-Lord of the Rings belongs to Tolkien, not me,

-Edits of 10/26/02 fixed some grammar, spelling and changed a few words, hopefully it will make the story a little easier to read. But if you notice anything, please let me know.

The Ring-Bearer.

            I sat there, staring at him, my fellow Hobbit, my only companion…well except…for it.  This Ring, this accursed Ring! I can't tell if my thoughts are even my own anymore, do I now share them with the Dark Lord, who right now is sitting on his throne, searching with that evil eye, searching for this Ring, this One Ring.  But for now here I sit, staring at my friend Sam, digging away in his pack, looking for food, or is he? Is he looking for something more vial? Perhaps, something to cut out my throat with and claim my Ring as his own?  It was only a little while ago that he was the Ring bearer. 

Wait!  Wait what's wrong with me? My friend Sam rescued me from those demonic Orc's!  Saved me from the Minas Morgul!  It's this Ring! It's turning me mad. It's like a dream, a nightmare all caused by this Ring, even when I sleep it whispers to me, whispers of power, whispers of control, I know these things are wicked, but my mind listens.

Curse that Gollum! It was he! He who passed this damn thing like a hex to Bilbo and then to me, now he crawls at our feet begging for it, how I regret sparing his life.

And the hours drift by, and the distance gets shorter, soon I'll have to say good-bye to my Ring.  Even though I curse its name and wish for its death, a part of me loves that item, a part of me wants to use it, to control the lives of everything in Middle-Earth, and I could, it told me I could.

And Sam, he drags me now, this Ring is too heavy.  I feel like a sack of bricks.  Poor Sam, lugging me.  As I look down, and watch the ground move under me, I'm reminded of our fellowship, the people we left behind,

Pippin, Merry, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, and then there was Gandalf, my good friend.  Gandalf is dead, and most likely so is the rest, along with Boromir, that fool! He, who tried to take my precious, well he's dead, and good riddance for he was a weak fool.  I wonder of the Elves of Lothlórien, how will they go on if we fail? Fail, what a word, I know we will fail, I know, because I know I will not destroy this Ring, I'll have to jump myself, jump into that burning volcano, what a shame.

I can hear the Ring whispering to me again,

I'm yours, your mine,

We are power, use us, reach out and take your power,

Destroy the enemy, save your friends, save them!

Use us! The power can be used for good, so use it!

Use us, use us use us…

I try to shut it out, but I can't.  Why?  Why should I not wield it? Why should power always be someone else's?  If I used this Ring, I could purify the Shire, I could sweep clean Mordor.  Rohan and Gondor…the world would be mine!

Wait! No, I can't think this way! No.  I must end this Ring, even if it means my own death.

That's when I heard the most disgusting sound I know, Gollum's voice. 

Blur, everything's a blur, me fighting Gollum, me talking, Sam talking, me running, I don't understand anything anymore, it's the Ring, its working me now, and now were one, blasted Gollum, try to take my Ring, you want your precious back? Well now its mine forever!

As I entered the cave, inside Mt Doom, I can hear it now, as clearly as if it had a voice,

Use it use it use it use it use it We our power! Now claim this world!

I put the Ring on.

At that second the world stopped and the Dark Lord saw me, Sauron saw me, his evil eye has spotted me, but I don't care, I hear his rage, I can feel him, his power, but he is of little concern. His Ring is now my Ring, and he is nothing now.   I hear his orders, he is reaching out with all his power and grabbing the weak minds of his minions and hurling them at me.  Along with all this strength, the come, but its too late, even the dark Nazgul as fast as they are, these Ring-Wraiths would and could not stop me, for I smelt Sauron's fear, he now knows his end is near.

I then saw Sam, he was standing at the gateway, mouth hanging open the horror and shock that were in his eyes, and it was almost comedic.  Then Gollum attacked me. We battled around, fighting for our future on the edge of this Volcano.  One false step, and you die in fire.  He clawed, griped and bit, how he saw me, I'll never know, for I drew my Orc blade and slashed him across his chest, blood fell from his hideous body.  He swiped me across my jaw leaving a painful cut, and my blade fell to fire's below and my left foot begin to follow.  He hissed and grabbed my wrist, and clawed at the Ring, and it flipped off, it rolled on the edge, like a coin.  We both gasped, just as I got back my footing, we both dived for it, I didn't even notice I was more then half off the ledge towards the lava.  My longest finger barely touched the Ring, but it rolled back away from the fire.  I on the other hand, landed with an oof!

My feet were dangling over the side and just as I got my legs back on the ground Gollum had retrieved the Ring.  He slipped it on, and leaped at me, how I saw him I don't understand, I stepped aside from his lunge and out of the corner of my eye I saw Sam toss me Sting, catching it I stabbed for Gollum's chest, but he took a step back. Good enough, his right foot didn't land on the ledge but the air above the lava, his arms flayed about as he fell, and I swiped at this wrist with Sting, and off popped his hand, and I leaned forward and grabbed the disembody appendage, I then watched as Gollum plunged handless and Ringless into the lava.  A horrible scream filled the mountain, and it echoed

PRECIOUS!!

And he was gone.  I removed the Ring from Gollum's hand and put it on, I then tossed his bloody claw into the fires.

I looked at Sam; he opened his mouth to say something,

'QUIET' I shouted,

I raised my arms and took a deep breath, I reached out with all my power to the minds of Orc's and Men and all the other fools out there, that were rushing towards me, I twitched their minds and set them lose on the Dark Lord.  I heard him scream one last time, then when he was dead I tightened my fist and his tower collapsed, then my Ring-Wraiths circled my mountain and my enemies fled.  I turned to Sam.

'Thank you old friend, your services are no longer needed,' and ran him through with Sting.

                                                The Next Day

I feel them.  Getting closer, every hour they come closer.  They are coming, with their own, but it doesn't matter, all of theirs could not equal mine.  They come to crush me, but they will fail, for I am the Ring-Bearer and my power is all around me.

For I have the One Ring, I will rule them, find them, bring them and in the darkness Bind them,

For I am the Dark Lord, on my Dark Throne in the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

                                                             End.

By Flyerec.