Disclaimer: All Star Trek related characters and concepts belong to Paramount; all Lord of the Rings related characters and concepts belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. I am merely borrowing them.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
THE SHADOW RIDERS
Epilogue
In western lands beneath the Sun
The flowers may rise in Spring,
The trees may bud, the waters run,
The merry finches sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
And swaying beeches bear
The Elven-stars as jewels white
Amid their branches fair.
Though here at journey's end I lie
In darkness buried deep,
Beyond all towers strong and high,
Beyond all mountains steep,
Above all shadows rides the Sun,
And Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
Nor bid the Stars farewell.
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
He stood alone on the shore, the waves lapping at his feet, and looked out over the water to the horizon. The sun drew close to the boundary between water and sky, lighting up the clouds with brilliant streaks of red and gold like tongues of flame licking across the firmament, and the sight brought tears to the old man's eyes.
In one hand he held a smooth, round stone, glimmering with some inexplicable light, and in the other he carried a photograph of a man and woman on their long-ago wedding day, their faces alight with joy. He remembered the ceremony with a surge of joy, and a tinge of sadness that the woman in the picture no longer stood beside him. They had spoken their wedding vows in a language known to no one else in the universe and worn a suit and dress like no other in their time.
Their days had been long and filled with love and laughter, with friends and children. But at last the beautiful fellowship had come to an end, as all things must, and he had known that his tasks were complete, and an end was come of the story and song of their times.
He looked out to the sea, and on the waters there appeared a white ship, coming swiftly over the waves. He waited as it approached the shore, and waded out to meet it, leaving the black stone on the sand behind him.
"You have been a long time coming, tórdilthen," said the figure who held out a hand for him to clamber over the rail.
"But I have come after all," he replied, bowing low. And he saw upon the other's hand that a Ring shone, with a stone as red as fire, and he was glad to know that this one was taking ship with him.
"All is now ready," said the shipmaster, coming forth to greet them. Very tall he was, and his beard was long, and he was grey and old, save that his eyes were keen as stars; and he looked at them and bowed.
"The Road goes ever on and on," the old man replied, looking once more at the picture in his hand and then turning his eyes to the West.
"It has waited for you," said the other. "At last all who dwelt in Middle- earth shall cross the Straight Road, and after our passing the way shall be shut forever. Let us go in peace. I will not say, my friend, do not weep, for not all tears are evil."
And indeed, the old man blinked away a tear as the shore drew farther away; the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth; and the light of the palantír on the beach glimmered and was lost.
And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain the old man smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the song of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.
On the shore the palantîr lay as the evening deepened into darkness, hearing only the sigh and murmur of the waves on the shore of Middle-earth, from which no boat ever again set sail, and from which the Straight Road never again bore a rider in its shadow.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
I would like to thank everyone who reviewed this story and stuck with it for the long haul. Your comments were very much appreciated and welcomed.
All the information about Middle-earth was taken from The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Sauron Defeated, Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia, and The Atlas of Middle-earth, the latter two of which are excellent resources for information about all things Tolkien. Movie dialogue was taken from the excellent transcripts at www.seatofkings.net, which I highly recommend as they are very accurate and well-done.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
THE SHADOW RIDERS
Epilogue
In western lands beneath the Sun
The flowers may rise in Spring,
The trees may bud, the waters run,
The merry finches sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
And swaying beeches bear
The Elven-stars as jewels white
Amid their branches fair.
Though here at journey's end I lie
In darkness buried deep,
Beyond all towers strong and high,
Beyond all mountains steep,
Above all shadows rides the Sun,
And Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
Nor bid the Stars farewell.
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
He stood alone on the shore, the waves lapping at his feet, and looked out over the water to the horizon. The sun drew close to the boundary between water and sky, lighting up the clouds with brilliant streaks of red and gold like tongues of flame licking across the firmament, and the sight brought tears to the old man's eyes.
In one hand he held a smooth, round stone, glimmering with some inexplicable light, and in the other he carried a photograph of a man and woman on their long-ago wedding day, their faces alight with joy. He remembered the ceremony with a surge of joy, and a tinge of sadness that the woman in the picture no longer stood beside him. They had spoken their wedding vows in a language known to no one else in the universe and worn a suit and dress like no other in their time.
Their days had been long and filled with love and laughter, with friends and children. But at last the beautiful fellowship had come to an end, as all things must, and he had known that his tasks were complete, and an end was come of the story and song of their times.
He looked out to the sea, and on the waters there appeared a white ship, coming swiftly over the waves. He waited as it approached the shore, and waded out to meet it, leaving the black stone on the sand behind him.
"You have been a long time coming, tórdilthen," said the figure who held out a hand for him to clamber over the rail.
"But I have come after all," he replied, bowing low. And he saw upon the other's hand that a Ring shone, with a stone as red as fire, and he was glad to know that this one was taking ship with him.
"All is now ready," said the shipmaster, coming forth to greet them. Very tall he was, and his beard was long, and he was grey and old, save that his eyes were keen as stars; and he looked at them and bowed.
"The Road goes ever on and on," the old man replied, looking once more at the picture in his hand and then turning his eyes to the West.
"It has waited for you," said the other. "At last all who dwelt in Middle- earth shall cross the Straight Road, and after our passing the way shall be shut forever. Let us go in peace. I will not say, my friend, do not weep, for not all tears are evil."
And indeed, the old man blinked away a tear as the shore drew farther away; the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth; and the light of the palantír on the beach glimmered and was lost.
And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain the old man smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the song of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.
On the shore the palantîr lay as the evening deepened into darkness, hearing only the sigh and murmur of the waves on the shore of Middle-earth, from which no boat ever again set sail, and from which the Straight Road never again bore a rider in its shadow.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
I would like to thank everyone who reviewed this story and stuck with it for the long haul. Your comments were very much appreciated and welcomed.
All the information about Middle-earth was taken from The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Sauron Defeated, Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia, and The Atlas of Middle-earth, the latter two of which are excellent resources for information about all things Tolkien. Movie dialogue was taken from the excellent transcripts at www.seatofkings.net, which I highly recommend as they are very accurate and well-done.