March 19th
The Host comes to Morgul Vale.
Frodo and Samwise escape and begin their journey along the road to the Barad-dûr.
The Host of the West is continuing their march on the Black Gate.
One thing I’ve mentioned before but something I haven’t specifically stated recently, is how often the Appendices mention Sam’s presence. We’ve see that it’s not often but we’re finally seeing mentions of Sam on this stage of the journey.
Early on, I’ve pointed out that for the most part, the history books kept Frodo at the forefront and never really mentioned Sam. Things changed when Frodo was attacked by Shelob and captured by the Orcs. Sam, thinking Frodo dead, took the One Ring to continue the quest. This is a big moment in history, everytime the One Ring changes hands, it gets noticed, and that individual gets the title Ringbearer. During the brief time that Sam is trying to figure things out on his own, history starts noticing his efforts. Probably because at this point in the journey, Frodo was incredibly weak and without Sam he never would have made it to the end. We’re happy Sam is finally being mentioned more, but be was very important even before taking the Ring.
Moving on, Yesterday Frodo and Sam were caught by an Orc horde, but don’t worry they were disguised as Orcs. The horde was heading to the Black Gate where Mordor’s armies are gathering. The slave driver/leader of the horde noticed two Orcs (Frodo and Sam) lying on the side of the road and forced them to join the march.
Further down the road, there was a crossing and multiple groups of Orcs were bumping into each other. Some Orcs started fighting, and while the Orcs attention was diverted Sam threw Frodo to the ground and they crawled away from the commotion and out of sight. Then both hobbits collapsed from exhaustion in a shallow pit and rested.
I can’t imagine getting much rest while in Mordor, but at the same time their bodies have to be completely destroyed by the environment. It makes sense that rest would be easy to come by.
Thank you for your time and remember, a light from the shadows shall spring.
– The Wandering One
Of Blades and Kings 