Not a Nightmare, but Emergency Rations
Rivendell Valley Conference!
Although he was invited to the meeting, Russell was well aware that he was a nobody with little say, so he decided to just sit back and observe.
Many people attended the meeting, but only a few were key figures: Elrond, the initiator of the meeting; Gandalf the Grey Robe, the wizard; Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor; Legolas, the Elf Prince of the Woodland Realm; Gimli, the dwarf warrior of the Under-mountain Kingdom; Frodo the Ringbearer; and Boromir, son of the Steward Gondor.
The meeting mainly revolved around these few people, and the process was far from ideal. The humans were arrogant and greedy, the elves were self-righteous, and the dwarves were short-tempered and easily angered. Coupled with the grudges and entanglements between the three races, everyone distrusted each other, and they started arguing in no time.
"This meeting was a mistake..." Russell muttered, watching the spectacle with amusement.
Gandalf shook his head speechlessly at the crowd's shrewish rant, and when he saw Russell's gloating, he was so speechless he didn't even want to shake his head anymore.
"Russell, don't you want to say something?" Gandalf spoke up. He was doing it for Russell's own good. Russell was grinning so hard that his back teeth were showing. If anyone saw that, he would get beaten up.
"Forget it, the meeting is just a formality anyway. Lord Elrond must have already come up with a plan. We'll just have to listen to his summary later," Russell said cheerfully.
"You see very clearly..." Gandalf exclaimed.
As Russell said, Elrond already had a plan in mind. The One the One Ring was too much for him to bear alone, and it would also drag down the elves of Rivendell. So he summoned representatives from various factions to share the blame.
Also, after this meeting, the elves of Rivendell will be moving, moving directly out of Middle-earth.
"Thank you for the compliment. I don't have many strengths, except that I'm good-looking... and I'm also smart."
Gandalf: "..."
To be fair, Elrond's move wasn't exactly shifting blame. He laid everything out on the table, letting those who wanted to get involved do so, and not forcing those who didn't. Like Russell, don't take yourself too seriously; you can see things clearly.
As for the people who attended this meeting, it's not fair to call them stupid; it's just that racial grievances are too intertwined. They know it's a trap, but they still jump in, and then they drag others down with them.
Finally, the noisy meeting came to an end, Frodo volunteered to take the One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it.
Elrond and Gandalf exchanged a glance and selected elites from the three races of elves, men, and dwarves to escort him to Mount Doom, thus assembling the famous Fellowship of the Ring.
Russell was also involved, and it was a joint decision by Elrond and Gandalf. As for the fact that the Nine Companions of the Ring had been expanded from nine to ten to deal with the nine Ringwraiths, that was a minor matter.
The 9v9 claim is pure nonsense; the Fellowship of the Ring could not possibly encounter Ringwraiths before reaching Mordor.
Because the nine Ringwraiths who had been entrenched around the Misty Mountains were already dead, driven back to their homeland Mordor by Gandalf, Elrond, and another powerful Elven leader.
Elrond, as the host and the side with the largest number of troops at the conference, successfully delivered the One Ring out of Rivendell without sending a single soldier.
It can't be said that not a single soldier was sent; his adopted son Aragorn was in the Fellowship of the Ring. However, considering that he disapproved of Arwen marrying Aragorn, it's chilling to think about...
The Fellowship of the Ring did not set off immediately. There was one more important thing to do before they departed: the Elves were to reforge the Narsil, the Holy Sword that had defeated Sauron in the last century.
Aragorn, as the heir to the Holy Sword, renamed it Andúril, meaning 'Flame of the West'!
"We will travel forty days west of the Misty Mountains, through the Rohan Pass, and then east from there we will reach Mordor," Gandalf said to the group. They rested and replenished their food and water.
The Fellowship of the Ring has been away from Rivendell for ten days and is now in a desolate mountain range. Looking into the distance, a towering, snow-white mountain peak can be seen, like a giant beast, perched on the only road they can pass.
Russell was overjoyed to be away from Rivendell; finally, he wouldn't have to be constantly criticized for his looks. Among the current Fellowship of the Ring, his appearance was firmly in the top three, second only to Legolas Elf Prince Aragorn.
It feels so good to be back at the top!
"Gandalf, we're taking a longer route..."
The dwarf warrior Gimli looked towards the snow-capped mountains and suggested, "Crossing the Mines of Moria is a straight line, which can save half the time."
Gandalf shook his head slightly, rejecting Gimli's suggestion. "The Mines of Moria are a last resort; we must not go through there unless absolutely necessary."
Gimli didn't know what Gandalf was afraid of, but the latter was a highly respected wizard and the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring. He had no right to question Gandalf's decision, so he sighed dejectedly, "Alright, I'll go to the snowy mountains as you say, but..."
Gimli pointed angrily at the two Hobbits on the Nightmare: "Can you give me one of your horses? You've been walking all this time, but I've been running all this time."
Frodo and Russell rode together on one Nightmare, while three Hobbits were on the other, leaving no room for the others to stand. Watching wasn't so bad, but Gimli, lacking long legs, felt his pride was deeply wounded.
Gandalf: "..."
He glanced at Russell with annoyance. "Why do we have to bring two Nightmare? They are dark creatures and will expose our location."
Nightmare can traverse mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground, and even climb 90-degree vertical cliffs without hesitation. It is truly an essential companion for home and travel, but that's not what Gandalf wants to talk about.
There were only two Nightmare, Fellowship of the Ring had ten members. The uneven distribution of resources made him, as the leader, an unpopular figure.
"They are not Nightmare, but food reserves."
Russell said something in a low voice that left Gandalf speechless.
Along the way, Russell cooked all sorts of big pots, thoroughly satisfying their appetites. What was supposed to be a journey concerning the fate of Middle-earth was turned into a leisurely outing filled with eating and drinking.
After crossing each mountain, the group couldn't resist their appetites and, under Russell's command, raised their knives to wreak havoc on all sorts of rare and exotic beasts, just like some kind of village raid, with no serious atmosphere at all. Even the Elf Prince Legolas's pointed chin started to get chubby.
"Moreover, Nightmare not only don't reveal your location, but can also be used to cover your movements..."
As he spoke, Russell took out a black robe and put it on, black mist covered his face, and his originally blue eyes turned red. With a whoosh, he drew the Knight Sword from his horse. "How about it, don't you look like Ringwraiths?"
"..."
This is no longer a question of whether it looks similar or not!
Everyone was speechless. Gandalf was speechless. Russell's appearance was so good that he could walk through the main gate of Mordor without anyone stopping him.
Frodo on horseback, shuddered. The terrifying shadow planted by the Ringwraiths automatically flashed into his mind. He let out a strange howl and fell off his horse.
Russell turned around hastily, and reached back to grab it... but found nothing!
They didn't manage to take Frodo, but they did manage to pull it off. That's not the key point. The key point is that the One Ring was attached to the necklace.
"..."
In an instant, the Playful Trick atmosphere suddenly changed, and a chilling aura filled the air. Frodo and his companions silently retreated, while the others placed their hands on their weapons.
Gandalf's eyes narrowed. "Russell, return the ring to Frodo immediately. You cannot resist the temptation of the Ring."
Russell ignored Gandalf's warnings, staring blankly at the One Ring, unable to resist its irresistible allure, with the devil's whispers echoing in his ears.
He slipped the ring onto his middle finger...