A/N: Suilad, mellyn nín! I'm EXTREMELY sorry that I have not updated in, well, FOREVER! Even though I'm sure it's a shock: authors have lives, too. I know, 'Wow! I had no idea!' but yeah. I would use school as an excuse, but that's six weeks late, and I've been going through a bit of stress recently... other than that life has been good! But enough with my rantings! On with the chapter!


Disclaimer: I own...well, a bunch of crap. The rest goes my good friend Tolkie!

Chapter 19: Dreams and Plans

Larien's thoughts were haunted with the thoughts of her mother and father's grief of her death for the rest of the night. When she crawled into her own bed (Legolas was in his own, although she was sure that she would wake up with him next to her), she lay there for hours. When she finally drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep, she found that her dreams were that of her thoughts.

She was dreaming of when her mother had yelled at her. The last time she would yell at her. She saw her fifteen year old self, standing defiantly on the bottom step, wearing a black shirt stating "Yeah... sure... whatever... okay... uh-huh... what did you say?" in silver shimmery letters. It was supposed to have a normal collar, but she remembered herself buying it, and cutting a straight line down the front so that it would fold out to the sides. She had on the baggy black pants with the chains that she had been oh-so-famous for in her household. Her hair was short and mussed up. Larien found that she disgusted with the image of herself... how had she ever enjoyed looking like that? She was just asking for trouble... of course, she reminded herself that that was what she was looking for the entire time. She had never thought or cared about how anyone else felt.

She was standing right next to herself. Lauren the fifteen year old was rolling her eyes. Larien couldn't hear anything of what her mother was screaming at her, although she could read her lips. These were the last moments before she ran up to her bedroom. The final time she would have seen her mother before she was attacked. Someone appeared on 15-year-old Lauren's other side. A man in all white; perfect in every aspect. He looked across at Larien.

"Larien." He said simply. Larien knew this was Eru. Ilúvatar. The one. The one she had met in a vision after she had been raped hundreds of years ago.

"Yes?" she replied. The Lauren of her dream had stormed up the stairs. Tears of despair out of yelling at her only daughter started to leak out of her dear mother's eyes and down her cheeks. She was now sitting on the stairs, head in hands out of despair.

"Do you regret what you did?" Eru asked her in all seriousness, looking at the upset figure below.

"Of course I do!" Larien said, shocked. Eru knew all... why was he asking?

"Would you like to tell your mother that?" he asked. "She has asked of you." He said with a smile, glancing at Larien's mother again.

"But...my mother..." she gestured to the tearful figure of her mother, now being comforted by her father. She reached out a hand to her mother, and felt her finger come in contact with her mother's cheek. Her mother looked up and shivered, but she saw nothing in front of her.

"What is it dear?" Lauren's father asked.

"Nothing... I'm " she said, although she was looking straight into Larien's eyes, almost as if she could see her daughter. Larien tried to choke back tears.

"Your mother wishes to see you..." Ilúvatar smiled warmly.

"She does?" Larien said softly. Ilúvatar shut his eyes and nodded his head once. They were not in Lauren's house. They were in front of gates. Large, white gates. There stood in front of her a beautiful lady, clad in a white gown. She had a beautiful smile, and bright green eyes.

"Mother?" Larien asked in disbelief. The lady smiled and seemed to glide towards her daughter.

"Lauren," she said, embracing her daughter tightly, burying her head into Larien's shoulder.

"Larien. When you are finished, you will find that you will be back in your own bed. I will leave." Eru said to her.

"Goodbye, my lord...and thank you." Larien said, nodding her head at him. Eru left.

"Lauren," her mother said tearfully. "I've missed you so much... why aren't you here?" She gestured to past the gates. "I was sure that I would see you here, if anywhere else. Your brothers are here..." she added.

"I'm not dead, mother. That is why I'm not here." Larien said.

"Not dead?" The woman whispered, taking her daughter's face into her hands.

"As far as I know, my soul left my earthly form, and it entered this one." She gestured down at herself. "Julia said that I'd died after that rape attack...I wanted to, but I didn't... and I survived." She said. It was bringing back memories that she rather wouldn't think about... leaving her family forever..

"That was horrible...I couldn't live with myself when you were attacked..." her mother said, looking at the gates wistfully.

"Let us not think of that time. I do not wish to talk of it. All I need to know is that you know that I have always loved you. I never truly hated you." Larien said, a tear leaking down her face.

"I know that, I think I've always known that... Lauren... I see you here, and you are not the same at all. At all. You are a whole new woman..." she said, taking her daughter's hand and leading her around the 'limbo' they were in.

"I know. Julia has already informed me of this!" she laughed, bringing her hand up to sweep her long dark hair behind her ear. Her mother realized two things in one moment, her mouth shaping into a big round 'o'.

"Sweetie! What's that? And that!" she laughed, trying to grab at her daughters hand, and peer at her daughter's ears at the same time. Her mother's finger brushed against the tip accidentally, causing Larien's knees to buckle. Fire spread from the sensitive area that her mother had touched.

"Mom!!" Larien shied away. "Don't touch!" she said, pointing up at her ear. "They're really sensitive!"

"Oh...sorry..." her mother said. "What's happened? Explain yourself!" she demanded like she would have when Lauren was in trouble.

"When I didn't die, I was transported to Middle Earth... I'm sure you remember Middle Earth, from Lord of the Rings... Yes, mom. It's real. Anyway, I was sent to Middle Earth, and I was transformed into an elf. Yes, mom. They're real." Larien smiled at her mother's confused look. "And I fought in the War of the Ring with Legolas and Frodo and Gandalf and the others..." she finished. "And elves have pointy ears, in case you haven't figured that out. Oh, and we're immortal...that's kind of obvious though, seeing as I'm nearly 280..." She added an afterthought.

"Immortal? My daughter, the immortal elf...and I thought I had it good!" her mother laughed. "Now, explain this." She said, picking up her daughter's hand and gazing in awe at the enormous stone, the look making Larien smile, then letting it drop.

"That I haven't had it for long... it's my engagement ring, Mom," She blushed, smiling yet again.

"Engagement? That thing is enormous!" her mother snatched Larien's hand back up.

"I know..." Larien grinned, examining it for more than the hundredth time.

"And who is the lucky man...er... elf?" her mother hesitated, grinning at her daughter.

"The elf... lets see... I think you already know him in one way or another..." Larien smiled.

"The only people I know from that crazy trilogy you obsessed back then about are Frodo, and that Wizard, Ganderd, or whatever,"

"Gandalf...mother..." Larien corrected, tutting ironically.

"Fine, Gandalf. And that prissy elf, Legless..." She paused, realizing what she had said. "Legless? He's the one you're marrying!" she smiled at her daughter. "Well, if he's as handsome as in the movies, then I don't blame you!"

"He's much better... although slightly different. And he's called Leg-o-las. Not Legless! Although they got the right image, just about!" Larien giggled.

"Legolas... My daughter, the elf, marrying Prince Legolas..." she tried it out. Then, she clapped a hand to her mouth and gasped. "Prince Legolas? That would make you... Princess Lauren...Oh! This is quite a bit of information, my dear!" the woman said, laughing.

"Yeah, mom... I'm almost a princess..." Larien said. They talked for what seemed like an eternity. Larien explained a bit about what she had been up to, and her mother gave general details of what had happened after her death. Suddenly, as if on a whim, Larien's head snapped up from where it had been resting on her mother's shoulder, and she said, "Mom, I think its about time for me to leave...I feel the sun on my face." She said. "But I don't want to leave you!"

"My, you have changed!" her mother exclaimed. "The old Lauren would have jetted off to her prince immediately!" she smiled lovingly at her daughter. The eyes that Larien often saw in a mirror shone back at her through her mother's eyes. "My dearest daughter. My eyes now know where to look for you, and I will always be watching." She said.

"Mom, no." Larien said, knowing that a final goodbye was about to happen...not now! Not when she had finally gotten to spend quality time with her mother! In her heart, she knew that this was the only time she would see her mother. "I really don't want to leave!" she said, in a voice that resembled a whine.

"I'm afraid that you must... my daughter. My blessings go with you and your husband, and to your children. Congratulations- I know your marriage with Legolas shall be splendid and your children shall be beautiful," She placed a hand on Larien's stomach, where a child would form. "I'm sure that if they have their mother's likeness, they will have no trouble getting through life."

Larien snorted. She was sure that anybody like her would have anything but an easy passage through life, but she still hugged her mother, and said her goodbye. "Mother. I fear I shall never see you again." She said, tearfully.

"Look to the stars... you will find me there." She said, lovingly, wiping away one of Larien's tears with her thumb. The form of the woman slipped away into darkness. Larien was going to protest, but she felt someone kissing her lightly, trying to wake her up. She grinned to herself, knowing who it was.

As she opened her eyes, she found the soft brown eyes of Legolas above her. She stretched, then wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down so he was lying on top of her.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, kissing him.

"Well, what are you doing in here?" He asked. "You should be in my bed..."

"Legolas-" she said, but she was interrupted by a deep kiss from the flaxen-haired elf on top of her.

"Yes, meleth nín?" he grinned. He knew he had just stopped her from telling him off about their annoying agreement... there was no harm in having fun, was there?

"Nothing... why don't you pick out a dress for me, and we can go to breakfast." She said airily.

"As you wish, my lady." Legolas smiled and crawled off the bed. He shuffled through the wardrobe and pulled out a beautiful pale blue dress, with white pearls sewn into the bodice. The skirts of the dress was layered with different materials, giving it a certain simple elegance. "This one." Legolas held it up.

"Of course." Larien said, taking it from him and slipping it over her head. As Legolas tied the back up, she found her thoughts lingering on her dream... she could not remember it, but her soul somehow felt so much more at peace and no longer restless. She didn't know why, or how she felt so fresh and new, but it had something to do with her dream. She knew that.

A soft giggle escaped her lips as Legolas' arms encircled her waist from behind. He planted soft kisses on her neck, and she basked in the glorious feelings that Legolas made her feel; joy, mirth, wholeness, and even a sense of newness. She felt every bit as new as she did when she had kissed him in the pond in Lothlórien so many years ago.

What do you wish to do on this lovely morning, my love?" Legolas asked her after they had finished breakfast. Julia had departed with the twins Elladan and Elrohir.

"I wouldn't mind paying a visit to a certain glade with a certain cave behind a certain waterfall." She hinted, smiling at the memory of what occurred last time they were there. Again, her eyes traveled down to the ring on her finger, and she beamed. Legolas saw her smile and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"You're a lot happier, now that you've slept a bit." He commented.

"Yes... I do feel a lot better..." she agreed, but didn't say anything more. Legolas took her back to her room and let her change into riding clothes. Her leggings were gray, and her tunic blue. It looked a lot like some of the men's outfits, but it had a slightly feminine flair to it. She and Legolas walked arm in arm to the pasture. She whistled for Florida, but Legolas stopped her from doing so.

"What?" she inquired, frowning slightly.

"Ride with me." He said. Arod cantered to his master on command of a whistle. Legolas helped Larien mount (although both knew that this was just a sign of courtesy,) and Legolas mounted behind her. She felt so safe in his arms as he urged the horse to a walk.

Eventually, Arod brought the two to the pond, and both dismounted. As they walked on the shore of the large pond, Legolas broke the silence.

"My father met my mother in this grove." He said thoughtfully, staring thoughtfully into the water, where a few small fish darted into the weeds.

"He did?" Larien said, interested in what she could learn about her future father-in-law.

"Yes. My mother was visiting from Rivendell. She had wandered around here, looking for somewhere to hide from her teasing brothers. Father was with a friend, when he heard her scream. She had fallen into the water involuntarily. He dived in and helped her back to shore. They instantly fell in love. When they were married three years later, both Rivendell and Greenwood were united." He continued. He looked so pensive about his parents; Larien didn't want to disturb his story. "I was born a hundred years after that."

"Where is your mother now?" Larien asked. Legolas sighed. He was afraid that this subject would come up. Of course, it was Larien's right to know.

"Shortly after I was born, my mother's parents both were murdered by orcs in a raid in Rivendell. Her only brother immediately made his way to Greenwood, to tell her. He, being much younger than her, was not that old, only about 1000 at the time. He told my mother what happened, and Mother went into a depression. My uncle decided that he would sail into the West, but my mother didn't want go with him." Legolas finally looked up from where he had been staring at a rock under the water. "She died..." his voice cracked. "I didn't have enough time to know her, and I always have regretted that I did not know her."

Larien hugged Legolas. She wished now that she had not asked about his mother. "I'm sorry," she said, giving him a short kiss.

"Don't be too sorry..." he said. "You have no family, if I am correct." He smiled.

"That is true." She said. "All of my family are surely dead. But now I will have a new family." She kissed him again.

She thought momentarily back to the sweet story about Thranduil saving his future wife. "Do you remember when I needed saving? Like your father saved your mother?" she smiled, reminiscing back a few hundred years.

"Only at every battle you fought in..." Legolas grinned, although he knew exactly what she was talking about. She had been taken prisoner by the Uruk-Hai along with the hobbits Merry and Pippin.

"And you waited to save me. You didn't come for me!" she smiled.

"I could not abandon my friends in search of a maiden who did not return my affections... although I did want to." He added in defense.

"Yes..." she replied. She leant her head on Legolas' shoulder. 'Where would I be without Legolas? Certainly not here...' she found herself thinking.

"Meleth nín? My love? " Legolas spoke up again. "We have not agreed on a time for our wedding." He said.

"Summer is soon upon us, that is surely too early, but whenever appropriate is fine with me." She said.

"Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring..." Legolas muttered. "There are surely too many times during the year to do so..."

"Yes, but you want to be wed this year," she stated knowingly.

Legolas grinned cheekily. "You need to stop reading people's thoughts at random, Larien." They were now passing under the waterfall and into the cave. Larien conjured up a light for both of them to see.

"What's the point of having magical powers, if you can't use them to your advantage sometimes?" she asked defensively.

"Most times, normal elves take advantage of knowing that our thoughts are safely hidden from others." Legolas argued.

"But, you're not with a normal elf." Larien replied.

"And I would give anything to stay with you." Legolas said sweetly, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

"But Legolas, we haven't decided upon a time for the wedding," Larien brought up the subject after they broke apart.

"You know when I want it," Legolas smiled. Larien probed his thoughts.

"Legolas Greenleaf!" she accused. "Tomorrow won't work! It won't work at all!" she swatted his shoulder lightly.

"I know..." he hung his head, acting like a sad puppy. Larien kissed him again, and he brought his head back up, before asking, "What about the next day?"

"Nope."

"Day after that?" he asked hopefully.

"I'm not even going to answer, Legolas."

"Is that a yes?"

"NO!!!" Larien shouted. Her voice echoed through the caves. After that there was silence, except for the drip...drip... of water.

"Would an autumn wedding work?" he asked timidly.

"Ah. Now you're talking." She smiled. "Good boy!" she said, patting Legolas lightly on the head.

"Do I get a reward?" he asked hopefully. She kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Yes. You get me."

Legolas embraced her and kissed her passionately. "I was hoping that would be the reward..." he said.

The two wandered through the cave, using Larien's light as a guide to places that Legolas had never been to before. When they exited the cave, they found that the sun had already disappeared, and the first stars were starting to twinkle in the sky. "We should head back..." Larien said. "I am sure that your father will have missed us, and we have missed dinner." They found the horse, and both mounted; Legolas behind Larien just as last time, and instead of meandering their way back, Larien whispered for Arod to gallop back to the palace. They arrived, and casually walked into the large entrance hall. Nobody met them there, so they made their way back to their rooms, and to temporary solitude.

Knock, knock.

"Come in, Galadriel." Larien said. She had been amusing Legolas for the morning, with one of their favorite activities. She would levitate an apple, or a rock, or just any other object, and move it so it would float right in front of an elf outside on the path. Whoever the victim was would probably start to grab at it; until Larien would either drop it at their feet, or their head (depending on the density and weight of the object.)

Galadriel, as she always did, floated right into the room, before settling herself in a rather large chair. Immediately, she claimed the room as her own. Larien and Legolas both gave her a short bow.

"Legolas, if you do not mind, I wish to speak with Lauren alone." She said. Legolas shook his head.

"I do not mind at all... just do not steal her for the entire day." He grinned.

"I would do nothing of the sort. Now, I believe your father wishes to see you in his office. You may wish to go there." She advised.

"I will, milady." He bowed again, before exiting the room.

"What do you need to tell me today, Galadriel?" Larien asked.

"I have come to advise you," Galadriel stated. "On matters concerning your future life."

"What about it?" Larien asked, curious as to what the answer would be.

"When you are married, your child needs to be born as soon as possible. I have looked into my mirror, and I saw the uprising of evil. In order to stand up with full force against this evil, your child must be as old as possible." Galadriel said.

"So, what, I have to beget a child on our wedding night?" Larien asked sarcastically.

"I'm not asking that of you. I'm telling you that the older your child is, the more successful they shall be in their task."

"Look, Galadriel." She said before she could stop herself, "I'm no good at this! I don't know how to be a wife, let alone a mother!"

"You know your strengths. Live so that they shine through for all to see." Galadriel said comfortingly.

"Well, what else do you have to tell me?" Larien said, sighing and fearing the answers.

"I am going back to Lothlórien. Soon, I will leave these lands, and you will be alone." Galadriel answered. Larien felt her heart drop through her stomach and tumble into her silk slippers.

"Galadriel! No! You can't be leaving! At least stay for the wedding!" Larien pleaded. She couldn't bear the thought of the only mother figure she had left leaving.

"There is little left that I have to teach you. When I leave, you will be the teacher." Galadriel consoled. "Was that not what you told me when you arrived? Did you not say that all I was to you was a teacher?" she smiled. Larien thought back.

"Yes, that was what I said... but I don't believe that now! I don't think of you only as a teacher anymore! I never really have!" Larien pleaded. Her eyes started to shine with tears.

"I know you have never thought that." Galadriel answered. "But you never showed it until after the War of the Ring."

Larien was speechless. She didn't know what to say anymore. Galadriel had plans on leaving soon. She was soon going to have to be on her own to teach her unborn child all there is to know about their inherited powers.

"Galadriel, I'm not sure that I'm ready for you to leave." She said finally. "I'm not sure that I've got a complete hold on my own power." And it was true. She didn't think that she knew everything about it.

Galadriel beamed at her. "Lauren, that is the beauty of life. You don't know everything. You can't know everything, and now you have learned that. For years you have struggled to know everything you can, without enjoying fully what you already know. In the years to come, you will still experiment with your power, and some things will work, while others will not. I still do not know everything about myself, and I am constantly expanding my knowledge." Galadriel said. "You will know what to do when the time comes, and you will conquer."

"Well that's good to know..." Larien muttered. It was all very sweet though. "But Galadriel, at least stay until Legolas and I are married. Please. It'll be only about a year or so!"

Galadriel paused. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something. "I must go back to Lothlórien for now, but I will return for your wedding."

"Oh thank you, Galadriel!" Larien said, throwing her arms around the Lady.

Galadriel was silent. She knew that she had overstayed her time in Middle Earth. Originally, her plan was to leave with Elrond, Gandalf, and Frodo on the last ship to Valinor, but Larien was in need of much council. This girl was the soul reason of her stay... she hadn't even left when Celeborn departed. In her guest room hours later, Galadriel felt, for the first time in her life, that she didn't know what to do.

A/N: Aww!! Poor Gaddy! Did you enjoy the chapter? I had a blast writing it! I just have to do a few announcement/shoutout type things, and then you can press the pretty purply-blue button on the bottom left hand side of the screen, and talk to the box, and keep it company!

First off: Thanks to my AWESOME beta, Shivvers, because SHE is the one who made this chapter even MORE awesome than it was when I had just written it... and I know, Shivvers is probably mad at me for taking out a bit about a birdbath, but it just didn't flow!! winks at Shivvs

Second: I would like to announce that me and Shivvers (as seen above) have a new website, and I would love for all of you to visit it! It is and, although it is not COMPLETELY finished, you can see how pretty and awesome it is! PLEASE visit it and drop us a comment!

And Third: I PROMISE YOU WILL SEE AN UPDATE OF NOT KNOWING COMING VERY SOON! But my beta (also Shivvers... does anyone else see a pattern?) hasn't sent it back, but I am expecting it to be here within days!

And thank you to my loyal reviewers, whom I do love SO MUCH! You all keep me motivated! As well as all 46 people who have me on their Favorite Author list!!

Ivy