Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews! I feel so loved!
Mint Sauce: Yes it does seem a little unlike Rosie to be so harsh on poor little Sam. * wink*
And all of you hobbit romance writers out there, you don't know how much your comments mean to me! I thank you very very much!
Enjoy!
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Sam and Merry still sat on the step, caught in an awkward silence. Finally, Sam stood up.
"That's it!" He burst out. "I can't take this! I'm going for a walk."
Merry looked up at him. "Are you actually going to walk to a destination, or are you just going to pace."
Sam shrugged. "I don't know."
"Because if you're just going to pace, I might as well join you. Good exercise, you know."
"Well, Mr. Merry." Sam sighed. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a bit of time to myself."
Merry nodded. "Understandable." He waved his hand in a lazy gesture. "Just don't get yourself lost."
"I'm not going to go that far."
"I know."
Without another word, Sam left, leaving Merry by the steps of Bag End. To be truthful, Sam had no idea where he was going. He just needed something to occupy his mind. Like walking. As he trudged along, he felt himself grow distanced from the world. His mind wandered in a thousand different directions, but he didn't bother to pursue any of them. He just walked, letting his thoughts flutter away behind him.
He felt a cool breeze and brought his gaze up from the ground. It was a good thing he did, he realized as he halted his steps. His was inches away from colliding with . . .
The mallorn tree.
He reached up, and ran his hand down the bark. This tree was special to him in so many ways. Not least of all, the fact that it was given to him by the Lady Galadriel of the Golden Wood. Indeed. The tree did glow with all of the beauty of Lothlorien and its Lady. But he shared memories involving this tree with someone who was far more beautiful in his eyes.
As he got caught up in a particular memory, the bark that his fingers caressed suddenly became soft brown curls. Rosie turned her head to look at him with her honey-brown eyes.
"Sam, I love you." She whispered.
He put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. "I love you too." Now came the question he both looked forward to and dreaded. He took a deep breath. "Rosie,"
"Yes Sam?" She snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest.
"I need to . . . ask you something."
Her eyes snapped open. "This is why you brought me out here, isn't it?"
"Er . . . yes." His cheeks flushed red.
Rosie smiled. "Then get on with it Sam, you've kept me waiting long enough."
Sam returned her smile, and then, summoning his courage, asked softly. "Will you marry me?"
Rosie was alight with joy. "Of course Sam! I thought you never ask!" At his answering laugh, she added, "No, really. I thought you'd never ask. I wondered if we would be the first hobbits to break tradition and have the lass propose to the lad!"
"Well," Sam said, tears of happiness beginning to cloud his vision. "As long as you were the lass doing the proposing, I don't think I would have minded that at all!"
Their lips met, and as they kissed, the mallorn tree seemed to reflect the light of the sun down on the two hobbits, making them feel as though they were glowing with an inner light. A wind picked up, blowing leaves and fallen flower petals around them in a storm of beauty.
Sam felt tears build up in his eyes at the memory.
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When Sam returned to the front steps of Bag End sometime later, Merry asked him politely, "Did you have a good walk?"
Sam nodded. "Yes, thank you."
Merry chuckled. "It must have been a nice walk. You've been gone for over an hour."
"What?" Sam was shocked. "Are you sure?"
Merry tapped his head lightly. "The inner time teller doesn't lie."
Sam simply sighed and sat back down on the step. "I've been thinking."
Merry pretended to ponder this deeply, even lifting his hand to scratch his chin. "Hmm, let me guess what you were thinking about. Hmm . . . perhaps, Rosie?"
"Don't joke Merry. I still can't believe that Rosie won't let me at least be with her for a moment."
Merry tilted his head slightly. "Well, lasses can be odd. Believe me, I know."
Sam shook his head. "It's just so unlike Rosie."
"Don't worry. You can ask her about it after the babe is born."
Putting his head in his hands, Sam responded. "Aye, I suppose so."
TBC
Mint Sauce: Yes it does seem a little unlike Rosie to be so harsh on poor little Sam. * wink*
And all of you hobbit romance writers out there, you don't know how much your comments mean to me! I thank you very very much!
Enjoy!
******************************************
Sam and Merry still sat on the step, caught in an awkward silence. Finally, Sam stood up.
"That's it!" He burst out. "I can't take this! I'm going for a walk."
Merry looked up at him. "Are you actually going to walk to a destination, or are you just going to pace."
Sam shrugged. "I don't know."
"Because if you're just going to pace, I might as well join you. Good exercise, you know."
"Well, Mr. Merry." Sam sighed. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a bit of time to myself."
Merry nodded. "Understandable." He waved his hand in a lazy gesture. "Just don't get yourself lost."
"I'm not going to go that far."
"I know."
Without another word, Sam left, leaving Merry by the steps of Bag End. To be truthful, Sam had no idea where he was going. He just needed something to occupy his mind. Like walking. As he trudged along, he felt himself grow distanced from the world. His mind wandered in a thousand different directions, but he didn't bother to pursue any of them. He just walked, letting his thoughts flutter away behind him.
He felt a cool breeze and brought his gaze up from the ground. It was a good thing he did, he realized as he halted his steps. His was inches away from colliding with . . .
The mallorn tree.
He reached up, and ran his hand down the bark. This tree was special to him in so many ways. Not least of all, the fact that it was given to him by the Lady Galadriel of the Golden Wood. Indeed. The tree did glow with all of the beauty of Lothlorien and its Lady. But he shared memories involving this tree with someone who was far more beautiful in his eyes.
As he got caught up in a particular memory, the bark that his fingers caressed suddenly became soft brown curls. Rosie turned her head to look at him with her honey-brown eyes.
"Sam, I love you." She whispered.
He put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. "I love you too." Now came the question he both looked forward to and dreaded. He took a deep breath. "Rosie,"
"Yes Sam?" She snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest.
"I need to . . . ask you something."
Her eyes snapped open. "This is why you brought me out here, isn't it?"
"Er . . . yes." His cheeks flushed red.
Rosie smiled. "Then get on with it Sam, you've kept me waiting long enough."
Sam returned her smile, and then, summoning his courage, asked softly. "Will you marry me?"
Rosie was alight with joy. "Of course Sam! I thought you never ask!" At his answering laugh, she added, "No, really. I thought you'd never ask. I wondered if we would be the first hobbits to break tradition and have the lass propose to the lad!"
"Well," Sam said, tears of happiness beginning to cloud his vision. "As long as you were the lass doing the proposing, I don't think I would have minded that at all!"
Their lips met, and as they kissed, the mallorn tree seemed to reflect the light of the sun down on the two hobbits, making them feel as though they were glowing with an inner light. A wind picked up, blowing leaves and fallen flower petals around them in a storm of beauty.
Sam felt tears build up in his eyes at the memory.
*************************************************************
When Sam returned to the front steps of Bag End sometime later, Merry asked him politely, "Did you have a good walk?"
Sam nodded. "Yes, thank you."
Merry chuckled. "It must have been a nice walk. You've been gone for over an hour."
"What?" Sam was shocked. "Are you sure?"
Merry tapped his head lightly. "The inner time teller doesn't lie."
Sam simply sighed and sat back down on the step. "I've been thinking."
Merry pretended to ponder this deeply, even lifting his hand to scratch his chin. "Hmm, let me guess what you were thinking about. Hmm . . . perhaps, Rosie?"
"Don't joke Merry. I still can't believe that Rosie won't let me at least be with her for a moment."
Merry tilted his head slightly. "Well, lasses can be odd. Believe me, I know."
Sam shook his head. "It's just so unlike Rosie."
"Don't worry. You can ask her about it after the babe is born."
Putting his head in his hands, Sam responded. "Aye, I suppose so."
TBC