"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing."
It seemed like an age ago that Boromir had uttered those fateful words on the slope of the snowy Caradhras. The Fellowship had been together, back then. That was before first Gandalf, then Boromir had given their lives for the cause. Frodo briefly wondered how many more would have to make the same sacrifice before the end.
Hobbits are carefree folk by nature, and Frodo was vaguely aware that he was in a persistently morbid state of mind quite unbefitting one of his kind. He supposed it was a side effect of carrying the embodiment of the world's evil around in his pocket for months on end. It was hard to notice the changes in himself, especially when he was constantly being distracted by the ring's poisoning of his mind, but Sam - dear Sam - had noticed, and mentioned it in that blessedly blunt way of his.
Frodo could feel the darkness creeping into his mind, like ivy feelers tearing down a stone wall. A little at a time it was wearing down his resistance, his patience...he was afraid that sooner or later he would lose his temper with his companion and sometimes-gardener, and then he would be alone...as alone as a Ring-bearer could be, that is. He understood all too clearly these days why Gollum - Smeagol - had degenerated into madness.
Determined to put such thoughts out of his head - while he still could - Frodo deliberately tucked the ring back under his shirt (when had he taken it out, again?) and padded over to where Sam was overseeing their supper. Just a bit of stew, made from what few marsh-plants they had been able to identify as edible, but seasoned with a tiny pinch of precious Shire salt it was a rare delicacy.
"How long do you suppose we'll be here?" Sam asked. "I think that Gollum creature's getting closer every day."
Frodo looked over his shoulder, but the darkness of the forest hid any indication of their stalker's presence. "We'll move on tomorrow, Sam. Only-" Only Gandalf would know how far the forest went, but that was irrelevant now. "We'll just have to keep going, I suppose. I spoke with Aragorn before we parted ways, and he said we'd be in the forest for another three days, at least. It's been two since we crossed the river, so we may be back in the open as soon as tomorrow." He decided not to mention that camping in the open would make them an easier target for the roaming bands of Orcs.
Sam dished their stew into a pair of bowls he produced from the bottomless sack he carried, and the two ate in silence. "You know, Master Frodo," he muttered around his last bite, "I was thinking."
Frodo gave a vague nod of assent.
"What if there was another way to destroy the ring?"
"Sam, the elves said that we had to take it to the Fires of Mount Doom. If anyone would know, they would."
The mind of a Hobbit - particularly one more acquainted with the soil than with study - works on its own pace. Therefore, it was several minutes before Sam replied, "But...but what if it was something they didn't think of? I mean, the elves are wise and all, but they don't often see the...the little things of life, you know? They're a bit like...like eagles, looking down on the world. They see more than anything, but they can't see quite what an earthworm sees, you know?"
Frodo acknowledged that he did, indeed, know.
"So...so I was thinking. What if there was another way to destroy the ring, one so simple that they didn't see it?"
"I suppose...perhaps, it could happen. Did you have something in mind?"
"Well," Sam pronounced, with all the aplomb and dignity of a creature of his size and weight, "We could try eating it."
Nearby birds fled from the sudden, deep-throated laughter that echoed through the trees.
Written in honor of March 25, Middle Earth Independence Day (celebrating the destruction of the Ring), which also happens to be the Feast of the Annunciation. Coincidence? I think not.
That aside, I am not J.R.R. Tolkein. I do not own Lord of the Rings or the characters and places therein. This is merely fanfiction, from which I derive no monetary reward. The idea is also credited to a friend of mine, and a conversation we had about cupcakes and the Ring.