Chapter Sixteen: Birthdays

Frodo woke one morning while it was still dark to find Sam already up. He padded into the kitchen to find his brother putting a blueberry pie into the oven. The younger hobbit looked up and smiled when his treasure entered.

"Alassea nosta, meldanya!" he said happily.

Frodo looked surprised. "It’s my birthday?"

Sam’s smile widened. "A very special one too. It’s not every day you turn 120. I’ve marked every one of your birthdays since you were 21. Do you expect me to stop now?"

Frodo laughed and hugged his brother. "I suppose not. Hantanyel, ammelda. But if I’m 120 this year, then next year will be 100 years since we met, and I will not forget that one." He frowned slightly. "I’m so sorry I don’t have anything for you this year though."

Sam stroked his cheek as he looked at him tenderly. "Don’t you dare say you don’t have anything. You give me everything, every day. You are the last thing I see at night and the first thing in the morning. You overwhelm with love and joy and laughter and light. Melinyel, otoronyo, ilya aura lil ar lil."

Frodo hugged his beloved guardian tighter. "Ve melinyel. You have always given me the same thing."

After a while, he looked away from Sam and hungrily toward the oven "It smells delicious. I can’t wait to try it."

Sam kissed his head and let him go. "It’ll be ready by the time we get back."

The morning song came through the open window and their day truly began. Sam listened to his brother’s voice softly joining in, his glow increasing as he gave his praise, then they dressed and walked down to the dark room. The day ended there too, each spending extra time in thanksgiving for the gift of the other. The time in between was spent in celebration of that gift. Frodo already began to plan what he would give his Sam next year.

* * *

When Sam’s 109^th birthday came along, he insisted on making all the meals. Frodo still took care of his Sam as much as that hobbit was able to tolerate and many a time past that tolerance, but the younger stubbornly refused to be taken care of on his birthday.

"I already told you before, melmenya, that I’ve been taking care of you since I was nine and I was still going to be doing when I was 109. So this is my day to spoil you, not the other way around."

Frodo knew that stance and tone well when his beloved guardian was his most stubborn - the feet firmly planted slightly apart on the ground, the crossed arms, the firm tone. He also knew it sometimes would bring out his own stubbornness.

"But this is a very special day for me, too, ammelda," he said. "You should know perfectly well that I won’t let it go by unmarked. Where would I be without you?"

Sam sighed and Frodo held his breath, hoping his brother would give in as he had before. But he shook his head. "You are not going to do a thing today, meldanya."

Frodo pouted and he looked so much like Pippin did at times when he didn’t get his way that Sam had to hold back from laughing. "Well, I’ll just have to do something when you’re not looking and then it’ll be done and you won’t have anything to say about it."

Sam just shook his head and tried to hide his smile.

Frodo disappeared later that afternoon and was gone for some time. Sam didn’t know what his treasure was up to until that dear one drew him out after the evening song and they walked to the top of a large hill, near Bilbo’s grave, but not quite there. Gandalf met them there with a smile and the three elflings and the fireworks began shortly after that.

"Alassea nosta, ammelda," Frodo said quietly as he hugged his brother. "And I’m telling you right now, I’m doing all the cooking on my birthday."

Sam hugged him back. "We’ll see."

* * *

Sam watched his brother amusedly as the elder hobbit’s next birthday approached. Frodo was very close about what he was planning and sometimes would start guiltily when Sam would come up unawares as the elder hobbit was hiding something, then he would smile mischievously and spring away with a giggle. "Wait and see, my Sam, wait and see!"

Sam figured there had to be mathoms spread throughout the smial, but he did not go looking for them. Frodo was having too much fun hiding them all, that there was no way he was going to spoil that. For the most part, he knew they were being stored in Mr. Bilbo’s old room on the door of which, Frodo had hand painted a sign that said in Westron, Quenya and Sindarin (for safe measure), No Admittance Particularly on Party Business. He put one up on his own bedroom that said No Peeking.

As the day approached, Frodo spent much time talking long walks with Gandalf, Galian or his elfling friends. They were all involved in the ‘conspiracy’ somehow Sam knew as whoever he was walking with that day would distract him long enough that Frodo could hide away whatever he had gathered on his walks. Even with the walks Frodo took with Sam, the younger hobbit knew something was up for his brother would stop sometimes unexpectedly, look at something for a long time as though memorizing its location for returning in the future when Sam was not around. Frodo did nothing but smile whenever he saw that he had been observed and then return to walking, swinging Sam’s hand and singing animatedly. He consulted more and more with Gandalf to make sure the day was not missed by mistake and to make any last minute adjustments and additions to the great anniversary. The wizard was quite amused by all the undertakings and was, to Sam, even more obtuse and merry than ever. The younger hobbit also began to suspect from the warm smiles he received from Lady Galadriel that she was involved too.

When the big day finally did arrive, Frodo woke early, dressed in his very finest, then roused Sam. "Eccoitea, ammelda."

The song seemed especially beautiful that morning. As Sam listened to his brother singing softly along and remembered the first time he had heard the lovely voice raised in song, the time he had sung that lullaby when as a child Sam had sickened after they had been out in that rain storm so many years ago.

They spent a long time in the dark room after the others had left. Frodo’s head rested on his brother’s shoulder as they both looked up at the light. "How many others can still be together after 100 years?" the elder wondered out loud. The prayers of thanksgiving they sent to Iluvatar that day were especially fervent.

Galian was detailed to distract Sam after second breakfast to give Frodo enough time to set up the gift he had been planning for months. Auna and her elder siblings were there to help too and it was with special joy and pride that the elder hobbit looked over their creation at the end and then just waited for Galian to bring Sam back.

When he did, they did not come in, but Frodo met them outside. "Avalatyea hendilya, my Sam," he said.

Sam obediently closed his eyes and Frodo took him by the hand and led him inside. He carefully directed his brother around. "Lata hendilya," he murmured into Sam’s ear, then stepped back.

The gardener opened his eyes and found that he stood in a middle of a circle of one hundred vases, each filled with a different flower. He looked around in wonder and then up at his beaming brother who stood outside the circle. "Do you like it, ammelda?"

Sam’s face brightened with joy and his eyes with tears. He drew Frodo into the circle, kissed the palms of his hands and placed his hands against his cheeks. Frodo smiled at the expression of love his parents had first taught him. "You will always remember I love you when you hold my kiss against your cheeks," they had told him. Sam embraced his brother. "I love it, melmenya. Hantanyel."

Frodo held him tightly. "Nilme na ve lote ya losta tennoio," he said softly. "Thank you for being my friend."

They held each other for a long time, rocking slowly. The elves and Gandalf all watched happily. The Maia sent his own prayers of thanksgiving to Iluvatar for the blessings He had bestowed not just on Frodo and Sam, but on the wizard himself for being allowed the joy of knowing such two. The tears the hobbit’s wiped from each other’s cheeks when they finally parted were happy ones. Sam looked back down at all the flowers, his arm now encircling his brother’s waist and Frodo’s wrapped around his.

"Auna, Halian and Eruanna helped me find the flowers and Gandalf and Galian helped me bring back the vases, some of which the Lady herself gave," the proud elder hobbit said. "It was quite a doing to keep it all secret from you!"

That night at dinner (which Frodo had made as he had all the meals that day) and surrounded by all those who had helped, he raised his glass filled with red wine that Galadriel had provided. He looked at his beloved brother and guardian and tears were once more bright in his eyes as love and light poured from there. "To the next hundred years!"

Sam smiled into his treasure's eyes and raised his glass. Auna and her brother and sister were thrilled to receive their own small cups of the wine and they all cheered the toast loudly as long with Gandalf and Galian’s more sedate smiles and raising of their glasses.

The night was a blessed one as a meteor shower lit up the heavens for all to see. The elflings ooh’d and aah’d at the show. "Elbereth herself celebrates with you, calmar," Galian said and Frodo grinned up at him.

Frodo and Sam fell asleep that night, wrapped in each other’s arms, with smiles on their faces that the dawn came to see still on them.

A/N: Melinyel, otoronyo, ilya aura lil ar lil is I love you, my brother, every day more and more. Ve melinyel is As I love you. Eccoitea is Wake up. Nilme na ve lote ya losta tennoio is Friendship is like a flower that blooms forever. The kissing of palms was inspired by a children’s book called The Kissing Hand. I thought it was a very hobbity thing to do! :)