A/N: Hello, hello, hello! I'm back! Firstly, I'm SO SO SO sorry for my absence. It's been a crazy hectic few months. I just haven't had time to write fanfic, but things have calmed down and I'm feeling inspired again. I even have ideas for more stories in the AU.

Secondly, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH to every single person who has left kudos, added to their follows/favorites and commented. It means the WORLD to me that you guys like this fic, especially as this little alternate universe started years ago.

This chapter might not be the longest, I'm kinda finding my feet again, as it were. Anyway, without further delays, I hope you will enjoy this long awaited chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Gandalf

Millicent's POV.

Gandalf and Mr Grayham were the same person.

It took a few moments before the reality of this revelation sunk in. In front of me stood a man with long white hair, wearing a long white robe and carried a white staff. Mr Grayham had been a man with grey hair and wizened face, but it was the eyes that revealed the truth. They were the same, kind and blue eyes that Mr Grayham always greeted me with at the hospital.

How could that possibly be?

After everything I'd seen and experienced in Middle-Earth, this completely threw me. Several questions whirled around in my mind as I tried to make sense of these new circumstances.

First of all; if Mr Grayham was indeed Gandalf, how long had he known about my fate? Was he the orchestrator of it, or was he simply acting on behalf of the Valar?

Secondly; how could one person simply travel between worlds at their own will? According to Maggie, every single time that she and the others were pulled out of their world and dropped back into Middle-Earth, it was entirely out of their control. This seemed to not be the case for Gandalf.

Thirdly; why hadn't he warned me? I saw Mr Grayham every single day in the hospital and he'd become a friend. Surely, a friend would have the decency to warn other friends of….oh I don't know, a BOMB falling from the bloody sky.

Gandalf must have sensed my inner turmoil, or whatever it was that wizards did and leaned forward on his staff.

"Maggie, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like a word alone with Millicent." Gandalf asked politely. "There are some things we should discuss."

"Absolutely," Maggie replied, "Although, don't go off without saying goodbye again. It's been too long, Gandalf."

Maggie gently squeezed my hand, as if she knew I was nervous. It made sense, of course, she had once been in my position.

Gandalf started walking and I followed suit. We slowly made our way across one of the many stone bridges in Rivendell, with the roaring sound of waterfalls around us. I couldn't help but wonder what the different seasons looked like in Rivendell. Did the waterfalls freeze in winter or did the magic of the place mean it was just always flowing? Bird song echoed in the air and as Gandalf and I reached an empty porch with a bench upon which he sat down, I felt a sudden calm. It was like, whatever Gandalf might tell me didn't scare me anymore.

The wizard put his staff to the side, and reached inside his robes for a beautifully carved wooden pipe, which he lit. I expected it to smell awfully, like tobacco usually does, but this smelled sweeter and its smoke wasn't quite as heavy. The white-haired wizard inhaled a large amount of smoke so quickly that I was certain it would make him cough. Instead, when he exhaled the smoke it was in the shape of a small bird of some kind, maybe a swallow, which then faded away.

"I am sorry," Gandalf said after a while, "I was hoping I would have been able to come here earlier, but as these things go, I got caught up in some matters I could not ignore. I hope you know that it was not my wish for you to be abandoned."

Something in Gandalf's voice told me he meant it and then I suddenly felt bad. For so long, I'd been so angry that I was taken out of my world and thrown into this one, so far away from everything familiar to me. After everything I had heard about Gandalf from the others, I knew he never meant to leave anyone alone. It left me with the conclusion that something serious must have happened for him to take so long.

"It's alright," I assured him. "I've been in good hands."

"Yes, so I gather." the wizard chuckled, "Are you happy here, Millicent?"

Happy.

Was I happy in Middle-Earth?

A question with an answer that should have been difficult to be truthful about, but instead it was an easy answer. Middle-Earth had changed me in ways that I was only just beginning to fathom. After all this time, I found myself finally able to let go of Charlie and giving him the peace he deserved and that reassurance I needed to move on. There were still a lot of things I needed to figure out and some things that did not make sense. Thranduil and I had yet to actually have the honest and open conversation we needed to figure things out and I didn't want to push anything and neither did he.

"Yes," I said as a heavy weight lifted off my chest and exhaled through my mouth, "I am. It scares me a little, though and there are so many things I still don't understand. I have to ask, though, Gandalf - why did you send me here? It seems a bit...much to send someone to a whole other world just to meet someone."

"The Valar's will are not always made clear, even to those of us who act on their behalf." said the wizard and exhaled a giant ring of smoke. "They didn't just decide on a whim to send you here, it was always a part of your fate and has been ever since you were born."

My jaw dropped and I tried to think of what to say, but it was as if I had temporarily lost the ability to speak and so Gandalf continued.

"You and Thranduil meeting is only one part of your journey," said the wizard, "Together, you'll share something that will come to benefit the very fate of this world."

"I don't….I don't understand." I confessed, "What do you mean? I thought the Valar wanted Thranduil and I to meet to help us both move on from the lovers we've lost. What does that have to do with the fate of this world?"

"Aye and part of that is true. However, your union has a higher purpose. I am sure that by now you must have been told about Sauron and the war of the ring?"

"Yes, Maggie lost her brother during one of the battles."

Gandalf nodded and seemed sorrowful, as if he thought back on the memory of Maggie's brother. I wanted to ask more about it, but that would have to be for another time. Maggie and the others also told me that Middle-Earth had been at peace since the war ended, but a horrible feeling in my stomach told me that wasn't quite true. For some reason, I immediately thought back on the people who had taken Eira and how Beorn said that an alliance between humans and orcs was strange and not often heard of anymore.

"Is there another war coming, Gandalf?" I asked in a low voice, as if saying it loudly would make it more true. "Is that why I'm here? Although, I don't understand what that has to do with Thranduil?"

"You really are one of the most perceptive people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing," Gandalf said warmly, as if he was proud. "Your growing relationship with Thranduil will create an even stronger bond between your races. Not just elves and humans, but also with dwarves. That alliance will become a crucial force of good if this world is to survive the new foe."

"Do the others know? Shouldn't you be telling them this?"

Gandalf shook his head and I didn't like where this was going.

"No, Millicent." Gandalf said, "There will come a time when you will be called upon to aid those in need. When that day comes, a raven will caw three times. Thranduil will not want you to leave, but you must."

I had so many questions, but there was only one that seemed the most important at the time.

"How long?" I asked, "How long before the war comes?"

"One year." Gandalf replied heavily, "In one year everything will change, but you do have a choice."

"I thought you said that my fate was here? What kind of choice?"

"The Valar are not unreasonable. Your choice is this: you can stay in Middle-Earth and play your part in what is to come or, you can be sent home to your world. However, if you choose the latter, the doors to this world will be forever sealed."

My whole body froze and I didn't know what to say. Up until that point, I'd pretty much accepted that Middle-Earth was my home indefinitely. Having the choice to return home changed everything. If I went home, I could go back to my job at the hospital and live my life as I always had. If I stayed, I would have to wait a whole year until the prophecy began to come true. Going back home meant leaving this world and never being able to come back. I'd be leaving all the friends I'd made her and Thranduil.

What would happen to Thranduil if I left? Would he simply go back to his kingdom in the woods and lock himself behind the chamber doors? Would I really be able to go about life as normal after everything I'd seen here. I didn't want to be a part of a prophecy, all I'd ever wanted was a good life surrounded by people I was proud to call friends and family. Most of all, I didn't want to exchange one war for another, but that's exactly what I had to do.

"When do you need an answer?" I asked, "I need to think."

"You have until tomorrow."

To be continued…..

A short-ish chapter, but we did find out a few things! Did you like it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments?