Disclaimer: Good chunks of this chapter and story in general have been influenced by The People of the Sea by David Thomson. I do not own or make any profit from Rowling or Universal's Harry Potter verse or Tolkien and Jackson's Lord of the Rings.

...

Part 3

…

The Epilogue and Many Partings

….

'This was always my favourite spot to come and think," Lil declared as she treaded carefully down a steep slope. At the bottom stood a tall boulder with a thick rope wrapped around its girth, tying it to a small boat which bobbed in the calm lake water. She veered left at the rock and pushed aside a wave of tall grass surrounding the bank to reveal several smaller, rounded stones covered with moss, looking almost soft and inviting. This was apparently their intended destination.

"Come sit," Lil said, picking the farthest rock to sit down on. Haerelion watched in fascination as she swept her legs to the side, crossed her ankles, and fanned her skirts out evenly around her. Though she did not have the typical striking, distinguished features of the elves, nor the preternatural sense of one who is so attuned with Nature, she had an elegance, finesse, and beauty all of her own that he admired.

Haerelion remained standing, watching her for a moment in dismay, unable to move. At some point over the course of the morning something had twisted into place inside him. And his original simple desire for knowledge, to understand where he came from had turned into a gut-wrenching homesickness. Homesickness for a place he'd hardly lived in, for places he could never return to, for a person he by all technicality barely knew, and for someone who he wasn't sure he would ever see again. But right now, most of all, what he really wished he could do was just reach out to her and tell her how much he missed her. It felt so wrong that just when he was finally getting the chance to know her, they were going to be separated again.

Catching his eye, Lil stared at him intently and Haerelion suddenly felt the need to bow his head and avert his eyes, discomfited at being laid so bare and vulnerable by a woman who couldn't possibly know him as well as she did. She smiled sympathetically and patted the seat beside her. "Let us make the most of the time that we have. Come," she repeated, "Tell me about growing up with the Elves. Tell me everything you can."

Finally moving, Haerelion took a seat, sliding his still bare feet into the water in front of them. It was colder than he anticipated, but nothing compared to the chill of the ocean in Almaren.

He turned to Legolas as his husband bent down to sit beside him. Before he even knew he needed it, Legolas had once again anticipated his plea and offered to begin. He gave an exceptionally truncated version of the Ring Wars, placing the most focus on what it was like to come home and meet Haerelion for the first time. He told stories of Haerelion growing up that even Haerelion did not clearly recall, being a mere babe at the time. And he went into great detail of how he, Haerelion, and Thranduil had become a family. As the stories progressed in years, Haerelion started to jump in and add his own perspective and teasing remarks. Before long, the two had begun to speak in tandem, flowing seamlessly from one story to the next. They hit all the key moments in Haerelion's life, and then some, all the way up to their wedding and leaving for Ithilien. By unspoken agreement, neither leaving Middle Earth nor Legolas' sea-calling were brought up again.

Lil was the perfect consummate listener. Giving them her rapt attention, she gasped with appropriate affect in all the right parts, blanched and scowled disapprovingly at their dangerous stunts, balked and turned away at the more disgusting details that were typical when dealing with boys, and crooned in sympathy when the tale warranted. By the time they came to the end she had but one question.

"So, how did the two of you… shift, so to speak, from being mere friends to… more? Was there a moment of," she gestured graspingly with her hands, "epiphany? Realisation?"

Haerelion looked at Legolas in surprise. He had never been asked that so directly before. It had happened so gradually and unassumingly that it seemed natural by the time he kissed Legolas in Anfalas. He hadn't even tried to fight it, even knowing what he did at the time that Legolas was destined to sail off to the Undying Lands and leave him behind.

Both elves continued to stare at each other as they contemplated the question, trying to come up with an answer that would make sense to another person.

"I remember," Haerelion finally spoke up, slowly gathering the words to himself, "being in the library with one of my tutors. Ada was always adamant about my studies." He stopped to clear his throat and then tilted his head, speaking in a slightly mocking tone and repeating something that had obviously been drilled into his head. "Being well-bred is being well-read."

"It's about building a good moral character!" Legolas chimed in using the same deeper, mocking tone and a fond smile.

"Yes," Haerelion nodded, pulling a long, sombre face, trying to look down his nose at his slightly taller husband. "Let us never forget the tale of Cincinnatus!"

"A mere mortal with the wisdom of Eru himself! Stepping up to the call of duty when the people needed him most, but able to walk away from the promise of more power when that obligation was complete." Legolas continued the tale, losing the teasing tone and betraying just how much he actually enjoyed and appreciated the story.

"Power corrupts," Haerelion agreed, raising a warning finger into the air, "And absolute power corrupts absolutely! But Cincinnatus showed that there is hope if one mere mortal man alone can keep his head and resist it; he walked with kings and yet kept the common touch."

"No other Man, not of Númenórean descent, has ever been so lauded and celebrated by the Elves."

Lil's eyebrows rose into her hairline, then dropped with a sagacious smile. "Sounds like quite the tale. Perhaps you can tell me about it later. But I believe you were saying," she trailed off promptingly.

"Right! Being exposed to a wide array of literature, the theme of love came up most frequently. Elves, being so long-lived, will marry for love and for life," Haerelion explained. "So, it should be no surprise that our People have spent eons studying the subject. It's prevalent in everything they write - poetry, stories, ballads, warnings, fairy tales-"

"Are you not the subject of, quote, 'fairy tales'," Lil interrupted with a teasing smirk.

"For hobbits, yes," Legolas answered with a laugh.

At Lil's confused look, Haerelion attempted to elucidate. "Halflings." He placed his hand, palm downward, to just above his head while sitting. "Little People."

Alarmingly, once the words had left his mouth, Lil vaulted forward to press her finger forcefully against Haerelion's lips, her face pulled down in fear as she frantically looked around, as though someone may be listening. Haerelion and Legolas froze in response, straining their own ears to hear something. But nothing seemed amiss.

After several seconds of complete silence, Lil relaxed, dropping her hand and her shoulders slumped forward in obvious relief. Placing a finger over her own lips, she leaned closer to Haerelion and Legolas until her mouth was inches from their ears. In a whisper she warned, "We must not offend the Fae, especially in their own lands." Haerelion and Legolas exchanged a bewildered look, but nodded judiciously, each meeting her earnest stare until she was satisfied and moved back.

Regaining her calm demeanour, she still spoke rather softly as she explained, "I ken you didn't mean to invoke the name of the Fae - just bad coincidence, is all - but it's dangerous to speak certain names, nonetheless. We need to keep our hosts in a hospitable mood while we linger in their realm."

Seeing their still-befuddled expressions, she huffed out a sigh of frustration and her frown deepened. "There is much I wish I could tell you, but unfortunately we haven't the time. However, in the few moments given to us, I implore you to choose your words wisely," she cautioned circumspectly.

A heavy silence was left ringing in their ears until even the sole sound of the water lapping at Haerelion's feet was drowned out by the muted echo in the air.

"Well," Haerelion cleared his throat, trying to calm his flustered nerves. Now that it had been brought to his attention, he suddenly felt an increased awareness of the weight of his own words. A person's word was their very honour, trustworthiness, and integrity, but suddenly that notion had taken on a new meaning in his mind. The consequences of the words you spoke seemed much more substantial than before. Like the repercussions would be more immediate - and physical, if necessary. He cleared his throat again and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Right. Em. So, Elves have a lot to say on the subject of love."

In a gesture of encouragement, Lil leaned forward to place her hand on his shoulder, a slightly apologetic smile tilting her lips as she nodded for him to continue.

Somewhat emboldened, Haerelion pressed on. "Well, it was of no surprise then that when I was in my late twenties, I questioned my tutor about the difference between familial love and that of a love for a spouse."

He remembered it quite clearly. Looking back, all the signs were there even before he kissed Legolas that first time.

…. …. ~ . ~ …. ….

"Calaerthel," Haerelion had put down his studies and was regarding his tutor curiously. He was reading the epic tale of Beren and Lúthien, which Calaerthel had been discussing with him at great length. "How is their love," he gestured somewhat irreverently to the text, "different from say how I love my adar or Eldarion or Legolas? What's so special about it? What makes it so different? I mean, besides the obvious, of course. How do you know the difference really?" he drawled, not sure if he was honestly asking in earnest or just in attempt to waste some time. He was more than ready for his time in the stuffy library be done for the day so he could go outdoors and do something more productive.

Calaerthel had smiled at him indulgently with a small hint of condescension as though amused by his puerile question. She had then gone on to explain all the amazing things that Love was, and how ultimately, knowing the person you were to spend your life with was something you would just know and feel when it happened.

In other words, she didn't have an answer, as far as Haerelion was concerned. And so, pressing the issue, he'd repeated back to her, "Patient, nice, protecting, trusting," he ticked the attributes off on his fingers listlessly, utterly uninspired. 'Is that all you've got for me' was on the tip of his tongue, but he knew better than to disrespect his elders. Instead he settled for commenting, "That easily describes Legolas. What's this feeling you're supposed to have to know the difference?" He was beginning to think his tutor was not as knowledgeable as his adar thought. For truly, all of those things reminded him of Legolas; and he supposed his ada too, though in a slightly different way. But Legolas was his best friend.

"Passion."

Her abrupt and vehement response took him by surprise and must have shown in his demeanour for she continued.

"There is passion and lust. And your ability to feel joy greatly increases, as does your ability to experience despair based on your devotion to that person and the capacity to feel what they feel. It is exhilarating, despairing, and utterly overwhelming. You are no longer alone in this world as one, but complete as two; and then by marriage you are made one flesh again."

There was a pause as Haerelion let her words wash over him in an attempt to understand what he was just told.

"Does that answer your question, young one?" Calaerthel looked rather smug in her confidence that he would have no rebuttal. And, of course, she was right.

He left that morning's tutorial a little earlier than usual, as Calaerthel had taken pity on him and let him mull over her answer in his own time. That worked for him, as Haerelion figured he could just use the time to see what Legolas was doing and find out whether the older elf could better explain all that Calaerthel had said in a more sensical way.

…. …. ~ . ~ …. ….

"And did he?" Lil asked, laughing under her breath at Haerelion's self-deprecating expression.

"Not really."

"I am having trouble recalling when this took place," Legolas mused, his eyes narrowed and cast downwards in thought. "What did I say?"

"That I was too young to be asking such questions and to come practice my sparring footwork with you."

"An appropriate answer at the time," Legolas nodded, looking pleased with himself.

"Hardly," Haerelion disagreed on principle. "But it was that moment that started me thinking about what love was. And I suppose the rest is history…. over several decades and missteps, that is."

"But we got there," Legolas finished for him. "I'd say that what woke me up was that half-wit Rimben threatening to take you." He scowled in disgust, no doubt picturing the scene in his mind.

Haerelion shook his head, raising his eyes to the heavens as he did so. "You're ridiculous. I was there, remember? He hardly threatened anything; he was teasing you at best. And his cognition is perfectly fine. If anything, he made you look the fool," Haerelion paused, casting a side-eye at Legolas before muttering under his breath, "Pe-channas!" (idiot/ dim-wit)

"Man?" Legolas gaped, wide-eyed, before quickly changing that to a mischievous growl. "Fó! Ci pîn presta-ceredir!" Charging, Legolas grabbed Haerelion by the shoulders and playfully pushed him forward, vaulting him head first into the water. (Roughly: What? How dare you! You little trouble-maker!)

Haerelion put his hands forward at the last second, but was too late to stop his fall. He fell into the shallows with a splash, soaking his entire front from the top of his hair to the tip of his toes. Spluttering and gasping, he twisted around with a half-choked laugh and immediately shot out a hand to seize the front of Legolas' shirt and drag his husband down after him.

Lil, meanwhile, quickly stood up and took several steps back, though she was too late to prevent the front of her skirts from getting a bit wet. "Boys!" She shook her head in amusement as the two continued to gamely tussle in the shoals for several minutes, neither gaining the upper hand. Though it was clear that neither were trying very hard either.

'Take it back!" Legolas cried, pushing Haerelion's head down into the water again.

Haerelion responded by twisting away and rolling out from under his spouse with all the agility of a fish. "Legolas, this is very childish of you," Haerelion admonished with false scorn as he stood up a few feet away, cheating slightly and using magic to keep Legolas stuck in the mud a moment longer. "Can't you see we were having a nice chat?" he said, shaking his head disappointedly, as though Legolas were the wayward child, and stepping onto dry land.

Legolas responded, showing his greater age and level of maturity by sticking his tongue out while attempting to regain his footing to no avail.

Finally taking pity, but not without getting in a few more laughs, Haerelion reached his hand out to help him up, before abruptly thinking better of it and pulling back. Instead, he stepped back and used his magic to lift Legolas up in the air and set him down on the grass.

"Now then," Haerelion stated with a cheeky grin and a wave of his hand, causing sparks to fly from his fingers. "If you're nice, I might not make you stay in those wet clothes for too long."

Before he could even finish that statement, however, both elves suddenly felt a hot burst of air and found themselves completely dry, in pre-roll-around-the-lake condition.

With a smirk, Lil twirled her wand between her fingers before slipping it into a hidden pocket within her skirts and sitting back down.

Fascinated, Haerelion quickly forgot about their childish romp and instantly began asking all the questions he'd been building up in his head all morning. "You called that a 'wand', right? What's it made out of? Is it real, or more like a shadow of your original one? It is made of wood, isn't it? What kind of wood is that? Did you make it? How does it focus your magic, and why do you move it in odd ways - it all seemed very precise and intentional? Does-"

Laughter rang out around him as both his naneth and Legolas threw back their heads with mirth.

"My, yeh certainly ask a lot o' questions. At least I know exactly who you get that from," she said with a modest smile, which Haerelion returned. "Well, let me see if I can get them all," she paused to collect her thoughts. "My wand is 10 and a quarter inches, made of willow and a hair from a selchie."

"Selchie?" Haerelion interrupted with some alarm. "You said those were seal-people. Seals don't have hair." He looked to Legolas for confirmation. "Do they?"

"Not quite." Lil shook her head. "The selchies are particularly well known for shedding their skin to walk on land for a spell and… mingle with humans." She waved her hands outwards in a graceful, wave-like motion, as though to say, and there you have it. "Seal blood has been in our family goin' back at least a couple centuries. And every few generations, a child will come along who is particularly beholden to the Sea. I saw that in you the moment you were born and named you Hurlee - meaning 'sea tide'," she added for Legolas' benefit.

At Haerelion's somewhat disturbed look, she chided, "It's no' like yer goin' to spontaneously sprout flippers and a tail after swimming for too long!" Haerelion quietly breathed a sigh of relief - you never knew with magic, after all! "In fact," his naneth continued, "selchies are considered one of the Fae, believed to be cursed. It has been decreed that our sea-longing shall be land-longing and our land-longing, sea-longing; never truly at peace. But," her eyes lit up knowingly, "I am rather inclined to believe that between the blessings of different magics and the Fae themselves, you are no longer bound to carry that burden." Her hands came up again to cup both his cheeks and then moved down to settle on his shoulders, squeezing them. "My miracle boy."

A moment passed between mother and son, during which Legolas respectfully averted his eyes and pretended to be interested in the muddy grass beneath his feet.

"Forgive me," Lil said after a spell, releasing Haerelion's shoulders and stroking her hands down his arms as though to smooth out non-existent wrinkles. "You were asking about my wand. Let me recall.

"Ah yes, it is real. Though I only seem to have access to it here, in the Place of In-Between - I couldn't even begin to tell you exactly why tha' is. And no, I did no' make my own wand. That takes quite a bit of skill and talent that I do no' possess. But yes, certain spells do require specific wand movements to work." She breathed in, but then paused a second time, freeing one hand from Haerelion to slowly pull her wand out again. "Would- would you like to try it?

Haerelion straightened his spine and immediately began to lean forward, opening and closing his mouth with not a sound coming forth, his hands twitching in his lap. "Cou- could I?" he stuttered.

At her encouraging nod, he tentatively reached out his hand, trembling when the thin stick was placed across his palm. Slowly did his fingers close around the polished wood, marvelling at the vibrant warmth he felt emanating from it. And what was more, he could feel an answering thrum pulsating from deep within his chest, as though his magic recognised it somehow. "Elë!" (Wow)

Lil opened her mouth, looking to instruct him on what he should try, but she needn't have bothered. After a moment of admiring and feeling the wand, Haerelion, all on his own, lifted it to eye-level and made a great swishing motion downward.

A great gurgling sound rose from the still placid lake, before giving way to a great wave surging upwards until it was a solid wall nearly 10 feet high. Another twirl of the wand and a look of deep concentration preceded the water beginning to take form. Before their eyes patterns and structures began to take shape until what was clearly a woodland palace stood like a picture before them. Using only water as a medium, the deep greens and browns should have been impossible to replicate, but with magic involved Haerelion had managed to make it as lifelike as possible.

"Elë!" Legolas echoed. "Greenwood," he murmured in shock, deeply impressed. (Wow!)

Lil too was staring at it in wonder and did not take her eyes away to ask, "Your home growing up?"

Haerelion nodded. "Yes." He watched his naneth's face, watching her drink in every detail. When her eyes finally stopped scanning each feature, he waved the wand again, closed his eyes in concentration, and then with another circular motion, the water broke apart and reformed.

"This is Legolas' talan in Greenwood where I spent most of my time growing up, eventually all but living with him."

Once more the minute details and brilliant colours were captivating. Legolas reached over and took Haerelion's hand with a regretful, nostalgic sigh.

Another wave of the wand and soon the talan was replaced by a similar looking one, though this one slightly larger. "Our talan in Ithilien," Haerelion said. "And this," he took a moment to repeat the process, "is the ship we built to cross the Belegaer." No words were spoken, but Haerelion continued to watch his naneth's revealing expressions to know when to move on. "And this," he focused his magic through the wand again, this time able to do so without closing his eyes. "is our talan in the Woods of Oromë in the Undying Lands."

"Amazing," Lil intoned quietly, "Thank you for sharing that." She turned her head to finally look at him. "Magic is strong in you, indeed. It makes a mother very proud."

Blushing, but pleased that he was able to show his naneth something of his life, Haerelion let go of his hold on the magic and pushed the water back towards the middle of the lake, letting it fall down with a gentle splash. He wished he could also show her not only the places, but also the people who influenced his life. Unfortunately, this being his first time using a wand, he rather doubted he could do any of them justice.

He looked down at the wand in wonder, its warmth still pressing reassuringly against his skin, like it was made to fit his hand. Somewhat reluctantly, he started to give it back to his naneth, but was stopped midway by her own hand pushing back. She curled her fingers around his own and bid, "You keep it. It is yer birth right, and I would have you keep a piece of me when yeh return home."

Haerelion gulped and his nostrils flared for a moment, too choked up to be able to respond. But Lil seemed to understand all the same and smiled back at him, pressing the arm holding the wand down to his lap and patting the back of his hand warmly.

"Now," she beamed, though her glistening eyes betrayed her, "What are your plans for when you return home?"

Taken aback, both by the abrupt change in subject and the question itself, Haerelion exchanged a blank glace with Legolas, who seemed just as stumped. Ever since coming to the Undying Lands Haerelion had been myopically focused on training his magic and finding information about his past and origins. Yet in a matter of hours he had discovered there was little more Mithrandir could teach him due to his own magic being so unique. And all he could possibly learn about his past, short of travelling to his parents' world and that of the Fae – and who knew if he would ever be able to return from there – all had been revealed to him by meeting his naneth. His head was still reeling from that fact alone.

And now here he was, all his goals of the past century having been met in a day.

"I don't know," he finally said in all honesty, feeling an odd sense of bereavement at the realization that he no longer had an objective to fulfill or mission to complete. Other than going home to their talan between the seas and the Woods of Oromë… then what?

His naneth laid a hand over his and squeezed, bringing his eyes back to meet hers. "You will." She nodded to Legolas. "Now it is time for the two of you to figure that out together."

Her eyes darted upwards then to where the sun had long begun its descent and was only a foot above the tree line now, painting the landscape in deep red and orange tones. Their time together was coming to an end.

Lil's hand came up to stroke Haerelion's face once more with all the desperation of knowing she would never get the chance to do so again. "You will figure it out. As a wise man once said, 'All nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony not understood; All partial evil, universal good. And, spite of pride, in erring reason's spite, one truth is clear, 'Whatever is, is right.

"I know that you will love deeply," she continued earnestly, reaching out a hand for Legolas to clasp, and looking at them both "I pray that you are blessed with the strength to endure all the challenges life will send your way, that you find joy and happiness in the most unlikely of places; and above all else, ye forever know gratitude, loyalty, and compassion. Only you can decide what will define the next chapter of yer lives together. But I have faith that ye will."

Lil bowed her head then and gave a chuckle of self-derisive laughter. "Listen to me, getting all preachy!" Raising her head, both elves could see that her eyes were wet once more as she smiled somewhat abashedly at them both. "But I only have this one chance to impart some wisdom to ye both, and I hope ye can get something out of an old woman's ramblings."

Not bothering with words, Haerelion reached forward for another embrace, simply nodding his head into her shoulder. Glancing over, he sent a reassuring smile Legolas's way and received one in return.

~ …... ~.~ …... ~

Before long the sky began to grow dark, and as one, their little trio headed back towards the house, giving it one last long look, and making their way towards the hawthorn tree where Gandalf and Uinen stood waiting for them. There they said their final goodbyes.

Haerelion felt his throat closing up, realising that this was it. "I will cherish this," he intoned solemnly, clutching the wand over his heart before bringing his naneth into a bone-crushing hug that he hoped conveyed all the emotions he had not the time nor the words to express. Given the force with which it was returned, he imagined she felt much the same. Breaking apart, his naneth cupped his face, laid a kiss on his forehead, and said, "I love you very much."

Haerelion couldn't say what happened next. Moving as though in a dream, he only vaguely heard his Legolas saying 'thank you' to his naneth as he pulled Haerelion back into the faery ring. With a jolt, his heightened senses returned, and he could feel Legolas stiffen ever so slightly in surprise as well. Before either could dwell on it further, however, they moved as a group towards the hawthorn where a nail was sticking out at eye level, on which hung a very familiar looking horseshoe.

Haerelion let Legolas take control of his hand, placing it on the two objects and keeping it pressed down next to his own. His eyes never left those of his naneth's. One moment she was there, her hand suspended in mid-air, waving farewell, and the next, Haerelion, Legolas, Gandalf, and Uinen were back on their ship in the middle of the Sea - bags and all!

Still in a daze, caught between grief of what he had just lost and an overwhelming happiness at all he had just gained, Haerelion listened with half an ear to Lady Uinen explain. "Almaren was open to you as a bridge to allow you to enter the neutral ground of the Sídhe in order to meet your mother. But it will be closed once again and the Void beyond Ekkai unpassable once more." She then moved to embrace each of them, bestowing Haerelion with a kiss to his forehead, still warm from where his naneth had done the same.

Stepping back, she regarded all three and said, "I will temper the waves and set you on your course home. Novaer. Na lû e-govaned vîn." (Fare three well. Until we meet again)

Then she was gone.

And just like that, it was over, and the three companions were heading home.

~ …... ~.~ …... ~

Haerelion was uncharacteristically quiet over the next few days, not that Legolas and Gandalf expected anything different. They allowed him his space and time to help get his head in order as they went about their expected duties on the ship.

It was not until several days later, when they had finally reached the Undying Lands, and were camping their first night ashore by the Halls of Nienna, that Haerelion spoke.

"Uin edhel," he said despondently, feeling bereft the moment the words left his lips as he looked over at Legolas, who was sitting only a few paces away and currently feeding some dry twigs into the fire. None of them had been particularly hungry for days, eating only the thin Lembas bread they had packed, but had built the fire nonetheless for some comforting warmth. (I am not an elf)

Frozen for a moment, surprised at finally hearing Haerelion's voice again after so long, Legolas looked up in shock before moving to sit down on Haerelion's left. Looking into his spouse's sombre face, Legolas scrunched his nose up in confusion and made a point of exaggeratedly looking at Haerelion's ears, the pointed, sculpted shape of his face, traced a finger down his arm where one could see his skin glowing in the dimness of evening, and then back up to his eyes that were brighter than even Legolas' blue. "You're not?" he asked, heavy with sarcasm.

Haerelion huffed. "I wasn't born one," he clarified

"And what does that matter?" Legolas paused, but before Haerelion could reply, he provided the answer. "It doesn't." And with a single finger, he pressed Haerelion's lips shut.

Haerelion frowned, but when Legolas didn't let up, it eventually turned into a pout and then the twitching beginnings of a smile. "Fine," he conceded with a forceful sigh. "You win."

"Good." And really, that was the end of that.

Another beat passed before Legolas removed his finger. He continued to look at Haerelion, knowing that more than just that particular doubt had kept him silent for so long.

"I miss her."

Conscious this was not an issue he could denounce as easily as the other and be done with it, Legolas leaned forward until their foreheads pressed together and their eyes met. "I know," he said. Wrapping his arms around his love, Legolas pulled him tighter into his side, welcoming Haerelion's own arms encircling his torso and squeezing him for all he was worth, while Haerelion buried his face into Legolas' chest.

The rest of the night passed in silence with neither elf letting go, taking comfort in the solid presence of the other. By the time the sun had risen in the sky the next day, clear and beautiful, Haerelion felt better. And it was a start.

~ …... ~.~ …... ~

After a day or so, the group finally parted ways. Mithrandir had some well-deserved resting to engage in, as he told the two elves somewhat wearily. Though as they continued down their own path, Haerelion swore he heard some light-hearted singing coming from the wizened old Maia.

"Roads go ever ever on, over rock and under tree," floated back to the two elves until the wind picked up, drowning out all other sound, and by the time it abated, no trace of the Istar remained.

~ …... ~.~ …... ~

Legolas and Haerelion rode on through the Pastures of Yavanna and down to the Woods of Oromë where at long last, their talan stood proudly on the edge of the forest. Only a day's ride south from the Bay of Eldamar with a view from the top that looked out onto the mountains of Pelóri. And it was only a few hours hike to the cliff's edge where one could see the Shadowy Seas crashing far below.

It looked as one would expect after being neglected for over a year, with nature having taking control from the lack of maintenance. Some wooden panels that had split and had branches going through them would need to be replaced, the ivy would need to be cut back and then used to strengthen the climbing rope, and thatch and weaved saplings that made up the roof would need to be rewoven in some places. Nothing a little magic and a day's hard work couldn't fix. But more importantly, it was home and it was theirs.

Reaching the front door after Legolas, Haerelion turned around and looked out over the mountains, where, if he strained his ears long enough and there was complete silence, he could hear the roar of the ocean in the distance. Or perhaps it was just his own wishful thinking.

After a time, Legolas came back out from where he had been inspecting the inside and drew Haerelion in. Setting himself on his favourite chair, he pulled Haerelion into his lap and laid his chin atop his shoulder.

Haerelion drew in a deep breath and sank into Legolas' hold, contentedly. "Well," he declared, "we're back."

"Thank goodness for that," Legolas replied, laughing quietly. And then, for Haerelion's ears alone, he softly added, "Nîn Telereg." (My little sea-elf)

…... . …...

The End

~...~

A/N: Finally, finally, finally! That's done! I promise that is the end. No more! It's not been beta'd and for that I apologise, but I hope you liked it, nonetheless. Let me know what you think. (:

Now, back to The Long Road, as promised! [salutes readers]

(Side note: The quote Lil said is from Alexander Pope - not to take any undue credit there.

And the ending is a bit of a nod to The Hobbit and Return of the King, if anyone has their books handy! Again, giving credit where it is due. )

Once again, thank you all for reading!