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FARAMIR:
I
was not sure what was to be expected from them as I caught them. I only knew I was following my father’s bidding. “Every
stranger trespassing on our lands shall be caught and, if necessary, brought before me on trial”, the Lord Denethor,
my father, had said. Those were the strict words he spoke to be before I left. And although he sometimes might seem cold and
ruthless, deep inside my father is a wise man.
Back then, as they
crossed my way, I had no clue what would happen. I couldn’t possibly know how much I could learn about life from two
small hobbits. Without knowing it themselves, they taught me so much about compassion, about forgiveness…about understanding
between one another. And that was the greatest lesson I ever learned…
At first I was not
so sure what to believe in. I could have sworn that earlier I saw a third one. I knew that creeping thing had something to
do with these two. But there is no other, they said. Indeed. Although they tried to hide it, I could see right through them.
That was when I was so overcome with doubt and anger that I actually took them for spies of the Dark Side. How did they have
the courage to lie to me? Me, son of the Steward of Gondor! At that moment I swore to myself…I would show them that
lies and greed will get you nowhere…I was not intending to let them go so easily. If they were thinking that I would
grant them their freedom, they had to be believing in miracles…and miracles do not happen…If miracles could happen,
my brother would still be alive…There are no such things as miracles…
And then…the
third one was caught, and I proudly congratulated myself for a job well done. That night I woke Frodo up from his restless
sleep and showed him that their mysterious companion was more or less imprisoned by us now. My heart was still bitter and
deep inside I laughed coldly, for I had succeeded in catching the wretched hobbit lying to me. I did not know then how much
I would later regret being so cruel…so cruel to someone who so much needed my help rather than my hate and my vengeance.
I was taken aback by Frodo’s reaction. I had expected him to attempt an escape by any means necessary. But instead he
remained right where he stood, holding his head up high, willing to suffer the consequences for his lie. He knew he had been
caught and I could see it in his eyes. I could see that in his heart he was truly and honestly sorry…How he pleaded
for the life of their so called guide! Never before in my life had I seen eyes so passionate and serious! I was puzzled about
why it was so important that this creature’s life be spared. Why did Frodo want to help him so…? He looked at
me so beseechingly…and partly out of pity and partly out of curiosity I granted him permission to go and bring the creature
to me.
SAM:
So
there it was. I knew it. I knew that there was going to be big trouble. Ever since that Gollum came along, I’ve been
so restless. I know there’s something sinister going on…he certainly does not have our best interests at heart,
that’s for sure. But there’s no turning back now. That Gollum has gotten Mr. Frodo into such a mess, and I have
a word or two to say to him…if we are ever set free again…
Ever since we lost
Gandalf, I’ve been looking deep into Frodo’s eyes, searching for answers…answers to if he thinks we will
actually live through this…can we survive this task? A task this big and we…so small. I heard the desperation
in Frodo’s voice as he asked Faramir the crucial question in a small shivering voice, “What will you do to us?”…That
was when I thought for the first time: What will happen when two Halflings stand intimidated before a mission far larger than
life? Until now I could see a small spark of hope in Frodo’s eyes…a little flame still burning, keeping us alive…but
now I cannot see it there anymore…that little flame has diminished…and died.
And then…a flash
of a sword…the blade pointed at Mr. Frodo’s heart…Faramir declaring that he was not going to let us go…we
had to be believing in miracles…I did not know if I should have laughed or cried. Now I could truly see that Faramir
and Boromir were one at heart. History was repeating itself. Earlier Boromir tried to end Frodo’s life to get the Ring…was
his brother going to complete his task for him now? I was so frightened, terrified…but I cannot even begin to imagine
how Mr. Frodo must have felt...As I looked at him, and as I saw the way he looked at Faramir, I went speechless for a moment.
He had such torment and pleading in his eyes, that I was moved to tears. He was so small…he looked just like a little
child, a beautiful angel…Why did he have to go through all of this, he who was so good and innocent and pure hearted…?
I couldn’t bear it any longer…I broke down in tears.
Then, Frodo suddenly
cried out, “No!!” I watched in horror as he backed away towards the wall, clenching the Ring in his hand. And
that was when I feared from the bottom of my heart that the same madness that once took Boromir had struck his brother also.
His reaction was frightening beyond belief. “You dare raise your voice to me?!” he shouted, flames of anger and
passion burning in his eyes. “Lift your head…look me in the eyes” And very slowly he spoke through clenched
teeth, “How dare you…?”
I looked at Frodo once
more. His lips moved in silent pleading but no words would come out. Then, as he slowly lifted his gaze towards Faramir, I
could eventually hear him speak, first quietly and beseechingly, and then, bit by bit, his words became stronger and clearer…And
then…I saw it…that little flame of hope was burning is his eyes once more with a faint but steady glow, as he
spoke the words I know no one of us would ever forget… “We are now completely in your hands, Lord Faramir…We
swear to you…we never meant any harm…now we ask you to help us…help us prove that this world is worth saving!
By hindering us, you only give the Enemy more time to advance! And if they advance too far, all will be lost! There is still
so much left unsaid, so much to see and to learn from the world…all the wrongs we have made in our lives…we can
still make them right! Yet a change remains to help our friends who are in battle and need us so…Just as much as we
need them…their support…and their love…” and here he looked me deep in the eyes…but it was only
for a brief moment, as he turned back to Faramir, “Captain Faramir, there are people out there in the world, fighting
for freedom…people just like you! So, please…forgive us…and let us part in friendship…”
FRODO:
It
was at that very moment when something changed in Faramir’s eyes. That gleam of madness suddenly vanished and his fingers
let of the hilt of his sword, which made the weapon fall to the ground with a loud clatter. All at once I could see compassion
in his eyes, I could feel the very air of him change. Had my words actually touched him so? To me, they seemed only like words
of a desperate soul who in vain tries to beg for his freedom…but to him…they must have meant so much more…
I could see that Faramir
was just about to open his mouth to say something, but he was suddenly interrupted…interrupted by something I had prayed
I would never have to hear again…I wished with everything I had in me that it would only be a dream…just a trick
my tired heart was playing on me…but no, it was as real as it could ever get. “The Nazgūl…” I heard
Faramir whisper fearfully. He turned his face towards the ceiling, as if he was expecting them to crash right down through
it, and I could see the fear in his eyes…and in poor Sam’s eyes, which were already filled with tears. But as
Sam turned back to look at me, he let out a gasp of surprise…for that was when I had already put on the Ring.
And the shadows came.
They came from near and far, bringing danger and evil with them. The Ring was calling out to those winged beasts…drawing
them near…and I could not take off the Ring. I wanted to hide, to disappear completely…but the Ring’s power
was somehow preventing me from taking it off my finger. I felt like I was going into a trance…suddenly everything around
me faded into darkness and before my eyes I could see a vision of myself standing before the Dark Lord Sauron…handing
the Ring to him…his gaze was piercing me like a million knives as his black hand reached out for the Ring…and
all at once I felt pain…a horrible throbbing pain in my head. For a while I thought I was going mad…my whole world
turned upside down and I only wanted to scream in horror, but I was paralyzed. I felt as if I was turned to stone…into
a small delicate statue, which was only seconds away from shattering into a million pieces. Oh Sam…why is this happening
to us…? The Black Riders were there. And at that moment, the Ring was taken off my finger.
I was revealed to the
Black Riders! I felt that they could see me! But, somehow, I was not alarmed by it. I felt suddenly safe and protected…I
moved my fingers a little, and that was when I felt that someone was holding my hand. And my vision returned to normal as
I heard Sam’s voice whispering beside me, “They’re gone”. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I squeezed
Sam’s hand tightly and closed my eyes. It was over…for now.
“Sam…”
I whispered, “Why did you take the Ring off my finger?” “I didn’t, Mr. Frodo” came the quiet
reply, “You did it yourself” I opened my eyes and looked at him in wonder. Sam gave me a sad smile and answered
my questioning gaze. “You did it, Mr. Frodo…you did it” And slowly I started to remember…amid my fear
and desperation, while wearing the Ring, I had suddenly thought of Sam. The very thought of him seemed to give me hope and
strength I never knew I had before. Somehow, as I felt the Black Riders almost closing in on us, I got the feeling of danger,
and that was when I suddenly knew I had to take the Ring off…For a long time afterwards, I still blamed myself for ever
putting it on…I didn’t know what got into me…But I took it off…I actually did it…only because
of Sam…I didn’t want him to be in danger…ever…for all he deserves is happiness and love…and
I know I will always love him…for as long as I live…I will stay by your side forever, Sam…even though you
can’t always reach me, even though I don’t always seem myself…I will be there beside you…now and always…till
the end of time.
To this day, I still
wonder what made Faramir change his mind…he actually let us go…I never believed he could see so deep into my heart…to
understand how I felt…back then, I started to realize that everything had been lying in his hands…the fate of
our quest had completely depended on the compassion he showed us…he proved to me that everything was not in vain…and
it never had been…just like Sam showed me once long ago…
So here we are…two
Halflings alone in the world, with the weight of the world on our shoulders as we continue on our journey through the Land
of Shadows. In these crazy times we live in, where even the smallest summer breeze can cause a thunderstorm…we still
go on…hand in hand…believing in miracles…
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