A/N: Originally written on May 30, 2013. This is based on the end of the timeline that I read in Appendix B of The Lord of the Rings, called The Tale of Years. "In this year on March 1st came at last the Passing of King Elessar. It is said that the beds of Meriadoc and Peregrin were set beside the bed of the great king. Then Legolas built a grey ship in Ithilien, and sailed down Anduin and so over Sea; and with him, it is said, went Gimli the Dwarf. And when that ship passed an end was come in Middle-earth of the Fellowship of the Ring." Parentheses indicate the passage of time.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Lord of the Rings books or films. Appendix B and all related characters, books, films, and logos belong to J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, and the rest of the respective owners of the books and films. I'm making no money with this story.

The End of the Fellowship

Legolas had picked each tree with care. The branches were strong and supple, and they had provided an excellent framework for the ship. Now that he had finished constructing the ship, he sanded the railings carefully so that no hands which touched them would be injured.

Legolas ran his fingers over the smooth wood. "Excellent. A fine ship to carry two fine beings to lands beyond. Now I have only to fetch my companion and we can depart." He trotted away from the water's edge, where his ship danced gently in the River Anduin's shallows. He burst into song as he went, and his Elvish tunes echoed through the surrounding trees.

() () () ()

Legolas directed his steps north, away from the Elvish lands in the south of Ithilien, through the lands of Gondor and Rohan. The White Mountains beyond Helm's Deep was his destination. It was not from the lips of his own people that Legolas received news about the specific location of the Dwarves in the jewel mines under the White Mountains. Many of the Elves had long since departed from Middle-earth. The age of the Elves was passing. Indeed, Legolas wondered if perhaps he was the last Elf remaining in Middle-earth, the last of a proud heritage of wisdom and song and light.

It was through the news from Men and the begrudging rumors from Dwarves that Legolas discovered where to look for the Dwarves. Down to the jewel mines Legolas descended, the mines that the Dwarves would always love. It was here that Legolas knew that he would find the Dwarf for whom he was searching, for these famous jewel mines were under the control of the venerable Gimli, son of Gloin.

() () () ()

Legolas stepped carefully through the steadily darkening tunnels that wound down deeper and deeper into the earth. The Dwarves he passed said little in response to his questions, but what they did say directed him to the largest excavated mine. When he arrived there, he found Dwarves scurrying busily about the cavernous space. Some were hauling chunks of rubble, some were chiseling rock from rock with picks and axes, and some were loading crystals into carts. Although he was deep underground, the excavated jewels filled the mine with pale white light.

It was by the light of these jewels that Legolas's Elf eyes spotted Gimli in the center of the cavern. He was leaning on his axe and directing the few Dwarves around him where next to mine for jewels. Legolas's heart sang with delight to see his old friend again.

"Hail, Master Gimli Elf-friend, Lord of the Glittering Caves!" Legolas bellowed.

Gimli's eyes peered in his direction from underneath bushy eyebrows. When he saw Legolas, he threw back his head and laughed heartily, a sound which filled the whole cavern. He ran as fast as his short legs would carry him across the clearing, through the carts, and up over the debris. Then, to the astonishment of the other Dwarves within sight, Gimli flung his arms around the Elf and banged him on the lower back, for he was of course too short to reach the Elf's shoulder.

"You are a sight for these weary eyes of mine, lad! I was sure that all the Elf folk had left these lands long ago."

"Many of us have left," Legolas answered. He held Gimli at an arm's length and beamed at him. Gimli's red beard and eyebrows had long since faded to gray. His embrace was not as powerful as it had once been. His blue eyes had grown dull with the passage of so much time, but they had lost none of their warmth.

As though Gimli had read his thoughts, he said, "These eyes of mine are fading, and I can no longer see the fine details of your face. Yet I perceive that the light of the Elves still rests upon your brow."

"Your words are kind, Master Dwarf, for time has left its mark upon my body as well."

"Well, your presence gives the Dwarves an excuse to do something we have not done in a long time." Turning to his fellow Dwarves, Gimli called loudly, "We shall have a feast in honor of Legolas, the fairest of all Elves in Ithilien!"

A cry of approval went up from the Dwarves. Within minutes, the Dwarves had abandoned their stations and retreated to the mines closer to the surface where the living quarters were. There, they lit an enormous bonfire and roasted many animals for the celebration. Boar and deer meat were abundant, and mead and ale flowed long into the night. In their inebriated states, the Dwarves even seemed eager to learn the words and hum the tunes of a few ancient Elvish songs, which Legolas patiently taught to them.

() () () ()

The next morning, Legolas shook Gimli out of his ale-fed slumber to speak with him. They climbed from the mines to the surface into the cool and clear morning air.

"The amount of food at your feasts far exceeds what Elves would offer for a feast, and your hospitality is jovial enough to dampen even a dragon's enmity, but I came seeking neither food nor hospitality," Legolas said.

"The company of Dwarves is not reason enough for you?" Gimli laughed. "Then what is the purpose of your unexpected visit?"

"My people are leaving Middle-earth. Many of the Elves have left to go to the Undying Lands, beyond the Great Sea. It has been my heart's desire for some time to follow my people across the Great Sea and find out what lies on the Western shores. On this journey, I wish to share the company of my dearest companion, who is called a friend of the Elves."

Gimli glanced up at him in surprise. "No Dwarf has ever ventured to the Elvish territory of the Undying Lands. No Dwarf would be allowed to stain that sacred place with his presence."

"Your presence would not be a stain on the lands of my people," Legolas whispered. The intensity in his voice brought a smile to Gimli's face. "You have long been a friend of the Elves, and for that reason you received your name. My people will welcome you to those distant shores as a fellow comrade. And if they do not, then you and I shall sail the Sea until we come to a place where an Elf and a Dwarf are allowed to stand side by side as companions."

"You would choose the company of a Dwarf over the company of an Elf," Gimli declared in amazement.

"I would choose the company only of Gimli, son of Gloin, noblest of all Dwarves, over the company of one of my own people," Legolas corrected.

Gimli chuckled. "I will not deny that I am getting to be a respectful age for a Dwarf. I suppose I could not find a better traveling companion among all the Dwarves of Middle-earth. Very well, lad. If to the Undying Lands we are going, then it is best that we travel together."

"Thank you, Gimli. I will be most grateful for your company," Legolas said with a respectful bow.

"Don't bow to me, lad. I only consented because it was you who asked me. If anyone else had come with the same request, I would surely have turned them away."

() () () ()

Many days of travel later, Legolas and Gimli stood next to Legolas's ship of gray wood on the River Anduin.

"A finely-crafted ship, Master Elf. Though it pains me to say it, the construction of the Elves will always surpass that of the Dwarves in beauty and strength," Gimli said.

"And what would the Dwarves think of such a remark?" Legolas asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Gimli caught his eye and laughed loudly. "That remark is off the record, lad! Never shall it be entered in the archives of Dwarvish history!"

Arms around each other, they boarded the ship in laughter.

"What adventure awaits us on the far shore, lad? What beauty will be unveiled there?"

"Our old friends will be waiting. The faces of my people will greet us," Legolas whispered contentedly. "Elvish songs will fill the lands with bliss." He sang gently the words of a song of his ancestors, sung since time immemorial:

We travel to the Western shore,

Where many souls have gone before.

The setting sun will lead the way

Through dusk of night to dawn of day,

Departing from the Sorrow's night

To come to Joy's eternal light,

The end of things, where earth meets sky,

And all the ages pass us by.

Soon, the River Anduin's mists concealed them, and the last two members of the Fellowship of the Ring vanished from the shores of Middle-earth.

()The End()

A/N: I created the poem myself, while trying to stay true to Tolkien's delightful poetic style. Tell me what you think, please.