Chapter 25: Epilogue
Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.
A/N: Okay, this is it. The final chapter. Enjoy!
Shout-Outs…FROM THE PAST!:
Star-Stallion: Of course you can't get rid of fanfiction. Can you? Well, we'll see. Hope this chapter sheds a little light on the situation for you.
Julia: OMG! If you send me Daniel Jackson, you will officially be my new best friend. And if not, well, it doesn't matter if you do it or not. I like you anyway. Yes, I actually got an image in my mind of Elladan kicking dirt at Haldir's shoes and shouting. It was very amusing, to say the least. But somewhat disturbing. And you liked the rings? It was originally going to be a mithril circlet with a sapphire to hold Elizabeth's veil in place. But I liked the idea of the rings better.
LadyDeb: I thought of you when I put in that bit about that hair. I was hoping you'd like it. And, yes, it was bittersweet. But, like you said, most goodbyes usually are. I'm glad you seem to be so touched by it.
Dreamstrifer: I think you may be right. I can't think of anyone outside my family who actually knows who Bruce Campbell is. I need more friends like you. I'm so glad you liked my portrayal of you, er, I mean the portrayal of the girl bearing an uncanny resemblance to you. And I have a special treat for you.
Pippin, Merry, and Sam are singing while Aragorn, Faramir and Legolas dance behind them. Well, Faramir and Aragorn are dancing. Legolas just looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.
P,M, and S (giggle. I never noticed what that spelled before): 'You and I will settle down in a cottage built for twoooo-oooooh...
Aragorn: DEAR!
M, P, and S: little Buttercup!
Faramir: SWEET!
S, P, and M: little Buttercup!
Legolas (in monotone with arms crossed, looking thoroughly embarrassed): My little Buttercup.
All (singing): I love you!
SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT: To everyone who has ever reviewed this story and to everyone who has not reviewed, but only read it, I give you huge thanks. Not one flame on this story at all! And the rest of you have made me feel that, if I ever did get a flame, you would jump to my defense in a heartbeat. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed writing this story and I hope that, just because it's ending, doesn't mean you'll quit reading my stories. I'll write others. All of you are wonderful! Hannon le, my friends. Namaarie!
Love, Tierney Beckett aka Melanie
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;The Gardens of Minas Tirith
Arwen wandered about the gardens listlessly. She was, as the present world would put it, in a funk. Nothing really excited her these days. How long had it been since anything remotely interesting had happened in the walls of this city? The queen honestly couldn't remember. Estel was no help. He was always busy with some sort of council or greeting ambassadors from foreign lands. Arwen had hardly seen him for the past three days, actually.
She sat down on the rim of a nearby stone fountain and made trails through the water with her finger. If she had been paying more attention, she certainly would have noticed that someone coming towards her. When someone tapped her on the shoulder, she was startled and therefore knocked off balance. Her 'posterior' slipped straight into the clear, cold water of the fountain. Arwen looked down in shock and then started to laugh.
"Oh, Arwen! Arwen, I'm so sorry," Eowyn exclaimed as she took her friend's hand and pulled her upright. Arwen merely shook her head.
"Do not apologize, Eowyn. At least it brought a little excitement to the day," she replied, fanning her dress a little in the hopes that the circulating air would dry it a little quicker. "Come. I suppose I shall have to change. If this were just a regular day, I daresay I would much rather stay out here and let the wind dry it."
"Is this not a regular day?" inquired Eowyn, as the two made their way to Arwen's chambers. Arwen shook her head.
"No," Arwen sighed. "I am to meet with the wives of the Easterlings who have come here for a visit. Estel is entertaining the men so it falls to me, of course, to be with the women. And I do dread it."
"I could come with you, if you like," her friend offered. Arwen brightened instantly.
"Would you, Eowyn? I would be forever in your debt. These things can be so tedious at times."
"It seems that everything is tedious these days," said Eowyn as they entered Arwen's room. Arwen quickly selected a gown and disappeared into the dressing room. Through the thin door, they continued their conversation.
"You feel it as well?" Arwen asked. She heard Eowyn sigh.
"I hate to sound childish, Arwen, but things have become so boring lately. Every day brings the same thing. There is nothing new to look forward to. And sometimes I get the feeling that Faramir has forgotten I even exist."
"Faramir too?" said Arwen, emerging from the dressing room in a clean, dry gown.
"Do you mean Aragorn has been the same?"
"Yes."
Both women stared at each other for a little while before Arwen finally spoke up.
"Eowyn, I hate to even think this..."
"Do you think...?"
"I suppose it is possible..."
"But this was supposed to solve..."
"Yes, I know. Perhaps we were..."
"No. Don't say it. Arwen, don't..."
"...wrong."
Eowyn closed her eyes. Now that it was out in the open, there was no ignoring it. It had been two months since the breaking of the Fanfiction Fellowship. Anyone with half a wit could do the simple math and figure out that two months ago was when things had begun to be...well...boring for lack of a better word.
"It simply can't be," Eowyn breathed, collapsing into a strategically placed chair.
"I am afraid it is," Arwen bit her lip, just as reluctant to admit the truth as Eowyn. But it was hard to ignore facts. "I know I can be stubborn, Eowyn, but I can also admit when I am wrong. And I think I carried things a bit too far. Perhaps, instead of demanding that they stop writing fanfiction altogether, we should have made a bit more reasonable request. Not writing so much fanfiction or maybe we should have asked them to just keep each other in check, consider how we would feel about what they were writing. I really think I have made a mistake, Eowyn."
The shield maiden was silent. She wanted to argue with Arwen, but she couldn't. After all, she had begun to feel the same way about two or three weeks ago.
"We will have to do something about it."
"What? What can we do about it?" Eowyn asked, exasperated with the situation.
Arwen nibbled on the tip of her pinky finger, a habit she had picked up from Evelyn O'Connell, as she thought.
"I do not know," she finally said. "But I know someone who does. First things first, however, Eowyn. We have to attend a meeting of politics with women from the East. Tonight, I will find out what we can do. Meet me tomorrow morning by the fountain you pushed me into earlier."
"Arwen! I did not push you!" cried Eowyn, aghast that Arwen would think such a thing.
"Of course you did not, mellon nin," Arwen said in a patronizing tone. She patted Eowyn on the cheek, an action which never failed to irritate the Lady of Ithilien, and swept out of the room. Eowyn rolled her eyes and followed in a huff.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''That Night
Arwen tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The sound of Aragorn's snoring pierced the darkness and Arwen sent a glare in that general direction. Aragorn never snored before...
But that line of thought would get her nowhere. Arwen had already realized that her plan had backfired. Giving up on sleep, she felt her way through the darkness to the doors that led onto the balcony. When her hand landed on a knob, she heaved a sigh of relief and opened the door, stepping out in to the moonlight. The sky was so clear, so illuminated with stars that she was afraid the light would wake her husband. She quietly closed the door and made her way over to the railing.
Looking down over the city of Minas Tirith, she sighed. The only way she knew to fix this problem would be to speak with her grandmother. Or at least her mother. But, unfortunately, she had only been able to do that in dreams. And, thanks to Aragorn, it didn't look as if she would be getting sleep any time soon.
"Are you so certain, daughter of Celebrian, that your grandmother is the only one who can help you?"
Arwen whirled around at the sound of the voice behind her and came face to face with a maiden. A maiden more beautiful than any Arwen had ever seen before. An ethereal light shone from her that comforted Arwen. Somehow, she knew exactly who the maiden was.
"Luthien," she breathed. The maid nodded slightly.
"Yes, I am Luthien. I have been watching you, Arwen Undomiel. It seems to me that you have gotten yourself into something of a mess."
"So I was wrong to stop fanfiction, then," Arwen said, her suspicions confirmed.
"You were," Luthien's voice held a light rebuke. "It says much for you that you are so willing to admit your mistakes. Arwen, you can bring fanfiction back."
Arwen frowned. She wasn't certain that she truly wanted to bring fanfiction back. Surely she could learn to adapt to this new world she now found herself in. Eventually, she could spend more time with Estel, Legolas would still come for visits and Arwen knew he could find the fun in anything, and...
Her train of thought was interrupted by a particularly loud snore from inside. Arwen winced and Luthien smiled slightly.
"How do I do it?" Arwen asked, the snore putting her over the edge.
"First of all, you must bring everyone from the fellowship back to Middle Earth. You began this quest with them and you must end it with them as well."
"I have no way of notifying them," the elven queen explained. "Last time, they just appeared in Middle Earth."
"This time will be different, Arwen," Luthien persisted. "This time, you must go to their worlds and bring them here. I can help you with this, although I do require one small thing."
"Anything."
"Your firstborn."
Arwen stared at Luthien in shock, unable to speak. After a moment of silence, Luthien rolled her eyes.
"Well, I see you have inherited your sense of humor from your father. Arwen, I have no intention of taking any child you ever have. What would I do with a child? The idea is ridiculous."
"I-I am sorry. I am just so worried about all of this. You caught me by surprise."
Luthien nodded in understanding.
"Arwen, I do not ask much of you. Only this. When you finally speak to the fanfiction writers, and I know you will, I want you to give them this."
Luthien handed Arwen a thick, sealed envelope. Across the envelope, written in big, bold script were six letters.
"L.U.V.I.F.C.?" Arwen questioned, reading out loud. She started to open it, but Luthien stopped her.
"No. This envelope is to be delivered to one person only. Her name, I believe, is Terreis."
The name struck a chord with Arwen and she racked her brain for a memory.
"Oh, yes. Was that not the name of the young woman who wanted to keep Daniel with her?"
Luthien smiled.
"Yes, that is she. She is the one you need to seek out, Arwen. No one else may see the contents of this envelope before she does. She HAS to be the first. Do you understand this?"
Arwen scowled slightly.
"No. No, I do not understand any of this, Luthien. But if there is anything I learned during my last adventure, it is that there are many things of this world that I do not understand and probably never will understand. I will do as you say. No other but Terreis will see the contents of the envelope you have given me."
"Very good. Keep that envelope with you always, Arwen. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could be dangerous. Terribly dangerous. Oh, and one more thing. There are forces working against you. Do not trust anyone outside the fellowship. There are many who would see fanfiction wiped away completely."
"Legolas?" Arwen ventured. Luthien grinned.
"The poor elf. He has many troubles, Arwen, that is true. But, to be honest, fanfiction is the least of those. If you think about it, he was really getting into scrapes long before fanfiction was even around. The only things he has suffered from fanfiction are Mary-Sues and slash. Trust me, Arwen. We will find a way to help him and bring fanfiction back. I promise."
"Good. Because I do hate to see Legolas suffer. Luthien, how will we do this?"
"This is what I want you to do. Meet me tomorrow at midnight by the White Tree. I want both you and Eowyn to come. As a matter of fact, bring Faramir as well."
"Faramir? Why Faramir?" inquired Arwen, perplexed by this.
"Because I like him. And because I do not want you and Eowyn traveling to these strange worlds alone. Besides, he is rather good-looking."
Again Arwen looked shocked.
"But what about Beren?"
"What about Beren?" the beautiful elleth seemed nonplussed. "I still love him. He is my heart, my soul, my very reason for living. Oh, wait. I suppose I can no longer use that last part, can I? Oh, well. Arwen, do not misunderstand me. I love Beren with every fiber of my being. But I can still think other men are good-looking. I am not dead, you know."
"Actually...you are."
"Oh, yes," Luthien laughed, prompting Arwen to wonder if her ancestor was a few fries short of a Happy Meal, as she had heard Jack O'Neill once say. "I seem to keep forgetting that, don't I? Well, no matter. I still think he is rather handsome. Can you honestly tell me, Arwen, that you have not thought the same thing?"
Well, no. Arwen couldn't tell Luthien that. Not honestly. Still, he wasn't nearly as handsome as Aragorn. At least, not in Arwen's opinion.
"I did not think you could," Luthien continued. "And now that we have this settled, I will be leaving. Do not forget what I said. The White Tree at midnight. No later than midnight or the chance will be lost."
"Wait! You never mentioned that!"
"Oh, did I not? Funny. It must have slipped my mind. Well, now you know. I must be off. Until tomorrow, then."
And she was gone. Just like that. Arwen stared at the empty space Luthien had once occupied before sighing in frustration. That experience had been...odd to say the least. The Queen of Gondor did not sleep that night. As soon as the sun rose, she dressed and summoned Eowyn to the council chamber. There was much to discuss.
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;The White Tree, two minutes until midnight
"I still do not understand what I am doing here," Faramir said for what seemed to be the hundredth time since Eowyn had informed him of their mission.
"I do not understand it, either, my friend. But Luthien specifically requested your presence."
Eowyn narrowed her eyes slightly.
"I would still like to know why she was so insistent that my husband come with us," she said meaningfully. Arwen, very wisely, had not mentioned anything to Eowyn about Luthien thinking Faramir was handsome. While it would flatter Faramir, it would enrage Eowyn. She was terribly possessive.
"She said it was just for our defense. After all, Eowyn, we will be going to strange worlds."
Eowyn snorted.
"Jack, Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c do that almost every day," she replied.
"Yes, but we are not armed with AK47's and zats. They are."
"True."
"What in the name of the Valar are the two of you talking about?" Faramir began to raise his voice, truly confused by everything that had been going on since he had first heard about this ridiculous meeting. "What is a zat? And who are those people you just named? I do not understand any of this. Eowyn, I am going back to bed."
Faramir turned to go, but he was too late. Luthien appeared before him and the steward backed up a few steps, obviously just a wee bit scared.
"All will be explained in time, my Lord Faramir," Luthien said, smiling softly.
"Pardon me? I believe he is my Lord Faramir," Eowyn hissed. Luthien smiled at her as well, which only served to irritate Eowyn further, before she addressed Arwen.
"You have done as I requested. You have my thanks," Luthien gestured delicately, as though Arwen should be honored beyond measure that Luthien was grateful. "Now, you will be going to these worlds in the order that they come to you. In other words, you will be visiting Anck, Evelyn, and Celia first. Then Elizabeth and Anamaria, and so on. I will be watching you. Once they are with you, I will send you all to the next world. Is that clear?"
"Yes, we understand," Arwen replied, although the look on Faramir's face said otherwise.
"Very well. Do you have it?" Luthien inquired.
"Yes. Yes, I have it," said Arwen, her hand immediately covering the area the envelope was concealed in. This only confused Faramir further, but he said nothing.
"Good. I Melain berio le, Arwen Undomiel."
"Hannon le, Luthien."
Luthien raised her arms, Arwen closed her eyes, and the Queen of Gondor, the Steward of Gondor, and the White Lady of Rohan disappeared from the city of Minas Tirith.
A/N: And that's the end of the story! No, really. It really is. Honestly! Hey, wait! Put that firearm down! Don't you know it's illegal to carry that kind of weapon around? Geez.
Okay, okay. You got me. Technically, this is the end. Of this story. The sequel is another story entirely. Literally, another story.
Coming soon to a computer screen near you: The Further Adventures of the Fanfiction Fellowship
Okay, so it's a working title. What do you want from me? Well, how about a synopsis? Yes? Okay.
So, Arwen, Eowyn, and Faramir are racing across fandoms, recovering the other members of the fellowship. But 'someone' is trying to stop them. Someone doesn't want fanfiction to be restored to the universe. Who will the fellowship have to fight to restore fanfiction? How will they do that? Will we ever find out what in the heck L.U.V.I.F.C stands for? For answers to these questions and others, tune into:
THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE FANFICTION FELLOWSHIP