Chapter Thirteen

Linwe found herself traveling once again, this time in the company of her two impudent cousins. Linwe liked traveling with Merry and Pippin, they told her funny stories, sang songs, and they told her of some of the wonders they had seen on their travels. They had pleasant traveling weather and arrived at Cotton farm late in the afternoon they day after they had set out from Brandy Hall. When they arrived at the modest but cozy Hobbit home, Sam happened to be sitting outside enjoying a pipe. "Merry! Pippin! We didn’t expect to see you back her for at least another week, what brings you back so soon?" asked Sam by way of greeting.

"We found a lovely gift for you sitting and doing very little at Brandy Hall." Said Pippin as the trio dismounted their ponies.

Merry stepped forward and with a deep bow said "Samwise Gamgee may I present to you, Linwe Taralom Gamwhiche daughter of Lila and Marmadas Gamwhiche of the Bree Gamwhiches."

Sam’s face lit up with a big smile. "Why that makes us cousins!"

"She is also of the Brandybuck and Took families, so she is my cousin, and Pippin’s and Frodo’s as well." Added Merry.

"Frodo’s cousin? Frodo and I share a cousin? Well this is a grand surprise. I hardly know what to say."

"You might welcome the poor lass." Said Pippin, "She has ridden a long way to be here."

"Of course, where are my manners, " Sam blushed and took both of Linwe’s hands in his own. "Welcome to Hobbiton, Linwe. I am glad you have come."

"Thank you Sam, I am happy to be here." Said Linwe sincerely.

"Mr. Frodo and I share a cousin, who would have thought of it." Sam could only stand there, holding Linwe’s hands and staring at her in wonder. Once more forgetting what he meant to do.

"Sam, you might want to take our cousin, into the house and show her a bit of hospitality, or have you forgotten how?" teased Merry.

"What? Oh yes, of course, come right in, everyone will be glad to meet you. It is a bit crowded here at the moment but knowing Mr. and Mrs. Cotton they will want you to stay as well."

Linwe was warmly received by Mrs. Cotton and Rosie with many assurances that she was more than welcome to say. "Come with me," said Rosie putting an arm around Linwe’s shoulder’s. "You can stay in my room with me, it will be like having a sister."

"I don’t know if I should." Linwe said bashfully.

"I am afraid that you have no real choice in the matter. You are family, Gamwhiches, Gamgees, and Cotton’s are all of the Longfather line, so you must stay with us. Besides there is no where else to go."

Rosie led Linwe down the hall and opened the door on a small bedroom. "It isn’t much, I am sure you had a larger room and all to yourself at Brandy Hall."

Linwe looked about her, a small smile touching her lips. "It is so much like my room at home, at our house in Bree. I had ruffled curtains on the my window, just as you do."

Linwe’s eyes became very round and filled with tears, her lower lip started to tremble all of which Rosie noticed. "You poor thing," said Rosie as she took Linwe into a tight hug "you must miss your home and your parents so much."

Linwe could only nod her head. "From now on, Linwe, you must think of me as not just another cousin, you have plenty of those with that lot you came in with, from now on you must think of me as your sister. I think you are in need of one, and I know I always wished to have one, so will you do that?"

Linwe smiled through her tears. "I think I would like that very much. I never even had any brothers."

"I think you will find Merry, Pippin, and Sam to be as protective as any brother could ever want to be. " Rosie said with a wry smile.

~~~~~

Frodo walked through the early evening light admiring the colorful rays of the setting sun danced across the sky. He inhaled deeply of the fresh autumn air that was redolent with the smells of wood smoke and dry leaves. At that moment his heart was filled with gratitude to be in the Shire. For a brief moment he could almost believe that the events of the last year were nothing but a nightmare. However the moment was all too brief, as Frodo walked towards the front door of the Cotton family home, thoughts of all that needed to be done to set the Shire to rights, demanded his attention once more.

It had been a long day for Frodo. He had spent it in what was left of the Ivy Inn, meeting with one person or group after another, from all parts of the Shire, getting reports on damage done and the needs of so many. Word had spread quickly of his being appointed Deputy Mayor of the Shire and folk from all over seemed determined to have him make even the smallest of decisions that many could just as easily make on their own and with little effort.

Frodo let out a weary sigh and opened the door of the old, Hobbit, farm house and let himself inside. Much to Frodo’s surprise and pleasure he was greeted by the cheery voices of Merry and Pippin. Immediately Frodo could feel the lifting of his spirits. "Merry! Pippin! What are you doing here? I thought you would be in Buckland or the North Farthing."

"There was a small change in plan," said Merry. "Mother had something she wanted me to bring here. She felt it would be more use here than back in Buckland."

"I am grateful to anyone offering any sort of assistance rather than asking for it." Said Frodo. "What is it that you have brought?"

"We will get to that in a bit. Mother sends you her love and I think father wishes to have a talk with you about all of this wandering off after Gandalf, and going places Hobbits have no business going to. He kept muttering something about how Bagginses used to be so well thought of."

"I think that is one lecture I shouldn’t mind listening to." Said Frodo with a smile, "I will have to make an effort to go visit sometime soon."

"Not until after you’ve gone to Great Smials." Said Pippin "My mother wants to see for herself that you have made it back in one piece, and my father wants to lecture you about leading Hobbits who are barely in their tweens off on foolish adventures."

"You didn’t happen to tell them that it was your own idea to go along, now did you?" asked Frodo wryly.

"If I had done that, I would still be at Great Smials myself, getting my own lecture, and you would still be trying to get the ruffians out of Bywater."

The main room of the Cotton home was filled with the comforting commotion of a loving though crowded house. Mrs. Cotton was bustling about the kitchen taking care of the final preparations for dinner, Farmer Cotton and his sons came in and joined the conversation with Frodo, Merry, Sam and Pippin. The entire scene was playing out in a warm glow of candle and fire light. All afternoon Frodo had been somewhat distracted by a pleasant tingling sensation running through him. When he stepped in the door of the Cotton home, he was dimly aware of a ringing in his ears. He had ignored it at first but as he stood silently to one side of the room, listening to the conversation, he became aware that the tingling sensation and the melodic chiming was getting stronger. After a while Frodo was so distracted by the ringing and the tingling, he was not hearing what everyone else was talking about. He took no notice when Farmer Cotton was informed that another person had come to stay at his already crowded house. Frodo was lost in his own thoughts when a movement at the entrance to the hallway, that lead to the bedrooms, caught his attention. Frodo looked that way and saw Rosie come into the room, then to his surprise another Hobbitess came in after Rosie, this one very slender by Hobbit standards, and barely taller than a Hobbit child. Just then she turned and her gaze met his.

~~~~~

After Linwe had her things put away in Rosie’s room, she and Rosie decided to go back to the main living room. Linwe was feeling happy about where she was, in fact she felt sort of tingly all over and there was the loveliest sound of tiny bells chiming in her ears. Linwe followed Rosie as she stepped from the dim light of the hallway in the much larger room where Mrs. Cotton was getting the evening meal. Linwe looked around the rest of the room and found the long table in the center to be surrounded by a much larger group than what had been there when she had left with Rosie. Linwe concluded the new arrivals to be the rest of Rosie’s family.

Merry was standing a few feet from Linwe with his back to her, no one had noticed her come in. Then Merry moved away towards the table, when Linwe looked past where her cousin had been standing just a moment before, she found herself looking straight into the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

Time seemed to come to a complete stand still. Linwe and Frodo were frozen in a single moment. The ringing that each had heard went from a gentle chiming to a jubilant chorus of bells. The tingling erupted in a thousand bursts of light, filling them with joy and wonder. For Frodo and Linwe there was no movement, there was no sound, it was as though they were the only two in the room, if not the world. All they were aware of was each other.

One by one everyone gathered in the room fell silent as they became aware that something was passing between Frodo and Linwe. The air around the pair and between them seemed to be alive and crackling with the power of an unseen force. Each was held in utter bemusement of what they were witnessing.

It was Merry who was first able to overcome the power of the moment. He shook himself and smiled a knowing smile. He went over to where Linwe stood motionless, and taking her gently by the arm led her over to where Frodo stood. "Frodo, I would like you to meet Linwe Taralom Gamwhiche" he said with a bit of show.

"Hello Linwe" said Frodo in a hushed voice.

"Hello Frodo" said Linwe in an equally hushed voice, with her gaze still firmly locked into Frodo’s.