A One shot Lord of the Rings fic by Kchan88
Frodo walked slowly about the kitchen in Bag End. He had thought that he was hungry, but he wasn't. He wandered into the living room, thinking. It has been three years since the War of the Ring had ended. Everything was back to normal for everyone. It was better than it had been before, even. But not for him. His experience with the ring had changed him. And though the ring was gone, he felt that he could never escape the darkness that had befallen him. Though he was always surrounded by his friends, he always felt alone. Yes, they to had been through many traumatic and tragic experiences in the war, but no matter how they tried, they could not understand his pain. Not even Sam or Gandalf. But he was comforted by his friends presence. They had all gotten together a few weeks ago in Minas Tirith. They would always be the best of friends, because they were forever bound by this shared experience.
Frodo smiled as he thought of his friends. Of Aragorn, who had taken his rightful place as King of Gondor, and had brought Middle Earth back together. Of Legolas and Gimli, who has brought two cultures that had disliked each other for centuries back together by their great friendship. Of Merry and Pippin, who had shown such bravery at such a young age, and were now two of the most influential hobbits in the Shire. Of Gandalf, who had fought so many hard battles that took such a toll on him. But he had brought Middle Earth to military victory. And of course, he thought of Sam. Sam, the best and most loyal friend that anyone could hope for. Sam had been there for Frodo during the worst time of his life, and shown complete bravery in all the situations that he had faced. Frodo grinned at the thought of Sam and Rosie, who were now so happily married. He sighed. Was his part in the tale over? It seemed as if he was not able to go on with his life, as hard as he tried. There were some things that time simply could not heal. As he walked past the mirror in his hallway, he stopped to look at his reflection. His face was pale, there were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, there was no sparkle in his eyes. Where had the rosy cheeks, the laughing eyes, the constant smile gone? Could he ever get them back?
How he wished that none of this had ever happened. How he longed for the old days. The days of a carefree life, one spent exploring the shire in all its beauty, one spent with his uncle Bilbo, eating dinner by the fireside. One spent with Sam, Merry and Pippin in the Green dragon, and watching Merry and Pippin dancing on the tables as Sam gazed at Rosie. But he could not go back. Yes, they had indeed saved the Shire, but it had not been saved for him. He thought back to just before they had left Gondor after the war was over, and of Arwen offering him her place in the undying lands. Perhaps he would take it. He had heard Legolas speak of the call of the sea, of the gulls, and how he wanted to resist the desire to leave Middle Earth just yet. But Frodo did not feel the same. Perhaps the undying lands was the place that he could find solace, understanding, peace in his heart. He had heard Gandalf talk of the grey curtain being pulled back, and the silver glass appearing before his eyes. Yes, the more that he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him.
He walked out of his door, wanting to feel the warm breeze on his face. As he stood, lost in his thoughts, he saw the face of his most loyal friend coming up the path to Bag End. Sam smiled, a twinkle in his eye.
"Mr. Frodo, Mr. Frodo!" the jolly hobbit exclaimed joyfully, "Rosie is with child again!"
"Ah, how wonderful Sam!" said Frodo smiling as he walked up to meet his friend. Sam had had that same look on his face after Goldilocks was concieved. And the two friends walked towards the Green Dragon, simply talking and rejoicing at the special event. And Frodo felt glad, that even though the Shire had not been saved for him, it had at least been saved for somone, and that someone was Samwise Gamgee.
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A/N: This is just a little short one shot about how I thought Frodo felt just before he left for the Undying Lands. Its sad I know, but please read and review!
