the journey to the west

follow on from the lord of the rings

Gandalf, Celeborn, Elrond and Galadriel sat on the deck of the ship as the shore of middle earth drifted out of sight.  It was the end of an age, the start of a new one.  Men now would be looked to; the elves had left leaving only those who chose to stay.  Few boats would leave that harbour, for now it lay empty of life.  Few ships would make it to the west, for now the way to the west was lost.  Below their feet, in a cabin were two hobbits.  These hobbits had both born the one ring and now the ring had been destroyed.  Frodo had been the last person to touch the ring before Gollum took it and threw himself and the ring into the fires of Oridron, into the cracks of Mount Doom.  The quest had taken its toll, age that was not his lay now on Frodo.  Bilbo the other and far older hobbit had born the ring for around fifty years and was now ancient.  He was the oldest hobbit alive although only five hobbits knew this, the remainder of hobbits thought he had died when he literally vanished while making his birthday speech twenty years earlier.

 

It had been twelve days since they had left middle earth when Frodo fell ill.  It was exactly three years since the nazgul lord had stabbed him at ammon sul (weathertop).  Though he had survived the initial stab, he could not throw off the lurking memory which haunted him on the anniversary of the stab every year.  Though the illness lasted only a day he spent most of the day in semiconcousness muttering and clasping his gift from Arwen.  Next morning when Frodo woke he was shaking and sweating but he was fine.  The fever had abated during the night and he was physically fine.  Frodo’s brief illness had worried Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel hugely as they felt responsible for sending him on the quest.  Gandalf was especially fond of Frodo and worried excessively about what would happen in the years to come.  But at last they came to a decision, Gandalf thought back to Arwens last words to Frodo.  Of course, he scorned himself!  Arwen knew the wounds wouldn't leave him in middle earth but in Valinor...  Sauron had never had any power there.

 

When Frodo rose again land was in sight.  As they got closer a fresh wild smell drifted from the land and Frodo recognised it as the smell of athlelas the plant which had called him back from the shadowland after he was stabbed.  The smell was fresh, wild.  It made you feel free and your thoughts clear.  The age fell from Frodo's face he was young again an innocent hobbit just leaving his tweens.  The weight the ring had left fell from his shoulders and he had a spring to his step which hadn't been there since he was given the ring.  Bilbo emerged from the cabin and he too looked younger like he was when Frodo had just moved in.  As Bilbo walked across the deck he marvelled at how awake he was.  He hadn't been awake like this since he couldn't remember when.  Gandalf knew he was right the illnesses sustained in middle earth would not trouble them here. 

 

Gandalf looked down at himself I surprise he was no longer an old man as he had been in middle earth but a young man about eighteen or so he still had long hair but it fell only to his shoulders and was gold instead of grey.  His beard was no longer there.  As he marvelled at this he remembered his old name Olorin he had been called that in the first age of the world when he had lived in Valinor.  'that will take some getting used to’ he murmured to himself, he was not thinking about his new name but the fact that he had no beard and he could see properly now his eyebrows were not as bushy.  Bilbo and Frodo stared in surprise at this new Gandalf for they had not expected anything to happen.  Though the elves hadn't expected this, except perhaps Galadriel, as she said "welcome back old friend" although nobody else heard this as she said it in his head Gandalf nodded but made no reply.

 

As they left the ship they marvelled at the land Frodo saw the huge mallorn tree full of flets and elves sitting on everyone.  Bilbo, being more of a typical hobbit, was drawn to the huge feast laid out on the grass at the bottom of the tree.  As they finished the feast four wood-elves came and escorted the two hobbits to the hole that had been dug for them.  The elves had gone to extreme measures to ensure the hobbits had everything they could want.  They had huge hobbit hole with a bedroom each with beads of heather, the cellar was full of anything they could want: beer, ale, wine and cakes and eggs anything that hobbits liked had been stored there.  As the elves left Gandalf came entering unexpectedly from the back door that they hadn't found yet.  As they made themselves at home in the living room the room went hazy and both the hobbits slept.  When Gandalf saw this he gave a small chuckle and left them to sleep.

 

 

Author's Note

i know its not very good its a school project and i thought i would post it here
(more to come)

Reviews

[Dearantlers]

This is really good. I was a little confused because I've never read Lord of the RIngs, but you explained it pretty well. Some of the names, and places I had no idea about, but other than that it was really good. I saw only a few mistakes, and I think you did very well with it.

[rachylou]

Cool story bro

[Rose of Gondor]

LOTR!!!!!! :) Made me excited! :) I always tried to imagine what happened after the elves, Gandalf and Frodo sailed towards the west, but my imagination didn't seem powerful enough for that...well, you've certainly given me interesting ideas! This is beautiful!!!

[Elemenopy]

Not bad, but the story could definitely use some dialogue. I am a fan of LOTR so I understood most of the story, but it is hard to bring your vision of the afterwards of the epic into such a short piece. I feel like it definitely needs something of probably novella size to get across what you really intend.

I felt like the story meshed well with Tolkien's prose. Maybe some of the language could have been aged as much of his was, but other than that I felt like it was a decent read and a well written piece. Keep writing.