The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - What if the orcs had not captured Merry & Pippin?

littlemanpoet · 02-18-2003, 09:24 AM

Oh, I noticed the batted lashes [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] but beauty of mind always has appealed to me as much as (I won't say more than) - um - other types. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

Anyway, about Aragorn. Let's say he actually led the Fellowship into Mordor. I'm imagining which ways he could possibly have led the Fellowship into Mordor. The mountains between Ithilien and Mordor were frankly impassable, even for Aragorn. I think that is eminently clear from Tolkien. That leave only three possibilities: The Gates of Morannon, the Vale of Morgul, and east all the way around the mountains, which would take too long so that's out, too. The Gates of Morannon were a quick way to give in. That leaves the Morgul Vale. Aragorn would have had the sense to see that it must be avoided, and he knew that Gollum had been in Mordor. I'm thinking that by the time they got this far, the Fellowship would have captured Gollum. My guess is that he would have forced the information out of Gollum, or that he would have asked for Frodo to get it out of him by the power of the Ring, and they would have gone by the only way that was relatively unguarded, Cirith Ungol. Enter Shelob. Would she have attacked such a large party? Probably not, except for perhaps from behind, in which case Merry or Pippin would have been "picked off" (just a guess). So they get through. The all have their Elven cloaks, so they can probably hide from any orc party, and Aragorn's Ranger abilities would help him to get the others into hiding more quickly than Frodo and Sam did on their own. All of which is to say that I find myself corrected, Aragorn probably could have gotten them all to Mount Doom more quickly than Frodo and Sam got there on their own. !!! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] Are there any catches to this line of imagining? Aragorn can't always be awake. That's the only thing I can think of. Wow! Okay, so maybe he WOULD have seen the whole thing through and set aside his kingship.

Next Question - probably for Kuruharan - what would the time frame of this look like, compared to what else is happening elsewhere?

02-18-2003, 09:24 AM	#17
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Oh, I noticed the batted lashes [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] but beauty of mind always has appealed to me as much as (I won't say more than) - um - other types. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] Anyway, about Aragorn. Let's say he actually led the Fellowship into Mordor. I'm imagining which ways he could possibly have led the Fellowship into Mordor. The mountains between Ithilien and Mordor were frankly impassable, even for Aragorn. I think that is eminently clear from Tolkien. That leave only three possibilities: The Gates of Morannon, the Vale of Morgul, and east all the way around the mountains, which would take too long so that's out, too. The Gates of Morannon were a quick way to give in. That leaves the Morgul Vale. Aragorn would have had the sense to see that it must be avoided, and he knew that Gollum had been in Mordor. I'm thinking that by the time they got this far, the Fellowship would have captured Gollum. My guess is that he would have forced the information out of Gollum, or that he would have asked for Frodo to get it out of him by the power of the Ring, and they would have gone by the only way that was relatively unguarded, Cirith Ungol. Enter Shelob. Would she have attacked such a large party? Probably not, except for perhaps from behind, in which case Merry or Pippin would have been "picked off" (just a guess). So they get through. The all have their Elven cloaks, so they can probably hide from any orc party, and Aragorn's Ranger abilities would help him to get the others into hiding more quickly than Frodo and Sam did on their own. All of which is to say that I find myself corrected, Aragorn probably could have gotten them all to Mount Doom more quickly than Frodo and Sam got there on their own. !!! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] Are there any catches to this line of imagining? Aragorn can't always be awake. That's the only thing I can think of. Wow! Okay, so maybe he WOULD have seen the whole thing through and set aside his kingship. Next Question - probably for Kuruharan - what would the time frame of this look like, compared to what else is happening elsewhere?