A/N: This is my first ever finished LOTR story. No, I think it's the second, actually. It's…ehm…I don't really know what it is, but it's all there's gonna be. I just needed to write something after finishing my exam paper late on Saturday night. And this is the result.
I have not abandoned my Love Actually fic, and I won't. Just had to write this down before continuing with Right Here.
Anyway, enjoy reading, and please tell me what you think by reviewing! Thanks!
Oh, by the way…I do realize that almost nothing happened this way neither in the books nor in the films. It's on purpose. Just thought I'd let you know.
Miss Sofie
Rosie
I've known Sam all my life. He was three when I was born, and according to my mum he was very fond of me. Though he didn't understand much back then, he knew that he had to be very careful around a new-born baby like me. Mum still tells me how he used to worship me and not want to go home with his own mum, when they had come around for a second breakfast. My mum and I often went to their place for breakfasts as well, but of course I don't remember this.
One of the things from our childhood I do remember, is Sam losing interest in me when he got older. I got older too, of course, but when he entered his tweens, I was still just a big child to him. Though I was only three years younger than him, he stopped playing with me. At least he didn't want to play when his friends were around.
I understood, though he thought I was just a stupid, little girl. I understood, and therefore I didn't get angry with him. He hurt me, yes, but I knew why. It was embarrassing for him to play with a young girl like me.
I thought I'd just let him be, and after a while everything would be back to normal. But I was wrong.
When I entered tweenhood, I thought he'd be old enough to see that I was not the annoying, little girl that I used to be. I thought he'd see that I had become a young woman and that knowing me wasn't embarrassing anymore. Seemingly he didn't. Whenever I said hi to him at the market place or waved at him when I brought my brothers their meals in the field, he'd turn away and pretend he didn't know me. I know he always noticed me, but I could tell from the reddening of his cheeks that he was embarrassed to let his friends know that he knew me. Yes, it did hurt, but no more than I could take. We had been nothing more than childhood friends, and it seemed it was all we were ever going to be.
When I got old enough I began helping Mum and Dad at the inn. After several years of silence between Sam and me, he talked to me one night, when he and his friends had had quite a few pints.
He came up to me, staring at his feet. I saw his lips move, but the crowd made so much noise that I couldn't hear the words. He looked up and saw the questioning look on my face as I leaned over the table to hear him better. His face reddened and he looked down again. I think his eyes may have caught a glimpse of my bosom, because he blushed even more and his eyes darted to the left, back to his friends.
"Can I…can I have…" He muttered.
"Yes?" I encouraged him, not trying to hide my smile.
"…another pint?" He finished his sentence and looked at me again.
"Sure!" I said flashing him a big smile.
Samwise Gamgee had spoken to me again!
"I'll bring it to your table in a moment." I said and went to the kitchen to fetch more tankards.
When I got back, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took were dancing on the table. Sam was sitting silently next to Frodo Baggins, who was singing along with the rest of the people around the table. I placed four mugs on the table, making sure someone took them instead of letting Merry and Pippin knock them over. When I handed Sam one, my hand accidentally touched his. He took the mug, but when he wanted to take a swig, he missed his mouth and poured the beer down his shirt.
Everyone laughed and made poor Sam redden even more, though I wouldn't have thought it possible.
"I'll bring you a towel." I said with a smile and left the cheery company returning a moment later. Judging from Sam's face they were still laughing at him, making me feel sort of sorry for him. Not real sorry, just the kind of sorry you feel for someone you'd like to comfort or help or even protect. I couldn't help smiling, as he was looking so lost!
"Thanks." He muttered as I handed him the towel.
I turned around to go back, when his very obvious coughing stopped me.
"Yes?" I said and turned around to face him again.
"Do you think…that I could have another pint?"
"Samwise Gamgee!" I said pretending to scold him. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were making up excuses to talk to me!"
Everyone around the table laughed, except Sam, who emptied the first mug without looking at me.
"Alright. I'll get you another one." I said and smiled at him. "Anyone else needin' a refill?"
"Yes, please."
"Mmm…of course!"
"Rosie, do you need to ask!"
The rest of the hobbits around the table shouted for more beer. I left with a smile at Sam, and for the first time in years, I think he almost smiled back at me!
For some reason it made my heart pound, though I was careful not to let it show.
Sam often came to the inn after a long day in the fields. He would always be accompanied by Frodo, and very often Merry and Pippin would join them later on. Late at night there would be a whole crowd of them – young hobbits enjoying my old man's special brew and a smoke of pipe weed. They would begin by discussing that day's work and the forthcoming harvest, and later at night, when they had had too much of both beer and weed, they would sing and dance till they dropped or till I threw them out.
They were a merry company. We had other customers, of course, but my favourite nights were the ones with the young crowd present. More and more often strange fellows would come into the inn, looking for information of all kinds or just for a bed. They were rarely hobbits, these folks, and they mostly kept to themselves. Except for when they questioned me about strange things.
One of them, though, didn't keep to himself. He was strange, yes, but he was also very liked by every hobbit in the Shire.
His name was Gandalf, and wherever Gandalf went, the youngest hobbits would follow. I remember running along his cart with a lot of my mates when I was younger. We would always call on him, trying to get him to do some magic.
Because Gandalf was a wizard, and we were all very impressed by him and his tricks. To tell the truth, I still am, but back then it was the very simple magic tricks I loved the most. His fireworks would make the day for me and lots of other children.
However, sometime after Sam had talked to me at the inn, Gandalf came to town. We hadn't seen him for years, and everyone was thrilled to have him back.
Frodo Baggins was probably the most thrilled of us all. His uncle, Bilbo Baggins, was about to give a huge party to celebrate his 111th birthday. Gandalf had wihtout a doubt come to take part in the celebration, and so he spent hours and hours up at Bag End, which was Bilbo and Frodo's home.
No one knew what they were doing all this time or what they were talking about, maybe except for Sam, who spent a great deal of time with Frodo. I think he looked very much up to him, though Sam himself was also quite admirable. Though he hadn't spoken to me for years, I had noticed him being a great friend to those he knew. His true friends could always trust him, and those he didn't know so well could always count on a helping hand when needed.
Without realising it, I had come to know more about Sam than I did when we were young and played in the gardens of Hobbitton.
I think it was on Bilbo Baggins' birthday party I decided that I wanted my childhood friend back, whether he liked it or not. I must've missed him!
I've never seen so many hobbits at a time as I did on Bilbo's party. I think everyone from the Shire was there, and if there were hobbits elsewhere in Middle Earth, they must've been there too.
It was a great party. There was food enough for everyone, and a great many hobbits felt fully satisfied for the first time in their lives.
When evening came and the sun gave place to a brightly shining moon, lots of hobbits were sleeping on benches and tables, some even on the ground, stomachs full and smiles content.
Most of us were dancing or eating, some both, and it was during one of these dances I caught Sam's eye. I smiled at him, but he glanced away as quickly as possible, and I couldn't help giving a small laugh. I was in high spirits, as was everyone else, and I just couldn't help smiling all the while I was dancing. Sam was looking a little helpless standing next to Frodo, who joined in the dancing once in a while. Sam didn't. He's never been much of a dancer, I reckon. He never danced on the tables at the inn, though his friends kept trying to drag him up. He was the quiet kind of guy.
I was dancing with Merry, spinning around to a lively flute melody, when I heard Frodo say my name. He was back to speaking with Sam, who was looking at me with a sad look on his face. I tried to cheer him up by smiling at him, but he had no time to smile back at me, as Frodo gave him a push into the crowd of dancers. The always kind Frodo obviously didn't want Sam to stand alone feeling left out, and it so happened that Sam fell into the crowd right next to me.
Merry had disappeared (I think I had seen Pippin motioning him over a few moments ago), so I grapped Sam's hand and danced on, trying to make him follow my steps. It wasn't easy. I began to understand why Sam never was one to dance at the inn, but I didn't care if he stepped on my toes once in a while. After staring at me like a mad man for a few moments, he realised he had to move to avoid colliding with all the other dancers. He tried. He really did. And by the end of that dance he was almost able to follow me around.
"No more, Rosie!" He said and sat down on a bench, his face red from exhaustion. "I can't. No more."
"Ah, so you do remember my name!" I teased and sat down beside him.
"Of course I do!" He said sounding a little offended. "I'd never forget your name."
"That's sweet." I said and gave him a peck on the cheek, which caused his face to redden even more. Then he looked around, probably trying to locate Frodo or something.
"Are you looking for Frodo?" I asked and dragged him up by the hand. "I think I know where he is."
"No, I'm…" He said without finishing. I think that me taking his hand had silenced him.
"So if you're not looking for Frodo, you're free to dance the next dance with me!" I said and made him follow me back into the crowd.
"But…" He began. He hesitated for a while, which was long enough for me to take both his hands and make him swing me around. "…But I'm not a very good dancer."
"I'll teach you!" I said and placed his hands on my hips. I had had no ulterior motives by doing so, but it made my own heart pound wildly. I had not planned that, either.
Sam and I were dancing for quite a while. He was getting less shy and more elavated when suddenly there was a loud bang, and something that looked like a huge dragon of fire came right towards us from the sky.
Sam reacted very quickly. He pushed me over and threw himself on top of me to prevent me from being hit by the dragon.
Afterwards it turned out to be some of Gandalf's fireworks, which had been set off by Merry and Pippin. It was harmless and very beautiful, but Sam hadn't known this when he had tried to protect me. It made my heart do a little somersault, and I thought he was very brave.
He, on the other hand, thought he was very clumsy. I think he felt stupid because the dragon hadn't been a real dragon, and because my dress had become dirty with mud from the fall, but I couldn't agree less with him. He wasn't stupid at all. He had shown bravery and protectiveness, and who could want more in a husband? And I, who hadn't thought I'd want to marry for a great many years to come, suddenly couldn't stand the thought of Sam thinking of any other girl than me. I was falling for him.
What an agony I had put myself in, and it would last for quite a while yet to come!
From this day on Sam always said hi to me, when we met. Sometimes he even stopped and talked, though he didn't look much at me.
I did my best to make him notice me. I smiled and talked and did everything a girl can do to get attention. I even wore my dresses more low-necked than ever, but Sam didn't seem to notice. Though we spoke regularly now, he didn't try to make a move, and it really frustrated me.
At the inn I tried flirting with others when he was around, which has, of course, never been the right tactic. It only resulted in Sam speaking less with me and drinking more.
One night when we closed the inn, he looked really sad when he left with Frodo. I gave him a big smile, but it didn't help. Some other young hobbit spoke to me, and I replied without really knowing what I was replying to. I was hoping to get a last glance from Sam, and for once I got it. He looked fondly at me, and then he scowled at the one talking to me, which I allowed myself to interpret as a good sign. Could he be jealous? Not that I had any reason to believe so. He had never before shown any interest in me, except for at Bilbo's party. Nevertheless, I breathed in the moment and saved it for lonelier times. I had no idea how many times I'd be memorising this night in the future, just like I had no idea that this was the last time I would be seing Sam for what seemed like forever!
A few days later, when I sold fresh vegetables at the market, I heard from the old Master Proudfoot that Sam had disappeared along with Frodo, and that Merry and pippin had also gone. I felt cold down my spine, as people had whispered about strange creatures crossing the lands lately. Not all of them had seemed friendly, and I couldn't help but feeling scared, when I heard the four of them had disappeared.
As I didn't know if my affection for Sam was returned, I couldn't share my feelings with anyone. Not even with my dearest friend, Dorelia, though I longed to tell my secret to her so she could comfort me and tell me that Sam would come back to me. If he would be coming back, who said he'd be coming back to me? No one did.
After a fortnight or so, an Elven messenger came. I had never seen the Elves, only heard of them, and I remembered Sam and I lying in the grass for hours and hours when we were children, talking and dreaming about the Elves. The messenger, a very beautiful Elf maiden, was prettier than I had ever thought possible. She told us that Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin had set out to Lothlorien, which was an Elven realm a long way from the Shire. They were all doing alright, though Frodo was lucky still to be alive. I was relieved, of course, to learn that Sam was alright, but I feared that he would never return anyway. If other Elves were as beautiful as the lady who visited us, Sam was sure to fall in love with an Elleth and never return to the Shire.
I think these thoughts made me begin to wither, though I was the only one who could tell. On the outside I was just as happy and cheery as I had always been.
Time went on and things went back to normal. Well, they almost went back to normal. More and more strangers passed through Hobbitton, and some stayed for weeks or even months.
As spring came, half the villagers were either Men or other strange creatures, none of them too kind. I just had to smile and act friendly towards them as long as they payed for their meals and their beds, even when they were rude or just plain ugly.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind an ugly hobbit. They can't all look like Sam, I realize that. But I'm not talking about hobbits here. I'm talking about ugly, stinking creatures, which preferred their meat raw and ate no vegetables at all. They were so horrible-looking that I had a really hard time waiting on them. I had never seen anything like them, and I hope I'll never have to again!
With summer came the annoyance of the heat. We hobbits like to feel comfortable, and we can't when it's too hot or too cold. This summer it was too hot.
Everywhere people were annoyed and tired, and we all began blaming the strangers. Of course they couldn't help the weather, but no one blamed the weather anyway. It felt as if they were setting people up against each other, though no one could really tell why.
In the end we had a major council. The largest one I have ever experienced. We decided to rid our town of strangers. Not the nice once, of course, but all the nasty looking once who did nothing but trampling down our crops and killing all the game just to leave it rottening on the ground.
We made arrangements to signal to each other, whenever someone had seen one of these creatures spoil a wheat field or an orchard, and then everyone would come to the victim's rescue with their sharpest knives, hayforks, and lit torches.
The first couple of times we did this everything went well, but then the outdriven strangers returned with reinforcements. After a few failed attempts to standing up to them, our village was overtaken by orcs, and rumours had it they were captained by someone called Sharkey. There was not much we could do, except trying to please this Sharkey and his servants the best we could.
Life became almost unbearable, and I think the only thing that kept me sane was the memory of the last time I had seen Sam and the hope that someday he'd come back. As soon as I had thought this, though, I scolded myself. It was wrong of me to hope Sam would come back only to be held captive or maybe even killed by those ugly beasts!
Some time in the late summer, when the fields ought to have been harvested, rage overtook me by seeing all of our hard work vanish into thin air. Our food supplies were running low, though the orcs and the men controlling them had plenty. We had a suspicion that they had gathered food up at Bag End, and the thought of my people starving when there should be plenty of food for everyone made me outrageous. One morning, when I heard the little Iris from next door cry with an empty stomach, I took off my apron and walked up to Bag End.
No one answered, when I knocked on the door. I knocked again, and I saw a curtain move behind one of the small windows.
"Mr. Lotho, open the door, please!" I said loudly and waited for a reply. As it didn't come, I opened the door and helped myself inside.
"You're not welcome here, Rosie Cotton!" A voice said from the kitchen. It was Mr. Lotho. I hadn't seen him for a long time, but I knew he had taken over Bilbo's old hobbit hole. He didn't look well, but he sure seemed to be much better fit than little Iris Bracegirdle.
"I doubt you are either, Mr. Lotho." I said and walked on to the larder.
"If you don't leave right now, you'll be put into prison!"
"What different does it make? We're all held captive as it is!"
I ran past him with my hands full of chicken and potatoes. Mr. Lotho's condition wasn't good enough for him to follow.
"Rosie! Miss Rosie! He'll cut off my head!" He yelled after me, and I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Who'll cut off your head?" I asked turning around to face him. He was standing in the door way, and I was halfway through the garden.
Mr. Lotho didn't reply. He ran towards me, but before he reached me, he fell over, a knife stabbed in his back. He was dead on the spot.
I let out a scream as I saw the stranger standing in the doorway. His face was very pale, almost white, and his long, black hair clung to his face. He looked ill, but I didn't feel sorry for him. There was something evil about him, though he had probably saved me from being knocked down by Mr. Lotho.
"Well, well, well…!" He said with a nasty grin. "Young Rosie Hobbit out stealing other people's food, is she!"
He hurried to my side, and the next thing I knew was his hands searching all over me.
"You leave her alone, you filthy scum!" A voice shouted and the man jumped back.
I stepped backwards and turned to face my savior. I could scarcely believe what I saw. Four ponies came trotting towards us, bearing a hobbit each. One of them, the one who carried Sam – yes, my Sam – hurried up to me.
"Did he hurt you?" Sam asked and got off the pony.
"No. No, he didn't get that far." I replied not able to take my eyes off of Sam. He looked so grown up. And brave. Not to mention hungry!
"Good. I'd have killed 'im if he did!"
"Oh, hello, Rosie!" Another voice said, and Pippin got off another pony. So did Frodo and Merry.
"You're back! You're all back!" I exclaimed and threw my arms around Sam's neck. He stiffened, but after a moment he relaxed.
"Of course we're back." He whispered into my hair. I heard it anyway. "I'd never leave you behind, Rosie Cotton!"
I was about to kiss him, when something caught his attention other than me.
A tall man with long, white hair had come out from the hobbit hole, looking very pleased with himself.
"So you finally did what you've been waiting for, Worm!" The wizard said with and evil grin. "Wasn't worth much either, that Mr. Lotho."
"Saruman!" Exclaimed Frodo. "I should've known!"
"You made me do it!" Wormtongue yelled at Saruman, fear showing on his face. "It was you!"
"Well, yes. And now I'm making you come with me. Seems like we're not wanted here anymore."
"You never were!" Sam said, taking my hand. Saruman turned his back on everyone, walking down the road.
A split second later Wormtongue had drawn his knife out from Mr. Lotho's back and placed it in Saruman's instead. I hid my face by Sam's chest, and he put his arms around me. When I looked back again, Wormtongue lay dead as well. He had three arrows in his back, and several hobbits had their bows drawn.
"Let's hope this is the end." Frodo said sadly and got up on his pony again.
"I'd prefer it to be the beginning, Mr. Frodo." Sam replied cheerfully and helped me up onto his pony. "Come on, Bill." He said and took the reins. "Let's get Rosie back to me old gaffer!"
I'm watching Lila playing in the garden. She'll be happy to see her father again. She hasn't seen him for a few weeks, as he set out to join Bilbo on his way to Gray Havens. They all did. Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin. They've been inseparable ever since they got back from their big adventure. I don't expect Frodo to return again, though I haven't shared this with my husband.
I can see him coming down the road. Sam, that is. He's not riding Bill anymore, as the poor pony's getting too old.
He's carrying a bouquet of wild flowers in his hands, but know they're not for me. He'll give them all to Lila. All except one. He'll pick the prettiest of them and stick it into my hair, telling me how much he loves me for giving him Lila, and how much he loves me for being who I am. I'll thank him by kissing him and bringing him his supper outside. Lila loves it when we have our meals in the garden. And because she loves it, Sam loves it too. And that is one of the many things I love about him. About my Sam.
The greatest hobbitwho ever lived!
A/N: Thanks for reading. So what do you think? Please let me know, even if you think it stinks!