Well everyone, this is it. I've working away for the last month and I've finished. These are the very last two chapters of my story. And yes of course it has a happy ending! So read on, enjoy, and most of all review!
Elanor sat on the bed in stunned silence. Only moments before Legolas had walked out of their room and possibly out of her life. Her heart lurched suddenly as the realisation dawned on her that the longer she sat here, the further Legolas was from her. Elanor tore herself out of her despair and threw back the door, darting out into the hall. The passage suddenly seemed so long and foreign to her. She gasped back the tears that threatened to fall as she stumbled down the vast corridors, searching blindly for any sign of the elf.
Fear grabbed at her heart and she stumbled on the cold stone floor. A hand caught her arm before she could hit the ground. It pulled her to her feet and held her steady as Elanors eyes found the face of her father, looking back at her with concern. Suddenly, Elanor collapsed into his grip and her body shook with sobs. Elrohir held his daughter close until she calmed and through choked words, told him what had happened. With words of comfort he led her carefully down the hall to his room. Once inside, Elrohir led her to a seat and fetched her some water. He waited as she sipped slowly and her shuddering breath slowed until she could tell him everything.
"Do you wish to refuse him?" Elrohir asked her once she had finished. He sat beside her and took her hand gently between his own. "He would make a fine husband."
Elanor said nothing but the light flush that crossed her cheek said enough.
"You do not agree?" Elrohir teased. Elanor blushed to be having such a conversation with her father. She shook her head softly, her voice wavering. "It is not that."
"Do you love him?" Elrohir asked gently. Elanor nodded.
"Yes." She whispered.
"Then what is keeping you?"
"He is immortal. I am not. My heart could not bear for him to be forced to watch me wither and die. He cannot make the choice to stay with me, as Arwen could."
"But you could." Elanors face darted towards him, her eyes searching his. "The Peredhil blood runs through your veins." He explained, "Embrace it and you have that choice. Arwen chose a mortal life. You can choose an immortal one."
Elanors face split into a wondrous smile but halted when Elrohirs expression darkened, "but this is not an easy solution, Cellen. If you embrace this gift, you embrace everything that is your blood." Elanor frowned as he continued. "By choosing an immortal life, you can spend eternity with the one whom you love, but you shall have to see those around you face their ends."
Elanor sat alone in the gardens. The stone seat was cold against her skin. The night sky hung high above her and the darkness enveloped her. Only the soft trickle of water from a nearby fountain broke the ongoing silence. She could not think straight, her conversation with her father replayed over and over in her head. This choice her father had given her made a huge difference. But could she give up her mortality? What about Talin and Aragorn and her friends? Each of them was dear to her and how would she feel having to watch them all die while she lived on? She wondered how Arwen made her decision, knowing she would die and that she would have to leave her family. Was she brave enough to make the same decision? Could she leave her ranger family for love?
Elanor sighed loudly and lent forward, her head in her hands. The decision to go to war had been an easy one compared to this. A soft rustle caught her attention and she looked over to see a shadowy figure step out onto the courtyard. Elanor smiled sadly as she recognised Aragorn's rough features.
"I thought I would find you here." He said quietly, slowly walking over to her. "You always go to the gardens when you need to think." He stepped up beside her, "May I?"
Elanor nodded silently and Aragorn sat down beside her. "I have spoken to Legolas." Aragorn said carefully, watching her reaction. Elanor said nothing but her eyes began to fill with tears.
"I do not know what to do." She cried, blinking back the tears. Aragorn looked at her solemnly.
"I cannot tell you what to do." He said.
"But how did she choose?" Elanor asked desperately, turning to him. "How did Arwen make her choice?" Aragorn fell silent and Elanor suddenly felt guilty.
"Aragorn, forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive." He said kindly, "her choice was different to yours."
"But with such long life, how many times will I watch someone die?" Elanor wept openly. "How many times will I be left behind?"
"Your decision will allow you to spend eternity with the one you love and that is worth more than anything." Aragorn spoke softly. "The ones who get to die just die, that is all there is. We return to the earth and it is those who are left behind that feel the guilt and the burden of living. But you are not alone in this, Elanor. You will never be alone."
As he spoke he gripped her hand within his and Elanor could not stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks, but these were not ones of sadness but of relief and gladness. Aragorn held her as she cried, rocking her gently until she quietened. Slowly he helped her to her feet and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Find him." He said gently, holding her one last time before leaving her standing in the gardens only now the night seemed warmer, the stars brighter and the trickling water sounded like music in the dark.
It was strange to her that, in desperation, the thing you try hardest to find is always that which always evades you. But when you search with calm and care you can find the one thing you are looking for. It was within mere minutes of leaving the gardens that Elanor found Legolas. Elanor opened the door to the room slowly and there he stood, his back to her, staring out of a window. So distracted was he, that he did not even notice her enter the room until the door clicked shut behind her.
Without words she crossed the gap between them and fell instantly into his waiting arms. They held each other tightly, wrapped together. Elanor let out a soft breathe and turned her head towards his. They kissed softly, chaste and tender. A brief meeting of lips that said more than words ever could.
"I love you." She said softly, tucking her head under his. Legolas gave a smile and pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I know." He murmured softly. They remained that way for some time, just held in each other's embrace. Elanor felts serene, as if his mere presence was enough to calm all her fears.
"I have spoken with my father." Elanor said after some time, not moving from his side. Legolas pulled back to look at her.
"Does he disapprove?" he asked worriedly. Elanor smiled shook her head.
"No, but he did tell me something important." She looked up at him, "I have a choice to make."
Confused, Legolas listened as she told him all that her father had said. He did not say a word until she had finished but his face showed no surprise.
"It is most unheard of." He said shaking his head, "That a mortal could choose an immortal life."
"You sound like you disapprove." Elanor said, narrowing her eyes.
Legolas stammered, "No! I mean, of course I don't."
Elanor laughed at his reaction and he knew she was teasing him. She looked at him lovingly and her face softened. "I know the choice I must make and it is the hardest thing I have faced. It is so much harder to be the one left behind, than the one leaving."
"Death will come to them eventually, whether you wish it or not, as it will to all mortals. I only ask that you make this decision for yourself." He took her face gently in his hands. "How will I atone if I should take you into an unseen future only for you to regret it?"
"I could never regret a life with you."
She kissed him softly and let her eyes rest on her face. She looked into his eyes and to the hand that laid in hers. Nothing had ever felt so right to her. She looked once more at the man she had chosen and felt nothing but passion and love and in that instant; she knew that there was nothing of more importance to her than to be with him. With a deep breath she spoke to him.
"I will embrace it all."
Legolas' momentarily stunned face split into a beautiful smile and he took her into his arms. She gripped him back tightly, her heart ready to burst. Almost silently she whispered, "Will stay with me?"
The elf smiled and drew back to kiss her. "An-uir."
Yay for Happily Ever Afters!