Aftermath
Chapter Two: Reuniting
Disclaimer: Don't own it, never have, never will. Though I do own Shelob....j/k.
Aragorn quietly entered the sick room, smiling at the two hobbits laying in bed, sleeping soundly. They were incredible, really. But they looked horrible, even though they had been cleaned up when they got here. They were pale and ill-looking, and thin, very thin. They hadn't had a proper meal since they had left the Fellowship, he guessed, or a day or so after. Lembas bread didn't keep meat on your bones, and it was that elvish bread that had kept them alive through their journey to Mordor. He sat down between the two beds, looking over at Sam, smiling. Then he looked to Frodo, and to his four-fingered hand, and looked sadly at him. Taking his hand, he examined the place where the finger used to be. "Frodo...Frodo of the Nine Fingers...that is what we shall call him at the celebration when they are well. Neither of them are too badly hurt, except maybe in mind. I shall leave them to their rest...they deserve it." he said, getting up, taking one last look at each of the small beings in the room, and walking quietly away.
Sam groaned, opening his eyes. He immediately shut them again, the light was too bright for him. "Where is this? Where is Mr. Frodo?" he sighed, as his eyes adjusted to the light and he opened them again. He looked down and saw himself in a white gown, in a huge bed with white sheets. The room was beautiful, and there was a pleasant smell to the air here, unlike Mordor. He looked to the bed beside him, smiling, as a few tears fell unbidden down his cheeks. "We made it Mr. Frodo...after all that happened, we made it. We can go home..." he whispered, still in mild shock from all the things that had happened. This place was quiet, his voice echoed off the walls. He was tired, so very tired, but he didn't want to fall back asleep. He wanted to be awake when Mr. Frodo came to, and see him smile again. Whispers came from the hallway. "No, Pip! Aragorn said to leave them be...they're tired, Pippin!" a familiar voice whispered. "I just want to see Frodo and Sam! I want to make sure this is real!" another familiar voice said. Sam smiled, as the two opened the door. Sam pretended to be asleep as the two snuck over to the beds quietly. "See? They're alive, Pip. Now lets go." Merry said, urgent. "Wait a minute, Merry. I want to watch them for a minute." Pippin replied. "What're you two up to this time?" Sam asked, opening his eyes. They jumped, frightened.
"Sam! Were you awake this whole time?" Merry asked, quiet. He nodded. "You two sneakin' little runts, you'd best not wake Mr. Frodo, or I'll tell the cooks at dinner tonight not to serve you any mushrooms!" Sam laughed. "We aren't going to wake him, Sam. Pippin just wanted to make sure you two were really alive. We saw Mount Doom explode...we thought you were...." Merry whispered, trailing off, a single tear in his eye coursing down his cheek. "An' we thought we were too. We thought we'd never see the Shire, or you two, ever again. I thought I'd never see Rosie again, or my garden at Bagshot Row...and the most horrible part is, if it weren't for that hideous Gollum...the Ring wouldn't have been destroyed." Sam whispered. "What? Gollum? What do you mean, Sam?" Pippin asked. "You'll hear the story in full at the celebration when Mr. Frodo gets better. He can tell it better than I could. Though I can tell certain parts that he can't. I rescued him from orcs and Uruk-hai at Cirith Ungol, you know. And I saved him from a giant spider that was tryin' to eat him, too." he said. "So I suppose we'll have to hear those stories later, too." Merry asked. Sam nodded. "Go on, get out of here so Mr. Frodo can rest." he said, laughing.
When Frodo awoke, he saw that Sam was gone. Smiling a little, he looked down at his finger. Or where it had used to be, anyway. 'It hurts so much...' he thought. "By all rights I shouldn't even be here. I couldn't finish the Quest, I couldn't throw the Ring in the fire. If it weren't for Gollum, Sauron would have the Ring." he told himself. "Frodo?!" Merry's familiar voice rang out, from the doorway. He looked up at them, a broad smile on his thin, pale face. "Merry! Pippin!" he cried, laughing. The two ran and literally jumped on him, laughing and shouting and telling stories all at once about the battles they had been in and things they had seen, and why they were so tall. Frodo couldn't take it all in, but it sounded as though the two were just fine. "Frodo!" Aragorn laughed, standing in the doorway. "Aragorn..." Frodo smiled, at the Ranger who was so kind to him and helped the Fellowship so much when Gandalf was gone. Aragorn came in and sat beside him in a chair, grinning. "Well done, laddie!" Gimli cried, coming in after him. Next came Legolas, looking like a true prince in all white and a silver circlet. He smiled fondly at Frodo, and nodded. Frodo nodded back, understanding. And last, but certainly not least, came Sam. He wore a gown as Frodo did, and looked nearly as horrible. Yet he smiled and walked over to his master, looking down at him with pride and honor. 'I don't deserve it...' thought Frodo.
"Now don't go givin' me that look, Mr. Frodo. You just relax and get better. You've been through a lot, I know." he said, smiling. He took Frodo's four fingered hand and looked down at it, sadness in his eyes. 'It is true, though. We wouldn't have done it without that monster Gollum.' he thought, as if to read Frodo's thoughts. You're a sleepyhead, Sam. I was awake before you, I fell back asleep waiting for you to wake up!" Frodo laughed, smiling at him. "I suppose you did, Mr. Frodo. But you've got to build up your strength, or else you'll miss the celebrations. And we can't have the celebration without all of the heroes there!" Sam said, smiling. "But one." Frodo answered. "But one, Mr. Frodo. An' don't you doubt yourself, either! If it weren't for you, the Ring would have never reached Mt. Doom! I could have taken it for a little while, but I don't think I could get it all the way there. Beats me how you even did it." Sam said. "Because you were there, Sam. Because you were there...I wouldn't have even gotten to the Black Gate if it weren't for you, let alone all the way through Mordor to the Mountain of Fire. I'd have lost strength and hope long before then." Frodo said, quiet. "Even I lost hope before the end, Mr. Frodo. But we're here, an' it's over! Now we can go home!" Sam laughed. Frodo smiled a bit. Home. He never thought he would see it again.
Disclaimer: Don't own it, never have, never will. Though I do own Shelob....j/k.
Aragorn quietly entered the sick room, smiling at the two hobbits laying in bed, sleeping soundly. They were incredible, really. But they looked horrible, even though they had been cleaned up when they got here. They were pale and ill-looking, and thin, very thin. They hadn't had a proper meal since they had left the Fellowship, he guessed, or a day or so after. Lembas bread didn't keep meat on your bones, and it was that elvish bread that had kept them alive through their journey to Mordor. He sat down between the two beds, looking over at Sam, smiling. Then he looked to Frodo, and to his four-fingered hand, and looked sadly at him. Taking his hand, he examined the place where the finger used to be. "Frodo...Frodo of the Nine Fingers...that is what we shall call him at the celebration when they are well. Neither of them are too badly hurt, except maybe in mind. I shall leave them to their rest...they deserve it." he said, getting up, taking one last look at each of the small beings in the room, and walking quietly away.
Sam groaned, opening his eyes. He immediately shut them again, the light was too bright for him. "Where is this? Where is Mr. Frodo?" he sighed, as his eyes adjusted to the light and he opened them again. He looked down and saw himself in a white gown, in a huge bed with white sheets. The room was beautiful, and there was a pleasant smell to the air here, unlike Mordor. He looked to the bed beside him, smiling, as a few tears fell unbidden down his cheeks. "We made it Mr. Frodo...after all that happened, we made it. We can go home..." he whispered, still in mild shock from all the things that had happened. This place was quiet, his voice echoed off the walls. He was tired, so very tired, but he didn't want to fall back asleep. He wanted to be awake when Mr. Frodo came to, and see him smile again. Whispers came from the hallway. "No, Pip! Aragorn said to leave them be...they're tired, Pippin!" a familiar voice whispered. "I just want to see Frodo and Sam! I want to make sure this is real!" another familiar voice said. Sam smiled, as the two opened the door. Sam pretended to be asleep as the two snuck over to the beds quietly. "See? They're alive, Pip. Now lets go." Merry said, urgent. "Wait a minute, Merry. I want to watch them for a minute." Pippin replied. "What're you two up to this time?" Sam asked, opening his eyes. They jumped, frightened.
"Sam! Were you awake this whole time?" Merry asked, quiet. He nodded. "You two sneakin' little runts, you'd best not wake Mr. Frodo, or I'll tell the cooks at dinner tonight not to serve you any mushrooms!" Sam laughed. "We aren't going to wake him, Sam. Pippin just wanted to make sure you two were really alive. We saw Mount Doom explode...we thought you were...." Merry whispered, trailing off, a single tear in his eye coursing down his cheek. "An' we thought we were too. We thought we'd never see the Shire, or you two, ever again. I thought I'd never see Rosie again, or my garden at Bagshot Row...and the most horrible part is, if it weren't for that hideous Gollum...the Ring wouldn't have been destroyed." Sam whispered. "What? Gollum? What do you mean, Sam?" Pippin asked. "You'll hear the story in full at the celebration when Mr. Frodo gets better. He can tell it better than I could. Though I can tell certain parts that he can't. I rescued him from orcs and Uruk-hai at Cirith Ungol, you know. And I saved him from a giant spider that was tryin' to eat him, too." he said. "So I suppose we'll have to hear those stories later, too." Merry asked. Sam nodded. "Go on, get out of here so Mr. Frodo can rest." he said, laughing.
When Frodo awoke, he saw that Sam was gone. Smiling a little, he looked down at his finger. Or where it had used to be, anyway. 'It hurts so much...' he thought. "By all rights I shouldn't even be here. I couldn't finish the Quest, I couldn't throw the Ring in the fire. If it weren't for Gollum, Sauron would have the Ring." he told himself. "Frodo?!" Merry's familiar voice rang out, from the doorway. He looked up at them, a broad smile on his thin, pale face. "Merry! Pippin!" he cried, laughing. The two ran and literally jumped on him, laughing and shouting and telling stories all at once about the battles they had been in and things they had seen, and why they were so tall. Frodo couldn't take it all in, but it sounded as though the two were just fine. "Frodo!" Aragorn laughed, standing in the doorway. "Aragorn..." Frodo smiled, at the Ranger who was so kind to him and helped the Fellowship so much when Gandalf was gone. Aragorn came in and sat beside him in a chair, grinning. "Well done, laddie!" Gimli cried, coming in after him. Next came Legolas, looking like a true prince in all white and a silver circlet. He smiled fondly at Frodo, and nodded. Frodo nodded back, understanding. And last, but certainly not least, came Sam. He wore a gown as Frodo did, and looked nearly as horrible. Yet he smiled and walked over to his master, looking down at him with pride and honor. 'I don't deserve it...' thought Frodo.
"Now don't go givin' me that look, Mr. Frodo. You just relax and get better. You've been through a lot, I know." he said, smiling. He took Frodo's four fingered hand and looked down at it, sadness in his eyes. 'It is true, though. We wouldn't have done it without that monster Gollum.' he thought, as if to read Frodo's thoughts. You're a sleepyhead, Sam. I was awake before you, I fell back asleep waiting for you to wake up!" Frodo laughed, smiling at him. "I suppose you did, Mr. Frodo. But you've got to build up your strength, or else you'll miss the celebrations. And we can't have the celebration without all of the heroes there!" Sam said, smiling. "But one." Frodo answered. "But one, Mr. Frodo. An' don't you doubt yourself, either! If it weren't for you, the Ring would have never reached Mt. Doom! I could have taken it for a little while, but I don't think I could get it all the way there. Beats me how you even did it." Sam said. "Because you were there, Sam. Because you were there...I wouldn't have even gotten to the Black Gate if it weren't for you, let alone all the way through Mordor to the Mountain of Fire. I'd have lost strength and hope long before then." Frodo said, quiet. "Even I lost hope before the end, Mr. Frodo. But we're here, an' it's over! Now we can go home!" Sam laughed. Frodo smiled a bit. Home. He never thought he would see it again.