Guest Post by Dane Ortlund
“It does not seem that I can trust anyone,” said Frodo.
“It all depends on what you mean,” put in Merry. “You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin–to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours–closer than you yourself keep it. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. Anyway: there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the ring. We are horribly afraid–but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.”
–J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (Houghton Mifflin 1994), 103
