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The 12Days Challenge  by Grey Wonderer

Ten Lords a Leaping #10

Title:  Even the Wisest
Fandom:  LOTR
Characters: Lord Elrond and several other Lords
Rating:  G
Brief Summary:  Thoughts on judgments made by those in power.

Even The Wisest

Even the mightiest among us make mistakes in judgment. It is true that even the wisest cannot see all ends.  Sometimes the best-laid plans do go awry no matter how powerful you are or how well you’ve thought things through.

 

Ask the Dark Lord Sauron about this.  As he marched onto the battlefield on that day, he must have felt invincible.  He must have been quite sure that no harm could come to him and that nothing could spoil his plans.  He was powerful and he had been clever for on his finger was the greatest weapon known in all of Middle Earth, the Ring of Power.  He had forged it and he knew well its strength.  Naturally, it was understandable that he might leap to the conclusion that his victory was assured.

He was wrong, for with one quick stroke from the remains of his broken sword, the Lord Isiluor snatched victory from his grasp.  Now, the ring had left him along with several of his fingers and his power was no more.  A mere mortal had stolen his victory.  Now, the Ring of Power had come to Isildur and he would wield it accordingly.

If asked, I am quite sure that Lord Isildur would say that he was more than able to control the Ring of Power.  After all, it had come to him and was now his own.  It was merely a tool and he could control it.  Sadly, he had leapt to the wrong conclusion also and paid with his life.

The ring of power was not the only tool wielded by the great in Middle Earth, nor was it the only tool to deceive the user.  When the great wizard Saruman first looked into the Palantir, he did not realize his folly in believing that he could control it.  He also did not realize that his new ally, the Dark Lord Sauron, meant to have control for himself alone and had no intention of sharing his power.   The Lord Saruman, as his minions came to call him, was deceived into believing that his own power was far greater than that of the Dark Lord.  He allowed himself to leap to the conclusion that he and the Dark Lord would rule side by side.

The Palantir also fooled the Lord Denethor of Gondor.  The Steward, once a noble man, soon fell to madness because he had used the Palantir in an effort to gain knowledge to help his city and his people.  He leaped to the conclusion that he could use what he saw to gain power but what he gained was madness and that drove him to his own death.

Another great Lord of men would be deceived by words.  King Theoden of Rohan would let Grimma Wormtongue persuade him of many things, among them, that his own nephew was treasonous.  The Lord Theoden would let words turn him from his Kingship and from his people.  He would come to feel old and useless through the power of these words spoken by one under the influence of the Wizard Saruman.  He would leap to the conclusion that he was useless and old and that Saruman was his ally.  He would nearly be lost, but he would get a second chance.

Denethor’s oldest son, the Lord Boromir also made the wrong assumption.  As he listened to the advice of the Council in Rivendell, Lord Boromir was convinced that the ring of power need not be destroyed.  It was a gift!  It could be used to gain victory over the Dark Lord.  He was sure that if he could get this ring to his father in Minas Tirith that victory would be within his grasp.  The ring could be used for good.  His leap to this conclusion would cost him the trust of his companions.  He would regain his senses, but not in time to save his life.  At least he would save a bit of his honor.

This one ring also would tempt Boromir’s younger brother.  Lord Faramir would be faced with the choice of taking the ring to Minas Tirith.  The ring would simply fall into his hands when he encountered Frodo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire and his gardener, Samwise Gamgee.  Unlike others before him, Lord Faramir would not succumb to the temptation to take the ring, but rather would take a leap of faith.  He would trust the hobbits and would set them and the ring of power on their way to Mordor.  His faith would be rewarded.

Another great Lord would be forced to take a leap of faith.  He would be asked to believe in the hearts of men.  Lord Elrond, half Elvin would be faced with a choice.  He had believed that the race of men was a weak one and that no strength remained in them.  He would take a leap of faith and put his trust in the one who was the rightful King of Gondor.  He would not only trust this mortal to take up the defense of Middle Earth, but he would also trust him with the hand of his daughter in marriage.  Lord Elrond would be convinced that this man could lead the race of men.  He would come to believe that the time of men had come to Middle Earth.  He would be right.

The great wizard Gandalf the Grey, known in the White city of Minas Tirith as the Lord Mithrandir, would, perhaps take the greatest leap of faith of them all.  He would trust in the strength of one small hobbit against all odds.  He would put the very fate of Middle Earth into the hands of this one hobbit.  His choice would be to trust Frodo Baggins to do what no man, wizard, or elf could do.  He would trust him to destroy the ring of power.  It was a very big leap indeed.  His faith would be well placed.

A man who had given up his rightful place as a king among men would lead his people to victory over the Dark Lord.  He would trust in a wizard, he would trust in a hobbit, he would trust in his people, and he would earn the trust of all.  Lord Aragorn would assume his rightful place as the heir to the throne of Gondor.  He would find the strength within himself to rule his people.  He would leave his life as a ranger behind and become what he was born to be.  He would take a leap of faith and believe in himself.

Not everyone leaps to the wrong conclusion.  Some leaps of faith are justified.

 

 The End

G.W.     01/04/2005






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