Title: The End Has Come.
Author: B-witched83uk (bwitched83ukaol.com)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gondor's royal family have their final adventure together.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings. The whole of Middle-earth belongs to Tolkien.
Beta: The Last Evenstar. A great friend and a great editor.
Archive: fanfiction.net. Any others please ask.
Feedback: I would absolutely love some because yes I am a praise junky.
Dedication: The fictional band, Unnecessary Evils, because I have had a nasty head cold and have been laid up, so UE kept me nicely entertained.
A/N: There will be at least 20 chapters for this fic. I have already written the entire thing, there are just a few facts that need tweaking and scenes that need re-working, but I hope you will all stick with it as it will be my last A/A fic.
Chapter five
Remembrance
"I'm sorry, can you just repeat that, because I think I must have blacked out there for a while." Eldarion couldn't believe what his wife was saying. It was the way she had said it, so matter of fact.
"I said that once I die, I want you to find another wife." Ithiliwen looked at him as though he were stupid, as though there were nothing wrong whatsoever with her statement.
"Right," Eldarion said as he sat down in front of her and continued to stare at her in complete confusion. "So the woman I love, the woman I have loved my entire life, passes from this world, and I am expected to love another."
"I simply do not want for you to be lonely, do you not think that I will find some handsome young man waiting for me in the after life?" Her usual humour in every situation wasn't getting through to her husband, who simply looked at her as though she had struck him across the face.
"I will be lonely. No other can ever replace you. I will sit and wait until the day I die, the day that you and I can be together once more." His voice had grown deeper, and his face was deadly serious.
"Oh, Eldarion, do not be so dramatic. The tragic, tortured hero doesn't suit you." She rolled her eyes and settled her needlework back down on the table. "Do you really plan to live the rest of your life alone? In bed each night, with no one to relieve your frustration?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"I have ways of relieving my own frustration! It worked perfectly well before you came along, I'm sure it is still good." He reached over to take her hand, becoming serious once more. "Ithiliwen, do not ask me to take another, for my heart would break even more so to know that I had betrayed you. With or without your blessing, I would loath myself."
Ithiliwen smiled at him gently, squeezing his hands.
"It will happen, though, my love. I am an old woman now, I cannot cheat death for much longer."
Eldarion looked down at the floor. He couldn't think, he refused to think, about ever spending a single day without his wife, without his love. "I know." His voice was a soft whisper, his eyes never leaving the floor. "I knew it the day I married you - that one day we would have to say goodbye. It just always seemed like a life time away."
"And it was…then. We have shared a lifetime, a wonderful one at that. I have known such happiness with you, Eldarion. I have been loved." She then chuckled gently, looking at his mop of dark hair.
"Ithiliwen, your ability to find something funny, even at a time like this, is a little unsettling." He met her eyes again and shock his head. "What has humoured you now?"
"Memories, sweet memories. The night you climbed up on to my balcony, declaring your love for me, terrified that my father would catch you."
Eldarion, too, laughed a little. "I had a right to be terrified, your father was a big man. He would have killed me with his bare hands."
She laughed, running her hand through his silky dark hair. "Yet you braved him, in order to see me." She spoke with such fondness that his heart twisted.
"It was worth it," he whispered gently.
"It was?" she asked, smiling lovingly.
"Yes, you were wearing no more then a flimsy nightgown. I think it was the first time I had ever seen female legs."
Ithiliwen cuffed his head playfully. "Eldarion, we were having a nice moment and you had to lower the tone. How in Elbereth's name do you ever hope to survive without a bed mate?"
Elladan had been in Minas Tirith for the last few decades. He had come shortly after the last of the Elves left Rivendell. In his heart he knew he was hiding, taking the coward's way out, too fearful to face the truth.
The life he had long known would soon come to an end, and he had to chose to either end with it or remain here, alone. He would be left with no family, no soul. He no longer looked in to the mirror, for fear of what he saw.
He saw Elrohir, his twin, staring back at him with anger and blame.
After all their years as half of each other's soul, a heavy wedge had been placed between them, a wedge that he long thought they could overcome. But as time went on, feelings and thought festered, until now an entire world had been placed between them. Elrohir dwelt alone in Imladris, surrounded by books and peace. No distractions, no Elladan.
"I do not understand you, Elladan, and I wonder if I ever truly did." Elrohir's voice spat with venom as he watched his brother pack his things.
"I simply think it better to spend some time apart." His voice was a mere whisper as he turned to face his brother, noting the hurt his the grey eyes.
"But I do not understand why! Have I done something? Has someone else done something?" Elrohir couldn't bear the thought of his brother leaving him, especially when no other remained in this place.
Elladan stepped forward, clasped his brother's face in his hands, and kissed him gently on the forehead.
A single tear fell from his eyes as he rode without stopping to Minas Tirith. It was the night before he left, when he lay awake on the wilting grass of Rivendell, that he finally accepted it. Elrohir blamed him for their mother's passing; he had blamed him for a long time, for not being able to save her. For many years the twins had pushed it out of their minds, regaining their loving relationship, but something always came back to remind them.
Elladan closed his eyes and let the feel of the cold wind refresh his skin. Not once had Elrohir admitted how he felt, but Elladan saw it in his eyes each and every time he looked at him. That was why he felt the need to leave, he couldn't be alone with just Elrohir and his own guilt. The night they had returned from the Grey Havens, having seen CelebrĂan to her ship, Elladan had found Elrohir in his study, sobbing uncontrollably.
Elrohir looked at his reflection in the glass window, seeing himself staring back with disgust. The rain ran down the pane, tickling Elrohir's reflection.
"How could you?" he asked the face staring back at him. "How could you just stand there and watch as she left?" Tears were streaming form his eyes, his voice was filled with hatred. "You could have done more. You could have saved her. Why weren't you strong enough to save her?"
"Elrohir?"
He turned round to see his twin brother, looking very small and in need of reassurance. Elrohir couldn't give him any; he wasn't sure of anything any more. Elrohir looked at his brother and wished he could be more like him, wished he could face all that life threw at him with grace and love.
All Elladan saw in Elrohir's eyes was hate, a bitterness that seemed to drive him crazy. He had never seen his brother this way, so angry, so afraid. He was looking right at him, right into the soul that they shared. Elladan had never felt colder.
Elrohir turned then, and looked out of the window, his entire form shaking with anger. "How are you supposed to be strong at a time like this? How can you simply stand there and watch your mother leave and do nothing to stop her? How can just let her go?"
Elladan felt hot tears prick the back of his eyelids. He felt sick, like he had been punched hard in his stomach. He ran out of the room at full speed, refusing to face Elrohir, refusing to let him see the tears that his words had created.
After that night, no more was spoken of it. The twins started to talk to each other, mindless chatter with no real meaning, and gradually began to confide in each other once again, comforting each other as they had always done.
It wasn't until one night, years after their father had left for Valinor to join their mother, that the guilt and pain resurfaced.
Galadwen had sneaked out of their chambers, silent as a summer breeze. She held her hand over her mouth as she walked into the bathroom, trying to take deep breaths, which came in shuddering gasps. She pressed the piece of white cloth to her mouth and coughed violently, doubling over, wincing.
When the attack had finished, she pulled the cloth away from her mouth and felt tears escape her eyes at what she saw: four blood-red spots, bled into the pure white materiel. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, only to bring it away smeared. Walking over to the bowl of water, she pushed on her aching chest forcefully, hoping to alleviate some of the pain.
She dipped her head and brought some of the cool water to her lips, using her hand to scoop it up. The water felt wonderful in her mouth but burned her throat as she swallowed. She emerged both of her hands in to the water, to try and wash off the blood.
"Galadwen, why didn't you tell me it had gotten this bad?" Legolas' voice shook as he watched his wife in obvious pain. He crossed the room and took her in his arms at once. "Oh, my poor darling, how long have you been coughing up blood?" He had tears falling from his eyes, in complete agony at seeing the woman he loved in such pain.
"It happened last week and then again tonight." Her voice was calm, as though coughing up blood was an every day occurrence. "I did not tell you because I did not want you to worry."
"You have to go to see the healer."
She instantly began shaking her head. She didn't know exactly what was wrong with her, but she knew she could not let her family know. She could not let them worry about her, hadn't she caused them enough worry in the past?
"Galadwen, you must! You must for our son, you must for me. He can help you, he can tell you what is wrong, he can give you something to make it stop."
Galadwen's head simply shook softly, holding her husband's gaze. "I know what is wrong with me, my Greenleaf. You know what is wrong. There is nothing the healer can do for me. Legolas, I am dying."
TBC
Angel of the Night Watchers: Thank you for the idea, but I have already written the entire fic. And for them not to really be cousins would mean that Ithiliwen would have had to heat on Eldarion, and I just simply could not do that to the poor little lamb.
Viviana: I promise you that Aragorn and Arwen have more scenes coming up, I just needed to establish each of the story lines.
Cerridwen-Evereven: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.
DreaminofLorien: I will continue don't worry, I never leave a fic half done.
Starlight63: Patience. Estelai will find out how he feels about her in the coming chapters, but it isn't necessarily because he tell her.
EbonyBeach: Thanks, I'm glad you think its sweet. This fic has given me nightmares I became so involved in writing it, but I am done now and I can just sit back and post a new chapter when ever I feel like it.
ILuvCarbyFuzz: I don't know what a Carby is, let alone know what its fuzz looks like, but if you think it is lovable then I will take your word. Hmm, happy ending, now that would depend on how you look at it. There are 5 separate story lines and couples and not all of them have happy endings, but I like the ending as I have written it, I hope you will too.
Terreis: If you have read No Turning Back you will also notice that I changed Estelai's name, in that fic she was a baby and I called her Isilai. As the author and creator of Estelai I figured I could just change her name as I please, I think it works better don't you? Thanks, I'm glad you like my kids names, an Elvish dictionary comes in handy when thinking them up.
The Converted: Oi misses, Gwydion isn't ugly, he is macho and pretty at the same time. I don't think its illegal to marry your first cousin over here in England, its just not something most people want to do. Thanks for being such a star and helping me this week, I'd be lost with out you.
Elraralia Meneloth: Did you think that the last chapter was the last ever? No no no we have a good 20 chapters to go so you'd best get comfortable. Thank you for the nice things you said about my writing, that really made my day. Ithiliwen has to die because she is old and Eldarion, who has been blessed with long life, isn't. There is no need to beg for a sequel cos I haven't finished this one yet. I hope you will keep reading and I hope you like it.
ThePrincess04: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter.
