1.1 Sam's Tale
Reviews coveted and appreciated!
"I asks, yes, I asks. And it that isn't nice enough, I begs!"
Author: Nilramiel@aol.com, aka RosieCotton
Rating: G, PG
Genre: General/Romance
Setting: The Shire, year 1420
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1.2 Chapter 16: Frodo's Gifts
Rating: G
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Gandalf, Sam and the Gaffer watched with intent interest as Frodo carefully pulled the heavy paper away from his package,
There were actually two items in the package. The first was a bound volume with a deep blue leather cover. Frodo opened it, and upon the first page was scribed the following, in what he had learned to be Aragorn's strong hand:
Frodo, one of the tasks I have put to my scribes
is the organization and copying of the old records
of Gondor. There are many faded hides and leaves
that cannot be recovered, and I wish to preserve
all that can be saved. While busy at this task, one
of them chanced upon a volume which mentions
Pheriannath, in several places. He came to me with
it, recognizing the term and guessing rightly that
I would wish to be informed. This document appears
to be from the second age, and I felt sure you would
find it useful and interesting. So I bade the scribe to
copy and bind it for you, which he has done with great
care, and here it is in full. Although I have not read
it myself as yet, it is my hope that it will be of use to
you in your research.
With much affection,
Aragorn
Frodo gently turned a few pages of the book. It was written in bold, clear script, mixed with many runes and some illustrations. It was beautiful. The others crowded around and looked as Frodo leafed through it. There were well over 50 pages.
"A kingly gift, indeed," said Gandalf, "Clearly he took great care to have this done for you."
Frodo closed the book gently and ran his fingers over the cover. "Yes. I am moved." He handed the book to Sam so that he could examine the other item. Sam pressed the precious volume to his breast and watched as Frodo lifted a wooden box from the wrappings. It was larger than the Lady's Galadriel's gift to Sam, but also made of smooth wood, and it was detailed with delicate gold about the corners and edges, and the hinges were gold, as was the small catch.
Frodo slipped off the catch and opened the box. In it was a short note written in a new, lighter hand, and a smooth round stone, about the size of a fist, milky white with a hint of soft green.
Frodo picked up the note and again read aloud:
"Dearest Frodo,
This is an Ondo Seere, called a Peace Stone
in your tongue. It is wrought by my people,
and very rare. When your heart is troubled,
placing your hand upon it will perhaps bring you
inner rest. It is a vessel of music as well, when
the need is near. May it serve you well.
Arwen"
Frodo lifted the stone from the box. It was very heavy, but small enough to hold in one hand. It was cool and smooth to the touch, and seemed to thrum against his hand. As he held it, warmth seemed to pass up from his palm, through his arm, and into his body, stealing across his shoulder and into the center of his chest. Even the deep coldness of his old shoulder wound was touched, and Frodo gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
"Frodo," Gandalf asked gently after a moment of silence had passed, "May I?"
Frodo opened his eyes, and handed the stone to Gandalf, who took it carefully and looked it over.
"Ah, Frodo," he said, "This is a most precious gift. They are not ancient, as are the palantir, but these take much art and much love to create, and they are not common." He handed the stone back to Frodo. "Aragorn told me while we were all still in Gondor that he desired to obtain one for you, for he had seen one at Rivendell long ago, and he knows your pain. It seems the Lady Arwen has helped him to achieve this goal. I wonder if she wrought it herself."
Frodo offered the stone to the Gaffer, who had been standing with round eyes throughout the entire unwrapping. He took it gingerly in his large calloused hands, then wrapped his fingers around it. A broad grin spread across his features. Then, without warning, tears sprang into the corners of his eyes. Embarrassed, he removed one hand from the stone and wiped his face on his sleeve, handing the stone back to Frodo. He swallowed with difficulty then looked up.
"Mr. Frodo, sir, I'm sorry. It's just…" Again tears appeared and threatened to fall. "It's lovely, sir. It made me feel as if my Bell was here, for a moment it did. Pr'haps this is what my Sam means when he says 'elvish' about things."
Sam put his arm over his Gaffer's shoulders.
"Yes," said Frodo gently, smiling at the old hobbit, "This is exactly what he means, Hamfast. And you may hold it again later, for a longer time, if you would like." He looked at Sam with a question in his blue eyes, and Sam returned the smile and shook his head very slightly, indicating that he did not need to touch the stone right now.
Frodo laid the stone reverently back into the box and closed the lid. He fastened the catch and took the blue book back from Sam.
"Well," said Gandalf, with an amused smile, "I am even more curious now about your packages, Sam."
~tbc~
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Please do not copy or post this story to another website, or use it for your own purposes, without my permission and/or without these additional comments. Feel free to link away!
Acknowledgements: The characters, setting, and much of the dialog belong to J.R.R. Tolkien, and I give full credit to him. This story focuses on the relationship of Samwise Gamgee and Rose Cotton, and it is how I imagine the events following the Hobbits' return to the Shire following the War of the Ring and King Aragorn's coronation and marriage. If you have read the book, The Return of the King, you will find the events familiar. I have tried to "fill in the gaps," regarding Sam's courtship to Rose Cotton. Sam is my favorite character in Tolkien's work, and this is written with the deepest respect for both Tolkien and the noble Samwise. There are some slight departures from the timeline of The Lord of the Rings, for which I apologize; however, creative license is a part of fanfic, right? smile.
Rating: The first several chapters are rated G or PG; however, eventually I will include a sweet romantic chapter, or more than one, involving Sam and his Rose.
Reviews coveted and appreciated!
"I asks, yes, I asks. And it that isn't nice enough, I begs!"
Author: Nilramiel@aol.com, aka RosieCotton
Rating: G, PG
Genre: General/Romance
Setting: The Shire, year 1420
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
1.2 Chapter 16: Frodo's Gifts
Rating: G
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Gandalf, Sam and the Gaffer watched with intent interest as Frodo carefully pulled the heavy paper away from his package,
There were actually two items in the package. The first was a bound volume with a deep blue leather cover. Frodo opened it, and upon the first page was scribed the following, in what he had learned to be Aragorn's strong hand:
Frodo, one of the tasks I have put to my scribes
is the organization and copying of the old records
of Gondor. There are many faded hides and leaves
that cannot be recovered, and I wish to preserve
all that can be saved. While busy at this task, one
of them chanced upon a volume which mentions
Pheriannath, in several places. He came to me with
it, recognizing the term and guessing rightly that
I would wish to be informed. This document appears
to be from the second age, and I felt sure you would
find it useful and interesting. So I bade the scribe to
copy and bind it for you, which he has done with great
care, and here it is in full. Although I have not read
it myself as yet, it is my hope that it will be of use to
you in your research.
With much affection,
Aragorn
Frodo gently turned a few pages of the book. It was written in bold, clear script, mixed with many runes and some illustrations. It was beautiful. The others crowded around and looked as Frodo leafed through it. There were well over 50 pages.
"A kingly gift, indeed," said Gandalf, "Clearly he took great care to have this done for you."
Frodo closed the book gently and ran his fingers over the cover. "Yes. I am moved." He handed the book to Sam so that he could examine the other item. Sam pressed the precious volume to his breast and watched as Frodo lifted a wooden box from the wrappings. It was larger than the Lady's Galadriel's gift to Sam, but also made of smooth wood, and it was detailed with delicate gold about the corners and edges, and the hinges were gold, as was the small catch.
Frodo slipped off the catch and opened the box. In it was a short note written in a new, lighter hand, and a smooth round stone, about the size of a fist, milky white with a hint of soft green.
Frodo picked up the note and again read aloud:
"Dearest Frodo,
This is an Ondo Seere, called a Peace Stone
in your tongue. It is wrought by my people,
and very rare. When your heart is troubled,
placing your hand upon it will perhaps bring you
inner rest. It is a vessel of music as well, when
the need is near. May it serve you well.
Arwen"
Frodo lifted the stone from the box. It was very heavy, but small enough to hold in one hand. It was cool and smooth to the touch, and seemed to thrum against his hand. As he held it, warmth seemed to pass up from his palm, through his arm, and into his body, stealing across his shoulder and into the center of his chest. Even the deep coldness of his old shoulder wound was touched, and Frodo gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
"Frodo," Gandalf asked gently after a moment of silence had passed, "May I?"
Frodo opened his eyes, and handed the stone to Gandalf, who took it carefully and looked it over.
"Ah, Frodo," he said, "This is a most precious gift. They are not ancient, as are the palantir, but these take much art and much love to create, and they are not common." He handed the stone back to Frodo. "Aragorn told me while we were all still in Gondor that he desired to obtain one for you, for he had seen one at Rivendell long ago, and he knows your pain. It seems the Lady Arwen has helped him to achieve this goal. I wonder if she wrought it herself."
Frodo offered the stone to the Gaffer, who had been standing with round eyes throughout the entire unwrapping. He took it gingerly in his large calloused hands, then wrapped his fingers around it. A broad grin spread across his features. Then, without warning, tears sprang into the corners of his eyes. Embarrassed, he removed one hand from the stone and wiped his face on his sleeve, handing the stone back to Frodo. He swallowed with difficulty then looked up.
"Mr. Frodo, sir, I'm sorry. It's just…" Again tears appeared and threatened to fall. "It's lovely, sir. It made me feel as if my Bell was here, for a moment it did. Pr'haps this is what my Sam means when he says 'elvish' about things."
Sam put his arm over his Gaffer's shoulders.
"Yes," said Frodo gently, smiling at the old hobbit, "This is exactly what he means, Hamfast. And you may hold it again later, for a longer time, if you would like." He looked at Sam with a question in his blue eyes, and Sam returned the smile and shook his head very slightly, indicating that he did not need to touch the stone right now.
Frodo laid the stone reverently back into the box and closed the lid. He fastened the catch and took the blue book back from Sam.
"Well," said Gandalf, with an amused smile, "I am even more curious now about your packages, Sam."
~tbc~
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Please do not copy or post this story to another website, or use it for your own purposes, without my permission and/or without these additional comments. Feel free to link away!
Acknowledgements: The characters, setting, and much of the dialog belong to J.R.R. Tolkien, and I give full credit to him. This story focuses on the relationship of Samwise Gamgee and Rose Cotton, and it is how I imagine the events following the Hobbits' return to the Shire following the War of the Ring and King Aragorn's coronation and marriage. If you have read the book, The Return of the King, you will find the events familiar. I have tried to "fill in the gaps," regarding Sam's courtship to Rose Cotton. Sam is my favorite character in Tolkien's work, and this is written with the deepest respect for both Tolkien and the noble Samwise. There are some slight departures from the timeline of The Lord of the Rings, for which I apologize; however, creative license is a part of fanfic, right? smile.
Rating: The first several chapters are rated G or PG; however, eventually I will include a sweet romantic chapter, or more than one, involving Sam and his Rose.
