I had absolutely nothing to wear to this party. Faramir laughed when the three of us came out dressed as we were. Kristen was wearing a purple tunic-like dress and Rachel, the white dress Ioreth had changed her into when we brought her back from Pelenor. I wore the one I stole in Rohan, light blue, made out of some kind of sack-like material. "What?" Kristen scoffed at him.

"Forgive me, but this is to be a great celebration," he said. "These are clothes you wear every day."

"It's all we have," I said, offended. Sorry I didn't have fine gowns tailored for me on the spot.

He smiled. "Come with me."

He led us up to the apex and into the vaults. The vaults lead about a mile into the mountain, like a cavern, but we didn't go far. He walked over to a wardrobe and opened it, revealing a slew of colorful fabrics. "These were my mother's," he said. "My father had not the heart to get rid of them after she died. They should suit you fine."

I was incredibly touched at his gesture. We thanked him and he left us here to change. We crawled through the wardrobe, pulling out dresses of our liking. Rachel and Kristen kept smiling at each other. One of their favorite past times was shopping together, and this is the closest we had gotten to that in two months.

In the end, Kristen chose a deep purple gown with gold embroidery throughout the skirt and fastenings. Rachel's was a dark blue with white accents down the spine and a matching belt. Mine, a simple gold one with wide sleeves that fell almost to the floor. Kristen also managed to find a box of jewelry that we used to distract from our hair. There wasn't much we could do about that without hair irons or pins.

Faramir waited for us outside, smiling. "Much better."

The party was just as I hoped it would be. With the threat of Mordor gone, the clouds had cleared from the sky, exposing the stars above the apex. The White Tree still hadn't flowered, but it no longer looked like it was dying. Strings of candle lights had been set up to illuminate the large area. Food had been set out on large platters around the edge of the walls in a buffet style. A band in the corner played music on instruments I had never seen. Faramir dragged Kristen to the dance floor almost immediately.

Legolas found Rachel and me standing awkwardly to the side and he came over, gabbing our hands and making us twirl. "Where did you find those gowns?" he said.

He too was dressed to the nines in a green velvet shirt and matching pants with black boots. "We could ask you the same thing," I said. He really did look great.

"Where is Eomer?" Rachel asked.

"I believe he was looking through some of the debris from Pelenor. I thought he would be here by now."

I nudged her in the ribs. Legolas was here now, and she could ask him for me. "Legolas," she said. "What are your plans after tonight? What will you do for two months until the coronation?"

He chuckled. "I had hoped to attend your ceremony in Rohan. No doubt it will be splendid. You are, after all, the first woman to ever be named a Rider of Rohan."

"You…you were coming?" she asked.

He looked confused. "Gimli and I were planning on it. Do you not want us to come?"

Her face lit up. "I absolutely want you to come!" she wrapped her arms around the Elf's neck. I laughed at his expression, which was confusion mixed with shock, while he patted her back. I knew Rachel was worried her friendships would fade after the war if she was to live in Rohan. It touched her to know that Legolas did not want that to happen.

She pulled away. "But afterwards, what will you and Gimli will do?"

"I suppose we'll do some traveling. Did you have something in mind?"

It was Rachel's turn to nudge me. I didn't want to ask him, since I didn't know him as well, but seeing that he had no immediate plans lifted my confidence. "I was hoping you would accompany me to Rivendell," I said. "I think Elrond may have the answers to how we got here. I have no plans for the next two months until the coronation and I don't know the way."

To my great surprise, the Elf smiled at me. "It would bring me great pleasure to accompany you, Lady Claire."

"And Gimli?"

"I am sure he would be just as honored."

Rachel gasped then as she spotted Eomer at the other end of the apex, dressed in a simple brown shirt and leather pants. Nonetheless, he looked better then I'd ever seen him. His flyaway hair was tamed and he had shaved. He had spotted Rachel and he looked dumbfounded at her regal appearance.

Legolas chuckled. "It seems someone has tamed the Horselord. I can hear his heart beat almost as fast as a sparrow's." I laughed as Rachel pulled up her skirt and walked over to him. Three songs later and Kristen and Faramir were still twirling around the floor. I let out a sigh that did not go missed by Legolas.

"May I ask what ails you?" he said. "I can sense your discourse."

"I feel like I have to keep explaining it to Rachel and Kristen, but they just don't get it."

"Perhaps we can sit and you can explain. I fear I know very little about you, my lady. If we're to be traveling companions, maybe we should remedy that."

I nodded as he led me to an empty bench. I didn't think I would want to tell anyone but my friends, but as soon as I started to explain my feelings to Legolas, I knew that I needed a third party opinion on the subject. He listened intently as I explained my situation to him. How Rachel and Kristen fit here better than I could ever hope to. How everything seemed so easy for them, even though this was my dream, coming to this world. It wasn't fair.

He showed little emotion as I talked. He didn't even nod. He waited until I was finished completely before speaking at all. "When I was a small ellon," he said, at long last getting his chance to speak. "My father told me tales of places that did not exist. One, a beautiful garden haven, and another, a city in the clouds. To this day, I dream of those places that do not exist. Especially during the hardest times of the war, I would dream I could sprout wings and fly up to that city. You have been given that exact same chance and you say it isn't fair?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. "You are as not unfortunate in this, as you would believe. Rachel and Kristen have found purpose and love, but I have seen you keep your distance. Merry and Pippin adore you, yet you stay far away. I feel, my lady that if you were to find the same, these desires to fly away would leave you, if only you could let them in."

I let out a huff. "But what could I even do?"

He smiled, glad that I was open to his suggestion. "Perhaps start with your trip to Rivendell. Find the answers you seek and gain closure. Then after, since you had desired to see this world, I suggest you do just that. Explore, travel, and learn as much as you can."

"Thank you, Legolas," I said, grateful for his understanding and wisdom.

He rose from the bench then, extending his arm. "Now, if you'll permit me, Lady Claire, a dance?"

I blushed. I was a horrible dancer and a total klutz, but I took his hand anyway as he lead me onto the floor.

Rachel, Kristen, and I seemed to have danced with everyone that night, even Merry and Pippin, who had joined us later. Frodo was still not well enough to leave his chambers and Sam had chosen to keep him company. It was probably very comical, us trying to dance with the Hobbits, save Kristen, who was only about a foot taller than them. Still, I felt like royalty as I was spun around by all of these people who wanted to meet me. I was certainly calmer when dancing with Legolas or Aragorn, as I knew them, but it was still fun.

It felt like the night was over all too quickly as guests filtered back to their homes or guest quarters. While it was nice to eat good food and dance with companions, many had been lost in this war, from both countries, and everyone was still in mourning.

The next day, I managed to gather my few belongings into a rucksack and change into the riding clothes that had been given to me in Rohan. I said goodbye to the tiny room in the Healing Houses before blowing out the candle and shutting the door.

Rachel was waiting for me in the stables. She was feeding Morty small pieces of stale bread. I bent down and scratched his ears, feeling him purr. "I'm gonna miss this little guy," I said.

Rachel laughed. "Kristen will turn this place into Cat City when she finally settles in. Don't you worry."

I walked over to the stall that held Windfola and I felt guilty that I'd been ignoring her for a cat. "I think you should take her back," I said, giving her nose a pat.

"But I gave her to you. She was a gift."

"She was a re-gifted gift," I joked. "Remember, Theoden gave her to you first. I know how to ride now, Wendil gave me a few lessons. She's your horse, Rachel."

"But who will you ride?"

"She can have Errod," Aragorn said, entering the stable. "I prefer Brego, myself."

"Are you coming too?" I asked.

"Alas, I cannot. Faramir and I will be busy, for many Orcs and Goblins still roam Ithilian and our outlying cities. And we also will plan to raid Minas Morgul, to bring it back to the state it was in before the Nazgul took it over." He turned to Rachel. "It pains my heart to miss this honor that is to be bestowed upon you, my friend. So I have brought a gift." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold chain. Hanging from it was a charm, intricately designed to look like six arrows meeting at their bases, forming a six-pronged star. "It is the symbol of the Dunedain Rangers. If ever you are in need on the road and find them in your travels, show this to them, and help will come to you."

"Thank you, Aragorn," she said, taking the charm. "Even though you still haven't told me what the Dunedain are."

He smiled. "We have many conversations to come, for I often wonder at many of the things I've heard you mention. Hockey, summer camp, and…telly-vision?" he struggled to form that last one.

We all laughed. He turned next, to me. "And for you and Lady Kristen, I gift these." From under his cloak, he unsheathed two large knives, wicked sharp, yet beautiful. I took one, examining it. Its hilt was made of a fine red wood, the handle lined with leather. The blade itself was shiny and about five inches long. Kristen's was identical. "I know not their history, as I found them in the vaults. But I've named them Limwen and Eruaistaniel respectively."

"What do they mean? I assume it's Sindarin."

"It is. They are the translations of your names, my lady."

"Thank you, Lord Aragorn. I don't know what I've done to deserve this."

He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I look forward to your return in two months, my friend."

Friend. I was Aragorn Elessar's friend. I could get used to that.

A/N: I want to make it clear that Legolas and Claire will NOT become a thing. I'm a big believer in keeping the Elves as Tolkien intended. Elves falling in love with humans is rare. Like, I'm pretty sure it only happens twice in the series. Claire is a character who knows every character in the story through reading about them and watching them on screen. Maybe she could fall for someone who is a character of mine or one who was not a main focus of the story? Anyway, thanks for keeping up! Don't forget to leave a review!