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The Traitors
In the small hours before the dawn, three shadowy figures stood in the darkness outside Elrond's house. There was silence all around, not even a leaf trembled in the still air. The whispering voices of the three shadows floated through the darkened valley, but there was no one to overhear them.
"I do not understand all this," said the first shadow. "Saruman has returned to our cause, but did he not show greater wisdom before? Why is he all of a sudden speaking of destroying?"
"You are right," the second shadow spoke. "What strength have we for the finding of the Fire in which the Ring was made? That is the path of despair. Of folly I would say, if the long wisdom of Elrond did not forbid me."
"And then," said the third shadow, "Why should we not think that the Great Ring has come into our hands to serve us in the very hour of need? Wielding it the Free Lords of the Free may surely defeat the Enemy. That is what he most fears, I deem. Many of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth are valiant, and they will never submit; but they may be beaten down. Valour needs first strength, and then a weapon. Let the Ring be our weapon, if it has such power as they say. Let us take it and go forth to victory!"
"Alas," the first shadow spoke once again, "we cannot do that. Not when the fate of the Ring is in others' hands. Not when the Fellowship is bound to follow a different course. The others do not share our view of things."
"They are blind," said the second shadow.
"But we cannot oppose them. Not now," the third shadow said. "But what about outside, once we are on the road? The way to Mordor is a long one, and there is still time to turn back at any point. In Rivendell, we have no chance to oppose the Wise, but in small numbers, maybe we may convince the others of the Company, and make them understand."
"I doubt," the second shadow said, "that the others will join us easily. They follow the course set by the Council. They are foolishly following the path into darkness."
"Then we must achieve the supremacy by other means," said the third shadow.
"What do you mean?" the first shadow asked.
"There will be perils known and unknown arising as we go on," said the third shadow slowly. "And what do we know? It's not that hard to get lost along the way, or be beaten in a battle. We cannot avoid such things – and if we take care not to be harmed ourselves, but help the events a little bit so that our most zealous opponents don't get through, we may begin to take over the Company."
The first shadow nodded. "We may even pity the losses," it said. "But we are going to save the Middle-Earth, and what we aim for is far more important than a few individual lives."
"I don't like what you suggest at all," said the second shadow. "You – you realise...?"
"If the fools take the Ring to Mordor, there will be no escape," the first shadow interrupted. "You said there is no chance to find the Fire. The Enemy surely is not sleeping. And you heard what happens when he grasps the Ring: all is going to turn into darkness."
"Yes, this is the only choice we have," said the third shadow. "Maybe you don't realise, but we are the ones on whom the fate of the whole Middle-Earth depends. We must not fail. The Ring must be held back from Sauron's grasp. And this is the only way to do it."
"All right," said the second shadow.
Silence fell once again on the gardens of Rivendell. Above the treetops and above the mountains, milky gray light started to appear. The dawn was coming near.
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