@layla146 : BINGO! You are correct! (Orli's latest pic is your prize! Give me your e-mail add and I'll send it to you!!)

@twinlakesghrl : Oh, don't feel so unloved! I love u, girl! (Hugs you) Nara is coming, but NOT in this fic. She's busy shopping for her wedding dress at Vera Wang.

@LegolasLover2003 : Sure. Use that riddle on your friends and watch their brains scramble. My friends' did! Ha! Ha!

@Nikki1 : Replacement for manyan stone it is not. You'll see.

@szhismine : Ha! Ha! (Still laughing until she drops!) Thank you, thank you! I like to make you laugh!

@Lomiothiel : Yes, girl. You got that quite right.

@Fire Breathing Ferret : You and your fireproof ferret! Okay mate, okay! I yield! I know when to surrender! LOL! Now he's eating your PE teacher? LOL!!! (Laughs again until she has trouble breathing.)

@Sailor Elf : I like your guessing! Stone awash to shore, hmm? But nope, not exactly correct.

@Alkvingiel : No, it's not the manyan stone. Guess again. He! He!

@Stephanie Lou : I learn that riddle since I was in high school (that was ten years ago). And it's indeed very funny, especially to those who heard it the first time!

@Aranel of Mirkwood : You'll know Aragorn's idea today. Sorry to keep you waiting. (Do I look sorry to you? Err...nope! He! He!)

@Menthol : Hmmm…I'll think about changing my name from 'Adromir' to 'Master of Cliffies'. Yeah, I think watching ROTK trailer every hour every day might help give you some ideas on how to torture our favorite Leggy. His beauty is a sin! We must destroy it! (Sorry. Getting over-emo there. I'm jealous, okay? So there!) I'm not sure if the twins are in the trailer. But now that you have told me, I'll look even closer.

@MoroTheWolfGod : I like that idea, mate! LOL! But this is not a slash fic. He! He!

@miekje : THANK YOU for that praising list!!! You are such an angel! I love those 10 reasons! Oh, myfavorite authors are Thundera Tiger, Cassia, M.N Theis and many more! They are incredible!

@namarie2legolas : Legolas did change a lot since the first fic, didn't he? Just to let you know, I believe my flaw is that I have inferiority complex. I feel that I'm not good for many things. (Yikes! I need a shrink here! ) Faramir is HOT! I can't wait for the extended TTT DVD where his character is clearly and widely explained! And good luck with your ambition! Never say never, mellon!

@Kayo : I'm glad you like Eowyn and Faramir hooking up (No, you are not the only who's insane! So am I!) And yes, it's a pair of glasses! No, you're not a flamer. That's why I like you so much!

@purplesmackers : Legolas' stunned expression coming up!

@Siamese : Angel and Spike? Good! Sent them to me! Sent them to me!! And you'll see the last of them. They'll be MINE!!!

Did I tell you that this is the conclusion?

********************************

"Surely you are not jesting?" Legolas finally found his voice to ask after a long tense silence.

"I wouldn't dare jest with such a serious matter, Legolas."

The elf slightly frowned. "I know how diligently you have been looking after me since I came to be this way, Estel, and I am very grateful. As you said, we do not know if my sight will return. But you never gave up feeding me the herbal potion no matter how I resisted it. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I took the draught. It gave me back my strength faster than anything…but I fear it will change nothing with my sight."

Legolas paused, unconsciously fingering the cloth wrapped over his eyes. "Every time you changed this bandage, I had hoped…I had prayed that I would see light. Just a flicker is enough…but all I could see is black. Dark, pitch black."

Aragorn grasped Legolas' groping hand. "Then I'll bring you the light, my brother."

"H…how? Do you have a way?" the prince asked hesitantly, not daring to set his hope any higher than it was. Aragorn didn't answer. Wordlessly, he began to unwind the cloth off Legolas' eyes. Next, he reached down and put something on Legolas' opened palm.

"What is this?" Legolas was puzzled as he fingered the small round object. "It feels like a stone."

"Indeed it is," Aragorn replied, gazing at the green stone that Legolas was tenderly stroking. "It's the Elfstone, the stone of Ellessar that Galadriel had given to me while we took refugee in Lothlorien. Remember I told you about it?"

Legolas nodded. "She gave this to you along with your surname, Ellessar, as the mark of your identity."

"That's correct. But what I didn't tell you is that she also told me that this stone is not simply a mark or a beautiful trinket. It will also determine the right person for the throne of Gondor, the true heir of Isildur and Elendil."

Getting even more confused now, Legolas asked again, "What do you mean? You are the rightful heir."

"Galadriel told me, in her own words, that this stone will grant one wish of the true heir." Aragorn placed his hand over Legolas' palm, covering the stone between them. "Only one very needed wish."

Silence reigned. Legolas gulped nervously. He was hopeful yet a little skeptical with this new information. "Are you certain, Estel?"

"We will lose nothing if we try."

"But…you might need the stone for something else later! I mean, if Galadriel's words are true, not that she will joke about this kind of thing, you won't have the second chance to use it again and…"

"Legolas," Aragorn cupped the elf's cheeks in both palms. "I need it now."

Tears were forming in Legolas' unseeing silver eyes, deeply touched he was by his friend's huge generosity. "Then do as you wish, Estel," he said around the lump in his throat.

The man smiled and picked the green stone from Legolas' palm. He stared at it, frowning. "Now, how does this thing works?"

Legolas started to grin. "Why don't you ask the stone itself?"

Aragorn scowled back at him. "Very funny, elf." Then his face brightened. "Legolas, do you remember how the manyan stone worked?"

But even before Legolas could answer, the man was already headed for the bedside table and poured a glass of water. He sat back down near the prince and dropped the stone inside the glass. "Lie down, Legolas," Aragorn said, assisting his friend to lay supine on the bed.

Legolas' eyes were opened but unfocused as he waited for Aragorn's next move in anticipation. Will this work? Will I see again? The Elfstone is not a stone of healing like the manyan's. Will Aragorn's effort only be in vain?

Then Aragorn began to speak. "Hearken to me, stone of Ellessar. If I am the rightful heir of Isildur son of Elendil, then you shall grant my wish. Award this water with the healing gift, for I'm in need of my brother's eyes as long as he lives."

The king placed a hand on Legolas' shoulder. "Ready?"

Legolas slightly nodded. "Ready as you are." A short while later, several drops of cool liquid dropped into his eyes. Legolas blinked repeatedly. The water was cold, and quite stinging to his vulnerable eyes.

Aragorn then took the stone out of the water and put away the glass. After that, he waited in anxiety, staring at the slight grimace on Legolas' face. "Legolas?"

The elf did not answer, but only lay there in silent with his eyes fixed upward towards the ceiling.

Sighing softly in defeat, Aragorn gazed sadly at the green Elfstone before putting it back inside the inner pocket of his tunic. "Well, it was a good idea. Too bad it didn't work…"

Legolas grabbed the man's wrist all of a sudden. Then he slowly raised himself to a sitting position and turned towards the bewildered Aragorn. The elf critically ran his eyes up and down his friend's form. "That red tunic does not suit you, King Elessar," the prince said, grinning. "You should try deep blue or dark green."

Aragorn's eyes bulged, and hastily looked down at the scarlet eveningwear he was wearing. "You can see me?"

"Yes. And if you could see your face in the mirror right now…oof!!"

With a loud cry of joy, Aragorn had abruptly snatched the elf into his arms and hugged him so tightly Legolas had trouble breathing. The man was laughing and crying at the same time, completely overwhelmed. "It works!" he exclaimed, pulling away and grinned hugely back at his friend. "It definitely works!!"

Legolas was also laughing as tears of happiness streamed down his face. "Like I said, you are the rightful heir for the throne of Gondor, or Galadriel would have said differently."

Aragorn was not listening though. He had jumped off the bed, shouting in delight and dancing a few jigs. Legolas laughed even harder to see his friend behaving like the young boy he had known the first time they met. "Estel, your people might doubt your sanity if they see you like this!"

"What I do behind the closed door of my private quarters does not concern them," Aragorn easily responded, grinning widely at the elf. He leaned over and embraced the elf again. "Ai Elbereth! It's good to see those silvers sparkle again, Legolas! I'm so glad!"

"All thanks to you, Estel. I owe it all to you," Legolas said softly.

The man pulled back and stared deeply into Legolas' now healed eyes. "No. You owe me nothing. Remember our oath? You watch over my back and I watch over yours."

They smiled warmly at each other, greatly relieved that Legolas' blindness was now a subject of the past.

Aragorn then bolted for the door. "I better go tell your father and the others! This is such wonderful news…"

"Estel." Legolas also stood up. "Let's go and tell them together."

Aragorn gestured at Legolas' leg. "What abut that injury?"

"It's bearable. Don't worry."

The man nodded. "Fine then." He grabbed a thick cloak from the back of a chair and draped the warm fabric over Legolas' shoulders. Aragorn looked down at the elf's bare feet. "Be sure not to catch chill, okay? You are not fully healed."

Legolas rolled his eyes. "You sound just like Lord Elrond!"

Aragorn chuckled. "I'm his son! Who else should I sound like?" he replied as he wrapped one arm around Legolas' waist, supporting the elf as he limped on his injured leg towards the door.

****************************

"Pippin! That's my potato!" Merry glared at his cousin when the other hobbit snatched the food from his plate.

"Now it's my potato," Pippin replied through his full mouth. "You want it, come and get it!"

Frodo and Sam looked on in amusement as Merry made a lunge for Pippin. Gimli exchanged grins with Faramir and Éomer while Éowyn stifled her laughter behind her napkin. Thranduil who sat at one end of the dining table loudly cleared his throat, his stare sharp and formidable. The two hobbits instantly froze before turning back to their plates. But underneath the table, Merry was kicking Pippin's legs. Pippin kicked back in retaliation.

Shaking his head, knowing exactly what was happening under the table, Thranduil turned once more to Elladan. "Legolas was distracted by the sea gulls, you say?"

Glancing knowingly at his twin, Elladan nodded. "Yes, on the day we were about to depart for Mordor. Ever since he has seen the sea after we came out of the Paths of the Dead, he has talked about Valinor quite frequently."

"I believe he is missing Kel," Elrohir added in a low voice even though the rest of them, except for Arwen, couldn't understand the tongue of Sindarin.

The Mirkwood king released a soft sigh. Elrohir's words were no surprise. Thranduil also missed his eldest son greatly. Keldarion had departed for Valinor almost two years ago, yet the pain of his parting was still too fresh for comfort. "It is not yet Legolas' time to join his brother. But the pull of the sea will grow stronger in him due to the Silvan blood from his mother. A wood elf like him is not as resilient against the sea calling as a Nordor elf."

The twins nodded, fully understood what the king was saying. The twins had seen the sea a couple of times before this, but so far, they were not badly afflicted.

Arwen reached over and placed her hand on Thranduil's. "You are afraid he will eventually follow his brother, my lord?"

Thranduil smiled sadly. "That's exactly what I fear. He is still too young, yet he has seen everything." His smile grew dim before continuing. "Now he sees nothing at all. Ai Elbereth! That boy has gone through so much that I'm afraid he will lose interest living in Middle Earth."

Picking up his fork, Thranduil began stabbing half-heartedly at the vegetable salad on his plate, putting an end to the troubling discussion. The twins and Arwen exchanged glances and followed suit, savoring the rest of their dinner in silence.

Aragorn and Legolas entered the dining hall a few minutes later, much to everyone's surprise.

"Legolas, what are you doing here?" Éowyn was perplexed. "Faramir has given orders to the servants to bring your meal up and…" her voice trailed off as she joined the others to stare in amazement at the elf prince's progress.

Thranduil's fork dropped off his hand and clattered onto his plate. His eyes widened in astonishment as his son limped steadily towards them.  Aragorn still supported his friend with one arm but the elf clearly did not need the man's guide for vision. And Legolas was smiling. The silver of his eyes was sparkling brilliantly as he gazed endlessly at his father. Thranduil was speechless, even when his son had stopped beside his seat and gingerly got down on one knee.

"Father." Legolas picked Thranduil's hand and kissed the back of his father's palm, the one he had bitten the night before. "I can see."

Thranduil, as were the others, was still in great shock and disbelief. "But…but how?"

The prince exchanged smiles with Aragorn. "I have been blessed, father, by the true heir of Elendil."

Aragorn took the green stone out of his tunic and showed it for them all to see.

"The Elfstone!" Frodo exclaimed, recognizing it immediately.

"Is it a healing stone, like the stone of manya?" Elladan asked as he and his twin rushed near to take a closer look. The others were also mystified by it. Aragorn then told them of Galadriel's words about the stone of Ellessar the way he had told Legolas. "Looks like she is never wrong."

They instantly erupted into loud cheers of joy while Thranduil gathered Legolas tightly into his arms. "My son..." his voice came in a whisper, so happy he was with his son's sudden recovery. But then the next thing he knew, his son was snatched away from his arms as the hobbits and the dwarf mobbed the prince.

"Oh, Legolas! You can see!"

"We are so happy for you!"

"Now you have completely returned!"

Legolas laughed uproariously within the small creatures' heartfelt embrace. Yes, I have returned. He smiled up at his father who gazed back at him with his deep blue eyes that were suspiciously misty. And I am here to stay.

**************************

King Thranduil was standing at the balcony of his chamber in the citadel, staring at the vast Pelennor Field beyond. His son was equally quiet beside him.

"Do you hear that, father?" Legolas suddenly broke the silence. "It's the seagulls. They are calling."

 The king stared hard at his son. "You already have the longing to see Valinor, Legolas?" he asked quietly.

Still gazing at the birds above, Legolas smiled. He then turned to face his father. "I have been longing to see Valinor ever since Kel has sailed away. I wonder how he is doing over there."

Thranduil also smiled. "Maybe he is also wondering how we are faring right here."

Legolas softly sighed. "I miss him, Father."

Thranduil draped an arm around Legolas' shoulders, bringing his son closer to his side. "I miss him too, son."

They stood that way for another long silent, watching together the sky that began to darken as the sun set in the horizon. The sound of the sea gulls also started to fade.

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"Remember what Keldarion was like when he became afflicted by the sea longing?"

Thranduil chuckled, quite sadly. "How can I forget? His emotions had gone quite unstable. And I believe he had nearly killed you! It was very hard for him to fight the calling of the sea."

The prince turned and stared deeply into the elder elf's eyes. "And I was the cause of it all. He had gone to sea to cast away the manyan stone…and brought home the affliction with him."

Thranduil shook his head. "Legolas, Legolas. Still blaming yourself, aren't you? We have talked about this before. You are not at fault!"

"I know, father. It's just that…" Legolas placed his hands on the balcony rail, sweeping his eyes over Minas Tirith at dusk. He shook his head as if to rid his mind of the melancholy. "It's a possibility that the sea will frequently call for me after this, father, for I have seen it. And it is so beautiful! All blue and endless!"

Facing Thranduil once more, Legolas continued, "But don't fear, father. Before Kel left, I had promised him not to leave you all alone in Middle Earth. The day that I will sail to Valinor is when you are ready. This I swear."

Thranduil nodded and gripped his son's shoulder. No words were needed to convey his feelings. They were very clear in his eyes as he gazed proudly and lovingly at the only child he had left with him.

Knockings suddenly came at the door. At Thranduil's bade, the door swung open and Commander Jaden walked in. "My lord, your highness. The ceremony is about to begin."

The two royalties nodded at that and stepped away from the balcony.

"You have it, Jaden?" Thranduil asked the elven commander.

"Sure, my lord." Jaden grinned widely and showed them the object he had been hiding behind his back.

Legolas instantly groaned out loud. "Not that blasted thing again!"

The prince began to fidget when Thranduil took the crown prince's silver circlet from Jaden's hand and placed it on top of his son's head. "Stop that noise and be still," Thranduil admonished. "The ceremony of Aragorn's coronation is a very important and formal affair. As a prince, you should know better."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it!" Legolas growled, glaring down at the royal forest-green robe that his father had pushed him to wear earlier. "Great. Now I look like you!"

Thranduil frowned. "I take that as an insult."

Legolas opened his mouth to retort but Jaden immediately stepped in, still grinning. "Your highness, you look splendid! Absolutely perfect!"

The prince scowled at the commander. "If you speak the word 'splendid' again, Jaden, I swear I'll…"

"Peace, Legolas!" Thranduil had dissolved into laughter. "Come. Let's not make the others wait for us."

The three elves from Mirkwood finally left the chamber and headed towards the grand hall of Minas Tirith. Aragorn son Arathorn, heir to Isildur son of Elendil, was about to be formally crowned as the new king of Gondor. His kingdom was going to be well known as the House of Telcontar, the royal house of the Reunited Kingdom.

The prophecy had come true. The king had returned. The Darkness was defeated. Middle Earth had survived.

Overhead in the sky, the glittering lights from Elbereth and Eärendil smiled brilliantly in full glory.

THE END.

Pheww!! It's finally finished! To tell you the truth, it's one of the hardest fic I've ever written! All the details and emotions and such! I know that some of you are not happy with the way I exploited the Elfstone, but I just can't resist it!! Sorry! Still, I'm very glad and grateful to all of you who have been very supportive with all your reviews and pointers. THANK YOU!!!

As tradition, here are the faithful reviewers in alphabetical order : AbbiCat14; Alkvingiel; Aranel of Mirkwood; Aredhel314; bloodkittie; Chanra; Coolio02; Deana; DiamondD; Ebony Falcon; Enigma Jade; ErfeaKM; Etriel; feanen; Fire Breathing Ferret; Galadrielf; HalandLeg4ever; haDowCat; Idle mind; I-like-chicken; IrishQT; Jamie; Kayo; Kelsi; Kirsten; Lady Lenna; layla146; LegolasLover2003; Leolyn Greenleaf; Lisseyelen aka Lady V; Lomiothiel; LOTRFaith; Lucy; Manders1953; Mcat; Menthol; miekje; MoroTheWolfGod; namarie2legolas; Nikki1; penny; pirate-chica; purplesmackers; Roper; RuByMoOn17; Sailor Elf; scatterbrain; Siamese; SilverWolf7; sirithiliel; Spider Queen; Stephanie Lou; szhismine; tbiris; The Balrog of Altena; Tinnuial; Tinuviel; twinlakeshgrl; Vana E; Veryawen; Wilmarin; Wilwarin; Will_gurl

THANK YOU, everyone!!

And Meagan, my beta, you've always been perfect, girl. Merci! Oh, you guys should know that Meagan has just posted a short fic about Kel and Leggy especially for me! The title is 'Of Bows And Brothers' and it is so sweet! Go search for the story under her penname ZeldaDragon! You won't be disappointed!

Now, for the coming attractions! 'Trouble in Telcontar' is in progress. It's a Post-LOTR. 'Torment Not The Child' is also in progress, and this one is a prequel.  I'll try to make the post in early November, but I'm not sure which one will come up first. But I'm unpredictable. I might come up with a different story altogether! Hmm… 'Thranduil's Forgotten Oath' is also about to finish. So guys, wait and see!!!!!!

(See? I haven't run out of 'T' yet!! Thanks to those of you who have suggested the titles to me!!!)

Until later, everyone!