Ok so we're going back some chapters to when Eleniel died so don't get confused lol. Also prepare for some stuff and crying...
"Elvish"
Eleniel was dead, that much she knew. She could remember Frodo and Sam and the others. She could remember the Uruk-hai and beating them but she didn't kill one of them. That would be her mistake. That one Uruk-hai would be her downfall. She remembered blood, arrows, the cries of Sam and Frodo, she hated that she had made them watch her die and Estel, she had left him when he needed her the most. Now that she was parted from him, all she could feel was love and grief.
It was at that moment that she realised that he wasn't just a dear friend to her. He wasn't just the man that knew her deepest secrets. He wasn't just her best friend. He was her love. I loved him is all she thought as she cautiously opened her now teary eyes and found herself lying on the floor of the clearing in Valinor where she had met the Valar. The trees and flowers witnessed her tears and sadness as she thought of her lost love. The path between life and death separating them forever. She had loved him and not just that kind of love that someone felt for a close friend. The kind where you wanted to spend the rest of your life with that someone. The kind where if you were parted then you wouldn't have the will to go on without them. To grow together, have children, build a life around each other.
How could she have been so blind? She knew that she had felt something for him, why else would she have given him her pendant but to know that she had loved him and now could not tell him or be with him at least once, hurt. It hurt more than her death for the arrows killed her physical body but being without Estel killed her heart and soul.
Eleniel cried for what felt like hours. She cried for her friends. She cried for her family. She cried for her people. She cried for Estel. She cried...for her failed quest.
"Do not cry my child," A feminine voice told her before a soft hand brushed her tears away, surprising her as she did not hear anyone approach. "This is not the end."
Eleniel opened her eyes to see Varda and Manwë stood in front of her, the rest of the Valar standing a few feet behind them. They smiled sadly at her, one which she could not look at. She didn't need their pity, she had enough for herself. "My Lords and Ladies, it seems that you have picked the wrong person for this quest," she told them. "I have failed."
Soon she found herself surrounded by all the Valar, each of them smiling at her although it was tinged with a small amount of sadness. Irmo was the one to spoke for them. "I have seen many things my child," the Lord of Dreams and Visions told her. "It was not your destiny to defeat Melkor and his servants, it never was."
Eleniel was shocked. What did that even mean? That was not what they had said all that time ago. Her destiny was to fight and defeat him and defeat him she had not before dying. "I don't understand. I thought that this was my destiny, my path that I had to walk in order to defeat Melkor."
"And walk your path you did my child," Irmo said to her while she vehemently tried to understand what was going on and why she felt like everyone was speaking in tongues for some reason. "Your destiny was never to defeat Melkor and Sauron, that path lies with another; the Hobbit, Frodo Baggins but because of you, he shall never be corrupted by the Ring. Without you he would have fallen to its power long ago, all of Arda swept with him. Boromir, son of Denethor would have tried to take the Ring and died. Aragorn, son of Arathorn would not have taken back Gondor, the White City and the descendants of Númenor would pass into legend."
"Do you not understand my child? Without you, the Fellowship would have failed, only leading to all of their deaths, the death of Arda with them yet they live and keep fighting because of you. Because of their elleth friend who gave up so much for their quest that they refuse to give in. Because of you Frodo Baggins love for his family and friends is always on his mind. He will never fall to the Rings power nor will he ever want for the Ring even after it is destroyed. Because of you Aragorn of the Dúnedain shall be known as King Elessar, the greatest and fairest of Kings in all the Ages of Arda."
She didn't know what to feel but if she was being honest, she couldn't help but feel a little cheated as if she had been journeying all her life and going through many trials only to know it was for nothing. Despair that she wouldn't even be there to watch Melkor and Sauron burn. She also felt deep despair for her friends for she knew that their journey would not be one of ease and instead would be full of hardships. I hope the Valar is with you my friends. "Do not despair my child. Now that your quest is over, you may return to your family and people. They have been most anxiously awaiting your arrival."
She tried to smile brightly but found that it could only come out as a grimace. The Valar noticed especially Manwë and Varda and looked confusedly at each other. "We thought you would be jumping for joy?" Eleniel nodded and stated that she was happy. Very happy but she needed to know something.
"My love?," she began to ask them hesitantly, her greys fixed upon Lord Mandos. "Will he, will I be able to see him again once he has passed into your Halls?"
The Lord looked at her apologetically before shaking his head. "I am sorry. He cannot come to the Undying Lands for he is Mortal and you cannot pass into my Halls for you are Immortal."
The she-elf nodded her head in understanding, no words being spoken from her. Her eyes glanced down out of habit at the pendant that was usually nestled against her collarbone, only to find it not there which led her to remembering just where it was. Eleniel's teary eyes then looked to the sky, the full moon shining brightly in the night sky. A self deprecating smile made its way onto her face for she knew now that her words were wrong. For now that she was in Valinor, her and Aragorn were no longer under the same moon. The moon would give her no comfort when comfort is what she needed more than anything.
She saw Manwë and Varda glance at each other meaningfully before looking at her, saying, "There is a way that you may see your love again but," her voice cut off as she gave her a pitying look. "It will come with a price."
She could only stare at them before nodding for them to go on. "If you wish to return to Arda and be with your love then you will have to give up your immortality." Manwë whispered sadly to her while more tears fell from Eleniel's eyes.
"I have to choose between my family and my love. Can I not have them both? I have already given up so much! Why can't you just give me this one thing?!" She shouted, demanded from them as she broke down, her body trembling from her sadness.
"How much more must I give up?"
The Valar looked at her sadly when Nienna stepped towards her before taking her crying form gently into her arms. They sat on the forest floor for 10 minutes, Nienna comforting her. After awhile, her sobs turned into little sniffles. "We may be the Valar but even we do not have the power to change something like this. We are sorry." Eleniel could only nod tearily as she looked around at all of them, her mind desperately trying to come up for an answer as to what she should do.
After a few moments of thinking, Eleniel stood, wiped her face of tears and began to walk out of the clearing. "You have made your choice then?" Nienna asked of her to which she could only nod.
Eleniel trudged along a familiar path until she found herself in front of a huge, beautiful archway. She hesitated before taking a deep breath and walking through. She knew that the Valar was stood behind her so glancing back, she nodded at them before picking up her speed. She looked around at the familiar walls and corridors, her eyes slowly taking it in. She was so caught up in her thoughts and emotions that she did not notice the sound of footsteps coming towards her until she heard a voice, a voice she had not heard for many years.
"You there? Who are you and why have you come into our Halls?" Eleniel gasped, took a deep breath before slowly turning around, tears gathering in her eyes. She did not notice that Manwë and them were no longer there.
She saw her family. Her father, her brothers, her sisters. They gasped when they saw her face and Eleniel for some reason froze, not knowing what to do before she ran towards them and threw her arms around her father. Finwë, first High King of the Noldor cried for his beloved child was home.
"My darling child, my beloved Star," he called her, his hands caressing her cheeks lovingly. "You have finally returned home."
She soon found the rest of her families arms around her, her siblings crying for their younger sibling was home. Looking around at her siblings she found that one of her siblings were not there. Her oldest brother. Pulling away from the rest of her siblings she looked at him curiously as he gazed at her, regret and sadness shining in her eyes.
"Big brother, how I have missed you." She told him, a bright, teary smile on her face.
She moved towards him to give him a hug but for every step she took, he took one backing away from her. Looking at the rest of her family confused, they could only smile sadly at them. "I do not know how you could even look at me little sister. I was the one who condemned our people after all." Eleniel could only shake her head at him before she ran and jumped in his arms like she would when she was younger. She pressed her face into his chest, breathing in his familiar, relaxing scent.
"Do not say such things, Fëanor. You are my big brother. I could never stay angry at you." Tears gathered in his grey eyes, the same eye colour that he shared with his father and Eleniel. He wrapped her up in his arms tightly before pressing his forehead against hers then a kiss to her brow like he use to.
Finwë moved and embraced them tightly before moving away. He placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Now that you are home, we must make arrangements and see to a feast being held in your honour for the Star of the Noldor and their redemption has returned to her people."
Eleniel felt the presence of the Valar return, each of them stood behind her and her brother. She turned to them nodding sadly before looking at her family who were staring at her in confusion. "I-I have only been allowed to see you so I could say goodbye." She told them, a sad expression upon her face. This was a lot harder than she thought it would be.
"Goodbye? What do you mean?" Her siblings began talking at once, each of them demanding to know what was going on. Eleniel simply looked in her fathers eyes, pleading with him to understand. His grey eyes stared at her before they widened in understanding.
Finwë gave his daughter an understanding nod before shouting at his children for silence. They immediately quietened, each of them looking at their father. "It seems that your little sister is not so little anymore," he said, "she has found love."
The girl in question immediately blushed under the scrutiny of her older siblings. Her brothers looked angry and ready to kill someone while her sisters looked happy for their sister. "Well if the Valar has granted you the chance to return to your love until the both of you shall come to the Undying Lands then we are happy for you." Her father told her with a happy smile on his face.
Eleniel could not stop the tears from falling before it was too late. She shook her head at him before telling them, "I will not be returning. If I leave for Arda to my love then I will have to give up my immortality."
Her family gasped, the tears falling freely from each of their eyes. Her brother, Finarfin, had his hands clenched at his side. If in anger or sadness, she did not know. "You would subject your love to this? To him having to live on without you even in death?" Finarfin demanded from her, not understanding how she could choose something like this. How she could subject her love to such hurt.
She smiled sadly at her brother before answering him, "If I am to give up my immortality then I will not be parted from him in death." She let her words sink in until they all seemed to understand.
"He is Mortal?" Her father asked her, the sadness clear in his eyes. Eleniel merely nodded her head at him before forcing her eyes to look at the ground, not being able to look them in the eyes when she spoke her next words.
"I have grieved for all of you my whole life. I have lived for almost three Ages without you all beside me. I have missed, pined, cried for each and every one of you," she lifted her gaze and stared each of them in the eyes. "But I have learnt how to survive without each of you with me... If I was to stay here then I would be without Estel for all eternity and that, is something that I would not be able to survive. Please tell me you understand?"
She silently awaited their responses, her grey eyes staring at the floor once again. It wasn't until she felt a gentle touch to her cheek did she look up. She saw the sad but resigned faces of her family, each of them trying to give her a brave smile. "We love you my Star. We would wish to never part from you but, we know that if we were to keep you here with us then we would only be condemning you to an eternity of sadness and grief with no end."
Each of her family members were practically bathing in tears by now. "We will miss you but we understand." Eleniel stepped into her family's embrace, their reunion seemed so bittersweet now. She had dreamed of this day for many Ages and now she was leaving them, to never see them again.
She stepped out of their embrace before looking back at the watching Valar. Just as she was to leave, her father stopped her and gave her a gift. "This is something that I have been carrying for many a year. Created for you when I made your pendant. A gift that I wished to present to you once you had returned to us. Now, it shall be another piece of us for you to wear and carry." He presented to her a beautiful circlet filled with sarnithil. She gave her father a warm smile before graciously accepting her gift.
Giving each of her family members another hug, she walked away from them to the waiting Gods and Goddesses. She sent them all one more smile, tinged with her sadness before leaving under the archway in which she had entered under. They walked in silence before arriving back at the clearing they were at before.
Eleniel simply stared at the Valar, feeling quite numb of any feeling. Just as she was moving to sit down on the forest floor, she began to feel lightheaded. Her vision swam as she felt herself fall back onto the clearing floor. Just as she was about to blackout, she heard someone speak softly to her, "Remember to be on your guard. Sauron and Melkor fear you and your power, they will try to destroy you."
"We will always be with you."
Then her vision went black. In Valinor, Eleniel of the Noldor disappeared. In Lothlórien, grey eyes flew open, bringing with it a new sense of power in Middle Earth.
Eleniel woke to find herself in Lothlórien. Her niece told her that they had found her body many weeks ago, caring for her while she slept. She inquired after Estel and the others. Galadriel knew nothing of their whereabouts but only that she knew that they were safe.
She spent many of her days recovering from her wounds, speaking with her nieces people and visiting her loves dreams. It was after maybe a month or so since she had woke when she heard news of a battle at Helms Deep. Knowing that her love would be there, she insisted that she go with Haldir and the other members of the Galadhrim.
"Are you sure that you should go?" Her niece asked her the night before the guard were to depart for Helms Deep.
Eleniel nodded her head yes. "If they know that you are there then Sauron will send something to destroy you. He might even send his Witch King..."
She could only nod her head at words, knowing that she only spoke the truth. "I must go. The people of Rohan, my friends, my love, they have need of me."
Galadriel smiled sadly at her Aunt before nodding that she understood. She took her leave soon after, leaving Eleniel to her thoughts. She would not abandon the people of Rohan to their fate even if it meant her death.
I know, no reunion lol. That was supposed to happen in this chapter but I realised how damn long it was going to be so I cut it😂 Anyways I hope you enjoyed and man, even I cried a little when she was talking to her family... I feel bad for doing that to her but... I kinda don't aswell.