Chapter 34 ended with:
Thranduil decided to leave before everyone saw the tears in his eyes. He jumped on his stallion, and watching his family one last time, he turned his back on them and gave the signal of departure. The Silvan elves left without looking back, definitively turning the page to a new future where peace and happiness were certain.
Chapter 35 – Memories of a prior life
Minas Tirith, Year 25 of the Fourth Age
20 years later
Hadrian's wife had just given birth to another child, their third one. Their oldest son and daughter were 18 and 15, and Hadrian had admitted to his parents that this latest child was an accident. He was turning 50 in a few months, and his wife Livia, who was 40, had found this last pregnancy very difficult.
Valerie had come to Minas Tirith in the hope of helping Livia for a few months, traveling with Legolas, Gil-galad and Victoria. Brannor and Elrohir had followed them. But it had turned out that Hadrian's wife and his daughter had the situation under control and Valerie had had more time on her hands than she had anticipated. She was disappointed by her visit so far. She had hoped that Livia and her children would have gotten used to Elves by now, but it seemed that they were only comfortable with Sean, who had lived in Minas Tirith for as long as they could remember.
"You worry too much," Sean said to his mother one evening. "Livia and the children are creatures of habit. They are comfortable in their little world, with nothing strange surrounding them."
"I do not believe they will ever get used to me," Valerie sighed.
"To us," Gil-galad corrected. "His children keep bothering me. They tell me it is impossible that I am 44 years old." Near his maturity, the ellon now looked like a 15 years old teenager. Hadrian's children could not grasp the concept of elven childhood lasting 50 years.
"They called me a liar," Victoria whined. She too, had been a victim of their negative comments, little elleth of 27 years of age who looked like she was 10.
"I am sure your brother will talk to them again," Valerie tried to comfort them. But in truth, Hadrian had spoken to his wife and children many times, and he had admitted to his mother that his wife was prejudiced against elves, and that she had transmitted her ill opinions to her children. They found his elven family strange, between the aloof Legolas, Valerie who didn't act like a proper lady, and their herd of children who looked too young for their age. As a result, when his adoptive family was in Minas Tirith, Hadrian was visiting them alone most of the time.
Valerie knew Thranduil would be dying to tell her "I told you so". But wherever he was, she hoped her father-in-law was happy and that he was not worrying about her. She enjoyed her quiet life, and being shunned by Hadrian's family was not such a terrible ordeal.
She was seeing Arwen at least twice a year, and Phoebe was visiting them in Ithilien every second year. Legolas and Faramir met many times a year to discuss the events in Ithilien, and Eowyn was bringing her son Elboron at these meetings. At least, the mortals living in Ithilien were more open-minded than the people of Minas Tirith! The proximity of a colony of elves and their constant interactions during battles with Easterlings greatly helped the collaboration and acceptance.
Arwen, who had been listening to their conversation while sewing a shirt for the poor children of Minas Tirith, smiled to Valerie. She knew her friend and her family were not easily accepted by her people, despite her efforts and the king's to reconcile the two communities. She herself had had a hard time to be accepted after her wedding, and only when she started showing signs of aging did the people realize that she truly was no longer an elf. As if a lock of gray hair had been all it took for her to become their queen. She knew the Gondorians would have accepted her more quickly if she had given children to the king. But 27 years after their binding, she still have not carried a child, and it hurt her to no end. Valerie, who had been very supportive in the early years, had no more explanations or advice to give. Eventually, Arwen had transported all that love to Valerie's children and the orphans of the city.
"I promised Victoria to check her progress on the violin," Sean said. "We will go to my study, I am sure Elrohir will find us there."
Valerie nodded and watched her daughter leave with her son, thrilled to show Sean how good she had become. To Sean's delight, Victoria had shown early a great musical talent and he had found in her a person who understood his passion. He had traveled frequently to Ithilien to teach her many instruments, until Victoria showed more interest and talent in playing the violin.
"Victoria is so delightful," Arwen sighed. "I have rarely seen such a beautiful elfling."
"What about me?" Gil-galad asked as if he had no idea of how charming he was. In fact, he did not need this confirmation from the queen of Gondor at all. He was just an attention-seeker, and Valerie told him so. Decades ago, when Thranduil had told her that the adult version of Gil-galad would be very good-looking, he had greatly understated the attractiveness of his old enemy. Gil-galad was truly the most handsome of her comely sons.
Arwen humored him nevertheless, complimenting him about his patrician features and his peculiar, heavy white locks that made him unique in all elven history.
"I do not think that I am unique," the young ellon said, frowning. "I frequently dream of another ellon, who looks so much like me... he has white hair too. He is a prince or a king, I think."
Stricken, Valerie looked at Arwen, looking for some help. She had believed that her reborn sons would only regain some of their memories when they turned 50, and Gil-galad was still six years away from his majority.
"What kind of dreams are these?" Arwen asked, recovering more quickly than Valerie.
"I see terrible battles, with elves, men and orcs killing each other in sometimes gruesome manners. There is this ellon who looks so much like me, although he seems older, and he is leading the elven army into battle. Sometimes, I see the dreams as if I am this ellon. I am in a court, in a beautiful manor, with many noble elves richly dressed speaking to me. They bow to me, call me their king. Do you think I see my future?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Because... I see my twin brother in these dreams. Oropher looks older too. We do not like each other. Grandfather is there sometimes too. He does not like me either. Do you think I will have a fight with Oropher and Grandfather and that they will hate me?"
"Why do you think this is your future?" Valerie asked.
"Because Lord Elrond is there too. And he is in Valinor now, so shouldn't this mean that this is my future once we sail? But if this is my future, how come we are fighting Sauron once more? Was he not truly destroyed when Adar fought in the war with King Elessar?"
Arwen stared at Valerie. You need to tell him, she thought, knowing that Valerie would read it in her mind. He will be troubled and confused until you decide to reveal the truth about his birth. Valerie shook her head and silently mouthed no. She wanted to discuss this with Legolas first.
"These are no dreams, Gil-Galad," Arwen said seriously, ignoring Valerie's command to remain silent.
"Arwen!" Valerie cried. "Stop it now! It is not up to you to decide to tell him or not!"
"Tell me what?" the young ellon inquired, looking between both ellith who challenged each other. "Naneth?" he asked, taking his mother's hand.
"Arwen, would you please leave us?" Valerie requested. Her friend had taken away from her the decision of telling Gil-galad about his past or not. Arwen would at least not control how she would reveal the truth to her son.
Knowing she had trespassed on the intimacy of the mother and son, Arwen nodded and left the room, offering to come back later if they needed her.
"Naneth, what is going on? Is there a secret that you are keeping from me?" Gil-galad asked. Valerie held out her arms and he embraced her on the couch, leaning his head against her shoulder. Valerie liked that her elven sons were still very affectionate with her, even if they were about to come of age. Liam and Sean had, very early in their childhood, stopped kissing and hugging her, as if loving their mother was a shameful thing. She knew they loved her, but the expression of this affection was rarely physical. Her younger sons were still walking hand-in-hand with her, kissing her cheeks and accepting her caresses in public as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Legolas had explained that the childhood of an elf was so long that the swift cut between a mortal man and his mother never took place since 50 years of closeness could not be ignored as easily.
"Naneth?" he asked again, reminding her that he was still expecting an answer.
"My son," she started, wishing Legolas had been there for this particular conversation. "You are my son, Gil-galad, I want you to remember that. Nothing I will tell you today will ever change that."
Her son frowned, wondering why his mother had to remind him that she had given birth to him. But... had she really given birth to him? Was he adopted like Hadrian? His heart froze in his chest. It was not possible! He knew how Hadrian had always felt different because of his adoption. He didn't want to be adopted! He wanted to be part of the family for real!
He removed his head from her shoulder and looked at her seriously. "Am I your true son? Did you carry me like you did for Victoria?"
"Yes, I carried you," she replied, and he immediately sighed in relief, leaning his head against her shoulder again. "But I am not your mother in the true sense of the word."
He looked at her, confused.
"You do know that when an elf dies, his fëa goes to the Halls of Mandos, where he remains for a long time, until the soul is deemed ready to go back to the world of the living. The elf is reborn in Valinor, carried again by their mother, just like the first time."
"Yes, I know that. Grandfather was hoping that his mate, my grandmother, would be reborn when he sailed to the Undying Lands. Do you think she was reborn?"
"I hope so, otherwise, your grandfather was probably very disappointed when he arrived. But back to you... The dreams that you have are not dreams. They are without a doubt... memories. Memories of a previous life."
Gil-galad remained silent for a few minutes. "I am a reborn elf," he eventually murmured, once the shock had passed.
"Yes, you are."
"And I knew Grandfather in my previous life." Valerie nodded. "Is it Oropher that I see in these memories? Is he a reborn elf too?"
He was grasping the situation much quicker than Valerie had anticipated. "Yes, he is."
"Does he know?"
"No."
"Why do you say you are not truly my mother if you carried me?"
"Because for the first time in history, the Valar decided to send back an elf to Middle Earth instead of Valinor. Since your... original naneth was in Valinor, they had no choice but to find someone else to carry you. They chose me of all people, for the great honor of being your second mother."
Gil-galad had tears in his eyes. "I do not remember my first naneth."
"You will remember her eventually. And when you do..." Valerie's voice shook with emotion. "When you do, I hope you will still have room in your heart for me and your second father."
"Adar is not my true father either," Gil-galad realized.
"No, he is not."
"But you both have treated me like I was your true son!"
"To us, you are. You all are."
Gil-galad's beautiful eyes grew bigger. He suddenly realized that Phoebe, Sean and Liam had red hair and green eyes like Valerie. And that Victoria looked like Legolas and Oropher. All their other children had no common physical traits with their so-called parents.
"Why did the Valar made you carry so many reborn elves?" he asked, both puzzled and awed by the thought.
"You all had to be reborn here, to unite the elven people in the fight against Sauron. You are elves of great distinction, you all have a significant importance for your own people. Everyone fought for you, in memory of you. And we won."
"Who am I?"
"You were the High King of the Noldor in the First and Second Age."
"Who is Oropher?"
"He was King of Greenwood. He is Thranduil's adar."
Gil-galad burst into laughter, but stopped when he saw that Valerie was serious. "That must be very strange for Grandfather. And for Adar."
"Yes," Valerie chuckled. "But when your brother starts remembering his life, he will struggle to adapt to the situation."
"What about my other brothers?"
"Fingolfin was High King of the Noldor before you. In fact, after he died, his two sons ruled after him, and upon the passing of his second son, you became king. Elros is Lord Elrond's twin brother."
"The one who became a mortal? How come he was allowed to be reborn?"
"The half-elf sons of Eärendil and their descendants where given the choice to be immortal or mortal. Elros fell in love with a woman and decided to become a mortal. He became the first King of Numenor and he died after living a very long life. Mithrandir told me once that although he chose to become mortal, an elven fëa remains elven and therefore, goes to the Halls of Mandos instead of the place where the human souls go after their death. As such, after many millennia in the Halls, your brother chose to come back as an elf again."
"Will he be able to choose to become mortal again?"
"No. This time, he is an elf for good. He cannot choose mortality anymore."
"He is the uncle of Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen?"
"Yes. This is strange, is it not?"
"It must be bizarre for them."
"They got used to the idea."
"Does that mean that Arwen will be reborn one day, after she dies?"
"It is a strong possibility."
"Does she realize it?"
"How would I know?" she asked innocently. He looked at her, challenging her to stop hiding facts. He knew very well that his mother read the minds of the people around her on a regular basis. "Yes, she does. It is probably why she was not afraid of mortality. She knew she would eventually get a second change one day, after Elros was born..."
Gil-galad was very excited about the news. His curiosity had no limit. "And Ecthelion?"
"He was a great Gondolin hero. The best friend of your uncle Glorfindel."
"The one who killed three balrogs?"
"The very same."
"I have to ask him how he did this!"
"You cannot speak to them about any of that!" She knew Gil-galad was the most serious of her sons. He would keep all these secrets to himself, of that she was sure. "They are not ready. None of them have any memories of the previous lives... You must allow them to finish their childhood normally."
"Oropher... It looks like he was my enemy."
"You were not friends. But your grandfather was no friend of yours either, and remember how he loved you just as much as his other grandchildren?"
"He never showed any preference for Oropher, even if he is his adar."
"Thranduil is a just ellon, an incredible king. Your birth in this family is a blessing for the elven people, as it will end this feud between the Greenwood royal family and the Noldor."
The door slowly opened and Arwen looked at mother and son who were still sitting on the couch, holding hands.
"I have two people very worried about you," she said. Legolas and Elrohir entered behind her. She had informed them that Gil-galad had admitted to having recovered some memories and that Valerie was telling him about his past.
Gil-galad stood to face his adar, and Legolas gave him an uncertain look. To make sure that his family understood that nothing had changed, he walked to his father and hugged him. "Adar!" he said, using the word forcefully. Relieved, Legolas held him too, looking at Valerie who was smiling.
"You will always be my adar, and Naneth will always be my mother. I do not know who my true parents are, but I love you, and even if one day I remember them, my parents will always be you."
"No, Gil-galad," Legolas said with a firm voice. "You cannot discard your first parents like this. They love you as much as we love you. You have two sets of parents, and each you must love equally."
"I do not know who they are!"
"Your complete memories will come back soon. One day, you will see them again. And they will be very hurt if you do not return their love."
"We will see," the soon-to-be adult replied stubbornly. He could not fathom why he would love people he knew nothing about.
Gil-galad's eyes turned to Elrohir. "Elros is your uncle!" he jested. "How strange it must be for you!"
Valerie silently thought that it would be even more strange when Elros and Elrohir became brothers-in-law on top of being uncle and nephew. Gil-galad had not realized yet why Elrohir was always with them instead of being in Imladris with Elladan. His young mind was still not interested in the matters of the heart.
OoOoO
Ithilien, Year 30 of the Fourth Age
5 years later
Valerie was walking in the woods with Phoebe, who was paying a rare visit to her parents. But this visit had a bitter-sweet taste, since she had come to announce that all the remaining elves of Imladris had decided to sail. For a moment, Valerie had thought that Phoebe was moving to Ithilien to live with them, but her daughter had corrected her quickly. Elladan and her had decided to follow their people.
It had been a difficult conversation for Valerie, who could not believe that she would be indefinitely separated from her daughter. She had attempted to convince her to remain longer while Elrohir had used all of his persuasion to do the same with Elladan, but neither of them had been successful. Within a few weeks, the couple would leave Ithilien, visit Arwen and Elessar one last time, and then travel to the Grey Havens where a ship would sail in the fall.
"I will see Grandfather, I can bring news from the family. He must be so worried about us!"
"He has Liam with him," Valerie said somewhat coldly.
"Liam sailed 30 years ago, Mother, do not tell me that you are still angry with him!"
"He never bothered to visit us before leaving! I cannot forgive him for this!"
"You say that now, but once you see him, you will forgive him right away, I know you."
"I miss him. Almost every day. He would have been such a great help when we were building our city! And even now, the challenges in Minas Tirith are great. He could have been so happy here, but he chose to sail with his mate who did not have any interest for our projects..."
"Who knows, he might be constructing incredible buildings and bridges in Valinor!"
"He probably is. I will give you a letter for him," Valerie decided. "And a few for your grandfather." Valerie had been writing letters to him, one per year, in order to record the important events of each year to ensure she would not forget anything when they were reunited. She had thought that she would give them to him in person, but no doubt that Thranduil would be thrilled to see his granddaughter arrive in Valinor and get details of what he had missed. Yes, she would definitely give the letters to Phoebe.
As they approached the talan where the family lived, they started hearing a commotion. It looked like a fight was happening in one of the rooms. Valerie started running, used to be the referee of her sons' numerous and regular quarrels. She climbed the stairs quickly, followed by Phoebe who always loved some action. Life in Imladris was exceptionally boring when compared to the life of her family in Ithilien! When they entered the talan, the situation was more serious than what they expected.
The children were standing on each side of Oropher and Gil-Galad, who were violently arguing.
"You are the cause of the death of so many of my people! If you had not decided to fight..."
"You are the one who decided not to follow my orders!" Gil-galad cut. "Your warriors were massacred because of your recklessness and stupidity, not to mention your gross incapability to follow the strategy that had been agreed upon! You are the one to blame for your elves' death!"
Valerie understood that Oropher had definitively regained some of his most important memories, and that his hate for Gil-galad was coming back, erasing 49 years of brotherly love.
She ran to them and stood between them, her hands on their chests, afraid that they would soon come to blows.
"Oropher! Gil-galad! Stop this immediately!"
"I hate him! He killed my people! Get out of my way!" Oropher yelled in her ears.
"Do not speak like this to our naneth!" Gil-galad replied relatively calmly when compared to his brother.
"She is not even my naneth!"
Valerie's blood froze in her veins. The hurt was stronger than anything her sons had ever told her. She heard Phoebe's scream of rage, but she remained between her sons, trying to prevent a more violent fight.
"Do not repeat that, you piece of scum!" This time, Gil-galad had lost his calm.
Enraged by the insult, Oropher decided that his so-called twin brother deserved to suffer, and he tried to hit him hard with his fist. Standing between him and his enemy was Valerie, who inadvertently moved in the way of his blow. His fist hit her directly on the temple, near the eye, and she heavily fell on the wooden floor of the talan.
All her children stood around her, shocked, frozen, watching her unconscious body on the floor. Oropher realized what he had done a few seconds before he found himself against the wall, Phoebe's hand around his neck, slightly choking him. Elros and Ecthelion were behind their older sister, encouraging her to hurt Oropher as he deserved.
Victoria started to scream for her adar while Gil-galad went on his knees near Valerie's form. Fingolfin did the same, both ellyn shaking her in the hope that she would wake up.
When Legolas entered the room with Brannor, Elladan and Elrohir, the scene was the most chaotic he had ever seen in the history of his family. Phoebe was visibly struggling to control herself while attempting to hurt Oropher under the encouragements of two of her brothers. On the floor, Valerie was opening her eyes, a bruise already appearing on her temple. She moaned, putting a hand to her face. Gil-galad kept asking her if she was in pain while Fingolfin was kissing her other hand.
"He hit Naneth!" Victoria told them, still shocked. They easily understood who the culprit was. Phoebe was now violently hitting his head on the wall while he struggled to remove her hands from his throat.
Knowing that his daughter would not seriously hurt Oropher, Legolas went to Valerie was took her face in his hands delicately, trying to assess the extent of her injuries.
"Phoebe!" Elladan's voice cut in the noise. It was enough to clear his mate's head for an instant. She released Oropher, who put his hands around his aching throat. He was not able to avoid Elros' fist, a strong and precise blow on his nose. The blood spilled all over the floor before anyone realized what had happened. Ecthelion promised Oropher that the next blow would be his, and he lifted his first to hit Oropher in the face too.
"Enough!" Legolas screamed while Brannor and Elrohir were dragging Elros and Ecthelion outside. Elladan did the same for Phoebe. These three had obviously lost control and needed to be removed from the situation.
"What happened?" Valerie asked, confused. Legolas, Victoria and Gil-galad were around her. Fingolfin walked to Oropher, giving him a towel to wipe the blood coming out of his nose.
"Oropher hit you!" Victoria said, still unable to believe that one of her brothers had hit their naneth.
"It was an accident," Fingolfin clarified.
"He hit someone by accident?" Legolas inquired sarcastically. He leaned Valerie's upper body against his chest.
"He wanted to hit me," Gil-galad said, "and Naneth was standing between us."
"Why?"
"He said that Gil-galad was the cause of the death of his people," Victoria reported, alarmed and perplexed.
Legolas closed his eyes. "Victoria and Fingolfin, would you please go to Elrohir's talan?" He needed to talk with the twins that had been enemies in their first lives. Obviously, Oropher had finally regained some of his memories, many years after Gil-galad.
The two elflings left the talan, Fingolfin very curious and puzzled, Victoria afraid of what would happen next. Outside, Phoebe, Elros and Ecthelion were finally calm, and the two ellyn were wondering what that scene had been about originally. It was clear to the adults presents that all the elflings would hear about the prophecy that same night. It could no longer be postponed, not with Oropher's reaction to his returning memories.
Oropher was standing in a corner of the room, watching his adar and Gil-galad fuss over his naneth. He could not believe that he had hit her. He was so confused! Why was he here? Why was he a child again? And why did he think that his twin was his enemy? His current and old memories were mixing in his head, giving him a headache that was unbearable. His fell to his knees, still holding the towel against his nose.
Legolas, finally reassured that Valerie would remain conscious, turned in the direction of his son. His first desire was to hit him even harder than Elros and Phoebe had for having hurt his mate, but he remembered on time that this was his son.
"He is not well, my love," Valerie told him. "He needs our help to interpret what is happening to him. Please, help him."
Legolas knew she was right. Gil-galad's memories had come one by one, as dreams at first, and when he had described them to his mother, she had delicately told him about his past. But Oropher's memories had not come back as quickly. But what it had lacked in speed was regained a few months before his majority – he seemed to have regained them all at once, a few moments before. He stood to help his son while Gil-galad remained with Valerie, putting a wet towel on her bruise.
"Do you know who you are?" Legolas asked Oropher as he helped him to sit down and examined his nose. The bleeding was almost over.
"Oropher, King of the Woodland Realm. But I am your son, grandson of King Thranduil. But he is not my son, and you, his son?"
"You are the adar of Thranduil. My grandfather," Legolas confirmed.
"I died in Dagorlad, did I not?"
"You did, and so did I," Gil-galad told his brother. "We have been reborn in Middle Earth, to our current parents, Legolas and Valerie. Our naneth, who you just hurt with a blow on the head! If you ever raise a hand on her again-" he started threateningly.
"You will have to face me," Legolas cut, also speaking to Oropher. "For now, I am not hurting you because I know you are confused. But you will apologize to your naneth immediately."
Oropher moved closer to Valerie. "I apologize. It was not my intention to hurt you. And... I did not mean it when I said that you are not my mother. I... I do not know why I was not reborn to my first naneth, but... but I know I love you. More than I ever loved her. Will you forgive me? I need you, I need you to help me understand!"
Gil-galad snorted sarcastically.
"I forgive you," Valerie said, taking his hand and bringing it to her lips to kiss it. "I love you. I am sorry that you regained your memories that way. Let us sit the four of us and discuss this calmly."
"Not now," Legolas said. "You need to lie down and rest."
"I will rest later. Bring me to our room if you like, but we need to talk now. It is very important that Oropher understands what is happening to him. And Gil-galad? Lose the attitude! I am not sure you would have fared better if you had been in the same situation."
Legolas carried Valerie to their bed and the ellyn sat around it. They spent an hour discussing the past. When they came out, Oropher's relationship with his twin was strained, but it would eventually mend. They had all agreed that it was best to inform the three other reborn elves about their past to avoid another similar crisis.
And life went on, everyone's attention turned to Phoebe and Elladan who would leave them soon. They had plenty of time to discuss the situation at hand after Phoebe had left...
OoOoO
Valinor, Woodland Realm
A few months later
Queen Derenil could not sleep. Once again, she had woken earlier than dawn and was not able to fall back asleep. Every time a new day started, she could not wait to jump out of bed and live another day with her mate, her beloved Thranduil. She had been released from the Halls of Mandos two centuries before, and once she had reached the age of 50 years, she had suddenly regained her entire memories of her mate and her son Legolas. Queen Tialyn, her mother-in-law, who had been ruling the Woodland Realm in Valinor while her mate Oropher was in the Halls of Mandos and her son Thranduil was in Middle Earth, had immediately invited her to move in the manor that was the royal residence of the Woodland Realm.
Together, the ellith had prayed the Valar that Thranduil and Legolas would be safe, sail soon and join them in Valinor. They had also prayed for Oropher's release from the Halls. But Lady Nessa, a Queen of the Valar, whom they had met in Tirion, had told them that Thranduil and Legolas were not planning to sail until Sauron was defeated. And so they had prayed for Sauron's fall too, in the hope that their separation would be brief.
When Lord Namo had called them to his Halls, they knew he would be discussing Oropher's release. Lady Lithil, Oropher's mother, had joined them to hear the great news. But their disappointment had been immense when he told them that Oropher's fëa had been released already, and that a half-elven elleth married to Legolas was now carrying him. Lady Lithil had been extremely displeased and had expressed her anger to the Vala, who had replied that it was for the best, and that the will of the Valar should not be questioned.
The journey back home had been a sad one indeed, between the furious mother and the depressed wife and daughter-in-law. And so they had started waiting again.
Many years later, the Valar had announced the fall of Sauron, for good this time. The celebrations in Valinor lasted almost two weeks. Everyone started preparing for the return of the elves who were still living in Middle Earth. Why would they remain on this land when peace and happiness awaited them in the Undying Lands? Many ships started arriving, but none had their family on board. Their friend Celebrian, who was waiting for her mate Elrond and their three children, had also been disappointed.
Two years later, Celebrian finally received a letter from the Valar announcing the return of her mate Elrond and her naneth Galadriel. Strangely, Derenil had received a letter informing her that one of Legolas' son was aboard the same ship. Derenil and Tialyn had attended the arrival of the elves of Imladris, their heart content to see the joy of their friend Celebrian as she was reunited with her mate and Lady Galadriel. Strangely, Lord Celeborn had not sailed and had decided to remain in Middle Earth longer.
At some point, an ellon with striking red hair had approached them, dressed as a Greenwood scholar, and had identified himself as Liam, oldest son of Legolas and Valerie. Their conversation had been strained at first, but Tialyn had soon found the words to make Liam more comfortable, and they started exchanging news about Middle Earth. He had introduced them to his wife Helethil, and they had been disappointed to realize that the first person of their close family who had sailed would live wherever Lord Elrond would reside instead of in the Woodland Realm.
Beside Derenil in the bed, Thranduil groaned. Ever since his arrival 25 years before, her mate had been prone to violent nightmares which he refused to share with her. But she knew it was about her, about her gruesome death, and about his deeply ingrained fear that Legolas and his family would never sail to join them. She put her head on his shoulder and her arm around his muscular chest, hoping that her closeness would bring him some peace while he slept.
When Thranduil had arrived in Valinor, she and Tialyn had welcomed him on the quay. The shock of seeing each other after millennia had been great. He had held them both in his arms for the longest time, glad that the two ellith had known him well enough to make sure that none of their people were around them for their reunion. Only the ones who had sailed with him had been there, and they had quickly joined their families, giving their king all the intimacy he needed.
They had traveled to the Woodland Realm that had been built near the gardens of Lorien, on the western side of the island. Thranduil had claimed that it was very similar to the one Legolas had built in Ithilien, except that it was much bigger since the entire population of Greenwood elves had elected to reside there. Some houses had been built on the ground, others were in the trees. The Silvan elves who had lived in Greenwood before the forest became dark preferred to live in a talan, while the ones who had spent centuries living in the caves preferred to live in large houses made of rocks. His own preference was the latter, and he was content when he saw the manor in which his wife and mother had been living.
Their manor, located in the middle of the realm, was a house with two floors with five bedrooms. The stairs going to the second floor were made of oak wood, with a beautifully crafted railing decorated with leaves. It could not compare to the marble houses of Alqualondë, but its simplicity agreed with the silvan culture and Thranduil's taste. But as big as it was, it would never be enough to accommodate Legolas' family. And it definitely was not big enough to avoid seeing too frequently Lady Lithil. He had soon decided to extend their mansion, and over the last 25 years, it had grown twice in size. He had attributed rooms to all his grandchildren, Liam included for when he was visiting them.
Thranduil's grandmother Lithil was as unpleasant as he remembered. At first, she had been making frequent comments about the fact that Oropher had been reborn to a mortal. She had used that word with contempt, as if the Valar had made an irreparable mistake that had marred Oropher's reputation. She had been unpleasantly surprised when Thranduil had expressed all his love and respect for the mortal. Derenil and Tialyn were eager to meet her. Valerie had given Thranduil a letter to give to Derenil, and she had been pleased to know that her daughter-in-law thought of her as much as she thought of Valerie.
Tialyn and Derenil had been very curious about their family in Middle Earth, and even before Thranduil had sailed, they had spent a lot of time in New Imladris, the realm that Lord Elrond had been building with his mate Celebrian and their people. They had become very close to Liam, impressed by his knowledge as he was directing the building of an entire city with Lord Elrond. His creative and modern architecture was a wonder for the conventional elves of Valinor.
Liam had described to them his family in great detail, from his musician brother to his warrior sister. Lord Elrond had had to confirm this last fact, as they had never heard of a warrior elleth before. To hear that the elleth in question was married to Elladan had been a great pleasure. Hearing that his second son Elrohir was the probable mate of Legolas' youngest daughter had brought them even more joy. The two families would be linked forever through Legolas' children.
Liam had described his mother, who had the same shockingly red hair than her three older children. A warrior, mother of nine children who had adopted a tenth one, a former mortal, must be an extraordinary elleth. He told them of the love Valerie and Legolas shared, of all the reborn elves that had been born from their union. Oropher had been their first concern, and they had been puzzled to hear that he had been reborn as the twin of Ereinion Gil-galad, his long time enemy. The decision of the Valar started making sense when Liam described how close they were, and the hope that their feud would end once they became of age and regained their memories.
Derenil prayed many times a day that Thranduil's greatest wish would be granted – the sailing of his family as soon as possible. She hoped that they would not mourn like Celebrian, who still had not recovered from hearing that her daughter Arwen had chosen a mortal life to wed her love, King Elessar of Gondor. When the light of the day appeared through their window, she started her daily prayer, whispering the words not to wake Thranduil, who was still agitated in his sleep.
Thranduil opened his eyes, his heart beating wildly. He quickly noted the weight on his shoulder and he immediately could breathe better. He closed his eyes again to calm down. When he was living in Middle Earth, he used to dream regularly that his mate Derenil was with him. And now that they had been reunited and lived peacefully in Valinor, a land where nothing could take her away from him, he kept dreaming that he had lost her again, attacked by a band of orcs on her way to Lake-town. There were also the dreams where Legolas and Valerie were never coming back from Middle Earth, which were not pleasant either. In these, he sailed back to Middle Earth to look for them, and discovered a modern Middle Earth where his family was nowhere to be found.
"Thranduil? Are you unwell?" Derenil had interrupted her murmured prayers to inquire about his health.
"No, Sweetheart. I am well. Go back to sleep."
"Was it the same nightmare again?"
He grunted in response. He did not like to talk about his nightmares. He still hated showing weaknesses, even to his fëa-mate.
"It is dawn. I doubt either of us will sleep anymore. Why don't we go for a walk in the woods? Then we will have breakfast, and we will wait for the arrival of our grandson. He was supposed to leave New Imladris two days ago. I hope he will arrive here before mid-day." Liam had promised to spend a month with them. He would be working on a watermill, and help with the plans to build a few telain near the royal mansion, as the Elvenking had started being convinced that some of his grandchildren might prefer to live in the trees rather than in a house on the ground. Derenil and Tialyn were not commenting on his numerous projects; they were simply amazed at how thoughtful and worried he was about a family that might not sail for many decades, if not more.
Derenil and Thranduil spent a few hours in the forest, walking hand in hand in the paths around their city. They met many elves who inquired about the arrival of his grandson later that day. It was clear that many were missing the family that had remained in Middle Earth. Thranduil was in a much better mood when Liam finally arrived with his wife Helethil in the afternoon, and they spent a most pleasant evening talking about his memories of his childhood.
In the next few days, Liam admired the improvements to the royal mansion, and spent a lot of time with Brethilon, who was living with his fëa-mate and Cadworon's mate. She had already known that her mate was in the Halls of Mandos when Brethilon arrived in Valinor, and although she had cried for hours after hearing of the manner of his death, she had been extremely proud that he had sacrificed his life to save the princess of Greenwood, an elleth that was most loved by their king.
One morning in the second week of Liam's visit, they received a letter from the Valar, delivered by a messenger who told them he needed to reach New Imladris quickly as he had a letter for them too. Derenil stared at the envelope, wondering if she should open it or not. Thranduil was spending the day with his warriors, and would not be back for a few hours. Liam and Tialyn were sitting with her, also wondering if they should read the message in Thranduil's absence.
"Maybe we should read it, in case it is bad news. We could prepare him..." Liam suggested.
"Bad news never come by messenger. A Vala always delivers in person the sad news about the passing of our people. No, this seems to be a standard letter announcing the arrival of someone we know," Tialyn informed him.
"Could it be my father and mother?" Liam asked, hopeful.
"Isn't King Elessar still young? We were not expecting him to pass so early!"
"I hope he did not die accidentally or in battle!"
"But then, it would make sense that Elrond and Celebrian would get a message also. They need to be informed about their daughter's faith..." Derenil said.
Their curiosity was great, but no greater than the fear of Thranduil's reaction if he found out that they had read his correspondence.
"He would be livid," Tialyn murmured, still tempted, trying to convince herself to wait for her son to get back home.
"I only know of one person who would get away with it, and she is not here," Liam said. "My mother," he specified to the two ellith. "He demonstrated such weakness towards her... He was tightly wrapped around her little finger." He sighed. "I miss her. I left Middle Earth in a hurry. Helethil wanted to sail with Lord Elrond and she did not want to travel to Ithilien before, so I left for Valinor without seeing her again... Without seeing my father, my brothers and sisters... I sent my mother a letter. A cold letter, announcing my decision to sail. The moment I set foot on the ship, I started regretting my decision. This is a point of friction between Helethil and I."
"I can imagine," a deep voice said behind them. They turned around and saw a very displeased Thranduil enter the room. "You never told me the manner you left Middle Earth. I cannot even begin to fathom the hurt you have caused your mother! I am disappointed with you, Liam. You were not raised to act in such a way!"
"Thranduil!" Derenil chided softly. She was used to his outbursts of rage and had learned to maneuver around them after a few centuries. But she had never seen his anger directed to his grandson.
"I am sorry," Liam whispered.
"I do not want your apologies, I am not the one you offended. I hope you realize that once your mother arrives, you will have some serious groveling to do. And you must learn to stand your ground with your mate. She is millennia older than you, but she should not use this to force her decisions on you. Keep in mind how your adar was with your mother. He guided her, but never forced her into something she did not want to do. This is what you should be aiming for."
"I will speak to Helethil," Tialyn said.
"It is not necessary," Liam protested. He no longer was an elfling and did not require help in managing his relationship with his fëa-mate.
"My child, your mate simply requires a discussion that many elves who have a younger fëa-mate have had in the past with a more experienced person. After all, you are only 59 years old!"
"This is old enough to take care of my own business!"
The three older elves looked at him as if he had grown a second head.
"Leave him be," the Elvenking said after evaluating the situation. "Liam is mature enough to speak to his mate. What is this letter?" he asked, his attention now focused on the sealed parchment on the table. He took it and opened it before anyone could repeat their assumptions about its content.
It was brief. Just a few lines announcing that Phoebe Legolasiel was on her way to Valinor, and that she would arrive within a week.
The king sat down on his designated seat, his hand against his beating heart. He had had the hope that Legolas and Valerie were on their way when he had first seen the letter, but in truth, it would have been early. But he was not disappointed by the news that his aure nin - his sunlight – would soon be reunited with them. She was probably with her mate Elladan. Had Elrohir sailed with his twin brother, or had he remained in Ithilien with Victoria?
He looked at his small family in the room. The three elves were looking at him, waiting to hear about the news. He was glad his grandmother Lithil was visiting some friends. She would without a doubt have made negative comments about Phoebe. He knew Phoebe and Lithil would never get along, and he was planning to convince Phoebe to live in the Woodland Realm instead of New Imladris. This is where she belonged – with her family. Lithil would have to accept that – or leave. He would not make concessions on this point.
"Phoebe is on her way," he said, a rare smile on his usually grave face.
"Thank the Valar!" his mother Tialyn cried. "I have wished to meet her so many times after hearing about her exploits by our people! To think that they saw her grow up to become lieutenant of the Greenwood army!"
"At last," Liam sighed. He had greatly missed his siblings. Phoebe and him had never been very close, in fact, he was much closer to Sean, but her arrival meant he would have fresh news from his family. And maybe she was bringing a letter from his mother, if she had forgiven him his hasty departure?
Derenil smiled to her husband, trying to hide her anxiety behind a mask of excitement, but she could not hide anything from her mate. They only had been reunited for 25 years, but their link had quickly become as strong as it had been before her death. The frequent renewal of their bond had greatly helped in this matter.
Thranduil took her hand, sensing the falseness of her attitude.
"Would you give us some privacy?" he asked Liam and Tialyn, his eyes not leaving his wife.
"Of course!" Liam said, "Tialyn, would you like to come with me to the training grounds to announce to our warriors that their favorite lieutenant is on her way?" Tialyn accepted and they both left the manor, hoping to see Brethilon, Hadron and the others who had been training with Phoebe since her young age.
"Why the anxiety, my love?" the king asked Derenil once they were alone, pulling her onto his lap. In reality, he was worried that Derenil would reject Phoebe because she was a warrior with an overbearing attitude that was not considered appropriate for an elleth.
He observed her, marveling at how his reborn mate looked exactly like she had been in her first life. Derenil was a Greenwood elf in all her features, between her long, golden hair, her gray eyes and the pale color of her skin. She still had the fragile appearance that had triggered an immediate over-protectiveness in him since the first time he had seen her.
"I wonder if I will get along with our granddaughter..." She hesitated to clarify her statement, before she continued to ensure Thranduil would get her meaning. "I wonder if she will like me or despise me. I am so quiet, she will think that I am boring!"
Thranduil was rendered speechless by her lack of confidence.
"Your daughter will not like me either," she continued. "The way you talk about them both... They will certainly get along well with Tialyn, your naneth always had such a character. But me?" she asked, clearly upset.
"They will like you very much," he predicted. "Remember the letter Valerie wrote you before I sailed?"
Derenil nodded. She had preciously kept the letter and was reading it at least once a month. The parchment was worn from having been folded and unfolded so many times.
"She seemed... very nice."
"And she is."
"But the way you describe her..."
"Valerie is considerate, amusing, very smart and perceptive..." Derenil smiled, feeling more comfortable. Until Thranduil finished his sentence. "She is also opinionated, aggressive, brutally honest and uses her mind-reading ability when you would prefer she did not. Legolas is crazy about her!" he finished with a snort. "And truthfully, if she can love me, she will love you too!"
This playful side of Thranduil was new to Derenil. It would take some getting used to...
Be ready for a sad next chapter, with the passing of some characters... But Phoebe is arriving in Valinor! And more people are joining her... Slowly, most elves are leaving Middle Earth, leaving Legolas and Valerie one after the other...
It seems that many people would like to read some material with Glorfindel and Valerie. Your comments inspired me - I will see if I get enough ideas to create a whole new story. Thanks to Elladora Lestrange, Legolas fan, ljuhl, Glory Bee, Angel, Paperlanterns86, Immortal Pheonix, foofie01, blackunicorne, faye50free, ForeverSomewhereElse, Leafygreen16, who shared their enthusiasm for the idea!
Angel: the next chapter is the one you have been dreading...
Natasya Ivashkov: I hope you found this last chapter less sad. I am glad that the elflings regained some memories, although Valerie got hurt in the process!
Hannahhobnob: the next chapter will be about Hadrian. It should take less time to publish.
gginsc: there will be less and less people around Valerie from now on. She will find it very difficult.
Aralinn: did you like how Gil-galad and Oropher got their memories back?
AkatsukiShizu3: the reunion will take a few more decades, unfortunately. The king will live a long life... and Legolas will remain until the end.
Airbender42: Do you like Derenil, Thranduil's mate? She is such a sweet person.
Castiel's Lady: thank you for your review. It's always nice to hear from new people!