October 2, 1482 (by Shire reckoning)
The Undertowers, Tower Hills, Westmarch, the Shire

To my Lord Elessar:

I do not know if you have received my previous letter, but if you have, please pay it no heed. My father did not wake this morning. Sometime during the night, his spirit finally left his body.

I am happy for my father. If Mister Frodo no longer lives (which is more likely than his still being among the living), then he and my father are now reunited, along with my mother. Although I should be mourning, I am not grieved by my father's death. He is now free from the pain, guilt, and grief that has plagued him these last few months.

My children cry for his passing, as do their children. I do not think they understand how this should be a joyful occasion. My father lived a long and productive life, which should be celebrated at this time. Because of this reason, I did not cry for my mother, and I will not cry for my father, only celebrate their lives, both separately and together.

No one but my family knows of my father's passing, and I would like to keep it that way. My father told me once that there will always be a ship awaiting him at the Havens and I intend that they not wait forever. In less than an hour, Fastred and I will take my father to the Havens, where he will take a ship to the Undying Lands. He was meant to go there, and so he shall.

Please, my Lord, I ask you to keep this information to yourself. It will not even be written about in the Red Book, which my father gave to me upon his arrival here, except that Samwise Gamgee, last of the Ring-bearers, took his leave from his daughter and traveled to the Grey Havens, where he took a ship to the Undying Lands. No one else needs to know that he was not able to make it there in life. The only point that matters is that he made it there.

I will miss my father terribly, but I know the Elves will tend to his body with all due and proper respect. I only regret that I will never be able to visit his grave, as I can with my mother's. I know it is only their bodies buried under the ground, not their essence, but it is all that I have left of them now.

I apologize for letting my thoughts wander, my Lord. It is something that seems to be happening more and more often, as of late. Once again, I bid good health to you and yours.

Sincerely,
Elanor Gamgee-Fairbairn