Author's note:
All things pass in time.
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Tauriel POV
Tauriel gave birth to her daughter, Imril, under a shower of stars in midsummer. She was loved beyond measure by her parents and brother. The light of those falling stars were captured in her cerulean blue eyes, akin to those of Legolas but somehow warmer and a richer blue. With Tauriel's flaming hair, she was a startling beauty of old, even amongst the Eldar. King Thranduil who had been unsurprised by the gift of a second child, visited his new grand-daughter and was unusually taken aback by her charm. The elfling seemed to bring some peace to his being and it made Tauriel and Legolas happy to see Thranduil less lonely than he usually was.
She has her eyes. Legolas my son. You must see the lights upon her eyes!
…Yes Ada. Tauriel has brought some small part of her back to us.
Beloved Imril, radiant star of the sky, Naneth loves you more than her own life.
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Years passed on in an near-peace. Thranadir grew lean and strong as a graceful tree. He was calm and like his Father, not quick to anger but he had his Mother's love of the wild and growing things. He entered a game of childish courtship with Arthoniel and all the Kingdom and the elves looked on in good-natured amusement. Arthoniel herself matured and turned away from the wood elves, whom she had so adored growing up. Only Thranadir had the ability to steal her attention and make her blush like the first rose of spring. To begin with the elves were hurt but they soon realised the young elleth had diverted all of her attention to her parents and brother. The only elf among mortals, she was lavishing all her love on them in the limited number of days that remained to her. No one could begrudge her that and so they elves silently stood by, ready to catch the young princess when her world would undoubtedly fall apart.
Legolas, overjoyed by his children and Tauriel, grew ever more restless when they or GImli were not around. His time in this land was almost at an end and he hungered to be with his people and family across the Western Sea.
Tauriel too began to become trapped in her mind more and more frequently, hearing songs of white shores and a forgotten pure peace she had never known.
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Tauriel POV
The eternal traveller, time, marched on, claiming those souls it reaped along its lonely path. It began with Faramir and then Eowyn. Looking back, Tauriel felt their passing as a numb hurt. To never hear Faramir's laugh? To never again see Eowyn's radiant smile? It was anathema. Tauriel just did not understand how mortals grieved for such a small amount of time, lived and then passed into shadow themselves. She knew she would never forget their faces, their spirits. To forget would be to dishonour their memory and mortal or not, Tauriel would never forget those she had grown to love.
Death.
Death.
Death.
Then, all too soon, the bells rang out in a solemn cadence from the highest room of the tallest tower. The King, Elessar is dead. His wife, the Evenstar, is doomed to fade. Standing with her kin in the inner room of the Royal chambers, Tauriel reached out to place of her hand on the cool marble of the wall. Cold enveloped her senses, the same cold that would entomb Aragorn as the mightiest King of this Age forevermore. Tears ran down the bridge of her nose as she felt herself become lost in the very grief of the City. She knew that in a few days, this land would forget its grief and rejoice in the splendour of the new King, Eldarion. He was just and fair and would lead his people into a bright Age but Tauriel cared not anymore. This land changed too much, gave her heart too many scars in too short a space of time. She knew then that this was the great Difference. Elves were immortal because they could not forget those they left behind.
Kili.
Farine.
Amrith.
Eowyn.
Faramir.
Aragorn.
Arwen doomed to fade.
For three days, the few hundred elves of Ithilien stood in silent vigil throughout the palace. Every now and then the silence would be broken only by Imril's lamenting song from where she stood clutching Thranadir's knees. Tauriel knew not where she learnt the Rohirric song of death but in her voice of childlike purity, the elves had not the heart to silence her. They stood in respect to Aragorn and to await the Queen, who had been in quiet conference with her two children the entire time. The men thought she was leaving instructions and comforting her son, the new King, and her daughter, the Princess. The elves knew she was saying farewell before she took her lonely journey.
Sometimes the mortals would join them in respect but all too soon they began to pace or fidget and had to move on. They were too restless a creature to mourn and remember as elves did.
At noon on the third day, Queen Arwen emerged whilst her son and daughter stood silently in the doorway and hungrily watched her every move.
Tauriel felt a new pain slice itself into her scarred heart as she saw, for the first time, Arwen, youth and beauty frozen about her but with no light attached to her form. There was no light in the Evenstar any longer.
Face devoid of tears yet eyes of such sorrow that Tauriel had to look away, Arwen paused only in front of Legolas.
'Must you leave us?' In reverence, he spoke in Quenya, as he so rarely did.
Painfully beautiful sapphire eyes looked deeply at Legolas as a pale hand caressed his brow once. 'For mine is the choice of Lúthien, and as she so have I chosen, both the sweet and the bitter.'
Legolas lowered his tear-streaked face and in silent solidarity, Tauriel interlaced her fingers in his. Arwen looked at their entwined hands for a fractured osecond before she glided away in a cloud of waiting despair.
The Realm stood still as the Queen departed through the hallowed halls for the final time.
And so passed Arwen Udomiel, Evenstar, half-even Lady of Rivendell and Queen of the Reunited Kingdom unseen as a shadow upon her great steed Asfaloth to finally surrender her life upon Cerin Amroth, in Lorien the fair and deserted.
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One year later.
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Tauriel laughed gaily at the surprised shriek as Imril jumped out and surprised Thranadir and Arthoniel, who had been sneaking a kiss at the prow of the swan ship.
'Ada, Ada, Thranadir and Arthy were doing it again!'
'What have I told you about not calling me Arthy?!' Arthoniel called out haughtily but Tauriel could tell she was only teasing the young elleth.
'Come Imril, leave your poor brother and Arthoniel alone.'
'Yes Naneth.' Tauriel reached down and kissed her daughter as Legolas picked her up and cuddled her close to them from where they stood by the mast.
'Look! Look! I can see the shore!'' Fin-galad shouted from where he stood by his parents. He was almost as tall as Ranadir now.
'That's my ionneg! Eagle eyes!' Ranadir slapped him on the back and beamed proudly.
'Just like his Ada.' Serilla kissed Ranadir and then Fin-galad sweetly on the cheek.
A gathering of elves was waiting at the shore to welcome them to the Undying Lands of the Valar. The great sense of excitement and cheer rang out from the woodland elves of Eryn Lasgalen and Ithilien aboard, even Thranduil, holding his strange star flower in its pot, seemed eager to be ashore.
The elves disembarked onto white sand decorated with countless gems and precious stones before a magnificent fertile land aflight with swans and unnamed beasts and flowers. As soon as her toes touched the sacred ground, Tauriel immediately felt this great sense of…peace.
There was no pain.
No suffering.
No malignant darkness.
No shadow of temptation.
There was peace.
As the children and others ran off laughing to meet kin old and new, Tauriel just paused by the stairs coming off the dock to feel her Fëa and Hröa align and centre into unbreakable radiance.
She turned to Legolas and took his hands, tears of pure serenity and joy overflowing from her green eyes. 'Legolas, we are finally where we are meant to be.'
Glittering blue eyes full of unconditional love met hers. 'Yes, my Captain.' Legolas leaned down and kissed her. It was bliss and it was theirs forever.
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Thranduil felt the peace of all elves in the Blessed Realm. Standing there on the dock with his star flower as the others slowly flowed into their new, true and final home, he knew that he had done his duty as King to lead his people to safety here. Legolas and his family, were finally safe.
He looked up at the permanent stars in the sky and gave a small smile of satisfaction.
I did it my love.
'Thranduil?' The softly spoken question came from a voice of stars and steel.
The King of the Woodland Realm froze. Turning in absolute shock, his face lit up into a smile of pure happiness, the likes of which he had not felt in more than an Age. His Fëa and Hröa burned with unbridled joy and radiance at being complete once more.
He was home.