Two days later Frodo and Hanna rode into Hobbiton just as the sun was coming over the horizon. Hanna was now riding with Frodo resting herself within his embrace as she leaned upon his chest lost in a peaceful sleep. Frodo had tied the reins of Hanna’s pony to his own horse’s reins, leading him on with them as they came down the road through town. Not a soul was to be seen as they rode quietly by all the smials still closed up and silent from the evening past. Hanna opened her eyes as they came upon Bag End where they stopped before the gate. Frodo came down from his horse and held out his hand to Hanna helping her down to the ground. They made their way through the gate and Frodo stopped for a moment on the front path as a soft voice filled the air. Frodo put his finger to his lips and listened as a gentle song was carried to his ears upon the wind. He left Hanna’s side and slowly made his way around the eastern side of Bag End to the garden. As Frodo came around the hill a smile came to his face as tears filled his eyes. There kneeling within the soil was Samuel softly singing to himself while he planted a small white blossomed rose bush next to his father’s. Frodo stood there silently watching as Sam gently patted down the soil around the bush with his hands. A deep sigh passed Sam’s lips as he drew his arm across his forehead. The golden rays of the sun caught Sam’s face as Frodo seen tears slowly falling down Samuel’s cheeks. He dried them away and went to tending the bush once again but as he trimmed away a few stray branches something within told Sam to look behind him. He turned around slowly and there standing before him was Frodo with a bright smile upon his face. Sam quickly jumped to his feet and ran to Frodo knocking him down to the ground as he fell into his open arms.
"Frodo you’ve come back!" Sam cried out through his tears.
"That I have." Frodo replied as patted Sam on the back. "I could not stay away any longer than I had."
"I could not wait for the day you would come home." Sam said as he pulled away from Frodo drying away his tears. "I’ve often wondered over these last few days if I would see you again."
"Well, I’m home." Frodo replied. "And it will be some time before I journey so far again."
Sam then looked away as he smile slowly faded when he noticed that Hanna was no where to be seen.
"Where is she Frodo?" Sam said softly. "Did you not find her?" Sam replied as he looked into Frodo’s eyes.
"I did." Frodo smiled. "She is here." Just then Hanna came up the side of the hill, tears falling from her eyes as she seen Frodo and Sam together before her. She came to them kneeling on the ground at their side taking them both within her arms. She held them tightly leaving a gentle kiss upon both their brows.
"Thank you for bringing him safely home Sam." Hanna said softly. "Frodo has told me everything while on our way home. It was a brave thing you did taking that arrow."
Sam blushed as he pushed his hair back away from his face.
"I was keeping my promise." Samuel replied with a smile. "I could not bare the thought of him dying and leaving you alone so I pushed him out of the way."
Hanna leaned over to Sam and embraced him tightly whispering a soft thank you as Frodo stood to his feet. He looked to the garden and smiled as he gazed upon the rose bush Samuel had planted next to his fathers. Sam looked up as a tear fell down Frodo’s cheek while he stared at the dew covered roses.
"I planted it for you." Samuel replied softly as he stood to his feet. "If you did not return I wanted something in the garden to remember you by. But now that you’re home it can be it can remind us of Merry and Pippin since they are still so far away."
"That it shall." Frodo said as he put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. "But come now with me Samuel and let us go inside. It is time we sit before the fire and warm ourselves within each others company."
That day a small celebration was held in Hobbiton in honor of Sam and Frodo welcoming them home from their long journey to Gondor. When the day finally drew into the evening Frodo came away from the celebration returning home to sit in the study before the open window. He looked out into the night to the stars that shone brightly within the sky. He sighed deeply as he looked back to the desk to his father’s cloak as it hung on the back of a chair. The silver green broach caught a glint of light from the moon as it shone onto the wall. At last he had his own tale to tell. The story of him and Samuel and their ride to Gondor. A smile came to his face as he turned back to the window looking out to the star filled night. He wondered if his father too was looking upon the same stars far across the endless sea. Frodo then looked back to the desk once more. He stood to his feet and came to the chair at the desk taking his father’s cloak within his hands. He passed his hand over the leaf shaped broach as he pulled the chair away from the desk sitting down upon it. He placed the cloak within his lap and looked to the drawer in the middle of the desk. Frodo had not went through the desk since his father had gone but he felt the need to open the drawer and take out a few sheets of paper and a pen. He took the small wooden knob in his hand and pulled on it as the drawer slowly opened. A thin layer of dust rested upon all the trinkets and papers within the drawer as Frodo looked inside. He reached in and took out a pen and a small bottle of ink setting them down on the top of the desk. He then pulled out a few pieces of paper and set them on the desk gently blowing away their cover of dust. Frodo then went to shut the drawer when he noticed a small corner of yellowed paper sticking out from under the last few sheets of paper still left inside. Frodo pushed aside the white papers and beneath them found a small stack of folded papers worn yellow with old age. Frodo took them in his hand and drew them out gently unfolding them noticing that they were torn along the left edge. Tears then began slowly falling down his face as he read the words written on the paper drawn by his father’s hand. Just then Hanna came to the door of the study with Samuel at her side. They stood silent within the doorway looking at Frodo as he sat at the desk. Frodo then broke down dropping the papers down on the desk as he face fell within his hands. Hanna looked over at Sam asking without words what was bothering Frodo. Sam shrugged his shoulders and went inside the study as Hanna followed closely behind.
"Frodo?" Sam said softly as he came up behind him. "What is troubling you?"
Frodo turned around drying away his tears as a smile came to his face.
"Nothing Sam." Frodo whispered. "Nothing at all. Come see!" Frodo said waving his hand to Samuel. Sam came to his side and looked down on the desk at the papers before him.
"Those are pages torn out of the Red Book!" Sam replied as he reached out to the papers. The writing seemed vaguely familiar and a smile drew across his lips as he looked to Frodo.
"It is my father’s story about Lily." Frodo said taking the pages within his hand. "I never knew he had written anything about her." Frodo replied as he read through some more of the writing. Hanna then came to Frodo placing her hand on his back.
"I once noticed that there seemed to be a few pages missing from the Red Book somewhere after my father had begun to tell his tale of the fellowship but I did not think nothing of it then." Frodo said as he laid the pages down on the desk again. "I was about to start writing a story of my own about our tale Sam when I found them lying here in the drawer. What a surprise it was to see this story written in my father’s hand that he has told to us all time and time again."
"Surprise indeed!" Hanna said with a smile. "And it is a surprise to me to see you so eager to write about your own travels so soon after coming home."
"I just felt the need come over me." Frodo said quietly. "Besides now I actually have my own adventure to write a tale about."
"That you do Frodo, that you do." Samuel replied as he patted Frodo on the back. "A tale of your adventure that has finally come to its end."
*******
Autumn soon fell into winter and with the passing of winter came a new year. It was now early in the spring of 1486 and a whole year had almost gone by from the day Frodo set out for Gondor. Frodo was sitting within the study as Samuel sat outside below the study window trimming the rosebushes while Frodo sat writing at the desk. Seven months had gone by since Frodo first began writing his tale about himself and Samuel and all the things that came into passing while they were away. He was just now finishing the end to his story ending it with the joyful reunion when he at last rode back from Bree finding Sam within the garden. As he wrote his final words he heard a faint knock on the front door and he turned around watching as Hanna sat up from her chair in the den to answer the door. He looked back at his papers reading over his writing as he heard the door creak open. A long forgotten voice then echoed into his ears and his papers fell from his hands onto the desk. Frodo slowly stood up and made his way to the door of the study looking out into the den. There standing before the open door was Baradur, his face long and full of sadness.
"What has happened?" Frodo said softly as he came into the den.
"They are gone Frodo." Baradur replied as he held his head low. "Meriadoc and Peregrin both passed five weeks ago. They have been laid to rest in Rath Dínen among the great of Gondor. I came at once when I heard to bring you the news."
Frodo’s heart felt heavy and he yelled out Sam’s name hoping he would hear him through the open window in the study. Sam, hearing Frodo, jumped to his feet and ran around the side of the hill and right into Baradur as he came around from the garden. Sam fell to the ground and looked up to Baradur as he reached out his hand to help Samuel back to his feet. As Sam stood back to his feet he knew why Baradur had come when he seen the look upon Frodo’s face as he came to the door. Sam ran to Frodo taking him into his arms as tears came forth from the loss of their friends.
Two months later as summer came; Frodo was sitting in the study writing once more accounting all that he had been told about his father and Frodo Baggins while they stayed with Merry and Pippin in Gondor. He told of the joy in Merry and Pippin’s eyes as they seen him and Samuel and of King Elessar and his precious gifts. As he penned his final words Frodo took a blank piece of paper from the desk drawer and sat it before him as he pondered on a name for his story. A smile came to his face as a thought came to mind and he took his pen to paper once again writing out a long elegant title for his story. One that seemed fitting with words taken from Bilbo’s own titling of the Red Book so many ages ago. Just then Sam came into the room as Frodo neatly stacked his papers together placing the title page on top of them. Sam said a soft hullo as he came to Frodo’s side while looking down at the desk.
"Why you’ve finally finished it Frodo." Sam said as Frodo placed his hand over the writing on the top page.
"That I have." Frodo softly replied as a faint sigh passed his lips.
"What have you called it?" Sam asked as he looked to Frodo. Frodo then pulled his hand away allowing Sam to read the writing upon the paper.
"A Long Awaited Adventure." Sam said with a smile. "Very fitting indeed Frodo."
"I thought so too." Frodo said as he took all the papers in his hand placing them in his knapsack nearby. Frodo then stood up from his chair and took his knapsack in his hand slinging it over his shoulder.
"How about another adventure Samuel." Frodo said putting his hand on Sam’s shoulder.
"Really Frodo? Another adventure already?" Sam said with a sheepish grin.
"Aye Sam." Frodo replied smiling. "Let us ride to the Tower Hills. I want to see my sister so we may include our own tale within the Red Book and finally bring this story to an end."
