Torn in Two

by Mysterious Jedi

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I have no afflitiation with Tolkien’s family or Jackson and the makers of the movies. I make no profit, so reviews are hungrily absorbed as sustenance. (Not that I would drop hints or anything)

Summary: Sam is torn between his new family and his old master. Written for Marigold’s Challenge # 6

Samwise Gamgee knew he should be delighted. He had returned to the Shire, helped cast out the ruffians, and now had a beautiful wife and daughter. He had the company of his beloved master, and all the water and light they could possibly want.*

However, all was not as well as it seemed. He had a good life, true, but he was divided. On the one hand, he was dedicated to his Rose and Elanor. He loved them dearly, and hoped for many more children to come. He had the Shire, the land of his birth. He was within walking distance from all his relatives, and had plenty of gardening to keep his hands busy.

On the other hand, he could never forget what he saw and experienced abroad. He had painful memories, such as the darkness of Mordor, and happy ones, like the coronation of Strider. However, both happy and sad memories kept him distracted. No one in the Shire understood except Mr. Peregrin, Mr. Merry, and Mr. Frodo.

How much dedication stirred when he heard that name: Frodo Baggins, heir of Bilbo Baggins and bearer of the One Ring. How fervently Sam wished to see his master whole again! However, his heart told him Mr. Frodo’s mind and soul had grown too profound, too melancholy, and too foreign for the carefree simplicity of the Shire.

Yet even the Shire had changed. Had he not spent many hours of hard labor restoring its former beauty? He had seen thin, weary hobbits. However, the Shire was already much recovered. Perhaps the strength of hobbits was their ability to forget and move on. Perhaps that was why hobbits had been largely forgotten by men, although they had helped fight the Witch King long ago. Seclusion and obscurity were key aspects of the Shire, and how it remained untouched. Even adventurous Tooks usually returned and settled down, but Mr. Bilbo had broken the precedent, and Mr. Frodo may well follow his lead.

In a way, Sam grieved that Mr. Frodo did not receive honor among his own people like he deserved. In another sense, however, too much knowledge would ruin the naïve culture they had fought to protect. It was not that he would try to keep his kinsmen from knowledge of the outside world, but that he would keep them from having to learn of it against their will. Was that not what Mr. Frodo had fought for, as did all the hobbits of the Battle of Bywater? Hobbits were free to be lighthearted, shunning the greed and violence of Men.

Maybe Mr. Frodo will find healin’ another way, Sam thought , I wouldn’t presume to have foresight like elves and such, but I think I’ll see him again before the end, even after he leaves, if he even does.

He shook his head wearily. Whatever would the Gaffer think of such deep, foreign thoughts? Surely Frodo wouldn’t really leave the Shire, after going to all the trouble of saving it. He would just have to enjoy life, and wait to see what happened. If Frodo went off with elves, he’d do his best to follow him, but he would not desert his wife or let his children grow up fatherless. He would never forget, but neither would he be overly preoccupied. There was no need to be torn in two.

The End

A/N: I know that in the book, Sam didn’t know Frodo was leaving until the very end. For the purposes of this story, I am assuming he had his suspicions, but nothing solid, and usually just brushed them aside.

"Do not be too sad, Sam. You cannot forever be torn in two. You will have to be one and whole for many years. You have so much to enjoy, and to be, and to do." Frodo, to Sam. ("The Grey Havens," RotK)

* a reference to Sam’s desire to ask the Lady Galadriel for pure water and light, stated when he and Frodo were in Mordor. ("The Land of Shadow", Return of the King)