Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

So, this will serve as the final chapter of this story, showing the aftermath of the war and how things are going forward in Arda. I thank you all for supporting this story, and hope you enjoy this final chapter.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 45- The Great Peace

(July 4, 2023)

In his home in Denver, Phil Stewart slowly opens his eyes as he feels the sun on his face. Glancing over at his alarm clock on the bedside table, he sees that it's pretty late compared to when he normally wakes up.

Stewart sits up in bed, taking a deep breath as he wakes himself up. It's been almost 2 years since the end of the war. Since then, Stewart, despite PTSD he had acquired from the war, had decided to remain in the military. He had just recently been promoted from 2nd to 1st Lieutenant and now leads a tank platoon with the 4th Infantry. In addition to that, shortly after the war, Stewart had been awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the war.

Stewart climbs out of bed and dresses himself before he heads into the kitchen. As he does, he sees something that makes him smile as he sees his wife, Alice, blending smoothie in the kitchen. Stewart and Alice had met during the war when she served with 5th Infantry Division. Alice applied for a discharge immediately after the war, but they stayed in touch and started dating after a few months. They got married after they found out she was pregnant, and now she's two months from her due date.

Alice turns to look at Stewart as he walks into the room. "Morning, honey," she says with a smile. Stewart smiles back as he walks over and gives her a kiss.

"Sleep well?" she asks.

"Ah, not so well. Had another nightmare about Jerry,," Stewart says.

Alice's expression shifts into one of slight concern and pity and she nods. Jerry was one of Stewart;s good friends in the 4th and a fellow tank commander. Jerry and his tank crew all died in the final battle during the dragon assault when a winged dragon incinerated Jerry's tank. Nightmares about Jerry's death and the screams of him and his crew as they died are some of the most common nightmares he has.

"You have another meeting with your therapist this week don't you?" Alice asks.

"Yes. On Friday," Stewart says.

Alice nods before she pulls Stewart in for a hug. Stewart hugs her back tightly, feeling their baby kick from inside her belly, and feeling his lingering stress from the dream fade away.

(Washington DC)

In the Oval Office, President Trump is looking over a stack of papers, wondering how long it'll take so he can take a break and go get lunch.

The papers are part of a recent treaty with the Elves of the new kingdom of Lindon under the new king Gil-Galad. After the lands of Beleriand had sunk into the sea following the devastation of Operation Illuvatar, the Noldor had established a new kingdom called Lindon. The treaty discussed relations between America and Lindon, allowed for certain American businesses to set up locations in Lindon, and allow for the area known as the Grey Havens to function also as a US naval base. Already, construction was underway at the Grey Havens of docks, fuel tanks, ordnance storage, and other facilities needed for a fully functional naval base.

Things have changed a lot in the last two years since the war with Morgoth ended. The US no longer had any presence in Valinor. At the request of the Valar, all US forces and personnel had departed the land, though the airbase in central Valinor was permitted to remain intact in case of emergencies.

The Allies had now moved all of their forces and personnel to Middle Earth. Navy and Marine personnel were stationed at the Grey Havens, except for a small Marine detachment had been sent to the peninsula called Umbar for to the southeast, which was going to be turned into a second joint Navy-Marine base. An Air Force base, named Earendil Air Force Base, had been established in Eriador in the area known as Minhiriath, and was now home to the re-activated 54th Fighter Wing, a unit operating F-16s, and the 514th Airlift Wing, a reserve unit that had been moved up to an active duty unit operating C-130s. Further east, about halfway between the Dwarven realm of Khazad-dum and the Gap of Calenardhon was Fort Abrams, an Army base named for General Abrams, which was home to the 24th Infantry Division, one of only three divisions reactivated for the war still in service.

The military had gone through a major downsizing after the war. Dozens of divisions reactivated for the war were inactivated after their return to America. The only ones not inactivated were the 24th Infantry, 2nd Armored, and 11th Airborne. Over a hundred aircraft had been retired to the Boneyard. And several dozen ships, including the battleship Wisconsin, had been decommissioned. The Wisconsin had returned to her life as a museum ship, now more famous than ever.

Things had progressed well for America and her new allies in Middle Earth. Lindon was now a fierce ally of the US, and there were even talks of Lindon signing a treaty with NATO. In addition, the Edain were also still fierce allies of the US. In the two years since the war, the Americans had made contact with Khazad-dum and established relations with them. Only a month ago, a treaty had been signed between America and Khazad-dum, giving America certain rights to Khazad-dum's mithril in exchange for American-made mining equipment and sharing of other technologies the Dwarves found useful, as well as a defense treaty.

America's influence has not just been military either. Several American businesses, including restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses offering products expected to be highly marketable in Arda have established a number of locations in Middle-Earth west of the Misty Mountains. So far, they've been enjoying great success. The US had also discovered an oil field in northern Eriador and received permission to drill for oil there. There's even talk of the US eventually sponsoring an airline in Middle Earth.

The US had also welcomed a surprising number of immigrants from Beleriand. A number of displaced Sindar and Nandor Elves from Beleriand had moved to America, along with a small number of Edain and a few Easterlings that hadn't sworn loyalty to Morgoth. These immigrants had adjusted well to life in America, and their influence had also spread into American culture. Some restaurants had been established featuring Elvish cuisine, and Sindarin has become something of a hobby language for Americans, with the language now taught at most universities and even some high schools, and with over a million Americans now either fluent or well versed in Sindarin.

All in all, things have been going great ever since the war, and since the war, Trump has enjoyed the easiest time of his presidency. The US economy is booming, and the American public is more united than it has been in years.

Trump leans back in his chair, continuing to read over the treaty while thinking about his planned visit to Lindon in a few months.

(Annuminas)

In his house in the town of Annuminas, Stan Freeman smiles a bit to himself as he walks the streets of the town. He waves to one of his friends who lives down the street as he keeps walking towards the market.

Although most immigration between worlds had been peoples of Middle Earth migrating to America, there had been some going the other way. Small numbers of Americans, mostly military personnel who retired after the war, decided to settle in Middle Earth. The Elves and Edain agreed to allow the Americans to set up a colony in Middle Earth. All those who moved to Middle Earth established a small town in northern Eriador, which was given the name Annuminas, a name from the language of the Edain. The town was small, numbering just a few thousand, but life there was good.

Freeman had decided to retire from the Marines after the war. Freeman had served well in the war and was heavily decorated, having been awarded two Silver Stars during his time in Beleriand. Freeman had become attached to Middle Earth and its people, and decided to join the people who wished to settle in Middle Earth. Now, he's living a simple life, running a small construction business in Annuminas.

Now, as he slowly walks down the street towards the neighborhood market for his weekly grocery shopping, Freeman looks up at the sky and smiles. He finds it hard to believe it's been almost 5 years since he first set foot on the shores of Middle Earth, and now it's his home. It sometimes seems like so many years since Arda and America first made contact, and life has never been the same for the two worlds since then.

As Freeman looks around at the beautiful landscape surrounding his town, he finds himself smiling. Despite all he went through in the war with Morgoth, it's provided him with so many opportunities in life, and a good life here in Beleriand.

Earth and Arda have been forever changed. But now that the war is long over and Morgoth is long gone, at last, the two worlds can be at peace.

And, I'll end there. With that, the final chapter has come to an end.

I hope you have enjoyed this story. It's been a great pleasure to write it.

So, I will be writing two more stories based on this concept of the US getting involved in Middle Earth. The first of the two will be post WWII America getting involved in a war with Pharazon's Numenor and then with Sauron in the Second Age. The other story will be modern US getting involved in the War of the Ring. They will be posted under the Lord of the Rings section of this site, not the Silmarillion, so watch my profile for them.

Alright. We've come to the end of this story. Please leave a final review, have a great day, and stay tuned!