His boots hit the sandy shore and he waded the rest of the way to the beachhead in knee deep water, the crystal fluid turning the dark leather to black. His footprints were swept away moments after his leaving them. The salt in the air invigorated the silver-haired ellon. His silver blue eyes scanned the white coastline. The sand was a wide bar that abruptly changed to rough grass about thirty meters out. The falling sun was quickly dipping behind the dark mountains that stood even farther away on the horizon. It ignited the firmament with a spectacular display of reds and oranges.

He had finally made the journey. His quest was finished, here on the shores of the Western Sea. There was no further region to which he could travel on water.

Behind him, he could hear his companions exiting the boat. They spoke quietly to one another, not wishing to break the spell that had overcome each ellon present. Celeborn himself was taking it all in. This entire experience which he had just completed had been beyond anything he could have ever imagined. The very air of the Blessed Realm was intoxicating to a degree that surprised him. It smelled of life eternal and a sweetness wafted from the sea breeze that he had never before known.

His body would have been content to have stood there for millennia. Finally, here in Valinor he could take his time and why not? He contemplated for only a minute longer, however, when his mind came back to him. He couldn't stay here.

Celeborn ripped his gaze from the beauteous region, turning it to more productive matters. The others who had accompanied him on this journey, three of his finest men, including Haldir, were gaping at the sights around them.

"It seems we made it in one piece," Celeborn pronounced gaily, easily slipping back into normalcy despite the different environment. He was determined not to change himself in this new realm. The desire was partly in reverence to that ancient land he had left behind and partly out of habit.

Haldir chuckled, pulling his own eyes from the glorious environment. "So it seems, my lord… I mean, Celeborn," he corrected himself.

The other two ellyn also changed their attentions towards present needs. Celeborn supposed they wouldn't need any food for a journey to the nearest city... If they had cities here. He voiced his concerns. The reality that this was a whole new land with completely different cultural and life processes was going to be difficult to get used to. "I hope they have settlements here or we are in big trouble," he muttered, walking to the boat and climbing aboard to retrieve his pack.

"If not, how are we to find our families?" Hallel mused. "And where do they live?"

"I have read they spend days running with joy and freedom, being clad in nothing but the wind," Haldir offered.

Celeborn snorted at the mental image but chased the feelings away. He was still a married ellon after all.

Eloel, a younger elf who had been chosen to accompany Celeborn because of his remarkable courage and sharp eyes, spoke up dubiously. "We take off our clothes?!"

"No, you do not need to take off your clothes, Eloel," Celeborn interjected amusedly. This conversation was taking a previously unheeded turn and, though it was certainly interesting, it was off topic. "I think we will have very long to ponder these things once we have been reunited with our families." Celeborn reached out his awareness towards his beloved. He could at least get a decent direction with telepathy.

Meanwhile, the other ellyn boarded the vessel and removed their belongings, each talking and giving his best assumptions or guesses about this entire new world.

It did not take Celeborn long to feel the strong reassuring grasp of his wife's consciousness. She gave him comfort and strength. Her fëa was jubilant to sense him at last on the shores of the Blessed Realm and he found himself giving her a hefty dose of his own joy through their bond. He realised he was ginning when he finally let the touch fade to the back of his mind. They would head northwest towards the mountains and hopefully be reunited soon. He knew not how far exactly they must journey but whatever the length he was prepared. This was a trip that had been long delayed and the touch of his wife had ignited his desire once again. He was ready to see Galadriel again.

To be able to feel her golden tresses again… The thought of his fingers brushing through her beautiful locks or gently braiding her hair was enough to fill him with passion and the drive to journey forward. He had made it to land now he merely had to make it to the mountains –

Haldir's rich laugh brought Celeborn back to the present. "That is actually a very good idea," the veteran soldier was saying to Hallel.

"What, may I ask, is a good idea?" Celeborn asked turning his head to look at the three and cocking an eyebrow.

Eloel supressed a smile. "Oh, nothing, my lord."

"Ah, I see," Celeborn replied. He was content to let them have their private joke for now. "Well, do you three wish to know which direction we should begin heading or do you wish to make it out on your own?" It was a genuine question.

They all gave him the answer he had been expecting. "No, sir. We shall follow you until you have been reunited with the Lady Galadriel," Haldir spoke for all of them, a supposition proven correct when the other two nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, let us set out before the tide rolls in," Celeborn ordered, already taking the first steps in the direction he wanted to go. The trio trailed accordingly.

xXx

"Do you think we can drown in the Blessed Realm? Or do we automatically respawn?" The comment came out of the darkness from somewhere to Celeborn's left. It sounded like Hallel's voice, but could have been a tired Eloel.

Celeborn was so engrossed in trying to figure out who had said the words, however, that he realised he had not heard the entire question. "I'm sorry what?"

The four ellyn were laying on the sward out in the open. The sun had since fallen nearly two hours ago, and Ithil had risen to take her place. The moon seemed to shine brighter here than it did in Middle-earth.

"Do we drown here in Valinor or do we automatically respawn?"

Celeborn was fairly sure it was Hallel now. He pondered the question for a few breaths. It was an interesting question. He supposed they might automatically respawn in Mandos' Halls?

The next voice was certainly Eloel. "Why don't you jump into the lake and find out for sure?"

Celeborn supressed his laughter. He could hear Haldir doing likewise nearby. At least Haldir had an unmistakable accent.

"I seriously am wondering that right now." Hallel said thoughtfully. He did not take the opportunity to hit back.

"It is not unfathomable that we respawn… I find it harder to believe that we can breathe underwater…" Celeborn began.

"Aye, as do I," Haldir piped up through a smirk.

"I do wonder what exactly is possible here and what else is the same as back –" Eloel almost said the word home. "… In Middle-Earth," he finished.

Celeborn felt a different tone come to the conversation. There was silence among the group for some time. Whether they were contemplating the many different things that could now be possible in Valinor or whether they were thinking about the land they had left forever was not wholly known, but whatever the reason, a definite, sober air had fallen over the four.

"I suppose we will learn more the longer we stay here," Hallel offered.

Celeborn settled onto his back to gaze up at the stars. They were all the same as the ones he had looked upon many a time in Lothlórien and Doriath. It was a constant that he could look to for stability. He tutted. Out of all his long years of life, he had never needed stability in the way he was beginning to crave it now.

"Yes, you are right about that," Eloel spoke into Celeborn's thoughts. A distant mood laced the words. "I guess we had better sleep then so we can experience tomorrow."

A chorus of agreement sounded within the small camp. It had been a long trip getting here and each was tired and in need of rest.

A silence continued into the night till the ellyn drifted into sleep and the heavenly dreams of Irmo took them back to that ancient and war torn land of Middle-Earth.

This was going to be more than a physical journey.