Galadriel walked silently through the woods of Lorien. Her delicate footsteps left not a trace in the springy moss, or made a sound once touching the ground. She moved with all of the grace that had been bestowed upon her and her fair kin.
As silent as the Elven Maiden was, the woods of her beloved land were quieter. They had once been filled with Elves, many Elves, who prospered and reaped the fruits of the Golden Wood. But those Elves had long since left the shores of Middle Earth, and begun the journey to the land across the sea.
Lorien was quiet. The trees had stopped speaking, and the forests had silenced their whisperings. Galadriel could move amongst them once again without fear of what would be overheard. But she had loved the freedom to walk between the great oaks, and hear their thoughts. But they had been silenced when the Elves left the shores of Middle Earth. They hadn't spoken in a very long time.
Galadriel already knew that the Ring of Power had been destroyed. The last ties that the Ring had in her heart began twinge when she felt the evil depart from Middle Earth. She was mighty and powerful, yet not above the calling of the Ring. Its promise of immeasurable strength and power caused even the greatest to turn their heads. But the strength of Galadriel had prevailed, and she had then known that she could remain herself, and diminish into the West, a distant memory.
The Ring and Sauron were gone now, and with them left all the bonds that Galadriel had to Middle Earth. She had no longer any reason to remain. The time of her people was over. It was the time of Men now. She could not remain in a world where her beliefs and way of life were old-fashioned and useless.
When Galadriel left the shores of Middle Earth, the last of the great fair creatures would be departing. Elves would fade from existence, and become nothing but a shadow of a memory. Their heroic deeds and stories would become the tales of myths and legends. There would come a time when none alive could remember the fair races.
An unexpected pain wrenched through her heart at the thought. She loved the trees and forests of Lorien, and she loved the home that she had made for herself there. The land across the Sea promised beauty and happy immortality, but the way to it was so uncertain. Nothing was certain anymore.
The rule of her beloved Middle Earth had fallen from her hands. It passed to the heir of Elendil, Elessar of Gondor. He was a wise and good man, and learned in the ways of the Elves. He would take her granddaughter, Arwen Undomiel of Imladris, as his wife, and so they would hold the customs of fairer races dear to their hearts. But Arwen would forsake her precious immortality to marry Elessar, and therefore there would be none left. All of the precious beauty and light that Galadriel had fought so hard to preserve would drift away, slowly but surely.
Gingerly, Galadriel reached out and touched a soft white rose. The petals of the flower were delicate to her touch, and she was careful not to do any harm to the flower. Galadriel pulled the rose out from the ground then, in a soft but swift motion. She turned the flower over in her palm, and sighed in agony as its petals fell to the floor.
The silence of the forest was so great that Galadriel heard every petal hit the forest floor with a deafening sound. A sudden wash of anger and fear came over her.
I should not have to leave this land, my beautiful home, she thought angrily. I am happy for Middle Earth, happy that the evil that has lingered here so long has evaporated… But its disappearance is costing me my home… my beloved home, that which I worked so hard to preserve. She sank down to her knees amidst the green moss. I do not want to leave! Curse the destruction of the Ring; curse the changing of the times!
Galadriel took a deep breath, trying to maintain her famed Elven composure. She was not angry that the Ring had been destroyed, she was happy that the peoples of her beloved land could live in peace. But it ate at her heart that she would not be able to enjoy the beauty and the peace with those that she had fought to protect. Galadriel paused in her thoughts, and put away her memories. She could not think this way, she had to be happy. She was the one traveling to a better place.
But it is all so uncertain, a voice hissed in her ear. You do not know what awaits you in the Undying Lands! You were better off here, when you had the power to rule. You were better off when the Ring was still around. Admit it to yourself; you are angry that it has been destroyed!
"No!" Galadriel cried out loud. "The Ring was destroyed so that my granddaughter and her line could live in peace! I am sacrificing my happiness and my land for the betterment of others. I cannot be selfish!" She breathed in deeply. The voice diminished.
She stood up and straightened her white gown. "I am ready. I have fulfilled my duty. I have helped to better the land so that my granddaughter can continue in happiness. The Ring is gone, and I am happy." She repeated the last few words to herself, quietly and with admirable strength. She was ready now. The last of her demons had been destroyed.
"I can diminish now," Galadriel murmured softly. "All will be right in this world."