Last Chapter!
Thank you to everyone who has left a review, I really appreciate it.
Time passed and the day Thranduil had predicted so long ago finally came. Saruman betrayed everyone and joined forces with the Orcs. Together with the Steward of Gondor Denethor, they laid siege on the rest of Middle Earth. Legolas and Aragorn left for Rivendell to be a part of a fellowship tasked to defeat Saruman's forces. They along with a dwarf named Gimli, took Gondor and killed Denethor. Saruman fell not long after by the combined effort of the three elven nations. Thranduil and the Woodland Elves were able to take out most of Saruman's forces while Elrond's army went to Isengard. Once the armies were dealt with, Aragorn took the throne of Gondor to transition before Denethor's youngest son, Faramir, would take over.
Legolas and Aragorn married not long after his time as King. They traveled Middle Earth with their new friend Gimli, spending their days exploring what the world had to offer. When Aragorn's hair turned silver and his body began to slow, the three of them sailed to the Undying Lands.
"Will you not come with us Ada?" Legolas asked his father. The trio had returned to the Greenwood to say goodbye before they sailed west.
"No, I will not" Thranduil replied.
"Why not? It is as Elrond predicted, the time of Elves is no more. It is now the time of man. What place do you have here?"
Thranduil didn't answer, he merely turned and looked out the window.
Legolas sighed softly. It had been ten years since Bard had died. Thranduil's powers had sustained his life long past its usual mark, but he was still mortal and died peacefully of old age. He was now buried in the forest, a young tree now marked his grave. He ruled over Dale for seven years before Bain had taken the throne. Sigrid and Tilda had both moved away when they married, but visited often. Now Bard's grandchildren and great-grandchildren walked the Earth.
"I have never heard the call of the sea." Thranduil said. "It was always the voice of the forest that has called to me. I will not betray it by leaving."
Legolas nodded, "I will miss you Ada" He embraced Thranduil tightly.
"As will I my Little Leaf." Thranduil smiled.
When Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli had built their boat, Thranduil was there to see them off. "Last chance to change your mind" Aragorn said.
Thranduil smiled and shook his head, "No thank you Aragorn."
The man nodded solemnly. "Thank you"
"No, thank you" Thranduil replied. "Take care of him for me." He looked towards Legolas and Gimli untying the boat.
"I will" Aragorn smiled and boarded the boat. Thranduil waved them off until he could no longer see them.
Tauriel was the next to leave, dying alongside Kili in the kingdom he inherited from his mother. Thranduil was sad to see her go, but understood her reasons for following her love.
More and more Elves sailed west until Thranduil was the only one left. He walked through his forest, listening to the trees' comforting song. This would be his last time doing this, soon he would be one of them. He ended his walk at Bard's tree. The tree was still young, not quite seven feet yet. When it fully grew, it would be as tall as the trees surrounding it with lush green leaves in the summer, vibrant red leaves in the autumn, sturdy branches in the winter, and delicate red blossoms in the spring. As beautiful a tree as the man it grew from. Thranduil gently ran his fingers along the small green leaves, smiling at the soft texture. He looked around, listening to his forest's song one last time. He could feel the trees surround him, welcoming him into their ranks. His powers spread outward until he could feel the entire forest, filling him up with its warmth. He breathed deeply, feeling his body become one with the earth. A burst of white light filled the area, the animals watching flinched away. When they looked back, a young tree now had taken the Elvenking's place. This tree looked like the other one, but unlike the first tree's dark green leaves, this one's leaves were a silver green.
As time passed, the two trees matured. What amazed most who came upon the trees, was how they grew. Instead of growing straight up, they arced toward each other, twisting around each other and intertwining their branches. People called them the lover's tree.
Though the forest was eventually cut down, the two trees were saved. They became famous, people would come and admire their seasonal changes. While Bard's tree changed from the green of summer to the red of autumn, Thranduil's tree changed from a silvery green to a bright white. The flowers in the spring were a delicate white with a shine unlike any other flower. The trees stayed together for the rest of time, together in both life and death.
There it is, the end.
Hope you all enjoyed reading it ^-^