The Blank Pages: By Master Samwise.

Chapter 2: The Conscience of Master Samwise.

It was a cold morning the dew was on the grass, usually Sam would be tucked up in bed cosy and warm, with Rosy at his side. But not this morning, Sam was out there standing in the field watching the dawn. Could he leave Rosy and his children just to go off on another adventure, it was just selfish. He couldn't, at least last time he had had no choice, Frodo had needed him. But now someone ells needed him, he could not let them down, he would not let them down.

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The knights left the shire with the hobbits holding tightly to the pommel as they road each baring a burden.

Merry looked across at Sam. "So you decided to come in the end then?" Sam didn't reply but, Merry though he guilty about leaving his wife alone with there children, or it might be that he couldn't be heard over the thundering of the horses hooves.

That night they made camp rested, the following morning they road out again. Sam spent the whole time in stony silence. Occasionally Merry and Pippin would try and bring him out of it with jokes but it seldom worked, and even if he did respond the silence quickly returned. The riders would tell them nothing of why they had been called or what Aragorn wanted.

It wasn't until they cam to Pelennor Fields that Sam was roused from his troubles. It was such a site, like nothing that any of them had ever seen before.

The whole filed was filled with flowers, trees and other plants that could not be guessed at.

"It was a tribute to those who fell here defending the city from Mordor." One of the solders tolled them as they dismounted to walk through the garden.

Sam looked over the field; it was beautiful, so many plants all flourishing.

"Each plant is for a fallen man." The knight tolled them.

"What happened there?" Sam asked pointing to a patch of bar blackened earth next to a statue of a knight on horseback.

"That's where Theoden fell." Merry exclaimed.

"Yes." A new voice said.

"Aragorn!" Merry greeted the king as Pippin, Sam and the knights dropped to one knee. The King acknowledged with a nod and the small part stood.

"The bare earth is where the Witch-King fell. We can get nothing to grow there, it is if the ground is cursed." Aragorn tuned to lead them back to Minas-Tirith. "Come my friends we have much to discuss."

The hobbits followed the king into the city and up to its pinnacle where he led them into a private room.

"A recent turn of events has left my very disturbed, I asked you here for your aid. But Samwise, I must crave a favour of grate import. Can you recount to the best of your knowledge what happened in the Crags of Doom, with particular reference to the creature called Gollum?"

Sam nodded slowly and began his tail. "Frodo and I thought we had lost that stinking wretch back when he tried to feed us to the spider. But we had not, he caught us near the crags and attacked us, whilst we, Gollum and I, were fighting, you see we had lost our weapons when the Orgs took us, when I looked back Frodo was going into the Crags, I followed him, and Gollum followed me. When I got there, Frodo was at the edge and holding the ring, but he didn't drop it. He wouldn't, couldn't. At the last his will failed and he put it on. The Gollum came and attacked him; bit his finger off! I couldn't stand it. He fell; so happy to have it back he fell over the edge into the Fire pits. For all I say about him, Gandalf was right we couldn't have don it without him." Sam had a haunted look in his eyes as he recounted the tail, Aragorn was sorry to have to put him through it, but when needs must.

"Are you sure Gollum fell into the fire, he couldn't have survived?" Aragorn pressed.

"He is dead, even if he didn't fall he would have been killed when Mordor was destroyed." Sam said firmly. "Why do you ask me this?"

In response Aragorn got up and gestured them to follow him.