All she saw was lava and molten rock. She was above flying through it at a rapid pace. She was searching, desperately searching. He had to be here somewhere! Then she saw him. He lay on a rock in the middle of a lake of lava. He was filthy and he appeared to be dead.
"Frodo!" she called to him. "Frodo!" The hobbit opened his eyes and stared at her in wonder.
"Mariell," he rasped through dry cracked lips. Mariell opened her eyes and found Aragorn staring at her with fear in his eyes.
"He's alive," she cried jumping to her feet. "Frodo is alive"
"Come Mariell," Gandalf called to her. "You must show us where." Mariell asked no questions as Gandalf lifted her onto one of the eagles' backs. She held on tight as they soared to the river where Mount Doom once stood. Mariell was looking frantically over the river. She had seen him, he was alive she knew it.
"There!" she said pointing to the rock where Frodo and Sam lay. Gandalf brought his eagle down and the eagle Mariell rode followed. They jumped off onto the rock. Gandalf picked up Frodo and Mariell picked up Sam. Frodo's hand was bleeding and part of his finger was missing. Mariell was very curious as to what had happened but there would be time for questions later. Then they climbed back onto the eagles' backs and flew away.
"Miss Mariell," a pained voice said. Mariell looked down and saw Sam looking up at her.
"Miss Mariell," he said again. "Is that you"
"Yes, Sam it's me," Mariell said cradling the hobbit against her.
"It's over Mariell," he said.
"I know, Sam"
"I didn't leave Frodo. I didn't leave him"
"You did well Sam. You did very well."
Frodo opened his eyes and saw what looked like a ghost.
"Frodo!" the ghost called to him. He knew that voice.
"Mariell?" he rasped. It hurt to talk. The ghost disappeared and he was consumed by darkness. It strangled him and choked him. He clawed at it trying to find his way out. He saw a light ahead of him and he tried to reach it. He kept reaching, and reaching…and then he opened his eyes. He looked around him in wonder. White light everywhere. Was he dead? Was this heaven? He looked down at his hand, and saw the stub of his finger, where Gollum had bitten it off. There was a bandage on it. Spirits didn't wear bandages. He looked up then and saw a tall figure all in white. He looked familiar but Frodo could not believe it was who he thought.
"Gandalf?" he gasped not daring to believe the wizard was alive. Gandalf smiled at him. Then he laughed. Then Frodo laughed. He was alive! It was over! The ring was gone. He was alive, he had survived. A door opened and he saw Merry and Pippin. They cried out in glee when they saw him. Frodo yelled in happiness as they ran to him and jumped on his bed. They were all talking at once and couldn't understand each other but it didn't matter. They were here. Frodo looked up again as another figure came into the room.
"Gimli!" he cried out in joy at seeing the dwarf. Gimli laughed a deep mighty laugh and clapped his hands together. He moved aside as a tall being with long golden hair moved into the room. Frodo grinned at Legolas who smiled back. Behind him was Aragorn, looking very different from the last time he'd seen him.
"Aragorn," he said. Aragorn grinned down at him. Frodo looked past him searching for someone. He'd seen her before. She had to be here.
"Frodo," Aragorn said. "May I present my wife." Frodo's eyes widened as his sister moved into the room. For a moment he did not recognize her. Her tunic and trousers were gone and she wore a long red gown with big loose sleeves.
"Frodo," she breathed. It was her! She was here.
"Mariell!" he shouted jumping up. She ran to his bed and he flung his arms around her never wanting to let go.
"Frodo," she said squeezing him. "Oh Frodo"
"I saw you," he gasped. "I was lying there waiting for death to take me and then I saw you"
"It's all right, Frodo," she whispered. "Everything is all right now." Frodo grinned. Over Mariell's shoulder he saw Sam. He smiled at his loyal companion. Sam smiled back. Dear Sam, Frodo thought. There's no way I would be here if it wasn't for you. The next several hours were spent telling of all that had happened since the fellowship had broken up. Each of them had a story to tell. Throughout all of it, Frodo could not keep from sneaking glances at Mariell. My dear sister, he thought. At last you know who you are, and where you truly belong. The day got late and eventually everyone left him to get some rest. Mariell sat with him holding his hand. Frodo thoughtfully ran his finger over Aragorn's ring.
"So you and Aragorn?" he asked her. Mariell nodded a huge grin on her face.
"Yes," she said. "He and I have come a long way from our first meeting in Bree"
"We all have," Frodo said thoughtfully. "I am happy for you. He is a good man. Though I find the idea of you being Queen of Gondor a bit strange." Mariell laughed.
"It will take some getting used to," she admitted.
"I imagine a lot of things you learned about yourself will take some getting used to," Frodo said. He still found it unbelievable that Mariell was Sauron's heir. He never in his life could have imagined such a thing.
"Yes," Mariell said. "When Gandalf told me the truth I was ready to fling myself off of a tower and fall to my death. But then Aragorn was there to remind me of all I have to live for. And that there is good in this world and those that are willing to do whatever it takes to keep evil from winning." Frodo felt a stab of guilt at her words. He looked down at his stub. Forever it would remind him of what he had nearly done. It would remind him of his failure.
"Mariell," he said. "I could not tell the others of this, but I want to tell you. I want you to know the truth"
"All right," Mariell said.
"When Sam and I got to the top of the Mountain, Gollum was waiting for us. Sam managed to hold him off while I ran to the edge. I was ready to throw the ring in and end it all. I stood there with it in my hand, Sam yelling at me to throw it in. But then I couldn't"
"What do you mean you couldn't?" Mariell asked him gently. That her voice held no contempt made it harder to say what he had to.
"I couldn't destroy it, Mariell. I had carried it for so long it had become a part of me. Even though I knew it was evil I could not destroy it. I put it on and tried to run away. But then Gollum grabbed me and bit my finger off," as he said it the pain flashed through his mind, "he took the ring. I sat there with blood gushing from my stump while he danced around with it. All I could think about was getting it back. I ran at him trying to wrestle it from his grubby hand. We both went over the edge. Gollum fell into the fire with the ring but I managed to hold on. Sam pulled me up and we ran out of there." He heaved a huge breath as he finished the story.
"So you see Mariell, I failed. Destroying the ring was my task and I failed." He rolled away from her as the tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Oh Frodo," she said gently. He felt her lay down on the bed beside him, and her arms go around him.
"It should have been me, Frodo. I should have taken the ring. Or I at least should have been with you"
"Yes," Frodo sniffled. "You would not have failed. You would have been able to resist it. I couldn't. I was weak"
"No," Mariell said. "You weren't. You were so strong and so brave to take the ring as far as you did. There are not many who could have"
"You could have," he said. Mariell sighed and squeezed him tight.
"Gandalf told me once, that not all things in this world are the work of evil. But everything happens for a reason. Bilbo was meant to find the ring, which means you were also meant to have it. I know you feel like you failed Frodo, but I do not see it that way. You survived. The ring is gone; Sauron is defeated and we are alive to celebrate it. That is not failure to me." Frodo turned over and looked at his sister.
"You always were smarter than me, weren't you?" Mariell giggled and tickled him until he begged for mercy.