1.1 Sam's Tale

Reviews coveted and appreciated!

"I asks, yes. And it that isn't nice enough, I begs!"

Author: Nilramiel@aol.com, aka RosieCotton

Rating: G, PG, R

Genre: General/Romance

Setting: The Shire, year 1420

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1.2 Chapter 22: Memories

Rating: G

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He tried sitting down, in the armchair, in front of it, but it was no good. And he certainly was not going to remove it from the wall and lay it across the table – that seemed a terribly irreverent thing to do. So he stood, silent before it, reaching up from time to time to touch a place on the fine fabric with his calloused fingers.

~~~

"Praise them with great praise!"

A great shout rose and swelled, hundreds of voices raised up in triumph, as the King of Gondor led Sam and Frodo up and seated them upon his throne.

~~~

"His throne!" thought Sam with wonder, "The throne that he had waited so many years to inherit, and he set me and Mr. Frodo right up on it, side by side!"

He reached up and traced a gentle finger over the image that dominated the center of the tapestry, just at hobbit eye level. It was that moment, the moment when the King had cried out for their praise, which was captured on Arwen's tapestry. He and Frodo were seated upon Aragorn's throne, side by side, clad in the stained and tattered rags they been wearing when the eagles plucked them from the ruined shoulders of Mt. Doom. Sam ran his index finger over the hairy orc breeches; half expecting dirt to come off onto his hand, so lifelike was the weaving of the cloth. Standing before the throne, dressed in mail, with his hands raised high, was Aragorn. Around and below the high seat was pictured a throng of people, and many could be recognized – Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin; even Gandalf was depicted, his robes wrought of the finest white thread, as bright as sunlight upon new snow.

~~~

And when the glad shout had swelled up and died away again, to Sam's final and complete satisfaction and pure joy, a minstrel of Gondor stood forth, and knelt, and begged leave to sing.

"Lo! Lords and knights and men of valor unashamed, kings and princes and fair people of Gondor, and Riders of Rohan, and ye sons of Elrond, and Dunedain of the North, and Elf and Dwarf, and greathearts of the Shire, and all free folk of the West, now listen to my lay. For I will sing to you of Frodo of the Nine Fingers and the Ring of Doom!"

~~~

Sam smiled, remembering his reaction to those words. Before succumbing to weeping, he had actually stood up and shouted aloud.

"O great glory and splendor! And all my wishes have come true!"

And there the minstrel was, woven upon the tapestry, clad in bright silver and in sable, and from him issued a woven line of music, which traveled round the scene and along the edges in a great arc.

All around the sides of the tapestry, surrounding the central scene and woven among the lines of music were smaller scenes, embroidered with no less care than the larger, central scene. Strider and Arwen had deliberately chosen the lighter and more joyful moments, leaving out the dark ones, for which memory alone sufficed.

Sam looked at each lovingly crafted portion of the tapestry.

Rivendell. The council of Elrond, woven into the upper left hand corner of the fabric. The nine walkers, standing together, just at the moment when Elrond said, "You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

Sam stretched up on his toes to take a closer look, amazed. Even the expression on Pippin's face was accurate – confidence and nervousness blended in his sharp features.

Lorien. Top right hand corner of the tapestry. All green and silver, and shining with thread that gave the illusion of sunlight. Galadriel was woven there, her hand raised in a gesture of farewell, as three soft grey boats slipped through water. Sam traced the watercourse, wrought in the exact shade of grey-green as he remembered, downward along the right hand side of the fabric, where it united with an image of the White City.

Minas Tirith. Bottom right corner. Proud and strong and bright it stood, gleaming against the cliffs, though the sky overhead was wrought of dark thread, brooding clouds which had issued from the East.

In between these two images were two others, slightly smaller, both of Ithilian. In the upper one, Sam was depicted, cooking over a low fire, Frodo curled in sleep nearby. Sam sighed and smiled "I'll never forget that brace o' coneys" he said softly. "Tasted like a king's feast, despite the lack of taters."

Slightly below this image was woven an image of the Window on the West. The fair waters tumbling down the cliffside, spangled with the colors of the sunset. Faramir stood tall and proud atop the cliff, the two small figures of the hobbits beside him. It almost looked as if the waters were moving, and Sam could not count the number of colors used for the waterfall.

Sam trailed his fingers back to the center of the tapestry, his mind trailing with them, back to that day in Gondor.

~~~

"And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them, now in the Elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness."

~~~

"Sam?" A soft hand landed upon his shoulder, and he was pulled gently from his reverie. Turning, he saw Rosie, and he smiled at her.

"It's so lovely, Rose," he said softly, turning and taking her hand, "I never tire of looking at it."

"Aye," she replied, leaning in and kissing his lips. "I know, and it is. Are you ready yet, to come to bed? I'll sit a while here, with ye, if ye wish."

"I'll come," Sam said, circling her waist with his arm. "Gladly. There are other things I never tire of looking at, you know."

"Oh?" Rosie teased, "such as what?"

Sam wrapped his other arm around her, gazing hazel into green as he bent to kiss her. "Such as you, my love."

~TBC~

Notes: The portions bordered by ~~~ are direct quotes from The Return of the King. Also, there is more on the tapestry, I just didn't want to cram it all into one chapter…

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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.