Author's note: This is the sequel to A Strange Foretelling. You don't need to read it first to make sense of this story but I recommend it since it goes into the backstory of one of the main characters, Manwathiel and her relationship with Legolas. It can be found here: u/15760976/
Prologue
Manwathiel leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. She unconsciously touched her braids. She couldn't believe they were leaving tomorrow. This final visit to Gondor had been an emotional one for everyone. She and Legolas had spent over two weeks with Arwen and Aragorn and their children. The last of their people who were going with them to Valinor and, Gimli who was coming along, had arrived the night before. They were all leaving for Grey Havens in the morning. They had decided to have their last dinner be just the four of them. A last hurrah, though no one felt celebratory.
"What time are you leaving?" Aragorn asked, now 140 he was fully grey haired. It had been odd watching him age over the years. Arwen, while mortal now, looked much the same. She would long outlive him and her family would all be gone. It made Manwathiel sad to think about but at least Arwen had her daughters and son who would all be long-lived. Manwathiel had put off the move to Valinor as long as she could but almost all the wood elves had left. It was time for her and Legolas to leave too. The rest of her family and Thranduil were waiting for them and Thranduil needed Legolas's help. Galadriel and Celeborn had stepped down and Thranduil had combined his people with theirs in Valinor, doubling his population and workload.
"After breakfast." Legolas said and took a sip of his wine.
"I have some trunks and portraits for you to take to mother and father." Arwen said. "Don't let me forget to give them to you in the morning."
Manwathiel nodded. "Of course. Anything you like." She said and she meant it. It was fifty years too late but she wished desperately she could bring Arwen with her. She had spent months each year in Gondor watching her nephew and nieces be born and grow up and had mostly come to terms with Arwen's choice but now that the time to leave had come she was finding it incredibly difficult.
"How long is the journey?" Aragorn asked.
"About fourteen weeks." Legolas said. Manwathiel loved her nephew and nieces, but she was glad that she and Legolas did not have children yet. A three-month trip trapped on a boat with a bored child would be miserable. They had been married, technically, 150 years but had not discussed children more than a couple of times. They both agreed they wanted them and it was much too soon. Legolas had thrown out three hundred years as a date but Manwathiel had been noncommittal. She didn't see the rush. She appreciated that at nearly 1700 years old Legolas was probably ready for children but she was only 150. She wanted to wait.
"I'm so sorry to leave. You don't know how much I'll miss you." Manwathiel said, touching her sister's hand.
"I do know because I will miss you too." Arwen said warmly, squeezing her hand. She had written Manwathiel nearly every day they weren't together for the last fifty years. They would both treasure the letters the rest of their lives.
"It will be very odd not to see you every solstice." Legolas said. He and Manwathiel had visited every December for half a century. Without his father around, Legolas threw a lot fewer parties.
He tried to smile at Aragorn. He wasn't struggling quite as much as Manwathiel but was still sad to leave. Of course, he was bringing Gimli with him so he would have his wife and his best friend, and the only family besides Manwathiel he had was in Valinor waiting for him. Aragorn was his brother by marriage and forever his friend because of the fellowship but it wasn't the same as Manwathiel losing Arwen.
They spent the rest of the meal reminiscing, but everyone was subdued. When they said good night, Manwathiel was heavy hearted. It was the last dinner she would ever share with her sister. Legolas hugged once they were alone.
"I can't believe I have to leave her." She said, trying not to cry. It felt like a death.
"I know. I'm so sorry." Legolas said.
"Well we put it off as long as we could." She shrugged and wiped her eyes. She had already cried many times over Arwen.
"We really did. We only need five ships to get there." Legolas said. They had been living virtually alone in Mirkwood forest for the past five years. At times it got unnerving. They had watched as their people slowly left over the decades until now there was only about a hundred wood elves left. Soon, there would be none.
"What will we do when we get there?" Manwathiel asked, getting ready for bed. "How will we find our family?"
Legolas shrugged. He had no idea. "I'm hoping father isn't too creative and has named his new kingdom Mirkwood as well. I intend to just ask until I find it."
Manwathiel sighed. This was a pain. She wished there was some way to communicate with Thranduil and let him know they would be there soon. She wasn't looking forward to a three month journey only to wander the undying lands searching for someone she knew.
Legolas came over and put his arms around her. "It will be fine. We're bringing half the treasury with us. Worst case scenario I will buy a house. We won't be homeless." Thranduil had brought half of it with him when he left and had left the other half for Legolas to bring when he came. One of the five ships was just for gold and jewels.
She laughed. "I'm sure it won't come to that but good to know."
There was a knock at the door. Manwathiel looked at Legolas in surprise. They were both in their night clothes about to get into bed. Legolas opened the door. A servant stood at the doorway.
"The King asks for Princess Manwathiel. The Queen has injured herself." The servant said. Manwathiel threw on a robe and followed the servant to her sister's room.
"What happened?" she asked as she entered and found Arwen on the floor clutching her leg, holding back tears.
"I must have had too much wine. I tripped. I think I broke my leg. I fell over the chair." She was grimacing from pain. Manwathiel stepped forward immediately to examine her. A gifted healer who had healed thousands during the war of the ring, Manwathiel was famous all-over middle earth for her healing prowess. After her father left for the undying lands and word had spread of her deeds during the war, dwarves, elves and humans had all sought her out to be cured of illness and injury. She been very busy for the last fifty years. Legolas had long since gotten used to random people showing up at Mirkwood Palace looking for his wife. She had been called a few times to Rohan to deal with outbreaks of plagues and disease. They were especially fond of her in Rohan. King Eomer was now a very old man but his respect for Manwathiel's powers ran deep and long friendship had developed between them. Eomer sent her a new horse every ten years just as a continued thank you. She would miss him. She would miss all her friends.
"Yes. It's broken." Manwathiel said. She placed her hands on her sister's leg and chanted for a moment, feeling the bone slide back into place and seal. "All better?" she asked standing up.
"Yes. What will I do without you?" Arwen asked, hugging her.
"Walk more carefully." Aragorn said. Manwathiel laughed. She hugged Arwen goodnight. When she got back to their room she found Legolas already in bed with a book.
"Everything alright?" he asked.
She nodded. "Arwen broke her leg. She's fine." She said.
"She's lucky she had her children before you left." He said, eyebrows raised. Manwathiel had been able to make childbirth relatively pain free for Arwen. She had been at all four births.
"That's true." She laughed and got in bed beside him. She kissed him goodnight and rolled over, trying not to think about saying goodbye.
Aragorn and Arwen and their children waved them off the next morning. Manwathiel took six trunks and five portraits from Arwen to take with her. When Legolas, Manwathiel, Gimli and the wood elves arrived in the Havens they found all five boats waiting for them. Legolas assigned his people and their things to one of three boats, leaving one boat for him, Manwathiel and Gimli and one for the treasury and their personal cargo.
"Ready, laddie?" Gimli asked. He was very excited to go on this last adventure. Legolas had been in charge for the last forty years since his father had left so he hadn't been able to run off too often with Gimli but they'd made time for small excursions here and there. Since Gimli lived only a day away they saw him several times a week. 190 years old, Gimli was in late middle age and ready for a new chapter in his life. Manwathiel wasn't sure how they had gotten permission to bring Gimli but she suspected her grandmother had something to do with it. Gimli had been half in love with her the one time they had met and he had been instrumental in the destruction of the ring. As far as she knew, besides the hobbits who were already in Valinor, Gimli was the only non-elf who was going.
"We're ready." Legolas said and helped Manwathiel onto the boat. He followed her onto the boat as a servant passed over their things for the trip.
Manwathiel settled near the front as the sails billowed out. She watched as they slowly floated away from the Havens and middle earth. She looked around the ship and took it in. It would be her home for the next three months. Legolas put his arm around her and they watched middle earth drift away.
