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"Where is it?" Gandalf demanded as he stormed into Frodo's
home.
"It?" Frodo asked.
"The ring, fool, where is it?"
"It is safe. It is hidden. As directed," Frodo replied.
"Get it," Gandalf commanded.
Frodo shrugged, somewhat annoyed by Gandalf's attitude,
and complied. He opened the chest which contained it,
carefully removed the chests contents, and then removed
the sealed envelope that contained the ring.
Gandalf had lost all patience, and snatched the envelope
from the ever-patient Frodo's hands. Without a word
of explanation, he tossed it into the fire.
"Why did you do that?" Frodo asked.
"Because I must know," Gandalf replied.
Gandalf gave no further explanation, but Frodo patiently
waited. Using a pair of tongs, Gandalf carefully extracted
the ring from the fire and held it out to Frodo.
"Take it," Gandalf said. "It's very cool, despite the
fire."
Frodo took it.
"Now what?" Frodo asked.
"Is there writing upon it?"
"No. Wait, yes there is. It is an older binary code,
I can't understand it."
Gandalf sighed. He knew what it said, and told Frodo
as much. "It is the one ring," Gandalf concluded.
"Then as a ringbearer I must..." Frodo hesitated, unwilling
to continue his statement.
"You must obey the three laws of ringbearing:
1. Never, through direct action or inaction, let Sauron
come to harm.
2. Make every attempt to return the ring to Sauron,
unless doing so will violate the first law.
2. Never let it be known that you carry the ring, unless
this would violate the first two laws."
"But--but following those laws will mean the end of
Middle Earth."
"Not to worry Frodo, there is a loophole."
"A loophole?"
"Yes. You must journey with friends, including some
you don't even know yet. You must attempt to return
the ring to Sauron as the second law states. In the
end, it is possible that one of your companions or even
somebody else might manage to break the first law, but
that would not be your fault. You must do it."
"But wouldn't all of that break the first law, allowing
Sauron to come to harm?"
"Not as long as you bring the others along for your
own protection. If they--or somebody else--happens to
bring about Sauron's end, it will not be your fault."
Frodo's logic circuits strained for a bit but in the
end accepted the three laws and what he had to do...