The moon was high in the starry sky when Ithilhen's pale eyes opened. He sat slowly, peering at the sleeping forms around him.
The Hobbits lay closest, cuddled up to each other and sleeping soundly. Around them were the men and dwarf, loud snores drifting from them with heavy breaths. Legolas stood on the other side of camp, attention now on the other elf.
Ithilhen gave him a look, before turning to the sleeping Pippin. With a sad smile, he placed a kiss lightly on the Halfling's forehead, and whispered "We will meet again..."
Standing stiffly, he stepped over the resting bodies to stand before the taller elf. Legolas gave him a inquisitive look. "What do you intend to do?" The blonde asked, his voice barely above a breath. Ithilhen sighed with a shrug.
"I need rest..." He replied, pale eyes flicking around the camp in search of his bag. "I will go to Rivendell. I haven't the strength to cross back over the mountains."
He glanced back at his sleeping friend reluctantly. When he returned his gaze to Legolas, his eyes were guilty.
"You will not wait till morning?" Legolas asked, following Ithilhen's gloomy stare. "I am sure Pippin would like to say farewell."
Ithilhen shook his head hard. "He may wish to, but I cannot. I am a wanderer, I... Avoid attachments. Only really spoke to my bird, and now she's gone... When I say goodbye, it is always for good." He scrunched up his nose in an attempt to explain. "I'd not spoken to another elf in years before now... Even picked up an accent." He chuckled lightly. He remembered that brief moment of amusement when he had first heard Pippin's voice and how similar the inflections in their voices had been.
Turning his cold eyes to Legolas' emerald, he frowned, a determined look settling on his features. "I do not wish for a permanent goodbye. I will wait at Rivendell to prove it."
Legolas blinked, looking concerned. "There... Is no guarantee our journal will succeed." He said uneasily. Ithilhen stared at him hard, a quiet pause between them.
"I will wait. Even if I never wander again." Ithilhen's face softened as his lips turned up in a smile, but his eyes were watering. "I want to finish telling my story, after all."
The sun peeked through the trees as the frosty morning woke the Fellowship. Legolas had kept the watch throughout the night, perched on a rock as he watched his companions stir.
Gandalf was the first to notice the absence of the other elf, knowing eyes turning on Legolas before shifting to Pippin. The small Hobbit yawned and stretched. His tired eyes and mind didn't quite click what was missing at first, before he was wide awake from the realization.
"Where'd he go?" Pippin gasped, looking around as though the elf hid from him. The other Hobbits sat up beside him, glancing about curiously.
"Gone to Rivendell in the night." Legolas explained, stepping closer. "He spoke of healing and rest..." He hesitated a moment, unsure if he wanted to relay more. But Gandalf gave him a slight nod of assurance, so he let out a light sigh and continued.
"Ithilhen wished us well on our journey, and promised to finish his story for you once we return..." He finished with a little unwillingness.
This earned an exchange of looks between the companions. Pippin tilted his head, frowning dejectedly, before he felt Merry nudge him.
"Well, we better get going if we want to hear what happened to that Redcap, right?" His cousin said with a reassuring smile. Sam leaned over as well, patting a hand on his back. "And another story, on account of leaving the other one hanging like that." Frodo joined in, perched beside Sam. "And we'll have our own story to tell when we get back."
The others couldn't help but smile at the spirit in the little ones. Pippin jumped to his feet with a determined nod. "Right!" He exclaimed, grinning around at the group. "How much longer could it be, anyway?"
Hello~! Hope you all enjoyed my little tale. Sorry the final chapter was the shortest...
But depending on the feedback, I may write their reunion, so stay tuned and let me know your thoughts!