By Meldewen Ilce
Rating: G
Spoilers: Through 'The Return of the King'
Summary: King Elessar's visit to Lake Evendim...
Disclaimers: I don't own ANY of the characters from LOTR because they belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. I've made NO money off of this so I ask NOT to be sued for writing and publishing this on the web!
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In the Year 1436 of the Shire-Reckoning, King Elessar rides north,
and dwells for a time by Lake Evendim...
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'Daddy!' Elanor yelled from the front of Bag End. 'Come quick! There's
a rider comin' up the Hill!'
Sam who had been around towards the back of the smial attending to the garden, came around wiping his hands with a rag, giving his eldest child a puzzled look. By now several of Elanor's siblings, including Sam's oldest son Frodo were now standing at the gate watching as the stranger rode his way slowly up Bagshot Row.
Judging by the hobbit-children following him, the stranger had definitely ridden through Hobbiton and just before he made it up the Hill, Sam turned to Elanor and Frodo.
'See to it that those lads and lasses don't go near the horse if this stranger stops here as I suspect he will. Rosie, you do the same with your brothers and sisters.' he said. 'He has the look of a Ranger, he does.'
"Aye, Daddy.'
When Sam was sure his children would obey him, he moved to stand near the gate, allowing Elanor and Frodo to exit the yard so that they could see to the Hobbiton children. Rosie took the hands of her two brothers, Merry and Pippin even as she watched her younger siblings like a hawk.
As the stranger finally halted his horse at the gate of Bag End, Sam opened the gate and stepped just outside of it as the stranger dismounted his horse. As he drew back his cloak and hood, Sam noted that this particular Man was not only as Ranger but he also wore the livery of the White City.
The Ranger bowed, 'I am Elfstine, son of Brohir, I bear a message from King Elessar of Gondor for Master Samwise Gamgee of the Shire, the Mayor of Hobbiton.'
Sam looked up the Man. 'I am Samwise Gamgee, Master Ranger.'
Without any further delays, the Man drew out a sealed letter from the pouch on his belt, handing it to Sam. Then the young Ranger bowed again and quickly mounted his horse, starting his mount again quickly towards Tuckborough and Buckland to deliver his other messages.
Sam's hands nearly trembled as he accepted the letter from the Ranger. After the Man was gone, Sam looked at the sealed letter in his hands, instantly the Great Seal of the King of Gondor. Without hesitation he broke the wax seal and opened the King's letter, noting that it was written both in Elvish and in the Common Speech.
Elessar Telcontar: Aragorn Arathornion Edhelharn, aran Gondor ar Hîr i Mbair Annui, anglennatha i Varanduiniant erin dolothen Ethuil, egor ben genediad Drannail erin Gwirith edwen. Ar e aníra- ennas suilannad mhellyn în phain: edregol e aníra tírad i Cherdir Perhael (i sennui Panthael estathar aen) Condir i Drann, ar Meril bess dîn; ar Elanor, Meril, Glorfinniel, ar Eirien sellath dîn; ar Iorhael, Gelir, Cordof, ar Baravorn, ionnath dîn. A Pherhael ar am Meril suilad uin aran o Minas Tirith nelchaenen uin Echuir
Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Strider, the Elfstone, King of Gondor and Lord of the Westlands, will approach the Bridge of Baranduin on the eighth day of Spring, or in the Shire-reckoning the second day of April. And he desires to greet there all his friends. In especial he desires to see Master Samwise (who ought to be called Fullwise), Mayor of the Shire, and Rose his wife; and Elanor, Rose, Goldilocks, and Daisy his daughters; and Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Hamfast, his sons.
To Samwise and Rose the King's greeting from Minas Tirith, the thirty-first day of the Stirring
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Author's Note: I realize in the last chapter that I had a Ranger
and a Man enter the Shire to deliver messages from the King after it was
forbidden for Men to enter the Shire. I racked my brain trying to think
of a way for Aragorn to have sent his messages without the use of a human
Ranger to do. I finally decided on the use of Man in this part simply because
I couldn't think of another way for the messages to arrive to their recipients
short of having the King himself enter the Shire after he has made it law
that no man should enter...