(AN: At last, we have come to the end. "Our fateful trip is done." I finished this listening to Annie Lennox's "Into the West." Enjoy)


Another Journey

Many glad days followed afterwards, during which the Ozians were permitted to join Elessar as he sat at court. The midsummer festival came, at which the King and Queen were wed, as well as the Lord and Lady of Ithilien. There was much dancing and feasting, and Elphaba and Fiyero could not part for all the gold in Erebor (or so Gimli said).

Glinda, meanwhile, was looking for the one who gave her the promise.

Legolas she found standing upon a wall of the city, looking listfully out into the west.

"You said you'd come find me when this was all over." she said, getting his attention.

"So I did." he replied. Though Glinda saw that there was something a little more serious about his tone.

"What becomes of us now?" she said, joining him as they looked out at the sunset. Though, due to the season, the sun would be up again in a few hours time.

"I believe Mithrandir...Gandalf...told you about the Elves love for the sea."

She nodded.

Legolas spoke slowly, as though he were remembering a great sorrow.

"You do not know what happened to us after he took you to Gondor, do you?"

She shook her head 'no.'

Legolas then began retelling to her everything that had happened after Gandalf had left with Glinda and Pippin. He told of the full account of the Paths of the Dead, and the terrors of the Vale of Erech, and how they routed the Corsair fleet with the Army of the Dead.

"After we rescued Pelargir from the men of Umbar," he said. "Elessar dismissed the Army of the Dead."

"Bad idea, I said." Gimli interrupted, approaching just in time to find a point he felt needed clarification. "I told 'em they were rather handy in a tight-spot, despite the fact they were dead."

"But even a King is bound to honor the Oath of ages past." Legolas said. "He released them as promised and they vanished into the darkness...to the Halls of Mandos."

Gimli sighed and walked off mumbling.

"Elessar then rallied the armies of Gondor and told them to set sail for Harlond, the portage near Minas Tirith. It was there that..."

"What?" Glinda asked.

"I heard the cry of sea-gulls."

She did not say anything, for she recalled what Gandalf had said.

"My heart shall no longer rest beneath the forest, for the sea calls me home."

"Will you go over to the Undying Lands?" she asked.

"Not yet." he said. "Gimli has asked that I stay with him until he is ready to depart. Then we shall go together, as friends."

"And what about us?"

"What does your heart tell you?"

Glinda thought on what he meant, and she could not believe what she was saying.

"That my place is with my friends, who came from my world."

"Then I must bid you farewell." He planted a kiss on her cheek, and she felt a slight flush arise where he had kissed her.

She was sad, though not the same kind of sad as before. She was more or less pouty that she couldn't get with the dreamy, handsome Elf-prince.

That was more of a correct feeling.

She had felt sadness before, in Mordor. And this feeling was anything but sad.


Many more days followed, and it was decided that, at last, the Hobbits would head home for the Shire. They were called to the Court of Elessar, where he bade them farewell and told them that they were always welcome in his lands. The Ozians then came in afterwards.

"My friends," the King began. "We have passed through many dangers and withstood many trials. You all have impressed me greatly. I would that you stay with us for a time, though I feel that you would wish to seek some way to return to your own world."

"Not Fiyero and I." Elphaba said. "We're outlawed there."

"I do miss home." Glinda said.

"Then we shall look for a way to send you home." Elessar then walked down off of the throne and stood before Glinda, the Mins Tirith-stone in his hand.

"Fear not." he said. "The Enemy is destroyed, he cannot look through the Ithil-stone. They are safe once again."

Glinda put her hands trembling on the palantir, expecting to feel pain or something once again.

But there was silence for a great while.

At length, she removed her hands and sighed. Opening her eyes, she noticed something new about Elessar.

The silver pendant that he wore about his neck often was different. It looked cracked, and the center-piece stone was green rather than silvery white.

"I saw an inland sea." she said. "There was a gate there."

"That is your road." Elessar said, returning to the throne.

"My lord," Elphaba said to Elessar a little awkwardly. "We, Fiyero and I, have something we'd like to announce."

He waved his hand to give them leave.

"Well," she began. "We're not going back to our home, but neither can we stay here. We've both decided that there are other places we could visit, and that is where we are going."

"We can have you outfitted for the journey at once." Elessar said.

"There is more." she added.

Once again, the King gave them permission.

"We," Elphaba said nervously, clenching Fiyero's hand tightly. "Well, uh, that is...to say...I...am, well..." She turned a shade of purple.

"She is with child." Gandalf revealed with a smile.


At last the day came when the Fellowship was at last to depart. The Halflings would make their way home with the procession that would bury Theoden in Rohan along with many of their friends and those who came for Elessar's coronation. The Ozians, meanwhile, would be going east, in search of the gate that sat upon the edge of the Sea of Rhun.

Elrond had brought over their old clothes from their world, which they received along with the new ones they had. Their old clothes which they wore into Mordor were so terribly ruined that they were little more than keepsakes. Elphaba had with her the Grimmerie alone, for the glass-phial fell when Barad-dur was broken. Glinda still wore upon her neck the token of Legolas, and Fiyero had been given the sword that Elessar used before he took up Anduril.

The Fellowship was arrayed together one last time, and the Ozians bade them farewell.

"Farewell, Calenwen." Gandalf said, embracing Elphaba.

"You never told me why you called me that name." she said.

"When I came back, I went to Lothlorien, and the Lady Galadriel told me." They both smiled and he laughed. She noticed that he laughed more easily than before.

She bowed before Elessar, who bade her raise her head high.

"You helped me realize that my place was here," he said. "For that, I am forever grateful."

Arwen nodded her head. "May the memory of Elfstone and Evenstar go with you, Calenwen."

Looking at the brooch upon Elessar's chest, she wondered if that green-stone had been there since before, or if it had been put there on her account.

Legolas gave a short bow, and Gimli matched that with an even lower bow that swept the floor with his beard.

She knelt down at Frodo's side.

"We owe you so much." she said. "How can I ever repay you?"

"You owe me nothing," Frodo said. "We all did this together."

Sam sang a little song, but then got embarrassed and hid his face. The younger Hobbits both almost tackled Elphaba with hugs.

"We'll surely miss you." Pippin said.

"Don't forget us, please." Merry added.

"I won't." Elphaba said.

This done, she waited as Fiyero and Glinda made their way down the line.

Farewells completed, the three then walked off into the distance, laden with their new gear, towards the now bright and snow-capped Ephel Duath.


They walked as far as Osgiliath, where they saw the Bridge had been repaired. This they walked over and came at last to the eastern side. They made the slow trek northward, along the river. Though the Mountains of Mordor had been cleansed, neither of them wanted to look back in memory of that horrible land anymore.

They passed the Morannon without even so much as a sideways glance, and at last found themselves on the edge of the Dead Marshes. While they were musing as their next course of action, Elphaba saw a black shape on the horizon. A loud neigh rent the still air of the Marshes and a black horse rode towards them.

"Nessa!" Elphaba cried. The horse that Fiyero had let free in Ithilien had wandered into the Dagorlad plains, where it roamed free and unharmed, evading what enemies came that way. At last, upon smelling the scent of her master, she came at last to the reunion.

"Look, Elphie." Glinda said. "Nessa's come back to you."

Elphaba was teary-eyed, for she knew what Glinda meant by this, and wished that it were so.

"So," Fiyero suddenly said. "Which way do we go now?"

Glinda hopped onto the horse behind Elphaba and pointed north-east.

The four figures vanished into the barren plains of the Dagorlad, making their way ever towards the Sea of Rhun.

The war was over, another journey had begun.


(At last, it is done! I would like to thank LittleGreenFae for giving me permission to complete the tale. I felt it was epic enough, and I hope you enjoyed it too. There is the possibility of a sequel, though if I do make one, it won't be in Middle-Earth. I want to know if you loved this enough, and I might make a sequel. This is my longest fan-fiction to date. Review, tell me what you think of it, etc.)