"I know well what sent Frodo over the River," says Thorongil, taking Sam's gaze with his. "He who was the cause of it told me all, in his last moments."

There is a lot to unpack in Strider's face and tone. I know, he says. We need not speak of it, he implies. I pity him, his eyes reveal, and grieve for him.

"I will repeat his final words to no one. But I will say that he died well. He fought bravely against a force far greater than any one man could hope to conquer, for the sake of Frodo's kinsmen. They were still taken, in the end, but that does not make his sacrifice less."