1. Temptation
Darkness had been vanquished, and in the joyful White City Faramir and Gandalf joined the throng and even the King in bowing to the Hobbits.
"You know," said Faramir, "that Ring. I would not have taken the Ring if it laid by the highway, but the temptation to do so would have been a great burden."
"It was a great burden for your brother," said Gandalf, "and a great burden for me. Many a night during the Quest, I'd be awake thinking of how all I needed to do to defeat Sauron was to claim his Ring. I feared the Ring, and in the end I left it.
"You may have heard, from the others, that for a long time they thought I was dead. I did not want to return, lest the temptation prove too much for me. It was even difficult when I broke the power of Saruman, and when I expelled him from the White Council."
"Yet the Hobbits bore the Ring as far as Mordor."
"Such is the wonder of the little folk. Few Men or even Maiar could carry it so steadfastly."
In the seat of honor, Aragorn thought for the briefest of moments that he would have been immortal had he claimed Sauron's power for himself. But no, remaining strong against it and accepting the Doom of Men were worth but one life with his beautiful bride.
"You know," said Faramir, "that Ring. I would not have taken the Ring if it laid by the highway, but the temptation to do so would have been a great burden."
"It was a great burden for your brother," said Gandalf, "and a great burden for me. Many a night during the Quest, I'd be awake thinking of how all I needed to do to defeat Sauron was to claim his Ring. I feared the Ring, and in the end I left it.
"You may have heard, from the others, that for a long time they thought I was dead. I did not want to return, lest the temptation prove too much for me. It was even difficult when I broke the power of Saruman, and when I expelled him from the White Council."
"Yet the Hobbits bore the Ring as far as Mordor."
"Such is the wonder of the little folk. Few Men or even Maiar could carry it so steadfastly."
In the seat of honor, Aragorn thought for the briefest of moments that he would have been immortal had he claimed Sauron's power for himself. But no, remaining strong against it and accepting the Doom of Men were worth but one life with his beautiful bride.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
