A/N Ok, my greatest apologies for this taking so long. I have no excuses, only one last chapter to offer. Hopefully this will make a lot of people happy. And if not, my sympathies. And so, with no further ado...
The end of a day.
The world was bleak. The normal blue of the sky was cloaked with thick, gray clouds that drizzled cold droplets. The trees and bushes that dotted the quaint Rivendell landscape were awash in the prevailing gray.
Arwen leaned her head against the cold window pane, hoping it would cool the fever in her brain. She hadn't slept the night before, her sister's words pounding on her brain like a blizzard.
Lisaura must die.
Arwen felt a hand on her arm and knew that it was Aragorn. She whirled around and flung herself into his arms. He cooed quietly and smoothed her hair, hoping to calm her, knowing that he wouldn't.
The fellowship sat huddled in the library, the large, dark room almost swallowing the exhausted group. Everyone sat there in a dull silence, everyone except Frodo and Lee. Frodo had silently taken the task of collecting Lis, after it was begrudgingly decided that Lis's "situation" were best taken care of sooner rather than later. As the ring bearer he claimed responsibility and would not be dissuaded.
No one had seen Lee all night.
The rain's heavy patter droned on outside, numbing the stillness that reigned over the large room like a tomb. Heavy pellets of water thudded against the windows and the roof like thief trying to break it's way in. The rain was all anyone could hear, and secretly, they were thankful for it, thankful for anything that might help to numb the screaming in their heads. It pounded around them in strong, even surges, like the ticking of a great clock. And every tick sounded another second closer to Lisaura's doom.
But quietly, the pattern was broken. It started out no louder than a bee buzz, an extra beat or two that might've been their heart beating. But it grew louder, and the group began to look around at each other, looking for confirmation that someone else had heard it. Arwen looked out the window, squinting through the fogged glass, and could make out, barely, Frodo's rain drenched figure. She peered excitedly after him, looking for Lis's following figure, but could make out nothing.
"It's Frodo!" She yelled. Everyone looked to her, their eyes as wide as saucers. Sam scrambled to his feet, knocking his chair over in his excitement as he ran to the door and unlocked it for his friend. The door burst open, banging the walls with a harsh thud. Wind blew the torrents of rain into the hall, immediately soaking the carpets. Frodo, covered in rain slickers, hurried inside, the violent wind all but hurling him through the door. Sam strained against the gale to close the heavy oaken door and lock it behind Frodo, as though trying to keep the storm away.
Frodo stumbled to a chair and collapsed, out breath, and peeled off his coat and galoshes, revealing the drenched clothes he wore underneath. Arwen wrapped a thick afghan around his shoulders and Frodo nodded his thanks, still trying to catch his breath.
Boar rushed from the shelves of books towards Frodo, his eyes wide and looking for Lis. All he found was the little man, soaked to the bone, and his compatriots hovering around him, all wanting to ask, but none of them having the heart.
But Boar did.
"Where's Lis?" His voice boomed, breaking the pristine silence that even the tempest could not break. All eyes looked to Boar, fear for the answer lying plain in their faces. "Where is she Frodo? You were supposed to bring her here!" He started towards his friend, his face becoming contorted with seething anger and pain. "You killed her yourself, didn't you? That's why you were so hot to go by yourself this morning, you wanted to do it... ring bearer..." He bit into the words as if they left a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't take his eyes off of Frodo, the small, shivering figure more than an easy target for his frustration. Maybe if he just stomped over him, like he did everything else, he could get rid of the black hole in his heart that was threatening to tear him to pieces.
Frodo watched him stalking closer and closer, a murderous glare tainting his eyes again, as it had been doing so much lately. The very sight of him made Frodo's stomach lurch with a painful mixture of fear and revulsion and suddenly Frodo hurled himself out of the chair, the blanket falling off of him like a cocoon, and did the unthinkable; He stood up to Boar.
"She's gone." He breathed lowly, his pale lips barely moving. Frodo's eyes glared, and at once matched Boar's in a staring contest the rest of the room was afraid to break.
"What do you mean, she's gone?" Aragorn said quietly, gently, from Arwen's side.
"I mean she's not there." Frodo said slowly, not taking his eyes from Boar.
"That's not possible," Bilbo said matter-of-factly, wringing his hands. "On a morning like this no one would ever dare to go outside."
"Not unless someone tipped them off." Boar accused.
At this, Frodo reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly damp piece of paper and held it out for Aragorn to take, which he did. As he unfolded it, Arwen gasped and recognized the stationary as that of Avalon's, and the handwriting as that of...
"Lee..." She breathed, not knowing what to make of it all.
Aragorn's hawk-like eyes scanned over the note, then widened as he passed it to Arwen, too dumfounded to speak. Arwen read it aloud.
Dear Friends,
No doubt you're reading this only a few hours after I've written it. Please know that Lis is all right, I haven't done to her what you're planning to. I'm taking her away from Rivendell, to the West, where he will never find her. And if he does, rest assured I will take care of the situation.
Please, don't be worried about her, she'll be fine. And don't worry about me. The only thing I'm afraid of is missing you all too terribly to keep me from going. I haven't told her what we were planning, simply that she needed to leave, I think that way will be best for all of us, don't you?
So, please, do a few things for me; Listen to Drili, dance and Strider and Arwen's wedding, and please don't forget me, or us. We love you all so much, even as I write this I can't help but cry.
your friend,
Legolas Greenleaf.
The fellowship didn't move for the longest time, all of them staring at the piece of paper, shaking in Arwen's hands. A small sigh from Drili's corner of the room brought their attentions back to the here and now, and brought Frodo's irrational mind to working again. He stormed past Boar, pushing the monolith out of his way, towards the blind prophetess, his small, angelic face resembling Boar's in a frightening way.
"This is my job, Drili. You said I was the ring bearer. I should be the one taking Lis away, not Lee."
"Don't martyr yourself, Frodo." Sam said quietly, trying to calm his friend. "Lee wanted to take her away, since the first moment he saw her."
"Like the rest of us didn't." Boar mumbled quietly, much more sedated.
"What's the use of being a stupid ring bearer if I can't even help?"
"Is that what you think?" she asked, her face displaying her sincere concern for her friend. "Frodo, you have done much help. All of you have, for yourselves as much as for Lee and Lis. Frodo, it was not your destiny to relieve Middle earth of the ring, it never was. Lee was meant to be the ring's keeper now, not you, Frodo."
"Then what was I supposed to do? What were any of us supposed to do."
"Show her that there is life outside of Mordor. That not all love comes with a painful price. And this you have done." She smiled gently at the group before her. "My lovely friends, you have taught her how to breathe again, and that is no mean task. I will miss her as much as any of you will, but understand that she is happy where she is, and will think on all of you everyday until she passes from this age and into the next."
"Wait a minute," Gimli said, "You mean that once we all die, this whole thing will start over again?"
"Yes, as it is meant to in every age."
"Well, that's something of a comfort." The stalky boy remarked with an unusual amount of kindness. "We'll see them again."
"That you will, master dwarf," Galadriel said sweetly. "That you will."
* * * * * *
The landscape passed outside the train compartment window in a rapid succession of green, as though a child had spilled his finger-paint jar. The sun was beginning to set and cast a soft pink glow over the world, even making the somewhat harsh glare on the glass pane soften. Small stars were beginning to come out, faintly sprinkling the slowly darkening sky like powdered sugar.
Lee sighed at the sight. It had been a long time since he'd been to the West and had almost forgotten how amazingly beautiful it was. He smiled, a familiar image of he and Lis, old and wrinkled, sitting on the porch and watching the sunset, played through his mind. And it was possible now, he thought to himself. He looked at her, sitting across from him in their small little compartment, her eyes hungrily watching the world outside pass her in a brilliant, Monet-esque wash.
He reach across the space dividing them and touched her hand. She immediately responded by weaving her fingers in between his. She looked down at their hands together on her lap and smiled thoughtfully. Lee just stared at her, and niether of them spoke, knowing that they had the rest of their lives to talk. Right now it was enough just being there with each other, and they knew that. Lis blushed slightly and quickly transferred her gaze to the window, letting Lee laugh at her quietly an follow her gaze.
"Home..." he breathed quietly.
"Home..." She echoed.
And both said so looking right at the other.
The end of a day.
The world was bleak. The normal blue of the sky was cloaked with thick, gray clouds that drizzled cold droplets. The trees and bushes that dotted the quaint Rivendell landscape were awash in the prevailing gray.
Arwen leaned her head against the cold window pane, hoping it would cool the fever in her brain. She hadn't slept the night before, her sister's words pounding on her brain like a blizzard.
Lisaura must die.
Arwen felt a hand on her arm and knew that it was Aragorn. She whirled around and flung herself into his arms. He cooed quietly and smoothed her hair, hoping to calm her, knowing that he wouldn't.
The fellowship sat huddled in the library, the large, dark room almost swallowing the exhausted group. Everyone sat there in a dull silence, everyone except Frodo and Lee. Frodo had silently taken the task of collecting Lis, after it was begrudgingly decided that Lis's "situation" were best taken care of sooner rather than later. As the ring bearer he claimed responsibility and would not be dissuaded.
No one had seen Lee all night.
The rain's heavy patter droned on outside, numbing the stillness that reigned over the large room like a tomb. Heavy pellets of water thudded against the windows and the roof like thief trying to break it's way in. The rain was all anyone could hear, and secretly, they were thankful for it, thankful for anything that might help to numb the screaming in their heads. It pounded around them in strong, even surges, like the ticking of a great clock. And every tick sounded another second closer to Lisaura's doom.
But quietly, the pattern was broken. It started out no louder than a bee buzz, an extra beat or two that might've been their heart beating. But it grew louder, and the group began to look around at each other, looking for confirmation that someone else had heard it. Arwen looked out the window, squinting through the fogged glass, and could make out, barely, Frodo's rain drenched figure. She peered excitedly after him, looking for Lis's following figure, but could make out nothing.
"It's Frodo!" She yelled. Everyone looked to her, their eyes as wide as saucers. Sam scrambled to his feet, knocking his chair over in his excitement as he ran to the door and unlocked it for his friend. The door burst open, banging the walls with a harsh thud. Wind blew the torrents of rain into the hall, immediately soaking the carpets. Frodo, covered in rain slickers, hurried inside, the violent wind all but hurling him through the door. Sam strained against the gale to close the heavy oaken door and lock it behind Frodo, as though trying to keep the storm away.
Frodo stumbled to a chair and collapsed, out breath, and peeled off his coat and galoshes, revealing the drenched clothes he wore underneath. Arwen wrapped a thick afghan around his shoulders and Frodo nodded his thanks, still trying to catch his breath.
Boar rushed from the shelves of books towards Frodo, his eyes wide and looking for Lis. All he found was the little man, soaked to the bone, and his compatriots hovering around him, all wanting to ask, but none of them having the heart.
But Boar did.
"Where's Lis?" His voice boomed, breaking the pristine silence that even the tempest could not break. All eyes looked to Boar, fear for the answer lying plain in their faces. "Where is she Frodo? You were supposed to bring her here!" He started towards his friend, his face becoming contorted with seething anger and pain. "You killed her yourself, didn't you? That's why you were so hot to go by yourself this morning, you wanted to do it... ring bearer..." He bit into the words as if they left a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't take his eyes off of Frodo, the small, shivering figure more than an easy target for his frustration. Maybe if he just stomped over him, like he did everything else, he could get rid of the black hole in his heart that was threatening to tear him to pieces.
Frodo watched him stalking closer and closer, a murderous glare tainting his eyes again, as it had been doing so much lately. The very sight of him made Frodo's stomach lurch with a painful mixture of fear and revulsion and suddenly Frodo hurled himself out of the chair, the blanket falling off of him like a cocoon, and did the unthinkable; He stood up to Boar.
"She's gone." He breathed lowly, his pale lips barely moving. Frodo's eyes glared, and at once matched Boar's in a staring contest the rest of the room was afraid to break.
"What do you mean, she's gone?" Aragorn said quietly, gently, from Arwen's side.
"I mean she's not there." Frodo said slowly, not taking his eyes from Boar.
"That's not possible," Bilbo said matter-of-factly, wringing his hands. "On a morning like this no one would ever dare to go outside."
"Not unless someone tipped them off." Boar accused.
At this, Frodo reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly damp piece of paper and held it out for Aragorn to take, which he did. As he unfolded it, Arwen gasped and recognized the stationary as that of Avalon's, and the handwriting as that of...
"Lee..." She breathed, not knowing what to make of it all.
Aragorn's hawk-like eyes scanned over the note, then widened as he passed it to Arwen, too dumfounded to speak. Arwen read it aloud.
Dear Friends,
No doubt you're reading this only a few hours after I've written it. Please know that Lis is all right, I haven't done to her what you're planning to. I'm taking her away from Rivendell, to the West, where he will never find her. And if he does, rest assured I will take care of the situation.
Please, don't be worried about her, she'll be fine. And don't worry about me. The only thing I'm afraid of is missing you all too terribly to keep me from going. I haven't told her what we were planning, simply that she needed to leave, I think that way will be best for all of us, don't you?
So, please, do a few things for me; Listen to Drili, dance and Strider and Arwen's wedding, and please don't forget me, or us. We love you all so much, even as I write this I can't help but cry.
your friend,
Legolas Greenleaf.
The fellowship didn't move for the longest time, all of them staring at the piece of paper, shaking in Arwen's hands. A small sigh from Drili's corner of the room brought their attentions back to the here and now, and brought Frodo's irrational mind to working again. He stormed past Boar, pushing the monolith out of his way, towards the blind prophetess, his small, angelic face resembling Boar's in a frightening way.
"This is my job, Drili. You said I was the ring bearer. I should be the one taking Lis away, not Lee."
"Don't martyr yourself, Frodo." Sam said quietly, trying to calm his friend. "Lee wanted to take her away, since the first moment he saw her."
"Like the rest of us didn't." Boar mumbled quietly, much more sedated.
"What's the use of being a stupid ring bearer if I can't even help?"
"Is that what you think?" she asked, her face displaying her sincere concern for her friend. "Frodo, you have done much help. All of you have, for yourselves as much as for Lee and Lis. Frodo, it was not your destiny to relieve Middle earth of the ring, it never was. Lee was meant to be the ring's keeper now, not you, Frodo."
"Then what was I supposed to do? What were any of us supposed to do."
"Show her that there is life outside of Mordor. That not all love comes with a painful price. And this you have done." She smiled gently at the group before her. "My lovely friends, you have taught her how to breathe again, and that is no mean task. I will miss her as much as any of you will, but understand that she is happy where she is, and will think on all of you everyday until she passes from this age and into the next."
"Wait a minute," Gimli said, "You mean that once we all die, this whole thing will start over again?"
"Yes, as it is meant to in every age."
"Well, that's something of a comfort." The stalky boy remarked with an unusual amount of kindness. "We'll see them again."
"That you will, master dwarf," Galadriel said sweetly. "That you will."
* * * * * *
The landscape passed outside the train compartment window in a rapid succession of green, as though a child had spilled his finger-paint jar. The sun was beginning to set and cast a soft pink glow over the world, even making the somewhat harsh glare on the glass pane soften. Small stars were beginning to come out, faintly sprinkling the slowly darkening sky like powdered sugar.
Lee sighed at the sight. It had been a long time since he'd been to the West and had almost forgotten how amazingly beautiful it was. He smiled, a familiar image of he and Lis, old and wrinkled, sitting on the porch and watching the sunset, played through his mind. And it was possible now, he thought to himself. He looked at her, sitting across from him in their small little compartment, her eyes hungrily watching the world outside pass her in a brilliant, Monet-esque wash.
He reach across the space dividing them and touched her hand. She immediately responded by weaving her fingers in between his. She looked down at their hands together on her lap and smiled thoughtfully. Lee just stared at her, and niether of them spoke, knowing that they had the rest of their lives to talk. Right now it was enough just being there with each other, and they knew that. Lis blushed slightly and quickly transferred her gaze to the window, letting Lee laugh at her quietly an follow her gaze.
"Home..." he breathed quietly.
"Home..." She echoed.
And both said so looking right at the other.