Following the defeat of Sauron in the War of the Ring, the Third Age ended with the departure of
Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel, the Wizard Gandalf and the ring bearers Bilbo and Frodo Baggins,
who sailed from Middle-earth to the live in the enchanted paradise of the Undying Lands.
With nearly all the Elves gone and those who remained living in small realms of relatively
little influence, the Fourth Age saw the continent come under the dominion of men,
led primarily by High King Elessar of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, who in the 6 FA,
demonstrated his kind heart and grateful nature by gifting the Druadan forest to the Druedain,
a secluded group of tribal humans who aided the free peoples in the War of the Ring.
Declaring that no man may enter their dominion, Elessar made a similar proclamation about
the Shire, naming it a Free Land under the protection of the Northern realm of Arnor,
where none may venture without permission from the local hobbit population.
Though Frodo and Bilbo were gone, the other Hobbit heroes from the War of the Ring prospered greatly
in this new age, with Samwise Gamgee, now wed to Rosie Cotton and living in Bag End,
taking the family name Gardner before being elected as Mayor of Michel Delving. Likewise
his friend Meriadoc Brandybuck, already named an Esquire of Rohan, grew in rank and authority
among their people by marrying Estella Bolger and becoming Master of Buckland in 11 FA, making
him the patriarch of their large, well-known and respected family. Peregrin Took meanwhile,
who was previously honored as a Knight of Gondor and Guard of the Citadel, married Diamond of Long
Cleeve and became Thain of the Shire in 13 FA, a leader responsible for the defence of their realm,
as master of the Shire-moot and captain of the Shire-muster and Hobbitry-in-arms. In addition
to these respectable ranks within the hobbit community, High King Elessar named Sam, Merry
and Pippin Counsellors of the Northern Kingdom, adding further prestige to these renowned heroes.
Although the Realm of Arnor ceased to exist centuries earlier, in 15 FA Elessar at last
journeyed from Gondor to re-establish the cities of Annuminas and Fornost, living for a time in
this region while the population grew, confident in the era of peace and prosperity upon them.
While travelling throughout the northlands, King Elessar and wife Queen Arwen visited
their friends in the Shire, gifting Mayor Samwise the Star of the Dunedain, a symbol
worn by the rangers of the Grey Company in the third age. Sam was then further honored,
when his daughter and eldest child Elanor was named a Maid of Honor for the Queen.
Yet the peace and prosperity of the Fourth Age was not entirely maintained without some measure
of struggle or conflict, as the eastern and southern realm, previously loyal to
Sauron, continued to resist and wage war against their hated enemies in Gondor.
Seeking to end the threat against their realms, High King Elessar and his ally King Eomer of Rohan
led military campaigns against the Easterlings and Haradrim, subduing their people beyond the
sea of Rhun in the east and into the far away lands of the south. They also dealt with the
Corsairs of Umbar and in the end established a lasting peace, with the borders of the reunited
Kingdom expanding to match that of their golden age thousands of years earlier.
With their lands now free from the Dark influence and armies of Sauron,
the Dwarves and remaining Elves of Middle-earth also prospered alongside their human allies.
Therefore Prince Legolas, a mighty Elven champion and son of King Thranduil, led a segment of his
people south from the Woodland Realm in 20 FA, to establish a new home in Ithilien, and through
their efforts made it the fairest country in all the westlands. Having been enchanted by the
marveouls stones, gems and mineral deposits he saw in the White Mountains during the War of the Ring,
the Dwarven hero Gimli, son of Gloin and friend of Legolas, made a similar journey south, leading a
group of his people to establish their own realm, becoming Lord of the Glittering Caves. Knowing a
population of industrious and skilled craftsmen now lived nearby, both Rohan and Gondor hired
the Dwarves of the Glittering Caves to create works of great beauty for their realms, leading
to the construction of the famous gates of Minas Tirith, made from precious Mithril and steel.
In addition to having granted the Hobbits many gifts and privileges, relations between
the Reunited Kingdom and Shire continued to be warm and generous throughout the entirety of
Elessar’s reign, with mayor Samwise and his wife even visiting and spending a year in Gondor from
21 to 22 FA. About a decade later, further lands were bestowed upon the Hobbits, with the Westmarch
made a territory of the Shire. In 34 FA, Sam’s son-in-law Fastred of Greenholm, who married his
daughter Elanor, moved to the Tower Hills where he was named Warden of the Westmarch, starting
a family which eventually became famous in their own right, known as the Fairbairns of the Towers.
After serving for 7 consecutive terms, Samwise Gardner at last retired as Mayor
of Michel Delving in 55FA, and 6 years later was devastated to see his wife Rosie pass away.
With his career over and spouse deceased, Samwise was ready to move on from Middle-earth, and so
departed from the Shire, making a final stop to visit his daughter Elanor in the Tower Hills,
gifting her the Red Book of Westmarch, making her family the keepers of this
treasured work for many generations, while adding their own contributions to its pages.
Saying a final goodbye to his daughter, legends say Samwise continued on to the Grey Havens,
where he, as the last ringbearer of middle-earth, exercised his right
to board a ship and sail West to the Undying Lands of Aman, reuniting with old friend Frodo Baggins.
After the departure of Sam, and with both their wives presumably deceased, Meriadoc Brandybuck,
now known as Merry the Magnificent, author of many great works including Herblore of the Shire,
The Reckoning of Years and Old Words and Names in the Shire, and Peregrin Took, who spent his life
creating a vast library in the Took family mansion of Great Smials, received an invitation from King
Eomer of Rohan, and so resigned their offices and left the Shire. Staying with the King until
his death, after which his son Elfwine reigned as ruler of Rohan, the hobbits moved on and spent the
remainder of their days in Minas Tirith with High King Elessar, until at last succumbing to old age,
when they were entombed in Rath Dinen, given a place of honor among the fallen heroes of Gondor.
With the veterans who fought in the War of the Ring advancing in years,
many more started to pass on, including Faramir, husband to Eowyn in 82 FA, leaving
his position as Prince of Ithilien and Steward of the Reunited Kingdom to his son Elboron.
After over a century of rule, Elessar at last died in 120 FA,
leaving his son Eldarion as High King of the Reunited Kingdom.
In order to honor their friendship, the tombs of Merry and Pippin were then moved to lay alongside
the deceased ruler. Losing all joy in life, as her father once feared, Queen Arwen did not wish to
live without her beloved husband, and so left Gondor to spend her final months living alone
in the now abandoned realm of Lorien, before at last succumbing to grief and passing away.
Meanwhile, with their friends dead and realms well established,
Legolas built a ship and with Gimli at his side, left Middle-earth,
sailing west to the Undying Lands of Aman, where they reunited with Frodo, Sam, Gandalf and others.
Although Gimli was a mortal dwarf who never held a ring of power, and thus was not permitted to enter
the Undying Lands, some say his unique friendship with Legolas, which represented an unusual bond
between members of races who were enemies for much of their history, was enough for the Valar
to grant an exception. Others however claim this was not enough, and so perhaps the Lady Galadriel,
an ancient and powerful Elf of great repute and influence, spoke on Gimli’s behalf, remembering
him fondly as the Dwarf hero who acted with great respect and admiration when they met in Lorien,
and who afterwards praised her wisdom and beauty for the rest of his life.
At some point, during the Fourth Age, the elves Celeborn, Cirdan and whoever else wished to join
them, departed on the last ship to the undying lands, while some like the Silvan and Avari
refused to leave, choosing to spend the rest of their days in Middle-earth, becoming figures of
seclusion, so rarely seen they were remembered by most men as creatures of myth. As for the
Dwarves of Durin’s Folk, they prospered greatly for a time, when Durin VII reigned as king,
leading a great migration to reclaim their ancient homeland of Khazad-dum. But as the centuries
passed, they too were seldom seen outside their mountains, becomes figures of legend.
With many of the heroes from the Third Age gone, the men of the Fourth Age continued on enjoying
the peace and prosperity their forefathers fought to attain. Yet in time many of their sacrifices
and the horrors of war were forgotten, and so by the year 220 FA, 100 years into the reign of High
King Eldarion, a New Shadow arose in Gondor, when men, growing bored of peace and corrupted by the
teachings of a man named Herumor, joined a cult dedicated to the worship of Sauron, recruiting
those who in their youth, played at beings orcs and caused mischief for their own amusement.
However, these trouble makers could do little damage when compared to the great evils of the
past, and so the reign of Eldarion continued, with some claiming his royal lineage lasted for 100
generations, seeing his descendants rule over many realms and kingdoms until the birth of a new age.