Chapter 636
The Trial and the Emperor's Sword
Chapter 636 The Trial and the Emperor's Sword
Finally, unable to sleep, Frodo seemed to feel a calling from the depths of his being, and numbly got up and walked outside.
He was still in a daze, unsure whether he wanted to go out for some fresh air or what.
As Frodo left, Sam, who had been snoring just a second ago, suddenly opened his eyes.
Out of caution, he then secretly followed them out.
It's quite obvious that besides Frodo and Sam, there were others who couldn't sleep tonight.
Just after the two hobbits left, Gandalf, who was lying on his side, opened his eyes a crack.
However, trust in Queen Galadriel and Celeborn caused the wizard to yawn and close his eyes again.
On the other side, Frodo, bathed in the bright moonlight of the night, unknowingly arrived at a cave.
Here, he met Galadriel, the Elf Queen.
Compared to the gentle Galadriel during the day, the Elf Queen now exuded a dangerous aura.
The feeling was so strange that Frodo couldn't quite explain it.
Meanwhile, under the caress of the moonlight, the Elf Queen seemed to be performing a sacred ritual.
As she tilted the exquisite crystal bottle in her hand, a stream of shimmering liquid cascaded down and poured into the silver basin below.
Then the Elf Queen looked down at the basin, seemingly attracted by something inside, and her expression changed accordingly.
"What are you looking at?" Out of curiosity, Frodo approached.
Just as Gandalf trusted the Elf Queen, Frodo also had an inexplicable trust in her.
"This is what you consider magic. Although I don't know what it means, it does exist..." Queen Galadriel seemed unsurprised by Frodo's arrival and began to explain.
“Magic?” Frodo had seen Mike demonstrate his abilities, and in his eyes, that was magic.
As for pouring some water into the basin, this is not magical at all, and more importantly, it's not something to see.
“Magic takes many forms…” Queen Galadriel seemed to have guessed what the hobbits were thinking, and continued to explain, “I call this basin the ‘Pipe of Prophecy,’ or you could call it the ‘Magic Mirror.’ People can see their past and future by looking at it…”
"Would you like to give it a try, brave hobbit?"
It is known that the Elf Queen can use the "Pen of Prophecy" at any time, but choosing to use it in front of the Hobbits tonight makes it hard not to suspect that she has the intention of deliberately guiding them.
"Can he really see the past and the future?" Frodo was deeply worried about the mission to destroy the One Ring, and unsurprisingly, he became interested in the Pensieve, which could see the "future".
He walked up to the silver basin and, mimicking Queen Galadriel's earlier action, looked down at the water's surface.
In the shimmering light, Frodo saw the beautiful scenery of the Shire, where a group of hobbit children were playing carefree.
Clearly, this is Frodo's past.
But soon, the images in the basin of prophecy began to change: blood, flames, war...
A vast army of orcs attacked the humans, creating a horrific scene filled with blood and carnage.
In Frodo's horrified expression, these images finally coalesced into a gigantic vertical pupil burning with flames—the Eye of the Demon King.
"It...it's staring at me!" The undisguised malice in its vertical pupils made Frodo involuntarily back away.
In his panic, he tripped and almost fell.
Fortunately, Sam, who had been secretly observing the situation from outside the door, appeared in time to help Frodo.
"Are you alright, Lord Frodo?" Sam asked, concerned for his friend, while also glancing furtively at the Elven Queen beside him.
As the saying goes, the onlooker sees most of the game. Sam, who had been peeking from outside the door for a long time, vaguely realized that the Elf Queen was intentionally guiding Frodo.
"I'm fine, Sam." Frodo, still shaken, habitually shook his head to indicate that he was alright.
Queen Galadriel noticed Sam's unusual expression and said frankly, "Frodo is probably frightened by his future. The Pyramid itself won't harm anyone. If you're still worried, you can try it."
The prophecy bowl can foresee the past and the future; Sam had heard about its magic at the door before.
Seeing that Frodo was indeed only mentally frightened and physically unharmed, Sam carefully stepped forward to the silver basin.
Who wouldn't be tempted by the chance to know their future?
As Sam looked down at the water, a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Frodo rarely saw this genuine smile on his friends before.
"What do you see?" Frodo asked curiously.
"The Shire, I see everyone living happily in the Shire... I've even started a family and have a lovely pair of children..." Sam described the future he saw with his head down, his smile growing sweeter.
A virtuous wife...a son and a daughter...a harmonious family...
This is undoubtedly a fantastic future.
But soon, Sam's expression changed drastically, just like Frodo's before, and he finally took two steps back in fear.
"What happened?" Frodo looked at his friend's appearance and had a bad feeling.
“So many people died, so many people died, the war spread to the Shire… Hobbiton was destroyed, and everyone was killed…” Sam was covered in cold sweat.
Now I finally know how Frodo felt before.
It is undoubtedly a cruel thing to see beautiful things being torn apart bit by bit before your eyes.
“The future is not static; by the time you glimpse it, it has already changed…” Galadriel reassured the two shaken hobbits, then continued, “Your future and your tragedy are all because of that One Ring…”
"Giving it over might change everything."
As the Elf Queen slowly approached him, Frodo sensed an even stronger sense of "danger" emanating from her.
"No..." Frodo cried out and tried to dodge when he realized that the Elf Queen was trying to remove the One Ring from his neck.
But at this moment, his body was no longer under his control.
Sam, who was standing nearby and wanted to help when he saw that something was wrong, was also unable to make a sound, as if he were drowning, under the powerful magic of the Elf Queen.
"Look at it, how beautiful it is..."
In this eerie atmosphere, Queen Galadriel easily obtained the One Ring, her expression seemingly mesmerized.
Frodo and Sam had both witnessed this before, back at the White Council, when Boromir exhibited this behavior after coming into contact with the Ring.
It's just a pity that Mike isn't here to oversee things now.
Thus, amidst the two hobbits' panicked expressions, the already powerful Elven Queen, having received the power of the One Ring, gradually darkened, her aura becoming even more terrifying. Just staring at her was enough to make one breathless.
Just when the two hobbits thought all was lost, Queen Galadriel, who had received the power of the Ring, managed to remove the ring from her finger with great willpower.
"Indeed, I am far inferior to that Mr. Mike..." After throwing the Ring on the ground, Queen Galadriel ignored the two frightened hobbits and turned away from the cave with a sense of loss.
The actions just now were an experiment for the Elf Queen, but also a reflection of her unwillingness to accept defeat.
Having obtained the One Ring, her power has clearly surpassed that of the Dark Lord Sauron, making it possible for her to kill him without destroying the Ring.
In this scenario, the One Ring was not destroyed, and the Elves would not have had to leave Middle-earth.
However, the Elf Queen also clearly felt that she could not resist the corruption of the One Ring.
The moment she put on the Ring, she had the idea of ruling the entire Middle-earth.
He has clearly become another "demon lord".
Therefore, in order to prevent all races in Middle-earth from suffering any further hardship, the Elven Queen ultimately abandoned her plan to seize the One Ring.
"What's wrong with her?" Sam watched the Elf Queen leave, feeling that the trip had started but ended abruptly.
"Who knows? Anyway, it's not a bad thing for us." Frodo carefully picked up the Ring and put it back around his neck.
To be on the safe side, he even hid the Ring under his clothes.
This incident served as a lesson for Frodo: no one can be trusted in the face of the One Ring.
Even if the other person seems like a very nice person.
"Let's go back." After the Elf Queen's antics, Frodo felt that the Noldor Elf territory was no longer safe.
All he wants now is to get back to Gandalf as soon as possible.
Clearly, in Frodo's mind, Gandalf was one of the few people he could trust.
As for the other one, it's the powerful Mike.
In the Elven common room, Gandalf visibly relaxed after hearing that Frodo and Sam had returned.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to turn over, the wizard observed that the two hobbits were alright, and then fell into a deep "sleep" again.
……
The next morning, the Elf Queen seemed to have no recollection of what had happened the night before, and gently bid farewell to the members of the Fellowship of the Ring.
He also shared his treasures with everyone.
The Elven Prince Legolas received the Galadriel Bow, forged by Queen Galadriel herself, which enhanced his ranged combat capabilities.
Frodo, on the other hand, unexpectedly received a delicate little crystal bottle containing a potion with healing and purifying abilities.
Aragorn, Boromir, and the others received gifts such as daggers, armor, and ropes.
Finally, the Elven Queen even gave Gandalf a small bag of Lambas, a special type of biscuit unique to the Noldor elves, which was not only delicious but also very filling.
A small piece is enough to keep a person from eating for a month.
For the Fellowship of the Ring, who lacked storage space, this small bag of Lambas not only solved the problem of carrying weight, but could also be used as emergency rations when necessary.
"Brave warriors, you braved the storms and faced the hardships without fear. The people of the Central Plains will remember your deeds. May peace accompany you..."
As the sun rose, Queen Galadriel, bathed in the glow of dawn, blessed the Fellowship of the Ring and waved goodbye to them.
"Um, Your Majesty, I may be being a bit presumptuous, but could you please give me a strand of your hair? I would cherish it as if it were my own life..." As he was about to leave, the dwarf Jinpi suddenly turned back and looked at the elven queen with hope.
Galadriel, the most glamorous queen in Middle-earth, possesses beauty that transcends race.
Even the dwarves, with their peculiar aesthetics, are captivated by her.
Seeing the dwarf's uneasy expression, Queen Galadriel suddenly smiled and said, "Your courage is commendable. As a reward, I will give you three strands of hair."
As she spoke, the Elf Queen plucked three golden hairs that shone as brightly as gold and handed them to the dwarf.
……
"Is the Elf Queen really that charming? Look, Jinpi's practically gone mad!"
After leaving Los Lorien, Pippin watched Jinpi grinning foolishly the whole way and couldn't help but tease him.
“What do you know? Queen Galadriel is the most beautiful woman in the world. To have three strands of her hair is the greatest honor of my life…” Jin Pi carefully put the three golden strands into his pocket.
Once, Jinpi's father, Groin, was also captivated by the Elf Queen's charm and even dared to ask for her hair, but was ignored by the Elf Queen.
It could be said that Jinpi was much luckier than his father when it came to liking the Elf Queen.
Seeing Jin Pi's solemn expression, the members of the Fellowship of the Ring no longer dared to tease him.
Of course, some people looked on with envy the whole time.
This person is Gandalf.
As is well known, Gandalf had long been an admirer of the Elf Queen.
However, to this day, he has not yet been able to collect the other person's hair.
"Alright, we're about to reach the border of Rohan, so everyone please be alert!" Seeing the dwarf tidy up his hair, Gandalf suppressed his strange thoughts and reminded everyone.
Rohan is very close to Mordor, so it can be said that the Fellowship of the Ring will truly be put to the test once they arrive there.
Meanwhile, Galadriel and his wife, who remained in Lothlórien, bid farewell to their granddaughter Arwen once again after seeing off the Fellowship of the Ring.
“Now that you’ve made your choice, we won’t try to persuade you any further. We just hope you’ll be careful…” Queen Galadriel hugged Arwen and continued reluctantly, “Of course, I mean if you change your mind, we’ll wait for you a few more days at Grey Alley Port in the west.”
“I’ve made up my mind. Mike is the one I want to spend my life with. He will also become a great hero…” Princess Arwen, blinded by love, waved goodbye to Galadriel and his wife, and resolutely mounted her white horse and rode off towards Lonely Mountain in the southeast.
Accompanying her was the newly forged Isildur sword—the Emperor's Sword—on horseback.
Celeborn originally intended to return the sword, which symbolized the king of mankind, to Aragorn, a descendant of Isildur.
However, the Elven princess was more inclined to believe, rather than Aragorn, that Mike was the one who could save Middle-earth.
Therefore, this sword, which symbolized the power of the human emperor, was ultimately seized by Princess Arwen, who intended to take it to Lonely Mountain as a gift for Mike.
……
(End of this chapter)