A/N:

Syrenwytch: Heh, interesting question. The thing is, I don't think he really did change his mind. I think that was what he originally wanted to choose in the first place but couldn't because he was trying hard to do the 'right' thing. The little girl in Alicia's mind never told him what to do explicitly and I like to think that she knew what he wanted to choose and was resigned to it. She had no real stake in Alicia's future and in fact, I don't think she really cared much either way. Hm..

But as always, I leave it up to subjective interpretation.

Iden's Garden: The spell might sound familiar because it's a twisted version of the spell in "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" by Madeleine L'Engle. Charles-Wallace uses an incantation of sorts in the book (St. Patrick's rune) and I took the basic gist of it and twisted it around for my own purposes. When I say gist, I mean that the rune was 'nature' oriented and the first line of Karalynn's spell is more or less the same. Here is St. Patrick's rune, as used in the book:

"In this fateful hour
I call on all Heaven with its power
And the sun in its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And the fire with all the strength it hath,
And the lightning with its rapid wrath
And the winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the earth with its starkness,
All these I place by God's Almighty help and grace
Between myself and the powers of darkness."

-"A Swiftly Tilting Planet" by Madeleine L'Engle

Zeriae: Heh, I just turned 22... I don't think anyone's ever asked me that in a review. =)

To everyone else: How can I thank everyone enough for following me this far? =) I like including elements of other stories in my fics as a sort of tribute to my favorite authors. I love it when people pick up on the little side references that I throw out here and there (for example, names.) I was thinking of including something within the "The Dark is Rising" stories but somehow it just didn't fit. Same with "The Chronicles of Narnia" series.

For those of you who haven't read Susan Cooper's brilliant five book series "The Dark is Rising"- go out there and check it out now! I read the entire series when I was 10 and the books are still very high among my favorites. It's just.... ah, just read it already! Hehehe.

Chapter 25- The Lives of Many; the Life of One

("Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time,

be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years,

the simple and loving heart of her childhood:

and how she would gather about her other little children,

and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale,

perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago:

and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows,

and find a pleasure in all their simple joys,

remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.")

"The end." Karalynn whispered softly. She sighed and leaned her head against the windowsill, taking in the beauty before her. The thin, silvery branches of the trees swayed slowly in the air, as if waving goodbye.

Did they know she was leaving?

Were they trying to cheer her up by dancing for her?

She smiled slightly at the thought and waved back at them with one hand.

Too bad she had not the time to play among their branches or pluck their flowers and braid them in her hair as Kythe had once taught her. It seemed as if she had just arrived in Lothlorien and now she was leaving.

What a shame.

The fever had caused her to be bedridden for most of her stay here and Legolas had told her that she had been unconscious since they first stepped foot within the elven city of trees. She had no doubt in his words- she could not even remember the trip out of Mirkwood in the first place.

Strange... she must have been delirious for weeks then.

The last thing she remembered... or perhaps it was the first thing she remembered since her fever... was waking up against Legolas' chest. His arms had been wrapped around her tightly and his lips were pressed against her cheek. She remembered the feel of tears against her chin and the heartbreaking sound of his choked sobs in her ear. In that first moment of wakefulness, she remembered his heated apologies, his voice begging her for forgiveness and that was odd in itself.

For what had Legolas done to warrant her forgiveness?

It was the first time she had laid eyes upon the Lady of the Wood, in all her radiant beauty. She had been standing behind Legolas, looking down on Karalynn with an intense gaze. The Lady had smiled at her and Karalynn had been awed by the glory of her face and stature. At first she had been worried that the Lady would think ill of her for having been in bed so long, but there was only kindness in her eyes and sweet words on her lips when she spoke to Karalynn.

The way Legolas had clung to her made Karalynn think that indeed she had been very ill and she was thankful to the Lady Galadriel for healing her.

But now she was well and they were going home.

Ah, home.

How good it would feel to be back home, safely cradled by her friends and the things she knew. Lothlorien was a beautiful place but Mirkwood was home and would always be so in her heart.

"You look sad, dearest one."

She jerked back, startled by the sound of the smooth voice of her friend and then smiled.

"Legolas!" she said happily, sitting up in her chair. He stood before her, blue eyes sparkling down like twin stars set in his pale face and a gentle smile set on his lips.

"You scared me." she said, as he kneeled down before her.

"I seem to scare you a lot, my love." he said. "Perhaps I should teach you how to listen more carefully when we return home. The tread of an elf is quiet but not altogether silent. There is hope for your untrained ears."

She smiled and he picked her hands up from her lap and pressed her palms against his face.

"Your hands are warm." he said, sounding pleased.

"Why wouldn't they be?" she asked but he said nothing in reply.

Wondering at his sudden silence, her eyes wandered down to her hands, still clasped firmly in his grasp and she frowned. Traces of light yellow and purple marks marred her wrist, the signature of fading bruises. She moved her hand slightly so that the sleeve of her dress shifted up, revealing more of her hand and arm. Strange. It was the first time she had noticed the bruises around her wrist. They didn't hurt but that was to be expected- by the looks of them, they were mostly healed.

"Where did I get these?" she asked, not moving her hand away. She stared curiously at her hand and waited patiently for his reply. Legolas, she knew, had all the answers she would ever need. He was such a good friend.

He lowered his eyes and followed her gaze to her slightly discolored wrist. She heard him draw in a sharp breath and she blinked.

"I... " he began softly. Karalynn looked at his face and saw that he had paled slightly. Oh, she was worrying him, wasn't she? No, that wouldn't do. She did not want him to be worried on her account.

"Well, nevermind." she said brightly. She smiled at him and shrugged, hoping to see him smile back at her. "It doesn't hurt anyway so why bother bringing it up? The cause is of no concern to me, Legolas."

Legolas lowered his head and nodded. For a moment they sat in awkward silence and Karalynn fidgeted about in her chair, uncomfortable with the scarcity of sound. She cleared her throat and looked around, biting her lip.

"I heard you speaking to someone earlier." Legolas said after awhile. He placed her hands back on her lap and looked at her carefully. "It sounded as if you were telling a story but there was no one in the room. Who were you speaking to?"

Karalynn's frown quickly turned up into a grin and she looked out the window.

"I was telling a story." she said. "To the trees. See how they wave in the wind like that? It looked like they were dancing. I wanted to thank them for dancing so prettily so I told them a story."

Legolas followed her gaze and to Karalynn's delight, they seemed to bend forward in a slight bow.

"See!" she said, clapping her hands together. "Did you see that, Legolas?"

A strange expression passed over his face and Karalynn's smile died on her lips as she watched him. His eyes became large with trepidation and she was too surprised to say a word when he drew her up from the chair, away from the window.

"The others wait for us at the clearing, dear one." he said, pulling her towards her bed. "I shall help you put on your cloak and we will be off."

Her dark brown cloak, the one that Kythe had made for her for the trip, lay on the bed, washed and mended, and Legolas picked it up with nimble fingers. With one swift movement he drew it around her shoulders and secured it with a small gold pin.

His movements were gentle and tender and Karalynn did not mind it when he fussed over her for a bit. It was sweet really, his affection for her. It made her feel warm and safe to be so loved- she had no doubt that he loved her. She could see it in his eyes, the way they misted over slightly when he looked at her. And yet sometimes a look of sadness would creep into his gaze, like a cloud across the sun, and it made her feel sad too.

She caught a hint of his melancholy now, as he smoothed back her hair and she reached up and held his hand, squeezing it slightly.

"Why do you look that way?" she asked innocently. "As if you have lost something important to you. Why do you look that way when you look at me? The Lady Galadriel has healed me, has she not? You told me yourself that I am better now and it has been two days since I could get out of bed without help. I am no longer feverish and unless this moment is a dream, I feel well."

For a moment, Legolas' eyes grew shiny and she was frightened by the deep sorrow she saw in their depths. His mouth trembled slightly.

And then the moment passed and his face was once more smooth and perfect, as it had always been.

He smiled slightly and drew his hand from her grasp, touching her face with his fingertips.

"Do not worry yourself, Karalynn." he said. "I was only thinking back to the week or so when you were ill. There were moments when I feared that I would lose you; the fever was so terrible. But, ah, I dwell too long on things that I should no longer fear."

She smiled.

"You feared that you would lose me?" she said, incredulous. "But Legolas, I will always be by your side, whether you wish me there or not!"

She giggled and he smiled at her teasing.

"I will always wish for you to be by my side, Karalynn." he said.

His eyes grew dark and his arms circled around her waist, drawing her towards him in a tight embrace. For a moment, she considered wriggling out of his grasp- he held on to her so tightly that it was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. But for that very same reason, she remained still, allowing him to hold her.

There was something desperate in his touch. Something that Karalynn knew, in all her child-like simplicity, could not be said with words. It was a feeling really, some wordless thought that made her know Legolas needed to hold her. Needed to be close to her. Perhaps he was still afraid of losing her (which was silly, really, for she would never intentionally leave him) or perhaps it was that he was simply happy she was well. In any case, Karalynn let herself sink into him, melding herself against the firm lines and strong surface of his body.

After an extended moment, Legolas finally drew himself away from her and stepped back, looking reluctant to do so. He straightened her cloak and pulled it over the simple green dress she wore, the one she had worn when she first entered Lorien.

"Are you ready to leave, Karalynn?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled at him.

"The wood of Lothlorien is beautiful." she said. "But I can not wait to sleep in my own bed. I miss Kythe and Lohr. Oh, how happy they'll be when they find that I've been healed! I won't have anymore nightmares, will I Legolas?"

He shook his head and she sighed, relieved. Legolas had mentioned that she had suffered nightmares during her fever and while she couldn't remember any of them, she feared their reappearance.

"No, my love." he said seriously. "There shall be no more nightmares for you. Only sweet dreams and visions lay in wait for you, Karalynn. No more sorrow for you- only bright skies and happiness."

She beamed, filled with joy at his words, and moved towards the door humming an strange tune to herself. She missed the look of deep pain on his face as he walked behind her; missed the chill that passed through his body and made him tremble with need and longing.

Karalynn was happy after all, sure that Legolas was behind her, watching over her protectively.

She had no need to look back.

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( It is done... )

Galadriel looked up from her mirror of water and sighed at the sound of the whispers that touched her ear.

( The fate of the warrior has been sealed... )

"Yes, he will not be able to turn away from the duty that awaits him." Galadriel said softly. "With the girl at his side, in this world, he will not turn away from his destiny."

( He can still stray from his path, elf witch, his future choice is not yet set in stone... )

"No, it is not." she said. She lowered her head and watched the figures in the water. Four elves and one human on four horses. Riding across a field, far far away from Lorien. "But this is her world now and in his mind, it will be her world in danger. His love for her is pure and true yet his heart will be riddled with guilt. If there is even a hint of danger to the world in which he feels he has trapped her in, he will fight against that threat with every ounce of his strength."

( She shall live forever then... )

( She will be under his protection... )

"He loves her, my dear spirits." Galadriel said solemnly. "I told him of the sorrows that would befall him if he chose life for her. I warned him and yet he kept her here knowing that her presence would only bring him pain and sorrow in the years to come. Think you that his choice was made lightly? Nay, elements. He has resigned himself to your queen for an eternity of time. Lay to rest your fears about the creature that now holds her in his heart. She is in good hands."

( Your world has been saved and yet you seem sad... )

( Has his choice not worked in your favor also?... )

Galadriel lowered her head and closed her eyes.

"Legolas will be one of the nine who are chosen. The balance that this world hangs on has been tipped in favor of light and not darkness. Yes, Legolas' choice has worked in favor of this world." she said quietly. "And yet it is with great sorrow that I watch him now, as he walks forth towards his home. To love someone that can not love him in return, not because of will but because of frailty of mind... there will come times when he will be driven to near madness at what is in his reach but far from his grasp. Yes, the lives of many in this world may be spared because of his choice and yet what of his life, spirits?"

For this question, the spirits had no answer.

Galadriel did not expect to hear one.

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A/N: Epilogue soon to follow. Yes, this is the last real chapter of the story but it is most definitely not completed!