Chapter 23 – THE END
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"He spends much time alone," noted Celeborn.
"He always did." Galadriel replied, standing next to him. They were atop a verdant bluff overlooking the Secret Pool. "Even before she came to the Sacred Wood."
"Yes, well she drew him out, didn't she? And now he retreats again, like a defeated army. Surely there is something we can do for him, to ease his pain."
"He will endure. He always has."
"I'm worried for him this time. He was young when his parents died and had the resilience of youth. Now he carries much responsibility and has withstood many injuries over the years. Perhaps we should have let him go across the sea with her. He has served us well."
"It was not his time to go."
They looked down at the lonely figure seated upon the large rocks near the base of the waterfall. Haldir was leaning forward, holding his head in his hands.
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The young hobbits pressed themselves as flat as they could against the earth. The long, late summer grasses swayed around them in the evening breeze helping to hide their curly heads from view. They peered through the green blades and across the meadow towards the edge of the forest.
They had been playing nearby when a blessed singing had drawn them here; a beautiful lament that had pulled at their heart strings and made their legs race to see the source of such celestial voices.
"Elves!" One of the hobbit children whispered as they saw the tall, shimmering figures passing through the woodlands.
They lay in the grass enchanted by the sight. Countless elves - some on foot, others on horseback, a few carrying long crimson-coloured banners, edged with gold. Four bore a litter upon their shoulders; the curtains of the portable bed were so sheer the hobbits could see the elf lying within. She had a lovely profile and her chestnut-coloured hair fell loose past her shoulders, curving about her waist.
The procession was so long that the young hobbits succumbed to sleep well before it had passed. All five lay with their heads on their hands as the stars appeared above them, twinkling a lullaby while the sky turned from indigo to navy.
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"What place is this?" Taelyra had felt as though she was floating on air. Had felt ethereal. But these strange sounds and smells were beginning to have a grounding effect. Bringing her back to life. She struggled to wake but could not.
She continued to float; she had not the strength to break through this dreamlike snare. There was a sharp tang in the air she breathed now: fresh and salty. She heard the sound of water, large waves heaving, then striking against something. It sounded like wood. Ships. They were near ships. There was the unmistakeable sound of large wooden beams creaking and groaning as the power of the water lifted and bobbed them. She heard the snapping of the sails' fabric in the stiff breeze.
And the gulls….their cries shrill overhead. Calling all that heard them seaward. Galadriel had warned her that to hear the wailing of the seabirds was to feel the beckoning of Eressëa in your heart. None of Elven blood could resist it.
Eressëa! Was this possible? But her time here in Middle Earth was not finished yet. She was not ready to leave. She had to wake up. Somehow, she had to break through this veil of sleep.
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Rumil looked out to sea, breathing deeply of the rich, sharp air. The sun shone brightly, warming his face. They were preparing to sail for Aman and it filled him with a sense of completion and serenity such as he could never remember feeling before.
His contentment deepened further as a pair of loving arms encircled him from behind. Calinë drew him close, her sweet lips poised next to his ear.
"You look happy, beloved."
Rumil turned to take her in his arms. He kissed her deeply.
"I cannot remember being happier, my love."
They stood upon the quay in their embrace, looking to the great white ships that they would soon board.
"Will you miss Lothlorien?" Rumil asked her.
"I will miss the Golden Realm dearly but its beauty lives within my heart. I will miss the Lord and Lady of Light but they will join us in time. We will not be parted forever."
"I love you." Rumil kissed her again.
"I have given myself to you, beloved. I will go with you ever onwards, never leaving your side."
Calinë noted the furrow in Rumil's brow at this. "Does this not please you?"
"Oh yes, my love!" Rumil countered quickly. "It pleases me beyond measure. But your words reminded me of my sister's promise to Haldir. It pains me that she was unable to see him and speak her own words of love and farewell to him before we departed."
"Shall we go look in on Taelyra?"
"Yes, I'd like that."
They rose from their place on the great jetty and made their way, arms around each other, towards the litter that bore Rumil's sleeping sister.
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The sound of the curtains being pulled back drew Taelyra from her reverie once more. She had been floating off again in some radiant haze. She was still unable to open her eyes but she heard Rumil's steady tenor.
"Good morning, sister. The day is warm and bright and we wish you could rise to enjoy it with us."
She felt his hand take hers. A soft kiss was placed upon it, followed by a quiet sigh.
"Rumil, look at her face." It was Calinë's voice. "It is wet from fresh tears! Perhaps she is nearing awakening."
She felt Rumil's hands upon her shoulders. He shook her gently. "Taelyra, come back to us. Please, wake up."
Taelyra fought with all her strength to break through into full consciousness. Her mind was screaming but her body lay impassive in Rumil's hands.
"Calinë, will you go fetch my father? Quickly, love."
Before Calinë could rise a large seagull landed at the end of Taelyra's bed. It stood for a moment regarding the elves then opened its great beak. Its cry was so loud it pained their ears but its wail jolted Taelyra awake. Her eyes sprang open, the brightness of the day hurting them. She shut them again but only partway for fear that she might not be able to open them again.
Rumil swatted at the bird and it flew off. Calinë gasped, "Look!"
He turned back to Taelyra and saw that she had brought her hand up to partially cover her face. She was shading her half-opened eyes.
"Taelyra!" he cried.
"I will get your father." Calinë sprang from the litter and ran across the lawn.
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Haldir strode through the forest he'd known since childhood. He was on patrol along the western borders of Lorien. These days he tried to do nothing else but sleep and work. The hours seemed endless. When he could not sleep, he would lie in a listless stupor trying to imagine the curves of her body next to him, the feel of her touch, the smell of her hair and the soft sound of her breathing as she slept.
While he was awake, he tried to force her from his mind but the battles were won, the action was over. Thankfully peace was spreading throughout Middle Earth but the lack of fighting gave him few distractions. He had been busy enough for awhile, his time consumed with rebuilding defences and rejuvenating the damaged parts of the forest.
But now his days were spent on patrol, preferably alone, with nothing but the repetition of his thoughts and the cleaving of his heart for company.
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"Father, my time is not finished here yet." Taelyra took both her father's hands in hers, looking into his eyes earnestly.
"You are certain this is what you want?" Daintáro asked his only daughter.
"Yes. Absolutely sure."
"It will make you happy beyond all measure?"
"Yes father. The happiness I will feel being here with Haldir will only be surpassed when I reunite with my family, Haldir at my side, in Valinor."
Tears fell down her cheeks as she gave her father's hands a reassuring squeeze. "We will see you again soon, father. I promise. We will all be together again, Lorien and Telerin, upon the Deathless Shores. Please tell Mother not to worry for me, I will see her before too long."
Daintáro nodded in agreement but his own cheeks were now wet. In his heart he knew Taelyra was right but to leave Middle Earth without her was a bitter parting indeed.
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Haldir woke slowly. He'd taken shelter in a large tree, sleeping on one of its wide limbs with his cloak wrapped around him. He wished he could sleep on. He wished he could sleep forever, avoiding the torment that was his waking life now, but the birds sharing the tree with him felt compelled to greet the day loudly.
Sighing, Haldir gazed up through the thick canopy of leaves at the thin streams of early sunlight filtering through. He shut his eyes but any hope of resuming unconscious oblivion was shattered by the call of a sentinel's horn. He jerked upright, then leapt from the branch and ran towards the sound.
Emerging from the dense forest he saw a group of his sentinels on the river's high bank. The line of guards parted as their captain stepped through and they vanished back into the forest.
Haldir stood as if frozen, fearing that his eyes might be tricking him. Fearing that the endless days of heartache and tedium had final taken their toll on his sight and his sanity. Before him, in the middle of the shallow river, stood a horse with a rider who looked exactly like Taelyra.
Taelyra's lookalike urged her horse forward to the edge of the water and sprang from the steed's back, landing gracefully on the grassy shoreline. She smiled at him as she strode up the bank towards him.
Haldir opened his mouth as though to form words but none came. His mind reeled, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Then the apparition wrapped her arms around him.
The smell of her, the warmth of her body pressed against him…this was no dream, this was real. Taelyra was here, in his arms, his deepest wish come true. He pulled her tighter to him, feeling her heart beat against his own. Long moments passed, the river flowing quietly by and swallows wheeling overhead.
"Taelyra. My love?"
"Always."
~ THE END ~
אּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּאּ
Final author's note in the next chapter….