Not the last chapter quite yet. I thought this would be a good place to stop since I am having writer's block on the next chapter and I wanted to update. I really want to get to 200 reviews on this story. If I do, I will post an epilogue that I have in mind, regardless of whether I reach 200 reviews soon or in 6 months or whatever. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings

Chapter 19:

The room was dark. I lay still, my eyes trained on the ceiling as I listened to the sound of my breathing. I felt weightless, as if I were floating.

I was glad that I had woken up here; in the dark. I was glad that I could take a few precious moments to feel my body being alive; to take in everything the world was in the wee hours of the morning, between night and day. I was glad I was given time to listen to the silence of the sleeping world and to drink in the sweet, unmoving air.

I was glad to be alive.

Lying there, in that room, gave me time to soak up everything wonderful and horrible that had happened. I was me and I was here and I couldn't ask for anything more; not that I wanted to.

There was something beautiful about the stillness of life. Too little people even realized it was there, always worrying about other things or getting bored with it too quickly. Nobody listened to the whispering of the wind or looked at the rain as it fell upon the soft earth. Nobody had the time to.

It seemed to me that the world was being neglected and I promised myself that I would take the time to notice it in all its glory as it presented me with wonders that were almost too brilliant to behold and that other people took for granted. I promised myself that I would be the one to show the universe that it mattered and that I appreciated all it did for us.

As I woke up that morning, I was offered a new lease on life. I was no longer the scared girl I had been when I first awoke in Middle Earth, nor was I the bold one that had plunged myself into battle in the name of love. I was somewhere in between and I liked it there. I was happy there.

I decided to watch the sunrise. It would give me a last moment of peace before the world erupted with its hustle and bustle.

I gently removed the sheet that covered me and grabbed a large jacket that was on a chair next to the bed. I slipped it on over the light cotton dress I wore and I left the room. It didn't take me long to find my way outside, since the marble corridors weren't all that confusing. It was only after I stepped outside that I realized that I was on top of the world. I was on the highest level of Minas Tirith and I smiled my good fortune.

I walked past the guards that stood around a white tree and I made my way to the edge of the cliff where there was an open spot. I sat there, letting my legs dangle over the edge, feeling no fear as I gazed down at the miniscule people. I felt as if I would be caught by the wind if I fell and I would be foolish to waste such a fine morning on worrying over something so trivial.

I looked back and watched the stars fade away before the sky became alive with the colours that the Sun brought with it when it awoke. Golds and pinks and blues erupted from the horizon in a kaleidoscope of wonders and I bathed in the richness of the tones that couldn't be recreated anywhere else. The White City gleamed beneath me, turning a brilliant silver and I smiled as the Sun herself appeared, moving lazily as if she had just gotten out of bed.

"You should be careful," said a soft voice behind me. I turned my head to see Legolas standing there.

"Why don't you join me?" I asked, patting a spot next to me as I turned my gaze back towards the sky where the magnificent show continued to unfold before me. I didn't want to miss a second of it.

"Lord Denethor fell from this very spot," he said as he took a seat beside me. "It is a dangerous spot."

"I will not let fear stop me from watching a sunrise," I replied simply, not looking at him. "It's gorgeous, isn't it?"

"Beautiful," he agreed. "Nothing can compare to the beauty of the awakening of the world."

"Except, perhaps, its slumber," I responded as I glanced over at him. He turned to look at me, a curious expression on his face.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Because it's true? The explosion of colours that the Sun creates when it rises has a different sort of beauty compared to the quiet, stillness of the night. The Moon is less harsh and the stars, less attention grabbing. The awakening of the world may be fireworks but its slumber is a small flower. It may be harder to find beauty in it but once it's found, you realize that its loveliness is just as great." I said.

"And which do you prefer?" he asked after a moment.

"The night," I answered without hesitation. "I've always preferred silver to gold, soft colours to bright ones and hidden beauty to grandeur."

He shook his head at me. "What?" I asked.

"You do not speak like anyone else of from your race. You are so different." I was surprised by his answer. I guess, I had supposed he would call me silly.

"That is because I am different." I informed him. "I'm not from here but I do not belong there. I was never supposed to be like the people here or the people where I came from. I was made to be different and I accept that. I have visited the world between worlds many times and I've traveled across realms. I've achieved things I'd deemed impossible and I've even fallen in love."

"With who?" was all he inquired after. The only thing he wanted to know about from my whole speech was who I had fallen in love with.

"You," I said simply before standing and walking back to the Citadel, the brilliant display of colours fading as the Sun moved up in the sky.

Show over.

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~Liliana