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DISCLAIMER: Everything and anything Lord of the Rings related belongs to the biggest genius that ever lived, J.R.R Tolkien. Not me.

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THE END OF ALL THINGS

The Overcoming

I can sense the end is near. He is struggling in his mind against me, but I know, and he knows that the end has come. He has no hope, no strength, no determination. All these qualities which, no doubt, he once possessed long ago, faded in our bitter mind-games of the night. How I rejoiced to see those qualities, which the noble fools of Middle-Earth thought could be used to destroy me, crumble into nothingness. But he no longer cares. I can sense that he wants the end to come quick, so that his struggle will finally be over. Coward. The end approaches, but I do not plan to dispose of him once it arrives.

I can sense his struggle is almost over. He cannot resist me. My power, my beauty, my promises. He desires them all. It seems to me that the only thing which is holding him back from claiming me for his own is his conscience. It reminds him of his sense of duty and why he set out to Mordor. I remind him that he is in my territory and he is to do what I command him to do. He struggles a bit more. I am not impatient, for I know he will listen to me, just as all others have done before him. Rather, I am amused. I have come to realise that the conscience is somewhat like me. It is a powerful weapon and holds considerable sway over the minds of people. But I am glad I myself was never given one. It wastes time and causes too much doubt.

I, on the other hand, am efficient. I do not plea or beg to do the right thing. There is no wrong or right as far as I'm concerned. There is power, and whatever stems from it is what is right. And so, when I stop teasing him and tell him that his time is up and he is to surrender to me, he does it. Without question. I have overpowered him. The impact has left him temporarily weakened whereas I feel energised, reborn almost. I radiate this energy to him, and delight as it pulsates through him. His shock turns to amazement and delight. I have exceeded his wildest expectations.

An extra surge of energy hits me. But this energy I recognise to be from a different source. My Master has become aware of my rebirth, and is ecstatic. He tells me He has waited so long to be reunited with me, and cannot wait to have me in His grasp once more. He thanks me for being loyal to Him, for heeding His call and not abandoning Him to succumb to a second defeat. He laughs as He tells me of His plans for Middle-Earth, and the major role I will play in His eternity of suffering and death. I delight in His reaffirmation of my power and our continued faith in one another. But He fails to realise that another now challenges Him for ownership of me. Let the showdown begin.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I said I was going to write some more LOTR fanfiction, so here it is :) The idea for this story was inspired by Track 16 on the ROTK soundtrack, "The End Of All Things", which I used for the title of this story. Great piece of music. As there are four distinctive parts to the song, there will be four parts to this story. In each, the Ring will reflect upon the coming of the "end". Please review, and tell me what you think of the idea. Greatly appreciated :)

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