Chapter 28
Merry knocked on the door quietly as Pippin stood behind him. They would have gone in straight away, but they feared if they did they might walk in on something. 'There was no way Sam and Frodo could simply be friends,' Merry thought to himself. Though the others only spoke in jest, he truly believed that Sam and Frodo were madly in love.
Pippin rolled his eyes and pushed past him into the room. He shot a knowing glance at Merry when they looked at Sam and Frodo. They both lay asleep, as if in their own little world. Sam was on her side, covers around her middle and a hand under her pillow. Her other hand was clasped around Frodo's. He was also on his side with both his arms wrapped tightly around Sam's waist pulling her to him.
Sam's eyes flickered open. She looked at Merry and Pippin and smiled warmly, unashamed of Frodo's embrace.
" Good morning," she said softly.
" Hello!" Pippin replied gleefully. Merry smiled.
" How are you feeling?" he asked quietly. Frodo shifted a little and opened his eyes.
" This isn't Mount Doom," he said looking confused for a moment. Sam smiled. He looked down at Sam and over and Merry and Pippin. He smiled warmly at them, "Yes?"
" Soon the King requests your presence," Merry told him.
"What if we like where we are?" Sam said with a mock snub. Frodo rolled over and straddled her waist.
" Then you have to deal with me!" Frodo shouted and leaned down and blew a raspberry into her neck. Merry and Pippin chuckled as Sam shrieked with laughter.
" Mercy! Mercy! Someone help!" she mock screamed as he did it again. Merry and Pippin exchanged glances, then Merry shouted
" We'll save you!" they both jumped into the bed and pushed Frodo off of her.
Thus resulted in a large pillow fight.
Legolas and Gimli walked around the corner to see what the shouting was about. The snickered when they saw the four hobbits hitting each other and rolling around on the bed.
" I would stop before-" Pippin threw a pillow at Legolas as he spoke. Frodo went to shove Pippin, but fell forward on the bed with a small yelp. "-Hurt" Legolas finished. Merry and Pippin backed up on their knees as Sam saw the bit of blood on the back of Frodo's nightshirt. She grimaced as Legolas and Gimli came forward. She lifted the back of his shirt.
Merry and Pippin's eyes grew wide and round as Sam's expression softened a bit. Some of the whip-wheals had reopened a little.
" Ouch," Frodo moaned.
" How-How did that happen?" Pippin asked with disbelief. Neither Frodo nor Sam answered.
There was a small bowl with water and a cloth in it from when they bathed Sam's head the previous night. Legolas took the cloth out of the now cool water and wiped the blood away with it, knowing not to ask how they came to be there.
Gandalf entered the room, he looked at them and then to Frodo's back. His look did not quaver nor change. He glanced at Legolas and Gimli, then to Merry and Pippin. They understood and got up and left.
Gandalf sat down in a chair next to the bed. He sighed looking at the two of them. Sam finished washing the small trails of blood off of Frodo's back and set the cloth down in the bowl. Carefully she pulled Frodo's nightshirt down back over his bare back.
" My friends," Gandalf muttered warmly. " I understand this may be painful, but would you tell me the story of how your quest ended?"
" Why?" Frodo asked quietly.
" You would have to tell it eventually, I would wait for the pain to fade, but that would only make the pain worse when you finally told it in full." He paused, " If it is any help tell me what happened after you met up with Faramir. I know that either one or both of you was captured in Mordor,"
" The most painful part," Sam muttered strangely, causing both Frodo and Gandalf to look at her. Frodo looked back at Gandalf.
Frodo began to tell him of the story after they left Faramir. Sam barely listened, she truly didn't want to tell anyone of what happened just after Frodo left her on Doom. Not even Frodo himself should know what Gollum did to her.
"… thinking nothing could stop me, I broke out in a run. Then…I can tell you no more." Frodo ended sounding husky. Sam swallowed and allowed Gandalf's gaze to catch hers.
" Why is that?" Gandalf asked him. Frodo slowly put his hands down and sat on his knees.
" Because I do not know what happened." Frodo answered casting Sam a sorrowful glance. " All I remember is a sharp pain shooting through the back of my neck and then waking in the Orc tower…" he trailed off.
" What happened?" Gandalf asked.
" A monster, a hideous beast struck him down."
" Why weren't you just behind him?" Gandalf asked quietly, not meaning any offence in anyway.
" Gollum," Sam said and her voice cracked. Frodo looked at her with pity. Sam quickly cleared her throat. " He attacked me," she silently hoped they wouldn't press her more on that subject. Just the cold memory of his blazing eyes and cold icy grip scared her.
" Sam?" Frodo said quietly, pulling her out of her thoughts.
" Oh, yes…I fought him off, and he ran. I ran to you, but you didn't move. I picked up your sword and killed the monster. Then came to you," she took a long shuddering breath. " You were cold, pale, and limp. I cut your bounds, and there was not the slightest flutter of heart, nor stir of any life in you. I cried until I knew no more," Sam noticed that she had tears on her cheeks. She quickly rubbed them away.
' I woke up a while later. I didn't know what to do, so I took the ring-"
" And swore to come back to me," Frodo finished. " I heard you in my dreams," he said quietly. He turned to Gandalf, " Please, no more for now. I want to be happy- this is too much." He told him looking at Sam who was wiping tears away on her sleeve. Gandalf nodded.
" There is one other thing I wish to know before I leave, how did you get those scars on your back, how did we come by your garments?"
" The Orcs kidnapped me, brought me to the tower, whipped me, beat me and took my clothing." Frodo closed his eyes and shuddered. " They used the garments I guess for proof of ransom."
A long silence pursued.
" All right then. Today we feast in your honor, Samantha Gamgee and Frodo Baggins." He smiled warmly and went to the door. In the door way he turned to them. " You have clothes set out for you," he pointed to a chair with a pile of neatly folded clothes.
He went out the door but doubled back, " I don't suspect you need separate rooms, seeing that you were together for a while in Cirith Ungol, but if you should there are curtains in the corners." Sam and Frodo blushed scarlet. Gandalf shut the door.
They were silent for a few moments looking at the floor. Sam looked around and got up. She walked over and picked up a lovely light green dress,
" I guess this is mine, then," she muttered, causing Frodo to snicker. He grew solemn and came over. He lifted his shirt and breeches off the chair and just looked at her for a moment.
Neither of them moved. They just stared into the depths of the others eyes. Sam saw the weariness of doom still upon him, no longer was he the simple hobbit next door that she fell in love with so many years ago. His face seemed almost gaunt and sunken, but his eyes never really lost the blue fire that they possessed whenever he looked into her eyes. Even so, they looked pained.
" I'm sorry," he breathed drawing closer to her.
" For what?" she whispered back.
" I had no idea what you went through for me, at Cirith Ungol." She pressed a finger to his lips. Frodo put his hands on her waist. That was the first time he really realized how skinny she had gotten, how terrified she looked.
Frodo drew closer to her and lowered his head, intent on kissing her.
There was a knock on the door. Before they could answer Pippin burst through the door. He looked at the two of them for about two seconds before realizing what he walked in on. His eyes grew wide, and he blushed terribly. He turned on his heel and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
Sam turned away. She quickly walked to the corner of the room where the curtain was, pulled it shut, and shed her clothes.
Frodo looked after her sadly. She was hiding something; he could tell. Never before had she turned away like that, but he never would have thought that she would do that even if Pippin barged in on them kissing passionately.
Remembering that they were wanted, he quickly got dressed. He was finishing putting his shirt on when Sam came out from behind the curtain. She looked a little embarrassed, Frodo couldn't see why though. She looked beautiful.
The green dress that she wore brought out the green in her eyes, and the gold trim complimented her hair wonderfully.
" Frodo I need your help for a moment," she said blushing a little. He cocked his head to the side. " I can't reach the laces in the back, could you tie them for me?"
" But of course, my lady," he answered slyly. She came forward and turned around. He began to tie the laces as there was again a knock on the door. "Come in!" Frodo shouted. Gandalf came in with an extremely embarrassed looking Pippin on his tail. Pippin had gotten his clothing too, he looked a little silly all dressed up in fine linines and silks but only for the reason that it was Pippin there not some legendary knight.
Gandalf laid out some cloaks for them, both long and flowing. Pippin laid down two swords on top of them, still blushing.
" I wish for no sword," Frodo said abruptly looking at them after finishing tying Sam's dress.
" Tonight you should at least wear one," Gandalf pointed out. Frodo lifted Sam's old sword that Strider gave her on Weathertop.
" I gave Sting to you, Sam." He told her. She shook her head.
" Mr. Bilbo gave Sting to you, I couldn't take it," Sam replied holding Sting out to him.
They argued for a bit until Frodo gave way.
A/N: Sorry about the time it took me to write, my sister's baby died. It was her first and my parents first grandchild. So I've been a little occupied. And the ending sucked because I wrote more and it wasn't supposed to end there; but just no.
Review please. I got another flame. This sucks.
