April 13, 2004

Re: Disaster for Merry and Pip
Danny

As I said, I agree that Boromir did the right thing even though I was the one who posed the devil's advocate question. I don't agree that it would have been a disaster for Merry and Pip had it been beleived they went with Frodo and Sam. Aragorn most likely would have known that was not the case though. If you recall he read tracks where the boats were and knew that only one boat was taken. He also knew that only two packs were taken and that it appeared that only two hobbit prints crossed the river. So he most likely would have known that Merry and Pip didn't go with them. But lets say that he didn't figure that out for a moment.

It would have been a disaster for Rohan and Minas Tirith, so in the round about way it would be a disaster for everyone. Merry and Pippin's escape from the orcs would have happened without Aragorn and company in pursuit pursuing. They would still have met Treebeard who would have still destroyed Isengard. After that, they would have either been able to make their way to the Shire or be picked up by Gandalf if events at Helms Deep still turned out in Rohan's favor. Either way they would have had as good a chance of surviving as anyone else. It is possible though unlikely that Rohan would have survived Helms Deep without Aragorn. That is where I think the disaster would have begun. Aragorn also would not have been where he was to travel the Paths of the Dead and defeat a large army that was bound for Minas Tirith. He would not have been able to gather people to his banner and arrive in time to save Minas Tirith from falling either. It is also most likely that Eowyn wouldn't have defeated the Witch King, nor that Sauron would have been misled by the event with the Palantir.

Of course it is highly possible that had Boromir not fought the orcs, Aragorn would have still been able to read the tracks and signs of the hobbits movements to figure out that they had been captured. However, had Boromir not died, who is to say that Aragorn and company would not have had an encounter with the orcs resulting in one or more deaths in their numbers? Anyway that is enough what if stuff. I feel silly doing it for real life, and even more doing it for fiction, even fiction as incredible as Tolkien 8).