Epilogue:

The Rohirrim struck at dawn on the morning of February twenty-ninth, destroying the Orc-host completely. Azrat was slain at almost the exact time as Amy, by a Rider named Anna, by means of a spear. His death was instantaneous and his pain was very brief.

Grishnák did escape with two hobbits—Merry and Sam—while thinking that one or the other had the Ring. He was slain as he ran by a sentinel of the Rohirrim, but the hobbits survived. After a heated argument on what to do, Sam returned to protect Frodo, and Merry escaped into Fangorn, though full of regret.

By the power of the Elves and the virtue of the gifts of Galadriel, the hobbits did manage to survive the assault, and were discovered later by a Rider named Sebbi, who brought them to Éomer son of Éomund. The Marshall ordered them to be taken to Edoras, and, though the hobbits resisted, they were restrained and brought before the king.

Éomer was thrown into the dungeons for disobeying Théoden King's orders, and Gríma Wormtongue, knowing that these were the hobbits that Saruman desired, sent word to Isengard almost immediately. The hobbits were, in the meantime, put into the dungeons with Éomer, although Frodo did manage to keep the Ring hidden.

Gandalf discovered what had happened from Merry, who had indeed managed to come to Fangorn and Treebeard, and rode with the greatest speed to Edoras, where he intercepted the king and did heal him. Gríma's role in it all was exposed, and he was given a choice to either flee or fight with his king, but he fled. Éomer and the hobbits were released, and the Riders resolved to go to the Fords of Isen. Gandalf speculated that Saruman had already gotten word of the hobbits' whereabouts, and therefore advised that they be taken to a safer place. They went with the Lady Éowyn to Dunharrow, and remained there for a while.

The Riders of Rohan, on Gandalf's advice, went to Helm's Deep, and met Saruman's forces there. However, they did not know that Saruman had split his forces, and sent the other half to Dunharrow in pursuit of the refuges. Gandalf realized this, and rode Shadowfax to Dunharrow, where he met the Lady Éowyn and explained the situation to her. She responded that the host of Harrowdale was fighting in Helm's Deep, and if Dunharrow was to be attacked, there would not be much they could do but take the force of the blow. Gandalf understood this, and decided that the Ringbearer must be kept safe. Therefore, he took Frodo with him to Minas Tirith, much to the dismay of Samwise.

With the assistance of the Ents of Fangorn Forest, the host of the Mark defeated the halved host of Isengard. They did not ride to Isengard, but to Edoras, then Dunharrow, where they found the stronghold under siege. The ensuring battle was known in the annals as the Battle of Dunharrow. Erkenbrand fell there, as did Elfhelm, and Wídfara, and many other bold Riders. The battle was narrowly won, and Éomer son of Éomund and his uncle the king were both wounded. Dunharrow was saved, but at the cost of the lives of many Riders. They remained in Dunharrow to recuperate, and were there when the Red Arrow arrived.

In the meantime, the Ringbearer and the White Wizard fled to Minas Tirith and greeted Denethor. They explained the situation to the Steward, but did not tell him that Frodo had the Ring. The Steward was suspicious, and grilled Frodo about Boromir's death, but all Frodo could speak of was his bravery. They also meet Faramir upon his return from Ithilien, who is surprised at the hobbit's appearance, and shares in the grief of Boromir's fall with his father. When they leave Denethor, Gandalf tells Frodo he must keep the Ring safe, tell no one about it, and he must absolutely not use it. He also tells Frodo that they may need to use the Ring as a very last resort against Mordor.

In Rohan, the king gathered his weakened army and sets out for Minas Tirith with five thousand men at his command. The Lady Éowyn watched them go from Dunharrow.

Gondor is assaulted and besieged; Gandalf the White managed to keep the Witch-king out of the city until the Rohirrim came. At dawn, the battle of the Pelennor was fought, and the result was disastrous. The weakened Rohirric forces stood no chance against the strength of Mordor. Éomer son of Éomund fell, and so did Théoden King. The Corsairs of Umbar came up the Anduin and swarmed onto the Field. The Witch-king came down from the sky and wrought terror in the hearts of all Men, and none could slay him.

In desperation, Gandalf brought Frodo to him, and told him that the only way Gondor could be saved and Sauron kept at bay was to use his own ring against him; he bade Frodo to give the Ring to him, to use against Sauron. Reluctantly, Frodo did so, and Gandalf held the forces of Mordor back using the Ring's power.

For now.

And the morale of the story is this: Throwing yourself into Middle-earth is bad, and besides, you wouldn't like being there anyway. It's like that "Go-back-in-Time-and-step-on-a-butterfly" principle: you being there would change everything. Change one little thing, even the time of day when the Fellowship leaves (dusk, not dawn), and you change everything. So just don't do it. Because you never know what might happen if you do. And you wouldn't want that kind of weight on your shoulders anyway.

The End