If 🧙Gandalf had met Frodo at Bree what would have changed?

[Thorondor_]

Or maybe Gwaihir saved Gandalf sooner... but still, then it is very unlikely they would go through the old forest, and that Merry would get his magic knife to kill the witchking.

 

[Hobbit-GalRosie]

Or maybe Gwaihir saved Gandalf sooner... but still, then it is very unlikely they would go through the old forest, and that Merry would get his magic knife to kill the witchking.

I don't understand where you're coming from with this, Thorondor, the question is if Gandalf had met them at Bree, which I assume means there and not that he met them sooner or somehow got a message to them telling them he was there but now it was an emergency and they better stay away from that Old Forest place...I assume you realize that the deal with the knife happened before they got to Bree?

Um, just so you know I'm not trying to talk down to you here, I just am having trouble understanding precisely what you mean.

 

[Hammersmith]

Rosie, I think he's coming from the assumption that Barliman sends on Gandalf's message and they meet at Bree a considerable time before the way that it occurs in the book.

Alternatively, if Gandalf joining Saruman is a possibility for this scenario, what if Saruman joins Gandalf? In the Unfinished Tales Saruman nearly does; he is en route to beg Gandalf's forgiveness when Gandalf escapes. Saruman feels betrayed and abandons thought of repenting. What if Frodo is met at Bree by Gandalf and a repentant Saruman? What if the two wizards together marshall Rohan and march south? The Fellowship would certainly be unassailable, but there would also be a lot more chances for temptation by various characters. Interesting? I think so.

 

[Thorondor_]

"Rosie, I think he's coming from the assumption that Barliman sends on Gandalf's message and they meet at Bree a considerable time before the way that it occurs in the book." Yes, that is mainly the scenario I considered. I think that Saruman joining the Fellowship is a very dangerous thing, I am not sure Gandalf would approve it. I don't agree that they would be unassailable; perhaps Saruman's main motivation would be to get hold of the ring, rather than help destroying. I must agree this is a very interesting hypothesis.