Six months passed.  Nori told her family of what had passed between her and Legolas, and they did their best to keep her spirits up.

Nori had thought the passage of time would make things easier.  Instead, she found that the pain increased everyday.  She began to wonder if she had been right about The Vision, and a voice inside her heart whispered that she had made a mistake.  She also began to doubt her other reasons for pushing Legolas away.  Sometimes she thought they had only been excuses, conjured up by fear.  Even the fact that Legolas had not offered an argument against her did not do much to quiet these doubts.

This was the state of things when, in the first month of summer, a letter arrived from Minas Tirith.  When Nori saw that it was from Arwen, her heart began to pound.  She read it quickly, and was not at all surprised by what it said.

"Is it bad news?," Thalestel asked anxiously.  "You're shaking!"

"No!  It is not bad news at all.  She writes to ask me to come to Minas Tirith, as soon as I can.  She wishes to speak to me about something."

"What?"

"She doesn't say, but…I think it may have something to do with Legolas.  Ever since he left, I have doubted whether I did the right thing.  When I saw this letter, I felt as if I had been expecting it, and I knew what it would say.  I think I might have overlooked something, and perhaps Arwen can help."

Thalestel smiled hopefully at the excitement in her friend's voice.  Calenmir, who stood quietly in the doorway, suddenly stepped forward.  His face was full of concern.

"Cousin, are you sure this isn't wishful thinking?  I would not want you to get your hopes up, only to find a second disappointment more bitter than the first."

"You may be right," Nori admitted.  "But I have to try.  I'm tired of giving up on people, simply because I'm afraid of getting hurt, or of disappointing them."

Cal stood for a moment, considering, then turned and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?," Nori called, bewildered.

"To see Prince Imrahil," Cal answered.  "You cannot go to Minas Tirith alone."

When they arrived in Minas Tirith, Calenmir was asked to see Elessar in the meeting hall, and Nori was lead on alone.  She was taken to the garden of the White Tree to wait for Arwen.

She did not have to wait alone.  Legolas sat under the Tree, quietly gazing at the sky.  As soon as he saw Nori, he stood and walked towards her.  Nori suddenly became aware that her palms were sweating, and felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Nori!  I did not know you were in Minas Tirith!"

"We only just arrived."

"We?"

"Cal and I."

"Oh."

There was a pause.  They both had much to say, but didn't know where to begin.

"Arwen wrote and asked me to come.  She said she had something important to speak to me about," Nori said, finally.

"She sent for me, as well," said Legolas.  "Do you think she wants to speak to us about…us?"

Nori nodded.  "I think so.  I hope so."

"You do?"

"Yes."

Nori took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

"Legolas, I am sorry for what happened that last day in Dol Amroth.  I – "

"You don't have to apologize, Norusell."

"Yes, I do!  I believe I was wrong to push you away as I did.  You see, knowing what you would have to give up for us to be together terrified me.  I was afraid I was not worthy of the sacrifice."

"But you are."

"I think I'm starting to believe that," Nori said, hesitantly.  "I also think that I may have been wrong about my vision.  I've started to suspect that all this fear blinded me, and that I missed…something."

Legolas looked at her hopefully.

"You mean…?"

"I really don't know, Legolas.  But I think Arwen may be able to provide some answers.  I just hope they're the answers we want to hear."

Legolas reached out and stroked her cheek gently, then pulled her close and held her tightly.  Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

After a few moments, Legolas stirred.

"Someone is coming," he said.

They pulled away from each other, but not quickly enough.  Nori saw Arwen enter the garden, and stepped back so fast she nearly fell over.  She bowed quickly, and then stood gazing at her feet, her cheeks bright red.

Arwen laughed gently.

"I was going to begin our meeting with a question, but perhaps I have just been given the answer!"

At her words, even Legolas blushed slightly, a change not lost on the Queen.  She looked at them both for a moment in silence, then sat, and motioned for them to join her.

"There is a great love between you."

It was not a question but a statement, the truth of which neither Nori nor Legolas attempted to deny.  Instead, they gazed at Arwen silently, waiting for her to continue.

"Your love is strong, but your hearts are troubled.  You have not escaped the difficulties that must arise from a union between an Elf and a Human."

She looked at Nori, who took the look as her cue to speak.

"You are right, my Queen.  Before Legolas left Dol Amroth, I told him I would not marry him.  I did not wish him to make the necessary sacrifices, though he was willing to do so.  I was afraid of disappointing him."

Nori paused for a moment to swallow the lump in her throat, and then continued.

"Also, I have had…well, a vision.  It has plagued me for many months, because I thought I understood its meaning.  But I am no longer sure I was right."

Arwen considered her words before replying.

"You speak of sacrifices.  What do you mean?"

"She does not wish me to make the choice that you have made, my lady," said Legolas quietly.  "She does not wish me to give up my chance to sail."

"Now I see!," said Arwen.  "If it is your vision that gives you such fear, Nori, then you are quite right to doubt your understanding of it.  If you make the choice, Legolas will sail west, and you will go with him."

Thunderous silence greeted this declaration.  Legolas and Nori stared at the Queen in complete shock.  Finally, Legolas found his voice.

"How can you know that, my lady?"

"First, I would like to hear of Nori's vision," Arwen said.

Nori told her what she had seen, and the impression it had made on her.  When she was finished, Arwen nodded.

"You are right, dear Norusell.  You did not have a complete understanding of the vision.  I suspect fear and doubt prevented you from seeing all you were meant to see.  But I have had the same vision, and I understand its full meaning."

"What?!," cried Nori.

Arwen nodded again.

"Yes, my friend.  I have seen it three times, in dreams.  It begins in the same way it does for you, except I can see the other Elves quite clearly.  The ship is full of them.  But you are there among them, as well, wearing a jewel on your brow, as a sign of your marriage to an Elf Prince.  You are, in fact, wearing this stone," she said, lifting a white stone that hung on a chain around her neck.*

"As the Sun sinks lower in the sky, voices speak out of the West:

First Child and Second,
let not their love be torn asunder!
An Evenstar shall steer their course
to the West.

There the dream ends."

"How can you be sure your vision is true, my Queen?," asked Legolas.

"Nori never doubted the truth of her vision, only her understanding of it.  I do not understand how or why this should be, but nevertheless, I do not doubt it is true.  What do you think of what I have told you, Nori?"

"I think…I think your vision is true," answered Nori, a little breathless.  "The missing pieces are falling into place."

Arwen smiled.

"Good," she said.  She looked at them expectantly.  "So when would you like to marry?"

Legolas and Nori blinked in surprise.  They were still absorbing everything Arwen had said, and had not expected things to move so quickly.

'But why wait?,' thought Nori, looking at Legolas.  'It's what we both want.'

Legolas looked back at her, and identical grins broke out on their faces.

"As soon as possible," they said, in unison.

THE END

*For those of you who have read RotK, yes, this is the same stone that she actually gives to someone else. I always thought that part was a little redundant, so I changed it.

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This is the first fanfic I've ever written, so in a lot of ways it was an experiment for me.  Through the processes of writing it, a lot of my ideas about Legolas evolved, and I have to admit that by the time I wrote this last chapter, my heart wasn't really in it.  I actually finished it back in May, and since then I've been making some notes for another story, which I think will be quite different from this one.  But, with school and work, I probably won't be able to write it for a couple of months.  **grumble**  Until then, thanks for reading!  ~  Nori