By : SilverRose82
A.N. This chapter I cut in half since the second part is nowhere near completion. Yes, but in other news, I was looking through the book section on this site, why do they have a section for people to write about Anne Frank? I can understand to let people read classroom assignments for there are guidelines set by teachers, but there are a small few that completely insulting to her life and that time.
And people review please. I don't request it a lot I just want to know what people think, seeing as this story is coming to an end. Chapter 20 is the last chapter, and then I put this universe to rest. Maybe.
A.N Part 2 I fixed a few errors I found when re-reading the chapter and I also wanted to say that there is not going to be an update until late next week because I'm more than likely going to be going to Branson with my mother for vacation and am fully against doing so because I'm leaving my poor fish, Sapphire, alone to deal with my cat and my father will probably forget to feed him TWICE a day. My fish is a little piggy, he likes his midnight snacks. Ooh and another thing, I got rid of that accursed Author's note so I will be finishing on 20 chapter dead.
JaminJellyBean : YAY ^_~
Callisto Star : I update them constantly, well not constantly, only if the Cartoon dolls go with the current chapter. Yes, Frodo and Sam are there, but I fall into the forgetful category and well forget them, sorta.
BenRG : You know I just may never tell, you'll all just have to suffer with grande imagination. And I hope that you'll read the revised version of Chapter 17, seeing as after you read it I umm filled it out more.
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"What shall you do once you take leave of Gondor?" Ren asked as she appeared beside Legolas, the younger elf turned to face her having been surprised by her visit. She had not spoken to many since she had given Arwen the gift of mortality, where Arwen would not have to face the pain of losing all that she had gained. He gazed at the woman standing beside him, peering out the window that he had been staring out of for most of the day. She was once again dressed in the clothes that she had traveled in, the dresses she wore while in Minas Tirith had been all but forgotten in the female warrior's eyes. Turning to gaze at him, Ren smiled softly as she awaited his answer.
"I shall go with Gimli and visit Fangorn and the Glittering Caves of Rohan." Legolas told her as he stared out the window, there was little amount of life to keep the Sindarin happy with his long stay in the stone city. Many could tell that he longed to return to the plains and explore the lands that he had rushed through in hast to assist his companions.
"That would be a journey of interest, the trees of Fangorn may, however, still hold bias against outsiders in their forest." Ren whispered as she gazed at the small crystal in her palm, the silver jewel glittered in the sunlight that touched it; miniature rainbows danced across her palm before she curled her fingers about the gem, making it vanish. Looking up from her palm she smiled softly at the elven prince beside her, before her gaze turned to the afternoon sky, clouds dotted the cobalt canvas as they moved lazily in the distance.
"Aye, but they hold many stories I wish to listen and learn from." Legolas answered in joy, his eyes brightened at the thought of listening to the stories of the oldest trees of Middle Earth. Ren smiled at his words, she understood the hardships that Legolas had struggled through as he passed through the darkness of the mines and to leave behind trees he would rather sit among and learn from.
"Find an Ent, Legolas, they have many stories to tell of their lives, the huorn will not speak for they have grown bitter." She told him seriously, having traveled through Fangorn many times in her lifetime she had learned that the huorn held a dislike for many creatures and were not to be trusted with any speck of life. Legolas gazed at her in question but spoke naught of her words, fearing that her answers of the huorns she spoke of would farther trouble his thoughts of late.
"Would the great tree shepherd, Treebeard, welcome us to his forest?" Legolas asked remembering the great Ent he had gazed upon while in Isengard with the others. Ren smiled brightly as she thought of the old tree shepherd the young elf had been astonished by, the shepherd loved to speak of his forest and all the life that he had seen and met along his long life.
"He shall welcome you greatly, tis been a long time since he has spoken with any woodland elf, elves dare naught to enter Fangorn anymore." Ren smiled, trying to remember the last time Treebeard has spoken of meeting elves. Had to have been some time in the first age she reckoned, her thoughts were broken by Legolas' question.
"Darkness and distrust were whispered among the trees. But elves love trees why would they stop visiting such glorious trees?"
"Trees, aye. However, Ents have become all but a legend, even amongst the elves. Not many dare to enter the wood realm and those that do seem to never come out. Dark have been the nights below the canopy of Fangorn. The huorn do not take kindly to trespassers, find an Ent when you do enter Fangorn safety will award you for that." Ren reminded him, she remembered Gimli telling her of Legolas' surprise when he had seen eyes within the forest where no creature had been. She had been amused by Gimli's tale but knew that seeing the huorn yellow eyes for the first time was an unnerving experience.
"Would Gimli be safe in Fangorn, the trees were angered by his axe." Suddenly fearing that something could befall upon his friend once they entered Fangorn, Ren was speaking of distrustful trees and danger. He knew that Gimli could take care of his own but he still wished nothing to befall his dwarven friend.
"The war is over and soon there will be no Orc and Uruk-hai to destroy their brethren. Gimli should not come to harm for the trees know he would do them no harm." Ren reassured him, her eyes darkened slightly as she spoke of the Orcs and Uruk-hais but Legolas shrugged it off as being her dislike for dark creatures.
"Aye, and with Gimli I go to the Glittering Caves of Helm's Deep. Dark and light less shall be those days." Legolas told her as he tried to lighten the subject that they were falling into. Shaking his head he pushed his hair away from his shoulders not wanting the locks to cause interference.
"You shall enjoy them to extent but no elf enjoys the darkness of caves." Ren spoke lightly with a smile as she thought back to her time in the caves. She had been conversing with Éowyn, moving supplies down into the caves encase the battle had raged on longer than it had.
"I shall gaze upon them in earnest but I think naught on enjoyment of caves." Legolas told her truthfully, his gazed was that of any elf that was told they would be stuck in a place where no light would touch them.
"It took me many years to overcome my dislike for my home. However, I was born in a land of twilight and silver. Living amongst a bed of stars is no longer a dislike of mine, I have grown to enjoy the dark vastness of which I dwell." Ren smiled as she thought about the palace in which she was forced to live. Though she did not live in the large crystal keep on her own, having the company of Fëa, it had still taken her many years to get over the loneliness that space seemed to carry. Nothing had seemed to live and thrive in the black carpet, but she had gotten use to it after a few thousand years and later began to appreciate it for its mystical beauty.
"How can you not be near life, blue skies and green?" Legolas asked his eyes widening with the thought of never seeing the trees and blue sky that he loved to gaze upon when time allowed for him to do so. How anyone elf or other could stand to live in a land of pure darkness even if it were in the stars shocked him.
"I live in the creation of all life, the Caldron, besides I travel to different lands, it is rare that I am ever in my palace for a great deal of time." Ren answered, thinking of the never-ending pit of light that was in the center of her home. There was nothing that would ever appear more beautiful to her that the Caldron, the place where all life was born.
"What is this Caldron?" Legolas asked in interested, he had remembered her speaking of it to him when he had been angered with his peoples' lack of caring about the battle that would rage against the people of Middle Earth. It had been the only time Legolas had been truly ashamed of his peoples' lack of caring for the world outside of their own dwellings. He had never thanked her for calming his fears and anger but he knew she knew.
"The Caldron is where all life is born, where lives are allowed to began once more if they so wish. It is the birthplace of all, light and darkness. It is where the beginning of my life as Cosmos took place on the battle grounds above the center of the Caldron." Ren spoke softly as her eyes once again darkened as she remembered the battle that had claimed the life of her friends. The battle that had made her into Sailor Cosmos the Queen of the Stars and the eternal guardian of the universe.
"Would you change history if you could?" Legolas asked sensing her anger for the battle that had changed her life.
"No, not that history, there are things I would have done differently but I would not change history. It was time for my scouts to pass on to rest" Ren answered truthfully, her eyes shone with inner strength, and Legolas could tell that she meant every word that she told him. Gazing behind her Ren stared at towards the end in the corridor, her eyes spotting who she had felt. "…. Speak, do not hide in the shadows, messenger."
"Milady. Milord. I bare news to Thranduilion." A young elf greeted them bowing low before the two, Ren smirked as she watched the blonde haired wood elf refuse to meet the gaze of Legolas and her. Legolas could only sigh at the elf's actions, he thought of himself as no better than any other elf but they still refused to act as though he was an equal.
"Aye, speak." Legolas told him, wanting to end the elf's misery of standing before his prince. Many elves were fearful of speaking to the quiet prince of King Thranduil.
"Milord, the Lord Thranduil wishes for you to journey back to Imladris." The elf told the prince, he stared at the feet of the prince not wanting to gaze at either of the older elves. Ren smiled softly to herself as she sensed the young one's fears, her eyes humorous. She was still unused to the roles of royalty, having never needed to worry about the politics of Crystal Tokyo, her people had been happy.
"Did he send with you a reason?" Legolas asked as he rolled his eyes at the message, he never doubted that his father would want to speak with him on his decision to join the Fellowship or that his long absence would have gone unnoticed by his father.
"No, Milord." Legolas nodded before waving the young elf off, his eyes watched as the messenger made his way quickly from the Lady and himself. Legolas shook his head as the messenger disappeared around the corner.
"Appears my father has something planned." Ren smiled softly as she gazes out the nearby window, her eyes landed on the horizon. Turning back to Legolas she smiled once again, though it appeared a bit forced and her eyes less bright, bidding him good day she left the hall they had been speaking in to find Artemis and Helios. Legolas watched her walk away, smiling; he turned to gaze out the window once again, staring wishfully towards the west where the forest of Fangorn was located.
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"Ah, Serenity." The longhaired advisor spoke up as he noticed Ren turning the corner having left Legolas moments ago to think over what his father would wish to speak with him about. She gazed over at them, having been startled out of her thoughts, smiling she waited for the two of them to appear by her side.
"Hello, Elios. Artemis, good day my friends." Ren nodded as the small group continued to walk on following Ren as she made her way to the courtyard of the castle of Gondor. Sitting on a nearby bench Ren gazed into the fountain that was before her, crystal water sprayed from the top of the fountain from the center of two lark like birds, and from those fan like sprays, water rained down into the top basin before cascading over the sides to fill another.
"Milady, what are you going to do now that the ring has been destroyed? Will you journey back to Rivendell with the hobbits or shall you leave for your Star Palace?" Helios asked as he sat beside the silver soldier, Ren turned to look at him breaking her gaze on the fountain to turn to her long time friends, her pale blue eyes sparkled with silver as she turned to gazing into the sky. Taking a deep breath Ren shook her head before turning to face Helios once more.
"I shall leave with the hobbits, I wish dearly to speak with Bilbo, I fear it may be the last I shall ever speak with him again." Ren told him as she stared up at her old friend, understanding past between the two of them as lavender and powder blue eyes met, Artemis looked between his queen and the dream guardian uncomfortably.
"Aye, his dreams have been troubling him as of late. He worries for the hobbits and you, for he knows that wherever Merry, Pippin and Frodo go you shall follow to make sure nothing befalls them." Helios told her with a smile as he saw the small blush that the silver queen sported for being quite obvious. Turning to gaze at her friend she smiled impishly before turning to smile up at Artemis. "I believe that Brethil and Belthil will miss him when he is gone from this world, however, many others shall miss him as well."
"Aye." Ren whispered as she thought of the two unicorns Helios was speaking of, Brethil had given Frodo quite a scare when he had spoken of Boromir's death all those months ago. Belthil, Ren missed the beautiful mare the gentle grace the mare carried herself with was always calming to watch.
"Serenity, what of your place in the Palace?" Artemis asked as he watched Ren turn and gaze at him, her eyes seemed to dull at the idea of going back to the Palace of Cosmos, nothing there was held dear to her heart, the Unicorns and all her friends were on Middle Earth.
"I believe that Serenity had right to visit with her friends, no one knows when she will be called away to assist another world." Helios told Artemis, the two were finally allowing their true selves to show, neither guardian cared for the other. Helios had always believed Artemis and Luna to be crash towards pushing Ren into a future that she had never wanted. While Artemis had been the quieter of the two guardians, he would have been the first to demonstrate his lack of trust towards the Dream Guardian. He had never been able to prove it, but he would always believe that there was something going on between Serenity and Helios.
"Serenity, I do not believe that it would be good to visit the elves. Many are still skeptical of you and your powers." Artemis spoke up as he gazed at Serenity, hoping that she would turn from the idea of visiting Imladris. But he saw nothing but determination in the eyes of the silver queen. Sighing he knew that she would not change her mind about going back to Imladris with the hobbits.
"Artemis, there are no words that shall change the lady's choice." Helios spoke bluntly towards the taller man beside him, his lavender eyes sparkling with hidden mirth as he watched the longhaired guardian's eye twitch. Artemis turned to Helios' his anger was present in his midnight blue eyes, his jaw set tightly as he prepared to get into a battle of words with the dream guardian.
"Artemis, please. My friend you have been of great assistance during this war, and I thank you for it. But I no longer need your services." Ren whispered, trying to break up the battle between the two warriors before it even began. Artemis swung around to stare at Ren in confusion, she had never before dismissed him of his duty. Ren gazed up at her long time advisor, her icy blue eyes were not as sorrowful as they would have been should she have dismissed him years ago. Letting no emotion fall across his face, he nodded at his queen before pushing his white hair behind his shoulders, Ren took a deep breath as she stood to face him. Helios came up behind his lady and stood staring at Artemis, no words were passed as the small company awaited Artemis' to speak.
Clasping her hands before her, Ren turned her silence gaze onto the paved ground beneath her feet. She felt Helios' hand on her shoulder giving her courage, turning to the dream guardian she smiled softly in thanks. The soft scraping of boots against stone made Ren turn back to Artemis. She gazed up at him silently, he nodded once more before turning to walk away, a golden array of stars showered down upon him as he vanished from sight.
"You did what you had to do, Milady." Helios spoke softly as he moved to stand before his queen, he smiled at her as he offered her his hand. Ren stared up at him with questioning eyes but found her answers in his ever bright lavender eyes, smiling she lifted her hand up to lay against his cheek. Helios smiled as he closed his eyes with her soft touch, leaning away from her hand he took a step backwards before bowing in respect. Helios was once again able to bring a smile to the star queen's face as he straightened up.
"Take care of yourself, of the dreams of children, and of Brethil and Belthil." Ren told him as she watched as he too turned to walk away from her, she saw him nod at her words before walking through a gate of golden mist. Staring at the spot her friend had stood she sighed, her eyes taking on a serious shine as she gazed at the stone below her feet. Turning to peer at the fountain beside her she turned, heading back to the castle, the hobbits and she would be leaving Minas Tirith in a days time if she remembered correctly. Her eyes were the only way a person could tell that she was even upset with seeing her friends and advisors leave.
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Review, Thanks, and Goodnight:
~*~ SilverRose82 ~*~