Chapter 23 – Great Shaman

Frodo wakes to a clear blue sky above, with Sam drowsing at his side and Fatima stirring on his other. All around the clearing, people are waking and beginning to move about. A fire has been lit in the main cooking circle with the remaining timber from the bonfire, and the scent of meat cooking wafts upon the gentle morning breeze. Some of the villagers, not yet ready to begin the day, talk quietly amongst themselves so as not to disturb those still sleeping around them, while the others change into their everyday robes or tunics and begin to help with the cooking, cleaning and washing. 

Frodo closes his eyes again and lets the whispers of their ancient tongue flow over him. The musical sound of their soft lilting speech lulls him back to sleep and he finds himself again wandering in a desolate land, unrecognizable yet horrifyingly familiar. He has seen this all before, every night since the defeat of the Blue Wizards, and as he dreams he wonders why the vision has decided to visit him so late. He supposes that last night had been different, on account of the ritual cleansing and the feast and perhaps because of some trick of Sauron. The dream fades away in the confusion of his thoughts and the ground begins to shake. 

He opens his eyes again and finds Sam shaking him gently. Fatima is gone and the village is now alive with activity. The sun has climbed over the eastern hilltops and is blazing its powerful rays down upon them unrelentingly. A pair of buzzards circles high overhead, wheeling in and out of the glare of the sun, and around the cooking circles many people are eating and laughing, some of the magic from the previous night lingering still upon their joyful faces. 

Sam helps Frodo to sit up and only then does Frodo notice that they had fallen asleep just off the main pathway between the cooking circles and a group of empty huts on the eastern end of the village. He is embarrassed to discover that he is the last to awaken but grateful that he at least has been out of the way. He wonders why Sam had not woken him earlier even as he accepts a wooden cup of cool sweet tea. 

Frodo sips it gratefully as he watches the various activities of the villagers as they go about their morning duties. Sam sits next to him in companionable silence until a woman brings them breakfast. The plates she hands them are made from the shoulder blades of some large animal and are filled with the sorts of simple finger foods they have come to expect: little rolls of sticky sweet flat bread, little sconces stuffed with spicy meat and diced fruit dipped in a sweet and tangy sauce. They eat where they sit, washing the food down with water.

“How are you feeling this morning, Mr. Frodo?” Sam asks once they are finished with their meal. “Miss Aliya wanted to know if your headache was still bothering you.”

Frodo quickly assesses himself and is surprised to discover that he feels quite well. He feels no trace of headache or body ache, no heaviness of limb or heart. Even the images from his dream do not bother him. He smiles widely at Sam and answers, “I’m quite well, lad. Better than I have been since entering this land.”

“Well that’s saying something,” Sam says. “At least I’m glad that you got a decent sleep, seeing as you haven’t been sleeping well these last few days.”

He looks off into the distance and Frodo senses there is something else weighing on his friend’s mind. A couple of minutes pass, in which time the woman comes back to collect their plates and pour them more water. When she is gone, Sam continues. 

“It's an odd thing but when we were in that steam bath yestereve I thought I saw me a dream of sorts,” he begins. “I can’t make heads or tails of it. I saw a lass crying, then a lad and lass getting married, but when I tried to find out who they were, it went away and I seemed to wake up. Only, I don’t think I ever went asleep. I think it was a vision, but I don’t think as it can be true necessarily. I mean, this wasn’t Galadriel’s mirror I was looking in, but I don’t rightly know where the images came from neither. What do you think it means, Mr. Frodo?”

“Maybe you’re worried that Rosie won’t be waiting for you when we get back,” Frodo suggests gently. 

“This is the second time I’ve gone and put her in a fix like this,” Sam acknowledges. “If she never wants to speak to me again, I can’t rightly say as I’d blame her.”

“There’s no point worrying on it until we get home,” Frodo reasons, “but knowing how she feels about you, and that she’s been willing to wait so long already, I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about. Except perhaps her ire.”

Sam laughs. “Right you are, Mr. Frodo. She can have a temper, and I deserve the better side of that also.” He sighs and leans back to look up at the sky. “I’m eager to be going home, truth be told. It gets to feeling like the last couple of years have been naught but a dream. Sitting here in this strange place so far away from anything familiar, it’s almost as if we never left Gondor after the War, never went home. Do you ever feel that way, sir?”

“I do,” Frodo answers wistfully. For a while he considers telling Sam everything about the wizards and his dreams, for surely this is one reason why Sam has brought up his own dream. Sam is trying to give him the opportunity to get things off his chest and while he does wish to confide in Sam, something holds him back. In the end, he only asks, “Any word on when we’ll be setting out?”

“Sauron figures as we’ll be leaving here in the afternoon, once the meeting’s over,” Sam answers.

“What meeting?” Frodo asks.

“Well, since everything’s finished up at the fortress, Sauron’s talking to Amros, Semira and Cyrus like he promised he would,” Sam informs. “Only the Elders and Miss Aliya wanted to be there too. They’ve been in the Elders’ hut for an hour now. They wanted you to go too, but I said as you needed your rest and anything they need to be deciding doesn’t have anything to do with you anyhow. Besides, you already spoke your piece up at the fortress. Cyrus promised he’d not let anyone kill Sauron, though I doubt Sauron’ll be needing help with that, seeing as he took out all them Variags on his own.”

“Indeed,” Frodo agrees. “Thank you Sam. You know I’m not one for politics, though I suppose that shouldn’t stop me from going if they really want me to be there.”

“I think Amros was wanting to hear your side of the tale, if you ask me. He’s not a trusting fellow, though I guess he can’t be blamed for that, what all they’ve been through,” Sam muses.

“You’ve been unusually thoughtful these last few days,” Frodo intones, smiling fondly. 

“I’m trying not to be,” Sam says seriously, “but I’ve a role myself to play, being your vizier and all.”

“Vizier?” Frodo repeats.

“Aye. I figured out that’s what they mean by ‘Servant of Great Shaman’,” Sam explains. “It’s actually not ‘servant’ as I thought, but ‘vizier’, or advisor as we would call it.”

“Well, at least they’re right about one of us,” Frodo says. “I wouldn’t have got far without you. So, then, what is my vizier going to do now?” 

Sam looks behind him to the river. “Mayhap I’ll join Rick and learn that dice game the Haradrim are trying to teach him.”

Frodo laughs. “You do that, and I’ll go to the meeting,” he says, preparing to get up. 

“But you don’t have to go,” Sam says.

“No, I think I do have to.” Frodo stands. He dusts dirt off his robe and reaches down to help Sam to his feet. He sees Sam off to the river then turns and heads for the sheikhs’ hut.

The woman sitting outside the sheikhs’ hut kowtows immediately upon seeing Frodo approach. Frodo greets her good morning and asks her to sit up, a request he had learned that first morning in the fortress. Having been unable to convince the Khand that he is not their Great Shaman, he had learned quickly how to request that they be at ease in his presence. 

The woman sits up and says good morning back, then scratches three times on the door covering. Even though the villagers are again dressed in their plain clothing, the decorative weaves still hang over the doors. This weave is the most intricate of them all, save for Aliya’s. He studies it intently while he awaits a reply, recognizing some of the runes and symbols from his days in the Hall of Records, but he does not know enough to understand what he reads now.

The door covering opens and Khalina lets him inside. One quick look around shows him that this hut too is sparsely decorated and he wonders now if the Khand simply prefer it this way. He knows he will never ask them, but it makes him wonder what it would be like to live with so little, only the bare necessities and not all the clutter that tends to accumulate in hobbit holes. He imagines it would be quite freeing, but quite empty at the same time.

In the center of the hut sitting in a circle on the floor are Amh, Aliya, Cyrus, Amros, Semira, Cepros and Sauron. Khalina takes her place next to Amh, leaving a gap between her and Aliya for Frodo to sit. Frodo settles himself and politely greets them all good morning. 

“We were told to not expect you, Ring-bearer,” Amros says, with Cepros repeating his words for the Khand. Frodo notes that instead of translating ‘Ring-bearer’, Cepros simply says ‘Great Shaman’ instead. “Lord Samwise was most persistent that we let you rest.”

“And I have rested,” Frodo replies. “I was told that I may be of help, but please, don’t let me interrupt whatever you are currently discussing.” He glances at Sauron to gauge his reaction. Sauron smiles kindly but Frodo notices a weariness in his expression.

“Sauron was telling us of the plan he devised to destroy the Blue Wizards. We are now finished and ready to continue. Your timing is most fortunate,” Semira says. “You know the Eye the best of all of us, including Childeric, and we would request your testimony of the Eye’s conduct. You once were tormented ruthlessly by him in your Quest to destroy the One Ring, yet now you say you trust the Eye emphatically. Why is that?”

“Because Sauron never tortured me,” Frodo replies simply, giving everyone pause. Even Cepros cuts off in the middle of translating, hastily finishing only after Frodo arches an eyebrow at him. Frodo continues, pausing every now and again to let Cepros catch up. “The One Ring tormented me. True, it possessed much of Sauron’s evilness but it also had a will of its own, and while it was trying to return to its master it was not doing Sauron’s bidding. If it could have done that, if such a connection between Ring and Master existed, it would have revealed itself to Sauron long before I ever left the Shire. It was acting on its own, and so Sauron never tormented me, not directly at any rate. 

“I did see him though on those occasions that I wore the Ring. What I saw of him then was utter darkness, a soul rotted with hatred and vengeance. He was bent on destruction and domination, his once-fair features distorted to ugliness to reflect the malice within. He was evil personified, and he didn’t mourn the loss of those that fell to his black hand. 

“I saw him then, and I see him now. There is still darkness there, but there’s darkness in all of us, even me. There is darkness in each of you as well, else we wouldn’t be here discussing his fate now. He would be forgiven without question. It is your lack of trust and your fear that brings us here and rightly so, for you have been much abused. But though there is darkness,  there is a light also, and that is what truly matters. Where Sauron’s light had been extinguished before, now it glows and it dances, and it shines brighter than the sun. 

“He was evil for thousands of years and it would be easy for him to fall back into those ways again. He knows this and he accepts this, and that is what allows him to resist it, for it is through denial that evil breeds and swells. Denial of truth, denial of hope, denial of will, love and trust. He knows this now and he learns this lesson anew every day, to the benefit of all.

“In the few short years since his return, he’s learned the joy of sharing his life with another. He’s learned compassion and humor, and the honor of doing one’s duty. Just four days ago, he learned the true power of love, when the very thought of his friend allowed him to destroy the rings in time rather than claim them for his own. He still has much to learn, but he will learn it.”

“He has fooled others before,” Amh says, through Cepros.

“He has,” Frodo agrees. “He would make up a persona, change his appearance, and go amongst the people as The Fair. He again chose an alias for this journey, but that was only to cross Harondor and Harad without harassment, not to con people into doing his bidding. For the most part, he does not attempt to mask his true self and goes by ‘Sauron’ through all lands. He does not begrudge the leers of contempt that are shown to him for it. He knows he deserves the mistrust and the wariness of the Free Peoples, and he does not seek vengeance. The Eye would never have done this.”

Silence falls in the hut after Cepros finishes translating, and Frodo cautions a glance at Sauron. The Maia looks at Frodo in utter disbelief. He shakes his head at Frodo, apparently at a loss for words. Having been on the receiving end of such high praises in the past, Frodo can guess well enough what the Maia will say when he finally does get his wits back, for he has said it all himself many times before. He promises to be just as insistent with Sauron as his friends had been with him.

Amros, Semira and Cepros are now whispering quietly amongst themselves. Cyrus, the Sheikhs and Aliya are also conversing earnestly, debating back and forth. Frodo catches his title a few times and a couple of other words but he cannot make sense of anything being said. Sauron's sharp ears miss nothing but he gives no sign of what they are saying, good or ill. Finally, the two parties fall silent again and Amh sits forward to look at Frodo. 

“It is your recommendation then, Great Shaman, that we trust the Eye?” Cepros translates.

Frodo shakes his head. “I cannot tell you to trust him. I can only tell you that I do.”

Amh sits back and weighs these words heavily. He and Khalina exchange glances, but it is Cyrus who speaks next. “Tell us of some of your earlier travels with the Eye, before you came to Harad and Khand.”

So Frodo tells them of his dreams about the Blue Wizards and how Sauron and Rick came to the Shire and informed him of their plight. He tells them of Sam’s initial reservations, Sauron’s lessons, Rick’s stories, and the many campsite chats and cart-bound tales they had shared during the journey to Gondor. He even tells them of Sam’s assault by Sauron and explains how that not only helped Sam to understand what they would be facing but also gave him the knowledge he needed to navigate the fortress. He tells them of coming to Minas Tirith and the discussion he and Sam had with King Elessar about Sauron’s unconventional methods.

When he finishes, there is more quiet discussion around the circle that goes on for many long minutes. At length, Khalina raises her hand for silence. “Thank you, Great Shaman, for telling us these things. We have much to consider before we may come to a decision.”

“You’re welcome, Mother Khalina,” Frodo replies in Khand, using the title that he has heard others use in addressing the wise-woman. He does not know if it is appropriate for him to use but she does not appear to object to it. “If I am not needed for anything else?” he asks and Cepros translates.

“We will be speaking next of the restructuring of Khand,” Cyrus says. “We would greatly appreciate any advice you have to give on this matter.”

“I have none, except that you respect the customs of the other villages and peoples that you govern, lest you trade one tyrant for another,” Frodo says. “Beyond that, I cannot advise you further, for I am leaving this afternoon, and it will be your responsibility alone to determine how best to rule your people.”

“Thank you, Great Shaman,” Cyrus says and this is echoed by Khalina, Amh and Aliya.

“You may go then if you so wish, Great Shaman, for we cannot keep you here,” Amh says. “You are dismissed also, Sauron, and we will tell you of our judgment when the meeting ends.”

Sauron bows before rising and leaving the hut, and Frodo bids them all good luck before following him outside.

Rick and Sam are waiting outside. Rick drops his dice carelessly and Sam abandons the score he had been writing in the dirt. There is a moment’s pause as they assess their friends and determine that everything must have gone as smoothly as can be expected. Only then does Rick say, “So? How’d it go?”

“They weren’t too hard on you, were they, Mr. Frodo?” Sam asks.

“No, not at all,” Frodo assures. “I mostly just talked about our journey here and my training sessions. I don’t know if I was able to convince them that Sauron’s good now, but they at least will take their time to learn that on their own. And I meant everything I said,” he finishes, looking hard at Sauron. “You’re nothing at all like you used to be.”

Sauron smiles to humor him. “Maybe so, but even if I spend another ten millennia redeeming my past, the balance will never tip in my favor. Maybe it shouldn’t.”

“You didn’t kill those people in the fortress,” Frodo says.

“No, I just corrupted the Blue Wizards from their original path and set them loose to do as they wished,” Sauron says. “I taught them that complete domination isn’t just forcing people to do as you will. It’s making them want to do as you will, even if only to save their own necks. They learned their lesson well. The Khand have a long way to go before they are truly free.”

“They do,” Frodo agrees. “They have much to overcome. They’re so full of life, but they’re full of death also. The Haradrim are no different. They have a lust for blood that will not easily be diminished.”

“Do not trouble yourself overmuch on that account,” Sauron says. “That’s for me to straighten out, though how I’m supposed to do that is beyond me. It’s one of my more obscure assignments. For now, all I want you thinking about is the road home. We’ll be leaving after luncheon, once the meeting is over, and at some point I will need to talk to you about your encounter with the wizards. There is still much of your duel that I do not know about, and I will need those details when I report back to the King.”

Frodo nods. “Of course,” he says, somewhat curtly. He takes Sam’s hand then and nudges him towards the river. “Come, let’s see if our other robes have been washed yet.” 

Frodo and Sam are soon changed back into their old robes, and they spend the rest of the morning with Rick daydreaming about home. They keep out of the way as much as possible, though this doesn’t keep people from stopping to offer the Great Shaman and his vizier food and drink. They accept everything given to them graciously, and some of the villagers even stop to say a few words. Frodo listens to the villagers with interest. He does not attempt to understand their speech but instead concentrates on understanding their intent, and in this way he can see what is in their hearts and minds quite clearly. The gratitude they feel for him is overwhelming at times but he smiles warmly and listens attentively and when he answers, he shows them his own gratitude and his growing respect for these humble people. 

Just before luncheon, Fatima comes to sit with them and she quickly learns the dice game that Sam and Rick are playing. She laughs easily and her eyes shine with joy, and Frodo marvels at this change in her. Just a few days before she had expected to greet death at any moment and had been willing to do so. Now she is quick to smile and tease and play. She has no home, no family but for her caretaker whom she calls ‘Mother’ and the friends she has made here, she has no knowledge of where she comes from and no idea of where she will end up. And yet she laughs. Frodo finds comfort and encouragement in this. No matter what darkness may have come before, there will be joy in this realm again.

Sauron spends the rest of the morning with the Haradrim warriors, preparing for the return journey home. They comb through the hills, gathering just enough provisions to last them through the following day when they will reach the bottom of the hills. Once there, they can collect river water and gather more supplies without impacting their hosts needlessly. 

Luncheon comes and goes, and the sun is nearing two o’clock when the remaining Council members emerge from the sheikhs’ hut. The Haradrim, Sauron, Rick, Frodo and Sam are all waiting, packed and ready to move once Amros and Semira give the signal. The nearby Khand quickly gather, eager to hear the news and pass it on. Amh and Khalina come forward and speak. Sauron translates quietly under his voice for his friends’ benefits. 

“After much discussion,” Amh says, “it has been decided that Sauron, known to us as The Eye, was indeed honest and sincere in his efforts to free us of the Blue Wizards. Also at the same time, he destroyed the last remaining band of Variags in the land. Because of these events, and the words of confidence of Great Shaman on his behalf, we have granted him clemency for the space of a year and a day, at which time it will be decided by all of Khand if he should be allowed permanent clemency. He will be named Azatash, Fire of Freedom, and so he shall be called so long as he earns that name. However, should The Eye ever return, he will be chased from these lands, never to come back, else it be the end of him in Middle-earth.

“We will begin restructuring Khand immediately. Cyrus has suggested, and we have agreed, to begin to gather together the leaders of the scattered settlements in the old Capital of Khanahal, to be held in one year’s time on the anniversary of the downfall of the Blue Wizards, that day being the thirtieth day of March. The refugees will act as scouts and spread the word as they return to their homelands. Those who have no land to return to may remain here or go with their comrades who have homelands still if that is their wish. 

“As a gesture of our good will in bringing the mamlaka together again, Cyrus has deemed that the treasure held within the fortress be returned, as best as it can, to the lands it came from, and the rest is to be distributed fairly between all settlements at the gathering in Khanahal. Sultan Amros has agreed to send us some of his Guard for help in transporting and escorting the treasures, and the Guard will act as his emissaries at the gathering in Khanahal. We will begin to send scouts as soon as the Guard arrives and the treasure can be divided. 

“Shamaness Aliya tells us this is a wise choice, and Great Shaman bids us to remember to respect the differences amongst the other tribes as we begin to reunite the mamlaka. We are no more adept to rule this realm than anyone else, and this too must be remembered. No decisions will be made until the Great Council next year. For now, return to your regular duties and know that today, tomorrow and all the days after will be free of tyranny.”

The villagers disperse, carrying Amh’s words with them to those who had missed the speech. Amros, Semira and Cepros say their farewells and rejoin their company. The sheikhs and Aliya bow before Frodo and thank him for his guidance and wisdom. Frodo blushes scarlet and bids them to rise before the other villagers can follow suit. He bows back in the manner of the Shire-folk and wishes them good luck in their endeavors. Meanwhile,  Rick and Sam go to say good-bye to their new friends. Sauron withdraws to the edge of the village, waiting for the others as he reflects quietly to himself. 

Cyrus alone remains and he approaches Frodo with great trepidation. He bows his head imploringly and asks, “May I speak with you before you leave, Great Shaman?”

“What troubles you, Cyrus?” Frodo asks, seeing Cyrus’s thoughts and feelings and allowing Cyrus to see his as well.

“Lord Azatash said I am to become Malik,” Cyrus begins uncertainly. “If this is so…”

“It is so,” Frodo says softly. “You worry that you will fail.”

“Yes,” Cyrus says. “I am not a leader, Great Shaman, not like you are. All my life, I have only followed, first my mother, then my sister, then my elders and shaman, then my masters and finally the wizards.”

“Who you vanquished,” Frodo says.

“Because I thought that was what you wanted,” Cyrus admits. “I am most grateful that you do not seek retribution for my error against you.”

“You did nothing wrong, Cyrus,” Frodo assures. “You were not given many options in life. You did what you had to do in order to survive, but living is not the same as surviving. You must learn this and teach your people that. This will be your hardest task and your most rewarding.”

“I am most humbled by your confidence in me, Great Shaman, but how do I lead when I have only followed? I am just a common man,” Cyrus explains.

“As are all kings, at least the ones that I have known,” Frodo says with fondness, thinking of Éomer and Aragorn, and even Elrond, Legolas, Boromir and Faramir. “You ask for my advice, but the truth is I’m not very good at leading, myself. I rather abhor it really. It is not in my nature to tell others what to do, yet I find that I often must and so I do the best I can. If there is a conflict, I listen to all sides and try to come up with a solution that will make everyone happy. If that cannot be done, I try to think of a solution that is fair to all sides. If there is something I need to have done that I cannot do myself, I request it; I do not command. I avoid a heavy hand at all times, but it is sometimes inevitable when the safety of those who depend on me is at risk that I must become stern and fight back. Yet that has only happened once before, and now twice, and each time I have lost as much as I have gained. 

“That is me. You will find that you have other ways of dealing with the responsibilities placed upon you, and the conflicts you face and the decisions you must make will be much different from my own. For these reasons alone, it would be unwise to attempt to model yourself after me, or anyone else for that matter. If I leave you with any advice it is this: Listen to your people, learn their ways, honor their traditions and respect their wisdom. Show them compassion. Do not be too quick to pass judgment on others, even your enemies, for you may find allies in the most unlikely of places, and remember always that you are just a common man.

“You will make mistakes, we all do. If you find yourself losing focus, or becoming inflated on the power entrusted to you, remember this place, remember yourself as you are now, and it will all be made clear to you again.”

“Thank you, Great Shaman,” Cyrus says. “I will do my best to honor your teachings.”

“Our best is all any of us can do, even me,” Frodo says. He laughs suddenly and Cyrus smiles with him, though he does not know what has made the Shaman happy. “Even me,” Frodo repeats to himself. “You know, Cyrus, you aren’t so very different from me, once upon a time. In fact, I think I had this exact same conversation with Bilbo, or one very much like it, just before he left the Shire. I had forgotten it until now. I had forgot.”

He looks up at Cyrus and laughs again, and the man joins him. “Thank you, lad,” Frodo says. “You have reminded me of something and I am indebted to you.” 

“As I am indebted to you, Great Shaman,” Cyrus says and bows his head again. Then they bid each other farewell, and Frodo joins Rick and Sam as they return from their own goodbyes. They meet the Haradrim and Sauron at the river and the Maia hands the hobbits their swords.

They are soon ready to depart and they find the fields lined with the villagers and refugees, each of their brown faces split with smiles as they wave farewell to their guests. They half-bow to Frodo, dropping to their knees and touching their foreheads to the ground for just an instant before rising again. Frodo’s face flames red but he waves and returns their well wishes, and he realizes suddenly that he will miss them all terribly, for all that he only knew them a few days. 

Too quickly, they reach the precipice of the plateau. They look back, wave a final time, and proceed down the trail over the hillside. The village and the fields disappear at once, but the echoes of the farewells follow them still for a short time, and the lightness in their hearts for the joy on the Khand’s faces remains with them for many days afterward.

To be continued…

GF 7/26/07