"She is braver than I had imagined I was wrong about that," I hear a voice say, although I still do not have the strength to open my eyes. I'm not sure how long it has been like this, but I know that it has been a day or more.
"You were wrong about everything," Legolas' voice is weary as he speaks and I want so desperately to open my eyes and comfort him.
"I was not wrong about her being mortal, she will perish Legolas, you cannot hope for happiness with her," I still cannot open my eyes but I can feel Legolas' frustration and the rush of air as he moves to stand and then another voice interrupts them both.
"Be calm Legolas," that is Gandalf's voice, Galadriel had said he would be coming but I had not thought it would be so soon.
"Gandalf," Thandril greets, tension audible in his voice. "There is more to the child than any of us could have known," he says now and a slight huff is all the sound I can hear from the king in response.
"What do you mean?" Legolas asks the wizard as his hand once again finds mine,
"You know yourself that for a long time we had wondered how she healed so quickly from her wounds and no mortal could have survived what she did in Mordor," the old man says calmly.
"But she is mortal," Thandril says although there is question in his voice also.
"No, I am not yet certain what she is, I will have to work that out with her once she awakens but she is not mortal, no mortal could survive what she has, nor wield the power she does,"
"When did you know?" Legolas asks now and I feel his fingers gripping mine more tightly as he does so.
"When she awoke at Helm's Deep after demonstrating her powers for the first time and spoke of the Lady Galadriel appearing to her," he explains and Legolas' grip on my hand is almost painful now.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asks,
"I did not know for sure, I still don't know what it means but I think she may now have a better idea of who she is although I doubt she understands it," and even though I cannot see him I can almost imagine the smile on his face as I hear him move to sit down.
"It matters not," Thandril says stubbornly and I hear Gandalf snort derisively at this.
"It is true then you really have lost all humanity that was remaining, as soon as she is well we will be travelling back to Gondor, Legolas too, you will live to regret your decisions today king Thandril, let us hope you make things right before it is too late," the old man says sternly and I do not hear the response as sleep once again claims me.
It is dark when I finally come back to myself and for the first time since I was taken to Mordor I don't awaken in a cold sweat, the images of my nightmares playing out before my eyes. Instead I sigh a little as I shift in my bed, turning my head as I sense movement and smile as I see Legolas beside me.
"Oh thank the Valar," he murmurs as he moves closer to me, laying beside me on the bed and pulling me gently into his arms.
"Hello," I whisper to him and he just holds me more tightly, "where is Gandalf?" I ask after a pause and he moves his head slightly to look at me, "I could hear you talking," I explain and it takes me a while to realise why this makes him tense and as I do I reach up a hand to his face, wincing slightly as it pulls on the wound in my shoulder. "It will be okay Legolas, it is as you said, we must just give him time and besides we have each other don't we? Nothing could be wrong if we are together could it?" I say suddenly apprehensive that he has changed his mind.
"Of course we do," he sighs after a moment leaning forward slightly to press his lips to mine.
"I love you," I whisper to him when we separate and the joy on his face as I say those words makes my heart do a funny little flip inside my chest.
"I love you too and we will work this all out," he promises, his voice full of sincerity as he holds my face gently in his hands. A knock on the door interrupts us as we sit up and Legolas calls out for them to come in and I smile as I see Gandalf shuffling through the door.
"It is good to see you awake child," he smiles and I beam back at him, gesturing for him to take a seat.
"I guess we have a lot to talk about," I say after we have all sat in silence for a while and he nods a more serious air suddenly descending on us.
"We do," he says gravely and I sigh a little as Legolas settles down beside me,
"What do you need to know?" I ask apprehension filling me despite my want to find out what is going on with me.
"I need to know everything about how you came to be here to start with," he replies and I take a breath not really understanding it but trusting him nonetheless.
"There isn't much to say really," I start, "It was a rainy morning and I was walking to work, daydreaming about a better life, a life here in Middle Earth because I had always escaped here in my dreams when life got to be too much. I was just crossing the road when I was hit, I felt my body lifted into the air, I felt the pain, I felt myself landing but when I woke up I was here," I finish looking up at them both. Legolas is holding my hand tightly in his own and Gandalf is looking seriously at me.
"And your gifts?" he asks now,
"I don't know," I reply honestly, "I was never able to do anything like that before, when Galadriel first spoke to me she said I had strength I did not know of and then… well you know what happened at Helms Deep and when I was in the forest here she appeared again she said that it was the last time I would see her, she said that I must find my power but I think… I think it is linked to Legolas and to the other members of the fellowship," I say confusion colouring my words and for a long time we sit in silence.
"May I check something?" Gandalf asks eventually and I nod, flinching slightly as he approaches me and pulls down my blankets to examine my ankle. "This marking," he says and Legolas lets out a strange sound and I look between them both in utter bewilderment.
"It's just a birthmark," I say almost laughing, "I've had it all my life, my mum used to say it was a sign from the devil that I was evil," I add, shuddering slightly at the memories as I gaze down at the small star shape marked on my right ankle.
"It is a mark from the Valar," Legolas murmurs eventually before sprinting out of the room leaving me in complete shock. For a long time Gandalf and I sit in silence as I try to work out what is going on, where the hell Legolas had sprinted off to?
"How can it be a mark from the Valar if they do not exist where I am from?" I ask quietly after a while but before he can answer Legolas is back with a book, it is written in elvish so I cannot understand what it says but I ask in shock as he lays it in front of me and I see a picture of a woman who looks terrifyingly like me, right down to the birthmark except for the fact that she had pointed ears. "What… I… what does it mean?" I ask in a strangled whisper.
"I am right aren't I?" Legolas asks Gandalf and I am surprised to note a desperate hope on his face. What the hell is going on?
"I believe it is," Gandalf smiles and the relief that I feel flood through Legolas just serves to confuse me all the more.
"Could somebody tell me what is going on here?" I ask in irritation,
"There is a prophecy Finley," Gandalf says and I gesture for him to continue, impatient to find out what is going on. "It speaks of an elleth who was sent away during the last age to another world where she would be safe until the day that she was brought back to help save Middle Earth from destruction," I can feel my face slacken in shock as I realise what they are saying.
"This is her," I say quietly pointing to the picture in the book and they both nod, "but that's not me," I laugh suddenly unable to comprehend what they are trying to say.
"You are the image of her Finley, right down to the mark the Valar gave you so that you would be recognised when you returned," Gandalf says calmly.
"But I am human, I don't have pointed ears, I'm not graceful or elf like," I explain and he chuckles which only serves to infuriate me further.
"Tell me, how does it feel when you are parted from Legolas?" he asks now and I stop short for a moment flushing at his question.
"Like I have been ripped apart and am only half alive," I respond in a whisper, wincing when I feel Legolas once again grip my fingers.
"Exactly," Gandalf exclaims as if that cleared up everything.
"Exactly what?" I say in frustration trying to ignore the smirk he sends my way and barely able to look at Legolas.
"When Elve's fall in love they bond in a way beyond that of mortal's when they are apart it causes physical pain," he says and I duck my head, of course I had known that, it was why I had pushed Legolas away, I didn't want him to hurt because of me but the knowledge that I had done so anyway tore at my heart a little.
"I'm sorry," I whisper glancing at Legolas and he smiles gently at me merely leaning forward to press a kiss to my temple. "But it still doesn't explain the fact that I don't have any other elf qualities," I say and Gandalf is quiet for a time.
"No. I believe that you were disguised to keep you hidden, what I do not yet know is how you have remained hidden without knowing it for as long as you have or why when you returned you haven't gained back your original features," he says standing suddenly.
"So… you're saying that… I… I really am an elf, somehow?" I ask barely able to believe what I am being told and he nods solemnly.
"I am, we leave for Gondor in the morning you should both rest, there are still many unanswered questions," he says before leaving.
"Tarien?" Legolas asks softly after we have sat in silence for a while, and I turn to gaze up at him.
"I'm… we really can… forever?" I ask and he nods, that brilliant smile once again lighting up his face and I smile in reply to him.
"Yes," he whispers as he captures my lips in a breathtaking kiss before we settle down to sleep. The only problem is that questions still plagued me, could any of it be true? If it was true why did I not have pointed ears? Why was I not skilled at… well anything? Why, if the prophecy said I was going to save Middle Earth, had Frodo been the one to save it not me? Why had I dreamt of more war and destruction? Why had a new orc army attacked Mirkwood? And if all of this was true, who were my parents? With these thoughts whirring around in my mind sleep was a long time coming as I lay in Legolas' arms listening to him breathing softly.