All Alone Chapter 7
By Rose G

Disclaimer - these are not my characters, I have not made any money, and it isn't worth suing me because I'm skint.

Dedication - This is dedicated to Mel, a good mate who bullied me into reading LotR, never yells at me about my fanfic and who is watching the film with me in exactly 9 days. Cheers, mate.


Gandalf rode on through the night, on, on, ever onwards. The horse seemed tireless, but Gandalf was weary, the darkness of the world around him sinking into his very heart. He knew that Boromir had been untrustworthy, far back on that day when he had joined the Fellowship in Rivendell, and so unsure he had been, he had confined in Aragorn his worries. Boromir's later attempt to take the Ring had confirmed Aragorn's doubts, but the man had fallen not long after and the matter had been at an end, if life can come to a end while man still speaks the fallen one's name. Dimly, he recalled Aragorn speaking of that day, but the Ranger had been strangely reluctant to talk, as though the memory pained him.

Shadowfax whinnied suddenly in greeting, and a great shout rose from the lee of the hill. 'Gandalf, Gandalf! The White Rider is come again!' Hobbit voices called jubilantly, to each other and to Gandalf himself. They were in plain view now, three of them sitting close together around a small campfire with their packs beside them. Tethered shortly nearby were several ponies, Sam's Bill and the roan that had carried Frodo back from Minas Tirith along with several pack animals.

He dismounted Shadowfax, and greeted each hobbit in turn, rubbing the muzzles of the ponies as though he had spent too long with the Riders of Rohan. 'Where's Pippin?' Gandalf spoke suddenly, around ten minutes later when the other greetings had been completed.

Only then did he see the look on Merry's face, the anger etched on Frodo's and Sam's. He sighed, realising that the other three looked and walked like survivors from a battle.

'He fell, Gandalf. There was a fight, some of the men of Gondor come to aid us, but the Orcs were too many and too strong. They do not fear the sun, and they spoke the speech of Man, after a fashion.We were near to Minas Tirith, because it seemed out of all the lands, the place most worth fighting for. And I believe that doesn't come as a surprise to you, for you told Legolas about Boromir. Pippin died in that battle, overwhelmed by the Orcs. Now, tell me about Boromir's rise, please.' Frodo talked more to Sam than Gandalf.

'I do not believe that he died that long ago night, when the fellowship was broken. Aragorn disliked him greatly, for they were so equal in strength and wisdom it was inevitable they should quarral. When that accursed Orc arrow struck him, I doubt whether Aragorn ever checked to see if he was living, for he saw it as an easy option to remove his main competition. Do not mistake my words, I respected and loved Aragorn as a brother, yet he was never as simple as you would believe. As for Boromir, black treachery was ever in his heart, as Frodo will tell you. He tried to snatch the Ring by force and it was only by luck that he did not.'

'He was gravelly injured by the arrows, yet as a strong warrior he recovered. And even I am not sure what happened then. That river does not lead only to the Falls, so that Boromir would have found it easy to change course and head for Mordor, his natural home. Evil attracts evil, although Boromir was crazed only by the lure of the Ring. He was strong in all save mind, and his lust for power, so it was easy to ensnare him. Poor Boromir, he did not ask for this, and bare that in mind when mourning for Pippin and Aragorn also. And yet he has become the first true King of Men, with no others to oppose his will.'

'And the time for the domination of Men has come, so all other races shall leave Middle Earth soon. And yet the reign of Man, I feel shall never be a happy one, for their first ruler became so by force and fear, and no man's heart, even one so great and noble as Aragorn, is truly free of hate and contempt for others. The Dark Lord is not evil as was Saraman or Sauron, only power hungry and somewhat thoughtless as are all his kind. He does not intend to kill or maim, he follows only what he believes in, without thinking about the harm it may do to others. Do not think of Boromir as evil; rather pity him for his misunderstanding of life. And it will always be so with Men in the Fourth Age and beyond, one will fight for what he believes in, and others will die. All I can say, is let all those who can, leave Middle Earth, or return to the Shire, for now is not our time.

'Frodo, you were a ring bearer, as was Sam. The Havens await you as heroes of a passing Age and Bilbo also. Merry, the Shire is not yet destroyed and I bid you to stay there until your time is come. May you keep the memories of these Ages and their deeds alive as much as you can. Speak of the Fellowship, of Rivendell and the fair things of this world, so that in the future men may remember and dream that their futures are as glorious as our past, a time that we have been privaledged to live through. And on this night, which may turn out to be the last we spend together, I bid you thanks for you company and you friendship. Farewell now, for I do not wish to linger. Me and Shadowfax have a task to accomplish, and you shall not hear of us again.'

He waited silently with the hobbits until sundown, when they set off on the long road that would take them back to the Shire and the Grey Havens. Sam announced that he would only take ship if Bill went with him. Then Gandalf turned the great horse into the sunset. All alone he rode, the last defence of the forces of good.

Outlined on a hill against the red gold of the setting sun with Gandalf clad in his shining white robes, Glamdring raised above his head, Shadowfax reared. For a moment they were molten silver against the sun, as Shadowfax screamed his defiance to the forces of evil, and Gandalf yelled his challenge to all those who would oppose him. Then a strange mist enveloped them and they were gone, maybe to Valinor, maybe to some part of the world that has no name in Man's knowledge.

And it is said that the pair dwell there still, keeping watch over the descendants of the Men of Middle Earth, although the world has changed beyond all comprehension. Shadowfax's hooves strike thunder from the ground as he gallops, lightning leaps from Gandalf's staff at need, and the pair shall stay there until dawn no longer comes to this world and all memory of the Fellowship is gone.



I finished it at last! Hurrah! Please let me know what you think about this. And don't forget to watch the film in 9 days!