Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters and plot are Tolkien's. Go him. The song is by Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, and Annie Lennox. Go them.
A/N: Maybe it's just me and my obsessions, but after listening to "Into The West" a few times, I thought it paralleled the Celeborn/Galadriel thing, and I could totally picture him singing it to her. And since the Sindar are musically inclined and all, why not? ^_^
Also, I really, really wanted to translate the song into Sindar, but couldn't find the resources, so if anyone can help me out, I'd be very much obliged!!
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"Elladan and Elrohir should be back from Gondor in two weeks. I am leaving control of Imladris with Erestor until their return. Will you be remaining here?"
"No; I have lingered too long here already. I will be returning to Lothlórien when you leave tomorrow."
Elrond closed his eyes and nodded gravely. "Very well. And you are certain this is the choice you want to make?"
"Yes, it is. The war is over, but there is still much that remains to be done. Your time is now. My time has not yet come."
"You know she doesn't want to leave you behind," Elrond said quietly.
Celeborn sighed and rested his hands on the railing of the balcony overlooking the valley below, illuminated by the moonlight. "I know," he said. "I do not want to leave her, either."
"Then why not come with us?" Elrond asked. "Glorfindel is not leaving yet. He will go to Lórien if we ask it of him."
"I do not doubt Glorfindel's loyalty or his competence, but this is something I must do," Celeborn replied. "Galadriel… she has suffered much. I've felt her pain since the moment we met, and although some things in this world have brought her joy, that look of longing in her eyes has never gone away. She is the last of the Exiles, and she has delayed this return too long as it is. I will join her in Valinor when I can, but I cannot leave Middle-earth until I have done everything in my power to secure its future."
"I understand," Elrond said, and it was the truth. He, too, had a wife who had suffered much, and although he desperately wanted to go with her when she departed over the Sea, he knew he could not at that time.
A bittersweet smile crossed Celeborn's face, and he stood up straight. He was the taller of the two, but not by much. "I know you do," he said, placing a hand on his son-in-law's shoulder. "Do you remember what I told you when you married Celebrían?"
Elrond smiled. "How could I forget?" He remembered vividly how keen Celeborn had been on seeing Celebrían marry a king like Gil-galad or Thranduil, not a half-elf like him.
Celeborn chuckled softly. "I was not happy with her choice then, as you well know," he said. "And it was only through Galadriel's urging that I finally relented and gave her my consent to marry you. But now I can say with my whole heart that Celebrían could not have made a wiser decision, and few things in this world make me prouder than to call you my kinsman."
Tears glittered in Elrond's eyes, and then he did something he never had before: threw his arms around his father-in-law and hugged him as tightly as he could. Celeborn was a little surprised at first, but soon found himself returning the embrace.
They let go of each other, and Celeborn said, "Should I expect that when I do get to Valinor?"
Elrond laughed. "Yes. Be prepared."
Celeborn smiled. "I will," he said. Then he sighed, and his gaze rested briefly on the floor. "I know I should go to her, but I almost feel that if I do, it will only be harder to say good-bye."
"That is what I thought, too," said Elrond, "but then Glorfindel told me something that made me change my mind."
"And what was that?" Celeborn asked, looking up again.
"'Go to your wife before I find a stick and beat some sense into you,'" Elrond said.
He didn't need to be told twice.
He found her sitting on a stone bench in the garden under a tree. Her head was down, looking at her hands, which were resting in her lap. Her hair, golden as the sun, was hanging loose and prevented him from getting a good look at her face. Nenya, the Ring of Water, was on her finger, but it no longer shone. Its light, like hers, was fading.
She heard him coming and looked up. The reflection of the moon shone on her face in the wet trails left by tears. When she saw that it was him, she closed her eyes and looked away.
He sat down next to her, but did not speak for several minutes. Then he smiled and said, "Do you remember that trick we played on your brothers a few months after we met? They were bathing in the river, and then we-"
"Hid their clothes in the forest so they had to go looking for them naked?" she said, and laughed through her tears. "How could I forget? Finrod was so angry…"
"Yes, he was," Celeborn said. "But it was worth it."
"Oh, yes," she said, and nodded. "It certainly was. Or what about the time you went chasing the runaway horse, and when you finally got on it-"
"It threw me off and I broke my arm?" he finished. "Of course I do. And when we met… what did I call you?"
"An arrogant, heartless, power-hungry warg," she said. "But that was after I called you a boorish, insolent, mindless troll."
He chuckled. "There's nothing quite like being insulted by you."
She smiled, but it didn't last long. The grief quickly returned to her face, and the tears were not far behind. "It's been so long since we were apart, and I regretted every second of that time," she said. "What will it be like now?"
He could feel tears of his own stinging his eyes. He reached out to touch her face, and as he did, he noticed that his hand was trembling. "We will manage," he said. "We did before. We will now."
She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. He could feel the weariness in her body and knew she wouldn't last much longer in Middle-earth. What if she didn't have enough of her spirit left to survive the journey to the Grey Havens? The very thought nearly made his heart stop. She was strong – she had always been strong – but she was not invincible, and the world was taking its toll on her. She would not last like this, with her heart split in two; one half in Valinor, the home she ached to see again, and the other here with him in Middle-earth. Would the Blessed Realm save her? And if it didn't, what reason would he have to go on living?
He kissed her on the forehead, then began running his fingers through her hair, so unlike that of any other Elf in Middle-earth. Even his silver color was rare anymore. The colors were symbolic of the way they complimented each other: they were as night and day, the sun and the moon, Telperion and Laurelin. One could not exist without the other.
"How long do you expect you will remain?" Galadriel asked.
"As long as it takes," Celeborn replied. "My heart does not carry the burdens as yours does, and I do not need the healing that you do. Even with you, I would not be at peace in Valinor, knowing I was still needed here."
She knew how true that was. Lórien had suffered before when its leader left suddenly, and Celeborn loved the Golden Wood too much to allow that to happen again. She knew he loved her, too, and he would return to his first love once he was certain his second was safe.
"Rest, my love," he whispered. "You are weary."
She was, but every passing moment brought them closer to their separation. She wanted to spend every moment with him she possibly could.
He began to hum softly, something he hadn't done since Celebrían was small and they couldn't get her to fall asleep. A smile flickered on Galadriel's face. The Sindar had beautiful voices, and he was no exception. "Will you sing for me?" she asked. "It has been so long since you sang."
It had been a long time she asked him to sing. It had been a long time since he even felt the desire to sing. "What would you have me sing?"
"From your heart," she replied, reaching for the hand that was not in her hair and holding it in both of hers.
He hummed for a few more moments while he waited for words to come to him. And soon enough, they did.
Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You have come to journey's end
His voice was soft and deep, as strong as a mountain, and yet gentle as the brush of flower petals on her eyelids. It was comforting. So little could comfort her anymore.
Sleep now
Dream – of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across a distant shore
He stopped long enough to brush aside some of the tears on her face, then continued.
Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Neither his touch nor his words could slow her tears.
Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping
"Think of the Sea," he said. "Remember how much you loved living by the water?"
"Of course I do," she replied. "You were there."
"That's not the only reason," he said, and resumed singing.
What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
He kissed her again, this time on her tear-stained cheek.
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home
To her home. To Valinor. She would have been so much happier if she had only remained there. If she had avoided all the pain and suffering in this world.
If she had never met him.
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass
He closed his eyes in hopes to prevent a tear from falling, but it was too late.
Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time
She lifted her head and looked at him. "It's hopeless," she said. "We won't survive this. This is the end."
"Shh," he whispered, and pressed a finger to her lips.
Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again
"I will come to you," he promised. "If the world were to be unmade between now and then, I would still find you."
And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping
She closed her eyes, nodded, then let her head return to his shoulder again. "I know."
He smiled. Funny, how smiling had never been so painful before.
What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
His voice began to break, and he paused for a few moments to collect his emotions.
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home
"I love you."
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West
He could go on no more. His voice had failed him. But that did not matter. His voice would return in time.
He spent the next few moments studying his wife. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing and heart rate were slow and steady. If she wasn't asleep now, she would be soon.
Celeborn closed his eyes, too, and waited for sleep to come, and with it dreams of when they would meet again on the white shores of Valinor.