Story Summary
This is a VERY dark AU for LOTR. The premise: without Gollum, how does the Quest turn out? Angsty drama ensues as the storyline of the Lord of the Rings unfolds differently as we attempt to take "the road less traveled by." NEW CHAPTERS: 46,47 and 48: "The Fires of Orodruin," "Discant," and "Oilima Markirya." Features Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, Boromir, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Arwen, Eomer, Eowyn, Theoden, Faramir, Denethor, and others.
DONE! Revisions made to chapters 46 and 47; additional chapter 48 added. Okay, now, really, seriously - done!
Chapter List
| Ch# | Title | Words | Com. | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Arrow of Fate | 1,476 | 1 | 14 Nov 10 |
| 2 | Bridge Into Darkness | 2,274 | 0 | 14 Nov 10 |
| 3 | Falling | 5,249 | 1 | 15 Dec 10 |
| 4 | Alone Together | 2,795 | 1 | 21 Nov 10 |
| 5 | Leaving Lothlórien | 4,370 | 0 | 21 Nov 10 |
| 6 | Adrift | 4,743 | 0 | 01 Jul 11 |
| 7 | Riven | 3,855 | 2 | 01 Jul 11 |
| 8 | Shrive Me Graceless on My Path | 3,523 | 1 | 01 Jul 11 |
| 9 | The Road Goes Ever On | 5,153 | 1 | 01 Jul 11 |
| 10 | Hunters in Rohan | 5,278 | 0 | 01 Jul 11 |
| 11 | Encounters | 7,653 | 0 | 01 Jul 11 |
| 12 | The Forest for the Trees | 5,265 | 1 | 01 Jul 11 |
| 13 | Perplexities | 7,158 | 0 | 01 Jul 11 |
| 14 | Who Might Have Met Too Late | 5,496 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 15 | House of Glass | 6,243 | 0 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 16 | Dram of Evil | 8,171 | 0 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 17 | All the King's Horses... | 6,526 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 18 | And All the King's Men | 7,098 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 19 | Cast the Net Round | 8,220 | 2 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 20 | Dust to Dust | 7,075 | 5 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 21 | Fisher King | 6,493 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 22 | They Also Serve Who Stand and Wait | 4,452 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 23 | Through the Wastelands | 5,877 | 3 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 24 | Black Gate-Bound | 4,724 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 25 | Upon the Edge of Ruin | 6,236 | 3 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 26 | Faramir | 5,394 | 2 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 27 | Price of Passage | 6,954 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 28 | Crossroads | 4,851 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 29 | Underhill | 6,121 | 1 | 19 Jun 10 |
| 30 | Conspiracies Reforged | 5,995 | 0 | 09 Jan 10 |
| 31 | Storm Warnings | 7,682 | 1 | 27 Apr 06 |
| 32 | Before the Plunge | 7,379 | 1 | 09 Oct 06 |
| 33 | Departing Dunharrow | 9,681 | 0 | 27 Apr 06 |
| 34 | Setting the Board | 5,117 | 1 | 30 Dec 05 |
| 35 | Beneath the Shadows | 8,886 | 0 | 12 Apr 06 |
| 36 | The Road to Minas Tirith | 4,134 | 3 | 01 Jun 06 |
| 37 | Besieged | 6,258 | 4 | 24 Jun 06 |
| 38 | The King's Banner | 5,318 | 1 | 02 Jun 06 |
| 39 | The Turning of the Tide | 7,185 | 1 | 07 Jun 06 |
| 40 | The Steward and the Kings | 9,209 | 2 | 08 Dec 06 |
| 41 | Baggage | 8,950 | 10 | 19 Dec 06 |
| 42 | Accounting for East and West | 7,574 | 7 | 03 Jan 07 |
| 43 | Lie Down in the Darkness | 7,422 | 25 | 06 May 07 |
| 44 | Where the Shadows Lie | 5,252 | 9 | 21 Nov 08 |
| 45 | The High Road | 6,268 | 9 | 04 Dec 08 |
| 46 | The Fires of Orodruin | 4,623 | 1 | 17 Oct 10 |
| 47 | Discant | 723 | 1 | 17 Oct 10 |
| 48 | Oilima Markirya | 1,853 | 2 | 17 Oct 10 |
| 49 | Notes | 859 | 2 | 02 Sep 10 |
| Appx. Word Count | 279,091 | 112 | ||
Comments
WARNING! Comments may contain spoilers for a chapter or story. Read with caution.
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
MerryK - 21 Mar 07 - 9:42 PM
Oh, Dwim, I finally got around to reading this...and now I am in an absolute mess emotionally. I know I read it far too fast, and shall have to go back and read it more thoroughly, so all I can say now is: thank you, thank you, for not killing Eowyn or Theoden or Denethor. I am not sure if I can forgive you for my other three favorites' ends *sob*...but likely will after a good rereading. 
~MerryK
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
Dwimordene - 22 Mar 07 - 1:08 PM
Hi MerryK,
I am in an absolute mess emotionally.
Well, I guess that means I'm doing my job to shake the reader up and cut away the familiar certainties of the story. And I'm glad you're not planning to cast me into Utumno just yet for the demise of your three favorites!
Thanks for your feedback! I do appreciate it!
Dwim
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
Peregrin_Ionad - 17 May 07 - 7:37 AM
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! this story is so CRUEL!!!! Admittedly, I did read most of the comments before hand, but I wasn't expecting quite a few of the plotlines that formed!!
Peregrin Ionad.
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
Dwimordene - 18 May 07 - 4:11 PM
TTFN,
Dwim
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
Nath - 30 Aug 10 - 11:45 PM
*applause* on bringing the tale to a successful end 
I enjoyed it a lot.
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
Dwimordene - 31 Aug 10 - 4:57 AM
@Raksha - Phooey. Well, I've been uncertain how well that epilogue would read, so I'll continue thinking about it and see if I can't clarify matters.
The idea, however, was that the reader learns whether the quest succeeded only in the epilogue because Frodo is so far gone by the end of the chapter that he just doesn't know. Because he doesn't know, however, it should not be a foregone conclusion that it succeeded or that failed.
Still needs some work, though, it would seem. Thanks for your feedback!
@ Nath - glad you enjoyed! Thanks for reading all this time.
Dwim
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
thelauderdale - 22 Dec 11 - 10:37 AM
That's an eerie moment, echoing the famous Orc counting contest from LOTR. I'm glad that Legolas has the concern and prospective friendship of Eomer, if he will only avail himself of it.
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