Sam hurried through the streets of the celestial elven city, looking for a familiar face somewhere among the millions of Elves perusing the streets and standing around talking to each other.

“Galadriel!” Sam cried. “Galadriel!” He couldn’t see the Elf Lady anywhere. OR any of his other Elf friends for that matter.

Suddenly a voice from behind him said, “Sam? Is there trouble?”

The hobbit turned to see his friend Meldamiriel standing behind him. “Mel, I didn’t see you come up,” Sam said. “I was looking for Galadriel.”

“She’s not in the city today. She went to visit an old friend on the other side of the island. Why do you need her? Maybe I can help,” the girl said.

“Well, it’s Frodo. He’s been acting rather odd the last few days, if you follow me,” Sam told her.

“Odd? What do you mean?” Mel asked, turning her dark brown eyes to the road that led to Frodo and Sam’s house.

“He’s been talking about wanting to see Bilbo again, and saying that I can’t follow him anymore,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “And he’s not eating much anymore. I’m really worried, Mel.”

Mel stood there for a moment, staring into space, then she knelt down and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You go stay with him, Sam. I’ll go fetch Gandalf and Galadriel.”

“What’s happening Mel?” Sam looked scared. He knew what she was going to say, but he didn’t want to admit he believed it.

“He’s dying, Sam. He’s an old hobbit after all,” Mel replied, wiping a tear off Sam’s face. “Don’t cry, you will see him again.”

“I don’t want to lose him,” Sam whispered.

“You’re not losing him. Think of it, Sam. He’s going to a better place than even here. He won’t even have nightmares anymore. And he’ll be able to see his parents again, and tell them about all that’s happened,” Mel explained, thinking, “It is I who will be losing him.”

Sam smiled. “He’ll love that,’ he said. “He’s missed them a lot.”

“You’ll be following after him soon enough,” Mel replied.

“But,” Sam said, frowning. “Are you sure there is such a place?”

Mel smiled. “What does your heart tell you? Iluvitar loves all his creations, and if they accept him, as you and Frodo have, he will not disappoint them.”

Sam smiled at this. “Thank you, Mel.”

“Now you have to go to him, Sam. I’ll be along in a moment.”

Sam hurried back down the road, and Meldamiriel stared after him for a moment. Then she headed down the road, hurrying towards the lane that led to the other side of the island. She would miss Frodo once he was gone. She herself would never see him again. And that made her sad. She had never seen anyone die before, and it scared her.

Sam entered the house to find Frodo lying on the couch, fast asleep. Sam knelt by his side, and held his hand. The hobbit stirred in his sleep and ran his other hand through his slightly greying curls. Sam knew that what Mel had told him was true. Frodo was slowly dying. It had only been within the last two years that Frodo had begun to age, and even then it had been slow. His face was very much the same as it had been on his thirty-third birthday, when he had received the Ring. Only his hair indicated that he was any older. Between the influence of the Elven country and the pull of the Ring, it had caused him to age very unnaturally, as they would say in the Shire. That was also the reason Bilbo had lived so much longer than they had expected he would.

Frodo turned over, moaned in his sleep, and Sam shook him gently, happy as always to not have to worry about hurting his shoulder. Frodo opened his eyes and smiled up at his friend. “You’re back. Where did you run off to, Sam?”

“Just out to town,” he said. He didn’t want Frodo to know he was worried about him.

Frodo smiled. “Picking up something to eat, I hope,” he said softly. “I’m starting to get a little hungry.”

“You’d better be. You haven’t eaten since yesterday,” he replied. “We’ve got plenty of mushrooms, all kinds. Do you want some?”

“That would be nice, thank you, Sam,” Frodo said, holding his right hand to his forehead.

Sam hurried to bring Frodo the bowl of mushrooms from the kitchen. He then sat down beside the coush again. Frodo began to eat slowly.

“I’ll be all right, Sam,” Frodo said, seeing that Sam was watching him anxiously.

“I know,” Sam said. “I know.”

When Frodo finished, he handed the bowl back to Sam, still half full. There was a knock on the door, and Frodo attempted to get up to answer it, but Sam gently pushed him back down, and answered the door himself.

Galadriel, Gandalf, Elrond, Meldamiriel, and Shadowfax entered the house. Frodo made an effort to push himself up. Sam saw his arms trembling in exhaustion, and hurried to help him.

Shadowfax whickered and nuzzled the top of his head that hadn’t turned silvery yet. Frodo reached up and pet his soft muzzle.

Mel sat down at his side as Sam rushed around to get pillows for everyone to sit on.

“I’ll miss you, Iorhael,” she said, and held his outstretched hand.

“I’ll miss you as well, Melda,” Frodo replied, resting his head on her shoulder. Then he turned to Gandalf, and asked, “Will any of my friends in Middle-earth know I’m gone?”

Gandalf nodded. “Just as you knew when Merry and Pippin passed.”

“And now I get to see them all again,” Frodo said, smiling softly.

Gandalf nodded, a lone tear in his eyes. He was happy for his friend, being allowed to leave this world in peace.

Frodo turned to the other Elves. They had been his close friends for years, and now he was leaving and not coming back. He would never see them again. “I don’t know what to say to you,” he said. “I will miss all of you.”

“Go in peace, Frodo Baggins,” Galadriel said. “The Elves will never forget you.”

Frodo smiled slightly, then turned to Sam. “I will see you again,” he said. He reached up and wiped a tear from Sam’s cheek. “Don’t cry, dear. You’ll be coming soon.”

Sam nodded.

Mel turned to him and said, “Frodo, why can’t you stay?”

Frodo gazed at her a moment, then said, “I would stay if I could. But my family is expecting me, and they would be very upset if I didn’t come.”

Elrond glanced at his young niece, knowing that this was hard for her to understand. He made hjmself a mental note to speak to her later.

Frodo lifted her hand and kissed it. She smiled at him, tears in her eyes, then rose to stand by Gandalf. Sam then took his place by his master’s side, and remained there throughout the night, as the unearthly Elven farewell songs began.

When the first light of dawn rose, Frodo reached out to grab Sam’s hand, and said, “I’m so tired, Sam.”

“It’s all right, Frodo. I’m here,” Sam replied.

“I love you, Sam. Thank you for everything,” Frodo said, his voice getting quieter with every word.

“I did everything I could for you, Frodo. Only you,” Sam answered.

“I’m lucky to have known you, Samwise Gamgee,” Frodo whispered.

“And I you, Frodo,” Sam replied, affectionately pushing a silver curl out of his eyes.

Frodo made one last effort to rise, and kissed his best friends forehead, then lay down, his head in Sam’s lap. He reached up to touch Sam’s face, and said, “Goodbye Sam.” Then he closed his eyes, and breathed his last.

Gandalf walked over next to Sam and put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s nothing more we can do for him, Sam. He’s finally whole.”

Sam nodded. “Yes, he is. What do we do now, Gandalf?”

“Now we celebrate Frodo’s victory!” Gandalf exclaimed.

Mel glanced up at the wizard. She didn’t feel like celebrating, and didn’t exactly understand the point of it.

* * *

Later that evening Lord Elrond found the girl sitting in the garden on one of Frodo’s favorite benches, near a cluster of golden elanor flowers.

“Are you all right, Melda?” Elrond asked, sitting beside her. “What is troubling you?”

Mel shook her head. “What is the point of living for a being who is only going to leave?” she asked.

Elrond watched as her gaze fell on the flowers again.

“They were his favorites. He said his niece was named after them,” Mel said, suddenly off subject.

Elrond carefully pulled a dead blossom off the plant and said, “The reason for Frodo’s life, however short it seemed to you, was to help restore beauty to this world, like this flower. It is here for a little while, to grace us with its presence, then it must leave to make room for others to come after it.”

“But why did it have to be him?” she asked.

“That I can’t answer. For whatever reason he was chosen for this. He wasn’t immortal, and never would have been,” Elrond said. “He wouldn’t want you to grieve.” He elder elf touched Mel’s head, and said, “Now come, we must have food prepared or be ready to lose another hobbit from starvation.”

Mel smiled. “I’ll be there in a moment,” she said glancing back at the flowers. “I’ll be all right, Uncle.”

Elrond rose and left the girl to her thoughts.

Sam was waiting for Mel in the common dining hall of the elven palace. His eyes were red, as if he’d been crying, but his face was calm and peaceful.

Mel rubbed his shoulders, and said, “Are you all right, Sam dear?”

Sam nodded. “I will be.” He looked out across the sea and said, “I’ll be joining him soon enough. But not yet.”

Mel sat down beside him and grabbed a piece of bread from the basket. She began chewing it thoughtfully.

“He won’t forget you, Mel. You were his closest friend here,” Sam told her.

“Other than you, you mean,” Mel reminded him. Then she shook her head, and said, “You were more like his brother.”

Sam smiled. “Yes. He was like my brother. I am happy for him, though.”

There was silence for a moment, then Mel said, “So am I.”

* * *

A few weeks later, Mel found Sam sitting against the trunk of a tree growing along the beach, watching the sky over Middle-earth growing darker.

She stood still a moment, then knelt down to sit by him and said, “Are you leaving us too?”

Sam was quiet a moment, then said, “I am.”

“Here? Now?”

Sam nodded. “I believe so. Don’t look so sad, please? Neither Frodo or me like that,” he told her, smiling briefly. “I won’t forget you, Mel. But Rosie and Frodo are waiting for me.”

Mel glanced out across the sea, then back to Sam, and pulled him into her arms. “I will never forget you either. Namarie, mellon nin.” And as she said this, he relaxed, and was gone.

Mel felt tears coming into her eyes, and she bent her head over Sam’s body, trying to hide it.

“He has joined Frodo at last, then,” Gandalf said, coming up behind her.

Mel glanced up at the wizard and said, “I’m afraid so. I do wish they could have lived forever, but I suppose it is better this way.” She allowed Gandalf to lift Sam’s body, and carry him away to be buried, but she did not join him. She sat staring out across the sea, and wondered about the other mortals there.

She knew that Sam and Frodo were now reunited with their loved ones, and for the first time, she felt happy for them, rather than sad for herself.

Then she rose and followed the path back to the city.

The End