Here it is, the last chapter!

Chapter 11 : At Last
At last the day had come. The long years that had passed had been full of fulfilled promises, but also of almost unbearable waiting. Waiting to see Háthien again. If she still wanted to see him. He wondered if his letter had destroyed their relationship forever.

"Thinking of her again?" Gimli asked, already knowing what his friend would say. Legolas had only confided in his best friend about his feelings two days after Háthien had left. Honestly, Gimli had not been very surprised. For awhile he had had his suspicions, but seeing the way the two behaved around each other, the way they were trying so hard to be brother and sister, made him decide to keep quiet about it unless one of them approached him.

Legolas sighed and nodded. The sea surrounded them on all sides, Middle-earth long out of sight. Hopefully it would not be long before they reached the Undying Lands. "I can't help myself, Gimli. I can't help worrying. What if things get awkward between us? I don't know what I would do; an eternity of seeing her but not being able to be around her."

Gimli shook his head. "Don't worry yourself too much about that. My guess is that things will be even better than you can imagine once we arrive at Valinor. She will appreciate you telling her the truth, even if she does only think of you as a brother. Your friendship is much too strong to be broken."

"Do you really think so?" Legolas sounded uncertain.

"I know so," Gimli said firmly.

Legolas said nothing, but nodded. His eyes scanned the horizon, yet there was no indication of what it was that he was looking for. Gimli thought that instead of the vast ocean, his friend was seeing something else, something that everyone else on board the ship could neither see nor imagine. He would be of no use here now. Without saying another word, he got up and left the deck.

The image of his friend walking away from him hardly registered in Legolas's mind. He was already imagining what would happen when he arrived in Valinor. Terrible thoughts plagued his mind, but amongst them floated sweet thoughts of everlasting happiness. He no longer knew if he were asleep, wandering about in countless dreams and nightmares, or awake and losing his mind.

What he did know was that he would not be able to find peace or rest until he saw Háthien again.

Legolas knocked on Gimli's door, perhaps a little more urgently than he really needed to. His friend opened the door on the fifth knock. "What is it?" he asked, looking puzzled. After so many days at sea he could think of no credible reason for why his friend would be so excited. Surely there could be no such thing as pirate attacks so far away from the shores of Middle-earth?

"Land! We've sighted land!"

That would explain it. And honestly, Gimli was relieved. He had been getting a little tired of being confined in this ship. It was a beautiful ship, of course, yet after awhile it could get tiresome. He would never understand what sailors loved about living in ships. "Wonderful!" he said with genuine enthusiasm. "Let's go on deck."

Legolas was already halfway up.

When Gimli appeared on deck, Legolas was already looking out, a nervous smile on his face. Gimli looked in the direction of which his friend was gazing, and felt a sinking in his heart. "Is this a joke, Legolas? I don't see anything."

"There's land!" Legolas insisted. "It's right there!"

"Well, you have to remember, my good friend, that I don't have Elf eyes."

"And I'm telling you, it's there!"

Gimli held up his hands defensively. "All right, all right, I believe you. I was just saying that I can't see it yet."

Legolas had nothing to say in response to that, and so they just stood in silence, waiting for the ship to draw closer. It was not long before Gimli could see it too. The mist around the ship had seemed to draw away slowly until it suddenly disappeared, and there lay Valinor, green and beautiful. They had finally arrived.

There were people waiting for them as they got off the ship. The first two they saw were Frodo and Sam, the two Hobbits overjoyed at reuniting with such old friends. Sam, it seemed, was still awed over the loveliness of the land. "It's so green all the time, with flowers growing everywhere!" he said happily, his simple gardener's senses taking over him. Gimli laughed. Sam would find happiness and hope anywhere, even in the darkest hours.

Legolas smiled, but it was obvious that he had not really heard anything that had been said. There was no doubt who he was looking for.

"She's here somewhere," Gimli told him.

"Who? Háthien?" Sam asked. "Oh yes, yes she's coming. We stopped by her house on our way here, and she seemed to be preparing something big. She said that she would be coming as soon as she possibly could."

Frodo leaned forward as if about to tell a huge secret. "I would say that she isn't a very good cook."

"I heard that!"

Legolas looked up and saw Háthien standing not too far behind the four of them. Their eyes met, and she smiled and nodded.

"You might not think me a very good cook, but speak only after you've tried what I've prepared," she said to the group, coming forward to join them.

Gimli cleared his throat. "Come on, let's leave these two alone to talk," he said, ushering the Hobbits away, asking them if they had met the Lady Galadriel recently.

The moment the three walked away, Háthien threw her arms around Legolas' neck and hugged him tightly. Then she whispered in his ear the most precious words he had ever heard.

"I'm in love with you too."