A/N: I'm so excited to finish this story up! Mainly because now we're getting into the scenes that I've been DYING to write ever since this story was brought into existence. I'm hoping that I'll have enough time to finish this by 2012, but...no promises. I've got a busy week ahead of me. I will try, though! Once again, thank you so much to all who have read/faved/watched/reviewed! Happy reading! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing but Íverin, the three movies on DVD, and all 4 books. Sadly...T^T

Our small group stood in the middle of the Great Hall of Minas Tirith, listening intently as Gandalf spoke. It had been three days since the Battle of the Pelennor, but the men were not satisfied with the victory. And to be honest, neither was I.

"Frodo has passed beyond my sight," the wise wizard said solemnly. I could see how worried he was for the young hobbit. "The darkness is deepening."

Aragorn was a bit more positive. "If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it."

"It's only a matter of time. He's suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor, our enemy is regrouping."

I sighed as I stood next to Legolas and Éomer. "This is true. One victory is not enough. Sauron may be hiding away in Mordor at the moment, but he is not at rest. He never will be."

"Let him stay there. Let him rot! Why should we care?" Gimli piped up as he smoked on his long pipe.

"Because ten thousand Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom," Gandalf replied. That was also something to think about. There was no possible way for two tiny hobbits, more than likely starving and weak, to get all the way across Mordor without being discovered.

Gandalf looked out into the distance sadly. "...I've sent him to his death."

"Gandalf," I said. He turned to look at me, and I offered him a small smile. "There is always hope. As long as the Ring is not in Sauron's hands, there is still hope. We have come so far; to give up now would be folly."

"She's right," Aragorn said. "There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time, and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that."

"How?" Gimli asked.

I smiled. My cousin already had a plan. "Draw out Sauron's armies," Aragorn continued. "Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate." Gimli choked on the smoke from his pipe and coughed loudly in shock.

Now Éomer stepped forward. "We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms."

"Not for ourselves," Aragorn said, "but we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's eye fixed upon us." He looked over at Gandalf. "Keep him blind to all else that moves."

"A diversion," Legolas said. I smiled. It was brilliant.

Gimli was smiling knowingly, too. "Certainty of death! Small chance of success!...What are we waitin' for?"

But Gandalf was still indecisive. "Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait."

"No, I think he will," Aragorn smirked.

"Why wouldn't he?" I said. "What kind of Dark Lord would he be to refuse such an easy win?" Aragorn looked over, and his smile widened.

"Then it's settled! We leave in the mornin', no complaints or questions!" Gimli exclaimed, hopping up from his seat and striding off to prepare.

The rest of us looked at Gandalf, awaiting his final decision. Finally, the old wizard sighed, and when he looked back at me, I saw a familiar gleam in his eye. "I suppose there's not much else we can do, is there?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

I stood in my room in the dim light of the early morning, dressing myself for the day's journey. As I slung my quiver over my back, I heard the door creak open slightly, and looked up to see Legolas walk in. He came up beside me, and we stood there for a moment, saying nothing.

After awhile, he said, "And you really mean to go through with this?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you just got shot a few days ago. I doubt fighting fiercely through a huge army of Orcs and other horrible monstrous things is good for a wound like that."

I scoffed. "Oh, please. You know I would never sit out on something like this." I reached for my dagger ans strapped it to my belt.

He chuckled. "Yes, I do know that. But...you do realize that this will, most likely, be the end of us?"

I stopped as I grabbed my sword and looked up at him. Quite honestly, I hadn't thought too much about that. Were the odds really against us that much? The outlook did, indeed, seem very bleak.

After a moment, I smiled and put my hands on his shoulders. "Legolas...to me, it matters not whether I am fighting ten thousand Orcs alone, or slaying a single Uruk-Hai with three hundred men by my side. I will never stop defending those I love."

Legolas smiled. "And neither will I. Especially if one of those loved ones is you." He kissed me gently.

I laughed a bit and gave him a hug. "And if this is to be our end," I whispered, "then it was one of the best endings I could've ever asked for."

Suddenly, there came a knock at my door. "Lady Íverin! It is time to leave!" came the shout of a Gondorian soldier.

"I'm on my way out!" I shouted back. Reaching again for my sword, and slinging my bow over my back, I cast a confident smile at Legolas. "Let's go kill some Orc."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

As our great company of Rohirric and Gondorian men, along with Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, the two hobbits, and myself, rode out from Minas Tirith, I couldn't help but cast one last longing glance at the glittering city behind us. "I will return someday," I said quietly.

"What's that, Íverin?" Pippin asked from beside me. He was sitting in front of Gandalf, who proudly led our troops on Shadowfax.

I looked down at my friend and smiled. "Nothing, Pippin." I lifted my head to see the evil horizon before us.

Pippin was looking at it, too. "Do you think this is worth it, Íverin? Throwing our lives away so carelessly?"

I frowned. "You're just as bad as the rest of the men."

"Sorry, I don't mean to be. But it's just...what if this is all for nothing, you know? What if Frodo's already dead? What if the Quest has already failed, and we just don't know it yet?"

I took a deep breath and thought about that. "...Then we will ride to Mordor with our heads held high, and fight for all that we love, even if it is certain to bring us death." I looked back at Pippin. "Besides, I would rather die with dignity and honor of such a glorious battle, then sit back in the palace, waiting for the Darkness to come and devour me while the rest of my friends go into battle."

Pippin smiled. "I would too. Even if it brings us death."

"Even if," I said. We laughed, enjoying what could very possibly be the last peaceful days of our lives. Or the last days of our lives, for that matter.

"Now now, dear friends, do not despair just yet," Gandalf said to us. "There's still one last treat I have in store for you. And I think you're all going to love it. Especially you and Legolas, Íverin."

I looked over at the old wizard. "Now what are you up to?"

He glanced at me with that mischievous gleam in his eye and looked forward again. "All in good time, my dear. All in good time."

And what a wonderful treat it was. For two days later, on the twenty-second of March, I laid eyes on what could easily be the most beautiful land I'd ever seen. I gasped upon our arrival. Our group of travelers came to the top of a large hill, and in the valley below was...I couldn't even describe it properly. A vast expanse of gorgeous trees, flowers, and other plants of every kind. Bubbling streams that branched out from the Anduin cut through the forest, and bright sunlight shone down on the place, casting a heavenly glow about it. I heard the calls of wild birds and animals that I had never heard before.

I looked over at Gandalf as we began our descent. "What is this place?"

He smiled. "Ithilien. The fairest land in the south. And our place of residence for the next two days."

Now I looked at Legolas, who rode beside me, looking just as mesmerized in the forests as I was. "If my father could see this..."

I nodded. "Never before have I seen such a fair land. It might even be better than Rivendell."

Naturally, Legolas and I took off together as soon as we had our tent set up, and spent the remainder of our free time relaxing and enjoying the comfort of the woods. The land was even better that it had looked from afar. I could see why it was called "the fairest of the south." It was like heaven. We immersed ourselves in the light, the laughter, the love of the trees. For quite awhile, we would simply stroll through the woods and talk to the trees together, or lay on our backs in a clearing and stare at the clouds as birds flew overhead.

After hours of spending time together and having fun, I sighed and watched a cloud shaped like a lily float in the sky. "I could live here for the rest of my life."

"I do not think I could abandon my home in Mirkwood so easily, but if ever I was to live anywhere else, it would be here. This is a wonderful realm. Could you imagine what it would be like if other elves lived here?"

I nodded. "That would be amazing." With a smile, I looked over at him. "Perhaps we should move here if we make it out if this mess alive and start a kingdom."

He laughed a bit. "That in itself would be an adventure." I laughed with him. After we stopped laughing, he reached out a plucked a beautiful indigo flower from the grass, and gently placed it in my hair. "You look beautiful."

I smiled and kissed him. "I love you, nîn herma. I would not trade anything in the world for you. Don't you ever forget that."

He wrapped his arm around me. "I never will, Cala. Ever."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that night, I emerged from my tent, shaken once again. I'd just had another nightmare. Moving quickly, I made my way to Gandalf's tent. Sticking my head in, I noticed that to old wizard was still sitting upright in his bed, looking down at his hands. "Gandalf?"

He looked up and smiled warmly at me. "Ah, Íverin. What can I do for you?"

I sat down in front of him. "It happened again. Another nightmare."

His expression turned grave. "So soon? Tell me everything."

"Well, this time, I couldn't really do anything. I was just...watching as it all happened, almost like a vision. I saw Frodo...he was lying on the ground in some sort of tower, and he looked dead. But then he opened his eyes, and he looked horrified. He wore no clothes, except for his pants, and his hands and feet were bound. Then an Orc came up behind him, and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up. He said 'You should've learned your place long ago. Halflings belong in the Shire, not in Mordor. Especially ones who carry such great treasures.'" Tears came to my eyes as I spoke. "Then the Orc, he...he dropped Frodo on the ground, and held a blade to his neck. The last thing I saw was blood running down his chest, and I heard him scream, and...then the vision was over. I was so scared, Gandalf. I thought they'd killed him and found the Ring. Then Sauron himself appeared right in front of me, and in his physical form, too. Not as the Eye. He said to me 'Now do you see? I told you that it was worthless, trying to defeat me. Your friend is dead. There is nothing for you here. Join me now...or die.'"

I sighed as I finished my tale. "That was it. After that, I woke up, and came here."

Gandalf looked at me again with worry. "Did you tell him anything?"

"No. I said nothing, except occasionally begging him to stop hurting Frodo." I paused for a moment. "Do you...do you think that Sauron was telling the truth? Do you think they really did capture and kill him?"

"I do not know, Íverin. At this point, all we can do is pray that Frodo has not been discovered."

"And...we are still marching on the Morannon, correct?"

"Of course. We can't turn back now," he sighed.

I looked at Gandalf sadly. He seemed to have a heavy heart more and more these days. The darkness that flowed out of Mordor was weakening even him. "Gandalf...do not despair. There is still hope, even if it is not much. Just remember: things could always be worse."

He looked up with curiosity. "Might I ask how?"

I shrugged. "We could all be captured and in the process of being tortured by Sauron himself at this very moment. But we are not. Not yet. We've still got the strength and freedom to fight against him, even if the chances of victory are slim."

Gandalf finally smiled again. "Thank you, Íverin. For giving me hope."

"Not a problem, Gandalf." I gave the elderly wizard a hug.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Our final day in Ithilien was amazing. Legolas and I spent the entire morning exploring the forest even more, finding beautiful streams, rolling hills, and other areas of land that were seemingly perfect. When at last the time came to leave the beautiful woodland realm behind, my heart grew heavy. As I sat in my tent, finishing the packing for the remainder of our trip to the Black Gate, I noticed the Stone of Hope lying in the grass next to my bed. I took it in my hands, and watched as the original black color of the stone faded away to reveal a picture of Aragorn chasing me through the fields, a memory back from when we were much younger. After a moment, that picture gave way to another image, this one an image of Legolas and I standing next to each other, holding hands, as we watched the beautiful blood-red sunrise that we had seen in Rohan almost two months ago. I smiled to myself as I heard the words of Galadriel in my head. "And do not despair, for you have others to comfort you. They will need you to be the light in their hour of darkness before the end."

With the sadness lifted from my heart, I placed the magical stone into my bag. "I will be the light."

Not a moment later, Aragorn stuck his head inside my tent. "Are you soon ready to depart, Íverin?"

I turned to him and smiled. "Yes, I am. When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning. I suggest you get plenty of rest, for Gandalf says that we ride hard tomorrow."

"I will, Aragorn. Don't worry." Rising from my spot on the ground, I strode outside and took a quiet walk by myself in the woods for the last time. Softly, I sang a few songs of my childhood, songs of peace, happiness, and love.

At one point I arrived at the top of a very large hill which overlooked the majority of Ithilien, almost like a small mountain. I looked down upon our campsite, the white canvas tents dotting the grass underneath the trees. Then I looked east, and saw the outline of the borders of Mordor, with Mount Doom flaming red in the distance. Turning north, I saw a vast expanse of green, which I knew was Mirkwood, and an area of jagged white rocky hills, the Emyn Muil. Facing west, I saw the realm of Gondor, and a small part of Rohan, and the Great River, which I followed with my eyes, winding all the way down to the sea. I sighed. Somewhere out there, in Middle-Earth, was my destiny. And I had all the time in the world to discover it. In this journey, I had already traveled across half of the world out there, and if I did not find it here, on this adventure, then the choice would be up to me. Where would I go? I did not know yet. But I had a feeling I would find out. Someday.

As the sun began to set over the western horizon, bathing the sky in glows of pink, orange, purple, and blue, I smiled and headed back towards the camp, ready for the last part of the Quest that I had joined several months ago. As I walked, I sang a familiar song, one that Bilbo had taught me long ago, when I had first met him.

"The Road goes ever on and on

down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

pursuing it with eager feet,

until it joins some larger way

where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say."