[Child of the 7th Age]

Another intriguing question--how would Frodo have responded to Tol Eressea once he actually got there? It is likely that he would have received more attention and recognition from the Elves than he had gotten from most of his Hobbit neighbors. And he certainly would have enjoyed being near Bilbo. The roles between the two of them would have been reversed. No longer would Bilbo be the father figure. Given Bilbo's advanced age and the wandering of his mind, Frodo would have had to take more responsibility in their relationship. Indeed, because Frodo care deeply for Bilbo, he would have been placed in the position of being the loving and giving caretaker.

Maybe that is exactly what Frodo needed: to have someone he loved need him and rely on him. No Sam around to bail his friend out, so Frodo would have had to exert himself more. He would have had to reach out in a way that wasn't possible when he was living with Sam and Rosie.

And then the next question, what about dying? Tolkien tells us that mortals in Tol Eressa have the choice of selecting when and where they will die. (Kind of like what Aragorn did in Middle Earth) I can't help feeling that Bilbo probably reached that decision before Frodo so, for a while, Frodo might have been left behind to wait. For surely, Frodo would have waited for his friend Sam to come sailing in after Rosie's death. There would have been a time for sharing and healing between the two of them and then perhaps they decided to go on together to find out just what was out there beyond the circles of this world.

Anyone else with any ideas on what might have happened in Tol Eressa?