A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews. There will be one more chapter after this. Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see before I wrap this up. Enjoy!
Chapter 29: Traveling
Over the next few weeks, Seven served as liaison, helping the Elves set up and coordinate with the humans. Seven enjoyed participating in the organization and the building of the Elven community. The human children often made the short journey to gawk, and for the most part, the Elves indulged their curiosity.
Spring soon faded into summer, and Éowyn became pregnant. Seven often visited her as summer faded into autumn, and then winter. The child, a healthy boy, was born just as spring came again.
Seven helped tend Éowyn and the baby after the birth. She hadn't spent much time around infants before, except for helping out in the community on occasion, and caring for Éowyn's child was a new experience for her. It was amusing to watch Faramir with his son. Faramir was a big man and scarred from many battles, a contrast to the helpless baby. Despite his history as a warrior, Faramir made a wonderful father.
Legolas traveled with Gimli from time to time. Seven declined to accompany them for a few years. She wanted to give Legolas time with his friend without dividing his attention between Gimli and her. Eventually, they convinced her to come with them so she could see more of Middle Earth. The three of them traveled north along the Anduin to Lothlórien, but the land had faded since Galadriel's departure. The mallorn trees were still beautiful, but not as dramatic as they had been before, and the spirit of timeless refuge was gone. The light and song that had characterized the place were gone, leaving a quiet shell of what had once been. Seven was amazed at the place, but Legolas and Gimli were subdued. Legolas could feel the change in the trees, and Gimli missed Galadriel's presence.
They visited Celeborn who still remained there. He was beginning to weary of life there, but he greeted them warmly. He told them of the battles Lothlórien had faced during the War—three assaults had come from Dol Guldur. Galadriel's power had held the enemy at bay, and after Sauron's passing they had finally destroyed the evil tower completely. They rested a few days in Lothlórien, and then traveled further north to Mirkwood.
Thranduil greeted them warmly, glad to finally meet Seven. Over cups of wine, they traded stories. While Legolas had been fighting in the south, Thranduil had repelled an invasion there in the north. After a long and bitter struggle, his forces had driven off the invaders, and he and Celeborn had met and renamed the forest Eryn Lasgalen, The Wood of Greenleaves. It was not without reason. The spiders and darkness were gone, the paths were bright and wide, and the visitors could see genuine joy in the Elves there. Legolas had been back since the war, but he was still getting used to the changes in the place that had been his home for so long.
After staying in Mirkwood for a few weeks, the three travelers continued on to Rivendell. Elrond was gone, but his sons remained. Like Lothlórien, Rivendell was subdued, but still beautiful. Even without Elrond, the Elves there filled it with grace and beauty. The Elves there welcomed them warmly. Like Thranduil, they were eager to meet Seven. She had met Elladan and Elrohir in the war, but there were many new faces to learn in Rivendell. Seven had grown somewhat accustomed to the Elves' focus on beauty in their architecture and environment and she had seen many of the beautiful landscapes of Middle Earth, but the Bruinen valley still took her breath. It was one of the most beautiful places she had ever visited.
After Rivendell, the three travelers continued on to the Shire. They first came to Bree, where they stayed in the Prancing Pony. Legolas kept the hood of his cloak over his face so that the humans and hobbits there would not realize he was an Elf. The people weren't nearly as suspicious as they had been in the years before the War, but it was still the easiest way for him to travel among humans.
Leaving Bree, they came to Buckland. Once they left Bree, there was no disguising the fact that they were foreigners, so Legolas did not hide under his cloak. Two humans and a Dwarf were odd enough in Bree, but Big Folk of any sort were unusual in the Shire. Gimli asked directions from a nervous hobbit, and the three of them found their way to Brandy Hall. Merry welcomed them warmly, and after that, the other hobbits were far less suspicious. They stayed at Brandy Hall for a few days. Gimli had a room inside, but Seven and Legolas set up a tent just outside. They couldn't even stand straight in the hobbit dwellings, and the hobbits had no rooms that would be comfortable for them. Hobbits need very little excuse for a feast, and their visit was occasion for several feasts. Seven was amazed at just how much the little hobbits could eat.
Eventually, Merry took them to Hobbiton, where they visited Sam and his family. Sam had married Rose Cotton, and they had one daughter, Elanor. She was a delightful child blond hair, which seemed rather unusual for hobbits. Like in Buckland, their visit was cause for more feasting in Hobbiton, and Seven often had to refuse extra helpings. She enjoyed eating, but never had been able to eat heavily, and the hobbits fed them almost constantly. They ate at least six meals each day.
Seven, Legolas, and Gimli stayed in Hobbiton for a few weeks before finally leaving and returning to Ithilien, but they visited regularly throughout the years. Through their visits, they were able to watch the Shire grow and flourish as it was put back together after the destruction wrought during Sharkey's reign. Sam was elected mayor after a couple years and Pippin married a hobbit lass from Long Cleave named Diamond. Pippin and Diamond soon had a son, Faramir, and Sam another daughter. The Hobbits were as quietly content as ever, but they had a broader perspective on life than before the War. They recognized the outside world, even if they had little to do with it. As a new generation grew up, it became apparent how deeply the War had affected their parents. The children were blissfully ignorant of what had happened in the War, and their parents were content not to tell them. The parents, though, had a sense of gravity; the realized how much they had nearly lost, and they appreciated the Shire the more for it.
It was strange for Seven to watch the passage of time and the changes it brought on her human companions and hobbit friends. Little changed in the Elven community, but the human children grew into adults and soon Seven was attending their weddings. Éowyn's baby grew into a toddler, then a curious boy. Seven often watched him, but he had a fair share in the village mischief, too. At times, Seven envied Éowyn, especially after the births of a daughter and another son. Seven knew she would most likely never be able to bear children. She found fulfillment helping with others' children instead.
When Merry was named Master of Buckland, Éowyn sent gifts for him, but Seven, Legolas, and Gimli insisted on visiting to celebrate with him. A few years later, Pippin was named the Took and Thain. Sam, Rose, and Elanor visited Minas Tirith and remained there for a year, in which Seven, Éowyn, Legolas, and Gimli often traveled the short distance to visit them. Not long after they returned, Elanor married, and a few years later bore a son. To everyone's delight, Faramir Took, Pippin's son, married Sam's second daughter, Goldilocks. Slowly and surely, time wore on.