Disclaimer: None of these characters or concepts are mine. They belong to Tolkien.
I got the idea for this story after reading Larner's 'An Enemy Made' in her Might have Beens series
This is part of my Ringbearer series. Other stories in it are, in order:
Ringbearer
Farewell
The Valar
I would wish you well
Loose End
Dark Soul
The Halls of Mandos
Namo, Lord of Mandos slowly journeyed through his Halls. His destination was a solitary chamber, in a nearly
deserted part of his realm in which a dark mortal soul had taken residence.
He approached a plain black door that despite its simplicity gave off an unsettling air. The four Maiar attendants
who were assigned to guard it silently bowed to their Lord before moving aside.
The door opened and he slowly entered a room filled with a soul-chilling darkness. With a slight gesture
he pushed the darkness back.
The chamber's occupant looked up at him
Namo solemnly addressed what had once been a hobbit. "Ringbearer," he said softly.
"What do you want, Vala?" a cold voice acknowledged.
"I've come to speak to you about your father."
"Oh?" There was a soft mirthless chuckle. "Has Sauron already escaped from the Void?"
"I speak of your real father, Ringbearer. I speak of Hamfast Gamgee."
The other voice grew colder. "Hamfast Gamgee is not my father. You know that full well."
"He is here, now."
The cold voice grew silent.
Namo continued solemnly. "When he first learned of your fate, his grief was so deep many believed that it
would kill him. For the sake of his remaining sons and daughters he remained in his flesh, but many whispered
that it might have kinder if he had died. He never laughed or truly smiled again. Nothing eased his grief.
Not even the birth of his first grandchild."
"Grandchild," the cold voice whispered. "Hamson finally managed to get around to siring a child, did he?"
"That's correct, Ringbearer. Your brother named his firstborn after you."
"How happy for him, then."
"Happy for your brother perhaps, but it gave your father little solace. Grief was his constant companion for
the remainder of his time in Middle Earth. It was that grief that ultimately brought him to my Halls, years
before he was intended to arrive."
Namo crouched down so that he was closer to eye level with the chamber's occupant. "For years he was able
to take a tiny measure of comfort in the belief that even though you had perished, you were at least at peace."
The Doomsman leaned forward and stared intently at the Ringbearer. "When he arrived here and discovered
that such was not the case, his grief was even deeper than when he first learned of your death."
The Ringbearer said nothing.
The Keeper of the Souls of the Dead continued. "I had to restrain him from rushing in here, even after I explained
what being exposed to your darkness would do to his already shattered soul."
Namo stood up. "As soon as I leave this chamber I'm sending him from my Halls. He will journey beyond
the Circles of Arda to the arms of the One. He pleads for you to come out and go with him."
The Ringbearer was silent for a long while.
When finally he spoke, his voice was still cold. "Hamfast was Samwise Gamgee's father. I am not he. He may be
grieving now, but when he gets to where he needs to go, he'll forget me."
"Your mother has never forgotten you." Namo whispered. "And neither has Frodo."
"But they're not suffering," the Ringbearer snapped. "And when Hamfast joins them his suffering will end as well."
That which had once been a hobbit turned away dismissively. "I'm not coming out, Vala. Leave me."
Namo closed his eyes in sorrow and bowed his head slightly. "So be it."
The Lord of Mandos turned and walked out of the chamber. The Maiar attendants sadly resumed their watch.
The Ringbearer once again drew the darkness around him.
END