Tom-Kitty gazed boredly down on the candle-lit melee of gold and silver as Frodo-Lad and Elanor did fierce battle up and down the lengthy cellar of Bag End. Fro wore his father’s golden mail and wielded a broomstick. Elly shimmered in her Uncle Frodo’s mithril coat and swung at her brother with a mop. (Playing in their elders’ armor was tolerated but playing with real swords or, on one fun occasion, butcher knives and meat-cleavers, was not, mail shirts notwithstanding.) Elanor was having a glorious time. She hadn’t played in the mithril coat for years and it actually fit her now.

Fro snarled his best orc-growl. Quite a feat considering he had never heard one. An orc with a broom? Elanor grinned at him. Cowering behind Fro were his hapless prisoners; his little brother Sammie, Sammie’s devoted sister Daisy and their cousins Meli Took, Molly Brandybuck and, enjoying a rare visit, Delphinium Grubb. They were clinging to each other, wailing, flailing and crying, and poor Sammie was turning blue within the protective circle of Delphinium’s arms.

“Save us! Save us, Elly!”

“HELLLP! Helphelphelp!”

“Del, I can’t breathe!”

“Take your time, Elly, I’m liking this!” Molly declared, staring up at Fro’s broad, strong back encased in gleaming gold.

“MOLLY!” Meli shouted, aghast.

“Well, I am!”

Fro turned to graciously bestow a smile on his little cousin and Elly took advantage of his mistake, whacking him in the chest hard enough to wind him. “Begone, foul dwimmerlaik! Thou standst between me and my kin!” She declared, pointing at the children behind him and they answered her with renewed wails. Tom-Kitty, safe on a crowded top shelf, rolled his eyes and began to lick his paw. “Get ye hence or I shall smite thee!”

“Thou couldn’t smite thy way out of a wet paper sack…” Fro wheezed.

“HAVE AT THEE!” Elanor charged, knocked his broom out of the way and slammed into him with her shoulder. Fro flew back into the arms of his prisoners. Daisy and Meli lost their balance completely and toppled into the shelves. “Look out! Look out! I’m so sorry!” Tom-Kitty hissed at the sudden swaying and scrambled to a better spot, upsetting a small wooden box that had been tucked away in the very back. It spun through the air and bounced onto the floor. The latch sprung free and the velvet-padded lid flew back on its hinge. All motion and noise in the storage room ceased as every eye turned towards it in sudden fear and fascination.

There was something inside.

It was glowing.

A strange crystalline gleam lit the box up from within and all the children cringed back from it. Meli and Molly grasped hands. Del and Daisy flanked Sammie, keeping him well back. Fro and Elanor stood between the box and the children, mop and broom raised, breathing deeply, all good cheer forgotten. “What is it?” Molly whispered. No one answered her. The light flickered like moonlight on water and Tom-Kitty’s eyes reflected it as he peered down from a safer shelf, tail twitching.

Elanor tossed her curls back and grasped her mop firmly. Whatever it was, she would deal with it or die trying. “Fro, you stay here…”

“Elly, don’t. Leave it.”

“I’m just going to look.” Ready to do battle, as was her accepted duty as the eldest child, Elanor crept closer. She hooked the mop handle on the edge of the box and pushed it further away from the children who were now all clinging to Fro for dearest life. Then she looked in, the clear light illuminating every link of her mithril mail. Her slightest movement shimmered as if she’d been dipped in diamonds. Suddenly, she gasped and everyone jumped.

“Oh! Oh, I know what this is!” She reached down…

“Don’t touch it!” Fro hissed.

“It’s all right! Look!” She picked a small crystal phial out of a nest of velvet. It was filled with the purest water and the glow of it strengthened in her hand, banishing the shadows immediately around her. “It’s the Lady’s Glass!”

“What?” Fro stepped forward but motioned the others to stay back.

“Galadriel’s phial! The Star Glass! ‘Let it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out...” Elanor’s voice was awed and she smiled at the phial as if it were a dear old friend. In a way, it was. Her entire life was filled with the telling and the retelling of her father and uncle’s trek to the darkest of places, Mordor, with only this light between them and the Shadow. Fro stepped forward, shocked, and placed a timid finger on it as if he were afraid it would burn him. His mouth hung open.

“You’ve never seen it before?” Del asked, obviously confused.

“No.” Elly answered. “Dad told us that it was in safekeeping. Oh, I never guessed they were keeping it safe HERE! Here with the potatoes, carrots and beer.” The children gathered around and Sammie looked at it skeptically.

“It’s not very bright. Shouldn’t it be blinding? It blinded Shelob.” He gently touched it, too.

“Shelob. Ugh.” Daisy shivered.

“Maybe it has to be around that kind of evil before it becomes blinding. Serious giant-spider evil.” Sammy continued, his huge eyes narrowed in concentration.

Meli timidly held out her hand. “It’s so pretty, though. All rainbowie-like. Can I hold it?” Fro and Elly threw a significant look at each other. Elly held the phial up and her golden curls gleamed as she frowned at the children.

“There…will…be…NO…fighting…over…THIS. It’s too important to be broken. Even if it has been in a box for years it will still be our hides if something happens to it. Understand?”

Meli nodded frantically. “We understand.” she breathed. The others mumbled reassurances and Molly went so far as to cross her heart. Elanor handed the phial over and Meli held it in the flat of her palm as gingerly as a bird’s egg. The light dimmed. Meli looked about at the strengthened dark, disappointed.

Suddenly, Sammie poked her. “You’ve got to be brave! Remember? Remember the story?”

“Oh! I…yes.” Meli’s fingers curled around the glass. She cleared her throat. “Ahem! Ah…Elbereth?” The phial pulsed once then dimmed again. Del ran over to the beer barrels and blew the candles out. The dark was nearly total and the group shuddered, drawing closer together. Del sprinted back at top speed and threw her arms around Daisy and Sammie again. The three of them giggled in fear and excitement.

“Say it like you mean it, Meli!” Molly cheered.

“Elbereth!” Meli shouted at it. The crystal pulsed again. Molly wrapped her hand around Meli’s.

“On three…ready? One, two…ELBERETH!” The phial gleamed brightly enough to light every face. “WOOOOO!!!” The terror twins cheered themselves and Molly hopped up and down in the rainbow she created.

“Don’t drop it!” Daisy hissed. “It’s our turn!” Meli held up the phial with exaggerated caution. Sammie reached out and took it.

“I really thought it would be warm, almost hot, the way Uncle Frodo wrote it up but it’s…cool.”

The dark was very close. “Uh…Sammie?” Del prompted.

“Sorry! Um…Galadriel!” Again, the glass grew brighter for just an instant. Daisy pursed her lips and wrapped her hand around Sammie’s. Del wrapped her fingers around Daisy’s. “We have to leave some room for the light to get OUT.” Sammie admonished them. They loosened their grip. “All right. Ah…think of something brave that you did and shout’ Galadriel!’ when I count to three…”

“Right.” Del’s lips were a grim line.

“Right.” Daisy echoed, her eyes fierce. Elanor smiled at them. They were so cute and determined.

“One…two…GALADRIEL!” The light blazed and Elanor yelped. Fro laughed with appreciation and applauded. The three courageous ones broke into delighted self-congratulations.

Meli and Molly looked out of sorts. “We could do that! We want another turn!” Molly shouted.

“It’s OUR turn! You’ll get another one later.” Elanor took the glass back. “Ready, Fro?” Fro rubbed his hands together gleefully and nodded. They grasped the phial and held it above their heads. “Want to shout Elbereth or Galadriel? Elbereth? All right…on three…one…two…”

“Elbereth!” All seven shrieked and the dark fled as a glorious illumination pierced every corner of the cellar. Elly and Frodo laughed with sheer joy as the children cheered and clapped and danced in the sparkling brilliance. Their armor was glorious and both deeply wished their friends could see them now. They slowly brought their hands down. Fro let go and swung his arms for a moment, trying unsuccessfully to disguise how proud he was of himself. Elanor flipped her hair over her shoulder and beamed.

“How did you DO that?” Daisy gasped. Elly flicked her fingers at invisible dust on her mithril mail and looked down her nose at the children with unbearable faux-smugness. Fro laughed at her and Sammie made gagging noises.

“We’re older.” she explained. "We’ve fought more battles than you have.” Her grin faded a bit. Yes, battles no one would ever believe. She banished her heavy memories with a shake of her head and smiled again.

“Could the mayor and Mister Frodo make it glow that brightly now? I mean, there’s no evil here so how bright could they make it?” Del asked. “Could they outdo you?”

“Dad could, I think. I don’t know about Uncle Frodo. He’s…not as strong as he used to be.” Fro decided. Elanor nodded in agreement and studied the shimmer in her hand.

“I wonder.” she said. “I wonder if it would light up at all.” Sammie looked at the floor and Elanor bit her tongue for thoughtlessness. She reached out and stroked the dark hair off his forehead.

Meli and Molly were already reaching for the phial again. She decided to tease them to lighten the mood and held it over her head. “Another try? You’re sure?”

“Ellllaanoorrrrr!!” they groaned.

“I think I’d like a turn,” said a soft, calm voice from the head of the cellar stairs. They looked up. Frodo Baggins was sitting on the top step as still as still and obviously had been for some time. Elanor fought down a sudden desire to crawl in a hole and die. Fro’s face went blank. “I haven’t seen that light in years. I’ve missed it.” Frodo got up, and began to walk towards them. An excited buzz began to sound among the little ones.

“Ooh, we were just talkin’ about you…” Del enthused innocently and rose onto her toes in anticipation. Frodo smiled his quiet smile at her.

Elanor went to meet him. She kept her eyes on his shirt collar. “Why was it hidden? It was in a box…”

“Well…” Frodo was surrounded and he towered over all of them. “It’s not exactly a lamp you can read by. And we found that it frightened the cats.” Everyone looked over at Tom-Kitty. Unimpressed with all of them, he began to wash his hind leg, stretching it way up into the air. They turned back and Elanor offered the Lady’s Glass. Please, she thought inanely. Please, please, please. Frodo gently took it and it lay dim and quiet in his hand. Elanor glared at it. Please, please, please. Don’t let me be right.

The water inside it swirled. The phial seemed to be…just waiting.

No one so much as breathed.

Frodo glanced up at Tom Kitty and his mouth twisted with real humor. “But if there’s one thing I can’t stand…” his voice fell as softly as mallorn leaves in the Spring, “…it’s a smug cat.” He clenched the glass.

“THE SHIRE!” Absolute radiance flooded the cellar, a brilliance that sent all seven youngsters ducking to the floor. They shouted in wonder, those that had the strength to shout at all. All shadows fled. The darkness was gone as if it had never been and would never be in that place again. Tom Kitty jumped straight up into the air, his fur so fluffed with shock he was a perfect sphere. He yowled once and was gone, flying up the stairs in a blur of ginger.

“The Shire!” Sammie cheered.

“The Shire! The Shire!” Daisy crowed and pounded the floor with her fists.

Elanor, frozen in astonishment, stared up at Frodo. He was gazing into the heart of the star that was blazing in his hand and she wondered that it didn’t burn them all. Frodo seemed clothed in white and his face was beautiful and ageless with a loving grace and strength that she could feel on her skin and in her heart. She closed her eyes but she could still see him.

Then, with no further ado, Frodo bent, put the glass in Sammie’s hand and stepped back. The light faded and he dwindled again to a simple Hobbit, plain Uncle Frodo, who lived in books and cooked terrible meals and had the occasional dark fit. Elanor suddenly realized she, her brothers and her cousins were sitting or sprawled on the floor in front of him and gaping as if he were telling the most fascinating story.

“Oh.” Sammie said, and Elanor could see the absolute hero-worship blooming in his eyes. He hugged the phial to his chest and the glow of it gave them just enough illumination to see each other by. “Oh. That’s how…that’s how that evil Shelob was blinded.” Molly wiggled her fingers in front of her face, checking. She dropped her hand in relief and Meli took it.

Frodo smiled at Sammie and shook his head. “That was Sam-Dad. That’s his glass, really. He’s the one that got the best use out of it.” He turned to Delphinium who was leaning like a rag-doll against Frodo-lad, her legs stretched out in front of her, and she flinched she was so startled by his sudden regard. “If you want to see something bright, hunt down Samwise Gamgee. You won’t believe it.”

“All right.” Del had her orders and she moved to comply at once, grabbing Sammie by the collar and yanking him to his feet. Sammie twisted free and launched himself at Frodo, throwing his arms around his waist and squeezing as hard as he could. Frodo bent and kissed him on both cheeks. Sammie stepped back, rubbing his eyes with one hand and clutching the phial as if he’d never let go with the other. He took one last look at his uncle and his pride shone. Then he allowed Del to pull him away.

Fro hesitated and Elanor could see the guilt in his eyes. Then he practically leapt at his uncle and hugged him. He jumped away again before Frodo could even bring his arms up. “I have to go...I have to see this.” Fro stuttered. He ran for the cellar steps, picking up Daisy and dragging her along as he passed her. Meli and Molly staggered more sedately behind them. “Dad!” Fro shouted and the cry was taken up by all of them.

“DAD!”

“UNCLE SAAAMWIIIIISE!!!”

“MAYORRRR!!!” They charged the upper floor of the smial and Elanor could hear the pounding as they ran from room to room and out into the garden, collecting baffled brothers and sisters on the way, in search of her father.

“Sam’s going to have quite an audience. He’ll hate that.” Frodo laughed with pure mischief. Elanor realized she was still on the floor and stood before Frodo could offer her a hand up. She avoided his eyes.

“C’mon, Elly-Elle.” Frodo offered Elanor his arm and she took it. They didn’t move. The only illumination now was the lamplight creeping around the cellar door. It was dark and Elanor was grateful.

“Mmms…sss…ssso sorry…” she managed.

Frodo drew her in and kissed her on the temple. “Please. Sorry for what?” He patted her wrist with a four-fingered hand and they started for the stairs, still arm in arm. “Wait until you see this. You’ll never get over the sight of Sam with Galadriel’s Glass. I know I never did.”

~

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