On the Way
Sam stood outside the door of Bag End, nervously holding a bundle of roses, daisies (Merry and Pippin finally agreed on using the both) and a combination of other interesting flowers Sam had picked out in one hand. Frodo was giving Sam some last minute advice.
"Don't be nervous! Sound like you know what you're saying and be confident!"
"But not too confident!" Pippin put in, "Nice and casual."
"But not too casual." Merry added, "Be polite!"
"But don't be all stiff and formal," Frodo said, "Act like you want to be friends."
Pippin couldn't help but blurt, "Even though you want to be more than friends."
".and have a fun time!"
"Use your best table manners!" Merry shouted.
"And your best standing-up manners!" Pippin yelled.
"Suck in your gut!" Merry called. Sam looked down at his stomach with caution. Frodo and Pippin eyed Merry.
"What?!" Merry asked innocently.
"That wasn't very nice!" Frodo said, "Sam doesn't need to hear that sort of stuff right before his nice dinner with Rosie!"
Pippin put on a smooth voice and said, "A very romantic dinner, with red wine, candles, romance hovering in the air."
Sam turned pink and said defensively, "It's just a dinner."
Pippin gave Sam a playful shove. "Oh, Sam, it's more than a casual dinner and you know it! You've been dying to kiss her ever since the beginning of time, don't try and deny it!"
Frodo couldn't hold back a laugh and then said, "Just like you and Melida, eh?"
Merry hooted and laughed, "There was one girl that even Pippin couldn't catch!"
Pippin gave Frodo a loathing look and said angrily, "She was a brat, I was blinded by her good looks."
Sam couldn't help but chortle and say, "Well, you did go on about her."
Pippin glared at Sam and said, "Like what?"
"I quote, " Sam began, his smile breaking into a grin, loosing his nervousness and becoming almost as sneaky as Pippin himself."'She's the prettiest maiden in all the land, I doubt that even LĂșthien could reflect her radiance!'" Sam paused here to look at Pippin's embarrassed and furious face. Sam went on, "'Whenever I see her I want to cry out TinĂșviel! How I'd love to fondle her and give her a kiss or two!'"
They all burst out laughing in hysterics, Frodo doubling over and Merry leaning on the door wiping a tear from his face.
Pippin stood there, trying to maintain a straight face, but he too ended up laughing along with the rest of them.
Pippin said, when they had all calmed down, "Well, that was stupid but that was NOTHING compared to dearest Frodo and Selderna!" Pippin mocked.
Frodo turned pink while Pippin went on, "Oh, yeah! Do you all remember that one evening when she had kissed his cheek?"
Merry laughed and said, "Most certainly do! He went on for about twenty minutes how she was crazy about him!"
Frodo turned to Merry and shouted, "Did not! You were twice as bad with Myna, when you two."
Merry turned red and broke in saying, "That was all HER doing! I did nothing!"
Pippin snickered, "Sure, except."
Merry tackled Pippin before he could say any more and they started to wrestle.
Sam finally realized that he had better get going, feeling a lot more confident and cheerful after the humiliation they had all suffered. "I'm leaving now! Goodbye!"
They all waved Sam goodbye, shouting odd bits of advice to him.
"Kiss her good!"
"Always compliment the food!"
"Good luck!"
"Show her the time of her life, Samwise!"
"Go down in history! Be famous for your skill with the ladies!"
"Yeah, so we could say we knew you!"
Sam gave them all one last wave and then continued on.
Sam started out cheerful and feeling sure about himself, but after awhile he found himself going over all of the advice Frodo, Pippin, and Merry had given him, trying to sort it all out and decide what he was going to do. His confidence vanished instantly and he turned back into his nervous, uncertain self. 'Why can't this be easier?' he thought desperately, as almost pleading for it to be. 'It seems so easy for other people, how come it can't be the same for me?' he gave a small smile to a passing hobbit, then went back to his nervous, lip-chewing ways. He had chewed his nails quite a bit when he was small, but then Bilbo told him that if he chewed his nails for too long then they'd fall out. He hadn't chewed them since.
Sam was never the popular kid, before Frodo came he had almost been hated. He certainly was teased a lot, called many names and mocked because he enjoyed gardening. Sam still remembered the time one particularly nasty hobbit had grabbed his hand shovel and knocked him on top of the head with it, saying, "dirt bag" before running away, laughing. Sam had really tried not to let the teasing get to him, but after awhile he couldn't stand it. He stopped going outdoors for awhile. Staying inside and reading some books that his father had lying around. Then, one day, his dad snatched the book away from him and said, "Samwise Gamgee, if you don't get out there and show those knuckle-headed scumbags that what they say don't hurt you then you might as well fall into a lake! You sit in here while those empty- headed morons think they've finally broken you, go show them that you can't be beaten!" Sam, however, sat firmly in his chair until his father finally picked him up and almost threw him outside of the house.
Sam got a little better with the teasing, burying himself in his gardening until he was almost as good as his father. Sam even worried himself a bit, wondering if he was doing too much. Then, Frodo came. Sam remembered the first time he saw him.
Sam was planting some violets near the border of the grass, he was about ten years old, when he heard a wagon drawn by a pony making its way down the lane. Sam paused and looked up, trying to see who it was. Bilbo was in the front, holding a pair of reins in his hands, saying something about how beautiful "your new home will be" to the small figure next to him. It was a hot day, so Sam was confused when he saw the hobbit next to Bilbo had a cloak around him. The hood was down, so Sam could see the hobbit's face, which was rather pale and full of grief. His brown, curly hair was messed up and uncared for. His eyes seemed vacant and empty, staring down at the road in front of him. He also seemed very thin and weak, not like a hobbit should be. Sam, who tired to busy himself again, heard Bilbo calling his name.
Sam lifted his head again and said, "Hello, Mr. Baggins!" Sam had always been told to greet his elders properly, respectfully, and politely. After a couple of years, Bilbo had gotten sick of it and told everyone to call him Bilbo no matter how old or young they were.
"Afternoon, how are you this day, little Sam?" Bilbo replied, stopping the pony.
Sam, trying hard not to stare at the cloaked hobbit, said, "A little busy. Planting these violet seeds, should be very pretty when they start to grow!"
Bilbo turned to the small hobbit, who was still holding the cloak tight about him, "Samwise, this is Frodo! He's going to be living with me from now on!"
Frodo cracked a small smile and a quiet, "Hello." Sam waved his dirt covered hand. He decided not to ask any questions, seeing how miserable Frodo seemed.
Bilbo said, "Sam, tell your father that I have something for him and he should drop by when he gets the chance!" Bilbo flapped the reins and the pony went on.
"Yes, Mr. Baggins, I will!" Sam said, then hesitating, added, "I'll see you around, Frodo" awkwardly. He tried not to sound too cheerful, obviously something horrible had happened.
"Bye." He replied, then Sam turned back to planting.
Two days later Sam found himself walking down the road to give a message to Bilbo. The letter which he held in his hand was an invitation to his father's sister's wedding. Sam himself would help his father with the flower arrangements, and he was feeling very happy. Ignoring a rude remark yelled at him by a group of hobbits, Sam pushed open the gate and walked up to the green door. Knocking on it, Sam flipped the envelope over and looked at the fine calligraphy on the front. Then the door opened, and at the door was Frodo.
He wasn't as pale and looked like he had a couple of full meals down. His hair was a little shorter and his eyes seemed to have a little more cheer in them.
"Hello, Samwise is it?" Frodo said, sounding happier than he had before.
Sam nodded and said, "Yes, it's Sam. I have a letter here for Mr. Baggins."
Frodo looked confused, "You mean me or Bilbo?"
"Oh, are you related?" Sam asked, going off subject for a moment.
Frodo gave a small smile and said, "Yeah, he's one of my older cousins. I mean, really older!"
Sam gave a laugh and said, "Really? Why did you come to live with Mr. Baggins?"
Frodo looked down at the ground and sniffed, then said, "My mom and dad died." in a very soft, regretful voice.
Sam immediately knew he shouldn't have said that, he finally stuttered, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
Frodo looked up and said, "It's alright."
Sam remembered the envelope he was holding. "Oh! Well, here's a letter for Bilbo Baggins, I suppose." He held out the letter and Frodo took it.
"I'll see you later, then." Sam said, giving Frodo a last smile.
"Thanks, Samwise." Frodo replied, smiling back and than shutting the door with a, "Goodbye."
After the wedding, which Frodo attended as well, Samwise and Frodo became good friends. Frodo got some gardening "lessons" from Sam while Sam learned how to climb trees with a little more ease. They usually played around at Bag End, since it was considerably bigger than Sam's hole, plus Bilbo would often tell them stories about his travels.
Over the years, Sam and Frodo became even greater friends. Merry and Pippin also got introduced, and Sam found it rather hard to keep up with the three happy-go-lucky hobbits. Several times Sam found himself getting the punishment for their doings. No one had really gotten five beatings in one day like Sam had. Firstly, he had gotten the whip from Farmer Maggot when Pippin should have, then Lobelia had given him a nice slap for "trodding on my grass", not to mention a punch from a hobbit bully that enjoyed in tormenting Sam, then of course there was one from Mrs. Cotton herself when he had angrily kicked her fence, and finally one from his very own father for all of the trouble he had gotten into. Once Merry, Frodo, and Pippin heard about Sam's "sacrifice" they had rushed to Bag End and made him a large apple pie for his bravery.
Sam sighed, but held a smile on his lips at the memory. 'It was all fun and games, not a care in the world.until.' Sam felt the grimness of his thoughts edge along his mind. The Ring. The One Ring which had shattered their peaceful world of happiness and joy. It had torn the blindfold from their eyes and showed them the painful reality of the terror and darkness. The Shire was a little escape from all of the horror of the war. While he was on the quest Sam had hated the fact that he was torn away from his home, hated the fact that he had to suffer while thousands of others rested at their homes and only thought of the pain, never experiencing the emotional and physical agony that was his. He wanted things to be as they were before, before he had to leave. Of course, he had been glad to at the time, he thought only he had to go as far as Rivendell and then he could return to his home. But that dream was quickly snuffed out and he offered to go along. Sam didn't know anything but he had to stay with Frodo all the way, friendship was there. 'Strange,' Sam thought, 'I could have easily refused to go, I could have objected and stayed home. But I went anyway, I chose to go. No one else is responsible for my fate but me, I chose to go. And I have no regrets.' Sam's thoughts shocked himself. He had no regrets going on the quest. Indeed, it had made him much stronger. It had also made the friendship bond between him and Frodo stronger than anything else could've made it. 'In the darkness and misery of it all, we remained friends.' Sam reflected on the night in Cirith Ungol. For so long they had been miserable, sinking further into darkness and almost loosing themselves in their own dread and dark thoughts. But, that night on the stairs, they had talked. Strange, they hadn't really talked while they were there. It was always saving their strength for marching and walking. But that night they talked about being in a book, a story that would soon pass into a fairy tale and be thought of nothing more than a myth. That brief talk had lifted Sam's spirits more then anything else would have.
Soon, too soon for Sam, he found himself standing in front of Rosie Cotton's door. His reflections of his childhood and the quest vanished quickly and he felt butterflies rise in his stomach. A delicious smell hung in the air and he could hear the clatter of plates and silverware. Sam sighed and murmured under his breath, "Stay calm, you can do it. Stay calm." then he took a deep breath and knocked three times on the door.
Sam stood outside the door of Bag End, nervously holding a bundle of roses, daisies (Merry and Pippin finally agreed on using the both) and a combination of other interesting flowers Sam had picked out in one hand. Frodo was giving Sam some last minute advice.
"Don't be nervous! Sound like you know what you're saying and be confident!"
"But not too confident!" Pippin put in, "Nice and casual."
"But not too casual." Merry added, "Be polite!"
"But don't be all stiff and formal," Frodo said, "Act like you want to be friends."
Pippin couldn't help but blurt, "Even though you want to be more than friends."
".and have a fun time!"
"Use your best table manners!" Merry shouted.
"And your best standing-up manners!" Pippin yelled.
"Suck in your gut!" Merry called. Sam looked down at his stomach with caution. Frodo and Pippin eyed Merry.
"What?!" Merry asked innocently.
"That wasn't very nice!" Frodo said, "Sam doesn't need to hear that sort of stuff right before his nice dinner with Rosie!"
Pippin put on a smooth voice and said, "A very romantic dinner, with red wine, candles, romance hovering in the air."
Sam turned pink and said defensively, "It's just a dinner."
Pippin gave Sam a playful shove. "Oh, Sam, it's more than a casual dinner and you know it! You've been dying to kiss her ever since the beginning of time, don't try and deny it!"
Frodo couldn't hold back a laugh and then said, "Just like you and Melida, eh?"
Merry hooted and laughed, "There was one girl that even Pippin couldn't catch!"
Pippin gave Frodo a loathing look and said angrily, "She was a brat, I was blinded by her good looks."
Sam couldn't help but chortle and say, "Well, you did go on about her."
Pippin glared at Sam and said, "Like what?"
"I quote, " Sam began, his smile breaking into a grin, loosing his nervousness and becoming almost as sneaky as Pippin himself."'She's the prettiest maiden in all the land, I doubt that even LĂșthien could reflect her radiance!'" Sam paused here to look at Pippin's embarrassed and furious face. Sam went on, "'Whenever I see her I want to cry out TinĂșviel! How I'd love to fondle her and give her a kiss or two!'"
They all burst out laughing in hysterics, Frodo doubling over and Merry leaning on the door wiping a tear from his face.
Pippin stood there, trying to maintain a straight face, but he too ended up laughing along with the rest of them.
Pippin said, when they had all calmed down, "Well, that was stupid but that was NOTHING compared to dearest Frodo and Selderna!" Pippin mocked.
Frodo turned pink while Pippin went on, "Oh, yeah! Do you all remember that one evening when she had kissed his cheek?"
Merry laughed and said, "Most certainly do! He went on for about twenty minutes how she was crazy about him!"
Frodo turned to Merry and shouted, "Did not! You were twice as bad with Myna, when you two."
Merry turned red and broke in saying, "That was all HER doing! I did nothing!"
Pippin snickered, "Sure, except."
Merry tackled Pippin before he could say any more and they started to wrestle.
Sam finally realized that he had better get going, feeling a lot more confident and cheerful after the humiliation they had all suffered. "I'm leaving now! Goodbye!"
They all waved Sam goodbye, shouting odd bits of advice to him.
"Kiss her good!"
"Always compliment the food!"
"Good luck!"
"Show her the time of her life, Samwise!"
"Go down in history! Be famous for your skill with the ladies!"
"Yeah, so we could say we knew you!"
Sam gave them all one last wave and then continued on.
Sam started out cheerful and feeling sure about himself, but after awhile he found himself going over all of the advice Frodo, Pippin, and Merry had given him, trying to sort it all out and decide what he was going to do. His confidence vanished instantly and he turned back into his nervous, uncertain self. 'Why can't this be easier?' he thought desperately, as almost pleading for it to be. 'It seems so easy for other people, how come it can't be the same for me?' he gave a small smile to a passing hobbit, then went back to his nervous, lip-chewing ways. He had chewed his nails quite a bit when he was small, but then Bilbo told him that if he chewed his nails for too long then they'd fall out. He hadn't chewed them since.
Sam was never the popular kid, before Frodo came he had almost been hated. He certainly was teased a lot, called many names and mocked because he enjoyed gardening. Sam still remembered the time one particularly nasty hobbit had grabbed his hand shovel and knocked him on top of the head with it, saying, "dirt bag" before running away, laughing. Sam had really tried not to let the teasing get to him, but after awhile he couldn't stand it. He stopped going outdoors for awhile. Staying inside and reading some books that his father had lying around. Then, one day, his dad snatched the book away from him and said, "Samwise Gamgee, if you don't get out there and show those knuckle-headed scumbags that what they say don't hurt you then you might as well fall into a lake! You sit in here while those empty- headed morons think they've finally broken you, go show them that you can't be beaten!" Sam, however, sat firmly in his chair until his father finally picked him up and almost threw him outside of the house.
Sam got a little better with the teasing, burying himself in his gardening until he was almost as good as his father. Sam even worried himself a bit, wondering if he was doing too much. Then, Frodo came. Sam remembered the first time he saw him.
Sam was planting some violets near the border of the grass, he was about ten years old, when he heard a wagon drawn by a pony making its way down the lane. Sam paused and looked up, trying to see who it was. Bilbo was in the front, holding a pair of reins in his hands, saying something about how beautiful "your new home will be" to the small figure next to him. It was a hot day, so Sam was confused when he saw the hobbit next to Bilbo had a cloak around him. The hood was down, so Sam could see the hobbit's face, which was rather pale and full of grief. His brown, curly hair was messed up and uncared for. His eyes seemed vacant and empty, staring down at the road in front of him. He also seemed very thin and weak, not like a hobbit should be. Sam, who tired to busy himself again, heard Bilbo calling his name.
Sam lifted his head again and said, "Hello, Mr. Baggins!" Sam had always been told to greet his elders properly, respectfully, and politely. After a couple of years, Bilbo had gotten sick of it and told everyone to call him Bilbo no matter how old or young they were.
"Afternoon, how are you this day, little Sam?" Bilbo replied, stopping the pony.
Sam, trying hard not to stare at the cloaked hobbit, said, "A little busy. Planting these violet seeds, should be very pretty when they start to grow!"
Bilbo turned to the small hobbit, who was still holding the cloak tight about him, "Samwise, this is Frodo! He's going to be living with me from now on!"
Frodo cracked a small smile and a quiet, "Hello." Sam waved his dirt covered hand. He decided not to ask any questions, seeing how miserable Frodo seemed.
Bilbo said, "Sam, tell your father that I have something for him and he should drop by when he gets the chance!" Bilbo flapped the reins and the pony went on.
"Yes, Mr. Baggins, I will!" Sam said, then hesitating, added, "I'll see you around, Frodo" awkwardly. He tried not to sound too cheerful, obviously something horrible had happened.
"Bye." He replied, then Sam turned back to planting.
Two days later Sam found himself walking down the road to give a message to Bilbo. The letter which he held in his hand was an invitation to his father's sister's wedding. Sam himself would help his father with the flower arrangements, and he was feeling very happy. Ignoring a rude remark yelled at him by a group of hobbits, Sam pushed open the gate and walked up to the green door. Knocking on it, Sam flipped the envelope over and looked at the fine calligraphy on the front. Then the door opened, and at the door was Frodo.
He wasn't as pale and looked like he had a couple of full meals down. His hair was a little shorter and his eyes seemed to have a little more cheer in them.
"Hello, Samwise is it?" Frodo said, sounding happier than he had before.
Sam nodded and said, "Yes, it's Sam. I have a letter here for Mr. Baggins."
Frodo looked confused, "You mean me or Bilbo?"
"Oh, are you related?" Sam asked, going off subject for a moment.
Frodo gave a small smile and said, "Yeah, he's one of my older cousins. I mean, really older!"
Sam gave a laugh and said, "Really? Why did you come to live with Mr. Baggins?"
Frodo looked down at the ground and sniffed, then said, "My mom and dad died." in a very soft, regretful voice.
Sam immediately knew he shouldn't have said that, he finally stuttered, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
Frodo looked up and said, "It's alright."
Sam remembered the envelope he was holding. "Oh! Well, here's a letter for Bilbo Baggins, I suppose." He held out the letter and Frodo took it.
"I'll see you later, then." Sam said, giving Frodo a last smile.
"Thanks, Samwise." Frodo replied, smiling back and than shutting the door with a, "Goodbye."
After the wedding, which Frodo attended as well, Samwise and Frodo became good friends. Frodo got some gardening "lessons" from Sam while Sam learned how to climb trees with a little more ease. They usually played around at Bag End, since it was considerably bigger than Sam's hole, plus Bilbo would often tell them stories about his travels.
Over the years, Sam and Frodo became even greater friends. Merry and Pippin also got introduced, and Sam found it rather hard to keep up with the three happy-go-lucky hobbits. Several times Sam found himself getting the punishment for their doings. No one had really gotten five beatings in one day like Sam had. Firstly, he had gotten the whip from Farmer Maggot when Pippin should have, then Lobelia had given him a nice slap for "trodding on my grass", not to mention a punch from a hobbit bully that enjoyed in tormenting Sam, then of course there was one from Mrs. Cotton herself when he had angrily kicked her fence, and finally one from his very own father for all of the trouble he had gotten into. Once Merry, Frodo, and Pippin heard about Sam's "sacrifice" they had rushed to Bag End and made him a large apple pie for his bravery.
Sam sighed, but held a smile on his lips at the memory. 'It was all fun and games, not a care in the world.until.' Sam felt the grimness of his thoughts edge along his mind. The Ring. The One Ring which had shattered their peaceful world of happiness and joy. It had torn the blindfold from their eyes and showed them the painful reality of the terror and darkness. The Shire was a little escape from all of the horror of the war. While he was on the quest Sam had hated the fact that he was torn away from his home, hated the fact that he had to suffer while thousands of others rested at their homes and only thought of the pain, never experiencing the emotional and physical agony that was his. He wanted things to be as they were before, before he had to leave. Of course, he had been glad to at the time, he thought only he had to go as far as Rivendell and then he could return to his home. But that dream was quickly snuffed out and he offered to go along. Sam didn't know anything but he had to stay with Frodo all the way, friendship was there. 'Strange,' Sam thought, 'I could have easily refused to go, I could have objected and stayed home. But I went anyway, I chose to go. No one else is responsible for my fate but me, I chose to go. And I have no regrets.' Sam's thoughts shocked himself. He had no regrets going on the quest. Indeed, it had made him much stronger. It had also made the friendship bond between him and Frodo stronger than anything else could've made it. 'In the darkness and misery of it all, we remained friends.' Sam reflected on the night in Cirith Ungol. For so long they had been miserable, sinking further into darkness and almost loosing themselves in their own dread and dark thoughts. But, that night on the stairs, they had talked. Strange, they hadn't really talked while they were there. It was always saving their strength for marching and walking. But that night they talked about being in a book, a story that would soon pass into a fairy tale and be thought of nothing more than a myth. That brief talk had lifted Sam's spirits more then anything else would have.
Soon, too soon for Sam, he found himself standing in front of Rosie Cotton's door. His reflections of his childhood and the quest vanished quickly and he felt butterflies rise in his stomach. A delicious smell hung in the air and he could hear the clatter of plates and silverware. Sam sighed and murmured under his breath, "Stay calm, you can do it. Stay calm." then he took a deep breath and knocked three times on the door.
