On the twentieth day after Aragorn became king, the sky was as clear and blue as sapphire, with bright stars twinkling in the eastern sky, but the western sky was still golden and the air was cool and fragrant. A group of men rode up the northern road and arrived at the gates of Minas Tirith. At the head came the Elves of Imladris, carrying a silver banner, followed by Glorfindel and all the men of Rivendell; then came Lady Galadriel and the Galadhrim, riding on white horses. , and also brought many beautiful tribesmen from the territory, all wearing gray cloaks and dotted with white gems in their hair.
The last to come was Lord Elrond, who was very prestigious among elves and men. He carried the scepter of Annuminas. Riding beside him on a gray horse were Pippin and Merry. In addition, the lovely and respectable Samwise is also among the elves.
Frodo was astonished to see them coming in the dusk. He said to Gandalf: "If even Samwise has come to the White City, then I finally know that it is finally over! This is the end. Now, not only the day should be loved, but the night should be beautiful and blessed , all the fear of the night is gone!”
Gandalf smiled and said: "Frodo, the story of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings is over. The darkness and terrible enemies have left you. In your remaining days, there will be only flowers and joy. You will be with Bilbo." Live out your last days in Middle-earth, and remember what I say: you know the power of that thing that is now destroyed, and that all that was accomplished by that power is now lost. But Bilbo had this He has been around longer than you. He is seventy years old by the standards of your kind. He is waiting for you, because he will only make one more long journey. And you will go with him."
At the same time, he also said: "The story of the Hobbit has come to an end, but please don't forget that in the far north, there is still the last stronghold of the enemy looking at Middle-earth."
When Frodo heard this, his heart felt both happy and heavy.
Samwise, Pippin and Merry were also very excited to see Frodo again. Although it had only been two months since he left Rivendell, the world was completely different, as if a thousand years had passed. And they were all immersed in the grandeur and beauty of the White City. Even though a large part of it had collapsed, it still shocked the three hobbits in the original historical Fellowship of the Ring.
On their horses they saluted their little companion, who was now famous in Middle-earth, as a king.
Frodo smiled back at them.
Then the king greeted his guests, and they all dismounted. Elrond presented the scepter of annúminas. It was a silver staff. It was originally the scepter of the Andunii princes, and later became the symbol of royal power in the northern kingdom of Arnor.
In 861 of the Third Age, the Kingdom of Arnor split into three kingdoms: Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur. The Scepter of Annuminas belongs to the Kingdom of Arthedain. Since the capital of the Kingdom of Arthedain is the city of Fornost, the scepter should also be carried to Fornost by the kings of Arthedain. In 1974 of the Third Era, the Witch King of Angmar captured the city of Fornost, but the scepter of Annuminas was rescued and subsequently entrusted to Elrond of Rivendell for safekeeping. For more than a thousand years since then, the scepter has been kept in Rivendell.
Now, King Telkantar has returned to the throne of Gondor, and the staff has been returned from the hands of the elves to humans. From then on it would become a symbol of the southern kingdom's power. And what Elrond had predicted before was also fulfilled today.
They climbed up to the royal city together, and the stars appeared in the sky one after another, like flowers blooming. Thus, on midsummer, King Aragorn of Telkantar married Eowyn, the White Princess of Rohan, in the City of Kings, and history changed again at this moment.
That night, Pippin, Merry, and Samwise attended the king and queen's celebration banquet. Wearing special dresses and silver rings on their heads, they followed the elves into the king's temporary palace. Their faces flushed with shyness and their eyes sparkled with surprise.
They saw that in the center of the lively and cheering crowd, there were four high seats covered with green turf, with flags flying behind the seats: on the right was a flying golden dragon on a silver background, and on its side was Okuo Longdi. The silver swan ship flag of the port; there are also the flags of Elrond and Cirdan; on the left is a white horse galloping freely on a green background, and the flag of the Turin dwarves is also among them; and in the center is Behind Zhang's tallest throne, a large flag fluttered in the wind. On a dark black background, there was a white tree in full bloom. Above the white tree was a shining crown and seven shining stars.
Below it, sitting on the throne, was a man in black attire, with a white tree embroidered on his chest, and an elf's headdress on his forehead. The two sons of Turka, Olofenwë, the leader of the high elves in the west, Glorfindel the noble Lord of the Golden Flower, Elrond of Rivendell, Galadriel of Lothlórien and Gandalf the Witch were all present. On the high seats on both sides. Everyone is so majestic and noble, like an ancient king. As they approached, he stood up. Then they recognized him, even though his appearance had changed - before them he had a noble demeanor, a cheerful look, black hair, gray eyes, and the regal demeanor of a human monarch.
They saluted the former wanderer humbly and in awe, but Aragorn smiled and said: "Please don't be like this, my friends. Although you think I am different, Perien, I have never forgotten the battle at the ancient tomb." Love. Moreover, a true hero has emerged among you, and his deeds are not inferior even when compared with those of the ancient kings."
So they sat down happily with Frodo.
"Mr. Frodo." Samwise's tears echoed in his eyes, and he grabbed his young master's hand, feeling sad for the tiredness in his eyes and the unconcealed aging on his body, "If possible, I really want to be with him. Come with you and see you, even those who are sick are not weakened by you.”
At this time, Pippin and Merry also looked over, and their hearts were extremely sad, because they felt that Frodo's fate had been separated from them, and that he was about to leave and never come back.
But Frodo smiled and said to them: "You cannot go with me, for it is my responsibility, not yours. Even I do not want such a fate! And believe me, walking with the dragon, It’s not really a pretty job.”
He talked late into the night with Merry, Pippin, and Samwise, and soon Noratul and Gandalf joined them. As a result, Sam and the others learned everything that had happened since Frodo and the others left Rivendell. They were shocked and deeply saddened by Frodo's suffering, but nonetheless there were always more questions to ask and more to say.
The dragon, the stars in the sky, the vast world, the Elf Queen, the shining water mirror, Mount Doom, and the battle, all of this passed through the minds of these hobbits until they felt that they were all confused. So much so that they did not even hear the series of great events announced by the king and the son of Turka.
But no one would blame them, not even the harshest palace steward. Because as the wizard said, the story of the Hobbits has been completed since then. In the years to come, they will be active in the legend, but the protagonists will never be them again.
Just like that, the day of celebration passed.
During this time, Frodo lived with his friends in a beautiful house, free to come and go as he pleased. The humans of Gondor treated them very well because of the king's orders. Almost all doors are open to them. They chatted with him and played with him, soothing Frodo's heart that was shrouded in shadow. Occasionally Noratu would come over, and he always had the deepest respect for Frodo, but most of the time they were just the four of them together, like the ones in Hobbiton and Buckland. happy days.
They walked in the sun, in the king's garden, under the stars, walked to the other side of the Pelennor Fields, to see the river flowing; they met many important people, and also witnessed the reconstruction of the White City; they watched the white trees grow from The seedlings grew into lush branches and leaves - Sam had always suspected that the tree people had helped a lot; until that day, Gandalf found Frodo and said: "It's time, Frodo, maybe you are here I am having a great time and I don’t want to leave, but time flies and Bilbo is still waiting, and the Shire is the home of the Hobbits.”
"Speaking of Bilbo," said Frodo, who immediately knew that the day of departure had come. "Is he waiting for the same day? I mean, he knows what keeps us here. As for the passage of time, now It’s only August, and late autumn has not yet arrived. Although everything seems to have changed and the world seems to have passed an era, for the plants and trees, it is still too early for the cold winter.”
"Merry," said Pippin, "if you can, you can give me a slap in the face, because nowadays, besides Gandalf, there are also Frodo who like to play riddles and keep secrets. I think, if he hadn't been hit in the head, There's a guy pretending to be Frodo standing in front of us."
Merry said: "I heard that they were leaving. But we have just arrived here, what is it that makes them so anxious?"
Sam even sadly grabbed his young master's hand and shed tears uncontrollably: "I feel, Mr. Frodo, that after this farewell, you will never see each other again. Shire, I How I wish you could stay, but fate tells me that the distance between you and me will no longer be from Elrond's home to the king's palace, but the other side of the sea. How cruel this is."
Frodo held Samwise's hand with his backhand and showed the old happy smile. He said: "Sam, Pippin, Merry, I am glad to have you by my side in my short and wonderful life, but Gandalf Tell me that I have consumed too much in Mount Doom, and even the water and wind of the Shire cannot make my heart lighten again, so I must leave."
And Gandalf said: "Many people feel sad about parting, but they don't know that this is for the next reunion? Maybe this period will be long, but we can still meet again."
"How long is that?" Sam asked.
But Gandalf kept silent.
So they knew that unless the world reopened, they would never meet again. This made everyone feel extremely sad.
Regardless, they said goodbye to everyone and left Minas Tirith one bright morning.
Aragorn and the western generals saw them off at the door. This time Elrond did not accompany them, only his two sons and some elves who had gone westward accompanied them. The remaining people will also go to the north for an appointment. There, Turka Alakanor was leading Lothlorien against the elves of the Woodland Kingdom and the dwarves of Erebor against the enemies of Utumno. They need the support of the Central Continent Alliance.
And among the people accompanying him, there was an unexpected person.
Sauron.
The demon king who had brought trouble to Central Continent for countless years was now cowering and trapped in a horse-drawn prison carriage. His body and strength were completely destroyed by Aratu's terrible roar. Now he is just a dejected man. The defeated dog only stared at Frodo and the gray-robed wizard who imprisoned him with ferocious and frightened eyes.
"I will come back." He cursed viciously, almost frightening everyone, "Your victory will not last long, I will come back! Take back everything I should have! He will come back! This world will finally be over is ours."
"Shut up."
Aratu was so disgusted that he didn't want to look at him anymore, "Arda will no longer suffer from your wanton atrocities. The light will always shine on it! Even if you and your evil master come back!"
But Sauron laughed hoarsely, and that laughter has been lingering in the ears of Western humans and Middle-earth dwarves even in the past two hundred years. The elf also kept thinking about his curse that day until the final battle.
Gandalf tapped him with his staff and uttered some powerful spell, and the Lord's laughter disappeared completely. But his terrible curse is like a wound that will never heal, entangling the creatures on this land.
Frodo didn't even want to get close to the prison car, even though he knew that in the new era, Sauron and his minions would no longer harm Middle-earth. But he just didn't want to. Sam, Pippin, and Merry were even more secretive about the shadow. They were with Frodo at a great distance from it, and wished they could not see him.
"Then, may we meet again in Valemar." Noratul said his last farewell to Frodo, and he knelt down to embrace the brave hobbit.
"Farewell, Noratu Arakanor!" said Frodo. "Farewell, Middle-earth."
Everyone saluted him, and then they parted.
Throughout the middle of August, they were on the road, from early morning to dusk. Although they were not in a hurry, they were non-stop. They first passed through the land of Rohan, then rode north along the North-South Highway.
On August 19, they entered the northern area of Dunland. Although it is a green and pleasant countryside, there is no human habitation now.
When September came, the days were golden and the nights were silver. They rode calmly until they reached the Swan Lake River. The river passed through the waterfall and suddenly fell into the lowland. They found the old ferry east of the waterfall. There are many ponds and river banks in the mist far to the west, and the Swan River meanders through them and flows into the Gray Water River - where countless swans live in the vast reed fields.
They crossed the ferry and entered Eregion, and at last a clear and beautiful dawn came, with the morning sun shining brightly above the shining morning mist. A group of travelers looked eastward from the low hills where they camped, and saw the rising sun shining on three towering peaks reaching into the sky: Karazras, Celebdil, and Fanuisor. They are near the gates of Khazad-dûm.
They stayed here for a day, and the tribesmen of Findin II came out of the dwarf's holy land and welcomed them warmly. But Frodo and the others did not follow them back; they talked under the starlight and said goodbye.
Finally, one evening, as they crossed the high moors, suddenly - as travelers always see - they found themselves on the edge of Rivendell's deep ravine, and saw the shining lights of Elrond's House far below. They walked down, crossed the bridge, and came to the gate, and the whole house was filled with lights and songs to welcome the heroes back.
But the remaining elves in Rivendell did not allow Sauron to enter Elrond's home, so the wizard stayed outside the gate. The four hobbits did not wait to eat, wash, or even take off their cloaks. The first thing they did was to find Bill. Bo. They found him alone in his small room. The room was filled with papers, inks, and pencils, and Bilbo sat in a chair in front of a small fireplace with a roaring fire. He looked old, but peaceful and dozing.
He opened his eyes and looked up as they entered. "Hello, hello!" he said, "You are back now? And tomorrow is my birthday. You came at the right time! Do you know, I will be one hundred and twenty-nine years old! In another year, if I If I still have some momentum, I’ll tie up with Old Tuke. I really hope to surpass him, but we’ll see.”
After celebrating Bilbo's birthday, the four hobbits stayed in Rivendell for a few more days. They often sat with their old friend, who now spent most of his time in his room, coming out only for meals. As for eating, he is still very punctual as usual, and he always wakes up in time for meals and rarely misses them. They sat around the fire and took turns telling him everything they could remember about their journeys and adventures. At first he pretended to take notes, but often he fell asleep. When he wakes up, he'll say, "That's wonderful! That's wonderful! But where did we stop?" Then they continue the story from where he started dozing off.
The only narrative that really caught his attention and kept him awake seemed to be Aragorn's coronation and wedding. “Of course, I was invited to the wedding,” he said. “I’d waited long enough. But somehow, when it came time, I realized there was a lot to do and packing was really hard. trouble."
Almost two weeks later, Frodo looked out of the window and saw that the night had been covered with frost and the spider webs had turned into white webs. Seeing this he suddenly realized that they had to go. Both he and Bilbo experienced adventures that ordinary people could not imagine, and all of them will become legends.
So, he told Bilbo the news.
Bilbo said: "Yes, yes, Frodo, it's time for us to go. I'm sorry to put you through this, but I think there'll be plenty of time to remember what we've been through when we get there. It’s just that maybe your experience can’t be written into a book. And, unfortunately, I can’t surpass Old Tuke.”
Frodo said: "I have told Sam about my experience, and he will pass on everything I have experienced for me."
"Then that's it." Bilbo sighed, "The adventures of the Hobbits have come to an end. Many people have not yet met."
Frodo knew he regretted not being able to say goodbye to Lord Turka. But he couldn't comfort him. Because the war in the Far North is a distant story that they cannot relate to. Maybe they can only learn about it from their mouths when Lord Elrond and others return to the west.
Soon, the news that Frodo and Bilbo were leaving spread throughout Rivendell, and Sam and the others became even more sad. Almost everyone held their hands, reluctant to let them leave.
But Frodo said: "After saying goodbye over and over again, is there no true love? We will miss you, even if we are no longer together."
Sam cried again, "Ah, Mr. Frodo, we have traveled far away and opened our eyes, but to be honest with you, I am worried about my old man. More importantly, I can't let you go." "
"But I must go, Sam," Frodo replied at the time. He comforted the gardener, "Remember to write down what I tell you, they should not be forgotten."
Then no more words were said.
The fourth era, the first year.
Frodo and Bilbo left Rivendell. They crossed the estuary of Bruinen and the last bridge, entered the East-West road, passed through Bree, and passed through the middle of the Shire. However, no one saw them passing except wild animals. . The three of them, Sam, decided to accompany Frodo and Bilbo on their last journey. They did not stop here, but kept walking.
They left the Shire and walked around the southern edge of White Hill. They reached the far hill and tower and saw the sea in the distance. In this way, they finally arrived at Mithlond, arriving at the Gray Harbor located in the narrow Luenfjord.
When they came to the gate, Cirdan the Shipbuilder came to meet them. He still looks the same, with a long beard and very old age, but his eyes are like stars and his expression is sharp. He looked at them, bowed, and said, "Everything is ready."
Cirdan led them to the harbor, where a white ship lay anchored. The elves boarded the ship one after another, and they pushed Sauron onto the ship unceremoniously like a prisoner.
Then, Sam, Pippin and Merry knew that the real separation had arrived. The friends are extremely sad at this moment, and the pain of parting has been lingering on them, which is more sad and unbearable than the long road home alone.
Pippin laughed with tears in his eyes, "Frodo, you wanted to leave us and sneak away before, but you failed." He said, "There will be no separation this time, because we will not see each other again."
"But our friendship will last forever." Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and finally kissed Sam. "May the stars shine on your return journey. You have been with us for too long, and the Shire is still waiting for you."
Merry said: "Because it is better to go home with three people than alone. Goodbye, Frodo! May you finally find peace at the end of the sea."
Sam almost burst into tears, and all the words of farewell could not replace the sadness he felt at this moment.
"Well, my dear friends, here at last, on the shores of the sea, our alliance in Middle-earth comes to an end. Go in peace! I won't say 'Don't cry,' for not all tears are It's misfortune," said Gandalf.
Then boarded the ship.
Frodo glanced at his friends one last time, then supported Bilbo and walked into the white ship. The sails were raised, the sea breeze blew, and the ship slowly sailed away from the long gray fjord.
Bilbo suddenly looked back and read out his last poem in Middle-earth:
Outside the gate, from now on
The journey never ends.
The road ahead is long now,
And those who come from there will follow!
Let him start a new adventure,
When my steps are tired, I take a rest,
In the brightly lit hotel,
Retire at dusk and have a good sleep.
Everyone cried uncontrollably.
At this time, a dragon roar came from the eastern sky. It's Smaug.
"Lord Turka!" Bilbo suddenly burst out with his last strength. He shouted from the stern of the ship, his voice reaching into the eastern sky.
"Goodbye, Bilbo!" Facing the afterglow of the setting sun, the tall figure of the silver-white king suddenly appeared in front of everyone's eyes. He stood on the back of the dragon Smaug. The elf's armor reflected the brilliance of Yaryn, like a god. His blue cloak rustled in the strong wind, "May you finally meet Velima!"
Smaug passed through the sky, bringing with it a howling wind that blew past Mislond. On its broad back, the silver-white king waved goodbye in the afterglow of the setting sun. Ah, the long-lost Turka Aracano came here to say goodbye to his best friend. At the same time, he also brought news of victory in the northern war.
A tear fell from Bilbo's cloudy eyes. He shouted: "Farewell, Lord Turka! Farewell, Middle-earth!" The elves, as well as Samwise Gamgee, Peregrine Tukmeria, and Haddock Brandybuck, witnessed all this.
The ship sailed into the sea, and across the sea into the west, until finally, one rainy night, Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance in the air and heard songs floating across the water. Then, like one of the many scenes he saw in Galadriel's water mirror, the gray rain curtain turned into broken silver glass and rolled back, and he saw the white sand beach, and At the end of the beach, there is a distant green wilderness under the rising sun.
But for Sam standing in the harbor, the growing twilight finally turned into darkness. When he looked at the gray sea, he saw only a shadow on the water, which quickly disappeared to the west. Yet there he stood till late at night, and all he heard was the sighing murmur of the waves crashing on the shores of Middle-earth, and their sound was lost in his heart. Merry and Pippin stood beside him, also silent.
Finally, the three companions turned around and left. They rode slowly towards home, never looking back or talking, until they returned to the Shire. But on this long and gray road, everyone feels great comfort in having friends by their side.
Finally, they rode over the hills and onto the East Avenue. They sang as they walked and returned to the Shire.
Since then, the legend of the Hobbit has come to an end.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, I wish my lovely book friends full of blessings and endless happiness.
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