"Is there any hope left Celadriel?  Now that Gandalf is gone?"  Legolas asked staring at the young Elvin princess.

"There will always be hope, as long as those who remain stay true to the quest."  She took a sip of wine from her golden goblet, "This fellow ship will splinter, but each new grouping will have a part to play." She rose from her seat at the table and crossed to the window, "As for Gandalf, don't be so sure that he is gone, I feel that he still has a role in this."

Legolas looked at the woman with a perplexed frown, "But I saw him fall, surely you do not believe he survived that."

"Do you honestly take a wizard as great as Gandalf as a mere mortal?"  She turned, smiling at her companion, "You must remember Legolas, things that are lost are nearly always found when they are most needed, do not despair, you will see your friend again."

"How can you be so sure of that?  Your mother is the most gifted in sight and even she is not sure."

"My mother does not reveal all she sees.  She told you that Gandalf has fallen into shadow, she did not say that he died."  Taking another sip of her wine she lowered her eyes, "You have to learn to see with out our eyes, trust your instincts.  All of our kind have a gift of sight that goes beyond the visual, do not be afraid of that, your feelings and senses can be your truest ally if you let them."

Legolas sighed, "You are always so sure of things that you can't possibly know." The young Prince rose from his seat, "Tell me what will come of us after this quest is complete?"

"I can not say what will become of all of your companions, but I do know that where ever there paths lead them, they will all be forever changed by this journey."

Legolas looked down at the table, "I was not speaking of my companions Celadriel, I was speaking of us." He admitted looking up at her with a familiar gleam in his eyes.

"Legolas you know that I can not answer that.  Our paths were laid before us before we were even born.  You are to marry Belaraniel you know this."

"I know what my father has planed for me, but it is not what I want…" he took a step closer to the maiden, "And I know that it is not what you want, so why should we fight it?  You know how rare it is for our kind to have feelings this deep toward each other, how can we be expected to push them aside?"

"It isn't our place to question the wishes of the elders."  Celadriel turned from him and gazed out the window, "It was a mistake to ask you here, perhaps you should go."

"Why did you ask me here?  To talk in riddles about the quest or to make me think that I actually had a chance of being with you."

"I asked you here so that I could say good bye."  She hung her head, finding it much harder to find the words that she needed, "I am sailing on the next ship to The Undying Land at the request of my mother."  She rolled her eyes up to look at him from under her lowered lids, "I will not be seeing you again."

Legolas' eyes widened, "You can not do that Celadriel, you can't just leave like that."

"It is what must be done."

"How can you say that, do I mean nothing to you?"

"This is not about you."  She set her goblet down on the window sill and reached out taking his hand, "I have to do what is right for everyone."

Legolas pulled away and turned for the door, "You are only doing what is best for her." He said bitterly, "You can not turn you back on our love and say it is what's right for everyone."

"I am not turning my back on anything."  Gracefully she sat back down in her elaborately carved chair, "The time of our people is ending in this land, sailing to Valinor is the only thing that can save us all now."

"Then wait and sail with me."

"You know I can not, Belaraniel will have that honor, it is after all hers."

"But not by my choice."

"Choice or no choice Legolas, it is how it must be."

Not speaking another word Legolas left the room and headed back to camp with Celadriel's words ringing in his head.  When he reached his friends he found them all settling into their beds for the night.  A slight smile crossed his face as the sound of the elves singing graced his ears, "A lament for Gandalf." He whispered, not realizing anyone had actually heard his words.

"What are they saying?" Pippin asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I dare not tell you, for me the grief is still too near." He commented taking a seat close to Aragorn.

"What news has your lady given?" the ranger asked.

Legolas snorted, "She speaks in the same riddles as her mother, and insists that she is not my lady."

Aragorn threw his arm around the elf's shoulder, "She is only doing what is best for her people, you know that.  You must let her go."

"The way you let Arwen go?"  The elf turned his head in disgust, "I can not do that."

"If you truly love her you must." With that Aragorn stood from his seat on the stump and headed off into the hazy darkness.

Legolas sat for only a moment longer before making his way to his bed.  He lay on the soft mattress staring up at the bottom of the upper bunk, he was glad that he got to see Celadriel, he only wished their evening would have ended a bit happier.  "I know how you feel." Pippin spoke up from his bed above the elf, "The woman I love won't have me either."

"That is most comforting Pippin, thank you."

Pip flopped his head over the edge of the bed to look at the other man, "You just have to not give up hope that she will have a change of heart." He concluded trying to sound encouraging

"I already know where her heart lies, and that is not the problem, I would have a much easier time dealing with her decision if it were that simple."

With that Legolas closed his eyes hoping to drift off to sleep before Pippin went off on one of his little rants.

In her room, Celadriel stared up at the stars through the canopy of trees, wishing that she could change the path that laid before her dear friend.  She had known her whole life of his betrothal to Belaraniel of Rivendell, but secretly prayed for something to change.  Soon she found her self drifting off to sleep and dreams of the life she knew she would never have.

The next morning came much too soon for the young princess.  She knew that she would have to watch Legolas leave her for the last time, and she also knew that she was expected to do it indifferently.  She had to burry her feelings and remain silent as he drifted out of her life for all of eternity.  Trying to push the thought out of her mind she joined her mother on the bank of the river, "Have you made your peace with him Daughter?" Galadriel asked turning to face her.

"I have said farewell, but I do not know that that alone will bring me peace." She hung her head not wanting her mother to see the sadness in her eyes, "I have told him that I am sailing on the next ship and he begged me to stay and sail with him."

"You told him that it was impossible?"

Celadriel nodded, "Must I be here when they leave?"

"You are my daughter and as such you must hold to your duties, no matter how much pain they lay upon you."

"There should be no need for pain." The young woman stated looking up at her mother, "It was so much easier for Celebrain; she never had to push aside her feelings."

Galadriel smiled at her youngest child, "Someday you too will find a husband that will bring you as much joy as Elrond brought your sister."

"There will never be another like Legolas." Celadriel stated wistfully, turning to go to the river's edge.  There was a strange chill in the air as she faced the opposite shore, suddenly she was struck with a vision of a strange creature, almost orcish only bigger and out by the light of day.  She turned to face her mother, "There is something on the eastern shore, moving this way quickly."

"Yes I have seen it too, it is a hunting party."

"What sort of hunting party?  What reason do they have to be on the threshold of our shores?"

"It is a new breed of Orc sent out from Isengard by Soroman to capture the ring and its bearer."

"We must warn them, we can not let them continue on this quest with out knowing what is out there waiting for them."

"Your father will handle that, he is meeting with Aragorn this morning."

"I fear that this quest will consume them all and leave only changed men."

"Do not fear those changes, each of them will come out of this stronger, as long as they hold true.  They are walking along the edge of a great chasm, one mis step and they will be lost."

"I want to follow their quest mother, I need to know for myself that Legolas is well."

"That is impossible, you can not go out alone in the wild chasing after them, Legolas is a warrior, he doesn't need you following his journey."

"No mother, but I do need to follow him.  He may be betrothed to another but he still has my heart."

"And I imagine he always will my child, but you have to let him go, his path is set in a different direction from yours." With that Galadriel smiled and turned leaving her daughter alone on the shore.

"Then I will change my path." Celadriel vowed as she watched her mother walk away.

Before long the members of the fellowship were making their to the shore to load their boats. She stood aside as she say Legolas moving toward one of the small canoes caring a load of Lambas bread.  After delivering it he turned and there eyes met.  Celadriel turned away and started walking quickly in the opposite direction.  She knew what she had to do, and it meant that she would have to do it with out telling anyone her plans.