AN: Well guys, this is it. The final story in The Silvan Elf. It has been quite a ride to get here, and I have a couple people to thank for this incredible journey. I know you want to read this story really badly, so I'll leave the Acknowledgements at the bottom. Now, it's time for the conclusion.
*It was a dream. In the dream, Tauriel had her severed hand back. The scars on her wrist weren't there, and she can feel herself floating. She heard laughter. Pleasant, cheerful laughter. What was this place? She couldn't come up with a good description in her head. Everything around her was…unexplainable. She can see white shores. She can hear the rush of clean, calm waters that moved in the tide. This couldn't be Middle-Earth. She felt more at peace then she has ever felt before…**
*"Tauriel."
Tauriel's eyes shot up open and she saw Barad staring down at her in concern.
"We are here," he announced. Tauriel blinked and realized she was lying on the ground. She tried to sit up, but a jarring pain in her belly kept her down.
"No, don't move. I think it's coming," Barad said.
"I have to see it—I have to see it, Barad," Tauriel begged.
"You will. You will, just let me move you," Barad urged. Tauriel allowed him to carry her and place her against one of the only trees standing in the foothill region.
"This place fronts the western slopes of the Misty Mountains," Barad explained. He pointed to the Misty Mountains lying ahead of them. "You can see them."
Despite the pain, Tauriel smiled. It was beautiful.
"Just where I want to be," Tauriel said. Her smile transformed into a gasp from a cutting pain in her side.
"Tauriel!" Barad cried out. With trembling fingers, he took hold of the piece of robe that was stuck to her skin and peeled back just a little to look at the damage. Tauriel watched his expression contort into one of disgust at the sight of her wound.
"I think the cut broke something inside," Tauriel commented.
"If we move further, we can find people who can…"
"No. Barad, I have to deliver the child. I have to see the fire-moon. Please," Tauriel begged.
"Tauriel, why are you willing to let your life go like this?" Barad cried.
"Because my work is almost done," Tauriel said. Then, she began to sing. It was the song that she sang with Alagos when they were inside the gem.
I go walking
Beyond the forest
Where the world falls away
And the white light
Of forever fills the air
Tauriel gasped in pain again, and she felt the child within her kicking and struggling.
"Barad…" Tauriel choked. Barad immediately bent down in front of Tauriel and got himself ready to help her. Tauriel got to work on pushing, shutting her eyes tight and making sure not to scream. She couldn't scream. She had to be strong. She had to be strong.
Then once she couldn't take it anymore, she screamed, shattering the silent evening air.
"It's alright, it's alright," Barad assured her over and over. Tauriel felt her life draining away from her fast. Her blood dripped down from the deep wounds and stained the grass. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
For the first time in a while, she thought about Legolas.
Wherever he was now, she hoped he was making a new life outside the Woodland Realm away from his father. He deserved better than to serve Thranduil.
Legolas, I'm so so sorry. I know you that you were fond of me. I'm so sorry.
She hoped that Legolas discovers his destiny of which Elbes had foreseen.
*After Tauriel's screams came the child's screams. Loud, desperate, hungry, and confused. She blinked several times to get the tears out of her eyes so that she can see her child.
"A girl," Barad said. Tauriel reached out for her daughter. She took it and cradled it in her arms, staring down at its beautiful eyes. The child had Goldberry's eyes staring back up at her with tears.
"Do not cry child. It's alright," Tauriel said, though she was weeping too.
"What is her name?" Barad asked. Tauriel hardly had to think about that. She knew what she was going to name her.
"Meleth. Her name is Meleth," Tauriel answered. Barad looked down at Tauriel's daughter with a grin.
It was then that Tauriel saw it.
First she noticed a light one of the likes of which she had never seen before surrounding her, the child, and Barad. It was the light of a fire-moon lighting the path by the mountain. She saw it floating over the mountain. A huge fire-moon with the colors of red and gold mixed together to produce a vibrant, brilliant light.
All her life, Tauriel loved the light of the stars, but this was something else entirely. She loved what she saw.
Barad followed her gaze and was in awe at the light of the moon as well. The sky had a peach color surrounding the moon to blend in with it. The moon almost looked like a weaker sun because of the colors and the light.
"It's beautiful," Barad said in a whisper.
For a couple more seconds, Tauriel was able to enjoy the light of the moon, but was then suddenly cut off by a violent fit of coughing. She quickly passed Meleth over to Barad's arms.
"Tauriel!" Barad hollered.
"It's alright. It's over. I go now to join my friends. They are waiting for me," Tauriel said.
"There is still time."
"No there is not," Tauriel insisted. She knew she only had a few more heartbeats left.
"Do you still have the stone?" Tauriel asked. Barad reached into a pocket of his robe and pulled out the rune-stone, of which the moonlight reflected beautifully off of. It made the runes seem to stand out, almost as if they were floating above the actual stone.
"Keep it. As a promise," Tauriel said, "look after her and take her to the fields of Lebennin. I trust you."
Barad was after all the only one left she can trust.**
*"I will. You have my word. Tauriel? Tauriel!" Barad cried out.
It was too late. Tauriel was gone.
Her eyes were gazing up at him without seeing. The remnant of color she had left in her skin faded away.
She was gone.
Barad felt fresh hot tears leave his eyes and spill down his cheeks. He sobbed out loud underneath the light of the fire-moon with Tauriel's body up against a tree in front of him. Meleth, unsure of how to respond, began sobbing along with him.
"Tauriel, oh Tauriel," Barad cried.**
*White shores. Beyond that was a green country under a swift sunrise that never went away. Tauriel could feel herself floating until her feet landed on the grass. Then she saw them. Meleth, Alagos and Niniel were all waiting for her with joyful laughter. Tauriel laughed as she embraced each of them, embracing Alagos the longest.
"Welcome, sister," Alagos said.
"Thank you brother," Tauriel replied. She looked around at the green fields around her. "It's good to be home."
It was the first time she truly felt at home.**
*A young Elven child ran through the fields of Lebennin, laughing along the way, feeling the flowers as she rushed past them. They felt gentle and silky across her fingertips.
Barad watched her run towards him to end up in his arms. He had been to the fields once before, just like he told Tauriel. What he never told her however, was that he was standing in the fields holding his father's hand. It was one of the only moments of peace between him and his father. At least that was a good memory of Alagos he can have. It was also the only time he ever felt at home. Today, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. The light of the sun made the white of the flowers look more intense, almost so intense even that it was overwhelming to look at them.
The gem may be back in Thranduil's possession, but Barad had a feeling that it won't remain that way forever. Meleth had a connection to the gem, the same way Tauriel did. She'll go get it back, in due time.
The child finally collapsed into his arms, laughing as she did. Barad laughed along with her and sighed. He thought about one of his first conversations with Tauriel.
"Meleth was a good friend to you, yes?" Barad had asked her.
"Her dream was to one day go to the fields of Lebbenin. She tells me they are filled with Mallos," Tauriel replied.
"It is. I have walked there. It is a beautiful place. I understand why Meleth would have wanted to go there."
Barad picked Meleth up and looked into her gorgeous green eyes. It felt as if Tauriel was staring back at him.
"Well done, Meleth. You made it to the fields," Barad said, playfully tapping Meleth's nose. The child giggled and squeezed her little eyes shut at the touch.
Barad looked around at the fields. The white flowers mingling close together made it look as though he was standing on a large white cloud.
A certain excitement he had not felt in a long time came spiraling up his throat. He was back in the fields. Here, he felt at home. He and Meleth can make themselves a home here.
"Well, I'm back," Barad said.**
Final AN: I would like to thank:
Gartabro, a Fanfiction author who was my 'continuity guide' while I was working on the first volume. Her aid in making sure I don't screw up the timeline and continuity helped me immensely.
Fictitious Fan for being my 'grammar editor' for the very first story. I love writing, but grammar can be my worst enemy. Thank you for helping me make the first story look fairly polished.
Elfin Maid, a Fanfiction author who has been a faithful reader and supporter since the beginning. Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement. A lot of my reasons for making it to the end of the series without stopping is because of your support. For the rest of you reading, check out her Tauriel fanfics. They're very well-written and entertaining. She knows how to write the character Tauriel.
He probably won't read this, but I have to thank Peter Jackson for bringing Tolkien's work to the big screen in such a phenomenal way. Without him, Tauriel wouldn't have existed and this series would not have been possible. Thank you Jackson for giving us an incredible film saga set in Middle-Earth and for bringing the world of Middle-Earth to life. Return of the King is my all-time favorite movie.
And last but not least, I have to thank the late J.R.R. Tolkien for creating the world of Middle-Earth in the first place. His works were a huge influence for this series, given the times when I brought in characters like Morgoth and Tom Bombadil and Goldberry into the picture and the places and the pieces of mythology included. He deserves so much of the credit for this. Thanks Tolkien!
I hope you guys really enjoyed reading this series as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's sad to know that it's over. When I first thought about writing a Middle-Earth fanfic, it sounded so intimidating to me because Middle-Earth is such a rich and complex world, but I'm glad that I gave it a shot. If there are any questions about the series you would like to ask me, please don't hesitate to ask, and I can set up a Q&A as the next 'chapter'. Also, if you have any requests for me to write a particular fanfic, send that to me also. For the time being, I'm working on an RWBY fanfic series called Team Ozpin in case you're interested. Thank you everyone for reading!