Chapter 34. Farewell to Gondor

The Gamgees stayed through another New Year's Celebration, even grander than the last, and then the King said, 'I hate to see you go, but little Tolman is six months old now, old enough for the journey, I think.'

'Good,' Sam said. 'That means I can be back in time to open the pony races at the Great Smials.'

Elessar looked grave. 'The last message said that Pippin was holding his own,' he said. He shook his head. 'I wish there was some kind of cure I could be sending along with you.'

'I wish I could get Pippin down here,' Sam said. 'Just the green of everything in this land is so refreshing...' He stopped suddenly, struck by a thought.

The King's eyes narrowed. 'What is it, Sam?'

'Fresh and green,' Sam mused aloud. He looked up suddenly. 'Strider, can you give me some bottles with tight stoppers, well padded for the journey?'

'That would be easy enough,' Elessar said. 'What would you want them for?'

'It's an idea I have. If it works out, I'll tell you about it sometime,' Sam said. He waited while the well-wrapped bottles were procured and added to the luggage on the pack horse.

'We cannot give you enough thanks for your hospitality,' Sam said.

'You are welcome to come back anytime you can tear yourself away from the Shire,' Elessar smiled. He knelt to give each of the hobbits a hug, then bowed once more to Sam.

'Ring-bearer,' he said.

Sam bowed back. 'Strider,' he answered with a grin. He turned to the tall Captain. 'We're ready,' he said.

'Very well, Sir,' the guardsman said.

'Take good care of them,' the King said. 'Give them a swift journey home.'

'We'll do that, Majesty,' the Captain saluted.

Queen Arwen hugged the hobbits. 'We'll see you soon,' she said. 'I've persuaded the King that we need to visit the Lake again this summer.'

'O that's wonderful!' Rose exclaimed. Ellie nodded, her eyes shining, and Sam added his own affirmative.

In the interests of swift travel, the hobbits again rode with guardsmen, for the shorter-legged ponies could go quite quickly when not bearing loads.

As they set upon the journey again after a few days in Edoras, to deliver Merry's bottle to Eomer and partake of the hospitality of Rohan, Sam turned to the Captain of the escort.

'May we make a slight detour?' he said.

'Of course, Sir, I am at your service,' the Captain answered, curious.

'I would like to see Isengard,' Sam said. 'It would be a pity to pass so close and not have Rose and Ellie see it.'

'Certainly, Sir,' the Captain said, and gave the signal to depart.

When they came to Isengard, Rose and Ellie stared in wonder. The Ents had been very busy bringing beauty and verdure back into the valley, and two huge trees stood on either side of the rebuilt gate. A stumpy, broken-off tree stood there, as well, and Sam said to the Captain, 'I would like to get down here.'

'Yes, Sir.' The Captain dismounted and lifted the hobbit down from the horse. Sam asked the Captain to unpack the precious bottles from the pack horse, and taking them, he marched up to the broken-off tree and said, 'Do you know where Treebeard is to be found?'

The "tree" looked down at him with a booming Hooom Hummmm Hrooom. 'You are a halfling,' it said in its deep voice.

'Yes,' Sam said, 'and a hasty one at that. I need to talk to Treebeard right away.'

The Ent, for that is what it was, picked him up. Startled, the Captain stepped forward, but the Ent put up a warning hand. 'Hoooom,' it said. 'I will take this little one to see Fangorn as he desires. It is the least I can do for one of the Ring-bearers.'

Sam wondered with a start how the creature had recognized him; he imagined all hobbits would look about the same to an Ent, though he, with his gardener's eye was easily able to distinguish between Ents. Perhaps the Ents, with their attention to detail, had noticed more than they appeared to see, in their unhastiness.

It didn't take long at the rate an Ent can stride for him to be greeting Treebeard, Fangorn himself. Treebeard also recognized Sam at once, favoring him with the slight bow that was all an Ent could manage.

'Ring-bearer,' he said. 'Hoooom. What can we do for you?'

'Listen hard, I'm afraid I've got to be hasty,' Sam said. He went into the details of Pippin's illness, finishing up by saying, 'I know that Merry and Pippin told me they were healed of their orc-hurts after drinking Ent draughts. Do you think you might have something I could take back to him?'

Treebeard hummed and hroooomed for what seemed an eternity to Sam, but was really quite a short time for an Ent. He extended a hand. 'I see you have brought containers with you,' he said.

'Yes,' Sam nodded, holding out the bottles.

'Wait here,' Treebeard boomed. 'I am being quite hasty, quite hasty indeed,' he said. 'I can hardly believe it. But I remember young Pippin, I remember him well. Hooom.' He strode away, and Sam waited in silence while his Ent escort stood like a stump. Gardening grows patience, and Sam spent the time looking about the forest, closely examining the Ent he had at hand, and speculating on various horticultural questions. Finally he heard Treebeard approaching, bearing the bottles now filled and tightly stoppered.

'Hooom. I do not know if this will do any good, but it might,' he boomed. 'You gave me three bottles, I have filled all three. It would make a single meal for an Ent, but your people are smaller of course, so it might do. It might do at that.' He hummed a moment, then fixed one of his astounding eyes on Samwise. 'Do give my regards to those two young hobbits,' he said.

'I will,' Samwise answered. 'Thank you.'

'Hoom, hummm.' Treebeard answered, then said something humming and hrooming to the Ent that bore Sam. It rumbled a reply and turned to take him quickly back to the waiting guardsmen.

Rose was almost frantic at seeing his safe return, but held tightly to herself to avoid alarming Elanor. She was so grateful to see the Captain pack up the bottles and lift Sam to his saddle. Now they would be on their way home to the Shire, no more stop-offs or delays, she hoped.

Elanor had simply been wide-eyed with wonder at seeing the Ents she'd only read about before in the Red Book. She wished she could travel the whole of Middle-earth, see all the sights there were to see. It was almost too bad to be returning to the Shire.

Sam was quiet for a long time, thinking about the bottles that looked as if they held only water. It was a slim hope, he knew. But slim hopes are better than none.

One night while they were camping, a great storm blew up. The Captain sent two guardsmen with the hobbits to the lea of a small hill while the rest packed up the baggage they'd unpacked to set up camp. While leading the packhorse to safety, there was a great crack above and a tree limb came down, killing the horse and scattering the contents of the pack it carried.

After the storm blew over, all the members of the party gathered what they could salvage of the sopping baggage. Of a wonder, the slips of elanor flowers from Lothlorien that the Queen had gifted her maid of hounour had survived the disaster. The guardsmen built a fire to try to dry the blankets and clothing. The food was almost a total loss, and the Captain looked grim, but said, 'We can hunt for our food for this night and the morrow, there's game in the wild, and spring greens to gather. We can re-supply at the next outpost for the rest of our journey.'

Sam looked down at little Tolman in his pack. 'Good thing his food is all provided for,' he said softly to Rose.

She smiled weakly. 'I'm afraid this is just a bit more adventure than I was looking for,' she said.

'We'll be home soon, Rosie, not more than a week now,' he said encouragingly. He turned at a sudden cry from Elanor. Face stricken, she was holding up the bag that had held the padded bottles. The bag was sodden, with rain, Sam hoped, but taking it from her he could feel the shifting of broken glass inside. Carefully opening the bag, he pulled out the contents. One of the bottles had been smashed to slivers, another badly cracked, the contents gone... the third remained miraculously intact in its wrappings. He sighed, hugging the bottle to him. 'We're still in business, Mr Pippin,' he murmured. 'Somebody's watching out for you, it seems.'