#sam gamgee imagine

[ofstardustanddreaming]

well loved

preference summary: what they do to remind you you're loved.

content warnings: none

fandom: the lord of the rings

characters: frodo, sam, pippin, merry, boromir, faramir, aragorn, legolas, arwen, eowyn, eomer, galadriel, elrond (if other characters are wanted for future preferences, let me know!)

gender neutral reader

Frodo: He always checks in on you, always wanting to make sure you were doing okay. He's one of those who is more in tune with emotions, and wanting to check in on emotional wellbeing. He wants you to know you'll always have someone to lean on, and he shows you love through his active listening of your problems.

Sam: He's the type to do small tasks around the house for you, wanting to make sure you don't have to worry about anything. He sets up a routine that's nice and homey. He wouldn't have you lifting a finger if he could, wanting to make sure you can be relaxed. You would have to step in at some points, saying you'd want to split the work.

Pippin: He makes you very well included on any inside jokes, wanting to you to know what it's like. He showed his love through humorous jokes, saying he always wanted to see your smile. His love may have been shown through jokes, but he made you feel truly seen, which was a wonderful way to be reminded you're loved by him.

Merry: He loves to give you parts of his food, wanting to make sure you were well fed. He feels wellbeing is tied to being well fed, so he wants to make sure you get a fair share. And I think that Merry himself likes to try cooking once in a while, and likes to give some cooking to you.

Boromir: He always carves out time in his schedule to spend quality time with you. He always loves to have meals together with you, wanting to make it romantic, with something as simple as bringing flowers for the vase in the middle. He shows his love through any amount of time spent with you, wanting to shower you with his compliments.

Faramir: He has subconscious movements to make sure you're okay and safe. Such as holding out a hand during hikes in an area that's heavily rooted, wanting to make sure of your safety to help you balance and find your way. He also loves to place a hand on your back in crowded areas. He always has a special look of love, reserved just for you.

Aragorn: He always likes to recite poetry or songs he comes across that reminds him of you. He always gives you the softest of looks during those moments, and these moments are usually done by the fires in your room. He usually has your back against him, as he whispers them into your ear.

Legolas: He finds a variety of plants that reminds him of you, always bringing them back for you to look at or put somewhere that you deem cool. It's gotten to the point where there's almost too many flowers in your living space, but you also don't have the heart to tell him to stop. It's really sweet to see the variety of flowers he hand picked for you.

Arwen: She loves to sneak kisses from you throughout the day. She's playful, so her showing her love is through playful ways. She loves to take you off guard of when she'll kiss you, and she always loves hearing your laugh afterwards. She loves to watch you get flustered, laughing as she rushes away.

Eowyn: She loves quality time to, wanting to spend time with you. Her favorite ways to showing you love is teaching you some of her favorite moves in training. She shows you what she has learned, and also wants to learn what you know. She wants to make sure the both of you are prepared for anything, and it's a nice way to spend time with each other.

Eomer: He loves to go horseback riding with you. It provides a time where the two of you can talk in peace, where he doesn't feel the pressure of the kingdom. He loves talking with you here, where the two of you don't feel watched. It's a sense of freedom to speak your minds, but the act of horseback riding allows you to go anywhere. He loves to explore with you that way.

Galadriel: She loves turning to you for advice. She may not always agree, but she loves to hear what you have to say. She finds that hearing a variety of perspectives helps her, and she feels that it helps her get closer to you. She always likes to hear what you have to say about some decisions in how she runs her kingdom.

Elrond: He likes to spoil you, simple as that. It doesn't even have to be buying you many things, although he loves doing that as well. It can be just as well showering you with praise, or giving you his full attention, even if it means ignoring his work for a little bit. He loves at his fullest, spoiling you with many things you love.

[alloftheimaginesblog]

Headcanons for Samwise Gamgee making his spouse meals at any chance he gets...

He knows the importance of food and never ceases to remind you about how important it is to eat. He'll always prepare you breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, snacks, supper, dinner and tea. He never judges your portion sizes or how much you eat, he loves the shape of you and if you are curvy/plus size, he adores those curves.

He's a very good chef and you are always so thankful for him and his abilities.

Obviously he uses potatoes a lot, pretty much every meal because they're so versatile.

Eggs over easy with spices and herbs and herby breakfast potato cubes and a cup of hot tea.

"Made with love for my love."

Sausages, hash browns, bacon, beans, tomato, maybe more eggs.

Sandwiches with tomato, lettuce and turkey with a side of crisps for extra crunch.

"You want more? Was it good? You liked it?"

He's not only good at cooking, baking is also a skill he has.

Pancakes with berries and cream, scones and jam and clotted cream. Pastries like croissants and chocolate or maybe ham and cheese.

Toast with cheese, beans; simple but he always serves with an award winning smile.

"Here you go, beautiful. If you want more, I'll happily get you more."

Your favourite meal he makes is a roast dinner which could consist of ham, turkey, chicken or beef, roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding, sprouts, parsnips, carrots and a hearty load of gravy on top.

Sometimes he'll make a stew; leftover meat with carrots, potatoes, onions and gravy with crusty bread to dip.

Soup of all flavours (his lentil and bacon is the best though) with buttered bread. He always makes lots during the winter.

"To keep your stomach warm."

Fish with a side salad, thick chips and mushy peas.

Pasta that you help him make for scratch with a garlicky, onion tomato sauce with meatballs or sausages or even sometimes chicken with homemade garlic bread and cheese for the top.

Dessert is always delicious too...

Rich chocolate cake with ice cream and berries.

Sticky toffee pudding - a recipe passed down through generations.

Ice cream - all and every flavour you can imagine. He'll take you on walks, find berries and wild edible flowers and make ice cream from it.

Pastry stuffed with jam, cream and chocolate.

Waffles with caramel drizzled over the top.

Fruit salad, the fruit fresh from the garden.

After dinner, he'll bring you cups of tea and water with a kiss on the forehead.

Tea with biscuits.

Hot chocolate with marshmallows and fresh whipped cream for the top.

Toast as you read your book, winding down for the evening.

Before you go to bed, he double checks that you're satisfied and happy; that you're not in need of anything else. He's impossibly kind.

[rattyoakenbitch]

lotr + the hobbit memes i found from pinterest

[modernincorrectlotrhobbit]

Merry: What time is it? Pippin: I don’t know. Pass me that saxophone and I’ll find out. Pippin: *blows sax loudly* Sam, from another room: WHO IS PLAYING THE SAX AT 2AM? Pippin: It’s 2am.

[boromirthedad]

The fellowship internet usage

Gandalf: posts controversial opinions specifically to start fights and make people angry

Frodo: "this started out as an educational video about this topic I found interesting but then I fell down a rabbit hole of research and now the video is 2 hours long"

Sam: cooking and gardening videos, cameos from other hobbits, gives advice to people in his comments

Pippin: tiktok challenges

Merry: elaborate prank videos

Aragorn: posts once or twice a year in an unknown location just talking about life and what he's been up to

Legolas: vlogger

Boromir: sparring techniques and tutorials

Gimli: how to videos

[mfelewzi]

[wordbunch]

how the fellowship reacts to you singing...

a/n: this was requested - how the fellowship members react to you singing for the first time. It will include the fellowship boys + Faramir, because I adore him and he needs more love. let me know how you liked it! 💗💗💗 (it will be longer than you think lol)

+ tagging my beloved @entishramblings

ARAGORN

at first he wasn’t sure whether his ears were deceiving him

but he stopped and listened carefully, eventually realizing it was you

then all his attention went into listening to you

he very much enjoyed it, but waited for you to finish your little performance before saying anything (didn’t want to interrupt you, nor make you feel awkward)

he wouldn’t be giving you elaborate compliments and praise, just something short and to the point, but you’d see in his face that he genuinely loved it

he likes to listen to you sing, but also sometimes loves to join you and sing together!!!

wants to learn all the songs you know

💫

LEGOLAS

with his excellent hearing, he picked up on you humming tunes quietly as you walked, many times

and he found even that very pleasant

but when he heard you fully singing for the first time he had heart eyes, basically

he thought you have the most angelic, soothing yet powerful voice

he would never ask you to sing anything for him and wouldn’t want to push you, but he would enjoy it so much when you do

he wants to know where you picked up all the songs that you know

his absolute favorite thing is when you quietly sing while braiding his hair!!!!!

💫

GIMLI

an absolute fanboy of yours, openly

as soon as he hears you singing, he wouldn’t only divert his attention only to that...

but he’d make sure to point it out to everyone else as well

I diagnose him with singing off-key, butttt he still wants to share some dwarf songs with you, and you appreciate it

would be the kind of person to be like “now [Y/N] will sing something for all of us” skhssdhgsh

you know it’s all with the best intentions even if you feel self-conscious about your singing

but this guy right here would hype you up so much that eventually you wouldn’t even care how your voice sounds to others

💫

BOROMIR

he compliments the heck out of you (for singing and everything else)

however he would try not to openly praise you for it to everyone everywhere bc he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable

keyword: he would try not to

he cannot sing so he appreciates your talent all the more

can’t help smilingggg whenever he hears you!

very grateful that you’re comfortable with sharing that part of yourself with him

if you ever actually sang in front of a crowd at some celebration or special occasion, this man would combust of pride

💫

FRODO

can’t help smiling as soon as he hears you, and he immediately recognizes that it’s your singing voice, even from further away

will sneakily approach you so as not to startle you

but he definitely wants to hear more

very curious about where you learned to sing and how you picked up all the songs

it’s a safe haven when you sing something to him, he will literally be in seventh heaven

loves to write and he would be beyond thrilled if you sang some poem that he wrote, but he wouldn’t actually ask you to

enjoys singing together with you

💫

SAM

is generally easily captivated by beautiful and magical things, your voice absolutely being one of them

will ask you countless times to sing again (but he will be quite shy about it every time)

gives you ideas on what you could sing about

he gives you cute little compliments but wishes he could express all that in a much more elaborate way

it brings him incredible joy to hear you singing from somewhere while he’s gardening

he swear it makes everything grow bigger and more luscious

God forbid anyone makes even a slightly negative comment about your singing, he is ready to throw hands

💫

MERRY

jaw drops to the floor when he hears your singing voice

this boy is captivated

smooth compliments that make you blush

why can I see him dancing/trying to dance to whatever you’re singing

potentially he’s not THE best singer out there but oh my does he love singing with you

especially spontaneously, out of nowhere

yes actually he would totally dance around when you sing, and he would dance around with you and spin you around until you’re so out of breath that you can’t sing anymore but instead just laugh heartily

💫

PIPPIN

generally worships the ground that you walk on, and that also implies all your talents and abilities

absolute heart eyes as soon as he hears you singing

(he already loves just listening to you talk, let alone anything else)

ADORES when you two sing together, but initially just a bit shy to suggest it, or to just spontaneously join you

will he come up with songs for you? absolutely

songs for you two to sing together? ABSOLUTELY

would never, in any way, push you to sing in front of everyone else, he actually enjoys it being like a lil thing between the two of you

💫

+ bonus FARAMIR

he heard your voice echoing in the Gondorian halls as you were carrying out some tasks

he was almost convinced it was a sound from heaven

but he followed the sound of it and found you! 

you were a tiny bit embarrassed but he complimented you immediately

he finds it very relaxing when you sing to him and it’s so intimate to him

he will occasionally write poems and cautiously ask you whether you can make up some melody for them and turn them into songs

not the best singer, but loves to join you sometimes

💫

+ bonus bonus character GANDALF

“[Y/N], stop with the unnecessary noise, I am trying to think”

[luckynumber-8]

♡ ~ HOBBIT TRAUMAS (AND HOW YOU TAKE CARE OF THEM) ~ ♡ (4 Hobbits X Reader Preference)

a/n: No one would escape an adventure like the Fellowship had unscathed, especially not if you were an innocent, good-hearted, fun-loving hobbit.

My take on the traumas the 4 hobbits would have after the adventure, and how you, reader, help them deal with that.

P.S. -This is my first-ever writing post in Tumblr... and also my first-ever posted fanfic-type-thing! It's just a bunch of headcanons right now - maybe I'll take one of the ideas and turn it into a drabble or something later. Feedback is the best thing ever, and I would love to get any that anybody has!

P.P.S. - Shoutout to @wordbunch, who's LOTR writings I absolutely adore, and whose post formatting I basically used as a cheat sheet, because I'm a totally clueless newbie. So thank you! I hope that wasn't out of line for me to borrow 😕

Frodo

Sometimes he can still feel the crushing weight of the ring pulling on his neck or weighing on his chest, and you catch him absentmindedly rubbing one of these spots

So you, you special person, find some excuse to give him a neck rub or a back rub

Because you absolutely cannot stand seeing him trying to hide his discomfort like this

You know openly calling him out on it will just remind him of all that happened to him, so you have become a Master of Subtlety and Distraction

Whenever you catch him staring into the distance, you know it is Time to Remove Frodo From His Own Head

So

Distractions ensue 

Namely:

Surprise hugs

Randomly launching into stories or rants that you know he won't be able to help listening to 

(Because the sound of your voice is not-so-secretly one of his favorite things and he will listen forever)

Offering to read to him (we all know this is Book Boy, so what better than having his favorite tales read aloud by you?? His favorite narrator??)

You make him cups of tea as he writes his book

When he sees you smiling in the doorway with a mug in one hand and the scent of his favorite leafy brew drifting out of it, it just makes his day because…well, you.

You just think of him too much and he can't handle it lol

Sam

Never

Ever 

Ever

Try to put this poor boy around spiders

Ever

(yes I love this HC, idk who came up with it and I can’t remember where I saw it but it’s basically canon in my bran now)

He cannot stand them, not even in the garden anymore. You can see how he stiffens and twitches every time one of those ugly eight-leggers scuttles across his path and instantly know how much restraint he's using not to kill it on the spot.

Spider in the house? It's all you, Y/N

You know he would try to face it down for you and you alone

But you can't stand seeing him go all cold and shaky at a little garden spider 

So you often remove them before he can even notice because peace in the house is a nice thing to have

He also has alarming levels of self-doubt sometimes because of how he thinks he's misjudged things in the past

But luckily for him, he has you

You are there to support him and are always advocating that he is strong and makes solidly good choices

And you know what? You are his world, so he believes your every word. 

He drinks those affirmations up like there is no tomorrow

And you are happy to continue on as his supplier till the end of days

Merry

Personal HC that when his arm is burned after stabbing the Witch-King, he gets phantom pains not dissimilar to Frodo's

It's almost like nerve damage - he'll be fine one minute and drop whatever he was holding the next, or his hand will start twitching in weird and sometimes disturbing (to him) ways

This is Mr. "Nothing-Bothers-Me-And-I'm-Fine", so naturally, it bothers him quite a bit that one of his appendages refuses to follow orders on a regular basis

It's something that he tries to hide from you - pretends it's not there, BARELY jokes about it.

If Merry Brandybuck ain't joking about it, you aren't either.

Sometimes you hear villagers mentioning it in hushed whispers, and you (badass) shut them up before a single one makes it back to Merry

Because you know that's what he'd do for you, so you absolutely do it for him.

And you know he secretly appreciates that you don't fuss over it, because he doesn't want to feel different or incapable. It helps, for him, that you treat him like just the same person he was before (because he is duh) and nothing has changed and he doesn't want or need to be coddled.

Not saying you do, but you might sometimes give this particular arm a little extra love and affection. Massaging his hand, tracing circles on his wrist, and just letting him know how dead cool you think his scar is.

Because, really…how many people have changed the fate of Middle Earth and have something to prove it?

Your Merry does, that's who. And you'll never let him forget how amazing and brave he is.

Pippin

Pippin is constantly awake in the dead of night

Because he's haunted by wild nightmares 

And you're the first and probably one of the only people he would turn to for comfort

So guess what? You're up too, holding him close to you in the dead of night while he tries to calm down

Sometimes he tells you what the night mare was, sometimes he keeps silent and just wants to lay next to you. You know he'll tell you in his own time if it's right to.

This little hobbit is such an empath, he really took to heart EVERYTHING that happened on his journey

And he thinks that way too many things were exclusively his fault 

Gandalf's death? His fault.

Merry getting hurt (because he got them separated and wasn't there)? His fault.

Boromir's death (because he didn't know how to fight)? His fault.

Again, you know better than to push, but you know the content of a lot of his nightmares revolves around his contributions being insignificant, his actions causing people's injury (or death), and how badly things could have played out because of him. It worries you, how much brainspace he gives to these things.

So you keep him close to you. I mean that both literally and figuratively. He's not shy about taking the physical comfort he needs (honestly I don't think he's aware of the concept of personal space), but he gets tripped up trying to talk about his own feelings

So you just give him his space, all the time he needs, and bottomless snuggles 

Because contrary to what he thinks, a lot of things went right because of him, and you can't tell him enough how much he means to everyone (and you. most importantly, definitely you.)

Thank you for reading, if you made it down this far! I hope to post some actual writing soon, if I can find the time to sit down and put my Writer's Cap on. I am considering opening requests! At this point I don't know who will see this r how it's going to do, so we'll see how things work out :)

[ironmandeficiency]

modern lotr character headcanons

characters included: aragorn, boromir, gimli, legolas, pippin, merry, frodo, sam, arwen, eomer, eowyn

word count: 745

summary: random thoughts abt lotr characters if they lived in modern times

a/n: this is literally just silly shit, enjoy

boromir listens to old country (conway twitty, george jones, loretta lynn, etc.) and does not tolerate anyone insulting the opry legends

he also listens to divorced dad rock (hinder, nickelback, theory of a dead man, etc.) which gimli will sometimes jam to as well

gimli lovingly maintains an old-as-dirt bench seat ford truck despite there almost constantly being something wrong with it. ignores legolas’s badgering about him getting something more reliable

obviously legolas drives a hybrid and he almost acts as if this fact makes him better than gimli (not in a dickish way, though)

horse girl aragorn.

frodo is the epitome of shy emo boy with the black skinny jeans & death cab for cutie playing in his air pods

merry is the golden retriever in the “golden retriever in love with the black cat” trope 

aragorn and arwen host game nights and various other parties for their friends, but neither of them can cook so they just order delivery (or sam hijacks their kitchen for the hours before)

pippin has a large follower base on social media bc of his drinking songs and other inebriated antics that are usually recorded by whoever happens to be with him that night. usually it’s eowyn & merry, and the three of them will shake some major ass to megan thee stallion

sam goes to open mic nights at local coffee shops to people watch. he will never perform himself, but it’s nice to watch people he knows do their thing

eomer accidentally goes viral on tiktok when eowyn records him doing some dumb shit. never lives it down

the amount of joy gimli gets from going to rage rooms is almost alarming

arwen has a very thorough skin care regimen that she introduces to aragorn, and it becomes a sweet nightly routine for the two of them

eowyn & eomer don’t allow anyone to talk shit about or annoy the other bc that’s their job fuck you very much

frodo has a shitty immune system but sam’s homemade soups seem to always heal from the soul outward

sam is the little spoon favored by the resident neurodivergent

frodo is the resident neurodivergent

yes they’re dating

arwen is always the dd

when it comes to birthdays, don’t ask boromir to remember anyone but faramir’s. hell, he forgets his own birthday sometimes

legolas is the best at remembering the birthdays of his friends but forgets his own

they have to remind each other of their own birthdays when that time of year comes around

merry is always the favorite audience member at a drag show

arwen & eowyn never dress like they’re going to the same place when they hang out

gimli says southern grandpa idioms unironically — “as useless as a screen door on a submarine”, “higher than eagle titties”, “busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest”, you get the idea. merry keeps a running tab of said quotes

boromir is the “we’re not getting a dog” dad. said dog ends up being his best friend & the sole inheritor in his will, fuck them kids

aragorn & gimli have their own moonshine still they think is perfectly hidden from everyone

that does not include merry & pippin, who are booze bloodhounds and immediately knew where to find it but swore to secrecy as long as they got more than everyone else

frodo sips fruity little drinks because he can’t shoot whiskey

sam can drink in the way only a divorced middle-age man can despite not being a divorced middle-aged man

eowyn cannot drive for shit & the several dents on her car prove it. the only reason her insurance hasn’t gone up astronomically is because she just. doesn’t report any of it

said car has a fuck ton of bumper stickers with all sorts of silly things

gimli can’t ride a bike AT ALL but has a motorcycle, make it make sense

he goes on bike rides with eomer when they have the time & the weather is nice

merry & pippin are two halves of a whole idiot at every given moment

eomer LOVES 90s and 00s country music but is kinda picky about newer country (he is a massive fan of cody johnson but will throw you through a wall if you talk about morgan wallen in his presence)

arwen dances in the rain & literally never gets sick from it. merry is insanely jealous of this fact

frodo’s favorite video game is animal crossing: new horizons & has very sound opinions on what villagers are the best (fuck you, rodney)

[just-a-little-cellist]

~ Reader x Sam lotr, reader is a tall human lass but when he describes her to the others (not the hobbits) they all think she’s a small hobbit lass. Well imagen there surprise when a 6ft lady walks up to Sam and starts smothering him *wink wonk * I live to see the reaction of the others, the hobbits are just like “yah y/n got her mothers hight, she’s the best apple picker in the shire” ~ for @that-teen2003

(ah I love this idea! it's so cute, hope you enjoy!)

Taller Than Expected (Sam x female!human!reader)

"Come on Sam! Tell us about her!"

"At least tell us her name!"

Seeing the expressions on Merry and Pippin's faces, Sam knew they wouldn't let up until he said something. Oh well, he'd never turn down an opportunity to brag about you.

"Her name's Y/n." A smile grew on his face just thinking about you. "She's a baker, but she likes helping me out in the gardens sometimes. She reads a lot, she's kind, and lovely, and the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"When do we get to meet her?" Pippin's enthusiasm was contagious, not that he needed much extra enthusiasm when it came to you, but it was heartwarming to see how much his friends really cared.

"Mr Frodo met her a few days ago-" The immediate splutter of outrage from the other two was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Without us?! You left us out!"

"Brought your beautiful partner over and didn't think to invite your two best friends!"

Sam chuckled. "It wasn't anything special, he just walked past when we were outside and I introduced her." He paused, debating whether to expose you to the chaos that was the duo in front of him. "She's uhh... she's actually coming here today if you'd want to meet her."

Their faces lit up. No turning back now.

"She should be here quite soon actually-"

"Sam!"

He was cut off when he heard his name called, and he'd recognize that angelic voice anywhere. You skipped up behind him as he turned to face you, and you quickly knelt down and hugged him.

"It's so nice to see you."

He took your hands and kissed them softly. "I've missed you."

Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin both stood with their jaws hanging open. They'd been wary when the saw a human approaching, especially one so tall, but when she called to Sam and embraced him? There was no way. No way that was her. Could it be?

You stood up and smiled at the two of them, still holding Sam's hand. "Are you going to introduce me?"

Sam laughed seeing them in such shock. "Y/n, these are my friends Merry and Pippin. Merry, Pippin, this is Y/n."

"It's wonderful to meet you," you said, shaking their hands.

"You..." Pippin glanced from you, to Sam, then back to you, struggling to think of words. "You're very tall."

"Did Sam not warn you about that?"

You looked at him and he absentmindedly scratched the back of his neck. "I might've forgot to mention it."

"He's mentioned plenty about how pretty you are though." Merry teased, causing Sam to blush when you squeezed his hand.

"I'm glad to know you've heard good things. But now you know about my height at least, so if you need me to reach anything for you then let me know."

The hobbits laughed, still looking up at you with some sense of awe, and Sam felt he could never be happier.

[swanimagines]

HELLO MY OLD HEART | SAM GAMGEE

Summary: When Sam tells you he's going to join Frodo to take the ring to Mount Doom, you have to get used to life with him far away. Based on Hello My Old Heart by The Oh Hellos.

When Sam had told you that he will go along Frodo and Gandalf to help destroy the Ring, you had gotten into a big fight over it. You were afraid of receiving a word of Sam's death or his body being delivered for burial, but Sam was insistent to go with Frodo. You had tried to talk him out of it for an hour, but he wouldn't budge. You kind of understood why he wouldn't, but it still felt unfair how he was putting his life in danger over some stupid ring.

"Well, you go then," you had finally mumbled with tears in your eyes as you had opened the door for him, and Sam hadn't come by anymore. He had left, and every morning you woke up with a squeezing feeling in your chest thinking about whether or not you would ever see him again. If he was already dead. If Sauron's men had got him. If something else horrible had happened to him. And even though you knew he's a tough bone to break and on top of it, he had the greatest wizard with him for protection; it hurt either way.

You had gone back to your daily life, keeping Frodo's garden alive too even though nobody had asked you to. It just brought you comfort to see them doing well and you could picture Sam doing well too when the flowers bloomed. Maybe they had just dropped the Ring to Mount Doom, maybe they were on their way back on that moment. You tried to stay positive. You had to stay positive.

You wanted to be angry at Sam, for risking his life like that, but you also admired his courage for a cause like that. You knew it was selfish to be angry at him for that, but your worrying felt like it would kill you. Every night, you woke up to the littlest of sounds. Hoping Sam had come home, but he never had.

Your heart wanted him to come back home - to share your home with him for the rest of your lives. And despite everything, you knew that wherever Sam was on that moment, he was hoping to be home soon too.

---

Requests are always open! FANDOM LIST | PROMPT LIST(S) | RULES (READ!!!)

[frodo-with-glasses]

The mithril coat.

Not SamFro!

[iam-sol-emnlyswear]

Everyone talks about the fact that some Baggins male family names are Largo, Mungo, and Bungo while the female ones are flowers like Lily, Daisy, and Peony, but I feel like no one talks about the fact that Rosie Cotton’s brothers names are Tolman, Wilcome, Bowman, and CARL

[frodolives]

A major thing I feel like a lot of people get wrong about The Lord of the Rings is the whole "Choices of Master Samwise" part. In all discussions I've ever read on it, the chapter is always described along the lines of "Sam, believing Frodo is dead, resolves to take the Ring from him and finish the quest by himself. However, upon learning Frodo is still alive, Sam changes his mind and goes to rescue him." But this is not actually what happens - In reality, Sam makes the choice to abandon the quest and go back to Frodo WHILE STILL BELIEVING FRODO IS DEAD. His loyalty to Frodo is so great he'd literally let Sauron get the Ring in order to protect what he thinks is Frodo's corpse. I seriously feel like a lot of people are undermining the pure insanity of this.

With a dreadful stroke Sam was wakened from his cowering mood. They had seen his master. What would they do? He had heard tales of the Orcs to make the blood run cold. It could not be borne. He sprang up. He flung the Quest and all his decisions away, and fear and doubt with them. He knew now where his place was and had been: at his master's side, though what he could do there was not clear. Back he ran down the steps, down the path towards Frodo.

'How many are there?' he thought. 'Thirty or forty from the tower at least, and a lot more than that from down below, I guess. How many can I kill before they get me? They'll see the flame of the sword, as soon as I draw it, and they'll get me sooner or later. I wonder if any song will ever mention it: how Samwise fell in the High Pass and made a wall of bodies round his master. No, no song. Of course not, for the Ring'll be found, and there'll be no more songs. I can't help it. My place is by Mr. Frodo. They must understand that – Elrond and the Council, and the great Lords and Ladies with all their wisdom. Their plans have gone wrong. I can't be their Ring- bearer. Not without Mr. Frodo.'

I don't know why this particular quote isn't more often brought into conversations about Sam's character, especially in all the debates on why Sam couldn't be Ring-bearer despite this quote basically spelling out why. Sam's most admirable virtue - his loyalty to Frodo - is also his fatal flaw, and I think that makes him a much more interesting character than the often sanitized misconception of him as "the perfect hero."

[levithestripper]

rewatched the fellowship with my dad and it got me thinking about sam and frodo’s relationship.

sam—who’s been frodo’s gardener for who knows how long—going on a life-or-death adventure with the man he’s looked up to his entire life. sam’s had a crush on the cute, brown-haired boy who sits in his garden to read, who puts homemade pies on the windowsill to cool, the boy he believes will never feel the same way about him.

frodo, who watches the sweet, shy, blondie tend to his rose bushes and daisies every other day from the window in his room. never failing to notice the way sam flushes a pretty shade of pink whenever their eyes meet. frodo, who’s uncharacteristically sad at the start of every winter season and uncle bilbo can’t figure out why. frodo is practically jumping for joy when sam returns next spring with an armfull of plants to replace last season.

one fateful summer’s day, not a cloud in the sky to be seen. sam was working away in the gardens as usual, trimming bushes and pruning flowers, occasionally picking a few for a steadily growing bouquet. soon, morning became noon, and the sun had grown hotter than before, leaving sam sweating bullets.

“sam, why don’t you take a break? come inside, it’s hot out,” frodo offered through the window, elbows leaning against the frame.

the boy jumped, startled by frodo’s sudden appearance. “oh, mr. frodo! no, i’m fine, thank you. i haven’t finished cleaning the flower bed yet.” looking up from his work, sam was starstruck. a ray of sunshine illuminated frodo’s soft features perfectly. frodo’s pretty blue eyes shimmered like the color of the sky, framed by reddish-golden highlights popping up in his chocolate brown curls.

“sam? sam? are you okay?” the poor boy must’ve been staring, as frodo was waving a hand in front of his face to regain his attention. “let’s get you inside, it’s much too hot, yeah?”

sam nodded and stood, walking around to the front door. when he made it to the kitchen, he was greeted with a premade mug of his favorite tea and a tall glass of water. frodo had a mug for himself as well.

frodo looked at him with a sheepish smile, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “i already made it before i asked. thought it’d be best to have it ready and waiting, rather than having to wait for it.”

“thank you, mr. frodo. it—it means a lot that you thought about me.” sam downed the water eagerly, finishing it quickly. “didn’t realize how hot i actually was.” he smiles at frodo sweetly.

frodo gazes at him from behind his mug. “well of course i thought about you, sam. you’re my friend, aren’t you?”

“friend?” sam’s heart nearly leaped up out of his mouth and into his tea. “friend, of course.”

the couple sat at frodo’s kitchen table drinking their tea and snacking on the various foods they found in the cupboards. laughter echoed throughout the home, cute giggles pairing beautifully with one filled with wheezes. even after the snacks had gone and their mugs have dried up, they continued to enjoy one another company, eventually migrating to the living room.

sam felt like his heart was gonna beat out of his chest. they sat on the couch together, his leg pressed against frodo’s. “this was fun, thank you, mr. frodo.”

“sam, sam, please, just call me frodo,” he giggles softly, a smile still gracing his soft features. “makes me feel silly, like i’m your master or something.” frodo’s hand slowly inched its way closer to sam’s, almost inconspicuously, if not for sam’s hypervigilance.

he nodded, smiling back at him. sam blushes when frodo’s hand bumps into his. he curls his pinky around frodo’s, causing the other hobbit to blush too.

maybe he does feel the same way after all.

[okay-j-hannah]

Part 3: The Heroine

The Lord of the Rings : Multishot

Samwise Gamgee x Reader

Word count: 6246

Warnings: ✋ some scraped hands. 🌳 falling out of a tree. 🌸 flower crowns. 🚬 smoking. 😢 jealous feelings. 💖 and small confessions.

Request: “Could I request a multishot with samwise gamgee x reader and sam has always had a crush on her, but on their journey he realizes she's even better than he imagined her to be (like when you stop crushing but actually fall in love)” @the-narnian-sea​

A/N: I’ve skipped the Rivendell reunion and the council meeting

Part 2: The Herbalist

Part 3: The Heroine {You Are Here}

Part 4: The Griever

Thunk went an arrow. Thunk went another.

(Y/N) sat atop the railing of a stone balcony, one leg bent at the knee and another hanging over the edge. It swung back and forth lazily as she peered below.

Another thunk as an arrow sunk deep into the target.

It was the long haired beauty from Mirkwood stringing his bow. He drew his arm back and the tautness of the string could be heard against his fingers.

(Y/N) smirked, knowing full well the elf prince was aware of her presence though it resided a floor above him. She held an apple in one hand and a dagger in the other. She began cutting slices to eat.

The training yard belonged to the elves of Rivendell – the sanctuary the hobbits sought. It led to a number of skirmishes involving Frodo’s healing, the whereabouts of the missing Gandalf, and the tending to (Y/N)’s wounds. As well as what was to be done with the One Ring.

It led to the formation of a Fellowship. One (Y/N) spied upon from a distance. Though she couldn’t deny her part in it; once she saw her cousins and Sam join there was no question in whether she would join too.

But as beforementioned, she joined at a distance.

“Must you always be eagle eyeing?” Sam came around near her shoulder.

“Oh, come off it,” she giggled, “You’re one to talk – always staring after any elf that passes you by.”

He grumbled, “Can’t help it. They’re so tall and beautiful and wise and… tall.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind my staring now,” she bit a slice of apple and pondered the elf prince below.

Sam got closer, leaning against the railing, “How’s your wound?”

“Scarring quite nicely,” she munched, “Care to see?”

“That’s alright,” he said with rosiness, “Just glad you’re healed.”

“Better be with the journey we’re about to make.”

“So you’re going.” His voice was quiet and sounded conflicted, as in he knew he shouldn’t have a final say in her decision but wanted her to know.

(Y/N) offered a slice of her apple to Sam, “How could I not when people I love are going.” She ignored his downcast eyes, knowing his wish to object, “I don’t believe I shall interrupt much, I’ll keep to the trees when I can.”

Sam munched on his apple slice to fill the silence that followed. “How would we know you’re safe when you’re off the path?” At her shrug he interjected again, “It was awful hard not to worry about you while on the journey here. I can’t imagine how much harder that’ll be with the perils ahead.”

“You were always a bit of the protective type,” she smirked, eyeing his seriousness, “But I can hold my own. You think I haven’t had my fair share of perils in the Old Forest? Wolves and thieves and the like?”

“I won’t stop you,” he said admiringly, “You were always the bravest hobbit I ever knew.”

“But this won’t be the end of it,” she said with raised eyebrows, “You’ll be fretting like a mother hen, no doubt, for the remainder of the journey.”

Sam smiled, rosy as he said, “Can you blame me?” He tried to think of something quick, stumbling on his next words. “W-We need our inspired healer to take care of us. And Pippin will be a nightmare without all the woodland snacks you provide.”

She tossed around the core of her apple, “Aragorn knows a thing or two about medicinal herbs.”

“Not as well as you, I don’t believe it for a second.”

She smiled again, “I could teach you a thing or two about healing.” She pocketed her small dagger, “I mean, in the event I’m incapacitated and unable to be of service, we’ll need some others who can help.”

Sam eyed the spot on her abdomen that was once open and bleeding. “Might be for the best.”

“Brilliant,” she mused, peering down at the training yard, “Oh, it looks like our elven prince has been joined by a rival.”

Indeed, below on the grassy plain of land, another familiar face joining the fellowship was sharpening his axe. The dwarf Gimli was huffing about his business, apparently trying to annoy the elf concentrating on his archery.

“Easy to hit the target when only thirty feet away,” he grumbled, “I do believe we’ll be attacking the enemy on much looser footing, and it won’t be with a standstill bullseye.”

Legolas had his bow strung and pulled back, but he hesitated to fire until the dwarf was finished. He sent the arrow straight down the middle of a previous stuck in the target. The wooden shaft splintered under the force.

“If you care to see my skill amongst moving targets, perhaps you should take a lap around the yard.”

Gimli scoffed, unhappy with the retort, “Is that a threat?”

An apple core came sailing into the yard, knocking the top of Gimli’s braided head. The arguing pair swerved their eyes for the archways built above them.

(Y/N) was giggling, “You’re not meant to kill each other before our journey even begins.”

Gimli seemed at a loss for words, flabbergasted at her interruption, but Legolas observed her with a straight back and lowered brows.

“The mysterious fifth hobbit,” he nodded his head, “I’ve heard reports of your apparent skill.”

She nodded in return, standing on the railing she was sitting upon. Sam lifted his hands to her, afraid she might fall.

“Reports from whom, my friend?”

“Lord Aragorn,” the elf replied, “He seemed impressed with what he saw in the short time you’ve been together.”

(Y/N) smiled before beginning to descend down the chiseled walls of the training yard.

“(Y/N)!” Sam called out, “What are you doing?”

She laughed, sliding down the stone pillars as easily as if it were the bark of a tree. “Sam, be a dear and toss me my staff.”

He hesitated, perhaps ensuring that she hadn’t twist an ankle before doing as she asked. She caught her wooden staff easily, running her fingers along the many bite marks and scratches imbedded into the old wood.

“I suppose you think yourself clever,” Gimli called out, his Scottish tone thick. “Scaling stone walls and the like.”

“I think myself an experienced forester,” she bowed to the dwarf, “The woodlands are my specialty.”

“Which won’t be much help with the lack of forests along our route,” he continued, smirking, “And that flimsy tree branch is supposed to protect you?”

She shrugged, spinning the staff in her hand, “It has in the past.” She considered the dwarf with a respectful eye, “I’ve heard tell of your father Master Gloin.”

“Have you?” Gimli seemed taken aback, lowering the axe he was beginning to brandish.

“Sure, I’ve visited the Blue Mountains on occasion of my travels along the Free Lands. Your father was one of the few I’ve met. Magnificent refuge is the Blue Mountains and an even more magnificent people.”

Gimli lessened his frown, his bushy brows raising, “The Blue Mountains was my place of birth.”

“Yes,” she smiled, “But I believe you’ve returned to Erebor since then. How is the kingdom under the mountain? Master Gloin has told me of the riches there. Not just in treasure but in good food and in good company. Perhaps we could share a pint and discuss it more over dinner.”

Gimli was quiet for a moment before his chest began to shake with laughter, “Had my father chosen to stay after the council I would’ve asked him to dine with us.” His laughs were positively booming then, “I did not expect the young hobbit lass to be so knowledgeable of the world.”

“We all have our shortcomings, Master Dwarf,” she winked. “Many of us are plagued with quick judgements.”

Gimli pointed a finger towards her and gave another gruff laugh, “We have more to learn of you yet.”

“I would say I have much more to learn of you,” (Y/N) continued, “Though I do wield a staff, I haven’t been formally trained in the art.”

“It’s true the dwarves have skill in staff weaponry,” Gimli was now leaning against his axe, contemplating, “But we normally use iron staffs – wood is much lighter. Perhaps we could talk to the smithery about that.”

Legolas saw fit to interject, “The smiths here are most apt in embedding strength and protective magic into their work. Your staff would much look the same but have capabilities far beyond a regular branch.”

(Y/N) bowed her head again, “I would appreciate the help.”

“Well, then,” Gimli yelled, grasping his axe with two hands now, “Let’s see where your starting skill is, and we’ll work from there.”

(Y/N) brandished her staff, pointing it towards the dwarf, “Gladly.”

“Cocky one, isn’t she?” Gimli laughed, circling the training yard, “We’ll make a warrior out of you yet.”

Legolas cracked a smile as he laid his bow against the wall and moved to observe the combat. He folded his arms, waiting to offer advice when appropriate.

And Sam remained above, watching the whole interaction with apprehension. He found his grip on the stone railing tight as she approached the strangers. But it was lax now as he marveled at the way she dispersed the coming argument with friendship.

She was unreal. Unattainable. A faraway story you told the children before bed.

~~~

The elven dining hall was immaculate. The rich autumn colors of Rivendell painted a warm seating arrangement among the cast of characters.

The trees were shimmering orange and yellow beneath the setting sun. The hall was wide and open with no windows, just stone pillars holding a ceiling aloft. Delicate silver and gold vines were designed around each column, metal plated flowers and leaves welded there.

(Y/N) was enjoying the beauty at her own end table near the balcony. Beside her was a dazzling stone and marble fountain spitting water into a crystal bowl.

Behind her was Gimli entertaining her rambunctious cousins with ale-addled stories from under the mountain. Frodo sat with Lord Elrond and Master Gandalf, no doubt discussing the coming journey of the Ring. Legolas was bowed with Aragorn and talking rapidly in hushed elvish.

She barely noticed the hulking figure of Boromir approaching until he pulled out a chair beside her.

“May I?”

She turned her head quick with the reflexes of a forest rabbit. She stared at him wide before nodding dimly, “Of course.”

The warrior smiled and took a seat, “I wanted to introduce myself before our departure tomorrow.”

(Y/N) only nodded, still assessing his intentions.

“I hail from Gondor. My father is the steward there. My brother and I assist in protecting the realm and surrounding lands.”

“I know of the pale city and the white tree presiding over it.”

“Do you?” Boromir raised his brows, “I’ve been warned that of the fair folk you are the one most informed of the world.”

She shrugged one shoulder, “I grow tired of doing nothing.”

“I’ve heard tell of the free lands cherishing the peace and quiet.”

“They cherish ignorance and laziness more likely.”

Boromir huffed a laugh, “Are you so quick to judge your own people?”

“I can be proud of my race and still be disappointed in the things they do.” She picked through a salad with oil and vinegar. “I’m sure your people have done things you’re not overly proud of.”

“Naturally that comes with being,” he said, intrigued by her wise words, “We’re all flawed.”

“That’s easy to say, but hard to admit.”

Boromir continued to laugh, “Are you saying I can’t admit when I’m the one flawed?”

“It’s easy to say hobbits can be wrong, but more difficult to say I have been wrong.”

“I suppose I fall in that boat more often than I care to say,” Boromir folded his arms, “I look forward to this journey.”

(Y/N) smiled, “Well, don’t worry, I don’t plan on being seen much.”

“Your meaning?”

“I’ll be keeping my distance. Just enough to be in sights but never a bother.”

“I see,” Boromir said a bit dully, “I would appreciate your charm amongst the rest of the fleas.”

She laughed, “I’d hardly call my cousins fleas. Little squirrels maybe – stealing your things and running for the nearest hiding place.”

“You’ll be saying differently when they’ve become rough and tumbled like the rest of us,” he grimaced, “You wouldn’t believe the things that crawl across a man’s skin after not bathing for…”

(Y/N) held up her hands, “Alright, thank you – that’s enough.” She giggled, “I don’t need to imagine more horrors about what men involve themselves with.”

Boromir offered his hand with a smooth smile, “Miss. (Y/N)…”

She gave her hand freely, no longer so apprehensive as she was minutes before. “Yes.”

“It’s been a pleasure,” he held her hand delicately, drawing it to his lips, “You have my protection should you have need of it.”

She bowed her head, hiding the heat blossoming in her cheeks. “Give my regards to the rest of the fellowship.”

Boromir rose and departed for the main dining table hosting the rest of the guests. (Y/N) watched him go with a slight wondering shake of her head. After over a week in Rivendell she managed to pledge herself to a fellowship and somehow befriend all of them in one way or another.

Sidestepping into her line of vision was Samwise, following her gaze to the back of Boromir and to her still outstretched hand.

“He’s friendly.”

“Sam!” she smiled at him, trying to rub the pink out of her cheeks from her encounter with Boromir. “Enjoying dinner? Their smoked squash and mushrooms is particularly good.”

Sam, though usually one timid to make eye contact with her too long, wasn’t allowing the fear to creep in as his mind wandered. He seemed uneasy as he chose the seat beside her.

“You’ve been sitting here all evening.”

“I enjoy the solitude.”

“But I can imagine it gets lonely,” Sam inquired, hands fumbling in his lap.

(Y/N) sighed, “I have many friends. The trees, the rivers, the animals. I can’t be so lonely with all that company.”

“But you can’t tell me it’s the same as the company of people.”

“I’ve heard you converse with plants well enough,” she teased, “You can’t tell me you don’t find company amongst the gardens.”

Sam finally cracked a smile, “You have me there.” He still picked at his fingers, “I still don’t think you should isolate yourself this entire journey.”

“Are you still going on about me venturing off the path?”

“You know I can’t help but worry,” he tried to smile past the grumbling look (Y/N) started giving him. “Perhaps making friends with the fellowship will have you changing your mind. The man from Gondor seemed interested enough.”

(Y/N) bit the inside of her cheek, “Boromir may prove a favorable companion.”

“Favorable companion,” Sam repeated under his breath. “And the elf prince?”

“Hilarious in a cryptic, one-liner kind of way.”

“The Master Dwarf?”

She snorted, “Gimli is stubborn and already fiercely loyal all in the best of ways.”

“Aragorn?”

“Handsome.”

Sam snapped his head up so fast his curls bounced, “I’m sorry?”

(Y/N) shrugged, unabashed, “In a rugged stranger kind of way.”

“Maybe you should stay closer to the tree line,” Sam said comically to hide the jealous fear growing inside of him, “Keep you from these rugged strangers.”

She laughed, “Realizing your competition, are you?” She laughed even harder at his terrified expression, “I’m only joking, Sam.”

That only seemed to send his heart pounding even further, “You’re always sending me on the verge of a heart attack.”

“I hadn’t realized I was wrapped so tightly around it.” Her smile was mischievous, but there was that familiar tug in her own heart. That strange little seed that Sam had planted weeks or maybe even months before. It’s tiny roots were beginning to thread into the beats of her chest. They pulled on her as the mischievousness melted into something a bit more hopeful.

Less teasing and more flirting.

Sam, a mighty cherry blossom tree sprouted in his heart, knew that every root, branch, and leaf had grown for her. It had yet to flower and bloom into something truly magnificent, but he knew if he cared for it long enough it would. At least he hoped it would.

It twisted taller and fuller in his chest as (Y/N) looked at him then.

“You…” he swallowed thickly, “You’ve always had a part of my heart, (Y/N). Since we were kids.”

She smiled warmly, “Was it me stealing you away for adventures or was it me teaching you elvish in the East Farthing?”

Sam attempted to drown out the blood in his ears with his voice, but it came out in more of whisper, much to his disdain. “It was just you. You were always like one of those heroines from the stories Bilbo used to tell us. And when you left for your travels you became a storybook character. Tales of your adventures painted you like this beautiful tracker of the woods, befriending the people of Middle Earth and protecting us from invaders.”

(Y/N) slid a hand under her chin, listening to him ramble. The more he talked it seemed his confidence grew.

“And whenever you came back to visit the Shire it was like one of my heroes coming to life,” he felt like he was free falling, terrifyingly close to splattering on the ground. “You always seemed so impossible, too good to be true. When we were kids you were the kindhearted hobbit from next door that always managed to cause a little trouble. Then you were this brave, audacious traveler that didn’t mind being the outcast. And now for the first time…”

(Y/N) leaned in a bit further, the seedling in her heart reaching little green leaves into her chest, “What?”

“It’s like I’m meeting you for the first time.” His face was bright and warm and at her mercy, “I’m seeing the inspiration behind the heroine. She’s still kindhearted, still brave, still audacious, and still able to cause trouble. But she’s real. She has passions and dreams and a family who loves her and a life she’s made her own. I just never realized…” He hesitated, “I made you into a story when you’re right in front of me.”

He gave a nervous laugh at (Y/N)’s wide eyes. She was trying to hide her smile, sucking in her lips to nibble on them as he talked.

“I knew you thought highly of my bravery,” she said animatedly, “But I never knew you thought me imaginary.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he smacked a hand over his eyes but smiled regardless. “You’re always lightening the mood, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry,” (Y/N) said quietly, pure sunlight in her chest giving her seedling a growth spurt.

Sam tugged at his buttoned vest, his mind a repeating loop of the words he almost said but hesitated enough to divert. If the journey had shown him anything so far, it was that he never realized the difference between having feelings for (Y/N) and actually falling in love with her.

~~~

The woods were becoming sparse as they traveled south, closer to the mountains on their way to Caradhras. (Y/N) cherished each step she could take beneath the trees; she knew the majority of the journey wouldn’t fall on forest paths.

She whistled to the birds and hummed with the bees, fingers splayed out to the sunlight. The damp leaves and brown moss wriggled between her toes, reminding her of the rich soil of the Shire. The smell of fresh dirt and warm plants, irrigated with crisp rainwater.

She bowed to gather flowers in her nimble fingers, smiling at the thought of Shire gardens and meadows.

The fellowship wasn’t far ahead, paving the way for her to follow. It was easy to track their low toned voices through the thinning trees.

In an effort to occupy the hours and ignore the growing ache in her legs, (Y/N) began peeling sprouts and flower stems. She tied the green together, accentuating the flower buds, little colorful bundles of popcorn.

When flowers broke from the stem threads, she tucked them into her hair, fitting snugly between the coils of her boisterous hobbit hair. She was soon surrounded by lovely smelling colors.

By the time she caught up to the fellowship, the sun was getting low, and she had a collection of flower crowns and necklaces around her wrists.

“Here is our ghost of the wood,” Merry cried out, digging into his smoking pipe, “Our spirit of the trees.”

“Has the spirit come bearing gifts?” Pippin asked hopefully, fingers digging into his stomach.

(Y/N) giggled, “The ground is becoming too rocky as we get closer to the mountains. Root vegetables can’t thrive here.”

“Fruit trees?”

“Too cold.”

Pippin pouted, “Berry bushes?”

(Y/N) shook her head, holding out her arms, “No, but there were plenty of flowers.”

The young hobbit seemed to consider it for a second, as if he was truly so hungry he’d eat anything.

“You were always able to craft such wonderful trinkets,” Frodo said admiringly, matching his cousins stride.

“Then you get the prettiest one,” she said happily, placing a crown of threaded green and white flowers upon his dark curls.

He wore them with pride, giving her a one armed hug. She smiled in return, placing a crown of blue flowers on Merry’s head and one of yellow on Pippin’s. The latter seemed remarkably cheered up by the gift, Merry merely shrugged and sighed.

“What is this?” Gimli grumbled, “Decorating your hairs with forest debris?”

“You may choose to adorn your braids with gold and silver,” (Y/N) laughed, “But the fair folk have always enjoyed the simple pleasantries of the earth.” She addressed the dwarf with a bundle of pale flowers, “It’s lighter than rock and smells better than mine alloy.”

Gimli seemed apprehensive as the hobbit girl wove the flowers into his crisscrossed beard. He was putting on a scowl for the effect, but his cheeks were rosy with affection as he mumbled, “You’re a fine lass, (Y/N).”

She gave a single nod, spotting other companions eyeing their movements. “Care for a relic of the forest?”

They continued walking but Legolas slowed to reach her stance. He was silent as he held out his hand, accepting a rope of white buds and tying it elegantly around his bow.

(Y/N) was biting her lip to keep herself from smiling too wide. She turned to spot her last hobbit companion, her chest full of sunshine at seeing his face.

“Hello,” he said quietly, “Did you tumble in a meadow? Your hair is full of flowers.”

She came alongside Bill the pony and pat his neck, earning a low bray of sentiment. “I didn’t want any to go to waste.” She ignored his staring as she approached him to place a crown of pink and speckled white upon his curls.

He turned red.

“I knew it,” she smiled wide, “They’d match your cheeks.” She continued to laugh as he spluttered.

“So very cruel,” he mumbled, heat flooding his face. “How do you do that?”

She placed a pink bundle behind his pointed ear and hummed excitedly, “Do what?”

“Warm my face just by looking at me.”

She twirled a few lone flowers between two fingers, walking alongside him, “I don’t try to on purpose.”

“I just have to figure out how to do the same to you.” He pulled on Bill, frustrated at his hot face and rashly spoken thoughts.

(Y/N) organized her wildflowers into a neat bouquet, long grasses and green leaves tying them together. “I may not get red in the face,” she smiled, “But you certainly have done something similar to me.”

Sam snapped his eyes to hers, “I have?”

Dare she say he sounded hopeful. “There’s a warmth in my heart when I see you,” she shoved his shoulder, “You are one of my dearest companions.” Before she let herself interpret his reaction, she held out the wildflowers, “For you…”

He clamped his mouth shut as he accepted the beautiful gift.

“Since you miss your gardens.”

He was at a loss as she bounded happily toward her cousins. Merry had lit his smoking pipe and Pippin was holding one of his yellow flowers, picking away at the petals.

“I am hungry. I’m not hungry. I am hungry. I’m not hungry.” He plucked a final petal, “I am hungry.”

“The plant has spoken,” (Y/N) said, wrapping her arms around her cousins, “I think we should start making camp.”

“Yes,” Gandalf called ahead, “Dearest (Y/N). We’ve reached the pass for the mountain trail. By tomorrow afternoon we’ll enter freezing temperatures as we near higher elevation.” The wizard stopped the fellowship, “It would be for the best to rest here tonight before beginning that laborious part of our journey.”

“As if the road before wasn’t perilous enough,” Merry said sardonically, “Let’s add snowy mountains.”

(Y/N) shifted her pack, “Oh, it’s all part of the fun.”

Boromir chuckled where he stood gripping his strong sword, “That’s good. We’ll need an optimist where we’re going.”

She sent him a wink that was matched with one of his own. And camp was made that night stiffly as they dwelled on the windswept trails ahead of them. There would be no forest floors or wooden paths, only rocky cliffs and the bitter cold.

(Y/N) chose to sit beside Sam, brushing knees as the firelight dimmed. There was that strange tug between the pair of them – (Y/N)’s heart of growing sprouts turning towards him like a sunflower to the sun.

“Where are the other younglings?” Boromir grunted, sitting himself next to Aragorn.

Frodo received a bowl of makeshift stew from their resident wizard, “They’ve gone to find more kindling.”

“Begrudgingly, I might add,” (Y/N) smiled faintly. “I think their resolve is still stuck in the Shire. It’ll take a few more weeks for them to face reality.”

Gimli was stoking his pipe, “Care for some?” He offered a tin towards Sam, who accepted it gratefully. “At this rate we’ll be out of pipe weed before crossing the Misty Mountains.”

“We ran out of Old Toby about a week ago,” Sam chuckled, “Hobbits could rival any man in their smoking habits.”

The dwarf laughed heartily, taking a draw from his smoking pipe, “My kind of people. Good food, rich ale, and quality pipe weed.”

Sam held his pipe up to salute him, lighting the end of it and puffing a few times. The air surrounding them became hazy with more than just campfire smoke. Gimli settled against the rocky ridge blocking the incoming wind and (Y/N) leaned into Sam.

“Mind if I have a go?”

Gimli barked a laugh, speaking out of the side of his mouth, “This is no ordinary pipe weed, lass. Women are too delicate for the herb.”

(Y/N) smiled roguishly, sneaking the pipe from her friend. She licked her lips and drew a breath so deep the end glowed with infinite embers of orange light. Sam raised his eyebrows, not daring to complain that she was burning through their precious store of weed.

She finally pulled the pipe away, closing her eyes and leaning back. There was so much smoke in her lungs that it was slipping out of her nose involuntarily.

Gimli blinked a few times, mouth agape and pipe hanging limp from his lips.

After a few seconds (Y/N) finally blew out a slow breath, smoke plumed around her head and masked her easy smile. “I haven’t had anything to smoke in ages.”

Sam received his pipe once again with a wonderous shake of his head, “You’d never know.”

“A mere dabbler in the art,” Gimli said gruffly, squaring his shoulders and taking a draw from his pipe to match (Y/N)’s. Almost instantly the dwarf began choking, coughing on the smoke and making his eyes water.

Boromir laughed loudly, shoving Aragorn over in his delight. Sam bit his pipe as (Y/N) hid her face in his shoulder.

“Looks like you could use a few pointers,” Boromir coughed on his laughs.

“(Y/N)!” The voice of Merry came from the sparse woods surrounding them, “Could you give us a hand, please?”

(Y/N) stood from the ground, fixing her sage green trousers, “If you would excuse me, my cousins have found themselves desperate for my assistance – as per usual.”

The rest of the fellowship continued to chuckle as she padded around the bedrolls and campfire. Sam could see the looks of endearment on all their faces. (Y/N) could win the hearts of any person within a fortnight, it would seem.

He held his pipe and couldn’t help but feel his own heart beat out of proportion. He didn’t want to be just another face of endearment from the fellowship. He wanted to be seen above that – be something more than that.

His smile started to dip into a jealous frown.

On the outskirts of their camp was (Y/N) and Merry standing at the base of a tree, hands on their hips. Pippin was dangling from a branch above them.

“And you can’t pull yourself up?”

“The branch is going to break!” Pippin groaned.

“And what? You expect me to catch you?” (Y/N) snickered, “Why didn’t you call for one of the men?”

Merry shoved his cousin, “You get us out of trouble all the time. Can’t you do something?”

She sighed, shoving him even harder – to the point he tripped backwards. “Give me a second.” She started climbing the tree trunk, “Merry, be under him just in case. Pip, can you wrap your legs around the branch?”

Pippin swung his legs up, so he was bear hugging the branch. It wavered dangerously, creaking and cracking a fraction more.

“Can you crawl over until you’re on top?” she was already straddling the same branch closer to the trunk where it wasn’t cracked yet. “Then reach for my hands.”

Pippin shimmied up the branch, holding on for his dear life and ignoring the snide remarks coming from Merry below. He outstretched a hand, grappling for her own. She stabilized him as he scooted for the safe end of the branch.

It creaked and snapped under his weight.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry,” (Y/N) said, pulling on her cousin, “It’s going to…”

Pippin lunged for her, ramming into the trunk and knocking (Y/N) off balance. She cried out as she fell, clutching at anything her hands could find purchase on. The branch snapped completely, nearly collapsing on Merry.

“Damn it all,” she cried out, one hand sliding down the jagged edge of the broken branch and the other digging into the rough bark.

“(Y/N)!” Pippin called out, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” He grabbed fistfuls of her shirt and tunic and pulled her to him.

She grimaced as the pair of them descended the tree trunk, “It’s all right, Pip – I’m all right.” She uncurled her burning hands and saw the lines of bleeding, scraped skin where the broken branch sliced her palm.

“Oh, curse me,” he replied, lightly holding her hands, “That looks like it hurts.”

“A little,” she swallowed, “It’s not your fault, Pip. Let’s get back to camp. I have bandages and herbs there.”

Merry was brushing leaves and twigs from his cloak, “I am unscathed, thank goodness.” He grimaced, “That looks like it hurts.”

(Y/N) gave a short smile, “I always underestimate how much trouble the pair of you are.”

They escorted her back to the camp, the rest of the fellowship settling down for the night. Gandalf was extinguishing his own pipe when he spotted the limping trio.

“What has happened?”

As if the question signaled an incoming siege, the other company members snapped their heads around, looking for the bad news. (Y/N) hushed her cousins before they could speak.

“A little mishap with the kindling.”

“Are you all right?” came Frodo’s voice, standing from his bedroll. Pippin was looking flushed and embarrassed.

She waved him off with her less injured hand, “Fine, fine. Just got snagged on the bark.” She placed a comforting touch to Pippin’s shoulder, “Nothing is amiss.”

“Leave them be,” Gandalf said, winking at (Y/N) before lowering his hat to cover his eyes, “Lets not fret over the little things when much greater lie before us.”

She gave a playful nudge to Merry and Pippin, the latter giving her a remorseful look and another quiet apology.

“Is that true?” Sam whispered to her as she sat on her bedroll, “Is something amiss?”

She grabbed her side satchel full of her medicinal herbs, “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Oh,” he winced, spotting the cuts along her palm, “Why feel the need to lie?”

“I haven’t,” she practically gasped at his accusation, “There’s nothing wrong.”

“Clearly,” he said, a slight grumble in his tone. The aching, jealous part of him was growing. “You don’t have to hide things from me, you know. I don’t understand this need of yours to keep everyone at arm’s length.”

Her face fell, voice lowering to just above a whisper, “Don’t you?”

He sighed heavy and frustrated. Yes, he did understand. You don’t spend your entire childhood idolizing a girl without trying to figure her out. She had always been different and different wasn’t a sought trait in the Shire.

She had learned to keep things to herself.

“Let me help,” he inched closer to her.

“I’ve got it.”

“Don’t you dare…” he said warningly, “… send me away.” He grabbed her hand gently, “You can’t bandage this with only one good hand, and you promised to teach me some healing techniques.”

She was looking at him with wide eyes and an open heart, “I’m sorry.”

“What do I need?” he asked, poking around her supplies.

She sniffed, “That jar of honey. It’s a miracle worker at healing injuries and keeping out infection. Just spread a little bit and wrap it with the linen roll.”

Sam opened the small jar and extracted the little spoon tied to the lid. He laid her open hand on his knee, scooping a spoonful of honey. It fell thick and golden against the bleeding scrapes on her palm.

“I’m surprised Pippin hasn’t sniffed this out of your bag yet.”

She smiled, though there was still a hint of tension between them. “He’d eat all the plants in my bag if he knew they were edible.”

“I apologize for snapping at you.”

“I hadn’t realized you could be so commanding, Sam. I must’ve pushed a few too many buttons.”

He finally smiled in return, “I just… I thought we were getting closer. Maybe I was just hoping.” He focused his attention on the linen he was wrapping around her sticky sweet hand.

“It’s not a bad idea.”

He flickered his gaze to hers, “You wouldn’t mind my intentions?”

“I can’t imagine they’d be malicious,” she swallowed hard, chest tickled with new seedlings. “What are your intentions?”

“To…” he tied off the bandage, running a finger along the fraying edges. “… earn your affections.”

(Y/N) froze, face painted pale with the dying embers of the fire. “I see.”

He retracted his hand, clearing his throat, “I realize nothing will happen until I’ve spoken plain. We’ve been dancing around it for years now and I thought… well…” he scratched the base of his neck, pulling at his collar.

“You’re right,” she said quietly, “I’ve been questioning these new sentiments I feel towards you.”

Sam widened his gaze, full and vulnerable under her words.

“Perhaps they should be explored,” she said, her face beginning to feel warm.

He smiled wide, pointing a finger at her cheeks. “You’re turning pink.” Her hands flew to her face. “Positively red.”

She coughed a laugh, “Now you’ve done it.” She hid her face with her hands, “All it took was speaking from the heart.”

He removed her hands, holding them in his, “I know it’s unconventional to propose courtship while in our current situation.” He listened to his heart pounding in his ears, “But I’m not sure I’ll survive another day pretending not to feel these things for you.”

“Yes, it’s unusual,” she smiled, “But not unwelcome.” She settled against her bedroll, holding Sam’s hand tightly, “I’m glad you told me.”

“And your answer is?”

She thought for a moment, “Lets not be hasty. We don’t know what this journey will bring, and I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep.” She could almost feel his heart sink, “But… as soon as we’re home… I’m all yours.”

His mouth fell open, unable to make a sound. She tried not to look at him to embarrass him further. She squeezed his hand instead, pulling him to lay on his own bedroll.

“Tell me a story of home.”

Sam cleared his throat, having to force his eyes to stare at the night sky instead of her serenely pink face.

“There was a time, back in younger days, when a little hobbit found himself stuck tending to gardens beneath his displeased father. His only hope of rescue was in the heroine of the hills. She sailed across sheep herds and tickled sleeping beasts with river reeds. She was fearless and charitable to all. And once on a beautiful cloudless day, she took pity on the young gardener. She dragged him out of the weeds and showed him the wonders of the world. And his heart never beat quite the same after that.”  

~~~

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