Faramir and his men dragged Frodo, Sam, Tosh, and Vorazun on their way to Osgiliath. The men tied Gollum's hand and dragged it with the rope. "Look! Osgiliath burns! Mordor has come," said one of the men.

"The Ring will not save Gondor. It has only the power to destroy," Frodo stated the fact to Faramir. "Please let me go."

"Hurry," the captain ignored the hobbit.

"Faramir! You must let me go!"

"Faramir, listen to him," said Vorazun but it was useless.

"Frodo! You'll need stronger argument points to talk him out of this," said Tosh.

When they arrived to the ruined city, a battle was going on as boulders flew from the enemy and arrows flying towards both sides. "Faramir! Orcs have taken the eastern shore. Their numbers are too great. By nightfall, we will be overrun," a grey-haired man reported.

"Mr. Frodo?" said Sam.

"It's calling to him, Sam. His Eye is almost on me," Frodo whispered.

"Hold on, Mr. Frodo. You'll be all right."

"Take them to my father. Tell him Faramir sends a mighty gift. A weapon that will change our fortunes in this war," Faramir ordered.

"Do you want to know what happened to Boromir? You want to know why your brother died?" Sam caught the men's attention. "He tried to take the Ring from Frodo after swearing an oath to protect him! He tried to kill him! The Ring drove your brother mad!"

"The Ring will never be on your side and will never help you against the hybrid!" said Vorazun.

"Hybrid?" Faramir was baffled.

"Those are the creatures that are not of this world and were bred in Mordor. You always thought the Ring will help you, but it is helping the enemies including hybrids to win," Vorazun stated the fact and left the men out of words.

"You cannot wield it. None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master," Tosh recalled Aragorn's words.

"Watch out!" a man shouted as a boulder destroyed a structure.

"Mr. Frodo?" said Sam as Frodo was losing control of himself.

"They're here. They've come," said Frodo who was being controlled by the Ring.

"Nazgul!" Faramir shouted as there was a blood-curtailing screech. A Ringwraith on Fellbeast had arrived causing the captain to drag Frodo somewhere else. "Stay here, keep out of sight," he ordered at the time the men let go of Sam, Tosh, and Vorazun. "Take cover!"

"What are you doing?" Sam asked as Frodo walked out.

"Frodo's losing control," said Tosh.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked but there was no reply.

Frodo went to a walkway upstairs causing the Ringwraith to fly the Fellbeast towards him. "We got to stop him," said Vorazun as Frodo was about to put in the Ring and Faramir was watching.

Sam leapt at Frodo causing them to roll downstairs and Faramir released an arrow on the Fellbeast. Tosh fired one round from his AGR28 rifle at the Ringwraith and the gunfire drew the men's attention. Frodo rolled Sam to his supine position and drew Sting. Vorazun stood between the two and pushed Frodo aside. "Get back to your senses, Frodo. You nearly killed your best friend," said the Dark Templar matriarch. This caused Frodo to back away and leaned against a wall sitting down while dropping Sting.

"I can't do this," said Frodo after regaining control.

"I know. It's all wrong. By rights, we shouldn't even be here. But we are," Sam said sadly watching the Ringwraith on Fellbeast retreating. "It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something."

"What are we holding on to, Sam?" Frodo asked.

Sam noticed Gollum heard everything and helped his friend back onto his feet. "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for."

Faramir and his men walked towards the hobbits. "I think at last we understand one another, Frodo Baggins," said the captain.

"You know the laws of our country, the laws of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit," the grey-haired man gave a reminder with concern.

"Then it is forfeit, release them," Faramir ordered and showed Frodo's group a passage. "This is the old sewer. Runs right under the river through to the edge of the city. You'll find cover in the woods there."

"Captain Faramir, you have shown your quality, sir. The very highest," said Sam.

"The Shire must truly be a great realm, Master Gamgee, where gardeners are held in high honor. What road will you take once you reach the woods?" the captain then asked.

"Gollum says there's a path near Minas Morgul that climbs up into the mountains," Frodo replied.

"Cirith Ungol?" Faramir then grabbed Gollum on the neck. "Is that its name?"

"No. No! Yes," the creature replied.

"Frodo, they say a dark terror dwells in the passes above Minas Morgul. You cannot go that way," Faramir warned.

"It is the only way. Master says we must go to Mordor, so we must try," said Gollum causing the captain to eye Frodo.

"I must," Frodo confirmed causing Faramir to let go of Gollum.

"Go, Frodo. Go with the goodwill of all Men," said the captain.

"Thank you."

Faramir grabbed Gollum's neck, "May death find you quickly if you bring them to harm."

"Faramir, should Sauron and Amon strike, expect reinforcements from the other Protoss, my kind. They will help you on this coming war. Tell your people that," said Vorazun.

"My people, Mr. Jim Raynor, and his men will aid you on this war. The combined forces of your men, our men, and the Protoss will be sufficient to repel Sauron and Amon," said Tosh.

"I'll see to that," said Faramir as the spectre and Dark Templar rejoined the others in the old sewer.

"Come on, keep up," Sam said to Gollum. "Mr. Frodo didn't mean for them Rangers to hurt you. You know that, don't you? He was trying to save you, see?"

"Save me?"

"So there's no hard feelings. Forgive and forget."

"No, no, no hard feelings. Gollum, Gollum. Yes, master. Nice hobbits."

"Very decent of you. Very decent, indeed, Gollum."

Frodo, Sam, Tosh, Vorazun, and Gollum made it into the woods outside of Osgiliath. "I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales," said Sam.

"What?" Frodo asked.

"I wonder if people will ever say, 'Let's hear about Frodo and the Ring.'

And they'll say, 'Yes! That's one of my favorite stories.'

'Frodo was really courageous, wasn't he, Dad?'

'Yes, my boy. The most famousest of Hobbits. And that's saying a lot.'"

"Well, you've left out one of the chief characters: Samwise the Brave. 'I want to hear more about Sam.' Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam."

"Now, Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't make fun. I was being serious."

"So was I."

"Sam, you'll be the true hero of the tales," said Vorazun.

"You think so?"

"Certainly."

"That's why Samwise the Brave suits you," said Tosh.

"Thanks," said Sam.

"Smeagol? We're not going to wait for you. Come on," Frodo shouted.

"Master. Master looks after us. Master wouldn't hurt us. Master broke his promise. Don't ask Smeagol. Poor, poor Smeagol. Master betrayed us. Wicked. Tricksy. False. We ought to wring his filthy little neck. Kill him! Kill him! Kill them all! And then we take the precious and we be the master! But the fat Hobbit, the strange man, and … whatever, they know. Eyes always watching. Then we stabs them out. Put out their eyeses and make them crawl. Yes. Yes. Yes. Kill them all. Yes. No! No! It's too risky. It's too risky. Where is he? Where has he gone?" Gollum talked to himself.

"Hey, Gollum! Where are you?" Sam shouted.

"Smeagol?" Frodo shouted.

"We could let her do it. Yes. She could do it. Yes, precious, she could. And then we takes it once they're dead. Once they're dead," the creature then showed itself. "Come on, Hobbits. Long ways to go yet. Smeagol will show you the way. Follow me."

Author's Note

The next chapter will be on the battle you have all been waiting for.