Alternate Endings...

Yes, this is my short story about an ALTERNATE journey of Frodo, Sam, and Sméagol/Gollum, Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli. This story is purely fiction, but wouldn't it be cool if it was really part of the story?!

The Black Gate is Closed

(4th paragraph, page 622)

The two hobbits gazed at the towers and the wall in despair. Even from a distance they could see in the dim light the movement of the black guards upon the wall, and the patrols before the gate. They lay now peering over the edge of a rocky hollow beneath the outstretched shadow of the northmost buttress of Ephel Dúath. Winging the heavy air in a straight flight a crow, maybe, would have flown but a furlong from their hiding-place to the black summit of the nearer tower. A faint smoke curled above it, as if fire smouldered in the hill beneath.

Day came, and the fallow sun blinked over the lifeless ridges of Ered Lithui. Then suddenly the cry of brazen-throated trumpets was heard: from the watch-towers they blared, and far away from hidden holds and outposts ominous, there echoed in the hollow land beyond the mighty horns and drums of Barad-dûr. Another dreadful day of fear and toil had come to Mordor; and the night-guards were summoned to their dungeons and deep halls, and the day-guards, evil-eyed and fell, were marching to their posts. Steel gleamed dimly on the battlement.

'Well, here we are!' said Sam. 'Here's the Gate, and it looks to me as if that's about as far as we are ever going to get. My word, but the Gaffer would have a thing or two to say, if he saw me now! Often said I'd come to a bad end, if I didn't watch my step, he did. But now I don't suppose I'll ever see the old fellow again. He'll miss his chance of I told 'ee so, Sam: more's the pity. He could go on telling me as long as he'd got breath, if only I could see his old face again. But I'd have to get a wash first, or he wouldn't know me.

'I suppose it's not good asking "what way do we go now?" We can't go no further – unless we want to ask the Orcs for a lift.'

'No, no!' said Gollum. 'No use. We can't go further. Sméagol said so. He said: we'll go to the Gate, and then we'll see. And we do see. O yes, my precious, we do see. Sméagol knew hobbits could not go this way. O yes, Sméagol knew.'

'Then what the plague did you bring us here for?' said Sam, not feeling in the mood to be just or reasonable.

'Master said so. Master says: Bring us to the Gate. So good Sméagol does. Master said so, wise master.'

'I did,' said Frodo. His face was grim and set, but resolute. He was filthy, haggard, and pinched with weariness, but he cowered no longer, and his eyes were clear. 'I said so, because I purpose to enter Mordor, and I know no other way. I do not ask anymore to go with me.'

'No, no master!' wailed Gollum, pawing at him, and seeming in great distress. 'No use that way! No use! Don't take the Precious to Him! He'll eat us all, if He gets it, eat all the world. Keep it, nice master, and be kind to Sméagol. Yes, yes, master give it back, eh? Sméagol will keep it safe; he will do lots of good, especially to the nice hobbits. Hobbits go home. Don't go to the Gate!'

'I am commanded to go to the land of Mordor, and therefore I shall go,' said Frodo. 'If there is only one way, then I must take it. Whatever come after must come.'

In the lower parts of the barren land, unnoticed by the quarreling hobbits, she listened intently. She gasped, eyes widening.

'The Ring of Power...' she whispered absentmindedly.

But the enemy had senses far greater than that of Men, and more terrible a strength. With a scream, she was lifted by one leg into the air, brought face-to-face with the very essence of nightmares.

Frodo whipped around to see a elven girl being carried away by the armies of Mordor, into the very gates. Without thinking, he ran down the slopes towards the cursed minions of Sauron.

'Mr. Frodo!' Sam cried, following him down the hillside.

Sméagol wailed and began speaking in inane babbles as he watched the two hobbits run towards the Black Gate.

Frodo reached the army first, but as they halted to turn to see the true fury of the seemingly insignificant hobbit at its worst.

He plunged sting into the stomach of the creature that held the elf, carrying her with great speed up the hill. His breaths came in great gasps as he reached the top, laying the unconscious elf carefully out of sight. But he soon noticed the absence of Sam. He gazed down the hillside, only to find that his friend was gone.

'Sam!' he cried in a hushed voice. No reply came, verifying the inevitable. Then, ask if from an answered prayer, his hand sprang up and grasped Frodo's tightly. Sméagol hid with the elf girl, whimpering softly. Then, silence fell over them as the sound of footsteps filled the stale air.

Two from the army approached; Frodo quickly drew his elven cloak over Sam and himself. The cloak camouflaged them as a boulder, but still the two remained, searching for them.

Had not the horn of Mordor been blown to call the army to the gate, they may have been caught and killed, and their quest ended; but fate had smiled upon them once again, giving Frodo a glimmer of hope for the task at hand. He let out a sigh as soon as the gates had closed, removing the cloak and rising from the ground.

'Sméagol!' Frodo said, walking towards the girl, 'have you kept her safe?'

'Yes, master, we has,' said Gollum, 'nasty elf things she wears.'

Frodo ignored this, instead he knelt on the ground, picking her up slowly. She was neither a young girl nor elf-kind. She was a hobbit, certainly not a young girl, but younger than himself. She had reddish-brown hair and bright green-grey eyes that reminded him very much of the beauty of the elves. Her ears seemed to be neither elf nor hobbit, but somewhere between the two races, though he was certain by her height she could not be of any elf realm.

Sam sat beside Frodo, gazing down on her.

'She's an angel, that's what she is,' he said in awe. 'How could a hobbit look like that?'

'She could be like Aragorn, brought up by the elves,' said Frodo. 'That would explain her weapons, as well as all her clothes.' He paused a while, examining them closely. 'This is from Mirkwood, I remember the tunics they wore at the council in Rivendell, though it seems more like a warrior's than that of a princess...'

Finally, she awoke, gazing at them with a look of fright.

'No!' she said, trying to escape his grasp.

Frodo tried to keep her from running away, holding her arms to her sides with great difficulty.

'No! We don't want to hurt you! They are gone!'

She seemed defeated after a while of struggling in his grasp.

'Will you bring me to Him?' she said, glaring at Frodo.

'To take that path would bring our quest and Middle-Earth to an end,' said Frodo reassuringly, 'We will do all that is in our power to prevent the doom of our world."

'Frodo Baggins,' said the hobbit, smiling, 'Then it is you I heard. It is you who will bring the One Ring to Mordor?'

'Wait just a minute,' Sam said angrily, 'how do you know about our quest?'

'I heard much in Mirkwood from the Prince.'

'Legolas?" Frodo gazed at her in wonder, 'You know of him?'

'Yes,' she replied, 'I know much of Mirkwood. I fled there when I was a child and I long to return. Legolas Greenleaf told me of you and your quest just before he left for the Council of Elrond. The elves know many things long before they are even discussed. It is their way.'

'She will take the precious,' Gollum hissed, 'wicked elf, she is. Not like nice hobbitses. Leave her here, master. She will kill us and take it to Him, yes, precious, she will...'

'Enough!' Frodo said, anger rising in his voice, 'We will not leave her. She can help us on the way to Mordor.'

Gollum muttered incoherently and hissed to himself, disappearing behind the rocks.

'He'll be back, the maggot,' muttered Sam, 'but don't you worry about him, miss.'

She nodded. 'I don't believe I understand Gollum well, but I have heard he is terribly dangerous.'

'What is your name?' said Frodo, releasing her from his grasp as he stood near Sam.

'I am Nenya,' she said, rising to her feet, 'named for the Ring of Galadriel. Legolas tells me that he gave me this name as a child, but I know for certain it was Haldir who had first told him of this name. I have known Legolas ever since I could speak, or even sing. Many elves can sing even before they can speak.

'It is a very different world than this, the realm of the elves, full of beauty and joy beyond compare. But there will now come a great sadness as they leave for the undying lands, the Grey Havens. I wish to join them, for that is where I am truly with my kin.'

'What is Legolas to you?' said Sam, still cautious of the elf.

'Nin mellon,(my friend)' she sighed, 'nin meleth.(my love)'

Frodo nodded. Sam stared at her in disbelief.

'A hobbit and an elf... ridiculous...' he muttered.

'And what, Samwise Gamgee, do you find so ridiculous about that?' sneered Nenya.

'...The.. forget all about it, miss. Doesn't matter...'

Frodo seemed to take this harshly, and said, 'Please, don't let him bother you, miss. He doesn't understand the ways of elves.'

'Why do you keep me at such a distance?' said Nenya, watching Sam walk away.

Frodo could easily answer this, though his heart told him not to. It seemed almost ridiculous to tell her of Sméagol and his hatred for elves.

He paused, then attempted to explain. 'Well... Gollum- Sméagol, I mean, is a tortured soul. My cousin Bilbo–"

'I know the stories,' she said quickly, 'all the stories of the Ring and its travels. But.. Oh. I see. You are afraid that Gollum will try to harm me? Well I can assure you, Mr. Frodo- there is no force of nature in this world that can harm me.

'Please,' said Frodo, 'Will you help us on our journey? I cannot guarantee that you will be rested or fed, but your presence may help us to be light of heart, and sound of mind.'

'I bring food as well,' Nenya grinned, eyes alight, 'and my own weaponry- from both Legolas and Celeborn. The Lady of the Wood sends greetings to the Ring bearer, and tells me not to lose hope; the Company has divided, but their fate is shared.'

'This quest belongs to us- the Fellowship. We can't take you along,' said Sam coldly.

'But do you not rely on Gollum as your guide? He certainly is not one of the nine companions,' she laughed.

Sam continued to his business, muttering every so often. 'Don't like this one bit, no... Can't take any more strangers with us, even if she is a hobbit.'

For the first time in days, Frodo smiled broadly, watching Nenya take out loaves of bread, among other foods, herbs, flasks of water, hunting knives, and, of course, lembas. 'I told you, Frodo- I bring food. Most of this was taken from Lothlórien, but then again, it seems that you've had more than your share of lembas already.'

It was nightfall when Sméagol finally appeared. The sky was jet black and stars scattered across it, cloudless and serene. They decided to rest for the night near the edges of what forest they could find. Frodo lay in the shadows near Sam, looking over at the sleeping form of Nenya draped in the elven cloak.

'She really is an angel, Sam,' he sighed, 'I know you can't hear me, but she truly is. But I wonder of her connection with Legolas, it seems odd the way she rarely speaks of him, save this morning.'

'Well I don't like her, Mr. Frodo. She's too much like a spy, and not enough like a hobbit,' Sam growled, apparently wide awake.

'Goodnight, Sam,' sighed Frodo, trying to ignore his friend's anger.

Nenya slept peacefully, though her dreams were haunted by the past.

*dream sequence*

He watched Nenya from the veil of trees as she sang to herself, walking through the forest. Her eyes glowed beautifully in the moonlight, reflecting the rays as she went down the path to the glittering banks of the Anduin.

Suddenly, he let out a sigh. 'Nenya, nin meleth.'

The familiar voice of Legolas sent shivers up her spine, though her face remained calm. She turned to him.

'Sneaking up on me, are you?' she smiled.

He came into the clearing, picking her up in his arms, drawing her close. 'I didn't want you to be out in the forest all alone. Why were you?'

'I am never alone,' she said, looking into his eyes, 'You are always with me, Legolas. And so I am right! No matter where I am, I know that you're there...'

'Yes...' he smiled.

'Hiding in the bushes, like a frightened child!'

'Yes.... HEY!' Legolas chuckled, beaming.

He carried her through the gardens of Mirkwood, now at a run.

'LEGOLAS! NO!!!' she shrieked with joy.

Then, he slipped suddenly. She grasped a branch above his head, swinging up onto it. Nenya jumped down from the branch into his arms, pinning him to the ground. Laughter rang clear in the air, the very embodiment of mirth. The night seemed alive, bathing them perfectly in the radiant light of the moon. All that mattered at that moment was Nenya, Legolas and the trees which hid them from the ever-watchful eyes of the elves beyond the forest.

Suddenly, his lips brushed against hers, enraptured in the warm embrace of each other's arms. He deepened the kiss, leaving them both breathless.

'Gerish nin meleth,*' she gasped, 'tonight and forever...'

She removed his tunic, looking from his pale chest to his slender waist to his grey-blue eyes, which glowed slightly when she kissed him at the nape of his neck. She quickly undressed, draping her clothes on the ground beside them. He laid a trail of soft kisses on her neck, up to the tip of her ear, touching it slightly with his tongue. A soft moan escaped her lips, but he looked around quickly to make sure that none of the elves had been spying. She nodded as he took her close in his arms, smiling softly at the look of longing in his eyes. As they lay bare in the shelter of the leaves, so began the night that they would never forget through all the ages of the world.

*end dream sequence*

Legolas opened his eyes slowly, waking all too soon from his dreams of his love.

'Legolas,' Aragorn said softly.

He stirred, realizing he had fallen asleep in the field of simbelmyne, leaning his head against the tomb of the kings of Rohan.

'You've been dreaming about her again, Legolas.'

'I have,' he replied solemnly. 'I feel her presence constantly, as though she was hiding, waiting for me amid the trees...'

'I see how it pains you, my friend; before this journey has ended, you will see Nenya again- no matter how great the cost. For now, we must attend the burial of Théodred.'

Legolas walked silently through the simbelmyne, thinking of the dream he'd had; it seemed so distant now, those days in Mirkwood. He had so few cares then. Now, the existence of his kin may be at stake, of Nenya... He would do all that was in his power to aid the hobbits and their guide on their road.

Aragorn hadn't noticed Théodred's lifeless body pass by, his thoughts and attention went to Legolas. He had grown more melancholy over the past few days, through the dreams of Nenya. He suffered terribly, and Aragorn feared that he would soon perish if he did not see his love again. He could die more easily of a broken heart than of a wound in battle, Aragorn thought.

At dusk, they feasted and discussed the fate of Rohan with Théoden King. But Legolas was far away from Rohan in his mind.

*dream sequence*

Nenya sat at the bank of the Anduin, dipping her feet in the crystal-clear water that shone like diamonds in the morning sun. Legolas had yet to wake; never-the-less, she glanced back at him, and for the first time in days, he was resting peacefully. She sang the song of the ancient elves softly to herself:

Ai! Laurië lantar lassi súrinen,

yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron!

Yéni ve lintë yuldar avánier

mi oromardi lisse-miruvóreva....

Legolas slept lightly, listening to Nenya's song by the riverside, when the horn of Lórien sounded through the forest. He stretched, then rose, leaning on the tree beside him. He silently approached Nenya. As he leaned in to catch her off-guard, she put an arm around his neck and turned to him.

'Stealth of the woodland realms, I suppose?' she smiled, pulling him into a kiss.

'Celeborn has come to Mirkwood. What business could he have in our realm?' said Legolas, smiling down at her.

'Why do you assume that it is Celeborn?' said Nenya with a grin, standing beside him.

Legolas thought for a moment, his eyes wandering. Then, he laughed, 'Haldir!'

And so it was. Haldir, cloaked in green with a Lórien brooch, hair cascading down his back, walked silently through the undergrowth. As he approached the clearing, he noticed the clothes draped over the branches of the trees, stopping in his tracks. A smile spread across his face.

'Legolas?' he called. Haldir could hear some whispering in the clearing, but not of Legolas.

She approached Haldir with a smile.

'Ah, Nenya. Where is Legolas? I wish to speak with him again.'

She took the clothes from the branch and tossed them behind her.

Haldir grinned again, 'Is he... well?'

'Yes, of course- he has just awoken.'

'I see... Well should he be long, I can return- ah! Legolas,' he laughed, 'waking late on such a glorious morning?'

Legolas appeared to be very neatly dressed, but with a very unaware expression on his face.

'I've greatly missed your company, Haldir. What brings you to......to....'

'...to Mirkwood?' Haldir finished.

'Yes," said Legolas. He heard Nenya stifle a laugh.

'How very....alert you are, Legolas,' he joked.

Legolas returned his jest, 'Yes, I am.'

'Come, Legolas,' Haldir beckoned, 'we shall talk.'

'I see your eyes, Legolas...' he said, '...you have given your heart to someone...to Nenya. Do not deny it, you only hinder yourself.'

'I have,' Legolas said, eyes shining once again, 'I love her more than any I have ever loved... I love her more than life.'

The look of pure joy was evident on Haldir's face. 'I am glad for you, my friend.' Then, slowly the smile faded into sadness. 'But the news I bring is grave. The One Ring has been found.'

*end dream sequence*

Those word echoed in the depths of his mind indefinitely as Legolas' eased his way into awareness yet again. The Ring had made him leave all that he desired behind... That is what had willed him to join the Fellowship, along with the pride of the elves in his company...

*dream sequence*

'The One Ring...? But it hasn't been spoken of since before I was born....'

'For 3,000 years... I know, I know... You must join the Council at Rivendell. They seek one from each realm of the elves, men, and dwarves, and we have chosen you, if you accept.'

'I would, but for Nenya. I don't wish to part with her, not now, Haldir! She is an important part of Mirkwood- why couldn't she join me in Rivendell?'

'Come, Legolas- a hobbit shall represent Mirkwood?' Haldir sighed, 'Besides- they have a hobbit. It his he- Frodo Baggins of the Shire, who bears the Ring.'

'Baggins?' Legolas said, 'But.. Bilbo's cousin?'

'I have spoken with Gandalf Stormcrow- apparently, the creature Gollum has become treacherous- he gave the Fallen Kings information about Baggins. That is all I know.'

'It is so sudden..' he muttered in disbelief.

'It is sudden- everything is sudden, Legolas.'