11

Yes

Eryn led me to the highest point of Minas Tirith—the Beacon.

"There is no danger left, Myraneth. For today, this is our guard post. I arranged it so that no one will bother us, not even your brothers. Now, I know you have a lot of questions, and I will answer them. However, first, I have a question of my own." He knelt down on one knee and pulled out a ring. It was the exact ring my Father had given to my Mother.

He didn't even have to ask. I launched myself at him, kissing him like the world was going to end tomorrow. That would not be great, as the world had almost ended the day before yesterday. As I pulled away, I said, "That's a yes," I breathed.

He was still staring at me.

"You thought I was going to turn you down?" I asked.

"I took advantage of you. I stole your virtue, your future."

"Eryn, my virtue was gone the moment I looked upon your face for the first time. I would never turn you down. I love you, more than I ever thought I could. Are you having second thoughts about our union?"

"What will your brothers and sisters think?" He pulled me down on the smoky remains of the Beacon.

I fingered the ring on the third finger of my left hand, "You have my Father's blessing, and therefore the blessing of the rest of my family. They would not wish to leave our daughter without a Father."

"Our…daughter?" his face was a mask of shock, "You're—"I nodded.

True, I had bled merely five months ago, that day outside of Moria. Elves ovulated at any point during the cycle, though. I hated ovulating early, as it was rather uncomfortable, but in this situation, everything had worked out for the better. It was entirely possible for me to get pregnant so early in the ten-year cycle.

"Eryn?" I asked, "Shall we tell everyone the good news? I haven't seen Estel yet. Nor almost everyone else."

"I will have the Lady Myraneth Accolte as my wife?"

"Only if you never say that like that again." He laughed, and once more captured my lips in his.

"We are going to head to Rivendell in a few hours. Your Father needs to look over Sam and Frodo," Eryn told me as we climbed down from the Beacon's platform. I think that he had reserved it for the dual purpose of proposing to me and us making love directly after, but with my news, everything had changed. He still looked like he'd been hit over the head with the heel of a sword.

The first one I saw was Merry, and then Pippin.

"MYRANETH!" they cried in unison, "You're alright!" I grabbed them both in a hug. And I was crying again.

"It's over," I muttered, "It's over, and we won!"

The hobbit 'twins' pulled me and Eryn along, until we found Estel. I expected him to be in the council chambers, not in the King's Chambers.

"Cassan told me you were awake, Myraneth. You're glowing," Estel stated simply. He had on a simple tunic and breeches, and his hair was in disarray. Still, his grey eyes flashed with mirth.

Wordlessly, I held out my left hand, and let the glittering ring do my job for me. It was an intricate band of braided leaves, with a small emerald cut into the shape of a leaf.

"Well, well, well. Someone finally snagged the eternal bachelorette," Estel laughed, "I can see that you have Ada's blessing, no? If he as blessed your union, then it is fine with me. Myraneth, you should know that while you were out, I was your healer. Casanovia will be born in a few weeks. It seems your body is running on the Wolf schedules."

I nodded, "That only makes sense. Father told me that when Mother gave birth to me, it was six months before I was ever expected. They thought I was going to be just a handful of blood and plasma, even though Mother had gotten so big. Imagine the shock when Nana gave birth to a healthy baby girl."

Aragorn laughed, and I ran into his arms.

"Wait," Pippin said, "You're pregnant, Myraneth?"

I pulled away from Aragorn and nodded my head, beaming.

"Myraneth? Who is Casanovia?" Eryn asked.

I turned to him and took his hand, "Pippin, Merry, do you remember the day that we hid from the Crebain? And Gimli first suggested we go through Moria?"

"What about it? Wasn't that the day you almost castrated Sam? And we also tried to tackle Catharacks that day, right?"

"Yes, that day. Well, as we were diving under the rocks and such, I caught a glimpse of a silhouette in a vision. It was a girl, and I knew she was my daughter," I paused, "Somehow I knew that her name was Casanovia. Casanovia is very fitting. It was the name of Silverfang's Mother, and the Mother of all myraneth." Somehow, thinking of Silver didn't hurt nearly as much anymore. In fact, I enjoyed relieving the memories we had shared. True, no new memories would happen, but I had started to accept that. Just as I had begun to accept Haldir's death.

"I would be honoured to name our daughter after such a figure," Eryn whispered to me.

"Myraneth, you must find the twins before we leave. They are looking for you." Aragorn grinned at me.

"And they appear to have found you," I had never heard Legolas' voice so regal. It cascaded over me like the waves of the ocean. He was wearing robes of the clearest green, and his circlet adjourned the crown of his head. Behind him, Everlas was clad in a gown of pale gold. She also had a circlet. Hers was silver, whereas Legolas' was gold.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess. I took me a while to remember that technically, my status was higher than theirs. I didn't like to think of it, but my status was higher than anyone else's.

I was so close to bowing to them that they laughed at me outright. I smiled and linked arms with them.

"It seems I must saddle Black March," Waves of weariness rushed over me, "And maybe take a nap."

Everlas too my hand, "We will see to Black. You will ride in the cart with Frodo and Sam. But for right now, you will rest here before you collapse."

I did not fall into sleep on the King's bed. Well, only for a few moments. The emotions were too high around me, the conversation too animated.

We had done the unimaginable. We had done exactly what we had set out to do.

And we had done it with comparatively minimal losses.

Of the ten that set out from my home so many months ago, nine remained living. A little worse for wear and very emotionally scared, but alive and sane all the same. And for some of us, I included, better than we had ever been before.

They would crown King Aragorn at the next summer solstice, ten months from now. Legolas and Everlas would ascend the newly created twin thrones of the newly re-named Eryn Lasgalen in a few months. Aragorn and Arwen's wedding would take place just after the coronation. Mine and Eryn's would have to be a lot sooner than that. A child born out of the wedlock was the ultimate taboo among both Elves and Fairies.

Between my hips, my body was already swelling. I knew it would grow in leaps and bounds over the next few weeks, until Casanovia was ready.

By the time we left, I was ready to pass out from exhaustion. Secretly, I was glad that I was riding in the carriage. Black would not carry a lump of dead weight. In the first few hours, Eryn kept extremely close to me, so much so that I could not even turn around without seeing the flash of his grey eyes, or a swish of hair as green and as sweet as bluegrass.

For the first time in months, my sleep was not interrupted by a fit. Instead, I had a rather unexpected visitor.

#####

The woman was just as pale as I remembered her. Her hair was longer than mine. It brushed the ground, and was a fair shade of golden, the same shade as her Mother's. Her eyes were mine, though, the colour of the deep sea that she had sailed across so many hundred years ago. They had not come from her Mother, rather her paternal grandfather.

"Nana?" I asked.

She moved exactly how I remembered, with more grace than I could ever have.

"My child," Celebrian confirmed, "How you've grown, Merry."

I'd almost forgotten that I shared a nickname with one of the hobbit 'twins.' Only my Mother and Arwen had ever used it, and Arwen had stopped when Mother had sailed. Now, however, I would always associate it with one of the hobbits who had helped save the world.

"You are sad." It was a statement, not a question, "Why, daughter? You and most of your family have lived. You have a great man by your side, and you are about to welcome the first of many children."

I looked at her, "Nana, how long will that last? My Elfish family will sail, and eventually my human family will die."

She put a hand under my chin, "My little Soarral, everyone must at one point say goodbye to their family. Cherish them while you have them. And you will always have the memories."

"I don't want any of my children to grow up not knowing their family," tears were leaking from my eyes now. I had held this in too long.

"Myraneth," Mother said softly, "They will know our family, every single last one of us, because you will tell them. They will know me, and they will know your Father. They will know all of their aunts and uncles, even though they will never meet some of them."

I smiled, and she went on, "How many daughters does Thranduil have now? Eight?"

"Thirteen, Mother," I laughed at her astonished face, "And one son."

"I don't know how Everlas did it," Mother muttered, "And I suppose they're all twins?"

"Yes. Legolas, the Crown Prince, is the only one who takes after his Mother, apart from Alianna. He and Everlas, the Crown Princess, are fraternal twins."

"Thranduil named her after Ever?" Nanneth asked.

"No," I sighed, "Aunt Ever died giving birth to Legolas. I completed the naming rites myself. Thranduil was too distraught. However, Aunt Ever gave me the names, long before they were born."

Mother smiled at me, "In a few months, you will complete those same rites with the name Casanovia."

"Mother, saying the rites over Legolas and Everlas almost killed me. It did kill Aunt Ever. Not even the Royal Healer, Mary-Anne, was able to help. And Mary-Anne was banished for that. Who's to say those same rites will not kill me, as well?"

"Myraneth, because you had to step in for the Twin's rites, the process took a lot more out of you than it ever did your Aunt. Everlas had trouble during her pregnancy, and she had already given birth eleven times before. Childbirth and the rites strain you, but unless something goes horribly wrong or you are already weary, you will be fine."

Once again I smiled, "I will take care of her, then."

Nanneth took my hand, "You would anyway, my daughter. Your brother told you once that you will be the best Mother the world has ever seen. Estel was very much correct."

My smile turned sad but remained in place, "I wish you could have met him, Nana."

She laughed, a captivating sound that I thought I would never hear again, "Oh, but I have, dear daughter, I have met him through you. I live on in your heart. I am with you, every step of the way."

#####

As I awoke, a few hours later, I realized that the voice I had heard first at the gates of Moria and then again when I rescued Aragorn from that river, was not Arwen's, as I had originally thought. The voice I had believed was a mixture of Arwen and Ada's had not actually been theirs. It had been my Nana's; it had always been my Nana's.