Legolas's Point Of View

She looks beautiful like this, in a summer dress of pale blue and her hair tied back rather neatly. The day is young. By the midday meal, it will be a mess, half of her pins gone and hanging in her face. She's kneeling down next to one of the young Hobbits -- Faramir Took, I believe -- carefully showing him how to worm his fishing hook. With a bean, of course, because she won't touch worms.

She's petrified of bugs.

Her long black hair is streaked with silver now, and there are faint lines around her eyes.

I swear she is beautiful as the day I first saw her. She stands, turns, and smiles at me. My heart nearly stops beating -- she is so beautiful. She kneels down and gives Faramir a hug before sending him off with Iariel's son.

I swear there are hundreds of children around here now. At least a few dozen. Faramir and Eowyn have several, at least three, and Boromir and Edana have four.

And when the Hobbits are here, we can forget about anything even resembling peace and quiet. Pippin and his wife, Diamond, I believe, have a few, at least compared to Sam and Rosie, who have a legion.

At least.

These little get-togethers that Arwen or Eowyn has every few years really wear on Kayli. She is not as young as she once was.

Although, most of the time, she does not show her years. Her hair, now far past her waist, is still more black then silver. The lines around her mouth and eyes are faint, but they are there. We have seen more than fifty years together. She is well past her seventieth year, though…as I said, she does not look it.

It is not enough. It will never be enough.

There are times when I contemplate her death, and I fear that I will not survive. The Eldar are hard to kill, but grief – if deep enough – can slay us as surely as an enemy blade. She is so much a part of me that I fear that when she is gone – when not even she can hold on any longer – I will fade and die, even though I have sworn to her that this will never happen.

She is my life.

A soft touch on my face pulls me from my melancholy thoughts, and I turn to face the object of them, smiling as best I can. She does not respond, and, in fact, her frown turns deeper. Her eyes are the same bright, deep blue-green they have always been, and they seem sad. "Stop," she murmurs, standing on her toes and kissing my cheek. "Don't think about it so much, Legolas. What happens, happens."

I brush a hand over her hair, turning my head in the direction the boys went. "I know, melisse," I say softly. "But…"

She tilts her head, staring at me with those wide, unflinching eyes, and I am once more reminded of her strength. "But?" she echoes.

"I will miss you," I say softly. "Your death…I don't know if I can face it."

"You're stronger than you think you are," she says softly. A smile quirks at her lips. "Besides, if you up and die after me, I'm going to be pissed, all right? And you'll hear about it in the afterlife, believe me."

"Elves and humans don't go to the same place," I reply.

"When has something little like that stopped me?" she asks teasingly, her smile lighting up her whole face.

I smile. I cannot stop it. Somehow, I am able to believe that she can defeat such an obstacle, even one placed by the Valar themselves. I brush a hand through her hair, and then I slide an arm around her waist to hold her close to me. She relaxes, and I take the opportunity to swing my other arm under her knees and sweep her off her feet.

She laughs, and the sound surrounds me, warming my heart.

We still have time, and I will not let a single minute slip through my fingers. I will be there when she passes from this life, and, even though I know there will never be another in my life like her – such a thing is impossible, for the Valar do not duplicate their miracles – I will live it anyway.

Because she has asked it of me.

End

I've missed you all, and I'm very, very sorry that this isn't the next chapter of HP&TME, but I've had computer issues. Actually, my computer IS my issue. Thank you for your patience.