It had been seven days since Legolas had arrived in Gondor, and within that time he had fallen into a comfortable pattern of activities. Each morning he would rise with the sun and ride his horse deep into the vallies surrounding Minas Tirith until the sun was high in the sky. He would then spend the remaining hours of sunlight in counsel with Arwen or Eldarion before going to Aragorn when the sun sank each evening. Conversations with Arwen were spoken in elvish, and always concerned the history of the elves. They would speak for long hours about the kingdoms of the past, and the people who ruled them. With Eldarion Legolas would speak of his travels, the ways of Aragorn's rule, and the ways Eldarion might rule in the steed of his father, the young man had many questions about his father's role in the uniting of the free people of Middle Earth.

And with Aragorn Legolas would speak of anything and everything. They would walk in the courtyards, speaking at times of their travels together, and the time they had spent apart, how they had occupied themselves over the last century, and occasionally lapsing into elvish when the topic called for it. As the days had worn down they had stopped walking the streets of the citadel, and Aragorn would speak with Legolas in his otherwise empty throne room. This seemed a sign to Legolas that he was nearing the end of his stay in Gondor, an idea that was only strengthened by the arrival of Aragorn's questions. He would ask Legolas to perform small tasks for him, it had been Aragorn's idea for Legolas to speak with Eldarion and Arwen each day about their lives after the death of the king.

Now Legolas stood with his back to the doors of Minas Tirith's massive stables. He cared for his horse with tenderness, speaking in soft words to the beast when it made startled noises, feeding it apples from his bare hand. The elf was so consumed by his task that he was massively startled by the presence of three riders unpacking their gear in the alcove next to him. The party was made up of a young man, a young woman, and an middle-aged man, and Legolas stopped his work to observe their actions, leaning against the nearest pole. He instantly caught the eye of the older man, who limped over towards him with a warm smile on his face.

" An elf in Minas Tirith, your presence reminds me of forgotten days. What is your name? And what business have you with Gondor?" The man said, offering his hand.

Legolas nodded with a luke-warm smile. " I am Legolas of Ithilien, my business in Gondor is my own." He said quietly, but before he could say anything else or move back to his horse the old man seized his arm, a bright glint coming into his eye.

" You are Legolas of Ithilien! Prince of the elf haven Mirkwood! Forgive any offense I caused, I am Boromir the second, grandson of Faramir, Prince of Ithilien! You travelled with my my great uncle, Boromir the first during the War of The Ring." He cried with surprise.

Legolas smiled and suddenly seemed to recognise the man- in his crinkled face he held the same smile as his mother, and the eyes of his father.

" It is good to see familiar faces. You look much the same as your father, but you have the smile of your mother." He said, gripping the man's hand.

Boromir turned to the remaining members of his party, calling them forward. " This is my daughter, Simbelmyne." He said, indicating the young woman. She bowed gracefully and as she lifted her head Legolas recognised the face of Eowyn again.

" It is a pleasure to see the fair face of the White Lady of Rohan has not been forgotten." Legolas said smoothly. The woman smiled and thanked him quietly.

A messenger came running through the doors of the stable, calling Boromir and Simbelmyne to the palace, leaving Legolas with the third rider, who was silently undressing the two horses used by the Boromir and Simbelmyne. Legolas stared at the rider in silence for a moment, not being able to place the familiar feeling he had when seeing the rider.

" I have spoken with you before." He said with certainty to the rider, who was busy unbuckling the saddle of a pale brown horse.

The rider nodded. " Yes, we have met. It LothLorien."

Legolas smiled and nodded. " I would not forget the sight of an elven blade." He said, pointing to the sword that hung at the hip of the rider.

The rider undressed the last horse in silence and started towards the stable doors. With one hand on the door, the rider turned back to Legolas, finally removing the gold helmet that had blocked Legolas' view of the rider's face, not only in the stables, but in LothLorien. The elf was amazed to see a wave of pale blonde hair tumble down the back of the rider.

" You're a woman." He said in dumb shock.

The rider smiled sarcastically, holding her helmet under her arm. She pulled the blade from it's scarab and held it aloft for Legolas to see. The light glinted off the blade causing silver beams dipping in the intricate engraving of the blade to dance in Legolas' eyes. " About that, you are not mistaken." She said coldly. She replaced the sword on her hip and let the heavy wooden doors of the stable slam shut behind her.

Legolas was left in stupified silence, staring after the woman until he finally roused himself, remembering his counsel with Eldarion.

*

Legolas rushed to the throne room to find Eldarion sitting alone at one of the long wooden tables to one side of the room. No other people entered the room while the prince sat, smoking a long slender pipe and staring into space. He started suddenly when he noticed Legolas coming to sit opposite him.

" Ah, Legolas, you startled me. I saw you come through the gates from your ride atleast two hours ago, what has kept you?" The prince said, setting down his pipe.

" I met a strange party just now in your father's stables. Two men and a young woman, well I thought it was two men, but I was mistaken." He said in confusion.

Eldarion laughed sharply and drew a deep breath through his pipe. " That is an unfortunate mistake to make. Tell me, who where they?"

" The man was Prince Boromir of Ithilien, and the girl was his daughter, Simbelmyne." Legolas said quietly, trying to recall the name of the third rider, before realising she had not given it to him. He was about to speak again when he noticed the queer look on Eldarion's face. " What is it?"

" How was the Lady Simbelmyne? Did she look well?" Eldarion said slowly.

Legolas inclined and cocked an eyebrow at the prince. " Do you know of her?"

Eldarion nodded, still puffing at his pipe. " She is to be my Queen." He said, turning his head away. Legolas missed the symbolism of the prince's statement - Aragorn had promised Eldarion that once the prince had found his wife, Aragorn would have no reason to linger. To Eldarion it seemed an ill omen, one he was eager to forget. " What about the third rider? You did not mention who he, or she was."

Legolas laughed lightly and shook his head at the memory of his blunder. " I do not know. When your mother sent word for me in Lorien, this was the messenger who came to me. It was dark, and the rider wore a helmet- I assumed it was a man, for who would send a woman through the forests of LothLorien at night? But just now in the stables, the rider removed her helmet, and I saw my mistake!"

" What did she look like, possibly I know of her, if she is the private messenger of my mother?"

" She looked like the queen Galadriel! She had very long blonde hair. But many of the women of Gondor have this-" Legolas began, but before he could continue, a party arrived in the throne room. Aragorn seated himself on his throne with Arwen beside him, Ardael and Arwelil both stood to the side of the throne, and Simbelmyne and her father were left to stand before the King and Queen. The last to arrive was a pale woman that Legolas recognised- after some analysis- as the rider from the stables. She no longer wore pants an the worn leather tunic he had twice seen her in, but a long, dark blue dress. Her hair was left long and straight, layig flat against her skin and casting a shimmering wave down her back to her waiste. And though she had completely transformed from the rider in the stables, she still wore her sword at her hip. She came to stand before Arwen briefly, before the Queen beckoned the girl to sit at her feet, causing Legolas to furrow his brow in confusion.

He followed Eldarion, who had come to stand before the party, and nudged the prince sharply in the ribs. "That is the rider. Do you know her now?" He hissed.

Eldarion turned to him and smiled strangely. He nodded and gave a queer little laugh. " That is no mere rider. That is the Lady Elessiel Tindomerel. My youngest sister." He said quietly as he moved to the side of Elessiel to kiss her cheek before moving on to greet Boromir and Simbelmyne.

Legolas marvelled at the girl before him, silent with confusion. How could one girl plunge him into uncomprehensible confusion so many times in one day?

*

Legolas woke early on the morning of the day after Eldarion's marriage. It had been two weeks since the party of three riders had arrived in Gondor, and Legolas had neglected his horse since that morning. He was determined today to exercise the animal to make up for the weeks of neglect. He rode the beast hard across the plains for two hours until the clouds over head gathered and opened, pouring fat drops of rain into the kingdom of Gondor.

Legolas and his horse were completely soaked when they reached the stables, and the elf took the time to dry his faithful companion off before departing. He sung quietly to the horse in elvish as he worked, ignoring the mundain sounds of the stable around him.

" What are you saying to it?"

Legolas was startled by the voice and whipped around to see the youngest daughter of Aragorn leading a pale horse towards him. " It is an old song, from my homeland, about the rains." He said after standing in silence for a moment to regard the girl.

" Is it elvish?"

Legolas raised an eyebrow and smirked at the girl. " I am an elf..." He said slowly.

Elessiel's cheeks turned pink as she tried to hide the stupidity of her question with a muttered reply. Legolas took pity on the blunder and offered his hand. " We have not properly met. I am Legolas of Ithilien."

Elessiel gripped Legolas' hand in the traditional greeting for two men, making Legolas laugh quietly under his breath. " I am Elessiel."

" Your brother called you Elessiel Tindomerel. Is that your full name?"

Elessiel blushed again and turned towards her horse. She fiddled with the brush she held in her hand before applying it to the horse's silvery coat. " That is the name my father gave me, after my mother. Tindomerel means 'Twilight daughter' in the language of my mother." She said with confidence.

" I know, I am an elf..." Legolas said again with a kind laugh, he noticed Elessiel's embarrassed frown and moved to change the subject quickly. "This is a beautiful horse. What is her name?" He said, stroking silver-white neck of the horse Elessiel was brushing.

" Her name is Niphredil."

" That's an interesting name. Why did you name your horse after a flower of the Eldar?"

Elessiel smiled and dropped the brush to the ground. She began braiding the animal's hair. " I didn't. The horse was a gift from the Prince of Rohan, Elfwine the Fair, he gave Nimphredil her name, because she will follow me where ever I go, like the flowers of Luthien. Niphredil is of the line of Shadowfax the great Meadras." She stroked the horse's neck lovingly and smiled at Legolas.

Legolas returned her smile and suddenly noticed the absence of Elessiel's sword. " Where is your sword. I have passed two weeks in Gondor, and I have seen you wear it always, only at the wedding of your brother did you shed it."

Elessiel stopped smiling and moved away from Nimphredil towards the doors of the stable, with Legolas following her. " The sword is heavy, but is kept with my almost always, as a gift from my mother."

" The sword of Arwen Undomiel?" Legolas said as they turned the corner from the stables to walk slowly through the citadel to the palace.

" No, the sword of Queen Galadriel." a quick smile flicked across Elessiel's lips as she saw the look of awe within Legolas' eyes. ".It has ever been the heirloom of her house. And so it is elven, you were correct." Elessiel said.

They reached the courtyard of the palace just as Ardael emerged from the dark corridors that came from the living quarters. She came faster when she saw Legolas and Elessiel walking towards her.

" Elessiel, father wishes to speak with us." She said solemnly. She turned to Legolas, and dashed quickly at the tears under her eyes. " He wishes to speak with you also."

Eldarion emerged from his father's room just as Legolas reached the door at a run. " What is it? What is wrong with him, Eldarion?" Eldarion shook his head and moved away to his sisters.

Arwen opened the door of Aragorn's room after a time had passed and summoned Ardael and Arwelil to see their father. After closing the door behind her daughters Arwen moved to Legolas' side, laying a hand delicately on his shoulder.

" What is wrong with him?" Legolas said, gripping Arwen's hand.

She sighed heavily and raised her eyes to meet his own. " He is dying, Legolas. He will summon you in turn, to speak with him. We have spent the day together, in the Tower of the Guard." She turned towards her family. " And now he will speak of your the future to each of you, for though he has aged, the grace of Numenor burns still within his eyes."

Legolas nodded silently and wished Gimli could be present. He searched for words to comfort Arwen, but knew none, and seated himself in impatience to wait for his summons. After a time Ardael and Arwelil emerged from the room, their cheeks streaked with tears. They held eachother's hands and seemed content to sink forlornly against the wall opposite Aragorn's door. Arwen moved towards Elessiel, gripping the arm of her youngest daugter, pulling her gently from the arms of Eldarion.

" Come, Elessiel." She murmured, and led the girl into Aragorn's room. They dissapeared into the softly lit confines of the room, and Legolas found himself alone with the heirs of Gondor, buried within their shared grief.

After a time the door of Aragorn's room swung open swiftly, and Elessiel emerged, a look of wild grief upon her face. She looked to her sisters and brother, and when they reached for her hand she pulled away and ran from the corridor, disspearing into the dark halls leading to the courtyard. Legolas stared after her for a moment, curious to imagine what would upset her so, he was interrupted by Arwen taking his hand and leading him into through Aragorn's door.

A warm radiated from the open fire, and lit the room with ghostly shadows which mingled with the shadows of the candle light to caste the minions of Mandos against the king's walls. Legolas knelt on the ground beside Aragorn's bed, and gripped the withered hand of his friend. Aragorn opened his eyes and smiled at Legolas.

" It seems fitting the last face I should look upon before my own death, is that of someone who shall never see the Halls of Mandos." Aragorn murmured. He squeezed Legolas' hand and cackled sharply, causing him to enter into a bout of loud coughing. " I have seen much today, Legolas, and though it has weakened me, I feel it was best, for I have sought to find the lives of my children, and you, my friend, though your future is tied much within theirs."

" What have you seen?" Legolas said quietly.

" At the dawn this morning, I woke to see the creation of Ea, and as the day has grown old, so has the world, for within these hours have passed many ages, and I alone have been granted the sight for all that has been, and some that shall be." He paused and caught his breath. " For Eldarion, the splendor of Gondor shall increase as though the days of old were once again, and my kingdom shall ever remember his greatness. This I desire wholly. For Ardael and Arwelil, their presence shall bring hope and contentment to the lands of Men. They hold their mother's beauty, and through them the likeness of Arwen Undomiel shall bless the world forever. Their children, henceforth, shall be only daughters, and all shall posess the likeness of Ardael and Arwelil, whose likeness through Arwen was taken first from Luthien Tinuviel herself. But Elessiel shall not share her fate, greater things are written, for she is the likeness of Galadriel." Aragorn chuckled again, and sighed in contentment as his eyes once again sunk close.

" Whate greater things?" Legolas said curiously, he was beginning to think Elessiel's reaction was not undeserved...

Aragorn opened his eyes again suddenly and pulled Legolas towards him, so their eyes met close and no mistake could be heard from the King's murmured words. " Valinor." He hissed, pushing Legolas back from him, as he sunk back into his pillows.

Legolas stood quickly as he was pushed from Aragorn's side, and marvelled as the world around him seemed to come apart at the seams. The door flung open as Arwen rushed to the side of her husband, embracing his hand against her cheek. Legolas heard Arwen speak quietly in elvish against Aragorn's ear, begging him to remain, if only for a moment.

Legolas stood in silent aghast as the children of Aragorn came to stand around the sides of his bed, each wearing the same look of forboding depression. The elf felt a tear slide down his cheek as he saw the eyes of Aragorn close for the last time. As though watching the scene from outside his body Legolas heard the sounds of his voice speak elvish farewells as he moved stiffly to comfort Arwen.

Aragorn the Second, thirty ninth heir of Isildur, sixteenth and final cheiftan of the Dunedain, was dead.