The next morning, all those residing in Gondor, as well as some of Rohan's royal guard lined the streets leading to Rath Dínen* and Fen Hollen**. The heavy wooden doors of the white tower of Ecthelion opened. Eight guards carried the body of Isolde on a bier resting on their shoulders. Behind them stood Faramir, followed by the royal families of Gondor and Rohan and two hobbits. As they made their slow procession to the Hallowes, the people of Gondor glanced woefully at the woman who would have been their future queen. Many took note of the steel-blue dress she wore, marveling at the beautiful silver embroidery. Others observed the way her long, wavy hair spread over her shoulders like a river of gold, adorned with several simbelmynës; though all noticed the familiar sword that was clasped in her delicate hands. When the procession came to the entrance to the tomb and the bier was lowered, Ellesar let out a low hum, a hum that seemed to be carried on the wind. The drone steadily formed into Elvish words. The translation was as thus:

White beauty bestows the one

with no rose left to her lips.

A peace comes beyond her brow.

A shadow falls across the sea as

she leaves us waiting on the tide.

And e'er she bids a soft goodbye.

Slowly, the bier was laid in the tomb. Bit by bit, the people left to move on with their lives, until at last the only ones left were Eldarion and Faramir. As the sun set, rays of light gleamed on the sides of their faces. Both stood there, silent. They listened to the world around them, trying to find the sense of hope they had once clung to, not wanting to accept that it was lying in the tomb before them. As night crept up on them they finally turned back to the city they called home.

It would be many months before Faramir would completely come to terms with Isolde's death. He would sit outside of her tomb for hours every day. But as time passed, the daily visits shortened to once a week, and before long, Faramir would learn to walk past it, occasionally stopping to rest his hand on the smooth stone, if only for a moment. Faramir went on to fulfill his duties as a steward of Gondor and many years later Eldarion became king. Both, in their due time, joined Isolde in death. And both times she was there, waiting in the bright room with the ceiling-high pillars, beckoning them to her. Both times, they took her hand and smiled.

* The Silent Street

** The Closed Door

Alas, we have come to the end of this tale. I know it was a sad ending but in all honesty, it was the one I had planned on from the start. I can only hope you understand and can appreciate the bitter-sweetness of it all. As a side note, some of you may have taken note that a few of the lyrics to the lament for Isolde, are taken from Celtic Woman's "The Soft Goodbye". I did this because I love the song and found it to be fitting for the scene. I in no way am taking credit for the lyrics that come from it. That remain with them. Also on that note, I do not own any of the concepts from the Lord of the Rings. I would like to thank you all for sticking with me (and Isolde) to the very end. And a special thank you to RingsFan, who has been cheering me along since the very beginning. Your support was and still is very much appreciated. In the words of Bilbo Baggins "I regret to announce - this is the end. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye"