The Flight into Mordor

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

David Clark

December, 2003

Having been turned back from the pass at the Redhorn Gate by the snows on Caradhras the Fellowship of the Ring entered the Mines of Moria on their journey southward towards the ultimate goal of the destruction of the Ring of Power. Assaulted by orcs in the mines and then pursued by a terrible Balrog they fled across the Bridge of Khazad-dûm with the Balrog in close pursuit. J.R.R. Tolkien in “The Fellowship of the Ring” [1] described the battle on the bridge thusly.

With a bound the Balrog leaped full upon the bridge. Its whip whirled and hissed.

‘He can not stand alone!’ cried Aragorn suddenly and ran back along the bridge. ‘Elendil!’ he shouted. ‘I am with you, Gandalf!’

‘Gondor!’ cried Boromir and leaped after him.

At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog’s feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.

After the loss of Gandalf at the bridge, Aragorn assumed leadership of the Company. But Aragon from the beginning professed his lack of knowledge of Gandalf’s plans for how the quest should proceed. After an interlude in Lothlórien and a journey down the River Anduin the Fellowship splintered. Frodo and Sam made their way alone into Mordor and after many perils reached Mount Doom and succeeded in destroying the Ring. Meanwhile Gandalf had reappeared and with other members of the Fellowship a series of great battles were fought in what is now known as The War of the Ring.

What Gandalf might have done differently, if he had not fallen in Moria, is never revealed. The most we have is his question, ‘Why that way, I wonder. Just now, Pippin, my heart almost failed me hearing that name’, upon learning from Faramir that he had encountered Frodo, Sam, and Gollum on their way to Cirith Ungol. [2] We are left to infer that whatever Gandalf’s plan might have been it would not have entailed sending two hobbits to wander alone into Mordor. The following account is an alternate history of the War of the Ring beginning from its point of departure with Tolkien’s history on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Of necessity I have focused only on the events at the bridge and the final plan for the destruction of the Ring. The intervening scenes, of which there are many, are sketched in the briefest fashion and left to the attention of other chroniclers.

To imagine how the Ring quest might have proceeded differently under Gandalf’s direction we must return to the Bridge of Khazud-dûm.

* * *

With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard’s knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered, and fell, grasping vainly at the stone. In an instant Boromir threw himself to the ground, stretched full length on the bridge before him, and grabbed Gandalf by the shoulders while fighting for purchase on the stone with his toes. The two of them continued to slide inexorably over the edge.

‘Save yourself!’ cried Gandalf. ‘You can not hold us both!’

‘Then we will perish together,’ answered Boromir.

Wielding his sword Andúril, Aragorn swung his own body over the edge of the bridge. Boromir shifted his grip to take one of Aragorn’s ankles in his left hand and in that perilous posture Aragorn swung out with his sword as far as he could reach. The tip connected with the taut cord of the whip and slid off. Twisting his arm to a better angle Aragorn slashed at the whip again and this time struck true. The whip parted. The cut end lashed back against Gandalf’s leg with a vicious crack. Boromir dragged Gandalf and Aragorn back from the brink and then the three of them took to their feet and dashed off the bridge as it cracked and collapsed behind them.

* * *

Racing up the stairs, through more passages, and finally out through the Great Gate the Company finally escaped into sun light. That night Gandalf sat alone in brooding silence for a time. ‘This must be a lesson for all of us,’ he finally said. ‘Even a moment of inattention may prove fatal to our enterprise.’ Then he thanked Boromir and Aragorn for their courage at the bridge.

The Company pressed on rapidly to Lothlórien where they paused as the guests of the Elves to refresh themselves and plan the next stage of their journey. Gandalf was now possessed of a great urgency. ‘We did not dare the snows of Caradhras and the depths of Moria so that we could linger here while our foes gather their strength with every passing day,’ he finally declared. So after only ten days of rest [3] the Company struck out again to the south. Gandalf led them next into Fangorn Forest where he conferred with Treebeard, the Ent. After a minor adventure of their own, Merry and Pippin remained behind with Treebeard while the rest of the Company continued on into Rohan.

Gandalf then announced that, ‘We must first strike the enemy at our backs before we can turn to face the greater threat before us.’ The Company proceeded west to enlist the aid of the Rohirrim against Saruman. The forces of King Théoden lured Saruman’s army into a premature attack at the Battle of the Fords of Isen and then feinted a retreat drawing their enemy farther away from Saruman’s fortress at Orthanc. Striking suddenly from behind, the Ents devastated the almost unguarded fortress and then advanced on to surround and aid in the destruction of Saruman’s army.

Meantime during one of Gandalf’s absences, Boromir, drawn to the power of the Ring, attempted to seize it from Frodo. At the same moment Gollum, who had been secretly following the Ring-bearer since Lórien, also made his own attempt to steal the Ring and was slain by Boromir. Using the Ring, Frodo hid briefly and then revealed himself again when Gandalf returned. ‘I thought perhaps that Gollum might still have a role to play in this endeavor,’ remarked Gandalf. Nonetheless Gandalf immediately sent Boromir off to Gondor with messages and was careful thereafter to keep him at a distance from Frodo and the Ring.

With Saruman subdued, Gandalf detailed the Ents to maintain a watch on him in his tower, made pledge with Théoden to bring his army east at their best speed, and rode ahead on his horse Shadowfax to Minas Tirith. In due course the armies of the West mustered in Gondor and made their camps in and around the city of Minas Tirith. Gandalf then made plans with the Captains of the West for the final campaign against Sauron. ‘There is a way to enter Mordor swiftly and destroy the Ring with a single stroke. But first we need draw the forces of our enemy out of our path. Most particularly we must engage the attention of the Nazgûl at a point away from our intended course. There is one action we can take that will surely bring that result. The greatest fear of Sauron is that one of us will put on the Ring and attempt to wield its power against him. Then Sauron would have only a short time in which to strike while the Ring-bearer learned how to control that power. If we can make him believe that this has come to pass he will throw all of his forces against us whether they are fully prepared or not. And that in turn will create the opening for a small party to secretly enter Mordor and achieve our aim.’

With all the preparations completed the plan was set in motion. Aragorn slid the Ring of Power onto his finger, revealed himself to the Dark Lord, and challenged him. Then removing the Ring he returned it to Frodo. A small party of warriors, guided by Faramir, set off immediately to Henneth Annûn in South Ithilien. Traveling with them were Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, and Sam. Reaching the hidden refuge they set a watch and waited for the moment to make their entry into Mordor. ‘The columns of smoke rising as our enemy’s army approaches the city will tell us that the time is near,’ Gandalf reminded them. ‘But we must wait for the signal that his forces are fully engaged before we chance revealing ourselves. Legolas has the keenest ears and will hear it clearly even if we others might not. When the Great Horn of Boromir sounds we will strike.’

Two impatient weeks passed. Armies of the enemy marched by on the road from the South, unaware that they were being observed. A great darkness spread out of Mordor. Smoke and the glow of many fires appeared on the horizon in the direction of Gondor. Finally, echoing across the distance, came the faint but unmistakable sound of the Great Horn blowing.

* * *

‘It is time!’ called Gandalf. Moving quickly the party descended from the hilltop where they had been keeping their watch to an open area at the base. And there, gliding down to meet them from their own rocky perches were the Eagles. Gandalf spoke to Gwaihir the Windlord, ‘We have need now of great speed and also stealth. Where many might draw unwanted attention a few may pass unnoticed. And if we arouse the attention of our foes it will not matter if we are many or few for not all of us together could hope to long oppose them. Therefore only Frodo the Ring-bearer, Aragorn the returning king, Legolas and Gimli for the Elves and Dwarves, and myself will make this flight. Choose four others of your folk who are most swift to bear us.’ [4]

‘Wait now!’ cried Sam. ‘I have not followed my Master this far to be left standing behind. Take me with you too or I swear that I will set off on foot to catch up with you on my own.’

‘All right Sam Gamgee,’ Gandalf replied with a knowing smile. ‘You have a stout heart. Perhaps where five can go unnoted, a few more can pass as well. Gwaihir, chose one more of your brothers to carry Sam and three others to accompany us unencumbered in case of need. We dare not be attacked in flight.’

With great beats of their outspread wings, Gwaihir and his eight companions launched themselves into the air, bearing the chosen members of the party. ‘I remember when first you sat me upon a horse and I thought it strange but I’ll venture that no Dwarf has traveled this way in all the Age,’ called Gimli as they began to climb.

The Eagles circled for height and Sam watched the trees dwindle below him and remembered the first steps of their journey so long ago in the Shire. ‘I could see from Buckland to Bree if I were flying over the Shire like this,’ he marveled. ‘What would my old Gaffer think?’

They turned then towards the east and still climbing approached the forbidding barrier of the Ephel Dúath, the Mountains of Shadow. Keeping the fearful tower of Minas Morgul at a distance to their right the Eagles lofted over the jagged ridge of the mountain chain, nearly grazing the crest, and then dropped to a lower altitude as they continued into Mordor. Lost from sight were the last of the green trees and hillsides of Ithilien. Below them stretched the grey, blasted wastes of the Plateau of Gorgoroth. ‘How many days or weeks would it take for someone to cross that desolation on foot?’ Sam wondered. ‘It hardly looks as though it would even be possible.’

The first wave of Sauron’s army was at that moment pounding against the gates of Minas Tirith like a winter storm, but countless legions of other forces crept along the roads that crossed the broken ground below them like endless columns of ants. Pillars of smoke dotted the landscape from their encampments. The Eagles adjusted their course slightly to the left and directly ahead Sam could see a single peak thrusting up from the plain spewing smoke and flame into the sky. Mount Doom, the final goal of their quest drew nearer with each beat of the Eagle’s wings.

Then suddenly Sam saw that they were not alone in the air. A single black speck lofted up from one of the great encampments on the ground ahead and rushed towards them. ‘It’s one of those filthy Nazgûl,’ Sam realized as it approached and he felt again the cold chill he remembered from the first encounter months ago on the edge of the Shire. Gandalf seemed to make a signal. The three Eagles who were not bearing riders sped ahead and swooped down onto the Nazgûl, one of the dreaded Ringwraiths. Their fight became a confused tangle that spiraled down towards the ground. As it fell or fled, Sam could not tell which, the Nazgûl let out a piercing shriek. And like the sound of Boromir’s Great Horn, that cry seemed to carry a power that could echo from the farthest mountains and carry a warning to every ally of Sauron. On the ground all movement stopped and every eye lifted up to watch them as they passed overhead.

Time seemed to creep by for Sam then as the cone of the distant Mountain slowly grew until finally it filled his entire vision with its broken slopes. Then the Eagles were alighting and in a moment the six members of the party were standing on a narrow path that circled and climbed the side of the Mountain. They were high on the eastern face and looking across the distance Sam could see the Dark Tower of Barad-dûr, the stronghold of Sauron. Flying rapidly towards them he also saw more of the loathsome black forms. ‘Hurry now!’ cried Gandalf. ‘The alarm is sounded. Our enemy is fully alerted and the other Nazgûl are rushing to thwart us. We will not be able to resist them all for long. Frodo, that dark opening is the entrance to the Sammath Naur, the Chambers of Fire. The tunnel leads into the very heart of Mount Doom and at the end of it you will come to the Crack of Doom. That is where you must cast the Ring and destroy it. The rest of us will hold the entrance for as long as we are able.’

Frodo turned and entered the dark cave that Gandalf had indicated. After a moments thought, Sam followed behind him. ‘I may do more good there then in a fight with those things and I promised Mr. Frodo that I’d stay with him to the end.’ At first he could see nothing inside but then ahead there was a white glow. Frodo was using the phial of Galadriel to light his path. The tunnel bored deep into the Mountain but not far ahead it was rent by a fissure from which a deep red glowed flared and faded and then flared again. As Sam approached he could see Frodo standing on its edge.

Frodo hesitated as he gazed down into the fires and then turned back towards the entrance to the cavern. ‘I have been thinking,’ he said, ‘Perhaps we have been too hasty and it is not yet time to destroy the Ring. There are other plans that might work as well. I need more time to decide.’ As he spoke the fingers of one hand clutched the Ring and slowly moved it towards the extended finger of his other hand.

‘Mr. Frodo,’ pleaded Sam. ‘We’ve no time left for talking. We’ve got to act before it’s too late.’ Sam looked back and forth frantically between the sounds of battle at the entrance and Frodo silhouetted again the fiery red glow from the leaping flames behind him. ‘Please Mr. Frodo, throw the thing in now.’

‘No,’ replied Frodo, ‘I think that I will not.’

At that moment Aragorn, who had been inching closer to Frodo in the shadows along the wall of the cavern, suddenly sprang. Grabbing the chain from which the Ring hung he tore it from Frodo’s grasp and held it aloft over his head. ‘I am sorry my friend that I must take this from you now. I only worn the Ring for a brief time but I realized from that what a hold it must have upon you after carrying it for all these months. I have been watching against the chance that you might falter on the threshold of our goal. If you can not find the strength to destroy this thing then I must do it for you.’

Sam watched as Aragorn held the Ring high in the air, watching it spin slowly on its chain, catching the light and adding its own inner radiance to the reflected glow, so close was it now to the fires of its origin. Aragorn seemed transfixed and Frodo jumped up and down in a frenzy trying to reach the Ring that was held high over his head. ‘Why doesn’t he just throw it in?’ Sam thought. ‘They’re both acting mighty strangely now.’

Frodo took a step back as Aragorn continued to hold the Ring. Then suddenly drawing Sting he screamed, ‘Give me back my Ring!’ at the top of his voice and drove the sword deep into Aragorn’s leg. Aragorn collapsed forwards with a groan and Frodo leapt for the Ring still clutched in his hand. The two of them rolled across the floor, each with a hand on the chain, Frodo trying to draw back his sword arm for another blow, and Aragorn scrabbling for a grip on his elbow.

Then the chain parted with a snap like a whip crack and the Ring, no longer threaded by it, skittered loose across the floor of the cavern. ‘This has gone on long enough,’ thought Sam. Jumping forward he scooped up the Ring in his hand, suddenly surprised by its immense weight. In three strides he was himself at the edge of the Crack of Doom but as he made to toss the Ring over the edge he was struck from behind and knocked to the ground. Rolling onto his back he beheld Frodo above him brandishing Sting. ‘Mr. Frodo, wait! It’s your Sam!’ he cried. Frodo hesitated for a brief moment as recognition flickered in his eyes. And in that instant Sam tossed the Ring blindly behind his head with all his strength. Frodo made a final frantic grab for it as it arced through the air and beyond the edge of the abyss. Aragorn made his own desperate grab, catching Frodo’s leg, and saving him from over balancing into the Crack of Doom. The Ring disappeared from sight as Sam twisted over to see if his throw had been true. ‘Well at last that’s done with,’ he groaned.

* * *

The Mountain shook and flames leaped up to lick the roof of the cavern. Frodo and Sam supported Aragorn as they fled back to the entrance. Outside all of Mordor was crumbling into destruction and the Nazgûl with it. The party quickly took flight again on the Eagle’s wings and left Mount Doom behind them. They flew on a course directly back to Minas Tirith. There too the forces of Sauron were fleeing in disarray and the battle was won though the losses on both sides had been fearsome as Merry and Pippin would later recount the tale.

The days that followed were a pageant of feasting and celebration. Aragorn assumed his crown and in due time the four hobbits embarked on their own journey back to the Shire. Then, with the closing of the Third Age, the Elves, along with Gandalf the Grey and Frodo Baggins, boarded the ships that would take them west across the seas to the Grey Havens.

[1] “The Fellowship of the Ring”, pp. 429-430. All characters and settings are from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1965, and used with the intention of greatest respect for the original work.

[2] “The Return of the King”, p. 107.

[3] The Company here departs Lothlórien on January 27, almost three weeks earlier than their departure date in “The Fellowship of the Ring”. Chronology in “The Return of the King”, Appendix B, p. 465

[4] These are the same Eagles that carried Gandalf into Mordor to rescue Frodo and Sam in “The Return of the King”, p. 280.

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