She was leaving Middle-earth.

Galadriel stood on the prow of the white ship, gazing at the water that stretched out in every direction. Rolling waves crashed against the ship and exploded into effervescent foam, spraying it with bubbles that clung to the whitewashed boards and caught the light of Arien until the wood shone like an unpolished jewel. And always... always the music playing; it floated constantly on the border of conscious awareness, fading when she strained to listen but when her mind was elsewhere it would escalate until she could almost pick out the separate melodies. But Galadriel did not love the sea like so many of the Eldar... the images of fire and blood that played over and over in her mind quenched even the aesthetic love of its beauty. She could not help but remember the first ship that had carried her across the sea.

The ship had been a much like this one: carved in the likeness of a swan, with two polished onyx eyes set in a head that seemed to glow in spite of the shadowing clouds. Galadriel herself had been standing to one side, grasping a rope with hands still red with the blood of her father's kin and laughing exuberantly in the face of Ossë and the tumultuous storm. She had killed the Ñoldor to protect her mother's kin, but when the Teleri were overpowered she would not be left behind. Visions of wide lands and noble deeds played before her eyes: they would battle valiantly against the forces of darkness and overcome them while the Valar sat idly behind the Pelóri, daring to fight for their freedom when the Vanyar stayed in servitude of the Valar. And so she had joined the slayers of her kin, swallowing her pride and asking the Ñoldor for pardon... thus she had come to Middle-earth.

But given the chance she would not have changed her decision to accompany Fëanor. She did not regret the part she played in the War of the Jewels; she had been as valiant as any prince of the Ñoldor in those days, fighting for Middle-earth against the overwhelming darkness, and she would not have given that up. Nor would she have given up her love for Celeborn, who she met in those dark times; when she first met him in Doriath she had still been a rash, fiery Elleth caring more for heroism and epic deeds than for wise judgment. He had taught her patience and consideration and after time she understood, and found she had come to love him.

And now she had left him behind... When the War of the Ring ended and she had left for Valinor, he had chosen to remain behind with a select few. They were charged with the task of repairing Middle-earth and aiding the growth of the plants that came to live in the poisoned lands. Galadriel did not envy them that task, but she had faith that Celeborn's gentle wisdom would heal Arda. She would not have trusted the task to anyone but her husband.

So there she was, sailing to Valinor... passing into legend with the rest of the Eldar, regretting nothing about her life.

fin

--------------Author's notes-------------

Hi!!

So yeah, this is my first story ever on the LoTR section. I'm trying to keep as close to canon as possible, only editing Galadriel's personality if anything. I was trying to do two things with this fanfic: first work on my descriptions and ability to recap a story, and second write a fic where Celeborn was NOT portrayed as useless and stupid. I seriously doubt that Galadriel would have married him if he had been as worthless as most people seem to think. :p

So yeah, tell me what you think!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except the words themselves. Not a single, solitary OC to lay claim to... Sniff

()()() Glossary ()()()
For people who haven't read The Silmarillion
Arien (Are-ee-en)- The sun. She's a Maia (Demigod, same race as Gandalf, Saruman and Sauron) who guides the glowing fruit of Laurelin (aka the sun) around the sky.
Eldar (El-dar)- the Elvish word for Elf.
Elleth (El-eth)- A term for a female Elf.
Ñoldor (Ngol-door)- a kind of Elf that likes shiny things. Galadriel's father was a Ñoldo. Please note that Ñoldor is the archaic, first age spelling. By the third age when LoTR takes place it would have disappeared in most contexts, but I use it here because I think Galadriel would have.
Oss (Oss-eh, o as in box)- Maia in charge of storms at sea.
Teleri (Tel-air-ee)- a kind of Elf that likes boats and the ocean. Galadriel's mother was a Telerë.
Valinor (Val-ih-nor)- The undying lands, AKA where they're sailing to at the end of Return of the King. Valinor is where the gods of Middle-earth live.
Vanyar (Vahn-yar)- another kind of Elf. Very pretty. Stayed behind in Valinor when the Ñoldor went across the sea to Middle-earth.
Apologies for any pronunciation mistakes. Did as well as I could.