Frodo awakes in the House of Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, and reunites with Gandalf. He learns that he was hours away from fading into the wraith-world and bore for 17 days a splinter from the Ringwraith’s blade, a poison that would have quickly defiled warriors of the Big People. Though Elrond saved him by removing the splinter, Gandalf sees a hint of “transparency” or spiritual faintness remaining in Frodo.

The Elves hold a banquet to honor the travelers, and Frodo converses with Glóin, one of the original dwarves who accompanied Bilbo on his adventures in The Hobbit. Frodo learns of trouble in the Dwarf-kingdom, but Glóin refrains from speaking further during the evening’s celebration. To Frodo’s surprise and delight, he also reunites with Bilbo. After leaving the Shire, Bilbo traveled to the regions of his previous adventures and ended up drawn to the peace and lightness of Rivendell. Here, he continues to write his book and composes songs with his Dúnadan friend, who turns out to be none other than “Strider.”

Frodo remarks on the many names of Aragorn and notices later, to his surprise, that the Ranger is finely dressed in Elven-mail sitting beside