The Return of the King: Book 6
Sam rescues Frodo from the Orcs, aided by their internal conflict and the power of Galadriel's gift. He returns the Ring to Frodo, and they continue their journey, still trailed by Gollum. They discard their few remaining belongings, abandoning any hope beyond destroying the Ring. As they near the volcano, Orodruin, the landscape becomes increasingly desolate. Frodo weakens, and Sam carries him when he can no longer walk. Gollum catches up to them and knocks both down. Frodo, with a sudden burst of strength, orders Gollum out of his way: "Begone and trouble me no more! If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into the Fire of Doom," and continues up the path to the fire. Sam, now alone with Gollum, almost kills him but, having briefly borne the Ring's burden, spares him out of pity. He follows Frodo and witnesses him, at the edge of the fire, claim the Ring for himself. Gollum attacks Frodo, and in their struggle, he bites off Frodo's ring finger and, in a fit of joy, falls into the flames, destroying the Ring.

At the gates of Mordor, the small army finds itself cornered. The arrival of the eagles coincides with the chaos that ensues from the destruction of the Ring. Gandalf dispatches the eagles to rescue the hobbits. Nearly two weeks later, Sam and Frodo awaken in Aragorn's camp, where they reunite with the rest of the Fellowship and are formally honored. The army then returns to Minas Tirith, where Faramir and Éowyn have fallen in love during their recovery. Aragorn is crowned king. On Midsummer's Day, Aragorn and Arwen are wed. They, along with the Fellowship, escort King Théoden's body back to Rohan for his burial. Éowyn and Faramir become engaged. Upon arriving at Orthanc, they discover that Treebeard has allowed Saruman to leave. With Gandalf, the hobbits journey to Rivendell, encountering Saruman and Gríma along the way. The hobbits visit Bilbo and then proceed to learn that the Shire has suffered in their absence. Gandalf urges them to hurry. Entering the Shire, they find that Lotho Sackville-Baggins and later Saruman, under the alias "Sharkey," have transformed the Shire into a police state and initiated an ecological disaster. They rally their fellow hobbits to drive out the men who have terrorized them, only to discover that Gríma has killed Lotho and that Sharkey is Saruman. Frodo tries to prevent further bloodshed and forbids the hobbits from harming Saruman. However, the wretched Gríma kills Saruman, and in turn, is killed himself. Merry, Pippin, and Sam reintegrate into Shire life as celebrated heroes. Sam marries Rose Cotton, and the newlyweds live with Frodo in Bag End. Despite this, Frodo does not recover from his ordeal. Just three years after fleeing the Shire with the Ring, Sam accompanies Frodo to the Havens. There, Frodo, along with Bilbo, Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond, boards a ship bound for the West. Sam, Merry, and Pippin watch as the ship departs, and then Sam returns home to his wife and baby daughter.