Sam awoke to find Frodo asleep again but all was well; no sign of Gollum. They travelled by night making some 12 miles before stopping to rest; the road they had travelled contained a bend so they could not watch behind. This was unfortunate for they soon heard the noise of Orcs and torches barely a mile behind coming too fast to outrun. Frodo felt they were trapped and luck had failed them. They simply sat by the road together under the shadows of cliffs. Sam arranged their shields to hide their hobbit feet; they bowed their heads, and waited. Indeed, either inconspicuous because of their small size or because of the weary marches over half the great company of Orcs passed them by. Sam's hopes were beginning to raise when on of the Driver's, armed with whips, spied them. Mistaking them for orcs he commanded them to get in the line and gave them a few lashes as motivation. Soon Frodo and Sam found themselves in the midst of many Orcs being driven forward, as the Driver explained: "'Don't you know we're at war?'" (p. 209, The Return of the King).
Sauron was gathering his forces as Aragorn lead out his host from Minis Tirith toward Mordor. Before departing he refused Merry's request to ride out for Aragorn deemed him too wounded. Pippin, Gimli, and Legolas were at his side however along with Gandalf and the Captains. Merry gloomily watched them leave and his sadness was broken only by Bergil who took the hobbit by the hand and encouraged him: "'The Men of Minis Tirith will never be overcome. And now they have the Lord Elfstone, and Beregond of the Guard too'" (p. 160, The Return of the King). The host halted five miles beyond Osgiliath on the first day. The calvary had pushed to the Cross-roads but found no sign of the Enemy but a tension and watchfulness could be felt in the land. Aragorn had trumpeters sound at each of the four roads and heralds call out to unseen spies that these lands were claimed back by Gondor. Aragorn, with Gandalf, led the bravest of men to the Morgul Pass and looked upon the evil tower. They broke the evil bridge that spanned the valley and set it afire and left.
Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam had travelled some miles through the night and the next day with the Orcs. Frodo was past the point of exhaustion and began to stumble. Sam kept him upright but he himself could not last much longer. Relief came. Their company met a bottleneck in the road with several other companies and had to halt. "Along all the roads troops were moving; for the Captains of the West were advancing and the Dark Lord was speeding his forces north" (p. 209, The Return of the King). In a last ditch effort Sam threw himself and Frodo to the ground tripping other Orcs and causing a distraction. In the confusion they crawled, unnoticed, to the side of the road and threw themselves over. Sam encouraged Frodo to crawl forward, with one last effort, and twenty yards later they fell over almost dead to the world. As light grew Sam looked over the land as Frodo rested. For once hope seemed to die in his heart as "...the bitter truth came home to him at last: at best their provision would take them to their goal; and when the task was done, there they would come to an end, alone, houseless, foodless, in the midst of a terrible desert" (p. 211, The Return of the King). Sam thought of the Shire, the Gaffer, and Rosie Cotton. Still his will hardened to the job at hand and he knew that he must stay by Frodo's side until whatever end they shall meet. By now Frodo was awake and they started once again toward Mount Doom.
They went cautiously across Gorgoroth but it was an exhausting journey for Frodo. Sam trusted to luck again and together they walked upon a road which was easier to traverse. This was more dangerous then Sam knew. Frodo was too tired and hopeless to care or debate. Fortunately no foul being was around as Gandalf's plan was working. "All the land now brooded as at the coming of a great storm: for the Captains of the West had passed the Cross-roads and set flames in the deadly fields of Imlad Morgul" (p. 212, The Return of the King). From the Cross-roads Aragorn's host still had nearly one hundred miles until the Morannon. They went cautiously sending spies ahead and along their flanks and while the tension increased no attack came. Gandalf now had the trumpets blown regularly to announce their coming but Imrahil counselled the Wizard: "'Say not The Lords of Gondor. Say The King Elessar. For that is true, even though he has not yet sat upon the throne; and it will give the Enemy more thought, if the heralds use that name'" (p. 161, The Return of the King). It was so. Two days after the Cross-roads Aragorn's troops were ambushed by Orcs and Easterlings in the same spot Faramir waylaid the Men of Harad. The scouts were well aware of the enemies and the ambush turned into a trap and a route. Aragorn guessed Sauron was bating them onward with false hope of his weakness. "And from that evening onward the Nazgul came and followed every move of the army" (p. 162, The Return of the King).
Meanwhile back in Minis Tirith all was in doubt. No news had come from Aragorn's army after it reached the Cross-roads. Eowyn was anxious, she was able to move, though her shield arm was still in sling. She demanded to be released from the Houses of Healing. She debated with the Warden stating that it was not always good to be healed nor always bad to die in battle. She demanded to see the Steward of the City to make her plea. She was taken to Faramir who was looking Eastward from the gardens of the House. He was filled with pity seeing Eowyn seeing her wounds and sorrow. As she stated her case to him he said that he too was condemned to be a prisoner of the Houses of Healing. "He looked at her, and being a man whom pity deeply stirred, it seemed to him that her loveliness amid her grief would pierce his heart. And she looked at him and saw the grave tenderness in his eyes, and yet knew, for she was bred among men of war, that here was one whom no Rider of the Mark could outmatch in battle" (p 237, The Return of the King).
She made her plea to leave the Houses and follow the host advancing on Mordor but Faramir refused her saying it was too late. Furthermore her wish to die in battle may yet come true. She relented and seemed to soften wishing aloud that she had a room facing East and the ability to leave bed rest. This Faramir granted her and asked if she would accompany his and ease his cares. She asked for him to state his request plainly. "'Then, Eowyn of Rohan, I say to you that you are beautiful. In the valleys of our hills there are flowers fair and bright, and maidens fairer still; but neither flower nor lady have I seen till now in Gondor so lovely, and so sorrowful. It may be that only a few days are left ere darkness falls upon our world, and when it comes I hope to face it steadily, but it would ease my heart, if while the Sun yet shines, I could see you still'" (p. 238-239, The Return of the King). Nice; I respect Faramir's initiation and wish more men would follow that model. She thanked him and warned him that being a shieldmaiden she was not gentle. "But Faramir for a long while walked alone in the garden, and his glance now strayed rather to the house than to the eastward walls. Faramir called for Merry and learned all he could about Eowyn and her deeds the rest of that day. And the next morning she met him in the garden and spent the day with him, now talking now in silence. And each day thereafter they spent together in the garden.
"So the desperate journey went on, as the Ring went south and the banners of the kings rode north" (p. 212, The Return of the King). The hobbits travelled without trouble by day and slept uneasily at night. Four days after escaping the Orcs they reached their lowest point. Frodo did not speak all day, stumbling with every step. Sam knew the Ring was weighing him down. It seemed to him that Frodo's hand would often wave in the air as if to fend off the Eye while his other hand would creep toward the Ring around his neck. It was this day that Aragorn's army came to the end of living lands and many were too terrified to go on. With pity Aragorn released them from the march but bid them to keep their honor and not run away and if they had the strength he asked them to take Cair Andros, held by enemies, to the defense of Gondor and Rohan. "Then some being shamed by his mercy overcame their fear and went on, and the others took new hope, hearing of a manful deed within their measure that they could turn to, and they departed" (p. 162, The Return of the King). However, less than 6,000 now remained to march upon Mordor.
Frodo and Sam spent that night fitfully. Sam was worried about water and saw Gollum's eyes at one point. The lembas was proving more potent as they solely relied on it but they were not in good shape. In the morning Sam roused Frodo. "'I can't manage it, Sam,' he said. 'It is such a weight to carry, such a weight'" (p. 214, The Return of the King). Sam, knowing it would be useless, offered to carry the Ring. Frodo jumped back wildly yelling for his friend to go. But quickly Frodo regained his composure. "'You can't help me in that way again. I am almost lost in its power now. I could not give it up, and if you tried to take it I should go mad'" (p. 214, The Return of the King). Sam nodded and suggested they get rid of anything that was not necessary. Frodo disposed of his Orc gear as did Sam. The hardest throw-away for Sam was his cooking gear that had come so far. He reminisced about the meals he had made on the road but Frodo now had no memories of food or any kind thing. Sam knew things were getting desperate. He kept only Sting, their food, the Elvish rode, the light of Galadriel, and the box she she had given him and they trudged on.
As they crossed the barren plains none would have been able to spot them save the Ringwraiths. "But the Nazgul and their black wings were abroad on another errand: they were gathered far away, shadowing the march of the Captains of the West, and thither the thought of the Dark Tower was turned" (p. 215, The Return of the King). They made good progress for a while but Frodo started to swoon again. Sam gave him a mouth full of water; only one remained and they rested a bit. He again thought of the Shire as Frodo slept. An internal debate began in Sam's mind as the hopelessness of the situation grasped him. With great effort they made it to the very foot of the Mountain before collapsing in exhaustion. By now Sam was resolved. "No more debates stirred his mind. He knew all the arguments of despair and would not listen to them. His will was set, and only death would break it. He felt no longer either desire or need of sleep, but rather watchfulness. He knew that all the hazards and perils were now drawing together to a point: the next day would be a day of doom, the day of final effort or disaster, the last gasp" (p. 217, The Return of the King). That same evening the Captains of the West reached the Black Gate of Mordor. "They passed the hours of the night in wakefulness and they were aware of many things half-seen that walked and prowled all about them, and they heard the howling of wolves" (p. 163, The Return of the King).
Middle-earth timeline: Third Age, 3019, March 17th-24th
Today's reading comes from: The Return of the King, pages 204-209; 159-161; 209-212; 161-162; 236-239; 212-213; 162-163; 213-217; 163
No comments:
Post a Comment