Beginning: Story of a Ring

There was a ring which never wanted to be found. It wanted to be always lonely and always safe. It was a bit of a coward, that's what it thought about itself. But it always mocked its self-criticism, because it knew this was very wise. That's what Saruman told it, when they last saw each other.¹

The ring was a young man, in fact. He was born as a ring, and was very attached to his maker, who was God himself.² Because his powers were meant to be infinite, he wanted to be never in danger. He was a ring which was made to always live and always shine. The ring had a grand purpose: he was supposed to upkeep peace in the world. His preciousness made him very endangered, and he took great care of himself all the time.

One time he was hopping along a forest path, when he came across a completely new lake. The lake was never in that place before, and he knew the place well, because it had been his home for the previous two years.³ He was on his way to meet the love of his life, a beautiful fish who lived in the pond near the Holy Church of Roses.⁴ The lake which he came across stood in his path, and therefore he became very concerned.

He looked around. The air smelled differently, not of clear white roses but of dark wet moss. The lake was quite large, and spreaded from a giant white tree to the mountain wall. There used to be trees where it now lay, and he wondered where they had gone. The white tree was very close to the brink of the lake, and the rocky wall was some metres from it, divided from the bank by a stripe of dark sandy land. He decided to cross the lake's distance next to the wall. It was a low mountain, and he knew that it contained inside it some dark tunnels. He moved close to it and entered the sandy earth. It was half wet, and he remembered only yesterday grass was growing wildly and beautifully under the mountain wall. Where it had disappeared, he didn't know.

The water of the lake was almost black, and that concerned him the most. It rippled on the surface when he moved alongside its banks. Small wind was tangibly hitting him in the back. He looked at the sun clock in his possession⁵ and then marched through the only visible ground onto the safe place on the other side of the lake. But the air was heavy also there, and the sky above was cloudy and gloomy. The lake was narrow but long in the distance from the white tree to the mountain, and it seemed awfully deep. How deep it was, he didn't know, but something made his blood wonder about its depths. And something made him feel that a profound event has occurred and caused this appearance of a lake.

The lake was noticed by the inhabitants of the forest, all of them. When the ring was passing under the trees, he heard whispers above his head. He stopped when a giant oak tree spoke quietly to him:

'This is a time of changes, you know,' said the tree.

'Why is this change taking place?', asked him the ring.

'There's a want for better world, and for worse world, you know,' answered the tree. 'Some want this, some want that.'

'And what will come out of so many different wants?' wondered the ring.

'Hell and heaven together, that's always the outcome.'

'Is that why the lake is here?'

'This is no ordinary lake. It is a dwelling for strangest of creatures. Perhaps it is good to avoid its area. Safer, surely.'

The ring shuddered.

'I didn't know someone was living in the depths of this water. Was it dangerous for me to walk so near them?'

'Perhaps it was. But God had you in his care, like he always does.'

The ring left the company of the oak and hopped down into the garden of the Holy Church of Roses. From where he was, he could already see the little golden pond that glittered in the sweet air of the chapel's territory.

'How long did it take you to get here?', asked him his beloved wife.

'Not long, even though the road has changed. I wish to stay here with you and move my home to your place.'

'Please do. I'll be less worried for your safety when we live together.'

And so the ring had changed his home once again and became the dweller of the sacred pond next to the Holy Church of Roses.

But this was not the end of his story.

The ring was unaware how many people in the world wanted to have him in their possession. Times have changed truely, and it seemed that they changed almost overnight.

The next day a tall man walked to the sides of the pond and looked at its surface.

'Are you there?' he whispered.

'I am here already. But what is your want?' answered the ring, still not visible to the man.

'Many are looking for you, and many claim that they already found you. I came here because you are needed.'

'What am I needed for?'

'Some want to destroy you. And others want to protect you. I want to protect you. But I must carry you somewhere safer than here. The elves of the Woods⁶ want to give you shelter and make sure that nobody harms you.'

'I can go with you to their kingdom, if that is truely wiser. But if the road gets elsewhere, do know that I will disappear and you will never find me.'

'You should not be afraid or concerned. There has been a grand war in this country, and in the whole world, but you see how much untouched you are. I have gone a very long way to find you here.'

'Didn't you know I live here before?' asked the ring.

'I knew where you were, but the roads to the Anaconda Valley have all been cut off, and even though I am the creator of this land, I could not get here for long weeks.'

'Could it be true? Is that you, Shatan Aragorn? I did not recognize you at all when you first spoke to me,' exclaimed the ring.

'It is me. I want to take you where you will remain safe, and so, please join me on my journey. There are others who helped me get here to you. We will all protect you the best inside the kingdom of the Wood Elves.'

And so, the ring jumped on the finger of Aragorn, said good-bye to his wife, and went on his way to the elven kingdom.

'The journey will not be long, as we are only two days of walk from the mirror gate which will take us there. Keep close to me, and soon we will be there.'

The ring wanted to know about his friend's past adventures, but more than that he wanted to know about the lake which appeared in Anaconda Valley.

'The lake is just a part of great changes that take place in the whole world. Its appearance means this land might become invaded soon. I have told so to the Grand Tree of Knowledge, and he promised to pass this information to all inhabitants of this territory.'

The ring stayed safely on the finger of Aragorn for the next two days, and they have not even fully passed when they reached the mirror gate and walked through it. The Elven land was beautiful and greeted them with warm shiny sunrays and a low melodic song coming from the ground under their feet.