**Hey, a big thank-you and I love you goes out to everyone who reviewed my little story! OMG! THE FINAL CHAPTER IS ALMOST HERE! AHHH! PLEASE R&R!!!**
Chapter 18
It had been one long week since Amanda learned about the message from Durian. She wanted to believe that what he said was true, but she also wished to believe that he was only fooling himself.
She knew that she would feel horrible and selfish if Durian was forced to give up his immortality to her just because he loved hre. She didn't want him to do that for her, she knew that she wasn't gong to stay in Middle-Earth forever, and she didn't want him to make that sacrifice for her when she would be leaving in a matter of days... it was foolish!
Amanda had just finished all 3 books of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, but she still didn't know where Durian fit in. Her friends told her that the books back on earth had been changed, but Amanda's stayed the same. She did the calculations in her head and figured out that Lestan, Elrohiol, and herself would be arriving in Lothlòrien around the same time that the fellowship would. She was excited about seeing Durian again, but she was also terrified of it.
The thought of having Lestan take Amanda back to earth instead of to Lothlòrien had crossed her mind. Then she also knew that it would devastate Durian if he never saw her again, and she didn't want to inflict him with that kind of painful grief. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was also in love with the elf, which everyone besides her seemed to know. And she wouldn't admit it to anyone, save for Durian one day... maybe.
She feared how she would react when she would see Durian again after all this while. She didn't know if she would let her mind take over and she would remain calm and collected, or if she would let her heart take over and she would break down and cry tears of happiness.
"Lady Amanda?"
What if Durian was just kidding, what if what he said turned out to be some horrible joke! She thoughted miserably.
"Lady Amanda?"
Amanda snapped out of her thoughts and blinked a couple of times, to come back to reality. She looked over at Elrohiol, who was speaking to her. "What?" She asked absent-mindedly.
Elrohiol laughed, "Are you thinking about that certain Prince of Mirkwood that just happens to be my cousin?"
"Yeah," Amanda sighed, "Why do I have to stay here? Can't I just go back to Earth?"
"You don't wish to see Durian again?!" Elrohiol asked, shocked.
"No, it's not that. It's just that... well..." Amanda took a deep breath, then began talking rapidly, "You see, he's an Elf! Well of course you know that, but I'm a human! And if he really loved me then he would have to give up his immortality, and I don't want him to do that since I'm leaving in a few days and he'd be stuck here in Middle-Earth alone, as a mortal, and-"
"My God, child. Slow down!" Lestan exclaimed.
Amanda sighed, and regained her composure. "I'm sorry. I just feel so overwhelmed with all these feelings that are going through my mind right now. I mean... I shouldn't be experiencing these kinds of things... I'M ONLY 15!!"
"Some things happen to people while they're still young. It's used as a learning experience." Lestan calmly told her.
Amanda rolled her eyes at his comment, "This isn't a learning experience." She muttered.
"So are you telling me that you would rather go back to earth then to see the one elf that you may have a future with?" Lestan questioned.
Amanda groaned, "Don't you people see?! There can't be any future for me and Durian. Would you like a couple of reasons?!"
Elrohiol and Lestan exchanged glances before turning their eyes back on Amanda and nodding.
"Ok... here's only a couple. One, Durian is like, so much older than me... I mean it's unnatural for someone on earth to go out with a person that's over 1000 years older than them. Two, IF Durian and I were to ever get married, I would be forced to remain in Middle-Earth because I would be Princess of Mirkwood, not that it's a bad title or anything, but I would much rather be just plain old Amanda. Three, I don't have time for a stable relationship right now, I'm still trying to get through high-school! I'm currently trying to maintain a 4.1 GPA and I have to worry about going to college to become a Neurosurgeon and all this other shit in my life right now! And-"
Lestan eagerly cut her off, "Alright, Lady Amanda. We can understand what you may be going through. And now that you say it, I agree that it would be rather absurd to marry the Prince, at such a young age. But you must still see him once more to heal your pain. Because even though you cannot realize it, you miss him terribly and cannot be happy while you are away from him."
Amanda looked at the blonde elf in shock. He was right. Amanda really did truly love Durian. And she just now felt that she could openly admit it. "Lestan? I have a question…"
"Yes, my Lady?"
"Can I die here in Middle-Earth?" Amanda asked.
Lestan quickly glanced at Elrohiol. When he got a nod of approval, he looked back at Amanda. "Yes, you can. But if you die in Middle-Earth, you do not die on earth."
"So you're saying that I can die here, and be transported back to earth, then come right back here?" Amanda asked.
"No, my Lady. 'Tis not that simple. You see… when you die here in Middle-Earth, you will be automatically lifted back to earth, but you will have no memory of anything that you experienced while here." Lestan explained sadly.
"Oh…"
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Yes, that's the latest chapter, sorry it's so short. But the story shall be ending soon, sadly. Oh well. PLEASE R&R!!!