Chapter XX: The Undying Lands

Alexa and Glorfindel stood on the bow of the ship and watched as the beautiful white shores of Valinor appeared on the horizon. He squeezed her hand, and Alexa glanced at him. She could sense his excitement, as well as the excitement of everyone around her; however, she could not share in it. She was nervous and anxious and somewhat afraid at the thought of entering this new place. Although she had grown to love her people, she was still more at ease around Men and Dwarves. Now she was going to live in a place where most of the inhabitants were Elves. Will they accept me? I still do not know all of the customs of my people. Will I be able to belong here?

It seemed like only moments had passed before the ship was docking. Lord Elrond was the first one to leave the ship. He ran to an Elven woman, who bore a striking resemblance to Lady Galadriel, and swept her into his arms in a tight embrace. Alexa knew that this Elven lady must be Celebrian—Arwen, Elladan, and Elrohir's mother. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn soon left the ship and embraced both Celebrian and Elrond, for Elrond would not release his wife.

Alexa felt her heart leap as her father took her hand and led her off the ship. She looked around at the beauty of the land and the sea in awe. She was so mesmerized by it that she barely felt her father release her hand. When she realized that he was no longer beside her, she scanned the crowd and saw him in the arms of a golden-haired Elven woman. Alexa watched her father and felt a deep loneliness overtake her.

"I do not belong here," she whispered.

She turned and walked deeper into the land, eager to be alone with her thoughts.

Glorfindel smiled as he watched Elrond embrace Celebrian. Elrond had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and Glorfindel was happy for them. He smiled sadly. Oh, how he wished Elerrina was here waiting for him as well. He glanced over at Elyndiriel and sighed. He could sense her nervousness even though she was trying to conceal it. He took her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. She gave him a tentative smile in return. He squeezed her hand and led her off the ship and into the throng of Elves along the shore.

Glorfindel scanned the crowd and smiled as he recognized the faces of some of his old friends. He glanced over at Elyndiriel and smiled. She seemed absolutely enchanted by the beauty of Valinor. He returned his attention to the crowd, and felt his heart stop as he saw a face that he had never thought he would see. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking he was only imagining her; but when he opened his eyes again, she was still there.

"Elerrina," he breathed.

He ran to her and swept her into his arms in a tight embrace. He buried his face in her hair, and he could feel the tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He drew back and kissed her passionately. He could taste her tears as he kissed her. He looked at her and brushed the tears away from her beloved face.

"Am I dreaming of you?" he asked softly.

She smiled at him. "No, my love. I am here."

He touched her face in wonder. "I never thought this day would come. It has been so long."

"I know, my love, but I am here now. I am here, and we shall never be separated again," she said, her eyes and voice full of joy.

He kissed her again, all the while thanking the Valar for this precious gift. After a moment, he drew back and studied his beloved wife. He smiled tenderly at her.

"You are more beautiful than I remember, my love," he told her.

She smiled. "As are you, Glorfindel."

He grinned and took her hands in his own. He had something he needed to tell her. Something he knew that she would be overjoyed to hear.

"Elerrina, my love. Our daughter has returned to us."

Elerrina gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She was trembling, and began to cry softly. "Elyndiriel. My baby. Where is she?"

Glorfindel smiled and turned back to where he had left Elyndiriel, but she was nowhere to be found. His concern grew as he fervently searched the crowd and found no trace of her. He had not thought that she would wander off on her own.

"Where is she, Glorfindel?" Elerrina asked again, her voice full of worry.

"She was by the ship, but now I cannot find her." He turned to Elerrina. "We must look for her."
Elerrina nodded. "We will find her sooner if we search separately."

Glorfindel nodded and began to search along the shore, while Elerrina went deeper into the land.

Elerrina searched for Elyndiriel, but found no trace of her. Where could she have gone? She continued on and as she reached the hill that overlooked the city, she saw an elleth leaning against an old oak tree. The young elleth was clad in a dark blue shirt and black pants, and the breeze blew her blonde hair all around her. The maiden's face was troubled, full of pain and despair. Could this be my daughter? she wondered.

The elleth turned and her eyes met Elerrina's. Shock and confusion crossed the elleth's fair face, and as Elerrina stared into her blue eyes, she knew that she was looking at her daughter. Visions of her precious baby began to flood her mind—her sweet smile, her adorable baby talk, her beautiful blue eyes; the same blue eyes that she was looking into right now.

Alexa stared at the Elven lady before her in shock. The portrait of her mother, the one that she had spent so many hours studying, appeared before her. But how can this be? Her mother was dead! How could she be standing before her now?

The Elven woman slowly began to approach her. Alexa's heart pounded harder with each step that the Elven lady took. The lady stopped before her and raised a trembling hand to Alexa's cheek. As the Elven woman's hand touched her, visions of her mother flooded Alexa's mind—her loving smile and gaze, the sweet smell of her hair, her beautiful voice when she used to sing to her.

"Elyndiriel," the lady said, her voice breaking.

Alexa stared at the Elven woman for a moment longer before she spoke. "Nana?" she whispered, and went into her mother's arms.

They embraced each other tightly. Alexa clung to her mother like a child, not wanting to be separated from her. She could hear her mother crying, and she began to cry as well. They held each other for a moment longer before drawing back and looking into each other's eyes. Her mother reached up and brushed Alexa's tears away.

"My baby," Elerrina whispered. "I did not think that I would ever see you again."

"I did not think that I would see you again either, Mother. For a very long time, I could not even remember you."

Elerrina began to say something, but stopped when Glorfindel called out to them. He ran to them and drew them both into his arms. They clung to each other for several moments before Glorfindel drew back and looked at them.

"Come, my loves," he said. "Let us go home."

They turned and walked towards the city and their home. At last, at long last, their family was complete.

Author's Note: Thank you for all of your great reviews! The next chapter will be the last. I do have a prequel that I have written to "The Lost One" and "Found" that will be posted soon. The title of the prequel is "Fragments" and it will be posted under the Glorfindel category. I hope you all read it and enjoy it!