The Restoring of the Shire

The day after the Battle of Bywater Frodo released the prisoners from the Lockholes. Among them was Fredegar Bolger who had led a band or rebels against the ruffians. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins was also released and found herself choked up by the applause she received for standing up to the ruffians. "But she was crushed by the news of Lotho's murder, and she would not return to Bag End" (p. 301, The Return of the King). The possession of Bag End went back to Frodo and when she passed away the next spring she left a large inheritance to Frodo to help hobbits in need from Saruman's destruction of the Shire. Merry and Pippin hunted down the remaining men who had not fled the Shire and showed them to the borders. The Shire was cleared before the new year.

The hobbits tore down all of the ugly houses that the men had built and used the materials to repair or improve hobbit holes. In Hobbiton the first repair was to Bag End and the Hill. Sam's Gaffer was restored to Number Three Bagshot Row. Sam had overseen repairs across the Shire but his paramount grief was for all the trees recklessly felled at Saruman's command. In the midst of the repairs and fretting Sam remembered the box Galadriel had given him. He called together Frodo, Pippin, and Merry to open it. It was filled with fine grey dust and one seed. Merry felt Sam should throw it in the wind and let it do its work. Frodo encouraged Sam to use his own mind and decide what to do. Sam decided to plant saplings where all the best trees had been destroyed and with each planting he put a grain of the grey dust with it. Where the Party Tree had been he planted the seed. Restoring of the Shire had begun; but Sam would have to wait through winter to see what would happen.

Middle-earth timeline: Third Age, 3019, November 4th through the end of the year
Today's reading comes from: The Return of the King, pages 301-303