Hearing Glorfindel's words, hope returned to many faces in the hall.If they could bring the One Ring to the West, into the keeping of the Valar, then perhaps Middle-earth could be saved without raising armies or spilling countless lives.
Immediately, all eyes turned to Galdor, the elven emissary sent in place of Círdan the Shipwright.
"Master Galdor," someone asked, "when will Lord Círdan return from the West?"
Círdan had not come to the council, for he had once again taken charge of guiding a company of departing Elves across the Sea.
Facing the hope burning in the room, Galdor answered respectfully:
"According to the winds and seasons, Lord Círdan is expected to return to the Grey Havens in early spring of the coming year, when the westerlies bring the rains."
This answer made many hearts lift.
Prince of Rohan said with relief: "If that is so, then the timing is perfect. We need only wait half a year for his return.
Then the Ring can be placed aboard a ship and taken West. Once the Valar destroy it, Sauron will vanish forever, and Middle-earth will finally know peace!"
Several others nodded eagerly.
Why risk armies and devastation when the West could resolve the matter with divine power?
But only Elrond did not share their enthusiasm. A deep worry shadowed his face.
He spoke, his voice calm but firm:
"Do not forget: the Ring is perilous. It corrupts all who remain near it.
The voyage to Valinor would take many weeks, perhaps months."
He looked around the chamber.
"During that entire time, every soul aboard the ship would be trapped in close quarters with the Ring.
Who can guarantee they would not fall to it? And if a single sailor succumbed… the ship would never reach the West."
His words fell like a cold wind.
The excited murmurs died instantly.
The delegates exchanged troubled glances.
The path they had hoped was safe now seemed perhaps even more dangerous.
Everyone had just experienced the Ring's influence firsthand.Even at a distance, even with others nearby for support, several of them had nearly fallen under its sway.
To remain trapped on a ship with the One Ring for months on the open sea? Most of them could not even imagine surviving that trial.
Someone sighed bitterly:
"So in the end… must we still take it into the fires of Mount Doom?"
Everyone knew how perilous that route was.
Marching into Mordor meant walking straight into Sauron's grasp.A single misstep, and the Ring would be returned to its master.
Compared to that, sailing west to Valinor sounded far safer, if only there were a way to resist the Ring during the voyage.
Seeing the council sink into discouragement, Gandalf and Sylas exchanged a glance.
Sylas rose to speak.
"Everyone," he began, drawing every pair of eyes in the room,"it is not entirely impossible to carry the Ring safely across the Sea."
He continued, calmly and clearly:
"You all witnessed just now, when the Ring is submerged in certain counteragents, its corruptive pull is greatly weakened. Within a sealed container, its influence drops even further."
Some representatives nodded slowly.
Sylas went on:
"Additionally, I possess a mental defense technique, which blocks intrusive spiritual influence. If, when Lord Círdan returns to the Grey Havens, we select a small number of Elves of exceptionally strong will, I can teach them this technique."
Murmurs spread around the room.
"With the Ring kept sealed and at a distance," Sylas explained,"these guardians should be able to resist its corruption long enough for a westward voyage."
He concluded:
"As for the bearer of the Ring on the ship, I still recommend Frodo Baggins.
Hobbits possess a resistance far beyond that of any other race. Let him carry the Ring aboard the vessel, escort it to Valinor, and return home when the task is done."
A thoughtful silence fell.
Someone raised a concern:
"But only the Elves are permitted passage to the West. Can they even allow a mortal to set foot on such a ship?"
Sylas glanced to Gandalf, who answered:
"That will not be an issue. Frodo would not be settling in Valinor, only accompanying the Ring until it is received by those who can unmake it.
Once the mission is complete, he may return."
Gandalf's authority reassured many of them.
Soon the council began discussing the true danger:
If Sauron discovered their intention, he would stop at nothing to prevent the Ring from leaving Middle-earth.
And with half a year until Círdan's next ship returned, that period would be the most perilous of all.
Sauron could unleash his armies upon the western shores, perhaps even strike in person, to seize the Ring before it ever reached the destination..
Everyone stared in silence at the map of the western shores, the Grey Havens, the coastline, and the winding roads that led there.
On paper the western route looked safe.
In truth, it would be the most heavily contested path in Middle-earth.
If they were careless, the One Ring would be stolen long before it ever reached the Sea.
While they discussed escorting the Ring, Gandalf quietly proposed that a small, elite party be formed, one that could move discreetly, avoid armies, and protect Frodo on the road.
Thus, alongside Gandalf, Frodo, Elrond, Galadriel, Glorfindel, and Sylas, candidates were chosen.
This group came to be known as the Fellowship of the Ring.
On the surface, their goal sounded simple:
Escort Frodo and the Ring westward to the Grey Havens, and from there towards Valinor.
But that was only what they wanted Sauron to believe.
The talk of "sending the Ring to Valinor" was never the real plan.
It was a deliberate misdirection conceived by: Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, Glorfindel, and Sylas
They needed Sauron to think the Ring might be taken out of Middle-earth across the Sea.
The idea was brilliant:
If Sauron believed their plan was to escape west, he would send his armies and creatures toward the coasts and the Grey Havens, pulling his gaze away from Mordor.
Glorfindel's casual suggestion about "delivering the Ring to the West" was planted intentionally to spread through the council.
Sylas, Gandalf, and Elrond played along, reinforcing the illusion.
In reality?
The Valar would never accept the One Ring.
They could not interfere directly in the affairs of Middle-earth. The evil born from Sauron's own forging could only be destroyed by: the fires where it was made, or by the Free Peoples themselves.
Thus, the "westward solution" was a smokescreen, a necessary lie to give the real Ring-bearer a chance to succeed.
Because so many volunteered to escort the Ring, and because every race needed representation, the final company of nine was selected:
Aragorn – Heir of Isildur
Boromir – Steward-Prince of Gondor
Legolas – Prince of the Woodland Realm
Gimli – Son of Glóin, representing the Dwarves
Frodo – Ring-bearer
Sam – Frodo's steadfast companion
Merry & Pippin – The Shire's bravehearted mischief-makers
Gandalf – To lead and advise the company
These nine were chosen to symbolize unity between the races, and to oppose the Nine Ringwraiths of Sauron.
Gandalf originally asked Sylas to join the Fellowship.
Sylas refused,not out of cowardice, but necessity.
Sylas needed to remain at Hogwarts commanding defenses and coordinating with: Rivendell, Lothlórien, Minas Tirith, Rohan, and the coastal settlements
Once the rumor spread that the Ring was being taken West, the western ports, especially the Grey Havens,would face overwhelming assault.
And Sauron, believing the Ring was heading for the Sea, would unleash: legions of Orcs,, Corsair fleets, winged Nazgûl, and possibly Sauron himself.
The West would burn under his assault.
Sylas needed to guard it.
Because if the deception failed, the entire strategy would collapse. Everyone knew what this meant:
Even before the Fellowship reached Mordor, a massive war would erupt along the western shores.
Grey Havens would become the hottest battlefield in Middle-earth.
And for the first time since the First Age, there was a real fear:
Sauron himself might appear again in physical form.
...
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