[The Saucepan Man]

Great thoughts, Keeper. What you say makes good sense to me. One further thought, though:

Originally Posted by Keeper of Dol Guldur

I don't think she expected Sam to be brave enough to accompany Frodo, underestimating his simplicity.

I wonder if the opposite might be true. Perhaps she saw that, if the Fellowship was to break, Frodo would need a companion. One who was courageous and loyal, who would keep Frodo's spirits up and who would not desert him. The obvious choice would be the Hobbits, rather than one of the "warriors", since they would be as adept as Frodo at hiding themselves and moving covertly.

So that would leave Sam, Merry and Pippin. And of those, Sam would be the most obvious choice, given his nature and his pre-existing bond of loyalty to Frodo. But perhaps she tempted all three of the Hobbits with thoughts of their homeland, with the aim of reinforcing their resolve to continue (or prompting them to give up if they did not have such resolve) and with the hope that at least one of them would accompany Frodo on the final stage of his journey.

Possibly, she hoped that all three would accompany Frodo. Certainly, all three were loyal to, and had a strong bond of friendship with, him. But, as matters turned out, it was only Sam who knew Frodo's mind sufficiently to follow him when he made to set off on his own.