Disclaimer: I do not own the anything except for the plot and a bell and ribbon. The characters, the Ring, the setting, everything else belong to the estate of Tolkien and whoever else owns the rights to this masterpiece.
Author's Note: Just a little something I've been playing with for a while. This does contain a few tiny spoilers regarding The Return of the King. Comments, thoughts, anything are welcome.
Summary: At Bell Gamgee's grave, two hobbits reflect on the past, wonder what the future might have been, and talk about one Samwise Gamgee.
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Where Would We Be?
Rosie gently lays the daisies and lilies on the ground. It is different, but also the same. The weeping willow is tall and slender, but not as great as the old oak tree that had stood in its place before being cruelly cut down along with so many other trees. But the weeping willow seems very appropriate, for this spot is where weeping is heard and tears fall and quench the ground's thirst. The mound of dirt is now completely covered in grass. But it is still Bell Gamgee's place. Rosie pulls out of her apron pocket a small bell on a blue ribbon and places it on the grave. Turning her head to the hobbit next to her, she meets Frodo's eyes.
"Sam will be very thankful for your saving it," Frodo says, glancing at the bell and ribbon.
Rosie shrugs, attempts to smile, but fails. "It was something I could do for him, even though I was not sure if he would come back." It was true. She had finally given up hope on the very day when he suddenly appeared at the gate of her family's hole.
"Even I was not sure if we would return," Frodo says quietly. "I am very glad Sam was there with me."
"Where would you be without him?" Rosie quietly muses.
Frodo nods. "I often wonder. He was my light. I was in complete darkness. I hardly had any will or strength to keep going on. But Sam did not give up on the Quest or me."
This time a real smile graces Rosie's face. To hear such praise of Sam! It makes her heart race with pride. Sam is different since returning from the Quest. He is still a little shy but not as much as before. And there is a new light that shines in his eyes. She is not certain what it is, but there is an air of confidence about him -- as though he has faced his worst fears and now he can face anything that is an obstacle to him here.
"And what was it that Sam was holding onto that gave him the strength to help you keep going?"
Frodo gazes absently at the daisies and lilies. "He refused to leave me. He would follow me to the very end."
"It was his love for you that gave him strength." Rosie nods her head in understanding, answering her question.
"Yes, and other things…" Frodo trails off.
Rosie looks at him curiously but does not press the subject; instead she sinks into her own thoughts.
"And now he is one of the most famous people in Middle Earth," she breathes wonderingly.
"Aye, I hope that after all he has suffered, he will get his heart's desire. He deserves happiness and peace," Frodo says.
"Does he not already have his heart's desire?" Rosie questions. "The Shire has been restored, and his master is safe."
Frodo only glances at her but does not give her a reply. Those are things close to his heart, but there is a desire which he has harbored for many years, he answers silently.
"Have you found peace, Frodo?" inquires Rosie in a quiet tone. Her eyes rest on Frodo's right hand. Frodo follows her gaze.
"I do not know. Sometimes I feel at peace. But sometimes the shadow comes back. And I have desire for the Ring again, even though it is forever out of my reach. I do not know if I will find complete peace here."
Rosie takes his right hand in both of hers and gently strokes the stub of his finger. She washes it with her tears. She does not speak.
Frodo sighs. "Thank you," he whispers. "No one has done anything like that before."
"Thank you, Frodo Baggins," she says in return.
Frodo and Rosie share a smile. For a long while they sit in comfortable silence. I owe you so much, Frodo, Rosie says silently. For without you and Sam and Pippin and Merry, where would we all be today? What scars you bear from your journey I shall view with respect.
Frodo is also lost in his thoughts. You cannot imagine how humbled I am by your gesture, Rosie. You are everything Sam desires. Wait just a little longer.
It is not until the sun starts to set in the west that Frodo and Rosie go their separate ways.
THE END