Chapter 12. Musing

Frodo held Merry until he felt the younger hobbit's shudders ease and Merry's head rested, quiet, against his shoulder.

'All right?' he asked gently.

The head nodded, and slowly Merry sat up. 'I'm sorry, Frodo...' Merry began, but Frodo hushed him.

'You've had a long road, yourself, it seems.'

Frodo stretched, looking down at Sam. 'This certainly doesn't look like Mount Doom,' he mused, and then caught sight of the mutilated hand. Touching the healing scar where the finger had been, he said slowly, 'Nearly healed... how long has it been?'

He looked at Merry, who was still beyond speech. 'Where is this place? How did you get here? Are we dead, then?' His own eyes filled with tears. 'O Merry, did you die as well?'

Merry shook his head, drawing him into another hug, then putting him away. 'No, Frodo,' he began, but his cousin was looking beyond him, a great smile brightening his face.

'Gandalf!' Frodo cried in delight. 'I don't mind so much, now, seeing you here!'

The wizard's laugh was sweet music to the hobbits' ears. 'It is good to see you, Frodo.'

'He thinks he's dead,' Merry said aside.

Frodo regarded him in astonishment. 'You mean I'm not? Then I must be dreaming, for how else could Gandalf be here?'

He jumped at a sharp pinch from Merry. 'Ouch! Whyever did you do that?'

Merry smiled mischievously. 'Just trying to prove to you that you are not dead or in a dream, cousin.' His smile became a joyful grin. 'You're here, we're here, in--'

'Ithilien.' Frodo broke in. At Merry's puzzled look he added, 'I've been here before, I recognize the trees, the smell in the air, the sound of the water, though it was only dim to me the last time I was here.' He looked puzzled in his own turn. 'But how?' he said.

Gandalf had stood smiling down upon the hobbits, letting them work this out. 'There will be plenty of time for questions and answers,' he said gently. 'How are you feeling, Frodo?'

Frodo extended his hands, looking from one to the other, then seemed to be taking inventory of the rest of himself. 'It's like waking up on my birthday,' he said, 'with the day all fresh and new and full of promise.'

His eyes focused again on the missing finger and he said, 'It really happened then. I failed.'

'No!' Merry protested, taking the wounded hand in his and kissing it before releasing it again. 'No, Frodo...'

His cousin regarded him sadly, with eyes that saw something other than their surroundings. 'I claimed the Ring,' he said. 'I put It on.'

Gandalf sat down next to Frodo, gathering him under one arm the way a mother bird might cover a nestling with her wing. 'No, Frodo, you succeeded. You brought the Ring to the Fire, and it went into the Fire; it doesn't really matter how.'

Frodo shook his head. 'Poor Gollum,' he said softly. 'He never had a chance. I'd hoped...'

'You had hoped he might find healing,' the wizard said. Just as I hope you will find your healing, he did not add aloud, but Merry to his shock could see the thought in the wizard's eyes. His attention was diverted as he heard Frodo speak his name.

'Merry.' Frodo was looking at him from the shelter of the wizard's arm, and then turned to look down at Sam, who smiled in his sleep to hear his beloved master’s voice. 'Samwise.' Merry realized that Frodo was taking stock, as he looked around the grove, obviously searching, questions in his eyes replaced by growing dread.

'Pippin's here, too!' Merry said quickly, in answer to the unspoken fear. 'He's fine, Frodo, really, but very likely still asleep after all the celebrating yesterday, or he’d be here now! ...and he cannot wait to see you and Sam. We've all been waiting forever, it seems, but the healers told us that you and Sam would waken today.'

At the moment, Sam showed no signs of wakening. It seemed he was enjoying a lovely dream, to judge from the smile on his face. He drew a deep breath, and Frodo and Merry started forward eagerly, but then the gardener turned on his side, pillowing his cheek on his forearm, and Gandalf, laying a hand on each of the hovering hobbits’ shoulders, drew them gently aside. ‘He’ll waken when he’s ready, and not before, just as you did, Frodo,’ he said in a hushed tone, ‘but rest assured, he will greet this very day.’

'How long?' Frodo repeated.

The wizard looked down at him. 'Fourteen days ago, I brought you out of the Fire, upon the wings of Eagles.'

'Fourteen days...' Frodo breathed, his face lit with wonder.

A silver trumpet sounded, and Merry looked up. 'I'm afraid that call is for me,' he said. 'I must go. Would you like to come with me and find Pippin?'

Frodo shook his head, looking down at Sam again. 'No,' he said, 'I'd better wait for Sam.' He smiled at Merry. 'You go ahead, we'll be there soon.' He looked up at Gandalf. 'In the meantime, I have Gandalf just where I want him, and I'm not going to let him get away until he answers some questions.'

The wizard's joyful laughter followed Merry from the grove.