A Little Walk, 20/20 Epilogue

"Frodo!"

"Oh, Frodo!"

"Where is that old cousin of ours?"

The loud voices echoed down the hall and Frodo smiled to himself as he finished the sentence before putting the quill and book away. He rose and leaned casually against the study's doorframe, crossing his arms as Merry and Pippin came into view. "I'm not deaf, you know," he said saucily, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Ah, yes, but you could be napping in your frailty," Merry teased.

"Naps are very refreshing and help clear the mind," Frodo retorted defensively.

"Because you've accumulated so many cobwebs in your long years," Pippin laughed.

"It's a good thing the babe is awake already or you rascals would 'ave her screaming in fright," scolded Rosie from behind the pair as she came out of Elanor's room, carrying the cooing baby.

"Apologies, mistress Rose," the two chorused, with an exaggerated bow to her.

"Oh go on, you two," she said. "There's tea and biscuits in the kitchen if ye're interested." Of course they were interested, so all trooped to the kitchen with Merry and Pippin leading the way.

The lively banter continued as the hobbits had tea, with Sam even coming in from the garden for small talk. The biscuits had all been eaten and all the tea nearly drunk when Merry abruptly pulled a wrinkled piece of paper from his pocket and said, "I almost forgot. Here, Frodo, you have mail from Gondor."

Frodo accepted the folded parchment, looking at it curiously. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but it was addressed to 'Mr. Frodo Baggins, Crickhollow, The Shire.' "When did it arrive?" he asked, carefully breaking the seal.

"Three days before we left," Merry replied.

Frodo unfolded the pages, a blank one for the outside to protect the rest, and another two covered in a childish scrawl. A smaller piece tumbled in his lap as well, and he held it thoughtfully as he looked for the sender's name.

"It's from Jael," he said finally, with some surprise, and then his eyes returned to the salutation. 'Dearest Frodo, I hope this letter finds you well,' it began, and he skimmed it quickly to find anything he could tell the others, who were watching him expectantly.

"She sends greetings to all of you... They are doing well -Esli is highly respected amongst the Guards, and Aragorn has had Jael sing as a minstrel at several banquets." He paused, reading further, and then continued with a small smile, "They recently had a child -a boy- and named him Maura..."

He trailed off again, and looked at the smaller piece of parchment, to which a lock of hair was affixed with a lump of wax. "She's sent a bit of his hair," he explained as he put it on the table for the others to see. "And that's about it," he finished.

There were other bits of news included that Frodo didn't think would be of interest to the others, so he did not mention them, though he would naturally respond to them in his reply.

He refolded the letter and tucked it into his inside vest pocket. "I'll have a letter ready to go with you when you leave," he told Merry, and the conversation soon turned to other matters of importance, like what was for dinner.

..............

Later that evening, Frodo again sat alone in the study, contemplating what to write back to Jael. Merry and Pippin had gone to the Inn for the night -he wasn't sure who was more relieved: Rosie, for not having to clean up rooms for them (and clean up after them), or Merry and Pippin, for not having their sleep interrupted by a crying babe- though before leaving they wrangled a promise from Frodo and Sam to meet them in the Green Dragon for luncheon tomorrow.

He would need to retire soon if he was to be fully awake and alert by luncheon -and spending time with Merry and Pippin always required one to be fully awake and alert- for little Elanor cried often during the night and invariably woke him no matter how quickly Sam or Rosie moved to hush the two-month-old's wailings. But he wanted to get this reply written, or he knew he'd forget.

So he set to reading Jael's remarks again, more carefully this time, to determine what sort of news to send in return.

6 October 3020

Dearest Frodo,

I hope this letter finds you well, and Sam, Merry, and Pippin, too. I trust your journey home was a pleasant one. Esli and I send greetings to you all. I'm happy to say we are doing well; Esli is held in high esteem by the other guards and has been honored for his devotion to duty by the King himself. Your gift has been put to good use, for the King has had me perform as a minstrel at several banquets. I must thank you again, because I have greatly enjoyed playing again, even though accompanying the Queen can be quite intimidating.

I've had much time to practice my playing as well as my writing, as I have spent a while abed at the King's orders. I'm afraid I was not a very good patient, though the King assured me he's seen worse, in the form of a small and stubborn hobbit. I don't suppose you know who he's referring to? But despite my fretting, I would gladly endure it all over again, for Esli and I became the parents of a beautiful son this March past. His name is Maura, and he has been an exceptionally agreeable child. We suspect he may be joined by a sibling sooner rather than later, but that has not been determined for certain. He is sleeping in my arms as I write this, so I apologize if my handwriting is particularly bad. I have included a bit of his hair, as a token that you are continually in our thoughts.

I write to you now to send tidings before preparations for our upcoming journey chased all thoughts of it from my mind. Esli and I have been chosen to go with a group representing the King to the Dol Amroth region. I do not know how long we are to stay, but I dearly hope to have the time to seek out my home village and look upon the Sea from there once more.

I don't know how long it will take for this letter to reach you, but if your response reaches the city while we are away, the King himself has promised to keep it safe until our return. He says he promises not to be like Butterbur in caring for the letter. I haven't any idea what he's talking about, so I hope you do. I greatly wish that you would write back, even if only so I can know you're all right. And how fares the cousin you spoke so fondly of? Bilbo, was it?

Lest I begin rambling again, I will bring this letter to a close and say only this: though we will likely never meet again, I want you to know you are often in my thoughts, and I sincerely hope you have found in your homecoming the comfort you sought.

May the winds blow softly upon you and the waves roll gently at your feet,

Jael

As Frodo read, his hand strayed to his pocket and brought out the small shell she'd given him, his thumb feeling the small grooves thoughtfully. He swallowed thickly upon finishing the letter, then put it and the shell down before pulling out a fresh piece of paper and beginning to write.

The quill scratched quickly and easily along for a good portion of the page, then faltered as Frodo frowned in consideration. There was no easy way to say what he wanted to say, but he didn't think it fair to Jael to leave the matter unmentioned. The crack and pop of the fire as the logs broke and settled into mere glowing embers both startled him and made him mindful of the time. Perhaps it would be better to think on it and finish tomorrow... Making up his mind to finish later, he headed to bed to snatch what few hours of uninterrupted sleep he could gain before Elanor awoke.

A fortnight hence, on the morning of Merry and Pippin's departure, Frodo entrusted them with his reply to Jael, neatly folded and sealed, and made them solemnly swear not to read it. They agreed without comment, though later on the road back to Crickhollow they speculated on why their cousin felt the need to extract such a promise. After all, if it were a letter to a pretty lass, they would need to ascertain the extent of the relationship, but why would they bother to pry into correspondence with Jael?

...................

It was nearly the last day of September when Esli and Jael returned to Minas Tirith. The King and much of the court turned out to welcome back the party, and Elessar took Jael aside as soon as he could to give her the letter that had arrived about a month prior. She tucked it into a pocket with a promise to share any news, where the letter was promptly forgotten until much later that evening.

Late that night, Jael returned to her modest home with two sleepy children in tow, while Esli stayed at the feast. He'd offered to come with, but she insisted he remain, for she could easily put the children to bed on her own, and he should stay as one of the ranking officials from the journey. Their belongings were still in crates and traveling packs, but she'd had the foresight to make the beds when they'd dropped off the baggage, and now she was glad she'd done so.

Once Maura was asleep and Jael settled in a chair to feed Mary before putting her to bed, she remembered the letter in her pocket and pulled it out to read as the infant nursed.

27 May 1421 S.R./3021

My dearest Lady Jael,

I was most delighted to receive your letter and its news of your happiness and wellbeing, and the others were pleased as well. They send their greetings along to you and your family. Our journey home was leisurely and rather pleasant but for the partings we had to make along the way. Cousin Bilbo is still healthy, though sleepy and oft-confused in his old age.

We arrived in the Shire to find things not quite as expected, for evil has a long reach indeed. But things have been put to rights, in no small part thanks to Sam, Merry, and Pippin, so I will not dwell on the subject. I think you'll be pleased to know that Sam has wed a lovely lass named Rosie, and they recently became the parents of a daughter, Elanor. Merry and Pippin, much to their delight, are often in the center of attention as they gallivant about in their armor, though neither seems to be ready to settle down just yet. As for me, I have been busy putting our story to paper, that the Shire may know a bit of what has occurred outside our small land.

I am more pleased than words can express that you are doing so well and your family is thriving. I hope the voyage West was a profitable one, both in what you went to do and in finding your home once more. I shall be making a Westward voyage myself come fall, to finally gaze upon the Sea. But I will not only gaze upon it; I shall be sailing over it, as well. This is difficult to set down in words, but I thought you should know. I thought you might understand, if only a little. I did not find the solace I'd hoped for in what was once my home, for I am much changed, so I am taking the opportunity offered me and sailing across the Sea with the Elves to seek healing there.

So I am afraid this letter truly is good-bye. I do not doubt that Sam would be happy to continue corresponding with you, so address any future letters to Master Samwise Gamgee, Bag End, Hobbiton, The Shire. I shall continue thinking of you often, and I hope your family remains prosperous for many years to come.
Namarie,

Frodo

Jael smiled sadly. "Namarie, Frodo," she whispered as a stray tear snaked down her cheek. The babe in her arms squirmed, and she thought fondly of the little boy sleeping in the other room. "You will be remembered."

-fin-

A/N: This story has been over a year in the making, and I am grateful to everyone who has somehow had a hand in its creation, whether in proofreading, generating ideas, or reviewing the chapters. I apologize for the sometimes lengthy amount of time between updates; I am one who posts as she writes, so that the time between chapters often reflected a particularly busy time in real life. To all of you who have made it to the end: thank you for your patience! I hope my 'little' story has been worth the effort.

Thank you to all of my reviewers: lindahoyland, Rose, Ami, Aemilia Rose, Shire Baggins, Kaewi, Camellia Gamgee-Took, Lady Jaina, LilyBaggins, JULES6, shireling, tallis, Danfred, FantasyFan, ME!, MoonMist, Ailsa Joy, lizmybit, pebbles, Midgette, shirebound, Krista2, endymion2, Distortion, Kay, Aratlithiel1, QTPie-2488, hmsgirl, telegramsam, Linnea, and crazytook. I greatly appreciate the feedback, even though I never really responded to your comments individually.