Sorry for the long delay. I seem to this a lot and I am truly sorry. I would like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews and constructive criticism. It was all good to read. Well here is the next chapter. Hope you like it. This one was difficult for me.

Chapter 14

The Truth is Told in Farewell

Aragorns POV

The room was dark, illuminated by a single candle, who's flame cast ghostly shadows

upon the walls. The windows were closed letting no breeze inside, and the curtains were drawn so no sunlight could enter. Everything was still. But there in the midst of it's gloom sat Gwen. As still and as dark as the room around her. Her eyes were out lined in dark rings and her lips held no color. Bruises marred her body. She had suffered quietly, not telling us how bad she had actually been. Gwen had 3 broken ribs, and a punctured lung. Her leg was sliced from the top of her hip to the middle of her thigh, it was nearly 2 inches deep and it had been laced with poison that had flown freely through her veins for some hours before we had arrived. But somehow she lived one and continued her internal battle for survival. Anyone with injuries so severe should have been dead, but somehow she still fought on. Elven magic helped, but for how long? I thought of this, as I watched my longtime friend's empty and emotionless gaze linger on the broken women. She seemed a shell of her former self. She looked helpless and vulnerable she seemed more hopeless as time passed on, minute by agonizing minute. But there was one who still held on to hope, while the rest let it dwindle away. One that was sitting to the right of the bed, holding on to the almost lifeless hand of Gwen. That one person was Legolas. He himself seemed a little worse for ware. He was sitting there in the same clothes that he arrived in 5 days ago. He was covered in the blood of orcs and that of Gwen's. It had taken 3 days to stabilize Gwen, and he had been there through it all, not once had he left her side for even a moment. I was beginning to get worried as time wore on, not just for Gwen, but for Legolas. He seemed so broken and lost. His eyes had not regained there former glow, that they had lost deep within the darkness of Moria. It was as if he'd brought that darkness with him. He suffered, I could see it any one who looked could see it. It was written in every movement he made and every sigh that escaped his lips. He was scared far more then I would have thought. There was more to him then he was letting on.

I walked over to the bed and stood silently behind Legolas. He didn't even acknowledge me. I started to wonder if he had even heard me. I reached out and set my hand on his shoulder. He jumped from his chair causing it to fall to the ground with a loud clang. His eyes seemed to burn, but only for a moment and then, again they became empty. I sighed and picked up the chair setting it back on its legs.

"Hello my friend." I said quietly.

"Hello." was his reply. His voice was raspy and held no emotion. He was no longer the elf I knew so well. No longer a warrior, no longer a prince, just a tired soul. This frighted me more then anything. He seemed to be slowly fading.

"Legolas, come, dinner will be served within the hour and it's time that we got you cleaned up." I said again setting my hand on his shoulder. He turned away from me and walked across the room. He stood in front of the window, pushing the curtains aside to look upon the forest floor below. The dim light of the mellron trees golden leaves casting an eerie glow on his pale face.

"No Aragorn, I will stay. When she awakens I will come." Was his whispered reply. I noticed his hand was shaking and he was pulling hard on the curtain, struggling to open them further. This is one memory that I will never forget, it will be forever engraved in my memory. For at this moment he looked so underlay helpless and alone.

"I know that you worry for her as do we all, but you must take care of yourself, do not think I can not tell what is happening to you." I finished my voice laced with urgency. He just bowed and shook his head slowly turning back to face me.

"You do not understand." was all he said before walking back to his chair. Again he took Gwen's hand delicately in his own but this time he gently kissed the back of it before resting it back on the bed. Then I understood, and it all made perfect sense. He was in love.

"Legolas, why didn't you tell me." I asked kneeling beside him. He looked over at me, his eyes glassy with unshed tears, and sighed again. He was about to answer when another voice rang in the room.

"Because he didn't even know himself." We both turned to find Galadriel standing before us. Dressed in a golden gown. Her eyes a brilliant blue, though they seemed haunted. Each of us bowed our heads. "Aragorn, Please join the fellowship below. I wish to speak to Legolas alone. And speak not of what you now know." I nodded my head and turned to leave. I walked out of that room now plagued with more worry then before. Because I was losing another friend and this time there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Legolas POV

I watched as the Queen gracefully kneeled before me taking my hand in her own. A small

sad smile graced her lips as she looked into my eyes. Suddenly my mind felt as if it was being opened.

"Child I know why you suffer." She said, tho her lips did not move. She was inside." I have seen many things, and your death is not one of them." She said, her voice fading as she with drew from my mind.

"My lady I know not what to do. I should have told her, let her know how..." I couldn't finish, it hurt to bad to say what she already knew, it made it so much more real then. I felt this was my fault. I could have prevented this somehow. There must have been some way in which I could have stop this from happening, but deep down in the hollows of my heart I knew that this wasn't so. She squeezed my hand and a tear ran down her pale cheek. This stunned me Galadriel was crying. I felt a wave of grief, that was not my own but that of the Ladies, wash over me, but just as suddenly as it came to me, it left.

"Even if you had told her, this may not have been prevented, no one can change what happened. I know what you must be going through, but you must go on and think of what Gwen would have wanted. How would she feel if you had passed?" Galadriel asked standing. She bent down and kissed my brow. What she said had made sense. Gwen would not want me to pass on. She would want me to go on and finish what I started. I smiled sadly up at Galadriel. I looked back at Gwen. I loved her and it was strange that I would figure that out now. Why now when her life was hanging by a thread? I could not answer that. But I would do what Gwen would want me to and take care of myself.

"Come Prince Legolas, let us find you a room and you may get cleaned up for dinner."She said. I nodded solemnly and looked again at my love. "She will be well." Galadriel whispered.

"Thank you." was all I said as I kissed Gwen's cheek and followed Galadriel out the door. Not noticing the necklace around her neck had begun to glow.

Gwen's POV

I was walking along a beautiful shore. The golden sand felt soothing beneath my feet as small waves fell upon the shore. The breeze blew my hair all around me. My white dress, made of silk, billowed gently in the breeze. I had been here for awhile, this was heaven, or at least I thought. The sky had never turned dark and the ocean was never wild. Everything was alive and constant. I felt comfortable here, tho I did not know why. I felt strangely alive and aware of myself. Things about me had changed, but I couldn't put my finger on it...I felt different. I continued to walk along this peaceful shore when a bright light flashed in front of me. I hit the ground and shielded my eyes. When the light faded I lifted my head to see the two people I never expected to see again... My parents. I stared at the image before me, feelings overwhelming me.

"Mom...d..dad" I muttered Watching as sad smiles covered there faces.

"Yes child it is us" my father said reaching out for my hand. I tentatively grabbed a hold and he hauled me to my feet. My father seemed younger. His dark brown hair revealed no gray. The lines and shadows on his face had totally disappeared. But the most startling thing was his eyes they were bright and alive, almost sparkling. Never had I seen them this way. He was happy. I looked over to my mother. And she too was different. She wasn't the broken soul I remember her as. Her skin was no longer pale and marred by cuts and bruises, her eyes were no longer cold and unseeing. She looked radiant. Her complection was a soft gold and her hair was of the purest blond, which moved around her gently in the breeze. She reached forward and wiped my cheeks. They were covered in tears I hadn't realized I shed. I closed my eyes. Trying to hid from the pain that was to come. I was imagining things. They were going to disappear just as they did in my dreams back home. But when I felt my mothers hand gently stroke my cheek. I opened my eyes to see them still standing there before me. A sob escaped my throat and I fell to my knees. This was real...this, right here, right now, was real. My parents... They were really here. They kneeled down next to me, my father wrapping his arms around me. I reveled in the comfort of his arms. It felt so good to see them again as they should have been. Together, alive and well. Finally I regained my compose and leaned out of my fathers comforting embrace.

"How is this possible? Where am I?" I asked looking back and forth between my parents.

"You are in the home of the Valar. On the shores of Valinor. And the Valar have brought us here." My mother answered. Taking a hold of my hand.

" The Valar, what do they have to do with this, I don't understand." This didn't make any sense, I thought shaking my head.

"There's not a lot of time to explain dear, we are here for a reason. We have something you need... and we have something we should have told you." Said my father drawing my attention to him.

"what do you mean? What is going on." I asked utterly confused. I knew I had died and I had come to terms with it. But why was I here and not in heaven? I looked at my parents. As they seated themselves down before me.

"Gwen, let me see the necklace around your neck." my father said reaching for it as I unclasped it from around my neck. He studied it for a moment and sighed.

"What, what is it about this necklace, no one will tell me ." I asked hope shining in my eyes. For so long I felt lost not knowing something about myself, a part of me knew that this necklace meant something, something important. I almost felt as if I was missing a part of me.

"This Gwen, is the key to who you really are." My father started. I went to ask him something when he held his hand up to silence me. "This necklace belongs to your family. Its been passed down threw the woman of the family for centuries. This necklace belongs to your mother." As he said this I looked over at my mother, she bowed her head and looked longingly into the sand. I was confused, But my father continued. "A year before you came to us. A man, dressed in grey, came to our door. A wizard he told us. We thought he was crazy. He said that his name was Gandalf the Grey. We told him to leave, but he refused. He said he would only need a moment of our time. He told us a tale of a Queen who was to have a child in a years time. And of a Dark Lord who would try to take it. He said that this child would determine the future of Middle Earth and it was in need of protection, our protection. He said, that after this child was born, he would bring it too us. And that we would be the ones to raise it. We went along with the story, so the old man would leave. We thought it was all some hoax, that the man was insane. We didn't believe him. Our lives went back to normal and we completely forgot about it. Until one year had past exactly, and there was a knock at our door. We opened it up to find a baby on the doorstep... that baby was you Gwen." My father finished looking away. I couldn't breathe. This couldn't be true, it was insane and, and so unbelievable. In one swoop my world had come crashing down around me. I had lived in there home and called them my parents, I'd confided in them, told them my secrets, all my life I thought they were my parents but it was all a lie. And now I know. I was living with strangers. These people never told me the truth. I looked up at them with fury and crawled away from them.

"WHY? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" I screamed. Anger was all that I felt. I was so tired of being sad or upset. I'd had enough, I'd been through enough and now this, when I was finally to be at rest and have my freedom they tell me this. They stood as I got to my feet. I stood and faced them, these people who I had thought were my family. My pretend Father was silently crying and my pretend Mother wouldn't even look at me, they look so...ashamed . I looked at them and my anger died away some. They had raised me and somewhat took care of me even though I wasn't their daughter, they had raised me as their own. "Why?" I asked a second time. My father shook his head and looked back at me.

" When we found you there was a note telling us that you would find out one day and that we were to keep it from you until such a time." He answer taking a step towards me. "We knew you were not ours, but you became our daughter and we loved you and still love you as our own. No matter what you say Gwen you will always be our daughter." He said as my mother stepped forward and enveloped me in a huge.

" We love you honey, we always have. We did every thing we could for you, to keep you safe, to give you the life you deserved. I had hoped that my parents would have been good to you and would have tried to raise you as we would have." She said as she stroked my hair. " I was wrong and I am sorry. Your life hasn't been easy. But you have grown up well." My father nodded and then abruptly stopped. He stared off into the distance and then looked back at me.

" Honey, it is time for you to return home." He said to me gently.

"What do you mean by home...?" I asked trailing off.

"You did not die, you are under going a change. I can not tell you what but you are to return to middle Earth as you were meant to." He said.

"But..." I said still trying to understand all of this. I looked down. My father lifted my chin and smiled at me.

" You will forever be my daughter. Live life and be safe." he said in farewell. My mother reached over and hugged me.

"You will be alright and trust me when I say you will be well taken care of." She whispered in my ear. "Goodbye my child."

"Goodbye." I said letting go of them. They started to fade and again the bright light came, but this time it was not to take my parents away. It was there for Me.

Ok well this is it, the end of chapter 13. I had a bit of a hard time with the emotions and stuff its not necessarily my strong point, correct me if I'm wrong, but I for one kind of felt as if the emotion in the chapter was choppy and maybe even rushed. So I would really appreciate any construction feedback from you guys that revolve around that area, but any feedback at all is welcome. I really want to please the readers so you have to tell me what's on your minds.