Sunset of the Fellowship
by Orangeblossom Took
note: Peony and her siblings are from my
"Blue Book" story and Jasmine's grandmother Rosemary is featured in
"Rosemary for Remembrance.
"Then Legolas built a gray ship in Ithilien,
and sailed down Anduin and so over the sea; and with him, it is said,
went Gimli the Dwarf. And when that ship passed an end was come in
Middle Earth of the Fellowship of the Ring." J.R.R. Tolkien, Return of
the King, Appendix B
Sunset of the Fellowship
1541
The sun sparkled on the waves and a stiff
breeze was blowing towards the west when Gimli looked at the small
crowd of middle-aged and elderly hobbits gathered to see both Legolas
and himself off to Valinor. He hadn't expected to see so many so far
from the Shire. It bothered the dwarf, now gray and bent with age, that
these were not the children but the grandchildren of their four little
ones. It made him feel very old and like everything he ever knew had
disappeared.
Yet, he was glad to see them. Pippin's
granddaughters, Peony and Lila, were there. Peony recently lost her
husband and she and Lila would be returning to the Shire. Their sister
Blossom and their brother Berilac were there from the Shire. The Tooks
had always been his favorites. Hadn't he helped Peony's husband pick
out her engagment ring? Pippin had been his favorite and he could see
parts of him in all four of his grandchildren. It saddened him to think
how long the bright, inquisitive hobbit had lain under Rath Dinen.
It was the same with the grandchildren of the
other three hobbits. Several Brandybuck grandchildren, bright-eyed and
vivacious, conversed with stolid, sensible-looking Gamgee-Gardners. And
there, in back of the group, he saw a pair of bright blue eyes. It was
Jasmine, the child of Frodo's daughter Iris, whose origins were know
only to herself and the Fellowship, and her husband. She was now a
handsome, middle-aged hobbit -woman. Did Frodo know? Had she even been
born before Sam left? It didn't matter. Frodo would no longer be there
to tell.
Contemplating the length of years made him
dizzy. She would be there waiting, though, and she was eternal. Gimli
fingered the small, flat gold box set with jewel he made to house those
three precious hairs. To look on the Lady of Light again would be worth
the trouble of this journey, even if he should never see his beloved
caverns again.
He wondered if he would see Gandalf or
Elrond. Legolas said they would and sang many songs of reunion and the
beauty of Valinor. He knew the elf was eager to see his father
Thraniduil again. Then a chill gripped his heart. Elrond. He and
Legolas would have to tell Elrond that his daughter was gone, faded
away after Aragon's death. Gimli's head bowed at the thought. That
would be the hardest thing. Gimli had never had children but could
imagine how it must feel to lose one of them. It must be even worse
after knowing them for thousands of years.
The ship was about to leave and the hobbits
crowded around, showering him and Legolas with flowers. Then he saw
Jasmine's blue eyes up close.
She handed him a small, engraved wooden box
and, In a quiet voice, she said, "Master Dwarf, would you place this on
my grandfather's grave? It contains locks of hair from my grandmother,
my mother, and myself."
Gimli bowed and said, "I would be honored, Mistress Jasmine."
He took the box from her and offered her a single lavender rose
Peony stepped up and, with tears in her
golden eyes, said, "I will miss you both, dearest Gimli and Legolas."
They knelt so she could kiss them on their cheeks.
Gimli followed Legolas on to the ship and they both waved to the hobbits as the last of the Fellowship passed into the West.
