The next morning, after a brief opening address, the meeting moved on to its main business. Dressed in robes of pure white, Saruman shone in the sunlight.
"As we all know, the greater part of the enemy's power comes from that weapon forged in Mount Doom. Over the years, we have continued to seek out everything connected to it. Now, the Three Elven Rings, forged by Celebrimbor alone, have gathered here in this little hall."
His strong, resonant voice echoed through the meeting chamber. As Saruman recounted what he had learned of that history over the years, he turned to survey the members of the White Council, paying particular attention to Gandalf, who wore Narya.
Even after nearly two thousand years, Saruman still could not understand why Círdan the Shipwright, ruler of the Elves of Lindon and lord of the Grey Havens, had refused to give him the Ring of Fire, instead bestowing it upon Gandalf, whom he had always disliked. After all, he had been the first Wizard to come to Middle-earth, and he had volunteered.
And what of Gandalf, who had received the ring? Before setting out, Saruman had heard that Gandalf feared Sauron's might and was unwilling to take part in the mission. In the end, the great Manwë himself had ordered him to Middle-earth. Yet such a man had received the reward Saruman had dreamed of, and his abilities had been acknowledged by Varda, Queen of the Stars. To Saruman, this was utterly unfair.
Those two things alone had sustained the proud White Wizard's prejudice against his colleague Gandalf for nearly two thousand years, a prejudice steeped in jealousy and hatred.
"According to my research, these three rings-Narya, Nenya, and Vilya-were never touched by Sauron and suffered very little of his influence. That is why, after