By Vendie
Author's note: The usual disclaimers apply; all of the characters are Tolkien's property. I'm just doing this for enjoyment…and to soothe my overactive imagination and lack of concentration for homework. XD
The mist was thick that morning when Samwise Gamgee awoke. At first, he was startled, not remembering where he was. He sat up and looked about him. A cry of a gull somewhere nearby brought the memories flooding back to him. He sighed, his fright soothed, but his heart still troubled.
His beloved wife, Rosie, had passed away in his arms on Mid-year's Day, and his friends had passed years before. Though physically, Sam looked only as old Bilbo had when he left for Rivendell, Sam felt older than an age. Though his time as a ring bearer had been short, it had taken its toll nonetheless, and the seven-time mayor of Hobbiton decided that it was his time to go.
Sam was sailing into the West.
"Did you hear the gull, Master Samwise? The shore is near." An elf asked, approaching him. Sam recognized him as Feredir, one of the elves from the Grey Havens. Feredir was a dark-haired, gray-eyed, elf. One of the other elves aboard the ship had told Sam that Feredir had been raised in Grey Havens since the first age, and had seen many elves pass over the sea. The call of the water had finally taken hold of him.
"I heard it alright. I don't think I've ever been so happy to hear a bird's cry than today, mister Feredir!" Sam exclaimed from his spot against the bow of the ship. No matter how many dangers he had faced, the hobbit still hated boats. The bow seemed sturdiest to him, so he often found himself falling asleep there at night, looking up at the many stars.
Sam stood up to look out beyond the ship. He was disappointed when he saw nothing but gray clouds and dark shapes in the distance.
"Ah…there's nothing for it. You can hardly see past your nose in this weather." Sam grumbled.
"Patience, Master Samwise. The sun will be peering out soon and chase the clouds away." Feredir said, smiling and putting his hand on the hobbit's shoulder. Sam sighed and was quiet for a time as he anxiously watched, hoping the mist would break so he could see the shore.
"Do you suppose he's waiting for me?" Sam asked. "Does he know I'm coming?"
"We shall see soon." Feredir said as he felt the warmth of the rising sun on his back.
Sam suddenly grew as restless as a young child made to sit quietly for hours on end. He tapped his foot, twiddled his thumbs, and other such things to keep him occupied. Feredir smiled, knowing the halfling's affliction. He patted Sam on the shoulder and left to aid the other elves in preparing for their landing.
"Let us know when you see the shore, Sam." He said.
"I will, make no mistake!" The hobbit replied enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, on the shore of Valinor, Frodo Baggins left his self-built hobbit hole on the hill for a morning stroll. His home was near the sea, just past the city of Alqualondë, where many elves lived. Elrond and Galadriel had gone to dwell there and Gandalf had gone to deep into Valinor to Nienna's halls, and Frodo decided that he needed a little bit of normalcy in his new life, so he built himself a hobbit hole. Bilbo had come to live with him, spending most of his time snoozing in a chair somewhere.
Frodo breathed in the cool morning air as he took the first steps out of his door. He noticed the thick fog and wondered on it, he had never seen mist so thick before since his arrival on the shores of the West. It had been many years, Frodo was sure, but time seemed to pass more slowly there, and he wasn't sure of how long he'd been there.
Since he had been there, all of his physical ailments had left him. The scars were still present, but he no longer felt the pangs of pain or experienced the haunting nightmares that he did in his days after the end of the War of the Ring. Though, he did not feel whole. Something was missing.
As he wandered, Frodo found himself on a cliff overlooking the city of Alqualondë and it's harbor. The sun was rising now, and the fog was clearing a little. The wind blew through the hobbit's dark tresses. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the breeze on his face. Frodo frowned. The wind wasn't usually this strong early in the morning. He wondered what phenomenon had made the air move so quickly.
"This is awfully high for a hobbit to climb." A low voice said from behind him. Frodo whirled around to see a great old friend standing just behind him.
"Gandalf!" Frodo exclaimed, a smile on his face. He hadn't seen Gandalf in a great while; it was wonderful to see a familiar face again. He went to his friend and gave him a hug.
"Hello, Frodo. It is good to see you again." Gandalf said, kneeling down to meet Frodo's gaze.
"How did you find me here? Certainly Bilbo didn't tell you, he's never awake." Frodo asked.
"Oh, a wizard has his ways," Gandalf mused, winking. Frodo laughed.
Gandalf stood and looked out to the sea, squinting his eyes, as if he was spotting something in the distance.
"A strong wind from the East." He noted.
"Yes," Frodo said. "It's strange, I've never seen the wind so strong this early in the day."
"Perhaps it carries something important with it." Gandalf said.
"Like what, leaves from the eastern shores?" Frodo laughed, he could think of nothing important that the wind could carry, least of all that it could get off the ground. But when he looked at Gandalf, he realized his old friend was serious. Frodo's brow furrowed, confused.
"Maybe a ship." Gandalf suggested, a twinkle in his eye.
Frodo turned again to the horizon. The fog had cleared some more, and in the distance he could see a ship. He looked up at Gandalf, confused at his motives.
"Perhaps we should go welcome them." The wizard proposed, motioning for the hobbit to walk ahead of him. Frodo, seeing no reason not to, shrugged and went down the hill towards the harbor.
"I see it!" Sam called out from his position at the bow of the boat. Feredir came forward and the hobbit pointed out where he could see the ends of several docks and the silhouettes of many tall buildings.
"Alqualondë." Feredir said knowingly with a smile on his face.
Sam watched as the fog cleared and a large city was revealed before his eyes. He sighed sadly.
"I'll never find him in a place this big!" He said disparagingly. Feredir patted Sam on the shoulder.
"Worry not, my friend. You will find whom you seek." The elf said.
Sam sighed, not really believing Feredir's words. As he watched the fog in front of him dissipate, he thought back to the day that Frodo left Middle Earth. He remembered watching the Ring bearers' ship slip past the Grey Havens and into the night, and how torn his heart felt. Also, in his mind was the memory of the promise he made himself: to find Frodo again when his time had come.
Every moment he had lived on the thought of how joyous it would be to see Frodo again, what he would say, what he would do. He often imagined the scene in his mind when he was in the garden as if it were a rehearsed performance. Sam had put so much thought and hope into his reunion with Frodo, he was nearly afraid of it, afraid of ruining it.
Sam groaned nervously as he watched the docks come more clearly into view as they neared the docks. He could see dark figures standing on one of the docks, awaiting their arrival. Sam, suddenly having second thoughts, looked back towards the East at the rising sun. The wind hit his face, causing him to blink a little. Feeling the discomfort of wind in his eyes, he turned back towards shore. By that time, the fog was nearly clear and the dark figures in the short distance were no longer dark, but colored, and their features were becoming distinct. One such figure, was standing on the edge of the dock clothed all in white and leaning on a staff. Sam's breath caught in his throat.
As Gandalf watched the ship and it's inhabitants come into view and smiled when he spotted Samwise Gamgee at the bow of the ship with an elf.
Frodo, who was standing behind Gandalf, was facing the south and watching a flock of birds with interest as they soared above a cliff in the distance.
"Frodo, my lad, there is something you should see," Gandalf said, looking back at him. Frodo looked up, but said nothing. He moved around to Gandalf's right side and saw the ship that was nearing the dock. When saw who was in the bow of the boat, Frodo's heart skipped.
"Gandalf! How did you know?" Frodo asked, amazed.
"Oh, a wizard has his tricks." Gandalf reiterated, a laugh in his voice.
Sam saw Frodo step from behind Gandalf and he nearly fell to his knees. Tears came to his eyes, blurring his vision.
"Well, there's a eye opener, make no mistake!" He said, laughing and crying at the same time. Feredir smiled, knowing that Sam had found his friend.
Suddenly, the wind puffed one last great gust of wind into their sails, and the ship coasted forward with greater speed. The ship reached the dock in no time. Sam ran to the middle of the boat and jumped from the ship to the dock, hasty in his excitement.
"Sam!" Frodo cried out, worried that he would fall. Much to his surprise, Sam managed to make the leap from ship to dock without a drop of water on him and ran towards Frodo.
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called as he ran.
Frodo, holding back tears, opened his arms and let Sam collide with him. The two friends hugged tightly, Frodo letting tears of happiness slide silently down his cheeks as Sam openly wept on his shoulder, laughter mixed in with his tears. Gandalf observed the happy scene and chuckled to himself, truly pleased to see his dearest friends reunited.
"Bless you, Mr. Frodo! You're a sight for sore eyes!" Sam exclaimed as he broke the embrace to look upon Frodo, who could do nothing but laugh for he was so happy. Sam gasped when he looked into his old friend's laughing face and gasped. His eyes welled up with tears again and he began to weep more.
"My dear Sam! What's the matter?" Frodo asked, putting his hand on Sam's shoulder.
"It's you, Mr. Frodo! It's really you! You're healed!" Sam sputtered. "I can see it in your face, Mr. Frodo. You're back to your old self!"
"You're healed!" He reiterated, tears running freely over his cheeks again.
Frodo wrapped his arms around Sam's shoulders and hugged him tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt the happiness well up in his body like the warm sun that was rising in the east.
"I am now, Sam."
Tele'i