A/N: Another update! I wrote the two chapters quite close to each other so enjoy! I normally don't do the montage-thing but I figured for this chapter it made sense. This chapter is also not as long as all the other ones but I hope you like it nonetheless.

Inspiration for Maggie's wedding dress and accessories:

/20-marvelous-blue-wedding-dress-that-look-more-beautiful-25330/blue-wedding-dress-with-veils-2

listing/541964701/crystal-and-pearl-hair-vine-babys-breath?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=wedding+hair+accessories&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&bes=1

listing/751855167/tiara-diadem-free-shipping-silver-elven?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=wedding+tiara+elf&ref=sr_gallery-2-6&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&cns=1

FOUR

The Fellowship Departs

Elves sure knew how to throw a party.

It carried on until early hours of the morning, but Fili and Maggie sneaked out earlier to celebrate their engagement in their own way. Fili had extended a private invitation to Elrond, if he wished to join them but the elf-lord politely declined because it was rude for a host to just disappear from a celebration. That said, he did say he would certainly take them up on their offer at another opportune moment. Maggie had a feeling there would be plenty of those over the next two weeks because if memory served, they were in for a long journey with the Fellowship. The thought of being able to enjoy more private and x-rated moments with both of her men filled Maggie with childish glee and all her sadness over the past few days had all but simmered away.

Maggie and Fili very much enjoyed their first night together in a very long time. To say that Fili was lust-filled and impatient was an understatement. If most people weren't already passed out from a night of drunkenness, they rest would surely have heard them. Not that either of them cared and Maggie spent the night in a blissful state in Fili's company. Just like she had done for the past few nights, Maggie rose early, with the arms of her sleeping blonde dwarf beside her. Her stomach growled again and she carefully removed Fili's arms, got dressed and sneaked out of the bedroom. I wonder if Elrond stocks oatmeal cookies, she wondered as she walked through the hallways.

"Maggie!"

Laura's voice caught Maggie by surprise and when she turned around, she saw her friend still dressed in yesterday's clothes. Not to mention her room was in a different part of Elrond's House, which could only mean she had spent the night elsewhere. A thought that greatly amused Maggie.

"Where have you been?" Maggie asked with faux-suspicion in her voice

"Nowhere…" Laura blatantly lied "Okay, maybe somewhere."

So, Maggie thought, I'm not the only one who has had a good night.

"Do I want to know?"

Another set of footsteps reached their ears and they saw Nat trying to sneak away from them. She was also dressed in the same clothes and just like Laura, her room was in a different part of Elrond's House. In fact, Elrond had given the girls rooms next to each other and Maggie had her old suite back. Of course, she hadn't spent a single night in there yet and she wondered how it would feel. The last time she slept in that bedroom was when Theo was only a baby and had trouble sleeping at night.

"Nat?" Laura asked "You're doing the walk of shame?"

Nat turned around to them and in the surrealism of the moment, the three girls burst out giggling. Maggie was reminded of their time at university when things like these happened during nights out. Not in their wildest dreams could any of them fathom experiencing similar things in Middle-Earth.

"Come on, I know a place where we can get some cookies and then we can talk."

A few minutes and a stolen cookie jar later, all three girls all sat on Maggie's bed.

"I gotta ask Maggie," Nat said as she reached for the cookie jar "What's it like?"

"What's what like?" Maggie asked

"You know, dating two of them?" Nat replied "Not only is Elrond an elf and Fili a dwarf, but they're pretty different people. Is it ever difficult?"

Maggie chuckled and was surprised the question hadn't been asked sooner. She realised that it must seem strange to an outsider. Having romantic and intimate relationships outside your own race was rare in Middle-Earth but to have two partners of different races was something new altogether. On earth, polyamory was nothing new at all and certainly not in the 21st century where all sorts of relationships and lifestyles were practiced and widely accepted. While Middle-Earth was fairly open-minded in some aspects, it still had a way to go when it came to more traditional parts of life such as marriage and love. The Shire was a fine example of that sort of conservative thinking and Maggie recalled the trouble Bilbo and Riley had after their own marriage, as they were not accepted in the Shire and so they had to live in Rivendell. Not that they minded living in Rivendell, they both loved it there but Maggie always wondered what Bilbo's life looked like upon his return to Hobbiton after such a long time away.

"It was difficult at first, figuring out all the details. When I first told them both how I felt, I hadn't even kissed either of them and Theo was just born. I didn't really think they wanted to share me, as it were, but by the time I brought it up they already talked about it and it just went from there." Maggie told them "The logistics of it were a bit awkward at first, like deciding who would sleep in my bed during what nights. When to have private moments, intimate or otherwise. I remember feeling so awkward and completely terrified. They were so good about all of it and after a while it was just natural. Some nights I spent with Elrond, some nights with Fee and sometimes it was just me and Theo."

As the old memories resurfaced Maggie smiled and she wondered if there would be enough time over the next two weeks to relive some of those moments.

"How did everyone else react?" Nat curiously wondered. "Like the other dwarves and elves and Kili's mother. I hear she's a bit intimidating.."

"Oh Dis is fucking terrifying." Maggie chuckled "To this day, she still scares me. She definitely wasn't happy, but she didn't really have a choice. Everyone else was great though and they just accepted it as the most natural thing in the world."

It was such a relief to finally tell Nat and Laura about everything Maggie had experienced in Middle-Earth. While she had friends like Tauriel, for an incredibly long time she was surrounded by men. They were all lovely, kind and supportive but there were just some things that she could not speak with them about. Not even her brother and therefore it was beyond wonderful to have her two best friends there with her.

"Real talk though." Nat announced as she stole a cookie off Laura's hand. "What's the sex like?"

Maggie's cheeks flushed red. That was the other thing she missed talking about and the heat on her face reminded her how long it had been since anyone had asked her questions like that. Even though Riley was a great brother, as well as open-minded, there were some things you just couldn't divulge to your older sibling.

"It's pretty damn amazing." She said "They're both so different, it's difficult to explain."

"Try us," Laura urged "Don't leave out any details. Have you guys ever had a threesome?"

"Laura!" Maggie buried her face in the pillow.

"OH MY GOD!" Nat shrieked "You have! Come on, who can you tell if not your girlfriends?"

"Okay fine!" Maggie stuck her tongue out at her friend "I thought Elrond would be the gentle one, given his grace and the way he carries himself and sometimes he is, but he's more firm and he knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. I've tried figuring out how to push his buttons but he's sneaky. It's actually really frustrating, which he knows so sometimes he'll just make me wait. When it's the two of them, I don't stand a chance at outsmarting them."

"So, Elrond is secretly kinky?" Nat giggled "Who'd have thought! What about Fee?"

"Fee is more driven by his lust and acts purely on instinct. Most dwarves do and it's usually quite heated." Maggie said "He doesn't hold back but at the same time he's very calculative. Although, it's also much easier to tease him, because he has much less self-control. Something he proved well when we left the party."

"I suppose Elrond does have a few thousand years experience of learning how to contain his excitement, being a Lord and everything." Laura teased and lay back on the bed

"You have no idea how good it is to tell you guys about all of this." Maggie sighed "I wanted to, so many times but I doubt you'd have believed me."

"You're probably right about that. I'm so sorry Maggie, it must have been really lonely for you."

"It was but, we're all here now."

A rare moment of silence fell between them, but it was a comfortable silence.

"I still can't believe we are in Middle-Earth and about to join the Fellowship." Nat said "No matter how many times I say it, it still feels surreal."

"Yeah," Maggie chuckled. "It'll feel like that for a while but then it just sort of becomes normal. Almost like you wonder why you ever doubted it was real in the first place."

"You two love it here," Laura realised. "You and Riley. We can tell by how everyone treats you guys like family and how happy you are. "

Maggie nodded.

"Middle-Earth is home." she explained "In more ways than one really given that my family is here. Aragorn is technically my sort of great-great whatever great nephew. Then there's Theo, dad and Elrond."

"Not to mention your soon-to-be husband." Nat said "You're marrying a dwarf king!"

"Have you decided when?" Laura asked "What will happen with Elrond?"

"Before we leave, I think."Maggie replied "Fili would have married me in our bedroom, if I hadn't told him we needed to prepare at least a few things. As for Elrond, nothing will change. I'll just have a husband and a boyfriend instead of two boyfriends."

The more Maggie thought about it, the more she realised she felt at peace with her decision. She was excited to get married and it was another one of those things she never thought she would do after Thorin. It felt right in many ways and she was glad that nothing changed between her, Fili and Elrond. If anything, it seemed like Elrond and Fili grew closer over the years, which made sense because they both raised Theo together. All in all, Maggie was extremely lucky and she hoped that perhaps that maybe Nat and Laura would find the same happiness she had in Middle-Earth.

The week following the feast was mainly spent preparing for their journey and for Fili and Maggie's wedding. They both settled on a fairly small and private affair with their closest friends and family. All the Fellowship were invited to attend, even Boromir although more than anything, the son of Gondor seemed confused. He was polite enough to hold his tongue and not speak ill in front of anyone, but Maggie was sure he found it strange for a human to marry a dwarf. She wondered if he felt like an outside, because out of all the people in the Fellowship, Boromir was the one least familiar with everyone else. A part of Maggie felt that perhaps she had been harsh on him and maybe even judged him too quickly.

She did try speaking with him but her attempts at polite conversation was met with awkwardness and she figured maybe that was just his nature. Laura definitely had more luck and sometimes, Maggie caught them going for strolls in the gardens and Boromir seemed comfortable in her presence. There was a part of Maggie that felt guilty, because she knew the Lord of the Rings very well, but Laura didn't, which meant she was unaware of Boromir's fate. One night, she spoke with Nat and wondered if perhaps they ought to tell her, but Maggie knew more than anyone that sometimes fate could be changed. Fili and Kili never died during the battle of the five armies so maybe Boromir wouldn't die either? In the end, they decided to let Laura have her happiness, wherever it may lead to. After all, they all loved their friend.

When the day of the wedding finally arrived, Maggie was filled with dread, excitement and nausea all at the same time. She'd never been one of those women who dreamed about fairytale weddings as a little girl. Now that the day was here, she understood why people got so excited. She'd already learned long ago that elves knew how to party, but until her wedding day she hadn't realised how talented they were at designing clothes. Elrond had commissioned the best seamstress in Imladris to create Maggie's wedding dress and when she looked at herself in the mirror, her jaw nearly drapped. She wore a veiled long blue dress that flowed like water, with jewellery in her hair that glittered like starlight in the sunshine. If Fili's expression was anything to judge by, it was a look that suited her. Fili himself was more gorgeous than usual and Maggie found herself blushing whenever she looked up at him.

Elrond officiated the wedding and after he gladly pronounced them husband and wife, it was time for another surprise. Maggie assumed that any sort of coronation would take place in Erebor, with the rest of the kingdom present but apparently, they only needed a Wizard to make the announcement. Maggie was sure everyone else could hear her heart beating out of her chest as Gandalf placed the tiara on her head, but as soon as Fili gently squeezed her hand, she felt calm again.

"I crown you, Margaret Spencer, Queen of Erebor -the last Dwarf Kingdom of Middle-Earth. May you live out your days in peace. Long live the queen!"

The crowd joined in "Long live the queen!"

"Gimli are you crying?" Nat asked

"I can't help it," Gimli replied and wiped his tears. "Us dwarves are very sentimental when it comes to romance."

Naturally, celebrations followed and while Maggie was happy but there was also a sense of melancholy over it because she knew all too well this was probably the last time things would be as peaceful. Of course she was preparing for the journey with the Fellowship, but no matter how much they talked about it or how much she tried to remember all the events, she knew it wouldn't really help. The quest to Erebor had proved that knowing things didn't necessarily mean they would come to pass. The five of them had all agreed not to divulge any information to the Fellowship, no matter what happened.

"May I steal your bride?" Elrond asked "I will only be a moment."

"You certainly may," Fili replied, "Although try to return her in one piece?."

A spark of mischief showed in Elrond's eyes. "I can make no such guarantees, Your Majesty."

Maggie took Elrond's arm and they strolled from the wedding reception, down the path to the garden. They had just about a week left in Rivendell and Maggie already knew that missing Elrond and Fili was going to be more difficult than it had ever been.

"You are a vision." Elrond told her "And you look happy."

"I am very happy and completely smitten." Maggie replied "I'm so incredibly lucky to have you both."

"We are also lucky, melemin."

As dusk fell and the last rays of sunshine shone over the Hidden Valley, Maggie found herself standing on a very familiar stone bridge, over a stream of water. For a long time, this hidden spot had been their sacred place, away from the noise of everything else. Here, there was peace and tranquility and as Maggie looked up at Elrond, she felt as if time itself stood still. The elf-lord gently took her hands and for a while they stood there in a comfortable silence.

"You are scared." Maggie realised "You're worried about what will happen with the Fellowship."

"I am frightened because I do not wish to lose you again." Elrond said "Perhaps what frightens me even more is that I know I have no choice but to let you go."

"I will be back." Maggie assured him, "After all, I've lived through one quest already."

Fear was a trait that rarely made itself known in the Lord of Rivendell, yet with Maggie he never hid how he truly felt. She gently stroked his soft cheeks with her thumb and he placed his hand over hers and kissed it softly.

"Le melithon anuir," Elrond confessed "Guren min gaim lín." (I will love you forever, my heart is in your hands)

"Gi melethig." Maggie replied. "Gin melathon an-uir." (You are my love and I will love you for eternity).

It was Elrond who closed the distance between with a kiss, Maggie swore to herself that no matter what it took, she would come back to Elrond and Fili.

Riley sat on a chair in Bilbo's room, with a cup of tea in his hand. It was a warm November afternoon and only two days before their departure from Rivendell. To say that he was nervous was a grave understatement, but he tried his best to keep the nerves in check and make the most of the time he had left in Rivendell. He knew this was probably the last time he would see Bilbo in a very long time. Even at his old age, these past two weeks had filled Bilbo with such joy and such youth. Even Frodo said he had never seen the old hobbit quite so energetic before, which is why the idea of leaving everything behind again so much more awful.

The one thing that had worried Riley since their arrival in Rivendell, was Bilbo's feelings for him. He thought perhaps they'd changed or faded or that things would be awkward and not the same as they were. That was all nonsense of course and while he was much older, he was still the same old Bilbo he always had been. The same old Bilbo that Riley loved more than life itself. He didn't necessarily doubt their place in the fellowship, but he couldn't help but play with the idea of what would happen if they simply did not go. For the past two weeks, Riley and his sister had pretty much gotten their old lives back on track. Hell, Maggie was married now and Queen of Erebor. It seemed strange that either of them should have to leave everything behind again to go do the Valar's bidding.

Still, a prophecy was a prophecy. The one part of it that worried Riley was the part that said 'one of them shall fall'. It had to mean Boromir, right? He was the only one that made sense, yet Riley had a gnawing suspicion that it wasn't quite so simple. It was a thought that unsettled him and he decided to cast it aside and enjoy the moments he had left. Felix, Laura and Nat were actually getting pretty excited about the whole thing, and why wouldn't they? Apart from Laura, the other two were just as well-versed in Tolkien literature as Riley and his sister. In fact, he recalled several times when they would read all of them as young children. The first time they heard the Hobbit, every single play time was dictated by Nat who decided they should all build their own hobbit holes (aka blanket forts) and fill them with delicious food and comforts.

If only the younger versions of themselves could see them now.

"Here, here! Take it!" said Bilbo's excited voice and RIley snapped out of his daydreaming "This is sting!"

Riley watched as Frodo weighed the familiar sword in his hand. He remembered clearly the day Bilbo first found Sting in the troll's cave. It was the very first day the appeared in Middle-Earth and ran into Thorin and Company. It was strange how something that happened so long again (60 years to some) could also seem like only yesterday.

"It's so light." Frodo commented

"Yes!" Bilbo said "It's made by the elves you know! And it glows blue when orcs are nearby! It's times like that when you have to be extra careful, my lad."

"Certainly warned us of trouble on more than one occassion." Riley added. "It'll be a good sword for you, Riley."

"Yes Uncle," Frodo replied and nodded.

For some reason, Frodo had taken to referring to Riley as uncle, which he still wasn't used to. He knew it was a sign of affection and respect. He could only imagine that Frodo must have grown up hearing stories about Riley and Maggie. The next thing Bilbo grabbed out of his pile was a familiar shirt given to him long ago by Thorin. Frodo looked even more amazed when he held the shirt in his hand.

"Mithril!" Bilbo exclaimed "As light as a feather and as hard as a dragon's scale! Let me see you put it on!"

Frodo excited began to unbutton his shirt, but then something changed in Bilbo's voice that also caught Riley's attention.

"Oh! My old ring! I should very much like to hold it again, one last time."

Frodo quickly buttoned up his shirt and as he did Bilbo reached out and hissed aggressively at the young hobbit. Riley immediately stood up and grabbed Bilbo as he staggered back into Riley's arms.

"I'm sorry I brought this upon you my boy." Bilbo apologised "I'm sorry that you must carry this burden."

Frodo reached out to his uncle but Bilbo instead turned and sobbed into Riley's arms. Riley had almost forgotten how the ring affected his husband and now that he saw it himself, it was more than enough of a motivator that it had to be destroyed at all cost. Even if it did mean leaving Bilbo behind for the time being. As Riley's eyes met Frodo's, he knew that the brown-haired hobbit felt exactly the same thing.

Too soon came the day for the fellowship to depart. Each of its members spent their last hours in Rivendell saying goodbye to the people whom they would not see for a long time. In one way, Maggie was glad that Theo was with them but knowing the dangers ahead, she wondered what kind of mother she was to allow her son to go on such a dangerous quest. Maggie had said her goodbyes to Fili and Elrond, but seeing them standing there at the gates of the Hidden Valley made everything suddenly seem so real.

"The Ring Bearer is setting out on the quest of Mount Doom." said Elrond "You who travel with him, no oath nor bond is laid upon you to go further than you will. Farewell, hold to your purpose. May the blessings of elves, men and all free-folk go with you."

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring Bearer." Gandalf announced

Frodo seemed to take a few moments to collect himself and then turned around to lead the way out of Rivendell. One by one, they all followed him and when it was only Maggie left, she turned around and took one last glance at her husband and her partner. She didn't need any words to know what the look in their eyes meant.

"Come on sis," Riley said as he put his arms around Maggie, sensing her sadness. "Let's do this together."

They only walked for a short while until Gandalf suddenly blocked their path. No matter how well Maggie and Riley knew Gandalf and how much of a friend he was, it was always intimidating to have a wizard give you a word of caution.

"The five of you, you know things," said the wizard "I can see it in your eyes. But hear this; it would be wise to keep such knowledge amongst yourselves and tell no one." he said and then walked up to Frodo at the front.

"Gandalf, which way is Mordor, left or right." Frodo asked

"Left,"

And so their journey was begun.

To be continued…..

And they're off! This is not the most amazing chapter I've written and I struggled with it as well because I wanted some key things to happen but I didn't want to drag out their time in Rivendell. Maybe if I have time I'll do some sort of DVD extras fic with all the bits that didn't quite make the final cut. What did you think about everyone's interactions? Is there anything you'd like to read? I'm also taking suggestions for ships. I don't want Maggie and Riley to be the only ones with romance! Also, I know the wedding was kind of rushed but I don't want Maggie's storyline to overshadow everything because the other four are also important.

Anyway leave a review/comment!