Sam and I finally made it to the tower of Cirith Ungol. I knew that it would be very difficult to find him with Orcs, Goblin-men, and Uruk-hai wandering about the towers. But finally, we heard the sound of threatening from somewhere above us. 

I turned to Sam and put a finger to my lips, immediately telling him to be quiet. He immediately got the idea and nodded in return. We carefully crept up the ladder where we could see a Goblin-man threatening someone. 

"Stop squealing, you bilge rat! Or I'll bleed you like a stuck pig!" 

But before he can continue any more threats, I came up behind the filthy creature quietly. I used Sting to slay the creature. The blue sword penetrated through its body, leaving him a strangling, gurgling mess. I appeared over the goblin's shoulder, looking determined.

"Not unless I stick you, first," I declared fiercely. 

Frodo immediately looked relieved. His blue eyes lit up with delight and relief. 

"Elyse! Sam!" 

I let the goblin-man fall to his death without any sense of remorse. That creature had threatened to kill Frodo, after all. And there was absolutely no way that I could let that happen! 

I let the sword clatter at my side as I collapsed on my knees in front of Frodo, struggling to get his bondages off. Once he was freed, he immediately gulfed me into a tight hug, almost breaking down into tears. 

"Oh, Elyse! I'm so sorry! Sorry for everything!" 

I only held the traumatized Hobbit closer to me. He needed all the relief he could get. But I knew that we had to leave in order to not be caught by the enemy. 

"Let's get you out of here," I suggested at once.

Frodo shook his head, looking distraught and terrified. "No. It's too late. Elyse, they've — they've found it. They've taken the Ring!" 

I shook my head slowly. "I beg your pardon, Mr. Frodo. But they haven't." 

Frodo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

 "What are you —?" he began, but I immediately cut him off by showing him the One Ring that I had kept safely in my pocket the entire time. 

"I was afraid that I lost you," I admitted. I could feel a blush creeping up my cheeks as I made my confession. "So I took it, just for safekeeping. It's safe, now." 

"Elyse, you're a genius! I —" 

His eyes immediately went dark as his gaze on the Ring continued. I immediately felt rather uncomfortable with that gaze of his. He's never acted that way towards the Ring. Sure, he's stared at it more than once when he thought that I wasn't looking. He immediately stretched his hand out to take the Ring back.

"Give it to me, Elyse," he demanded, his voice not his own. 

I hesitated. I wanted to back away. I wanted to protect him from the dangers of the Ring that had already started to overtake his mind. 

"Give it to me," he repeated, more firmly, this time. 

This time, I had no choice. I slowly handed it over to him. When the Ring was in his reach, he snatched the chain from me. I watched sadly as he put the Ring over his neck. 

"You have to understand this, Elyse," he said, his voice sounding weary once more. "The Ring is my task." 

He struggled to get to his feet. With us so close to Mordor, I was sure that the Ring was going to pull Frodo down even more. Finally, Sam spoke up.

"C'mon, Mr. Frodo. You can't go into Mordor in naught but your skin." 

In the end, we found some pretty foul Orc outfits. But we had no choice but to wear them to blend in with the Enemy and to make sure that we were quite hidden. 

We finally made our way down Cirith Ungol without being caught. We approached the slope and I breathed a sigh of relief. For once, I was glad to see Mordor. It meant that we were one step closer to completing our outrageous task. 

"Whew!" I breathed a sigh of relief. "We made it, Frodo!"

Frodo looked more panicked than relieved as his eyes darted around the many Orcs that were preparing for battle.

"There are so many of them," he murmured under his breath. He sounded defeated. "We'll never get through unseen!" He then glanced off at the distance, taking in a sharp breath. "It's him, Elyse! It's the Eye!" 

I could see him silently panicking through his helmet. I stood right next to his side and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

"C'mon," I reassured him. "Let's just get down the hill for starters, yeah?" 

He reluctantly nodded his head, and we began to make our descent into Mordor. 

"Get in line, you stupid scums!" said an Orc leader. I noticed that they were making their way towards the Black Gates and that he was talking to us. "There's no time for resting. The Dark Lord doesn't allow rest. Get going!" 

And so here we were, being shunned into the crowd of filthy orcs. Their stench was so great, it made me nauseous. I kept my gaze down, refusing to let them see me. 

"Elyse — hit me!" Frodo hissed, catching me by surprise. 

My head snapped towards him, alarmed. 

"W-What?!" I hissed back, grunting slightly as I continued to be jostled in the crowd of disgusting Orcs. "No way! You're not in the best place right now, Frodo! I can't hit you!" 

I didn't want to, but Frodo seemed to be over determined to get hit. But at last, I heard his reasons as to why he wanted me to hit him. 

"Jut do it! It'll keep the Orcs distracted." 

Frodo glanced up at me in determination. I bit my lower lip before punching him in the shoulder, but not hard enough to actually hurt him. In the midst of the quarrel between the Orcs, we fled. But as we continued to flee into the barrens of Mordor, the weight of the Ring seemed to be too great for Frodo to bear, and he stumbled before collapsing on the floor. I whipped around, my eyes wide when I saw him lying down in the sharp rocks, breathing heavily. 

"Sam? Sam! We need to stop!" I hollered frantically. 

Sam immediately stopped. I took off my helmet and approached Frodo. I helped him take his helmet off to let him breathe normally. When I saw the pained look in his eyes, my heart almost stopped for him. 

"I can't — I can't manage to carry the Ring any more, Elyse," he admitted, panting heavily. "It's such a weight to carry. It's . . . . such a weight." 

Sam looked rather determined. "We're going to go that way, as straight as we can! C'mon. Let's take off the things that we don't really need." 

I gladly took off my Orc armor. It was making me sweatier than I already was. The heat of Mordor didn't make things even better. 

Eventually, we found ourselves wedged in a corner, away from the Eye's piercing gaze. Despite the heat of the forbidden lands, Frodo shivered against me. He was clearly exhausted from the Ring's weight that kept pulling him down. 

Suddenly, a great light shone upon us, making me squint against the glaring light. I didn't dare look up in fear of being blinded. But Samwise did. 

"Look, Mr. Frodo," he breathed. "There's a light, and beauty up there, that no darkness can touch." 

A small smile formed on my lips. Hope began to expand in my chest after days of feeling nothing but hopelessness. "What d'you think, Frodo?" I questioned. 

I didn't get a direct answer. Instead, his head fell right onto my shoulder, immediately going unconscious. 

Immediately, my heart reached out to him. I reached out and placed a hand over his upper arm before glanced over at Sam to see that he looked extremely sympathetic. When he caught me glancing over at him, he gave me a sympathetic smile. 

"We should let him rest as much as he needs to," I suggested. 

Sam nodded in agreement allowed himself to get settled. Although I couldn't move, I didn't care. Frodo's health was my priority. But after an hour of just sitting there, he finally lifted his head off my shoulder and gave us tired looks. 

"We should probably go," he suggested, his voice weakened. 

"Frodo, we don't have to rush," I insisted. "If you want to rest a little longer, we can let you rest." 

Frodo shook his head, looking determined. "I'd rather get this done now, rather than later." 

He tried to get up only to start stumbling again. He almost fell, if I hadn't caught him. He held onto me. 

"Right," I said firmly. "We're resting a little longer." 

"No!" Frodo continued to insist. "We — We have to keep going, no matter what!" 

Sam and I glanced at each other. We knew that we had no choice. We ended up going further into Mordor. We didn't stop until something moving caught my attention. 

"Frodo, get down!" I demanded frantically as I immediately dropped to the ground, covering my face with my arms. "It's the Eye!" 

We didn't know how long we stayed on the ground. But eventually, the Eye shifted its gaze elsewhere. I cautiously peeked over my elbow just to be sure. When the coast was clear, I got to my feet and approached Frodo.

"It's gone, Frodo," I said, making my voice loud enough to be heard over the rumbles from Mount Doom. Something must be going on at the Gates." 

Frodo struggled to get up. In the end, I bent down and helped him to his feet. Very slowly, we made our way to Mount Doom. We were doing alright until we got to the mountain. Not even halfway up the slopes of the dreadful mountain, Frodo collapsed. I managed to get a little further than he did. With the little strength that I had left, I managed to hold him in my arms. And without warning, tears began to flow down my cheeks. He didn't open his eyes until I began to talk about home and the wonderful memories that we had together. 

"Do you remember the Shire, Frodo?" I asked as gently as I could. "It'll be spring, soon. And the birds will start flying around in the air, and singing in their nests. The grass will be green. Our people will start planting barley in the barley fields. And there will be strawberries and cream. Do you remember the taste of strawberries and cream?" 

It was a rather dumb question to ask, but I wanted him to remind him of the things back at home. 

"No, Elyse," he admitted weakly. "I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water. There's — There's nothing! Nothing between me or the wheel of fire! I can see him with my waking eyes!"  

He looked quite terrified, his eyes wide. I was furious with what the Ring was doing to this sweet, innocent Hobbit. I was determined to get this Ring destroyed. 

"Then, let us get rid of it, once and for all!" I declared furiously. "I know that I can't carry it for you. But I can carry you! C'mon, Frodo!" 

With all the strength I could muster, I managed to carry him around my shoulders. Sam was at my side, in case I somehow fell or tripped. And pretty soon, we could see the entrance to Mount Doom. And boy, did it look absolutely terrifying. 

"Look, Mr. Frodo!" I breathed as I adjusted him around my shoulders again. "It's the doorway! We're almost there, I promise." 

But before I could take one more step, a new but familiar voice interrupted me. 

"Clever Hobbitses, to climb so high!" 

I yelped, jumping back again. Gollum leapt from the high rock that he crouched upon. Unfortunately, I couldn't react quickly enough. The evil creature jumped onto my back, biting deeply into my shoulder, making me cry out. The pain was so intense, I accidentally dropped Frodo, whom Gollum went after, next. 

"Miss Elyse! Are you okay?!" Sam asked anxiously as he helped me to his feet. 

"I will be, Sam," I gasped, reassuring him. 

I got to my feet and approached Gollum from behind. I managed to get him off of Frodo's back. Once Gollum was distracted, I threw him down onto the ragged slopes. He hissed angrily, but I didn't care. When he began to lunge at me, I immediately whipped out my dagger, slicing the vile creature's stomach with it. 

The vile creature screamed, but I didn't flinch. I continued to aim my dagger at him to defend myself, Sam, and Frodo. 

"Back!" I defended, my voice unwavering and strong. My grip against my dagger was still strong. "Back, I said! You will never harm him again, is that clear? Or else, I will not hesitate to run my blade through you another time. You better be grateful that I let you keep your head!" 

Gollum bellowed at me before hopping away on all fours. Once I made sure that Gollum was no longer with us, I glanced over at the entrance of Mount Doom. Frodo was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed that he had already gone in there. 

I rushed towards the fiery plains of the mountain. The second I set foot inside the mouth of the mountain, I was instantly greeted with a sharp wind gusting through me. The wind's force would have knocked me into the fiery pit below, if Sam had not caught me. 

The flames obscured my view from Frodo. And immediately, I began to panic. I knew what I had to do. So, with all the strength that I could, I began to call out his name. 

"FRODO!" 

Not too far ahead of me, I could hear the sound of someone whimpering. The flames cleared, revealing a sweaty, tired Hobbit. My heart broke when I saw the brokenness within his gaze. I stood there for a moment, and we continued to lock our eyes on each other. 

"Destroy it!" 

Frodo looked very hesitant, I could see it in his eyes. But he hesitantly held the Ring on its chain over he roaring fires below. My eyes widened with desperation when I saw that he wasn't going to destroy the Ring. 

It was already overtaking his mind already. 

"What are you waiting for?!" 

After a tense moment, he finally turned to face me. But, God! He didn't even look like the Frodo I once knew any more. 

"The Ring is mine!" he declared.

He ripped the Ring from its chain and put it on, fully disappearing from my view. 

I was immediately distraught. 

"NO!" 

I was taken aback in shock when Gollum had shoved me aside. I almost fell to my death, if it hadn't been for Sam. We watched in horror as the fight between Frodo and Gollum continued. Seconds later, Frodo had reappeared, clutching his hand. To my horror, blood gushed profusely from the finger his Ring had been on. And part of his finger was missing. 

"FRODO!" I cried out desperately. 

But Frodo did not give up. He got to his feet after being delirious with pain. Then, everything ended when Frodo got to his feet once more, and managed to shove Gollum down the cliff. I was horrified when I didn't see Frodo. 

"Elyse, let's go!" said Sam desperately. 

I nodded and hurried over towards the edge of the cliff. While I was relieved, I was still horrified by the fact that Frodo was hanging onto the cliff by one hand. I made no hesitation to reach out for Frodo to take my hand. 

"Take my hand!" Frodo tried desperately to cling onto me. Tears began to stream down my cheeks at the thought of losing him to that wretched creature. "Don't let go, please! REACH!"

With all the strength I had left, I managed to pull Frodo to his feet and get him off the cliff. Just as the lava began to spew around us, taking down half of the cliff. But Sam and I finally managed to grab Frodo and keep him with us until Sam and I managed to throw him onto a rather large boulder. 

Frodo immediately collapsed the second he reached safety. The second I collapsed next to his side, he immediately scooted closer to my side. 

"It's over," said Frodo, whose voice was filled with both relief and distraught. "It's done."

Tears came to my eyes. I tried to smile. But all I could think about was nothing but the pain we all had to undergo throughout the quest. 

"Yes, Frodo. It's over, now." 

He leaned his head against the rock, breathing a sigh of relief. He finally smiled. The first, real smile that he gave since the start of the quest. 

"I can see the Shire," he declared. "The lights the Party Tree. Bag-End."

I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. Seeing Frodo smiling gain made me feel so happy. The Ring had been eating away at his happiness since the very start and it slowly broke him. 

"And seeing you so happy before any of this began," I murmured. 

Frodo moved closer towards me before wrapping his arms around me. I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms tightly around his neck in return. He buried his face in my neck. His touch sent immediate relief to my body. 

"I'm glad that you're both here with me, Samwise Gamgee and Elysia Hlothar," Frodo admitted. I could feel his tears coming down his cheeks and onto my neck. "Here at the end of all things." 

I didn't know how long we had stayed on that boulder on Mount Doom. But eventually, I felt as though I was being carried away. I could feel Frodo being taken away from me. I wanted to call his name, but I had no strength left. 

All I hoped was that he would be alright.