Faramir walked over to Eowyn and the hobbits, and their smiles vanished as they gazed upon his worried face.

"What is the matter, Faramir?" Eowyn asked.

Slowly, these words came from his lips, "I have bad news."

Chapter 6: Goodbye

Faramir walked over to Eowyn and the hobbits, and their smiles vanished as they gazed upon his worried face.

"What is the matter, Faramir?" Eowyn asked.

Slowly, these words came from his lips, "I have bad news."

Frodo was deeply concerned. "What do you mean, Faramir?" He questioned. His mind was a fury of the possible answers the steward's son could give, but Frodo assumed that the burdensome Ring he carried around his neck played a major part in whatever Faramir was about to say.

"Frodo," Faramir took a deep breath and continued, "Do you still have the Ring?"

The reply Frodo gave him was filled with fear, "Yes."

There was a moment of silence. A moment that seemed to Frodo like hours.

Faramir finally broke the silence with one simple word. "Good."

His pace quickened as he relayed to the hobbits and Eowyn the events of the past few minutes with his father. He then told Frodo of his plan, "You must leave Gondor. Quickly! I will arrange to sneak you out past the city walls. Then you can be on your way. It will take a short while to get the escape planned so that Denethor knows nothing of your departure, but you need to be ready in one third of an hour. For now, stay here and keep out of sight. I will return for you soon."

With that, Faramir concluded his instructions and darted out the door. As the door shut behind him, Eowyn said to Frodo. "While you get your things packed, I will gather some food and supplies for you. We must hurry." As she opened the door to leave, she strained her neck to take a last look at her hobbit friends before she left. Her heart went out to Frodo. In his deep blue eyes she saw the hurt that he faced. She imagined it was the same look he gave his cousins Merry and Pippin as he left them behind at the River Anduin. Now he was forced into the same situation again, and she understood how much it pained Frodo to do what he must.

Eowyn wished she could do something to ease Frodo's pain, but at the same time she knew that there was nothing she could do. Her eyes fell to the floor to avoid Frodo's sorrowful eyes. She took a quick look at Sam and said, "I'll return as soon as possible."

As Eowyn vanished and the door slid closed behind her, Frodo's gaze shifted toward Sam. He was painfully making his way to the edge of the oversized bed. Before Frodo could say a word, his loyal gardener interrupted him. "I'll be ready in half a minute. Then I'll help you with your things, Mr. Frodo."

Frodo's misty blue eyes followed Sam as he tried to force himself to stand upon his weak legs. Tears began to fill Sam's eyes as he failed to stand upright. He fell back onto the edge of the bed that held him captive.

"Sam." Frodo began as a tear slid down his cheek. "You can't go with me, Sam.

"But I have to take care of you, Mr. Frodo." Sam protested, "I made a promise to Mr. Gandalf. You can't go on alone!"

"Sam, you're not well. I know you want to help, but you can't help me. Not this time, Sam. Eowyn will take care of you, and maybe you can go back to the Shire." Frodo tried his best not to show Sam that he was completely terrified at the thought of completing the Quest alone. He knew that he was doing what was best for his dear friend.

"But you need me, Mr. Frodo!" Sam insisted.

Although his heart was trembling, Frodo was firm in his response. "No, Sam. I'm going on alone."

Sam buried his face in his hands and sobbed at the realization of Frodo's plan.

Tears raced down Frodo's cheeks as he put his hand on Sam's weak shoulder. Sam's tearstained eyes looked up at his beloved master. "I'll miss you greatly." Frodo confessed as he embraced Sam in his arms. "My dear Sam."

The two sat for a moment, lost in the deepness of the friendship that was being torn apart. Frodo longed with all his heart that none of this had to happen, and that Sam was well enough to go with him, but he knew that his health would not hold up under such a dangerous journey and he must complete the task given to him, alone.

TBC