Ganol entered carrying a tray with tea on it. As be began to poor a cup, his adopted father's voice weakly said, "No, I desire nothing to drink or eat. I only wish to tell you my will before I die." Ganol walked over and waited for Frodo to continue. A deep cough erupted from Frodo before he continued, "Son, look under my bed, in a dark chest. You will find something I fear you may need in the near future"
Ganol peered curiously under the bed for the chest and found it. As he opened it he silently gasped as he found an old legend, Sting. Frodo told many stories of this sword, but said he lost it on his return home. Now Ganol held it in his hands. Also in the chest he found the mythril that saved Frodo's life from the cave troll in the Mines of Moria. Ganol peered at his father, he simply smiled and said, "My son, times are coming when darkness will again try to consume the world of Middle Earth. Even now my old bones tell me evil is growing somewhere near. Perhaps in Rivendell or in the Great Mountain Pass. But where ever it is, it is growing rapidly, and I fear for the Shire's safety"
Ganol finally spoke to his father by saying, "Father, what can I do but farm a field and make food for you? I have no training with a blade, nor any combat for that matter"
Frodo still smiled as he said, "Neither did I when I embarked on my journey to Mordor. But as I continued, my skills honed quickly"
Ganol gathered his father was saying that he already had them as a trait by listening to his stories of courage. He pulled the sword out of its dusty sheathe and looked at the encarved writing upon the blade.
Translating, Ganol read, "Sting, The Orc Killer, hereby stands to cut down any orc nearing the blade with desire for blood. It will alarm any of coming danger"
Frodo coughed again, breaking Ganol's thoughts, and said weaker than before, "My son..." and closed his eyes. Peacefully he crossed over to the other side, still smiling at his son.
Ganol wept and mourned for weeks before finally allowing anything social. Most of the time, his great friend Theor visited him at breakfast and stayed until supper or dinner. Ganol found Theor was his only way to a comfort of his father's death. Slowly he arranged a funeral for his already buried father.
The day of the funeral arrived, and over a thousand friends of Frodo came to weep and mourn with Ganol. Even Theor broke and cried with him. After the service, Ganol had retreated to his house and found solitude. When he glimpsed in his living room, he saw the blade and mithryl sitting. He walked to them and felt them. As he picked up the sword, something flashed in the corner of the sheathe, something faint.
Suddenly an arrow whizzed by him and stuck in the wall. He drew the blade and saw the bright glow of Sting. Orcs had come to the Shire and wanted revenge on the one who killed their leader. Ganol burst out the door to see slain Hobbots laying scattered on the street. Theor himself ran and hid with a large gash in his arm. Another arrow zoomed over Ganol's head as he turned to see his asassin. An Uruk-hai no doubt. A so called "perfected Orc" in Frodo's words. He ran at him with no thought what-so-ever but as to kill the beast.
Surely enough, the Orc Killer fullfilled its promise and split the heart of the Orc, who snarled and fell. Looking around quickly, he glanced in time to see a small child hobbit be cut down by an orc, who cut the head off of the young one and shoved it on a spike with others. Ganol lost all control. In a flash of fury, he began sprinting as fast as his little legs could carry him, cutting down every orc who he neared.
Finally, any orcs left fled from the scene. Whoever had sent the orcs had obviously not worried about any retaliation. But one single hobbit had managed to cut down over fifty orcs, who could only manage to kill a dozen or two hobbits. Slowly and reluctantly, all the rest of the hobbits emerged from their hiding, crying over the loss of their loved ones.
Ganol could not bear the sight, but he knew he could not escape it. He knew it was inevitable now, but he vowed then that in the future he would prevent it to his best ability. He now began to piece together a riddle his father had told him:
One day you will be Stronger than you can now see Courage will be your only guide And be able to turn the darkened tide
Ganol crossed the road to Theor and with a stern look, said, "I am leaving." And without time to respond, Theor watched his lifetime friend walking away.
Theor rushed to catch up and replied, "Not without me." He picked up a stick by his feet and began to walk beside Ganol.
Ganol, not even slowing his pace or looking any other direction than foward, said back to him, "Stop now Theor. This is my destiny and mine only." His pace slowly picked up but Theor persisted until Ganol stopped and said, "You aren't going to stop, are you Theor"
Theor shrugged and answered, "Do I look like I'm going to let you run into danger by yourself?" He then laid his hand out, gesturing to the long path that wound ahead of them. "Besides, you're going to want someone to talk to on all of that"
Ganol smiled and began to laugh. "Theor, I'm glad you are here." He then, next to Theor, marched on.
A week passed before they came to their first destination, a town named Taronville. It was a mostly human town with a few scattered farms. Smoke billowed out of the town. Ganol quickly realized they had been attacked either before the Shire was or after by the retreating orcs as a tease.
Theor put a hand on his friend's shoulder, hoping to console him just by a glance.
"Theor, the Army of Middle Earth Diplomacy needs men. I'm asking as a friend who does not want to see you die that you stay here," Ganol said turning to Theor.
Theor simply held his ground and stated, "And I am saying as a friend who will not leave your side that I will go where you go no matter what"
Ganol simply frowned and began inside the town, Theor not letting himself fall to walk behind his friend. No dead could be seen, but none alive could be seen either. Ganol quickly gathered why.