel said to make Bilbo think of something else. "Almost finished I hope?"

"Almost, yes," Bilbo said and smiled. "Would you like to hear a little bit? Perhaps the bit about when we together, you and I, released the Dwarves from the dungeons in King Thranduíl's castle. You stayed behind because..."

"I was in love with his son," Míriel said and chuckled at the memory. How sad she had been to see the back of the Dwarves, but it had not been the last time they met.

"Yes," Bilbo said and smiled. "A quite handsome Elf I remember. The splitting image of his father and not very keen on Dwarves. I remember him fighting the Orc pack that was following us with skills that blew my mind. I tried sketching some of his moves."

"Read it all to me," Míriel said with a smile and prepared herself for a trip back to what had undoubtedly been the most exciting time of her life.

*

After an hour of listening to Bilbo read from his book, and even after a few tears had been shed, Lord Elrond came and interrupted them. Míriel's uncle wanted to ask if any of them wanted to go see Frodo in the infirmary and Míriel was, of course, quick to accept the offer. When she turned to Bilbo he declined and explained that he would not be able to cope with seeing his nephew lying sick in a bed. Elrond said that they were going to bring Frodo to him instead as soon as the young Hobbit was back on his feet.

"Has he woken?" Míriel asked Elrond, referring to Frodo.

"Yes, our guest is awake," he answered and walked with graceful steps towards the door to the infirmary.

Míriel felt thrilled to meet Frodo Baggins. She wondered if he had his uncle's personality, for he certainly did not have his looks. It did seem that young Frodo had Bilbo's courage for he had set out from his home with nothing more than a bag, much like Bilbo.

"He has been carrying the One Ring for quite a while now."

"He must be strong," Míriel said. Like all Elves, Míriel knew everything there was to know about the Ring of power and all the other Rings that had been made. Her grandmother, Galadriel, was a ring bearer herself after all. Galadriel did not like to speak about it, though, but Míriel had never known why.

Elrond opened the door to the infirmary and allowed Míriel to walk in first. She saw the dark-haired Hobbit lie in his bed next to Gandalf and Sam who had gone to see his friend as soon as he had woken up. Frodo was pale and had dark circles under his eyes, but she could still see how young he was in his big, blue eyes.

"Thanks to Lord Elrond and the magnificent healing skills of the Elves," Gandalf said and smiled towards Míriel. It seemed they had interrupted him in the middle of a story. ", you should be on your feet soon."

"Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins," Elrond said and smiled kindly at the Hobbit who smiled back. "I present to you Lady Míriel."

"Welcome Frodo," Míriel said and smiled. "When you feel ready to explore, come to find me - I have someone you would like to meet."

Frodo was ready to go almost immediately since he had been resting for quite a while and was curious to see Rivendell. Míriel knew Merry and Pippin were going to be happy to see Frodo too as soon as they were done eating all of the Elves' food. Frodo got dressed and followed her and Sam toward the courtyard where she knew Bilbo was still working on his book.

"Frodo!" Merry came running with Pippin behind him, and they looked very cheery this morning. They had already had a breakfast which was noticeable since they were so filled with energy, but Pippin still had an apple in his hand that he hungrily ate, and Míriel wondered how on earth he could eat so much for being so small. The two Hobbits had eaten almost just as much as the thirteen Dwarves of Thorin Oakenshield's company together.

"You're awake, and you don't look half as bad as Pippin did yesterday!"

"I suppose that's a compliment," Frodo said and laughed. "Well, both of you look like you've been eating half the place."

"We have not," Pippin defended himself and shook his head. Míriel kept quiet since she would not want to ruin these Hobbits reunion by telling Frodo that Pippin had emptied the shelves. "I see you met Lady Míriel; she is a blessing. She brought us all this amazing food and gave us a tour around this place. It's amazing."

The Hobbits were very charming, and Míriel smiled widely at Pippin's comment. He was the funniest one of them all and he had a hard time keeping his mouth shut. Merry was his best friend and first cousin as well, even though their family tree was quite confusing. Merry was the only child of his parents, and his mother's younger sister was Pippin's mother. Pippin was also second cousin once-removed of Frodo which made him first cousin twice-removed of Bilbo. They seemed to be the best of friends.

"Don't exaggerate Pippin," Míriel said to him with a chuckle. "But I assure you that you will get some food too, Frodo, in case Pippin here has left you something. But first, I think there is someone who is eager to see you."

Frodo followed Míriel a little further toward the garden until he spotted the white-haired little Hobbit sitting on a bench without being able to reach down to the floor. He was scribbling in his book and had not yet noticed that his nephew was only a few inches away from him. Frodo's face broke up into a smile as he saw his uncle and hurried toward Bilbo. Their reunion was happy and made Míriel smile as she watched them.

In the corner of her eyes, Míriel could see Elrond standing in his library, watching them from the balcony. Her eyes met his and he made a small gesture that told her that he wanted her to come up and speak to him. Míriel hurried toward his library and arrived less than a minute later. She stepped into her uncle's beautiful study and saw that Gandalf was there as well, and she wondered what was happening. Was this some kind of meeting, and why would Elrond want her there?

Elrond did not turn around toward Míriel when she stepped inside but continued to watch the Hobbits. She wished then she had Galadriel's powers to enter people's minds and read them because she was dying to know what he was thinking of.

"His strength returns," Elrond said and it was obvious that he was speaking of Frodo.

Indeed Elrond was right. Frodo was remarkably strong which was obvious since not many would have been able to survive a Nazgul blade for as long as Frodo did. Yes, Arwen rode very quickly, and she and Míriel kept him more or less alive on the way to Rivendell, but Frodo had inner strength as well. All this, while carrying the Ring of power which must have weakened him even more.

"That wound will never fully heal," Gandalf muttered and glanced at Frodo too. "He will carry it for the rest of his life."

"And yet to have come so far bearing the Ring, the Hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil," Elrond said while walking away toward one of his tables.

Míriel tried to understand where Elrond was going with this. He could never mean that he wanted Frodo to keep it. The Nazgul would hunt him forever until they found him, killed him and then returned the Ring to Sauron. Frodo deserved the Elves' protection while they tried to take care of this, for they had been blind for too long. They had to do something against Sauron now, try to hide the Ring and fight him, anything to keep him from getting to it. With his Ring, Sauron would be able to return to his former state and stop being whatever spirit he now was and hid within the great eye in Mordor.

"It is a burden he should have never have had to bear," Gandalf insisted. "We can ask no more of Frodo."

He earned Míriel's agreement for Frodo had nothing to do with this evil and yet he had decided to do something that almost claimed his life. This evil was, in Míriel's opinion, in everyone's interest but who better than the Elves to do something about it? One last great act for Middle Earth before their time came to leave these lands, something that frightened Míriel already. So many from Rivendell had already started travelling to the shores to leave this world and it was only a matter of time before her grandmother, grandfather, Arwen and Elrond would leave as well. And with them would all the magic and power of the Elves disappear, to be lost and forgotten when there were none to remember them anymore.

"Gandalf," Elrond said stiffly. "The enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the East, his eye is fixed upon Rivendell. And Saruman you tell me has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin."

"His treasury runs deeper than you know," Gandalf said bitterly. "A foul craft, Saruman has crossed Orcs with Goblins, and he is breeding an army in the dungeons of Isengard. And an army that can move in sunlight and cover great distance and speed. Saruman is coming for the ring."

"Then we have to fight," Míriel spoke up, making Elrond and Gandalf turn toward her. "We've been bilnd for too long, it is our responsibility as keepers of this earth. Who are we to claim honour if we refuse to come to Middle-earth's aid now?"

Their numbers might not be the greatest, but they still had the strength of the Eldar within them. There were allies in Mirkwood if Thranduíl would ever leave the kingdom again, and Lórien still had skilled warriors.

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said and sounded desperate for Gandalf and Míriel to understand this. "We are fewer than we've ever been, Míriel. With the Ring inside of Rivendell, it will only seek to corrupt us all. We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard."

Gandalf turned away, but he saw that Elrond was right. "Gandalf, the Ring cannot stay here."

Míriel sighed as she realised her uncle was right. No matter how much she wished the Elves could fight against Sauron alone, they couldn't.

"This peril belongs to all of Middle Earth," Elrond said. "They must decide now how to end it. Not just for themselves but for those who come after. The time of the Elves is over, my people are leaving these shores. Who will you look to when we have gone? The Dwarves? They hide in the mountains, seeking riches, they care nothing for the troubles of others."

It was sad to say that he could be right, but surely the Dwarves must see what danger they were all in? Even if the Elves could flee from this danger, Men and Dwarves could not. Míriel did not want to flee either for she wanted to stay and help even if it meant that she would be the only Elf to do so. She could never imagine that Elrond would leave Middle-earth to its fate either. They had lived in Middle-earth for thousands of years, and somewhere in all Elves' hearts, there was a strong love for the land that had been their home for so long. They all knew that they belonged somewhere else, somewhere far away, but that had not been that home for very long.

"It is in Men that we must place our hope," Gandalf said suddenly and turned to Elrond and Míriel.

Men, Míriel had almost forgotten about them. For so many years, they had been pushed away and overlooked by Elves. They were not as skilled in battle, not as fair and most of all they were mortal, so their numbers were not very solid. Míriel had nothing against Men, but some did. Men were easily corrupted for they were weak in their minds. They were not to be trusted in the long run, at least that was what most Elves believed.

"Men?" Elrond said bitterly. "Men are weak. The race of Men is failing, the blood of Númenor is almost spent. Its pride and dignity are forgotten. It is because of Men that the ring survived. I was there Gandalf; I was there 3000 years ago... And Isildur took the ring. I was there the day the strength of Men failed. I led Isildur to the heart of Mount Doom where the ring was forged, the one place it could be destroyed. It should have ended that day, but evil was allowed to endure."

Míriel had heard the story many times. Isildur was the oldest son of Elendil and High King of Gondor and Arnor. He and his brother Anarion ruled Gondor in the South while his father dwelled in the North. During the War of the Last Alliance 3000 years ago, Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand, but he refused to cast it into Mount Doom where Elrond took him right after the battle. Sauron was destroyed, or that was what everyone thought until quite recently, but his Ring remained in Isildur's possession. Isildur was killed by Orcs as he was taken by the Ring for it lured itself into his heart. The Ring betrayed Isildur to his death and had been lost ever since. Until now that is.

"Isildur kept the Ring, the line of King's is broken," Elrond said. It was a true and bitter story, Isildur never let anyone inherit his throne, he wanted everything to be left to the ring. He had descendants of course, or he had one at least. One who did not want to claim the throne he so deserved, one that he needed to be able to marry the maiden he loved so dearly.

"There is no strength left in the world of Men. They are scattered, divided, leaderless."

"There is one who could unite them," Gandalf said, and he knew that they all knew who he meant. But the three of them also knew that it was very unlikely for this person to even want this mission. "One who could reclaim the throne of Gondor."

"He turned from that path a long time ago," Elrond said and shook his head without even considering the thought. "He has chosen exile."

"Aragorn," Míriel mumbled mostly to herself.

Aragorn II was the son of Arathorn II and Gilraen. He was the 16th chieftain of the Dúnedain of the North. As a descendant of Anárion, Isildur's brother, he was the only one in line to the throne of Gondor. His father was killed when Aragorn was very young, and since then he was fostered in Rivendell by Elrond until the age of twenty.

Many Elves in Rivendell had known this man since he was young when he had been called Estel as a cover for his real name. It had been his mother's wish that his lineage be kept secret from all but a few. Aragorn was, after all, in danger for it was far from all that a King back on the throne of Gondor that had been ruled by Stewards instead.

In his twenties, he had met Arwen in Rivendell when was on his way to Lothlórien. That was when the two fell in love, but Elrond did not want his daughter to give up her mortality for someone who did not want to claim the throne he was the rightful heir to. Aragorn left Rivendell after that and became a Chieftain of the Dúnedain and the Rangers of the North. His story was long and complicated, but it all came down one strong fact - he was the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor

He was the one who could unite the line of Men.