Hi everyone.

Welcome, at last, to the very last installment of What Grace Has Given me.

There is little left for me to say now except thank you, and I hope that you enjoy this from the very bottom of my heart. It both completes the story, and sets the scene for two spin-offs if I want them. If you want them!

Love, now and always,

MM -x


"Mum!" I called from the base of the tree, cloak around me to fight off the slight chill of the day. "I am going in to town, do you want anything?"

"What, as in the harbour?" She peered around the talan door, covered in flour. "Why?"

"A boat is come. Do you not find it a little curious?" I exclaimed as she frowned. She was such a strange one sometimes – usually so happy for me to do what I wished, but occasionally strangely protective.

"Maybe." Her odd dialect amused me still even so many years after we made the journey to Valinor, and even though I too shared it hers was far stronger. It had caused problems she had foreseen in part, but she confided in me later she hoped they wouldn't happen to me.

Our family was a strong one, full of love and fortunate connections. Unfortunately, those connections had only been able to protect me for so long, and I soon heard the strange words said about me by other children, and by their parents too. My Mum was beautiful, strong, and so universally loving that she would go out of her way to help anyone she met. Perhaps she spoke a little strangely sometimes, and perhaps she had a darker sense of humour, but that gave no-one any right whatsoever to judge her in the way that they did.

As I grew the gossip stopped and both ladies and lords looked to befriend me, but I could not forget their whispers nor their blatant disregard whenever Mum was in the room. Not a single one of them had been through the soul-destroying rigours of her life. Not a single one of them had been ravaged by the dark lord Sauron within their own mind, tortured, and come out from the darkness as wonderful still as when they went in. Mum remained, as Dad often said, young of spirit and that was something she had passed to me. She had taught me well now how to brush off the comments and surround myself with those I loved and who loved me, and seventy five years later I truly saw the wisdom in her words.

As I had grown, she'd explained about all of her adventures and I was crying out to have some of my own. With Glorfindel and Legolas as Uncles I was becoming slowly stifled by overbearing Lords all intent in gaining my hand in marriage, each of them as frightfully boring as the last and none truly interested in me. My little brothers, now not so little, towered above most of them and scared off the particularly persistent ones which I greatly appreciated.

"Oh, please let me go Mummy." I looked at her with wide eyes and she scowled before giving a laugh.

"I taught you that look, trouble. Oh, go on then. I fancy a walk anyway and I could do with a few new pairs of boots ordering for me and your Dad. Let me just wash my hands." I grinned brightly, glad I had got my way this time. She emerged just a little time later, a well used grey cloak about her shoulders, dark leggings and her favourite light green tunic.

She was so lovely with her mass of dark hair and naughty smile, and was truly my very best friend in all of the world. My friends were often as dubious of our closeness as they were of her in general, but many a night spent giggling with face-masks and singing put paid to it, and as she came out she took my hand, swinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"Come on, darling." She gave me a tug, and together we wandered the coast-path to the harbour. Usually we would walk the cliffs, but she took me down onto the beach as the spring wind had the waves rolling gently and crashing against the sand.

We saw the boat was still a little way off, so Mum strolled around the town with me, arm in arm. "Anything you want, sweetheart?" She asked, fingers grazing over soft fabrics with a small smile as we passed through the market.

"Well, I would love a new bow." I sighed, looking towards the smithy longingly.

"You can't have one; your Father's arranging it for your hundredth. Tell him I told you and I'll lie. We all know who he'll believe." She sad smugly, and I hit her playfully with a surge of pleasure. Unusually, I knew full well their relationship was still quite an active one physically, not that she would ever admit to it of course. Mother still held some strange vestiges of her previous life – some of which included her reserved attitude to lovemaking, and others which affected even me. Whilst my brothers were not so affected, I slept deeply with closed eyes and not in the watchful rest more common to our people.

They were that sort of couple – all over one another as if they were newly married. Most would find their relationship unusual, and my friends had said as much, but Mother's background as well as Father's thousands of years as a bachelor meant that they did not really care. If they still wanted each other so ardently, then all the joy to them for they deserved it. They had us so soon into their marriage, too, which probably contributed to their swirling desire and I found myself envious of their love.

I was beginning to feel my own longings for a partner in crime. A kindred soul as they were, or a hunting companion like Aunt Tori and Uncle Legolas. Or like Aunt J, an elf willing to discard his title and honours to finally have a lady that did not jump at the very sound of his name... not that Uncle Glorfindel gave me any pause for concern, as he was wonderful.

I sighed suddenly, and Mum turned to me with a frown. "What's wrong Lita?"

"Nothing, really. I was just daydreaming." I confessed.

"I know that look." She looked sly. "Do you want Uncle Glorfindel to start match-making again?"

"No! Valar, no. All he seems to do is push mind-numbing young Lords at me. They are all so full of themselves it makes my head ache. I desire a little adventure, laughter, and some trouble perhaps. I wish for my own partner in crime, for playing practical jokes on one's own does become tiresome."

Mum paused, leaning against an arch as she examined me. It unnerved me when she did so, for it could feel like she was looking right into my very soul. "No-one holds any interest for me. I do not want someone who thinks to make a mockery of my family, someone who pities me, nor someone who likes me despite you."

Her brows rose, and then a flush stole across her cheeks. "Well, thank you darling. You could have a look for an older elf, you know. There's no harm in it." I shrugged. "Need I remind you of Aunty Jade?"

"Perhaps – chance would be a fine thing! Anyway, I shall be fine. Go get your boots." I gave her a playful shove and she laughed, strolling through the milling crowds. I rested my elbows on the elegantly carved railing that lined the cliff edge above the port. The great stone pier where the boats could dock glistened, and I was fascinated watching as the ship came closer and closer to us after each blink of an eye.

Two male elves stood at the prow of the boat, one dark-haired and another fair, and I felt a grin form as recognition came to me in a flash. Ducking and diving between the Lords and Ladies at the market, I almost tripped over my own feet as I ran down the steps to the pier two at a time.

"Watch out, young miss!" A robed Lord frowned, and I bowed hastily.

"I apologise, my Lord Erestor." I muttered the quick apology before continuing down, holding on to the banister as my feet carried me quickly down.

What a surprise this would be! The little girl who had driven them to distraction now full grown and just as much trouble as her mother as well.

The boat was unassuming but elegant – it looked like a boat from Dol Amroth, like the one we had come in and a few others after us.

"Litawen, bloody hell!" Mother huffed, coming behind me. "What was all that about? Erestor just gave me a real mouthful! You are lucky that Lady Galadriel, Glorfindel and Lord Elrond like us so much."

"Mother, it is Elrond's sons! Is that not Lord Celeborn too?" I waved her admonishment away. She broke into a blooming smile and taking my hand, we walked the length of the pier to where the boat came in. The crowd clearly hadn't been looking for the boat so their greeting was subdued, but the dark-haired one looked on with delight as he spotted my mother in the milling faces

"Benny!" He cried above the crowd and waited for the gangplank to lower onto the deck by the two hands that helped at the dock before walking down it, giving instructions for the chests on board to be brought to wherever his Father resided. Mother always liked Lord Elrond, but I found him rather intimidating so shied away at any given chance. Lord Celeborn strode past us purposefully but with a small nod in greeting – he must have been looking forward to seeing Lady Galadriel.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" She held out her arms for a hug. "Where is your dear brother?"

"Yes, and you appear to have returned back to your usual size once more. As for my twin, I shall explain all I know when we have a moment to sit."

"You are still an ass I see, Elrohir. I can't wait until you meet them though. Twin boys." Mum explained with a grin. "Dark haired and completely mental, they're such fun. What do you mean about Elladan?" I suddenly felt a flurry of nerves as the one of the twins, Elrohir she'd said, looked behind Mum with brows creased.

"In but a moment, give me strength you infernal creature. Who on earth is this?" He stepped around Mum and I put the nerves away, holding my hand out with a flourish as if to shake it.

"Litawen, my Lord Elrohir." I smiled up at him, but as he took my hand I felt something... strange. His eyes widened and I felt the thrill that my little plot had worked, but I was still unusually distracted by the feeling of his hand surrounding mine.

"Little Lita?" He asked, and kissed my hand instead of shaking it as I nodded. "Well met, my Lady."

"I am no Lady." I began automatically, and then blushed as he laughed. He had lovely eyes, I noted absently, grey and blue and all the shades in between. He continued to look at me as if someone had dumped a bucket of iced water upon his head, but then he smiled slowly as his eyes never left mine.

"Do you know, I am certain that I had the same conversation with your Mother when first I met her?" I saw her nod over his shoulder with a fond smile, and then frowning as she saw someone mishandling a case of medical supplies. "I must insist that you do not use my title. I do not feel like a Lord and I fear I never shall!" He chuckled.

"No! Good Valar, give me that before you destroy them completely." She shouted at the poor elf, who all but dropped the crate he haphazardly carried with a squeak. I laughed before turning back to my companion with a strangely nervous clenching of my stomach.

"So..." I began, but noticed he still had a hold of my hand. The strange look came upon him again, and his thumb began to rub slowly across my knuckles. "Ah, you still seem to be holding my hand."

"So I do." He blinked, shaking his head and then arranging it so I had my arm through his with a quick gesture. "Better, little Lita?"

"Oh, I am sure I will cope either way." I noticed how much taller he was than me – I seemed to have inherited my mother's shorter stature so I had to peer upwards a little.

"Hmm, I am sure you can. So, tell me of your adventures whilst we have been absent – and I would hear about your brothers too!"

xxxXxxx

"My Lord Elrohir, we must stop meeting like this." I curtsied demurely but with naughtiness hidden below, having elected to wear a dress this particular day. After our brief meeting at the pier, we seemed to bump into one another regularly that at first seemed so random but then it became clear that we sought the other out subconsciously - or perhaps even consciously. He had been settled in the Undying Lands for around three months now and had taken up in the same halls his father, Lord Elrond, had built.

At first, I found myself in town more often simply because I lacked other entertainment, but as we greeted one another more and more frequently I relished the opportunity to speak to Elrohir. He was remarkably quick witted and fascinating to converse with, and now most days we met 'accidentally' and strolled together for a few hours. He was somewhat lonely, for it came about finally that his brother Elladan had stayed in Middle Earth, granted some task many years before that he could not, and would not, speak of to me. I could tell that it wounded Elrohir to the core, so I made it my greatest resolve to make sure that he was distracted and had a moment to laugh and enjoy the life he had.

I had not expected the brief fluttering feelings from the pier to become a torrent I could not prevent.

I had never laughed so much with any male quite unrelated to me, nor had I felt so flustered and unsure. He teased and poked and played, and was impressed with my skills with a bow which made me grin in triumph. Not only that but he listened, and he cared about me.

"This is utterly ridiculous! Aside from those of us who knew her from Middle Earth, she is shunned." He fumed, stalking back and forth in a grove we frequented together.

"Unless they require bread, or assistance with healing of course." I drawled, and he paused to flash me a grin.

"You sound so like Captain Haldir when you do that, it amuses me to no end. I am glad she has continued to heal – she has a gift for it – but I do not understand how such treatment is justified."

"It isn't, Elrohir." I tucked my knees up to my chest, crossed my arms over them and then rested my head in the nest of fabric. He came to sit opposite me and he assumed the same position, fine brown hair falling forward as he did so. "As Mum would say – it sucks." I felt more secure around him than around any other – except for my Mother and my brothers, and so I let myself relax into the colloquialisms I had used far more frequently in my youth and now only with those I trusted completely. I wanted, so desperately, for him to understand and enjoy the way we spoke.

"That it does, but I shall seek to change it in one way or another. Together, my family and I can help to put an end to it." He promised sincerely. I felt that curious flutter in my chest again and it touched me sincerely that he cared enough.

I was certain it was all for my Mother, for his Benny, but sometimes I dared to hope that it might be for me too. That I wasn't mistaken, and that his eyes perhaps lingered as mine did. That his embraces lasted longer than proper, and that I could feel the dampness of his palm when he dared to reach out to me.

"She wouldn't thank you for it, Elrohir. She values her independence so very dearly." I brushed my hair out of my face and he took my hands before I could cross them again.

"I know it, but I shall risk her wrath I think. Truly, it is not only her I would do it for." One hand reached out as if his knuckles would brush my cheek, but just as I leaned in to the touch and my eyes fluttered shut he had all but fled. I groaned then, and dropped my head back against the tree with repeated thuds.

"Stupid, idiot, foolish girl." I swore, and then repeated the sentiments as well as a number of more crude ones in every language I knew.

Despite my misgivings I had seen him again, and his strange behaviour continued to befuddle me until I could no longer stand to have my musings in my own head.

Mother had told me stories of him, of his flirting with my Aunt and many other a lady before her – yet he had never settled, never found a wife. Over a month ago I had realised there was somewhat of an attraction between us and spoke to her about it at great length. She feared his intentions, and I was somewhat unsure myself.

"Mummy?" I asked timidly, using the childlike name for her as she looked up from her book.

"Little Lita?" She teased back, but sensed my unease and placed her book down. "What's playing on your mind?"

"I think I may... Well, that is to say, I think I rather, well. I think I rather like Elrohir." My words came out in a tumble, and her eyebrows shot upwards.

"Really now?"

"Yes, yes I suppose so. I recall you told me stories in playfulness about how he and Glorfindel competed for Aunt Jade, but I know not what to do. I would follow my heart, but my head tells me that I should flee." I admitted, knotting my hands together. Mother came to sit beside me, pulling my hands apart and grasping them in her own.

"He is a great Elf, he was one of my very first friends here, but... I couldn't bear to see him hurt you." Mother had cupped my face, thumb running across my cheek. "Not all affairs in love, especially our first ones, go the way we plan. You must listen to your head, yes, but sometimes you need to let your heart make its own decisions."

"I know it. I would speak to Aunt J, but I know not what her reception would be."

Mother chuckled, running fingers through my hair gently. "She would tell you he's an arse and that he is so far up his own rear he can see the sun out of the other side. He is, don't doubt it for a minute, but he is also gentle and kind and funny. Only you can decide how you should proceed, darling."

I giggled at her crudeness, glad that she was so understanding. "I... I may confront him. Ask him what intentions he has." I said finally, and she nodded with a hint of pride.

"Sensible, but do not let his answers rule you one way or the other. Actions speak where words cannot."

Today, I had not truly meant to meet him as I wandered to the library in town.

"Not a chance. Come, let us walk." He held his arm out to me and I took it. "I understand that it is your begetting day soon."

"Yes, tomorrow. Uncle Glorfindel is insistent upon throwing me quite the ridiculous party." I rolled my eyes. "Primarily, this is to push more pretentious Lords in my path with the desperate hope that I will take a fancy to one of them." I grimaced.

"Oh, do make your distaste a little more clear – I am not quite sure the whole square heard." He chuckled and I glared.

"I was going to invite you, but I've changed my mind." I sighed dramatically, flinging my arm out. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back with a laugh, kissing my knuckles. There was that curious blush again – Valar, what was wrong with me?

"I apologise, Litawen. It would be my pleasure to attend – perhaps you would permit me to be your escort for the evening? Maybe I could help to scare off a few of those persistent little Lords that Glorfindel throws your way."

"Perhaps." I blushed again, feeling my cheeks heat. Why had mother passed this particular human characteristic on to me?

"What colour will you wear?" He asked seriously, still holding my hand. "I would ensure that I do not clash too thoroughly."

"Green - silver and green." I answered, smiling up at him. "Once again, you have taken my hand hostage."

"So I have." His tone had changed peculiarly, but instead of taking my arm as he had before at the pier our fingers became intertwined.

"You know, once I was probably the single most determined flirt in the whole of Middle Earth. Now, I find words do not come as easily as they may have in times long past." His voice was quiet as he looked at me earnestly, and I remembered what I had said to my Mother.

"How do I know you do not jest with me, Elrohir?" I felt him tugging me closer and closer still until he had me closer than I had ever been to any male except for my family. His finger traced my cheek where I blushed, causing the reaction to deepen. "I am not a toy you can simply throw away to the wind when you become bored."

"I suppose you do not." He was rueful, and his eyes full of regret. "However, if you would permit me to escort you tomorrow evening I would work to prove to you that I see you not only as a plaything. A few hundred years at the helm of Imladris has given me time to reflect on who I am, and who I wish to be."

"A deal, then." I felt his hand wrap around my waist, the other still at my cheek. My heart was positively racing in my chest.

"A deal indeed. I will see you tomorrow evening – shall I collect you from your home?"

"I suppose I should let you." I felt a smile catch me again despite my nerves. "Though I fear you may have to get past my Father first."

"Oh, worry not about him Litawen. I have ways and means of ensuring there will be no trouble." He winked roguishly at me before letting me go.

"Oh, really now?" I looked on sceptically as he started to take steps away from me.

"Ask him about the time I tied him to a tree – naked!" He called, and then before I had a chance to reply he had fled the woods and headed back to the square, a spring in his step.

"No, you didn't!" I hissed into the silence with wide eyes, and then a giggle escaped my mouth before I clamped my hands over to silence the noise. "Oh Valar, they are going to kill me."

I strolled home, taking my time to ensure my giddiness settled a little. However, it was somewhat in vain as Uncle Glorfindel spotted me walking the beach, kicking at the sand with a silly twirl in my excitement.

"Litawen!" He called, jogging to catch up to me. "Litawen?" He looked at me with a question in his eyes. "What has you twirling and giggling?"

"Nothing, Uncle." I said airily, and he grabbed my hand, looking at me intently in the strange way he had.

"You, Litawen, are lying. What is going on?"

"Did Elrohir really tie Father to a tree, naked?" I finally asked. Glorfindel burst out laughing, head tipped back as he took my arm, walking along the beach once more.

"Once, a very long time ago. Your father was somewhat full of his own self-importance and Elrohir, along with Elladan his twin, decided to divest him of his burdens – and his clothes." Glorfindel chuckled still. "Why do you ask?"

"Erm..." I stopped, not sure how to proceed. We walked further down the beach, and I began to smile again at the memory of his lips against my knuckles.

"Ah, I see." Glorfindel said, looking at me gently. "Litawen, have you taken a shine to him?"

"Perhaps." I admitted. "Mother has told stories of his flirting and jokes. He seeks to prove to me that he is not simply toying with me."

"He said that?" Glorfindel asked, and I nodded.

"He did. He wishes to escort me to my party tomorrow as part of this." I blushed again, and Glorfindel stopped our walk. "Uncle, I genuinely feel there may be something between us. When he first arrived, upon the pier as he left the boat..." I stopped, looking at my feet and then taking my shoes off so I could feel the sand between my toes. It always did something strange to me – it helped me become one with the world, grounded and sure.

"He took my hand in his, and did not let go. It was as if he could not – he simply looked at me, into my eyes and into my very soul. He has changed so very much from the stories I have been told. To be separated from his twin, even if he does come to Valinor... the weight upon him I cannot truly begin to imagine."

I looked out over the sea as the sun began to dip low on the horizon, the golden rays giving way to purples and reds. I felt the water begin to dampen my toes and I bent over to pick my slippers from the floor so they did not become wet. "Will Father be terribly angry?" I asked finally, looking up at my Uncle.

"Is that what you are worried about, Litawen?" I nodded shyly and he chuckled lowly. "No, of course he will not be. He adores you, and well you know it. If you truly believe that you may have happiness with Elrohir... and I suspect you might." His blue eyes shone as he said this. "Then he will be pleased for you."

"I hope so." I sighed, moving as he began to tug me along the beach. "For he is coming directly tomorrow evening to go to the party."

"Leave it to me to tell him." Glorfindel said and I felt relief flood through me as we walked together as the sun went down.

"When is Aunty J due?" I asked and he wore a suddenly proud smile.

"Only a month left. The little one inside of her is strong and sure, and a chatterbox she is too."

"Oh-o! I see what this is – are you practicing your skills now so you may threaten whichever poor Lord takes a fancy to my cousin?" I felt simple and pure joy as he looked up at the cliffs where his wife was waiting for him, watching us come with an indulgent smile.

"Absolutely. Oh, and do not fear – I will tell her, too. I am adept at catching the knives she may yet throw at me."

Somehow, I knew his words were not entirely in jest.

xxxXxxx

My begetting day dawned warm and clear, and I felt a smile touch my lips as I woke from my sleep with my brothers sat cross-legged at the end of my bed.

"Here." Gelluion handed me a parcel with a smile. I sat up and Callon did the same, face bright with excitement. They were full grown, but so full of mischief I wondered if they would ever be truly mature.

"Oh Gel, it's lovely." I opened the parcel and tool the charm bracelet from the box. Each little charm glittered – an archer, a rose, a few musical notes here and there, and precious stones which shone. "Put it on!" I held out my wrist and Gelluion fastened the silver band, looking remarkably pleased with himself.

"Now mine!" Callon looked hopeful as I opened the box and gasped. Inside was a circlet like my mother's that I had coveted as a younger lady – the one father had made for her before he had proposed. I placed it on my messy head with a grin and my brothers pounced upon me with a giggle.

"Now, do I look like a princess?" I asked both of them, and Cal ruffled my already unruly hair. "I will wear this tonight, little brother." I promised him before taking it off and placing it reverently in the box.

"Always, big sister." I shooed them out of my room and dressed in my favourite tunic and breeches, tucking my feet into my leather boots which fit tightly to the knee. Braiding my hair to tame the maddening curls, I stepped out of my room and grinned as I saw my family – my Grandparents, Father, and my brothers all stood together.

Father held out his arms to me and I flew into them, wrapped in a tight hug. "Glorfindel told me of your admirer. If he so much as looks at you the wrong way, I will hurt him." He spoke quietly in my ear in that strange language of my Mum's which we had all grown up speaking as fluently as Sindarin – it was incredibly useful.

"Get in line, I'll have at him first and I'm almost as good a shot as you." I whispered back, earning a laugh and a pat on the back.

"Speaking of being an excellent shot. May your days be blessed, my little one." He held out a present to me, the one Mother had advised me of, and I felt tears form as I took it from him.

"A bow of the Galadhrim." I breathed, touching the elegant wood as it flexed ever so slightly. Alongside it was a holster and full quiver. "Thank you, Daddy." I threw my arms around him again, and he kissed my forehead.

"Many other gifts you have to open at your leisure, but here is the other from your Mother." He gave me the other present, and I heard Mum's screech to wait from the kitchen. She came in, hair tied back and once again, covered in flour.

"Okay, now go." She said, slightly breathless.

I grinned and tore at the wrappings, before squealing in delight. "Mummy, you are so amazing." I touched the book reverently. It was poetry and songs from her time, bound in a beautiful gilded book. There were pages and pages of it, including musical scores so I could sing and play to my heart's content. On the first page, carefully framed in place, was the little phrase that Father had used when proposing. I closed the book and held it to my chest, before placing it on one of our armchairs and cuddling her carefully to avoid becoming covered in flour.

"I love you, darling."

"Love you too." She gave me a squeeze and then before I had chance to think, I was accosted by my Grandparents and swept up in all their excitement.

Evening began to fall, and after spending a joyful afternoon shooting with Father, his brothers, Glorfindel and Legolas I finally decided it was probably time to dress for the evening party.

I touched the dress I had designed and then after bathing, slipped it over my head carefully. I felt so elegant in it, when often I was seen as boyish, and with my hair down I finally felt somewhat like a Lady. Mum knocked on my door and smiled as she saw me, and in a fit of silliness I twirled for her.

"Lovely. Your Dad has gone to set the party up so you can breathe, Elrohir won't be getting a roasting tonight. He's out waiting for you – are you ready?" I felt a flutter of nervous excitement, and as I placed my circlet on I nodded.

"Lovely, I'll leave you to it. Half an hour, if you don't show I'll come after him myself." She threatened and I laughed before giving her a shove.

Elrohir was stood looking through the book that Mum had made for me, quite enthralled. "It's lovely, isn't it?" I spoke touching his shoulder lightly, and he looked down at me with a soft smile.

"Lovely indeed, but you are quite truly beautiful." He placed the book down and turned to me, holding out his hand which I took with a smile.

"Hmm, I think you look far more dashing." I teased, looking at is light outer robes which wove silver with touches of a dark emerald green.

"Oh, this old thing? I have had this for so long but never quite the opportunity to wear it." He looked suitably pleased. "I have a gift for you. It is only small but I hope you like it." He took a small box from his pocked, and I turned it in my fingers before opening the lid. Inside was a silver locket, inlaid with emeralds to form the outline of a rose.

"Oh Elrohir." I looked up at him, and impulsively stood upon my toes to place a kiss on his cheek. Now was not the time for shyness, now he had made his interest clearer to me. "It is truly beautiful, thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"I... er... it is nothing." He looked so sweet and flustered so to save him his blushes I took the locket from the box and passed it to him, lifting my hair. I felt his fingers against my skin as he put it in place and fastened the clasp, and then they lingered for just a moment so that I shivered.

"Perfect." One look into his eyes, an unfathomable blue-grey so different to my own, and I knew I was right about him. "You really are truly exquisite." His voice was low as his fingertips trailed from the locket up my neck, to cup my cheek. He suddenly seemed to realise what he was doing and dropped his hand. "I apologise, that was too forward of me. I am not doing so well at this, am I?" He grimaced, clearing his throat. "I would have you know my intentions are serious, yet I cannot keep my hands to myself."

"We shall see, and come! You know I am not quite so fragile as all of that." He offered his arm to me and together we began to walk down the winding paths to the feasting hall where almost everyone we knew, including King Thranduil to my utter dismay, would make an appearance.

Despite my fears, it had been a wonderful party. I had been swept up in dance after dance with everyone who could manage to get near me to do so, and as midnight came I dropped myself into a chair by the side of the dance floor with a laugh.

"Enough dancing for while?" I heard a voice say from behind me and I saw Elrohir smirking from under an arch, leaning against the support. He'd removed his outer robes so he only wore a deep green tunic with a silver sash about the waist. Gods, but he was so handsome.

"I have, Lord Elrohir. I think my feet are about ready to walk off without me!" I chuckled darkly, and he offered a hand to me which I took, standing with a wince.

"Come, let us take a stroll. I doubt you would be missed for a few moments." I took his arm and we walked out of the hall into the gardens that surrounded it – other Lords and Ladies doing the same.

"The cool air is remarkably agreeable." I sighed, feeling the overbearing warmth from the hall leaving me a little.

"It is so strange to listen to you speak. There are times when you sound so like your Mother it is unnerving, and then you sound so much like your Father and I am not sure which way is up!" He looked at me with a befuddled expression, and I shrugged.

"I make a point of not sounding too much like Mother when in the company of others who might not know of her story. I can fall into the language she grew with far too easily, for we were raised to speak both that and Sindarin fluently, and I get so many strange looks." I frowned. "It is rather unfair and a little cruel of them, but there you have it."

"I... still recall some." Elrohir spoke slowly in our mixed Common, and I stopped dead with a wide grin. "Only a little." He ducked his head down as my smile only grew.

"I think I may have found my partner in crime." I answered slowly back so that he could take time to understand the words.

"Indeed." He gave up with the language after trying to find the word and failing. We came upon a pool of water with fish swimming, and I sat on the edge before dipping my fingers in. As always, the carp bumped against my fingertips before swimming off, only to do the same a few moments later.

Elrohir sat next to me, and out of habit from with my brothers and family I leaned into him, his chest against my back. His fingers sat upon my hip but the feeling was so different to that which I was used to, I could not prevent the sigh which escaped.

"My Lady?" He asked after a few minutes, and I turned my head to look at him.

"My Lord?" I answered back with a quirk of my lips, only to earn a squeeze I return.

"I cannot promise I will always be serious, or that I will not tease or flirt with you until you are pink in the face." He started, but I turned a little further and pressed a finger to his lips.

"Hush. I can see who you are, Elrohir. I do not seek to tame it, for I know you will serious if needed and I know you will be naughty when not. All I would want is that you let me join you, and that your eyes be only for me." He took my hand away from his mouth, and engulfed my slender fingers within his grasp.

"You need not ask that - no other has caught my eye since landing in Valinor. They never shall. Ask all you may care to; Valar, even my Father knows of what I dream and long for." He promised sincerely, reaching out to brush a few free curls from my face. "Open your locket." He said suddenly, and I frowned before doing so.

A scrap of parchment fell from the space and as I pressed the clasp closed with one hand, I opened the folded letter and read it.

If I have convinced you that I am no rogue,
May I kiss you?

As I read, Elrohir had stood and was holding his hand out for me to take. Did I trust he was true?

"Yes."

At first I did not realise that I had spoken the word, but as he drew me to my feet I felt a blush rise as it occurred to me that I had. One hand took me firmly by the waist, the other delving into my hair, and our eyes met like storm-clouds and silver. I felt our breaths mingle in the cool air before his lips touched mine. The kiss was soft, so soft and almost hesitant, but as I returned the pressure with a gentle nip of my teeth against his bottom lip I elicited a quiet but definite gasp. More heated and passionate it became as tongues searched, and he pulled me harder against him.

My hands worked into the curtain of fine dark hair that fell around his face, angular and smooth. As our searing kiss finally parted I saw the smouldering colour of his eyes darken more before he kissed me again, leaving me completely breathless.

"There shall never be room in my heart or thoughts for any but you." He swore against my lips. "I am matched at last."

I felt a laugh bubble from my chest as he lifted and twirled me around him. Placing me upon my feet he took me in a hold and we danced together under the stars to a music all of our own, occasionally broken with kisses and conversation.

"Now it is decided, I perhaps should inform you that I intend to marry you, and your Father will probably kill me, and then you shall have to mourn my loss for eternity." Elrohir teased and I thumped his arm.

"Marriage? Come now, it is simply good manners to advise me of your feelings first!" I laughed at his wink as I span under his arm, barely having to duck for my low height.

"Oh, have I not? I love you, Litawen. Quite profoundly and eternally, I fear. It is such a shame that Haldir will kill me, for I do not wish to break your heart."

I could not stop the slight welling of tears as emotion overtook me. "To say that my heart would break, you must be quite confident that you have my love." I said lightly despite it the wobble that threatened. His face became a little more serious as he cupped my cheek, brushing away the tear that had escaped.

"Do I?" He asked. The gardens had become a little more full and I heard light conversation, as well as giggles and gasps which were quite obviously directed at us.

"You do. Always." I promised, and was swept up once more into a kiss that made my knees weak and heart race.

Perhaps he was a little roguish once; but then, had Mother not always called me 'trouble'?

xxxXxxx

And so the years passed in Valinor, as years are prone to do. Life came, and in times of great sorrow life also left. Some Elves, whilst immortal, became tired of their life and all the thousands of years they had seen and chose in great dignity to fade from the world. Others grew only stronger, revelling in the great beauty of life, of families growing sure and retelling the great tales of times long passed.

But in Middle Earth, a great many things changed. The lands of the world moved and were cleft or sewn, and the seas changed so that none in Valinor, save perhaps only five, would truly recognise what the world had become. Yet across those lands one still remained who recalled the great deeds of Men, Elves and Dwarves; of Orcs and Uruk-hai and Dragons. He walked the world for ages countless, absorbing knowledge in a way that only his kind could - in secret and in shadow. He felt great despair at the way humanity lost all knowledge of the old Gods, but felt his heart swell at their courage and imagination. Their great wars burdened his soul, but the inventions and desire to improve life for all were astounding. They kept him anchored where others of his kindred had faded at last.

For it was Elladan, son of Elrond, who walked the earth – the only Elf to remain even after Rivendell long crumbled into dust. For he had a purpose, one that he had only ever dared to tell one other, and that was to ensure a spell was broken when otherwise it might have held fast. Mithrandir had given him the instruction to do so, and not even Elrohir knew of his full reasoning when he took his leave of Middle Earth and left his twin behind.

He was glad that he did, for he had finally understood the time in which those unusual ladies had grown and loved.

Elladan watched and waited until the first man was born for whom he had come, and in secret he ensured that a great book came in to his possession. The stranger that Elladan presented himself as was quickly forgotten as he intended, but the man's dreams were filled with great ideas of language and magic. The elf then sat back, and watched the magic of Middle Earth unfold about him. He had even ensured a publishing house would take the texts the man would write, a suggestion seeded in the man's mind long years before directing him where he needed to go.

He began to recognise the time around him, recalling long-passed conversations with a start. He chose not to see the adaptations of the life he had lived, for he knew none would compare to the moments and they would never quite be the same. Instead, he traced a man and a woman, Gaelin and Anna, who had three beautiful daughters, and he watched them grow into the great ladies that he had known.

Bernadette was more than he had ever come to imagine, unfaltering in her strength despite all the troubles her life had thrown at her. Finally, it was as her Father passed he made himself known to the man. He had trained as a medical doctor, and so was by his side at every moment that he could.

"My Lord... Elladan." Gaelin had gasped – in part from the shock, and in part from the agonising disease which was destroying his very being. "I don't understand!"

"A time is coming when you will, and I am confident that it will be very soon." He spoke soothingly. "But there is something I must do, and I beg your forgiveness." He applied a little of a sedative into the cannula at his elbow before removing the ring at his hand. Covering it with his own, he recited the words that Mithrandir had taught him and felt the ebb and flow of magic within the room.

There, it was done. The spell would begin to unwind, and so their journey home would begin. Slipping the warmed ring back in to place, he took a step back and sighed as the weight of the world began to crash upon his shoulders.

A little longer did he stay, and perhaps it was self-flagellation that he did so. Bernadette was exactly as he remembered her, and in a desperate need to care for her when she sauntered off into the world he cut his hair as short as he dared in a fashionable style, enrolled for what felt like a hundredth time in the University, and befriended the awkward but flamboyant young woman.

He became whatever she needed – a friend, an adversary, a drinking partner, her guardian angel. He became her Sam – Samwise Jones. As he did so, Elladan came to see what his brother had already known; he came to love her as closely as the sister who had passed into the great Halls of Kings.

He recalled how she had looked when she arrived in their time, and her excitement bubbled over as she talked about their holiday away. The heaviness upon him came again in another wave, and he knew now that this was the moment.

"I'll see you soon, Sam!" she gave him a quick hug as she packed her belongings into the boot of her Mother's car. He held her a little longer than necessary, but he doubted she noticed for her inability to focus for more than a minute or two. "Have an ace summer – you doing that wedding gig?"

"Yeah, I am. We fighting for the solos, or will you bow down to my awesome?" Sometimes, he wondered if he had forgotten Sindarin entirely as he had become so accustomed to the language of Men. He loved it, loved seeing how it had changed, and whilst Sindarin was beautiful in its own right English was far more expressive and intricate.

"You can suck my..." She gestured crudely and Elladan laughed despite his sadness at what would come next for her. He hated that she would have to suffer. He pulled the beanie back over the tips of his ears so that Aurae wouldn't suspect anything, and grinned at her as she waved at him.

"Enjoy your summer, Sam! You're always welcome to stay." He smiled at Aurae – Anna - but shook his head and waved them off as they drove away from the sprawling green campus.

It was time.

He had watched over them all, protected them from the shadows, but now his task was complete. However, there were still some things that he would do to surprise those he loved as he sailed for Valinor – trusting that passage would still be granted to him.

He bought a boat, and filled it with all those things he could. Instruments he knew that Bernadette and her family would adore; clothes, books, medical supplies, and with a chuckle he dared to take books on plumbing and electricity. Vast quantities of jewellery did he have from many an incarnation upon the Earth, and more art than he knew what to do with which was carefully packed away and stored on the ship he would take.

Elladan sold his house, sold his car and his motorbike. He dressed in comfortable jeans, a t-shirt and a soft hooded sweatshirt that would zip at the front – he knew not what else to wear that would be comfortable. And then, as he turned the key in the engine of his sizeable boat and piloted it out of the docks in the little town in Cornwall he frequented, he sailed in to the open sea and headed for the West and to the swift sunrise that awaited him.

Over and over he turned an ancient wooden pipe in his hands, fragile with the time that had passed, and when he next looked up from the instruments he used to navigate he saw the great white cliffs of Valinor with a start. It was with a full heart that he came upon the harbour and all the Valar smiled, feeling content at last that all was as it should be.

He stepped off the boat alone, gazing about the quiet harbour with raised brows. Peering about the great stone towers and climbing trees, the mountains and the shores, he wondered if anyone had expected him to return except for Mithrandir, his Father, and his twin.

Elladan saw him then, dark hair and laughing eyes, flanked by two taller dark-haired elves and a fair lady on his arm who was frowning and reaching out to smack one of the twins. Gods, they looked so like Haldir but for their eyes and hair. The lady – hair like sunlight and eyes like steel, but the very mirror of her mother despite it; she could only be Bernadette's daughter. He leaned against a stone arch and watched them bicker for a moment, indulging himself and allowing the goodness to fill him completely.

"Hail, Elrohir!" He snapped to Sindarin as if it were second nature, the words coming as easily as if he had never stopped speaking them.

He watched the figure of his twin pause and turn slowly, their eyes meeting. In moments they had flown into an embrace, the bond of a twin never having broken for a moment despite the time that had spanned. "I never thought I would see you again. I know you said that you would return but my heart feared that it would not be so."

Elladan scoffed. "Do not be so ridiculous, of course I would return. However, I do have some fascinating ideas about medicine which I would love to share." His mind was already off like a shot but his brother held up a hand to stop him.

"Patience, Elladan. What is this remarkable getup you wear?" Elrohir asked. "By the Valar, what did you do to your hair?"

"I rather like the hair – and these are jeans. I think I have about a hundred pairs if you'd like to try them. Have you seen Benny? I have some things for her and her family I know she would adore." He watched the siblings smiling and laughing out of the corner of his eye whilst Elrohir desperately tried to get his head around what had happened to his twin.

"I... you knew her?"

"Of course know her. I was her best friend when she did not fit in anywhere else, and then of course we did rescue her." Elladan remembered her as she was then, loud and defiant and worse than any man and he could not wait to remind her of that woman. "Now, introduce me before I appear terribly rude."

"I... Meet Bernadette's sons, Callon and Gelluion." He paused as the two dark-haired elves bowed with identical grins, his brother eyeing the fair lady carefully before gesturing for her introduce herself. "My brother, Elladan."

"Hello, Lord Elladan, lovely to see you again. I am Litawen, as you may recall." The blonde woman approached him, holding out her hand as she had when she was but a child. "I am also your brother's pregnant wife."

"... Pregnant wife?" Now it was his turn to feel shock as Elrohir tugged Litawen to him, a tender smile gracing his features as he did so. "My brother, actually married?"

Litawen frowned. "I know; terrible, is it not? The idea of him being a Father is as terrifying as it is glorious."

Elladan laughed out loud then, suddenly curious about Bernadette's daughter now grown. "I like you." He spoke to Litawen in English and her face lit up.

"Ha! Soon more Elves in Valinor shall speak as we do than those who still speak Quenya. Your brother did not believe me all those years ago when first we fell in love."

"Sink or swim, I suppose." Elladan grinned, revelling in the use of the language where he could.

"You should see my Mum – she'll probably be teaching but I am sure she will welcome the interruption."

"She's teaching her niece, of course she will want interrupting. That lady is as stubborn as Legolas and Victoria put together." One of the twins, Callon, snorted. "You know Father refuses to teach her after that time with the throwing daggers?"

"First you should probably see Mother and Father, Elladan. Litawen may lead you, and I shall seek out Bernadette." Elrohir interrupted over the top of the twins who were just beginning to get started, and they had the grace to look a little sheepish.

"I detest you, husband-mine." Litawen's distaste was clear upon her face before she turned to Elladan. "We have not yet told them of the child we expect, and your darling brother keeps pushing me in their path until I do so."

"I rather think that any child of ours will be far less for him to worry about than his vagabond son who returns looking like... well, that! With that strange thing upon his head and hair barely touching his collar." Elrohir gestured to Elladan who raised a hand to his head, touching the hat he wore defensively.

"What's wrong with my hat?"

"Nothing at all, it is a very fetching hat." Litawen assured him and took his arm, leading him away from the snickering group. "Welcome to our family. You know not what madness ensues."

"Ah, but you know not what madness I've come from. I will be fine, I promise." He nudged the blonde lady and she laughed, repeating the action.

"We'll see." She said drily, and then her hand went to her abdomen with a small smile. "Hush, little one. Mummy is busy."

"You know of course that my Father most likely knew of your child before you did?" Elladan spoke after a moment, and she nodded with a sheepish look.

"I know it, but we are both so good at avoiding the topic I fear I will introduce him to his grandchild without ever having told him of the pregnancy myself." Litawen paused then, staring at the great house that looked so like Imladris it set a flutter into his heart.

She seemed to sense his wonder and gave his arm a squeeze. "Welcome home, Elladan. You have been sorely missed."

So it was that the last of the Elves passed from Middle Earth, but they would ever live on in the memories of all those who lived there. Not a single tale forgotten, not a great deed unknown. For Elladan son of Elrond had ensured that their memory would endure in the hearts of those that would love them; and that men would always know that such a rich history led them to the great things they had accomplished. The circle truly was complete.


Reviews sincerely appreciated, no matter when you come to read this story. Please see my profile regarding the spin-offs, and I look forward to seeing you all again very soon on our next great adventure!

MaraudingManaged.