~DISCLAIMER~ I do own two copies of The Fellowship of the Ring on DVD (theatrical release AND special extended edition), and I own a replica of the One Ring on a keychain. Beyond that, I own NONE of Tolkien's characters. I do own my own characters…you should know who they are by now! ;)

A cool breeze swept off the river through Lórien. I had on a long, white ceremonial gown that billowed in the gentle wind. It was a dress that I saved for special occasions, and when I saw the three boats Celeborn had provided for the Fellowship, the tug at my heart told me that this was one such occasion.

The Fellowship had not yet arrived, but several Elves of the village had already gathered on the riverbank. Emeriel was there; I think she was worried about me, with my quiet demeanor and red eyes. I had been avoiding her and Calíme all morning. Calíme was standing with Shamiel, who was putting on quite a melodramatic scene about her lost chance an elf prince. Cali, meanwhile, looked quite bored.

Overall, there was a sense of sadness to see the Fellowship go. But when they left, life in Lórien would go on as usual, for the Elves anyway. I guess longing is a human trait also, for I knew I would mourn losing Legolas until the day I died.

That thought also pained me, for there would be no reunion with him even then. If I had fallen in love with a mortal, we would at last be together after death if nothing else. But Legolas was an elf. As the time of the Elves drew to a close, one by one their time in Middle Earth would be over. It is in legend that Elves go on to the Undying Lands or Valinor, a land beyond the sea after leaving Middle Earth. Even the spirits of Elves who are slain are released eventually to live in Valinor. And Legolas would pass to Valinor eventually, whether he chose to or not.

As far as I know, humans do not go to the Undying Lands. The resting place for humans after death is somewhere far from there. We will then be separated for eternity.

A cheer erupted in the crowd as the Fellowship came to the shore. They were each adorned with dark green capes given by Celeborn. Each cape was clasped at that throat with a small leaf made of green and gold, a symbol of the forest of Lothlorien. I saw the man Aragorn, who Legolas and Pippin had told me about. I had heard talk around Lórien of Aragorn being in love with the Lady Arwen, Galadriel's granddaughter.

Legolas searched the crowd, looking for me. Our eyes locked once again and I could see that leaving pained him as much as it did me. I did not know what journey he was on, but could sense that they were all afraid. More than anything, I wish I could protect and keep him with me, but I knew I could not keep him from his journey.

The Fellowship stood in a line before the Lord and Lady. Beginning with Legolas, each was given a gift unique to Lórien from the Lady. To Legolas, Galadriel gave a bow of the Galadhrim. He examined it in awe, marveling at its craftsmanship and design.

Only two other gifts were extraordinary. Gimli the dwarf, so obviously enamored with Galadriel, asked for nothing but a gold strand of hair. I believe the Lady was truly flattered, for he laughed and, calling for a small blade, presented Gimli with three hairs from her head.

The other unusual gift was given to a hobbit. Galadriel called him Frodo Baggins. Something about him was strange. I could tell there was darkness around him. I also knew that if the darkness was strong enough for a human to sense, it was very powerful.

Perhaps that is why Galadriel gifted Frodo with the Light of Earendil. Though it only looked like a crystal vial of pearly liquid, all Elves of the Galadhrim know of the power of starlight. To be given the light of such a beloved star as Earendil was a very high honor.

When the gift giving ceremony was over, Aragorn, the other human, and Legolas each took control of a boat. The remaining five divided up so that two hobbits accompanied each human and the dwarf traveled with Legolas. I saw Pippin in the boat with the man whose name I didn't know. I remembered him greeting me that morning. Pippin waved back weakly, looking a little sick, as if he had eaten something bad or simply far too much. But he managed a small smile.

Finally the boats were loaded and pushed into the water. Tears gathered in my eyes once again, but I held them back as best I could. I turned away so Legolas would not see my tears.

"Namaarië Legolas of Mirkwood," I whispered. 'My lover,' I added silently.

"Farewell Raélowen of Lórien," his voice said in my head. I spun around, surprised. Only the most powerful of Elves were telepathic. "Do not despair, my love. For I swear by Earendil that we shall meet again," he said.

His fair elven face was strained in intense concentration and I knew it must have been taking tremendous effort for him to ay that final farewell. The look passed and our eyes locked one final time. I did not wave, for that would have been much too obvious, but my eyes said it all.

"Until we meet again," I whispered.

He smiled and continued rowing down the river, carrying him into journeys and dangers unknown, but to a place I believed he'd return from one day.

Soon, the tree boats disappeared completely into the horizon.

* namaarië = farewell (Quenya)

~AUTHOR'S NOTE~ Okay, so I have no idea if any Elves besides Galadriel are telepathic, but I'm taking creative license with this one! I'm also not entirely sure that Legolas would swear by Earendil, but again, creative license. This story is almost finished! Wow…I think it will be about 20 chapters when it's all done. Can't believe it's almost all posted!