Chapter 27, part two

Eryn Lasgalen, March 1521

The entire Woodland Realm hushed as they felt a great power enter their beloved wood. Workers stopped and turned to look as a vision of grace and immense magic walked slowly through the woods, instinctively knowing where she was headed. Her skin was of a rich gold only seen on one other in this Wood. Her eyes flashed a brilliant green, a knowing smile spread on her face. She had to be visiting for the two expected births. Rumors had been flying stating Prince Legolas' female companion would not survive a birth without this special person present.

Cerethena smiled as she read all the minds of those she walked past. One became used to attracting crowds, especially in a land where her kind had not been seen for Ages. She found herself in front of a gate and watched amusedly as it opened, her obviously harried son hurried out and gathered her into his arms,

"Blessed Olympus you are finally here!" Brhagdan exclaimed.

Cerethena laughed at her beloved child, "Has your wife been wearing on your nerves?"

Brhagdan gave a huff, reverting to his child-like self, "Wearing is too nice a word. Add to that the state which Rhiannon is in. I now understand why father never wanted her to have children. The next time her mood changes I swear someone will die."

"Do not taunt your sister. Pregnancies wear a woman down; a male could never understand. Your sister's powers are not mastered and won't be for centuries yet, of course they would become out of hand at such a traumatic time. Additionally, she knows her time with Legolas and her child will be short-lived. You must excuse her; she has a right to be agitated."

Brhagdan nodded his head, "Forgive me, mother. I forget. Rhiannon does not talk about the future. She has said nothing to Legolas."

"And she will not. It is the nature of a guardian, like Rhiannon, like Legolas' own mother, to never dampen the spirit of the one you love until you absolutely must. She does not want that storm cloud present for the rest of her time with him. Now, enough talk about your stubborn sister. Tell me of this wife of yours. The one you wed without your mother present."

Brhagdan had the grace the blush at his mother's knowing look.

"Well, you see, we…that is to say….curse you."

Cerethena's magical laughter, so similar to the elves' own, rang out amongst the stone keep, bringing a smile to all who heard it.

Eryn Lasgalen had not seen a day in which two births occurred for centuries. Those of a more suspicious nature claimed this magical occurrence was due to the fae blood so obviously seen in Brhagdan and Rhiannon.

Ithilien, 1535

Legolas stood among the archery fields, watching as his new archers took to practice. Some were mortal, some elven, all wishing to improve their skills. Occasionally his gaze traveled to one of the awnings standing behind him. There his dear friend Gimli grumbled as a small boy laughed and tugged on his beard. Legolas smiled at his son, Egladaon was truly incorrigible. No one could refuse the boy anything; one would be tempted to call him spoilt if it was not for his sunny temperament. Egladhon was overly-cheerful, even for an elfling. The boy already showed signs of his father's inquisitiveness and his mother's sarcasm. Few could manage to roll their eyes in the prefect way Egladhon managed. Legolas was a proud papa to be sure. He in no way compared to the Grandfather though. Thranduil of Eryn Lasgalen had melted into a puddle when he first held his grandchild within his arms; the child had held sway over his grandfather ever since.

Ithilien, 1541

In the false springtime of life, when the joy of youth returns, time seems to last forever and then abruptly ends. Winter sets and despite the long and desolate state of nature, time flies. The end of days comes too swiftly to all. Rhiannon had felt it for months, and when Aragorn took to his perpetual rest she knew the Springtime with her husband, in all but name, had come to an abrupt end. Legolas already had a ship in the works to sail West. Arwen, after some council to her son, had left Eldarion to rule on his own. She began her death march towards the haunted husks of trees once known as Loth Lorien. Celeborn had departed from East Lorien, headed towards his grandsons at Imladris. They would leave with Arwen's passing from this world. The elves of the Greenwood stubbornly stayed. They would fade with Arda, nothing could pull them from this land they so loved. Rhiannon and Brhagdan had gone to great lengths to ensure none would force the elves out. The lifespan of Arda depended on the presence of the elves, their love of nature and natural magic. Before his departure, Celeborn had sent s a missive to Rhiannon charging her and her brother with the protection of the staying elves and their descendents on Arda. Rhiannon was extremely relived Thranduil still remained in his stone halls. He would not leave until his beloved wife returned. Such were the vows of the heart, never to be undone or broken. She smiled as she looked to the East. Her brother, sworn bachelor, was now a happy husband and proud father of three. He too would one day pass West. Hopefully the small strain of elvish blood he had would allow passage. He was an immortal by nature, after all. He had taken the marriage vows of the Eldar and obviously his bond had been blessed by the Valar. Rhiannon would weep for days when he eventually left her; her knight protector he truly was. But no day would make her weep more than that which was to come. Legolas' departure with Gimli and Egladhon. Cerethena was supposed to come to be her support, both having foreseen this moment for years. There was only a slight problem; Rhiannon had yet to inform Legolas she was not accompanying him. Pain in life seems to last forever, a never-ending series of knives in the back, fire piercing the skin. Content times, times of peace, times of happiness and hope seem to fade faster than sunlight on a dark day. So did Rhiannon's life seem. As the years passed on, and it became more obvious Aragorn was starting to tire of this world, preparing to lay down for the sleep of eternity, she felt in her bones the loss of not only her dear king, but also of her husband, and her son. She had already made the decisions for all. When Legolas passed over the Sea, he would take their son.

Epilogue.

Ithilien, Banks of the Anduin, 1542

And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone

I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in the light of the stars

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Then the mountain rose before me
By the deep well of desire
From the fountain of forgiveness
Beyond the ice and the fire

Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars

Breathe life into this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears
We'll rise above these earthly cares

Please remember me

Please remember me….

-Lyrics from Dante's Cry, Loreena McKennitt.

Sometimes lovers are star-crossed from the beginning, and therefore their tales do not come to happy ends. Sometimes lovers put themselves in positions so that it is impossible for their story to have a happy ending. Sometimes we think fate has dealt a hard card against us, when in truth, it has only sent us down the right paths, even if they are the hardest and longest. We can often not see the wisdom in the hard decisions we have made, we can only see the pain. Only feel the regret, the wistfulness of wishes for "What if?" and "What might have been?" Rhiannon of the Emerald Isle felt all of this, as she watched her lover, her soul mate, Anam Cara in the words of her father's people, sail off towards the West. Legolas' proud back never turned towards her, never looked back, but kept itself stiff and tense; his gaze fixed on the direction of his destination. The slender physique of her proud lover as he sat there, paddling towards the Undying Lands of his people, imprinted itself on her mind and caused pain and anger within her soul for many years. The sight that brought the proud ¾-elven to her knees was the small head of her young son, her only child, turning to gift her with one last glance. He did not understand why his mother was not accompanying his father and his "uncle" Gimli on this adventure. He did not understand that more than an age would pass before he would ever see his mother again. Did not realize that he would one day forget the visage of the woman who showered him with comfort and love for all of his younger years. He would not remember, not acknowledge, the fact that his mother had made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of duty. Rhiannon would never forget her son and her husband, for she could not. Even if she was not cursed with a vivid memory, she did not realize, like her Cerethena did, that she carried two small beings within her. She did not know that all her feelings of despair, her anger at all the unnamable forces that put her in this position, was truly all for not. Rhiannon, wise though she was in her somewhat ignorance, did not realize that her prayers for happiness and contentment, that feeling of security, were answered, just not in the way she expected.

Several centuries later Rhiannon, now the last leader in the Unhidden Realms, for the diluted elven blood that remained in the world of Men, would watch a film, and amazing story told with pictures and sounds, and the lines in the film, a comedy truly, had set themselves in her mind for days…. "Life is pain"….It is. She had told her children as such, her children, who had broken her heart every time they inquired why they did not have a father. She had never held anything back from them in her tales of her time in Middle Earth, a now well protected realm, fortified with unforeseen barriers so that the few elven realms that did remain in Arda would be untouched.

a/n: Well, more was to be added to this as well, and may well be once I go back to do the overhaul. As for right now, I just feel it is time to end the story and move on the sequel which will only be found at my website (for reasons explained previously, I just feel bad about taking up someone else's webspace with a story revolving around OC characters. The first chapter of the sequel, however, will be uploaded after this one as soon as I give the chapter a few look overs, hopefully I'll catch most of the typos then. The questions left over from Enigma will be answered in the sequel, I know there are a lot of them. I do however extend my thanks and gratitude to all who have read this story, this little experiment of mine. It's been three years now, still amazes me. Everyone who reviewed, who contacted me on aim etc, have become a joyful part of life and have made me feel very special. Once again, I thank you for reading and for coming this far with me.

::hugs to all::

-Rivlee