CHAPTER 12
Sam swam back into consciousness slowly. His brain seemed to be working sluggishly as he tried to sort through the confusion. He was tired- more tired than he could ever remember being. He couldn't even open his eyes and everything hurt. Every muscle and joint in his body seemed to be screaming.

Try as he might, Sam could not figure out where it was he found himself. He was lying on something relatively soft and he could sense pale light through his closed eyelids.

The daylight of Mordor.

His heart sank as he realized once again where he must be. It was always a sore trial as he willed himself to remember where he was each time he awoke from the few brief hours of sleep he dared to take, just enough to keep him awake and on his feet for the next trek on through the gloom.

He reached out a hand weakly and with much difficulty and groped at the land beside him expecting to feel his master lying there. To his horror Sam found that not only did he not find Frodo beside him but he couldn't feel the ground either. His arm seemed to be dangling over the side of whatever he was laying on which was apparently quite high off the ground.

Sam's weary eyes snapped open in an instant and he shot up to a sitting position looking wildly around. This immediately brought on a huge wave of dizziness and a terrible pain shot through his head. He cried out softly and fell back against the pillows. Pillows. He gasped and despite the pain opened his eyes again and looked around more cautiously.

He was in a small but cozy room that looked as though it might belong in a healing chamber of some sort. It was obviously for Big People he thought as he noticed the size of the bed he lay on and the other furniture.

Sam stared wide-eyed at his surroundings for a while. He slowly reached up and pinched himself hard to convince himself it was not a dream. It hurt. This was real. But how?

His mind was immediately full of questions. He lay in the large bed feeling extremely small and frightened. Why was it he didn't know where he was? None of it made any sense. Where was he? Where was Frodo? Frodo! And then Sam remembered.remembered everything.

He could remember the great black tower, many orcs, and Frodo. These images seemed as clear as day for Sam for they had played across his mind countless times since it had happened and haunted him further as he slept. Frodo lay in his arms pale and covered in blood, gasping for air and Sam could do nothing. He had never felt so helpless in all his life. His master was suffering and he could do nothing to ease the pain but be there with him.

He had been so scared as Frodo's breaths had become few and far between, more labored by the moment. Frodo had said he loved him. He had somehow worked up the strength to manage those few words. But Sam did not deserve his love. Not with all he had done. He should never have left him.if he hadn't none of it would have happened. But now Frodo was gone.

A strangled sob erupted from the hobbit's throat and he buried his face in the pillow and let the tears flow. It was his fault. All his fault. He had felt like there could not possibly be any more tears left inside of him by now only to be proven wrong. Slowly the rest of his memory returned.

He had left his master. He had had to turn and run. He could still remember what Frodo looked like as he glanced back upon his master for the last time. Though he was battered and bloody a small smile still played upon his lips. A shadow of the Frodo he had known so well could be seen. He could remember running from the tower and finally escaping. He had been determined to finish the Quest for Frodo's sake. He no longer cared for anything else.

Much of the time afterwards was a blur for Sam. He no longer knew or cared whether it was day or night, he just kept walking. His life turned into a constant nightmare- the long painful trek through Mordor, always feeling as though he were being followed, forcing his tired limbs on even as he felt on the verge of collapse from weariness and grief. The never-ceasing weight of the Ring was always about his neck and the growing feeling of cold evil in the air.

And so he had struggled on with an ever-diminishing source of food and the non-existent source of water. He despaired at ever completing his task. Then he would think of Frodo and move his tired body forward once more. He would complete it, then he could join his master.

He could remember passing the endless days like that, then at last reaching the accursed mountain he had traveled so far to reach. He forced himself to wake each time he fell asleep and struggled to ignore the terrible urge to remain there sleeping for eternity. Then he would glance down at the evil thing his bore, glinting innocently up at him and go further. He was close.so close to finishing this terrible task, the task that had changed from destroying the Ring to staying alive another day.

Sam had struggled his way up the last few yards he had to cover. He was almost there; he could barely resist the urge to give up now. He would have put the Quest aside long ago and gladly gone to rejoin his master but there was a driving force that always kept him going. He couldn't stop, not until he carried his promise through. He had promised, promised Frodo. He couldn't give up now. Not yet. And so he braced himself as he gasped for air and slowly continued his ascent.

Then it had happened, a small frightfully thin creature had leaped at him out of the shadows, knocking Sam off his feet. Gollum.

Sam fought with wild rage. Rage for his Master lost because of this sneaking traitor and rage at the possibility of having the Ring, the cause of it all, taken away when he was so close to the end; rage at having this miserable skulking creature live on when Frodo was gone. Sobbing uncontrollably and never even noticing Sam fought with Gollum. He had Sting out; he had him cornered.

Gollum immediately stopped fighting and cowered on the ground whimpering and pleading that his life be spared. Sam merely chuckled inside- he had not the strength or breath to do it out loud. There was nothing that would stop him from slaying this pitiful being right now.but no. All of a sudden the thought of his master seemed to jump out of nowhere to him.

Frodo would not want this. Despite what Gollum had done to him he would not want this. It was the oddest thing- how could Sam know these things? But the feeling continued, a constant trail of thoughts. Frodo would not have wanted Gollum killed. Sam took a deep breath and looked down at Gollum. As much as Sam wanted to be rid of him now he knew he could not kill him. He had not the strength nor time to spare. Not now, he had a quest to complete. And someone to see. He turned and ran up the pass to the mountain without looking back.

Behind him Gollum looked up from where he crouched in surprise. He had expected to feel the cold bite of steel soon enough and the black rush of death. But he was still alive and the cruel Hobbit had fled. A wicked smile flashed across Gollum's face and he crept up silently after Sam.

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He had done it. Sam had made it- to the Cracks of Doom. Here he was, the rushing roaring fires rumbling below him, the very ground shaking. He had made it, now to get rid of It once and for all.

He reached under his shirt and pulled out the Ring, which was glittering on Its golden chain in the light from the sparking flames. He detached It and stepped forward. He could feel the hot fire licking at his face but he ignored it. Nothing mattered anymore, just to get rid of this thing- the thing responsible for so much sadness and suffering. Responsible for so many innocent lives. The thing that had made his dear master suffer, that had taken his life too soon when he should still be safe at the Shire, happy and free. He held nothing but hatred for it.

Sam stepped closer, now he was right at the edge. He held the Ring up high above his head, a determined look on his small hobbit face. Just then a terrible feeling crept up on him- a feeling of want, of greed. Something Samwise Gamgee had never before known. It was the Ring, he knew it, but he could not stop it. As much as he wanted to block his ears and ignore it he could not, it was inside his head. A voice.

Don't do it. It told him. Don't do it, you know you don't want to. What are you trying to prove?

"No, no." Sam whispered out loud. "No. It's for Mr. Frodo. I must do it."

Fool. It countered. Can you not see? Without the Ring there will be no hope for you, you or anyone you care about. It is the one weapon you need. It can help you in tremendous ways. It will give you all you want and more.

"No, no it can't." Sam sobbed, his outstretched hand faltering. "No, I only want one thing. To have Mr. Frodo back. Not food, not water, nothing. I need nothing but Mr. Frodo here with me. Then I would happily lie down to die and finally find some peace. No, I need nothing else."

The voice chuckled softly in his head. But of course it can give you that. Simply claim it for your own, Sam. Then Frodo will be back, standing right here beside you. With the Ring in your possession anything can be willed into reality. You will be more powerful than you ever imagined. You can change the world, Sam; bring it back to how it was. Don't you wish to return to your home with Frodo and have everything as it was before? It can all happen, Sam. Just put on the Ring.

Sam stopped. The world stopped. Time stopped. Frodo.Frodo could come back to him. It was impossible but he had heard it.

Just put on the Ring, Sam.

Sam looked at his hand holding the ring tightly in his closed fist, the object that could bring his master back. He had lowered his arm without ever realizing it. He extended him index finger, inches away from putting the Ring on. This was it, all he had to do to have Frodo back.

"No, Sam!" Another weaker voice, strangely familiar, had echoed through his head just as he was about to lower the golden circlet onto his finger.

Sam stopped and looked about. It was as though he had come out of a trance. But he had no more time to ponder it as a black something sprang out of a dark corner and collided into him, sending him sprawling. Gollum had followed him in.

Gollum fought like a wild beast- tearing, clawing, and biting at Sam, anything to get to the Ring. On instinct Sam closed his fist over the Ring and fought back just as viciously. They tumbled over each other in their desperate battle, two wasted bodies engaged in the war that would affect the future of their world.

Closer and closer to the edge they came but neither would give up. All of a sudden Gollum lost his footing and his back half slid over the edge and all he held onto was Sam's hand, the one with the Ring still held tightly in his fist.

Slowly he began to drag Sam toward the edge as well, at the same time trying to clamber back over the edge and snatch the Ring out of Sam's hand. Sam was dragged closer and closer to the edge. His eyes widened and without thinking he let go of Gollum and the Ring and watched in stunned horror as both tumbled over the edge and plummeted toward the fiery depths below. He heard one last desperate wail from Gollum before he was lost to the world.

"Prrrrreecciioousssss."

And he was gone. Sam remained flat on his stomach, half suspended over the edge as the earth began to shake violently and he quickly retreated back. Fire erupted in spouts all around him; it felt as thought the very mountain would burst in a moment. He willed the energy to crawl on hands and knees out of the little inlet he had been in and back the main path. He regained his feet and stumbled his way back down, the tremors growing more and more violent each moment.

He stopped. He had come down quite a way. Samwise Gamgee stood perfectly still, tears he was unaware of running down his grubby face in a constant stream. He gazed East at the light patch of sky slowly forming as the darkness was driven away. The sun.there it was, the first real light he had seen in ages. He kept his eyes fixed to that point in the sky as his body, completely spent, collapsed out from under him. It was done at last. He was free, free to die. Frightened as he was, he wanted nothing more than to die and leave all the pain and suffering behind, to rejoin his master and exist in utter bliss together for all eternity.

The last thing Sam could remember before losing consciousness was a large black winged shape descending toward him. At first he thought it was a Black Rider, but no, it couldn't be. An eagle? A thought of Bilbo's old stories came to his mind. Then all went black.

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Lying in the strange bed in the strange room Sam remained sobbing uncontrollably. Here he was, alive through it all when Frodo was gone. All he had ever wanted was to die, to leave it all behind and be with his master. And here he remained, doomed to suffer a life without him.

~AC~

* No, this is not the end yet- I believe there will be one last chapter after this. Thank you all for the encouragement :)