The Return

Disclaimer: All belongs to Tolkien except for my characters Roslyn and Maethor – they are my own creations and are not meant to resemble anyone else's OCs in any way.

A/N: Ahhh, so sorry for the long delay! Things have been crazy busy for me, but I did get the job that I wanted! (Yay!)

Anyway, thank you for all of the reviews for the last chapter! You all help me stay motivated to write :D

Chapter 13: Love Is Gonna Save Us

The cramps were getting worse as Roslyn sat doubled over on the bed. Maethor paced in the doorway, not sure what to do with himself.

"Get Tauriel, please."

"What about Thranduil?"

Roslyn felt a pang of panic at the thought of Thranduil. She felt mortified and confused about what was going on.

"Tauriel," she begged.

Without another word, Maethor flew out of the room to fetch the elleth.

…

Roslyn laid on the bed in fetal position. She was still bleeding, and nothing could be done. Silent tears streaked down her face as the healers confirmed that she was, indeed, miscarrying the baby. Not long after he'd left, Maethor returned with Tauriel in tow. They paused briefly in the doorway.

"Have you told Thranduil yet?"

"No," he cast his eyes down on the floor.

"Why the hell not?!"

"She asked for you!" he whispered back.

"Send for him."

Maethor stood there undecidedly.

"Send for him!"

"Alright, alright."

Taking in a deep breath, Tauriel walked over to Roslyn's bed. She touched her arm gently.

"Hey there," she said softly.

Roslyn only sniffled in response, then scooted forward to make some room on the bed. Taking that as a sign, Tauriel laid down beside her friend. She ran her ringers through Roslyn's hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"I lost the baby," she finally spoke.

"I know."

She put her face in her hands and began to cry again. Tauriel frowned, not knowing the right thing to say.

"Tell me what I can do," she pleaded.

"I don't know," Roslyn kept crying.

"I…" then it hit her, "I want Thranduil."

Tauriel smiled softly, "He's on his way."

Roslyn sniffled, "He is?"

"Yes."

…

Maethor ran back out into the hallway. He grabbed the first the royal guard he could see.

"Find King Thranduil. Send him to the healing halls immediately. Tell him it's Roslyn."

He went back to standing watch outside of Roslyn's door. Pacing back and forth, he waited for Thranduil to arrive. It did not take long. Less than ten minutes later, he heard the unmistakable clacking of Thranduil stomping down the hallway at record speed. He rounded the corner and nearly knocked Maethor to the ground.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Thranduil…"

"It's the baby, isn't it?"

Maethor's face said it all. He watched as Thranduil struggled to compose himself.

"She lost it."

The king's eyes drifted back up to the younger elf.

"So she didn't…"

"No. We were walking in the gardens and…" he shook his head and ran his hands down his face before continuing.

"She was going to keep it, Thranduil. She wanted to keep it."

His eyes fluttered shut as he took in everything Maethor was telling him.

"Tauriel is in there with her now."

(One Last Chance – James Morrison)

He gave the elf a curt nod before walking inside. Tauriel turned her head to look at the newcomer in the room. Slowly, she stood up. Thranduil walked over, wordlessly squeezing her arm in thanks. She walked out, closing the door behind her. Thranduil stood there a moment, heart breaking as he listened to Roslyn's quiet sobbing.

He unbuttoned his coat and threw it down on the ground. Cautiously, he crawled onto the bed and turned to spoon her. Pressing his cheek up against her head, he ran his hand up and down her arm.

"Shhhh, it will be alright," he whispered.

And with those words, the dam finally broke inside of her. She flipped around to face him. Fisting the fabric of his tunic in her hand, she buried her face in his chest and began to cry her heart out. Everything had finally come to a head. In that moment of clarity, she wondered why they'd ever resisted each other.

Thranduil held her close as she continued to weep. He felt his heart ache as he watched her fall apart. A large part of him was afraid that he was going to lose her completely now. There was nothing left to keep her in Middle Earth anymore. Closing his eyes, he kissed her softly on the forehead before burying his nose in her hair. His fingers grazed up and down her spine soothingly.

"It's ok, everything's going to be ok. Shhhh…"

"I was going to keep it…and now…it's all my fault!" she blubbered.

"This is not your fault," he mumbled.

"No, it is. It is my fault! I thought about getting an abortion! And now I'm being punished!"

"Don't be ridiculous. These things just happen sometimes."

He pushed the damp hair away from her face and cupped her cheek, tilting her face up so she'd look at him.

"It's not your fault. And you didn't do anything wrong."

He pressed his forehead up against hers.

"We can always try again," he whispered.

Her eyes grew wide in surprise. She sniffled a bit as she looked up at him.

"You…you want to try again? You actually want to have a baby with me? You weren't just accepting the fact that I was pregnant?"

He smiled softly down at her, "Didn't you listen to anything that I said before?"

"I did…I just…didn't believe you," she admitted sheepishly.

"Roslyn," he ran his fingers through her hair, "I love you. Somehow, you managed to worm your way into my heart. And there you will stay. No matter what you decide to do next. And yes, I want to bind with you. And then, when you are ready, I want to start a family with you."

She smiled at his confession to her.

"Why did it take us so long to get here?"

"I don't know. We're both so stubborn and so guarded."

"We can't keep doing this to each other."

"No, we can't."

"I love you," she whispered up at him.

He felt a surge of joy burst through his heart at the words.

"I love you, too."

"I've loved you since the first time I was here, you know. And then when I came back, I tried so hard to resist you, to not let myself love you. I was afraid you'd just break my heart again," she finally admitted to him.

"I'm sorry. It was cruel of me to send you back. I loved you even then, but I was too afraid of what it would mean to admit it. It's taken me a while to come around. Can you forgive me?"

His eyes searched hers as he waited for her to answer. Roslyn pressed her face back against his chest as more tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Yes," came her muffled reply.

…

Roslyn giggled as Thranduil tugged her by the hand, urging her down the hallway.

"Slow down!" she laughed, "My legs aren't as long as yours!"

He glanced back at her petulantly, but did not slow his pace.

"Somebody's impatient," she mumbled.

Thranduil whirled around, causing Roslyn to run into him. He stood there for a moment, staring down at her with intense grey eyes. Grabbing her by the waist, he ushered her into the small hallway to his left. He pressed her back into the wall and kissed her deeply.

"Of course I'm impatient," he murmured against her lips, "You've made me wait until we were properly wed."

Roslyn smirked up at him and pushed gently against his chest.

"It's more fun this way, don't you think? The anticipation…"

"I'm done waiting," he told her huskily as he pressed his hips against hers.

She felt her heartbeat pick up and her breath hitch, "Not here."

"Then run faster."

He grabbed her hand again and quickly led her back down the hallway and towards their mutual chambers. Roslyn smiled to herself as she studied the back of this head. Her mind drifted back to the last few months…

:::

Thranduil hardly left her side as she spent some days in the healing halls recovering from the traumatic ordeal. They finally took the time to speak with each other openly, laying it all out on the table. Roslyn felt as if she were in a dream, he had not only asked her to stay with him, he wanted them to bind.

But first thing was first. She needed to go back to her own world and put things in order. Once they were married, she did not plan on returning again. Thranduil was not happy about letting her go on her own, but he understood that it needed to be done. So to ensure her safety through Mirkwood, he accompanied her to the portal himself and would return for her three weeks later. Tauriel and Maethor were elated by the news and the elleth happily volunteered her services to get the planning for the binding ceremony started while Roslyn was away.

.

It felt weird coming back after so much had happened. Somewhere along the way, Mirkwood had turned into her home. This place was now no more than a foreign land from a lifetime ago. Roslyn sighed as she stood outside the elevators, building up the courage to go speak to her boss. She finally pressed the up arrow and waited nervously for the doors to open.

She straightened her shoulders and strutted down the hallway with determination. She didn't bother knocking, instead walking right into the office.

"Good morning Mr. Allen."

She watched as his mouth dropped open at the shock of seeing her.

"Roslyn! You're back! I was starting to get worried. What happened? You just stopped responding to the letters!"

"I'm sorry, there was a lot going on and I just forgot. You see, there has been a turn of events…"

"Well, please, have a seat. Don't tell me you actually got that asshole to change his mind?" he guffawed.

Roslyn frowned and remained standing.

"No thank you, I prefer to stand. And no, he hasn't changed his mind about that. But that asshole is my future husband. So I would appreciate it if you would refrain from calling him that."

She watched as his jaw dropped for the second time.

"He's your…you two are…wait, I'm sorry, what?!"

"That's right, we're engaged," she faltered a bit at the expression on his face.

"Look, it obviously wasn't planned…but somehow…well, we fell in love."

He continued to stare at her blankly, so taking a deep breath, she went on, "It really started the first time I was there, but things were complicated, and…ok, I guess you don't really need to know the details. The point is, I quit."

That seemed to finally spark something inside of him and he came back to his senses.

"Just wait a minute now. Don't you think you're being a bit rash? How can you just quit and go marry some…some…some elf?! Are you really prepared for the consequences? You realize you'll be giving up everything here?"

"Believe me, I've given this a lot of thought. And I'll be gaining a lot more than I'll be giving up. This is what I want. I'm sorry, but you won't be able to change my mind. So do you accept my resignation?"

He shook his head in defeat.

"I suppose I don't really have much of a choice, do I? I wish you the best of luck Roslyn, I hope you know what you're doing."

She lifted her chin and gave a satisfied smile, "Thank you. And there's one more thing. In regards to your attempts to get King Thranduil to open his lands to study and scrutiny, you should give it a rest. It's not going to happen and he's not going to change his mind. Frankly, I'm not sure he should change his mind. Our people are safe and happy and do not wish to be continually disturbed."

He laughed coldly at her words.

"'Our people'? These are not your people. And they never will be. Don't kid yourself."

Roslyn scowled at his harsh words.

"King Thranduil is prepared to go to war if he has to, to protect his lands and his people. You would be wise to take heed. So leave us the fuck alone."

And with that, she turned and walked out of the office, leaving the stunned man behind. She walked quickly to her old office and cleared it out, breathing a sigh of relief as she stepped back into the elevator.

.

Roslyn spent the rest of her trip selling and giving away the things that she would not need to bring back with her to Middle Earth. She took the time to hang out with the handful of friends that actually mattered, and made sure to extend invitations for them to come and visit. This would be a little bit tricky to arrange, but she would attempt it if they ever desired to come see her.

Then there were her parents. To say that they were shocked at the news would be an understatement. Although they were not particularly a tight knit family, saying goodbye was hard. She invited them to come and visit her in Middle Earth as well, but she doubted that they ever would. The three weeks flew by in the blink of an eye and once everything was settled, it was time for Roslyn to return home – to go back to Thranduil.

:::

He burst through the doors of their chambers and turned around to lock them impatiently. Spinning back around, he stepped up to his new bride. Thranduil ran his hands up her arms and into her hair.

"Finally," he breathed as his lips met hers.

:::

Roslyn was impressed by the amount of work that Tauriel had managed to complete in the two weeks that she'd been gone. She was left with only a few minimal decisions mainly on decorations and her gown. She reveled in the few weeks that led up to their binding ceremony. Before she knew it, the day had finally arrived.

Roslyn stood there nervously patting down the fabric of her beautiful gown. The soft white chiffon skirt flowed down from her waist and the nude bodice was covered in gorgeous crystals that ran up and off her shoulders.

Her breath caught in her throat when she finally entered the room. Candles of all sizes were lit up everywhere and beautiful flowers in all sorts of fall colors littered the room. The effect was breathtaking – like the autumn forest at sunset.

She felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest as she made her way to Thranduil. He stood there, waiting for her, in his regal silver attire. His royal crown sat elegantly upon his head and his trademark smirk graced his lips. Although practically the entire kingdom was there to witness their binding, she could not take her eyes off of him.

Thranduil felt his heart skip a beat when she finally entered the room. There were no words to describe how striking she looked that evening. He felt his stomach flutter with anticipation as she finally made her way to him. As he gazed into her eyes, he could not believe that he was at last making this woman his wife and his queen. He went through the steps of the binding ceremony as if on autopilot, his mind too preoccupied by the beauty before him. They felt the jolt of magic between them as they finally sealed their vows with a kiss.

They danced, ate, and drank the evening away. Various elves came up to congratulate them here and there throughout the night. In the end, Maethor had been right – Roslyn was accepted as the new queen with open arms. Finally, as the hour grew late, Thranduil deemed it acceptable for them to quietly sneak out.

:::

(Love Is Gonna Save Us – Benassi Bros)

Roslyn let out a small sigh of contentment as their lips finally met. The kiss started out slow and hesitant, as if they were getting to know each other all over again. It had been several long months since they had lain together, making this moment feel new and exciting. It did not take long for things to heat up between them.

Thranduil bent her head back and deepened the kiss. His tongue swirled around hers and his teeth nibbled at her bottom lip, making her moan into his mouth. Roslyn couldn't take it anymore; she yanked at his robes, shoving them roughly off his shoulders. He chuckled lowly as he helped her out of her dress. Kicking off their shoes, they made their way into the bedroom, lips still locked and hands roving everywhere.

He grabbed her slim waist and tossed her onto the bed. Thranduil stood there for a moment, admiring his naked wife. Then slowly, teasingly, he began to undress. His fingers worked deliberately on the buttons of his coat, next came his tunic, and finally, his trousers. He stood before her now, completely nude.

Roslyn felt her heart pick up at the sight of him. She beckoned to him as she reclined on the large bed. Smirking wickedly, he climbed onto the bed. Then slowly, like a jungle cat, he made his way up her body. He kissed her deeply as she clawed at his back, desperately trying to bring him down on top of her.

"Now who's impatient?" He purred into her ear.

The only response she could muster was a throaty whine. He laughed softly as she yanked on his hair. Bending his head down, Thranduil kissed her jaw, and then her ear. He bit down lightly on her neck as his lips trailed down to the junction with her neck.

"Ooohh, T-Thranduil…"

His lips moved ever lower, peppering her chest with kisses as his hands massaged her breasts. Roslyn moaned loudly when his tongue shot out to circle around a pink nipple. He felt her hands grip his hair as he continued to move lower. His tongue trailed down to her belly button before landing a soft kiss on each hip.

His ministrations were driving her crazy. She bucked her hips up, wanting more of him, but he would not allow it. He brought his hands up to her hips and pressed her into the mattress, keeping her still. Smirking against her skin, his mouth moved lower. She yelped as he bit the inside of her thigh, turning her on even more as his hot breath grazed against her sensitive spot.

"Please," Roslyn begged.

That was all he needed to hear. Bringing his head down, Thranduil applied his mouth to her core. He licked and sucked leisurely, making her cry out in pleasure. She was getting close now, he could tell. But he was not ready for her to reach her peak yet. She whimpered as he withdrew from her.

Slowly, he moved back up her body, his mouth finding hers again. He kissed her passionately as his body pressed against hers. Roslyn whimpered as she felt his hard cock pressing up against her. Her legs instinctively fell opening, giving him access. He nuzzled her neck for a moment.

"Roslyn," he whispered.

She kissed his neck gently in response to his soft plea for her. He brought his head back up and locked eyes with her. Their hands found each other and they intertwined fingers as he brought her arms up above her head. Never losing eye contact, Thranduil finally began to push into her. Her mouth fell open silently as he at last filled her completely. Roslyn felt her eyes flutter shut at the intense sensation.

"Look at me," he demanded.

Her eyes drifted open and met his stormy orbs once again. He pulled out, and then slowly thrust back in. Roslyn brought her legs up, locking them around his waist as he repeated the action. She tried to bring her arms down, but he gripped her hands tighter. The domineering action sent a shot of arousal down to her core.

"Thranduil!" She moaned his name loudly as he continued to thrust into her, slow and hard.

"R-Roslyn," he panted.

Thranduil could feel himself getting close and he quickened the pace. Their breath was becoming erratic. He finally let her hands go. Bringing their arms down, they clung to each other as he pounded into her roughly.

"Oh my God! H-harder. Please, Thranduil! Harder!" she screamed.

He was happy to oblige her. Bringing his hands down to her hips, he angled them slightly. He thrust into her deeply, making the bed hit the wall behind them. He continued this way, feeling Roslyn get closer and closer to her peak. He was nearing his own end now too. Another hard thrust and she finally cried out in pleasure. Her back arched as she screamed his name.

Thranduil continued to pound into her, making the bed shake from their intense lovemaking. Another moment and he joined her in ecstasy. His orgasm hit him hard as he pressed her into the bed.

"Roslyn!"

They rocked together as they rode out the waves of bliss. The tingle of magic suddenly surrounded them. Golden coils swirled around their joined bodies as they completed the final act of their binding. They lay there together, bodies sticky and sweaty, as the magic petered out into pretty little sparks, and then they were gone.

Thranduil smiled down at her, finally catching his breath.

"I love you, my queen," he said while brushing some hair out of her face.

Roslyn felt as if she might burst from happiness. Her hands came up and cupped his face. She pulled him down and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I love you too, Thranduil," she murmured back.

~FIN~

A/N: Well I hope the ending has lived up to everyone's expectations! I know there were some twists in there that you all might not have been too happy with, but I'm glad I stuck to my guns because I think this story came out just as I'd wanted it to. A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed, especially those of you who took the time to review every chapter! I really appreciate all of your support and I really hope you've enjoyed reading these two stories as much as I've enjoyed writing them!

I do have a few other random ideas floating around in my head, both for LOTR/Hobbit and Harry Potter fandoms, but we'll see if they ever make it onto metaphorical paper. If they do, I hope to hear from you all again!

Just FYI: Roslyn's wedding dress is the Reem Acra gown that Taylor Swift wore to the Winter Whites Gala.