The Last Goodbye
A small wooden ship patiently floated beside a dock. Its sails were hoisted and the white canvas was painted in golden hues as the setting sun beamed over every surface. The brilliant light saturated the lands in glorious color and any item lacking in vibrant tones now found themselves heavily painted. The water of the Anduin River was perfectly still and the only disturbance found was that of a an occasional fish jumping from the water to prey upon insects. The gently flowing river looked to be inky black in the dwindling light, but the distant surfaces reflected the orange and pink glowing sky, making the horizon seem larger and closer than it actually was.
Legolas stood at the end of a dock, taking in the sight with watery eyes. The lands gave him a picturesque farewell, but despite the beauty of the landscape, his heart found no real joy.
This was it. Everything in these lands had finally come to a close for him.
He knew this day would come, but somehow he thought it would not be for many long years yet - more so as an idea rather than fate. But now he found the passage of time crept up on him and he reflected briefly over the hundreds of years he lived in these lands. His memories were bittersweet and the elf fought to breathe smoothly around the lump that formed ice in this throat.
He was able to keep to his promise to his best friend - his brother - and for that he was glad. When the War of the Ring had ended and a large following of elves left the shores of Middle Earth forever, Legolas vowed he would not go, nor abandon his human brother. He would remain by Aragorn's side as a loyal sibling should despite the hardships it would cause in his own heart to stay back.
But to offer Aragorn that reassurance was well worth it.
Legolas remembered the raw heartache found in Aragorn's eyes when his foster family left. The elf lord that took Aragorn in as his own son could no longer dwell in these lands knowing his only daughter would never return home due to her union with a mortal.
A mortal that Elrond raised.
Elrond was happy that the two found love and accepted the fact that he could not control Arwen's heart, but the Lord of Imladris could not stand to see the effect of time play out over his once immortal little girl. The only family Aragorn ever knew, suddenly shattered. He would never see his Ada again.
Elladan and Elrohir did their best by their sister and adopted brother. They remained on after their father left and took over lordship of Rivendell, but knowing that there would be an end one day to both Aragorn and Arwen, they departed so they would not have to witness their deaths, leaving them forever in their minds as healthy, happy individuals.
It seemed that the departure of the elven twins marked a new time, for the race of elves did not last much longer than that.
Within a few years, the once proud elven realms closed down forever and its occupants left the shores. The need to sail spread through the lands like a wildfire and soon it consumed Ithilien. One by one the elves gave in without much resistance and started to venture home. All of Legolas' friends, old and new alike, took to the sea to follow the urge deep within their hearts.
Legolas understood and bid each of them a safe passage.
Soon, Legolas found himself to be the only elf left in Middle Earth with the exception of a permanent elven resident, the Queen of Gondor. But still, Legolas resisted the tantalizing call of the sea to fulfill his promise.
The ship that was tethered to the dock pulled at the ropes that were anchored to the metal cleats and the twisted hemp squeaked when pulled taught, bringing Legolas back to the present and to moment that he was not prepared for. Despite his success in keeping his promise, the elf was miserable.
He found he was no longer bound to his promise. It was a blessing and a curse for he was free to make his long awaited journey home, but Aragorn had passed. The grief inside the regal elf was hard to carry and as he looked over the lands he was born to, the tears he had been restraining broke free silently.
The dock erupted into a timpani of steady noises behind the elf, but he did not turn to face the familiar sound. The falling of feet shuffled along the splintering wood and a clean clap of metal hitting wood carried easily out over the watery expanse.
"Laddie?" a gruff voice called out hesitantly while a stout dwarf took in the sight of the elf that stood at the end of the dock. The lithe being brought a hand to his face, quickly wiping away the tears and he took a deep breath to gain his composure. Legolas turned to face the old dwarf.
Even Gimli could not escape the effect of time and he looked far different from the dwarf warrior that he was over one hundred years ago. His thick wiry red hair had turned white and his long beard matched. He used his ax as a walking stick to help keep him steady as he moved slowly forward.
Legolas tried to smile to his old friend, but the gesture looked to be no more than a thin line stretched across his face. He could not smile. His red rimmed eyes were burning once again and his sights went blurry as tears welled up suddenly. He looked back out over the water, trying to hide his emotions, but it was proving to be harder to suppress them this time.
Gimli walked up to stand beside the elf and reached out. He placed hand on the elf's back just below the shoulder blades and gave him a few compassionate pats. He knew what the elf was facing right now. While Aragorn's passing was hard for both of them, Gimli understood death and had a better idea of what to expect. But the immortal elf was struggling with it and he had been for days. Tears streaked the archer's flawless ivory cheeks and Gimli did not know what to say to the elf that would offer any amount of comfort. Sometimes words did not need to be spoken and perhaps this was one of those times. The dwarf kept silent and added a few more pats, letting Legolas know he was there for him and he understood the elf's plight.
The two old friends stood there a while watching for the last time the way the landscape embraced them. The sunset was darkening. It sought out the horizon and the few clouds in the sky began to burn in neon pinks against a dark backdrop of deep purple. The first star appeared in the sky and twinkled overhead merrily.
"Are you ready?" the elf's voice was rough from his emotions, but they were decipherable despite its low volume. He cleared his throat lightly as he waited for Gimli to respond.
"Only if you are Lad."
The elf looked across the river to the forests that were humming with the awakening of the nightly creatures singing their songs. He clenched his jaw to ward off a new swell of emotions.
Gimli was watching the elf closely, but Legolas nodded once. He could not do this anymore. He was ready.
Gimli made for the ship and stiffly bent to grasp the rope. He pulled lightly and the ship obediently made its way over to the dock so it could be easily boarded. He reached a foot out to the deck, but the gap between the ship and dock was still far too great and he did not feel confident to make it on his own. In his younger days he would have had the strength to jump the small expanse, but age taught Gimli to be reserved in his actions now. The last thing he wanted to do was fall into the river, especially at this difficult and significant time. He waited.
He looked back to the elf who's head was bent. Legolas pulled a hand to his heart then swept it out in front of him, an elven gesture of farewell. The elf did not speak, but it was obvious he was saying his final goodbye to Middle Earth.
The crestfallen prince reluctantly turned away from the end of the dock to meet up with Gimli. He found the dwarf watching him worriedly and the elf dropped his eyes.
Legolas was a pitiful sight. The dwarf thought fast to think of a way to make light of the situation and spoke softly hoping to see a smile break across the prince's face. This was supposed to be a happy time for the elf.
"I… cannot make the distance..." Gimli explained vaguely and pointed to the ship. He hoped Legolas would know what would be said next, but the elf barely reacted to the words so Gimli forged on. "You'll have to toss me."
The elf's head snapped up and his haunted blue eyes locked on to Gimli's. He was instantly taken back to the last time those words were spoken, but rather than find humor in it as was their intent, the look of forlorn loss and worry depend on the elf's face.
Memories…
Legolas spoke quickly though. He did not want to harp over this. He did his best to put up a facade that hid his broken heart.
"I thought no one tosses a dwarf." the elf nearly whispered as his words were choking up despite the humorous conversation. This just did not feel right. Another tear left his eyes without his consent and he looked off to try and remove any trace of it.
"How else will I get on board? Eehh?" Gimli ignored the elf's emotions. He did not want to call attention to it for the elf was doing his best to to remain stoic. Only time would halt these episodes and Gimli knew there would be plenty of it in Valinor. The rhetorical question went unanswered by the elf and he refused to look at Gimli until he harnessed his composure once more.
Gimli reached out and gripped Legolas' forearm with a comforting squeeze. "Legolas... it's alright." his thickly accented voice was warm as he tried to offer the grieving elf reassurance.
Again Legolas just nodded for he knew his words would fail him.
The elf pushed his sights to the sky and he blinked rapidly, wiping his eyes one more time then set his determination sternly with a sharp exhale. He pulled the boat to the dock and straddled the expanse, one foot on the pier, the other on the ship's deck. He extended his hand to the dwarf who took it in a strong grasp and Legolas helped guide the stiff stout form onto the ship.
Gimli walked cautiously on the newly built boat, but marveled over precise craftsmanship the elf was able to maintain as he threw the vessel together.
"Not bad. You did well Laddie." Gimli commented and walked to the far railing to peer off at the different view.
Legolas said nothing. He pulled himself back to the deck and removed the ropes from the cleats to set the ship free. When the last rope was cast over the wooden banister of the vessel, he gave pause and looked one last time to the shoreline he would never set foot on again.
His voice was hoarse and it took effort to whisper even a single sound, but he offered his last word to his old home and to all he held dear.
"Namàrië." (Farewell)
Tears streamed down his face once more but he made no attempt to conceal them this time. He turned to the ship and griped the banister. He pushed off from the pier to set the ship in motion and with little effort, the elf jumped to the deck. The wind made a gentle pass and tugged at the canvas sails that now started to glow softly in the increasing moonlight.
The elf kept his weeping eyes fixated to the west, but his chin was held high and his shoulders were proudly set.
He had said his last goodbye, now it was time to return home.