The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King out Sauron's forces and empties Mordor, allowing Frodo and Sam to reach the volcano, but Gollum attacks them just as they reach Mount Doom. Frodo succumbs to the Ring and claims it as his own. Gollum attacks Frodo and bites his finger off to reclaim the Ring. Frodo fights back and knocks Gollum, who is holding the Ring, into the volcano, destroying the Ring and killing Gollum. As Frodo and Sam escape, Sauron is destroyed and Mordor crumbles. Gandalf flies in with eagles to rescue the Hobbits, who awaken later in Minas Tirith and are reunited with the surviving Fellowship
The Fellowship of the Ring the decision to publish "The Lord of the Rings" in three volumes was made, Tolkien had hoped to publish the novel in one volume, possibly also combined with "The Silmarillion". However, he had proposed titles for the individual six sections. Of the two books that comprise what became "The Fellowship of the Ring" the first was to be called "The First Journey" or "The Ring Sets Out". The name of the second was "The Journey of the Nine Companions" or "The Ring Goes South". The titles "The Ring Sets Out" and "The Ring Goes South" were used in the "Millennium