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"Life is both sad and solemn.

We are let into a wonderful 

world, we meet one another, 

greet each other and wander 

together for a brief moment.  

Then we lose each other and 

disappear as suddenly and 

unreasonably as we arrived."

***************************

Chapter 20


Kate stood upon the front steps of her grandfather's house.  
They had been back in Scotland for three weeks.  She 
supposed the trip back had been dangerous.  Her mind had 
been so clouded by grief, Kate barely remembered it.  It was 
a blur of whispers in the dark, a bumpy voyaged by truck, a 
frantic run across rocky terrain, followed by one endless 
ride after another until they were in Scotland. 

She remembered Legolas sitting by her bed.  And Elrond 
speaking words of Elvish over her as she slept.  But mostly 
Kate just remembered the never-ending pain she thought would 
consume her.  And though, 3 weeks was still barely enough 
time to even begin to deal with the loss of her brother, it 
was enough time for her to realize that the world would go 
on without him.  For as much as it surprised her, the sun 
continued to rise.

She gazed out across the yard. Elladan and Elrond were 
sitting beneath Arwen's tree.  They had been there all 
morning and into the afternoon.  Kate wondered if it was 
some sort of Elvish ceremony.  Last night, Kate was finally 
well enough to speak to them about Elrohir.  It had not been 
easy, not for the listening, nor the telling.  But she had 
managed to give them a clear picture of Elrohir's last days. 

Gandalf was busy making preparations for their return to 
Valinor. The lack of havens was causing him more trouble 
than he had expected and they had been forced to say in 
Scotland some weeks longer.  However, he had finally secured 
a boat and they would be leaving tomorrow at dawn.  

Legolas would be going with them.

As if sensing her thoughts, Legolas rose to his feet.  "I 
don't have to leave."

"Yes, you do,"  Kate said firmly.  They had done nothing but 
talk about it for the past 3 days and nothing would change 
her mind.  "Tell me again about Valinor."

Legolas sighed.  "There are endless stretches of beaches of 
crystal white sand.  Soft and smooth underfoot.  Up from the 
shores is a carpet of thick grass.  And the mallorn trees in 
autumn, they turn gold.  I wish you could see them."

"It sounds beautiful."

"It is nothing compared to you,"  Legolas said.

"You don't belong here,"  Kate said.  "I will not have you 
play babysitter to me as I grow old and die."

"I care not about your age or appearance,"  Legolas said.  
"You fill a space inside me that I never knew was empty."

Tears filled Kate's eyes and she took his hands in hers.  
"That's why you can't stay.  I know how hard it was for you 
to watch Gimli die.  I won't burden you with my mortality, 
not if I can help it."

"I do not want your protection.  I want. . ."

"What?  For me to be immortal?  It's not going to happen."  
Tears ran down Kate's face.  "And it's more than that.  If 
you did stay we would have to hide.  If someone were to 
notice you were different. . .they may do to you what they 
did to Elrohir.  I can't live with that constant fear."

"I don't want to leave you here alone,"  Legolas said.  

"I don't want to be left,"  Kate said.  "But I would rather 
be alone and know you were safe.  If something were to 
happen to you while you were here with me --- I would never 
forgive myself.  Can you understand that?"

Legolas nodded.  "I do."  He pulled her gently into his 
embrace.  Kate was still standing within his embrace when 
Elladan approached her.  

"My father wishes to speak to you,"  Elladan said. 

Kate nodded.  She walked down the steps and across the yard 
to where Elrond stood beside Arwen's grave.

Despite all that had happened, Kate was still intimidated by 
Elrond.  She approached him warily.  Sensing this, Elrond 
smiled and ushered her over to him.

"Sit,"  Elrond said.

She sat down beside him beneath the tree.  

"I am old, Kate.  And I have grown accustomed to my ways.  I 
have said things to you, that were perhaps too harsh or 
unfeeling.  I wanted to assure you that I am neither of 
those things,"  Elrond said.  

"I deserved your words,"  Kate said.

Elrond shook his head.  "You did not.  I should not have 
expected perfection.  I never expected it from my children, 
I should not have expected it from you."  Elrond sighed and 
looked up into the branches of the tree. 

"You think of Arwen when you see me,"  Kate said.

Elrond nodded.  "Though you do not have the look of her, the 
spirit within you is very much like hers."

"I....I hope that my life is an honor to her memory,"  Kate 
said.  "And Aragorn's."

"This is not the same world it once was.  You have lived a 
sheltered life.  But you rose to the challenge without 
hesitation,"  Elrond said.  "I am only sorry things could 
not have ended differently."

"Me too," Kate said quietly

"I know that we have already asked too much of you, but I 
have two favors to ask you."

"I will do what I can,"  Kate said.

"First, I would have you be keeper of the sword of Anduril."  
Elrond reached to the ground beside him and picked up the 
sword.  He held it out to her.  

Kate took it in her hands.  

"It is rightfully yours,"  Elrond said.  "And I know that 
Aragorn would want it in your possession."

"Thank you,"  Kate said.

"And my second favor concerns Elrohir."

"I have told you everything,"  Kate said.  "If there was 
more I would have let you know."

"I know that, this is something else,"  Elrond said.  "There 
is a chance, however small, that he may yet live.  If that 
is the case, I know he will find you.  Tell him, that we 
await him with open arms."

"Wouldn't he already know that?"  Kate said.

Elrond hung his head.  "Because of what has happened to him, 
he may not. . .feel he belongs upon Valinor.  You *must* 
convince him otherwise."

"I will do what I can,"  Kate said.

"That is all I ask,"  Elrond said.


****************************


The roar of the waves lapping the shoreline filled the air 
with the only conversation that was needed as they walked 
down the beach to the awaiting yacht.  Though it was not 
what they were accustomed to sailing to Valinor on, the 
yacht was the only thing Gandalf had been able to find on 
short notice.

Kate had always hated goodbyes.  And this one seemed to 
hardest she had ever made.  She approached Elrond first.  

"I'm sorry,"  she said.

Elrond looked at her in confusion.  "For what?"  

Kate shrugged.  "I don't know.  But I am sorry just the 
same."

Elrond smiled.  "There is nothing for you to be sorry for.  
You have behaved admirably.  I am. . quite proud of you."      

Kate hugged him tightly, and he slowly wrapped his arms 
around her in an embrace.  To everyone's surprise, tears 
filled Elrond's eyes, for this departure was the one he had 
always imagined he would have with Arwen when he had left 
Middle-Earth the first time.  But Arwen was too grief-
stricken to see him off.  At the time, Elrond did not blame 
her, but he had missed the one last embrace and envied 
Frodo's entourage of well-wishers.  But through Kate, he 
felt Arwen's strength and grace, hugging him back through 
the generations.  

Elladan approached her next.  "I am glad my brother was with 
you at the end."

"When you see him, give him this."  Kate stood up tiptoes 
and kissed Elladan on the cheek.

Elladan smiled.  "And if you should see him before me, tell 
him that we eagerly await his return.  No matter what evils 
have befallen him."

And last, Kate looked up Legolas.

"My spirit was nearly ripped from my body the last time I 
left you,"  Legolas whispered.  "I do not know how I shall 
be able to do it again."

"Do you regret coming back to Middle-Earth?"  Kate asked.

"Never,"  Legolas said.  Kate threw her arms around him.  
She wanted to freeze the moment in time, stop the earth from 
spinning, and forever stay locked in his embrace.  But she 
was unable to control anything.  Unable to keep Legolas from 
gently stepping away from her.  Unable to cry out and beg 
him to stay. Unable to keep the tears from her eyes as they 
blurred her last sight of him as the yacht pulled out of the 
docks and sailed away.

It vanished quickly in the darkness and she stood there for 
a long time.  Until all she heard were the waves and the 
wind.  She was alone.  And despite everything, the sun began 
to rise.

*************************************

Elrond stood upon the decks, watching as the shoreline 
slowly disappeared from sight.  He wondered why the 
bittersweet unions between elf and man forever fell to his 
family to bear.  Elrond glanced at Legolas, his gazed was 
ever fixed upon the now vanished shoreline.

"Was it worth it?"  Elrond asked.

Legolas did not tear his gaze from the water.  "An eternity 
of pain is but a small price to pay for the moments of joy 
in one breath of her hair, one kiss of her lips, one touch 
of her hand --- one."  Legolas's voice contained a certainty 
that Elrond had never heard in days before or since.  Later, 
Elrond described it as the voice of one who had for a brief 
and shining moment heard the music of the Ainur.

Legolas never saw Kate again.

***************************************