Chapter 7: Together At Last
"Frodo?" Sam cried, stumbling towards him, rendered dazed, and nearly blinded, by his sudden rush of emotion: the disbelief, the sheer bliss, the beautiful sadness.
Frodo closed his eyes, then lifted his head slowly towards the sound. He knew that voice. Sure enough, he saw, bounding towards him, perhaps the dearest, most loved person in his heart.
"Sam…" he whispered.
He tried to make his feet move, but his senses were numbed, he was paralyzed, rooted to the spot by his amazement, his incredulity. Sam trotted up to him, breathlessly, his pace slackening. He stopped short when only a short distance separated them.
"Frodo?" Sam looked into his eyes, searchingly. He stood there, blinking confusedly.
"Oh, Sam." and Frodo quickly pulled him into a tight embrace.
So many thoughts had been going through Frodo's mind as he looked into Sam's eyes for the first time in over sixty years. For so many years, Frodo had waited hopefully at the harbor, scanning the newcomers desperately for his Sam. But every time had just been another disappointment, with each crushing realization that he had still not made the journey. It was breaking his spirit. He would fall into such a disheartened, dejected state, that he could no longer bear another let-down. Another day that left Frodo questioning his uncertain hopes. Time was ticking… Sam was surely getting on in years. What if it was too late? If they would never have the chance to be reunited… But today, something was different. A change in the air, that Frodo was reluctant to acknowledge. He could not bring himself to stand upon that pier, not again. He wandered aimlessly along the beaches of Valinor, casting wary glances at the incoming ship. And, now at last, his long-anticipated dream had been fulfilled.
"Oh, Sam. For so long, I've wondered. Wondered if I would ever see you again. I so hoped you would, I hoped more than anything, and now… You're here again, Sam. My dear Sam. Let's have another look at you." and he stepped back, holding him at arm's length, taking every last detail in, that he so long had stored away in his heart, cherishing secretly. Just as he remembered.
"Mr. Frodo… I can't believe I'm here.. Here with you. Not a day went by where I didn't think of you, not a single day, sir. And sometimes I thought that I really had seen you, when I was lost in a memory, or a dream, but I woke up realizing it wasn't real at all. And now here I am, and I still feel like I'm lost in a dream. Like the most wonderful dream I've ever had, and I'm scared that I'll wake up and find that it's all gone away, and that I'll be back, all alone, and…" but it all was too much for Sam to bear. He broke out into a fit of sobs, vainly stifling them with his shaking hand.
"Oh, Sam…" Frodo breathed, holding him tightly, stroking the back of his head soothingly. "It's all right, Sam. I promise you, you are not lost in a dream. You're right here, with me, the only place you are is lost here in my arms."
And the two lingered there, upon the very shores of Valinor, the sound of the sea filling their ears, and their love long-dormant filling their hearts, immersed in what seemed like an eternal embrace, shedding tears of joy. They each relished in the warmth emanating from each other, the sound of their voices in each other's ears, their hearts beating together as one. At last, Frodo said,
"Oh, Sam. I can't begin to describe how happy I am to see you here, after so long. I was so worried for you, Sam, worried because I knew my leaving would be so hard, so terribly hard on you. But it was not long before I realized how hard it would be on me; waiting and wondering, and anticipating, not ever really knowing. I always hoped, hoped with all my heart, but it brought me some comfort to know that for a long time, you would have all you could possibly want, and do everything that your heart pleased. And so I waited here, patiently, for the day that you would return. But with every passing year, all the more would my heart become laden with doubt. Sam, I never truly realized how very, very much you mean to me. How much I'd risk losing by leaving you behind. You know that, Sam, don't you? Sam, you always knew that I've loved you?" Frodo looked pleadingly into Sam's eyes, his own shining with fresh tears.
"Yes, sir." Sam replied hoarsely. "I always knew."
And the wind sighed all about them, the boughs of trees swaying softly. The sea churned in its perpetual tide, rising to its culmination point, then cascading down, swirling coolly around the hobbits' feet.
"I love you, Sam." Frodo said, voice trembling through tears. And he felt the weight of these words, that he had so long concealed in his thought, lifted off of his shoulders as they finally escaped his lips. The real burden had finally been lifted. He sobbed openly on Sam's shoulder.
"I love you, sir." Sam replied softly. And Sam closed his eyes, caught up in the moment, and kissed his master's forehead.
When at last Frodo had gathered up his emotions and his soft cries silenced, Sam went on.
"I thought I'd never know what it was to be happy again, Mr. Frodo. And now I'm here with you. And there's nowhere else I'd rather be."
"Yes, Sam, you are here, but… Sam, why did you decide to come at last?"
Sam looked down at his feet, and shifted uncomfortably.
"Well…you see… It was Rosie… Rose passed away. And I ain't never felt so scared and so alone in my life. And it was cruel hard leaving my children and all, but I knew that the longer I waited, the sooner I'd finally…" and Sam swallowed at the lump in his throat. Frodo put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I understand, Sam. I suspected as much. Let us not speak of it anymore. But remember, Sam, that what happens in the past cannot be undone, but what the future holds in store; that is a road filled with endless possibility. And we will face that future together, you and I, Sam. And you needn't feel alone or scared any longer. I'm here for you, Sam, I always was. Now and forever."
A smile played on Sam's face and he hugged his beloved master once more, and a sweet breeze borne by the Sea ruffled their hair playfully, and wrapped itself all around them, as if to seal their fate. And something in the air told him that Frodo wasn't the only one who would be looking out for him for the rest of his life.
"Frodo?" Sam cried, stumbling towards him, rendered dazed, and nearly blinded, by his sudden rush of emotion: the disbelief, the sheer bliss, the beautiful sadness.
Frodo closed his eyes, then lifted his head slowly towards the sound. He knew that voice. Sure enough, he saw, bounding towards him, perhaps the dearest, most loved person in his heart.
"Sam…" he whispered.
He tried to make his feet move, but his senses were numbed, he was paralyzed, rooted to the spot by his amazement, his incredulity. Sam trotted up to him, breathlessly, his pace slackening. He stopped short when only a short distance separated them.
"Frodo?" Sam looked into his eyes, searchingly. He stood there, blinking confusedly.
"Oh, Sam." and Frodo quickly pulled him into a tight embrace.
So many thoughts had been going through Frodo's mind as he looked into Sam's eyes for the first time in over sixty years. For so many years, Frodo had waited hopefully at the harbor, scanning the newcomers desperately for his Sam. But every time had just been another disappointment, with each crushing realization that he had still not made the journey. It was breaking his spirit. He would fall into such a disheartened, dejected state, that he could no longer bear another let-down. Another day that left Frodo questioning his uncertain hopes. Time was ticking… Sam was surely getting on in years. What if it was too late? If they would never have the chance to be reunited… But today, something was different. A change in the air, that Frodo was reluctant to acknowledge. He could not bring himself to stand upon that pier, not again. He wandered aimlessly along the beaches of Valinor, casting wary glances at the incoming ship. And, now at last, his long-anticipated dream had been fulfilled.
"Oh, Sam. For so long, I've wondered. Wondered if I would ever see you again. I so hoped you would, I hoped more than anything, and now… You're here again, Sam. My dear Sam. Let's have another look at you." and he stepped back, holding him at arm's length, taking every last detail in, that he so long had stored away in his heart, cherishing secretly. Just as he remembered.
"Mr. Frodo… I can't believe I'm here.. Here with you. Not a day went by where I didn't think of you, not a single day, sir. And sometimes I thought that I really had seen you, when I was lost in a memory, or a dream, but I woke up realizing it wasn't real at all. And now here I am, and I still feel like I'm lost in a dream. Like the most wonderful dream I've ever had, and I'm scared that I'll wake up and find that it's all gone away, and that I'll be back, all alone, and…" but it all was too much for Sam to bear. He broke out into a fit of sobs, vainly stifling them with his shaking hand.
"Oh, Sam…" Frodo breathed, holding him tightly, stroking the back of his head soothingly. "It's all right, Sam. I promise you, you are not lost in a dream. You're right here, with me, the only place you are is lost here in my arms."
And the two lingered there, upon the very shores of Valinor, the sound of the sea filling their ears, and their love long-dormant filling their hearts, immersed in what seemed like an eternal embrace, shedding tears of joy. They each relished in the warmth emanating from each other, the sound of their voices in each other's ears, their hearts beating together as one. At last, Frodo said,
"Oh, Sam. I can't begin to describe how happy I am to see you here, after so long. I was so worried for you, Sam, worried because I knew my leaving would be so hard, so terribly hard on you. But it was not long before I realized how hard it would be on me; waiting and wondering, and anticipating, not ever really knowing. I always hoped, hoped with all my heart, but it brought me some comfort to know that for a long time, you would have all you could possibly want, and do everything that your heart pleased. And so I waited here, patiently, for the day that you would return. But with every passing year, all the more would my heart become laden with doubt. Sam, I never truly realized how very, very much you mean to me. How much I'd risk losing by leaving you behind. You know that, Sam, don't you? Sam, you always knew that I've loved you?" Frodo looked pleadingly into Sam's eyes, his own shining with fresh tears.
"Yes, sir." Sam replied hoarsely. "I always knew."
And the wind sighed all about them, the boughs of trees swaying softly. The sea churned in its perpetual tide, rising to its culmination point, then cascading down, swirling coolly around the hobbits' feet.
"I love you, Sam." Frodo said, voice trembling through tears. And he felt the weight of these words, that he had so long concealed in his thought, lifted off of his shoulders as they finally escaped his lips. The real burden had finally been lifted. He sobbed openly on Sam's shoulder.
"I love you, sir." Sam replied softly. And Sam closed his eyes, caught up in the moment, and kissed his master's forehead.
When at last Frodo had gathered up his emotions and his soft cries silenced, Sam went on.
"I thought I'd never know what it was to be happy again, Mr. Frodo. And now I'm here with you. And there's nowhere else I'd rather be."
"Yes, Sam, you are here, but… Sam, why did you decide to come at last?"
Sam looked down at his feet, and shifted uncomfortably.
"Well…you see… It was Rosie… Rose passed away. And I ain't never felt so scared and so alone in my life. And it was cruel hard leaving my children and all, but I knew that the longer I waited, the sooner I'd finally…" and Sam swallowed at the lump in his throat. Frodo put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I understand, Sam. I suspected as much. Let us not speak of it anymore. But remember, Sam, that what happens in the past cannot be undone, but what the future holds in store; that is a road filled with endless possibility. And we will face that future together, you and I, Sam. And you needn't feel alone or scared any longer. I'm here for you, Sam, I always was. Now and forever."
A smile played on Sam's face and he hugged his beloved master once more, and a sweet breeze borne by the Sea ruffled their hair playfully, and wrapped itself all around them, as if to seal their fate. And something in the air told him that Frodo wasn't the only one who would be looking out for him for the rest of his life.