"Fara, quit staring out the window," Rose insisted. "You've looked out that window every day for the past year."

"You never know when they might come back..."

"No one leaves the Shire for this long and comes back."

I sighed. "They'll come back. Frodo promised."

"He could've said anything to you! He can't guarantee his own safety, you know."

"He's not dead."

"I never said that."

"MAID!" Someone called.

"Your turn," I said to Rose. She rolled her eyes, but immediately put on her fake smile as she went to serve the costumer.

I stared out the window again as I dried the mugs that had just been washed.

Maybe he wasn't coming back. But he promised! Tears welt up inside my eyes.

My shift as well as Rose's ended and we walked to Melba's. She invited us in for afternoon tea.

"Do you think they'll ever come back?" she asked us.

"We don't even know what happened to Pippin and Merry," I said. "They weren't with Gandalf when Frodo and Sam left."

"I'm sure they're with them. It would be too much of a coincidence if they didn't tag along," Rose pointed out.

"At any rate, I think it's time that we start moving on with our lives," Melba said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, most other girls our age are already married. Bega had her first child already last week. I think it's time to make ourselves more available so that we can get married and go to the next stages of our lives."

Rose and I looked at each other.

"But, I don't want to marry anyone else," I said. "Frodo and I made a promise. He will come back. And I will wait. Same with Samwise."

Rose sighed. "We don't know if Samwise even-"

"He likes you, Rose! Quit trying to deny it!" I argued. She looked down at her tea.

"I just..." I started. "I just don't want to do anything that I'm going to regret later, alright?"

"Maybe you're right," Mebla said, getting up from the table. "I'll wait one more week. If they're not back, I'm going to search for a partner."

I sighed. Rose and I got up and left for home. I walked Rose to her hobbit hole then started making my way back to my own.

I had moved out of my parent's about six months prior and moved into my own hobbit hole. It was Underhill, near Bag-End. I regularly went in there, to clean and water the plants, so that everything was well kept when Frodo returned.

Before going back home, I looked over the lake as the sun set of orange reflected off of it. I sighed and closed my eyes. When would he ever return?

I decided to go and dust inside of Bag-End. I stepped inside of the hobbit hole and closed the door. Leaning against it from the inside, I closer my eyes and took in a deep breath.

I walked through the halls and took a feather duster and dusted all the surfaces that needed it. I sweeped up the floor a bit and decided to go to Frodo's room.

There was a lump on his bed. I gasped and took a step back. It was a hobbit. But who?

The mass turned over and looked me in the eyes. It was Frodo.

"Fara."

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