Sam looked into his dear treasure's bright eyes, now misted over with tears, but loving ones, and felt the same form in his own. He could have happily drowned in those vast pools as he had many times since childhood. There was no longer any pain there nor madness, neither hunger nor thirst, just love and light as there had been for so very long until the Shadow came. There was the tender touch of Frodo's hand that the gardener wrapped his own fingers gently around, ever mindful of the missing finger which was still sore. Frodo sighed softly for the pain was eased more by Sam's touch than any salve. There was the sound of that beloved voice, no longer rasping from too dry a throat, no longer whispering because it had not the strength to do otherwise. It was as strong as it ever was and it spoke Elvish which always sounded so wonderful to hear from such dear lips. Sam could have sworn they were back in the Shire and none of the terrible things that had happened were real, for all the joy and light that flowed out from his master. But it had all happened, Sam knew. Their great Enemy had tried to his utmost to destroy Frodo's light, but the younger hobbit remembered how it had shone its brightest at the Fire and he marveled at it now as he always had.

He kissed Frodo's hand. "It was you, Mr. Frodo dear, that kept me on my Road. You were my light, my reason for going on. You were so fearfully brave. Bronwe athan Harthad, Endurance Beyond Hope, as Mr. Gandalf called you. No one else could have done what you did. I am that proud of you."

Frodo smiled wider to hear Sam speak as one of his beloved Elves. The song in his dear guardian's heart that Frodo had harkened to all these many years was a bit more jubilant when those words were spoken. How many nights had he fallen asleep listening to that music? It was only after they had met that he realized he had heard it even before then. It had comforted a lost orphaned lad when nothing else could, a love song sung just for him, though he didn’t know for a long time how Sam could have known to sing it. Bilbo told him once that he had told the young lad about Frodo’s hurt and Sam had begun to sing that night a lullaby that his mother had always sung to him. It had comforted Frodo on their journey, when it drowned out the incessant harsh, hate-filled voice of the Ring. They slept many nights on hard ground, but for Frodo, it was as though he had a pillow to rest on with that song reaching directly into his heart. It was for that song that he had kept taking one more breath, one more step.

"I'm even more proud of you, my Sam."

"But what for, master dear? I only did what I aught and took care of you. You had the hard part, battling that terrible thing. I just walked alongside you."

Frodo gaped. "Oh, Sam, my most beloved hobbit of hobbits! You did far more than ‘just’ walk with me! You ‘just’ fed me, you ‘just’ made sure I drank, you ‘just’ held me, you ‘just’ kissed me, you ‘just’ sang to me. You ‘just’ loved me in spite of everything. You ‘just’ about died because of me!"

Sam watched as Frodo turned away, threw up his hands and began to ran on, half to himself, as old Mr. Bilbo used to after he had had a run in with those notorious cousins of his. Sam didn’t think his former master had any idea that he had been overheard, but the younger hobbit half-smiled to hear Mr. Frodo talk the same way. There wasn’t much he caught in his master’s ramblings, but it went on for some time as Frodo paced about the room and occasionally Sam did hear a bit. "... Just walked, my eye! I’m the one who just walked!..."

A knock at the door interrupted Frodo and he looked up. "Come in!"

Aragorn stuck his head in and then stepped in.

Frodo looked at him sternly and pointed an accusing finger at Sam. "Maybe you can talk some sense into him!"

Aragorn tried very hard to keep a straight face, but he wasn’t sure he quite succeeded. He had seen and heard Frodo and Sam ‘argue’ before. "And what pray tell has our inestimable gardener done?"

"He’s doesn’t think he’s inestimable!" Frodo cried, worked into quite a state. "He doesn't think he did anything except walk beside me. Have you ever heard of anything so absurd?"

It was getting harder for Aragorn to keep a smile off his face. "No, I must say, I haven’t."

"Then tell him please that he did much more than just walk!"

"Sam, you did much more than just walk," the king said as obediently as any servant being told by his master what to do. There was more than a hint of mischief in his eyes, though he tried to keep his voice as serious as possible.

Sam was scandalized that his master was speaking so impudently to his king, but he was even more horrified when the same words came out of his own mouth. "Mr. Frodo doesn’t think he did anything more than that either so tell him that he did more than that and much more than I ever did." He blushed furiously as the words tumbled out before he could catch them. "Begging your pardon, Mr. Strider, sir....I mean my lord king..."

Aragorn smiled widely, no longer able to keep his amusement in check. "He doesn’t think so either? Now that is the most absurd thing I have ever heard." He obediently turned to Frodo. "Frodo, you did much more than just walk."

"Humph!" was all the erstwhile Ring-bearer said. He folded his arms about his chest and set his face and Sam knew he was not about to give any quarter. His master could be ever so stubborn.

Presently Frodo turned back to his Sam and pointed his finger at him. "My memories are coming back and I’m going to write down every beautiful, loving thing you did for me, every single one! And I’ll make sure a copy is left here in Gondor and in every other place I think of, so everyone for ages to come will know what happened. In fact, I’m going to start right now!" He opened the door and left mumbling under his breath. "Just walked!" said with a snort of disgust was all Sam and Aragorn heard.

"Now I see how Sauron was defeated," the king said with a wide smile as he turned to Sam. "Never cross hobbits! Our enemy thought he was the strongest force in the world, but he hadn’t reckoned with love."

Sam blushed. "Well, I’d best be looking out for Mr. Frodo," he said and padded down the hallway.

Frodo hadn’t gotten far. In fact, Aragorn would have sworn he was deliberately walking slowly to allow time for Sam to catch up. Just before they turned the corner, the king saw the Ring-bearer’s hand grasp Sam’s. In the dim hallway, their lights flared briefly as Sam’s hand clasped his master’s and they continued on as they ever had.

"Now we are just walking, Sam," Frodo said.

"Yes, master," the younger hobbit replied.

They slept that night as they had so often toward the end, limbs all a tangle, as entwined as their hearts had been so very long and always would be.

"I didn't want to go nowhere without you," Sam said, "but I would go everywhere with you."

Frodo listened to that beloved heartbeat. "And you did, dearest Sam, friend of friends, you did. My light in dark places."

When Merry and Pippin came to check on them, they smiled at those two softly glowing beings. Gandalf smiled and murmured a blessing over them as did Legolas. Gimli smiled brightly. Aragorn did as well and bowed his head. The two hobbits leaned down and softly brushed their fellows with a kiss and then they all left the Ring-bearer alone, for they knew he could not be in better hands. And Sam could not be either.