"Famous for Its Weddings"
Chapter 2: Star brightest
(G rated.)
by Princess of Geekland
Sam woke and slid carefully away from Rosie. He heard Frodo keening in the room across the hall, caught in the web of nightmare. Rolling out of bed, he paused to pull on his breeches, and carefully slipped out the door. The routine was sadly familiar to Sam after only a couple of weeks in the beautiful hobbit hole he now shared with his new wife and with Frodo. He looked back. He hadn?t waked her.
The flagstones of the hall were cold on his feet, but a smiled warmed his face. Frodo?s room was now quiet, and it wasn?t dark. Sam saw a glimmer of starlight, steadily increasing as he walked in and knelt by the bed.
Taking Frodo?s free hand in his, Sam?s eyes followed Frodo?s to the center of the soft white radiance now pouring from Frodo?s cupped hand. The tears on Frodo?s face sparkled as he gently moved the crystal phial, sending true starlight chasing shadows around the room.
"Aiya Earendil Elenion Ancalima," Sam repeated softly, still kneeling, and was relieved and cheered to hear Frodo whisper the ancient words along with him. Since the day Sam had first seen the full light of the star-glass, he had learned a thing or two about mercy and miracles. And he had insisted on learning by heart the ancient Elvish words that had poured through them both, driven by some other power, on that never-to-be- forgotten day.
"What was it this time, master....wraiths, or the spider?" he asked softly, stroking Frodo?s hand, then putting it against his cheek. Frodo just shook his head without speaking, but Sam felt his hand beginning to warm against Sam?s warm face.
Still holding on, Sam moved to sit on the bed, leaning back against the carved headboard.
"That was the worst time of my life; thinking you dead, then learning you weren?t dead and I had left you there" -- his voice cracked -- "for those cursed orcs to find."
Frodo?s eyes were still on the crystal. He gently shook the hand that held Sam?s, as if to wake his friend up.
"Sam. We made it back somehow, though. Dear Sam. We did it together. I never would have gotten through it without you; you know that."
"I can?t believe it sometimes; either that it all happened, it was all real, or that we?re back. We?re home. Rosie?s here; Strider is king. I can?t take it all in sometimes. It?s too much."
Sam kissed Frodo?s hand, lingering over the lump of knuckle that was all that was left of Frodo?s ring finger. With his other hand he caressed Frodo?s forehead. It, too, was warming again. He stroked the fine skin, still damp with sweat. It must have been a very bad dream.
"You try and sleep, Frodo. I?ll stay here by you for a bit."
"I could sleep, Sam. Thank you. But you shouldn?t be here; go back to bed. Rosie will be missing you."
"Now, Frodo," Sam tried to smile, "she knew I had this job first -- helping you. I took that on long before she and I were married."
"Well, it?s gone on a lot longer than is fair to you, I must say. Much too long."
"Let me be the judge of that. Now try to sleep. Don?t be taking this away from me quite yet," Sam finished, and kissed Frodo?s hand again. Frodo rolled toward him to give him the phial, now fading to no more than a lightning bug?s glow on a summer lawn in the Shire. Sam carefully put the treasure in its niche as Frodo clasped Sam?s other hand in both of his, sighed, and closed his eyes.
Sam watched him for a long time, watched his breathing softly move the covers over his ribcage, the little movement drawing a twinkle from the gem on its chain, almost buried in the bedclothes. By the light of the phial, like a nightlight, he saw color return to Frodo?s face as he slipped into a peaceful sleep.
Rosie found them there when she looked in in the morning, Sam sound asleep sitting up, his head against the carvings, both Frodo?s hands in his.
~
Pretty Good Year