Reviews (156)

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The final hold on Frodo's mind is released here as he realizes that even so-called prophecies are not always what they seem to be. It's certainly open to debate whether or not Saruman truly foretold Frodo's future or if he used his Voice one last time, fixing the final nail in Frodo's coffin, so to speak. As such, this would be the final wound to be healed, as much as it can be healed at any rate. Frodo always wanted to stay in ME, he just knew that it wasn't possible. He still isn't entirely sure if it is possible now, but he's going to give it an honest effort this time around.

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Frodo takes centerstage here and he uses it to the fullest of his ability. He might not have wanted the gig of Great Shaman, but he's realized he must fulfill it, if only to help nudge these lost people in the right direction for rebuilding their kingdom. Frodo's capacity to forgive has grown much over the course of the last few years (indeed, I believe it is his greatest power) and here he uses it to show everyone that the Maia truly has changed. It is a speech that would shock anyone who heard it, Sauron least of all. He's not used to hearing praises spoken in his name. Thanks for reading! :)

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Hullo Rorrenda! Thanks for stopping by and giving this fic a read! It certainly did keep me guessing for quite awhile as I was writing it, so hopefully it will keep the reader guessing also! :D I hope you enjoy the rest.

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He has finally accepted it, and that in itself will be more healing than anything else. He knows now he did his best and he can finally accept that he didn't fail. The final burden can now be lifted, and even if some scars never heal, they can now be endured more easily, or so it is to be hoped. After everything Frodo has been through, he deserves to live happily ever after to the end of his days. The wrath of Rosie will not be entirely what Sam is expecting. ;)

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It's been a long arduous road, but Frodo has finally come to realize that he did the best he could and, what's more, his best was good enough. He hadn't failed, far from it, and he has much to be grateful for and be proud of. Now, if only these pesky dreams will leave him alone... They'll all be grateful to get back to Gondor and back to somewhere familiar. They're in need of a respite. :)

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Frodo does have a way of imparting the truth to help others see things more clearly. He might not have been happy with his unexpected Shaman status, but he is using it to the fullest of his ability to try to help this lost people. Sauron is going to have to get used to people singing him praises. He may not feel he deserves it and it will be just as hard for him to come to terms with it as it was for Frodo, more so even, but he will just have to accept it. ;) And Sam has reason to worry! Rosie is an understanding lass, but even she has her limits. ;)

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The Ring was undoubtedly the main force behind all of Frodo's torments, even Tolkien says as much. But as for the Ring and Sauron not being linked, well, that's not entirely accurate. Frodo does acknowledge this when he adds 'not directly' at the end of his argument, but he also sees the finer distinctions between the Ring's will and Sauron's. I don't know if I entirely agree with him also, but it's Frodo's POV that matters here. He is the one with firsthand knowledge, so I guess we just have to take his word for it. Sam does have some reason to worry. Rosie's not going to be as understanding or pleasant about him taking off *again*. A lass will only put up with so much, and even Rosie has her breaking point. ;)

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It's so easy to forget things, especially as new lessons come along to replace the old. This is a lesson that Frodo very much needed reminding of, for he's been far too hard on himself for far too long. At least now, he won't be forgetting it again. Cyrus will grow more confident as time goes on. He is lucky to have Frodo for a mentor, if only for a little while. He may not be able to accept that Frodo is a simple mortal like him, but he does recognize that Frodo has wisdom he has yet to acquire. Well, of course Sam would insist that Frodo be allowed to sleep. :D Whatever else has happened, he's still Frodo's servant and so it's up to him to make sure his master is treated accordingly, even if that means defying all those important people. ;)

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LOL! A reformed Sauron does take some getting used to, and there are those who will never accept it. But Sauron, another Gandalf? For one, he's nowhere near as crotchedy and looks nothing like an old man. For another, he has neither a hat nor a staff. And lastly, he doesn't get the point of smoking pipeweed and making smoke rings. Clearly, they are nothing alike. :P hehe But they are both rather meddlesome in their own way. Frodo's defence of Sauron was rather surprising. Not that he defended, just what he said about the Ring. I'm not sure I entirely agree with him on that point, but it's not really for me to say either. He was very insistent upon it, and so I had no choice but to include it. Children manage to find a way to enjoy life and to find things to laugh about. It was good for Frodo to be able to observe her before they had to leave and to realize the importance of what she was showing him, even if she didn't mean to. Resiliency is more than just learning to swim to keep from drowning, it's learning to go with the current and staying afloat no matter where it might take you. Cyrus was lucky to find a mentor in Frodo. Though Frodo couldn't stay, you can bet that Cyrus will remember his words that day and carry them with him. Next, they return to Gondor. :D

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Thank you for your kind praise, Althea! It's always wonderful to hear when a reader feels a part of the story. :D The ninnyhammer line is my favorite also. I imagine Frodo saying it with much warmth and admiration, and Sam blushing shyly but proudly in response. :) I'm glad you liked it. As wonderful as this feast was, the best thing about it is knowing there will be more to follow. They have a long way to go to rebuild their kingdom, but the very fact that they can now do this is something to celebrate indeed. Frodo too still has some obstacles to overcome if he is to be free as well. Hopefully with all that he's learned and come to understand, he will now be able to do this.

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Thank you, DF! Khand and Harad continue to show me more and more with each chapter. It's been truly interesting glimpsing these little bits of life in these unexplored realms. Sam has much on his mind. Just as with the Quest to destroy the One Ring, once the quest was over and his master safe, Sam could allow himself to think more on what he left behind. This wasn't so much a vision as a glimpse into his own subconscious. Still, he is going to have some explaining to do! ;)

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It was a long overdue celebration and now the Khandrim won't have to wait nearly so long for the next one, or the one after. This is just the first of many to come. :) Sam has a way of simplifying a complicated situation. He gets right to the heart of it and neverminds about all the variables, which makes it very difficult to argue with him. Frodo may still be reluctant, but he'll play his part with more ease now. :)

Author's reply

Thank you, sweetie! It was interesting to discover what sorts of tales the Khandrim would tell and how they would go about telling them. The women dance them, the men sing them or tell them. They haven't had much reason to celebrate for many long years, so they really went all out here. :) Frodo hasn't been having an easy time of it since his confrontation with the wizards. The cleansing ritual was essential for him, and by extension for Sam, but he still has much he needs to face and consider. We'll find out soon what he saw, no worries. ;)

Author's reply

Thank you, dear! I'm doing my best with a story that has often surprised me, from its conception all the way to its eventual end. I'm so glad you are enjoying it!

Author's reply

Thank you dear! I'm glad you're enjoying these chapters. The story keeps expanding, even as it should be winding down. There's just so much left to cover. I now understand a teensy bit of what Tolkien must have gone through, thinking he would finish LOTR in four books, then five, only to eventually write six, plus appendices. I had to expand much of this section to make it into a full-length chapter, as it was originally supposed to end the last chapter. I'm glad it feels geniune and not just like a bunch of filler. I was glad to see more of the cleansing ritual for Frodo and Sam, as this was important for them both to rid themselves of the horrors of the fortress, at least physically. And anytime you can spend more time on a feast is just time well spent! The Khandrim had many more tales to tell than they originally hinted to me. ;)

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There was much to cover in this chapter and it was by far the most difficult to figure out, pacing wise. Much of it even had to be distributed over the next two chapters, so I was worried for quite a while that I wouldn't get this to turn out the way I wanted it to. It works though and it does resolve quite a few of the loose ends, if not all of them. The ceremony came from a culmination of many sources, both fictional and actual. The boats on the water I want to say is either Indian or Chinese in origin, but I can't say for certain. This wouldn't be a normal part of the ceremony though, but Aliya had to improvise for those entombed in the lake. You can bet the farm (assuming you have one, if not, bet someone else's farm) that Rick knows. Sauron does play it close to the cuff, and to the casual observer he would appear to be quite aloof and unremorseful. It's a defense mechanism and he has become quite adept at using it. But Rick has been traveling with him for a while now, and he's a rather perceptive and intuitive young man. You can expect Rick to be giving Sauron a talking to once things have calmed down a bit. ;D

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Sam has a lot on his mind. Just as we saw in LOTR, just because he's focusing on Frodo doesn't mean that he isn't also thinking about his own life that he left behind. Now that the quest is over, he's going to be wanting more and more to return to the Shire. Frodo too has a lot on his mind, and there is reason to be concerned. He still has a decision to make and it won't exactly be an easy one, nor one that he will have to make only once. But more on that later. ;) hehe Frodo may not have wanted the gig of Shaman, but he'll play the part while he's there. Of course, it might help if he knew what that part entailed. Thankfully, they won't be staying for very long. The feast was actually supposed to come at the end of the last chapter, but that was already getting long enough. I had to expand quite a bit to make it into its own chapter, the result being that we got to spend more time at the festivities, which is always a good thing I think. ;) Those instruments truly do sound amazing. I wanted to include more of them, but I was pushing believability enough as it was, giving them as many as they had given their rather destitute existence. I figured they probably accumulated the instruments from the previous owners, keeping them in a single hut (except for the tanbur) to use as offerings in case the Wizards came a'calling. These were likely then to be their last treasures within the village.

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Sauron very nearly was done for a couple of times! Evil!Sauron wasn't really much of a fighter, but it seems that playing for the good guys has sharpened his fighting skills quite a bit. LOL! Of course, he's also no longer fighting for himself, but for everyone else instead and that's quite a motivator. ;) It occured to me that it's been quite a while since Sauron physically held a Ring of Power. He had the 9, and a few of the 7, but he did not use them since there would be no need for him to do so. To now suddenly be in possession of the 2 Rings together, both of which are individually nearly as strong as the One, would give Sauron a momentary struggle of will. To be caught within your own creation, tricked by your own trap so to speak, is the ultimate kharmic punishment. He overcomes it with the help of his affection for his friend, and so the tyrant learns his first true lesson of the power of love. The Wizards will be keeping Melkor company for a long time. They really do rather deserve each other. ;) Cyrus has become a favorite of mine also. I took his name from a real-life Persian king Cyrus the Great, who founded the Persian Empire and reunited the two states of Iran, among other things, to create the larget kindgom the world had yet seen at that time. The name seemed a fitting one for this accidental hero. His background is still much of a mystery and I think it shall remain that way, but he will undoubtedly be a good King. Hehehe. Frodo just can't get away from people idolizing him - and for good reason! But the Khandrim have gone above and beyond even that of Gondor and Rohan. Frodo might actually come to appreciate the stoic respect he receives in the West after this! And Semira delivers the price of salvation. Their lives are no longer their own, and indeed in a way they haven't been their own since the events in the War of the Ring. Perhaps this is the reason Frodo was always so uncomfortable with the attention he received, knowing that all those people now expected great things of him and feeling he could not live up to those expectations. Now he is expected to simply live, which he had already resolved to do before reaching the Wizards' lair. Will he remember this? "To read again" list? Wonderful! *blushes* :D

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The images I have for this story are so sharp that it has been relatively easy to work out the details, if not always easy to convey them. I've also had these chapters more or less drawn up in my head months ago, which also helps. The hardest to write were the fight scenes. I think I shall have to go a good healthy stretch before writing any more action. ;) Frodo waged quite the battle with the Wizards. If simply being in the same region as the wizards causes his head to ache if he is not careful to protect himself, then being in direct conflict with them was bound to cause some trauma. At least this time around he didn't require a twenty-day induced sleep to help him recover. :)

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The journey home will take so many chapters as the journey here, but there is still much to wrap up. More than I thought at first, actually, so I'm glad you're enjoying it! Even if Frodo couldn't sleep himself, he took comfort in watching Sam's peaceful slumber. :)

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Frodo does need it. He is too ready to shut himself away and ignore the life that is bustling around him. The guard was indeed merciful in giving him this gift. Let's just hope that it's enough. Well, I'm sure Rick was a little bit miffed, but he also just couldn't resist ribbing Sauron here - all in good humor of course. And Sauron rises to the challenge, just glad that everyone made it through this relatively unharmed. Frodo and Sam also got a chuckle out of the exchange, just as Cepros did. ;)

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Horrified would be a mild word for the expression on Frodo's face at that moment - that is, had he not been gentlehobbitly enough to conceal it. ;) This is certainly something that no one planned on, and Frodo is not going to have much luck of convincing them that he's just a hobbit, especially as they don't even know what hobbits are. ;) The floating boats are something I heard about quite awhile back and I don't even recall what particular culture it was. It seemed appropriate here though, so I used it. A new burden, but one that Frodo very much needs at this time (just as Sam needed it at the end of LOTR when Frodo left). Frodo has a tendency to withdraw in on himself and ignore everything else around. This promise/pact/burden will give him incentive to at least attempt a normal life again. Will it be enough though? That has yet to be seen.

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Frodo may just stand a chance of happiness now, so long as he doesn't let this new encounter with evil make him forget everything he has learned. Rick certainly has fallen hard, but he'll respect that Semira is married and admire her from a distance. Hopefully, once they can leave Harad behind for good and return to the West, he'll find himself a nice lass to settle down with. :)

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We will hear more of Frodo's viewpoint as to Sauron's treatment of him in the next chapter. I will be greatly interested to hear what you think of that! It even surprised me! But this Sauron is very different from the Sauron we've known for so long. There are many in ME who have trouble accepting this, so you're not alone! ;) Frodo is full of love. Definetly. He would never want someone to be hurt on his behalf, or in his name or defense, even if that someone deserved it. He even defended Saruman after he all but stabbed him. Sam knows better than to question Frodo at this point, but he shows his concern in his own way. Covering his master and sleeping next to him is just one of the many ways he will do this. Thank you so much for your lovely review!

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With nothing to really go by other than the region, I've just been making a hodgepodge of various cultural traditions and throwing in little bits of my own here and there. It's been fun, for the most part. :D What will Frodo do? That's very much up to debate right now. The Muses are keeping quiet. At one point, there was a version of the ending where this was revealed, however, given the Wizards' unexpected demise, that ending is now moot. We shall see what comes to light. As for Merry and Pippin: hehehe. Well, they will certainly have some words to share with Frodo when he returns. ;D