The years passed. Ithilien grew great and fair until it achieved a majesty and beauty that was reminiscent of the days of old when the Eldar, the elves of old who had seen the great West that is called the Blessed Realm, came to Middle-earth and built upon it many lovely cities and towns. The people of Ithilien were happy and content and were in great friendship with Gondor and Rohan. Though Sauron's fall had not erased evil forever, he was but a spirit of malice in the far East and his few remaining servants hid themselves in deep pits and caves and dared not venture out.
And yet, there was sadness in Middle-earth following the end of the Second Darkness of Sauron. For with the destruction of the One Ring of Power came the destruction of all the other rings whose fate had been bound to it. So it was that the nine rings, which were given to the fell Nazgûl were destroyed as well as the seven given to the great Dwarf-lords of old and few, lamented their loss. But there were also three rings given to the elves and two of the elves who carried these rings were Elrond and Galadriel and they had used these rings to establish fair Rivendell and Lothlórien. Much of the power of these magical places came from the rings and so, when the One Ring was destroyed, their power was gone and the elves began to fade.
As the elves waned and their time in Middle-earth hastened to an end ere the Fourth Age began, men continued to prosper and flourish and the prophecies of old were fulfilled and the Dominion of Men began. Few save the elves and the wise were aware of this and yet, it was to be the greatest loss of Middle-earth: To lost the Firstborn of the Children of Ilúvatar, who had created the world and the Firstborn were elves. Already, elves had become but a legend in many parts of the world and their sorrow was ever growing to leave the kingdom they had dwelt in for so long, though they longed for the never-ending bliss of Valinor, the Blessed Realm.
One morning, the dawn was cold and cheerless and the sky was grey and cloudy. Ithildin did not like this day and sensed that something was amiss. As the day wore on, this feeling of foreboding grew in her heart until she could stand it no longer and went for along walk. She traveled out of Ithilien, heading west not knowing where she was going until she arrived at the gates of Minas Tirith. There, she entered the city and roamed its streets for countless hours, her mind ever restless until finally, a thought flashed in her mind and she knew it to be true: Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the last of the Númenoreans, was dead. And then she hastened back to Ithilien for this was too great to bear alone.
Soon, word reached all of Ithilien and Rohan and many lands to the east and north and west. Aragorn, the King of Gondor, Dúnadan, Estel of hope, the man of whom songs had sung, had ended his life in the city of his ancestors. Arwen, who had been with him until his spirit left the world, wept long but soon arose and bade farewell to her family and when she passed out of Minas Tirith, none heard of her again.
But Legolas and Gimli were heartbroken for now they alone remained of the Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo and Gandalf had long passed into the Blessed Realm to heal Frodo's hurts and bring peace to his soul. Boromir had perished in battle many years ago, and Sam and Merry and Pippin had died of old age.
The loss was too great for Legolas and he experienced the bitterness that is the curse of immortal life upon the elves: To watch things grow old and wither away even as he remained unchanged and he desired at last, to follow his heart and go to the sea. He began to build a great ship, one that would be blessed by the elves and thus would be able to find the straight path to the hidden land of Valinor and he bade all that would come help construct the ship.
Gimli chose also to come with him, for their friendship was great and unparalleled between any Elf or Dwarf of old, and of course, Ithildin would follow him as well. Yet, this agreement was bittersweet, for they would leave so many things they loved and in the land of the Blessed Realm, these things would become but a distant memory. But in the end, the desire to follow Legolas was stronger for Ithildin and Gimli and the desire to leave behind the horrid memories of the years of Sauron was greater still.
Then Legolas had but one last task left to do and that was to return to his homeland one last time and bid farewell to his father and woodland friends. Ithildin went with him for she desired to see beautiful green Mirkwood one last time before she departed from the shores of Middle-earth forever. So they bade Gimli wait for them in Ithilien and oversee the building of the ship while they were gone and promised to return as soon as possible.