Joined Together, One and the Same Forever
The old, weary gardener laid down his shears. It was twilight, the last rays of the sun
transforming the evening sky to a gorgeous canopy of golden, crimson, and deep blue. As blue as Mr. Frodo's eyes used to be, thought Sam Gamgee, fighting off an intense wave of loneliness at the thought of his beloved master. How many years had it been since Frodo had passed over to the Grey Havens? So many that Sam had lost track. There was still a dull ache in his heart, left over from that day so long ago; and now, with the recent death of Rosie, it was becoming more and more painful again. Although he had done so much in his long years living in the Shire, keeping alive the memory of his master's valiant Quest and raising his wonderful family with Rosie, Sam's thoughts were now drifting to Rivendell, which he had been privileged to see once before. He dreamed of the Elves and their home every night, which had not happened for a long time. Not since before my adventure, he mused with a wry smile as he put away his shears and entered Bag End, pausing as always before the mantle. In a place of honor, right beside a picture of him and Rosie on their wedding day, was a portrait of Frodo painted shortly before his departure for the Havens. Sam took it down and held it lovingly in his wizened hands, tears forming in his ancient brown eyes. Master, will I ever see you again?
As Sam slept that night, a soft voice whispered in his mind. Years had passed since last he had heard this voice, but immediately he knew who was calling: Galadriel, the immortal Queen of the Elves whose beauty outshone anything in Middle-Earth. "Frodo has been asking for you, Samwise Gamgee," she said, a gentle laugh in her voice. "You have done your work in the Shire well, and as you were once a Ring-bearer too, now is your time to cross to the Grey Havens as your master did so long ago. He will be waiting for you." At that Sam jerked awake, heart pounding with exhilaration and joy. He was going to see Frodo again!
Dawn's first light streamed through the trees, illuminating the solitary traveler on the forest road. Sam had wasted no time in beginning this last journey; his joyful anticipation and excitement had made going back to sleep impossible. As he walked, images from his many adventures flashed through his mind. Once again he was sitting by his master's side in Rivendell, or talking about their journey being made into a song, or finding Frodo in the Orc-tower, or enduring those last bittersweet moments before Frodo had departed. Besides Rosie and his children, Frodo was the most important person in Sam's world. They had shared and endured so much together, and Sam's heart had broken when his master left with the Elves; without Frodo, part of Sam's heart had felt empty at first. Now, though. . .now it was filling up with a joy he was barely able to contain! Every step was bringing him closer to his master.
On the evening of the seventh day, as the sun was setting once again behind the trees, Sam came to a small clearing not far from the harbor. He had been walking all afternoon, and was especially tired this evening; this was an excellent spot to spend the night, and tomorrow would see the journey's end. As he set up camp, Sam began to sing to keep himself company:
The road goes ever on and on,
Out from the door where it began.
Suddenly, somewhat distant but clear nonetheless, a youthful voice answered:
Now far ahead the road has gone;
Let others follow it who can!
Sam froze, listening with all his might, his heart racing. The music had come from the direction of the harbor. Only one other person could possibly know that song, and only one person sounded like that. He knew that beloved voice, would know it anywhere, but it couldn't be. . .it just couldn't be Frodo. Or could it? Using the light of the full moon as his guide, Sam followed the path to the harbor at a very fast walk. Suddenly, a soft, clear light illuminated the road; and this light was definitely not moonlight. As the glow brightened, Sam felt a sense of joyful welcome, of love and expectancy that grew with the light as he walked on. What was this? The answer was more than he had ever dared to dream.
Just when Sam felt that his heart would explode with the light and love all around, he came to its source. There, waiting on the pier with a radiant smile, was Frodo! He had not aged one day; he was still the young master in the portrait at Bag End, his curly hair still dark brown and his eyes the same crystal blue that Sam remembered so well. And Frodo's smile was not the only radiant thing about him - his entire body was glowing with the clear light that Sam had noticed during the Ring quest, after Frodo's wound by a Morgul-blade.
"Frodo, dear master!" gasped Sam; and then, for pure joy, he burst into tears.
"Yes, it's me," laughed Frodo. "Why are you crying, Sam you silly? Come here." Shaking all over, tears still streaming down his cheeks, Sam ran to his master and the two friends embraced. After a few seconds, Frodo stepped back and gently wiped Sam's tears away.
The first thing Sam noticed was how warm his master's hands were, he supposed because of the light. But the warmth didn't go away as he expected; instead it spread, from his face through his entire body, bringing with it an energy and strength he had not felt for many years. He could feel his face changing too, almost as if the wrinkles were being smoothed away. He raised a hand to his cheek and found that it was true - the years were falling away from him, and he was now the same Sam that had journeyed with Frodo to the heart of Mordor. The final surprise, though, was in his own hand. Sam gasped, eyes wide with wonder - not only was it smooth and strong again, the hand of a young gardener, it was aglow with the same light that Frodo radiated!
Frodo smiled at his friend. "I've missed you so much, dear Sam! All these years, part of my heart has stayed with you in the Shire. But now we'll never have to part again." Gently taking Sam's hand in his own, Frodo laid it over his heart just as Sam had done on the slopes of Mount Doom so long ago. "I'm with you forever, mel-toron. And you'll be with me, and now our journey is finally finished." Then Frodo and Sam took ship and crossed over the Sea to the Grey Havens, where they lived together happily ever after.
Disclaimer: All characters, locations, songs, events, and languages mentioned in this story belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. I have simply written an original story for them.
Mel-toron - love-brother in Quenya (Elvish)