When the Ring passed to Meli Took, Gandalf urged her to take it from the Shire to the Elves. Accompanying her on her quest was her faithful gardener maidservant Molly Brandybuck, and her young cousins Daisy Gamgee and Sammie Baggins. After many misadventures, the four Hobbits arrived in Rivendell. Meli had been wounded on the journey, but the Ring was still safe.
A council was held to determine to fate of Middle Earth. Meli volunteered to take the Ring to Mount Doom and destroy it. Gandalf agreed to go with her, as did Arwen Evenstar of the Elves, Faramir of Gondor, and Gimli the dwarf. Halberad of the Dunedain, her guide and guardian offered his sword. Not to be outdone, her Hobbit companions declared they were going as well.
They were a Fellowship of Nine, with a sacred quest, and a mission that would take them farther than they ever could have imagined.
~