Chapter 29 - Epilogue
"Family Matters"

A large group of Elves gathered in the market, leaving the path open for the departures. Thranduil bowed and embraced his friend Elrond. Arwen hugged Leyna, Legolas, and lastly Jocelyn.

"I'll miss you, Arwen. We went through a lot together since you arrived." Jocelyn said sadly to her friend.

"We will see each other again. Write me if you miss me too much. And I may think about writing back." Arwen said with a smirk.

Calenmir and Anna were leaving with Elrond and his guard to return to Rivendell. Calenmir hugged Jocelyn and kissed her cheeks, looking meaningfully into her eyes one last time. He shook Legolas and Tyron's hand, and held Leyna for a long while. Kissing the top of her head, he stepped back to watch and wait for his wife to finish her goodbyes.

Anna hugged Jocelyn and told her she'd write. She hugged her two new son in laws and her other daughter.

"Oh I hate leaving.I'll never say goodbye, that's forever.So I'll just say see you later. I promise I'll write and we'll figure out a time to visit." She quickly mounted her horse beside Calenmir and waved, blowing a few kisses, before turning to canter off behind Elrond and Arwen. Many Rivendell soldiers led in front and behind them. Jocelyn knew their trip back to Imladris would be a safe one.

"My family." Jocelyn mumbled under her breath, and leaned on her sister as they watched their parents ride out of sight. Leyna kissed her sister and left with her husband to her home. Jocelyn leaned her head on Legolas's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I know, love, I know." He whispered down to her, kissing the top of her head. Jocelyn sniffled, pushing back her tears. There was no reason to cry. Although it made her happy to have her parents so close, they would not be gone forever. In fact, they would never be gone. She smiled, and fingered the two pendants around her neck. Her Family Star, and the pendant Lord Elrond had given her. With their arms around each other, they walked down the hall to their room.

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A month later, Anna's first letter arrived. Jocelyn and Leyna read it together, and Jocelyn wrote back, writing in things Leyna told her to say as well. A few weeks after it was sent, two letters from Anna and Calenmir arrived. It went on like that for a while. With a few response letters from Arwen as well. Silvana joined Jocelyn and Leyna on their outings many times, when her job at the palace would allow.

As Princess of Mirkwood, Jocelyn found there were many duties she had not counted on. She had to be present for traditional ceremonies, dinners, she even had to make some important decisions as to the welfare of her city. She wasn't aware being a Princess entailed so much work! But she loved every minute of it. One night, as she lay down beside her husband, she thought about her life.

She wondered, if she could go back in time and meet herself a few years ago, when she lived in Earth and thought Middle Earth was just a fictional place, what would she have thought? If she told her past self everything that would happen to her, what would she have done? She probably would have thought it absurd. Maybe called the authorities on her future self. When she thought back to how she used to be, it didn't even seem like she was the same person.

There were so many things she'd gone through and experienced. So much pain, so much sorrow. But the joy outweighed it by too much for her to dwell on the bad. All's well that ends well, she always said, when summarizing the tale of her life to those who hadn't yet heard it. She was happier now than she ever could have been on Earth. She'd grown and learned so much about the nature of humanity (Elves), the world, and herself. Though she did miss her friends a bit. She would always remember them, but she would never, not for a second, wish she was back there. She had more here than she ever could have wished for. She was going to live forever with her best friend. And her sister, and her parents. Everyone she loved and who loved her. She was so blessed.

One day, Jocelyn was picking a bouquet of flowers for someone whom she hadn't quite decided yet. The sun was warm on her back and the gentle breeze ruffled her dress and played with her hair. From somewhere in her subconscious, words made their way to her lips.

I'm tired
cynical and broken, but wiser
heavy with a sense of resentment
but i used to be so much different

i used to have so much faith
when i started
you knew that i always meant it
i knew i could make a difference
i struggled to be heard
and then finally, one day people started listening

and i knew it
but as soon as it began it was ruined
a slow descent from unique to routine
over and over
just do it again and this time with feeling

the spotlight
the focus on the friends and the feelings
that made those stupid songs all worth singing
and don't you say a word
unless you're pretty sure that you want it analyzed

so we drove
for what seemed like days
over roads
and four lane highways
we said all we had to say
and i realized in time that it didn't mean anything

It's all just a matter of time
not like that
it's only a matter of time

It was then that she was interrupted by a servant saying there was a letter for her. Jocelyn smiled and opened the brown envelope, sealed with a stamp of red wax. She smiled ruefully as she read her mother's words…

…When you were about five years old, you were the most beautiful little girl anyone in our small town had ever seen. My acquaintances, who were strangers to you, would tell you how pretty you were. I have to admit, I was a bit concerned you'd become conceited. But one day, we took a trip to see your great Aunt in Detroit, and we drove past this bum sitting on a street corner, with a paper bag of whiskey. You asked me, "Momma, why does that man look so sad?" And I said, "Because he doesn't have anyone to help him, and no family to go home to." I'll never forget the look on your face. Your eyes just lit with understanding and you seemed so much older and wiser than even me. I saw right into your soul that day. And I knew there was never any risk of you becoming a bad person.

Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for you. Sometimes it's still hard for me to believe you did such a thing for me. I am so proud of you words just can't explain. I never thought I could love you any more than I do today, and then tomorrow comes…

Jocelyn hurried to her room and sat with a quill and bottle of ink. The quill seemed to never leave the parchment. The most perfect words flooded her.

…Never in my entire life has a day gone by that I didn't thank God for you, too. For the great mother you were to me. Every decent thing I've done in my life was because of your influence. Because you taught me that a person's life isn't worth telling if they didn't have people to share it with. This experience that I'm sure God has led me to, has reinforced what I have always known. The fact that at the center of everything, at the core of every issue we come to face, is family matters…

A/N…wow, that last bit was so full of happiness and fulfillment that I almost vomited all over the place. I'm a sucker for happy endings, so I had to tie everything up and make everyone as happy as possible.

Did you catch that the song she was singing was the one she was singing when she crashed into ME, the first song she remembered while walking into Mirkwood Forest?

Can you believe it was 29 chapters! That's almost 30! That's a ridiculously long story! Oh, andWOO! 200 Reviews! The highest I've ever gotten! I'm so excited! Even though I only got 2 reviews on chapter 28, the lowest number of reviews I've ever gotten on a chapter, it's all good. … That was a really important chapter, too. But, it doesn't matter. The story is done now. PHEW. It was exhausting. I was thinking about another in the series…but I think I've drained the Jocelyn/Legolas well bone dry. I've started a LOST fic entitled LOST hope! Check it out!

Thanks to anyone who ever reviewed this story! You have no idea how much I appreciate you!

Artria - Thank you dear, for being such a loyal and avid reviewer. If you watch LOST, I'd love to see a review from you there. If not…that's A OK, too. We'll keep in touch somehow. I'm sure I'll write another LOTR fic sometime soon. Hugs!

Orlando's Hot Chick - Alas, it is the end. Thank you for all your support and kind words. If it's the last thing I do, I will send you the picture of POTC with Orly and Johnny's signature.

Some leftover vocabulary:
Rauko - demon
Morambar - dark doom
Carca - fang
Amarthel - Elven Doom

-Austin B.