The feast to celebrate King Elessar's coronation was bigger than any feast Middle-Earth had seen in awhile. It was hard to find someone that was not invited for it seemed as if everyone were there. Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, Men... It truly was a night to remember and it was nice to for once be able to fully relax and know that tomorrow was going to be an equally as wonderful day as the next.

Ilmarë walked out of the Great hall to get some air and sighed deeply as she glanced out over Gondor's beautiful landscape. Suddenly she felt a rush of sadness run through her as she realised that her journey had finally come to an end. When she had set out with the Dwarves of Erebor once many years ago, her life had finally begun and now at the footsteps of Minas Tirith, it had ended. Ilmarë was going to live her life in peace, finally, as the Elves slowly descended into legend and myths. It was a happy yet sad thought.

"You don't seem very happy."

Ilmarë turned to look at Legolas with a sad smile and explained her feelings to him, not expecting him to understand her. He, as she did, had a choice ahead of him to either stay in Middle-Earth or travel to the Undying Lands with the rest of his kin. Ilmarë would have to return to her home to serve Manwë some day, though Middle-Earth felt no less of a home than Valinor. Of course, some Elves would linger on in Middle-Earth until their magical presence would become so uncommon that people stopped believing in them. It was the time of Men to rule these lands for the time of the Elves had been over for long now and Ilmarë had to accept it.

"With the One Ring destroyed, the other Rings of Power will also lose their power," Legolas spoke softly.

"What does that mean?"

They both turned as Gimli tramped out with his pipe in hand and took a seat on the steps. Ilmarë smiled at her friend as he knew so little of Elves and their destiny in this place.

"It is because the Rings of Power that places like Lothlórien and Rivendell exist and are not affected by time," Legolas explained. "Lady Galadriel is a Ring-bearer and as her Ring fades, so will she. Lothlórien will wither away into ruins and all the thousands of years that time has been preserved for the Elves will come to haunt us, especially so for the Ring-bearers. Ilmarë's grandmother, Lord Elrond and so many more are forced to leave this Earth for the Undying Lands or they will fade and eventually seize to exist."

"Will you also fade and leave this Earth?" Gimli asked and Ilmarë sensed a worry in his voice.

"Legolas is born in Middle-Earth," Ilmarë said with a smile. "He have never seen or grazed the lands of Valinor and thus he does not have the same pull to it as my grandmother or grandfather. They are High elves, those who have travelled to Valinor before and are now returning back home. Life in Middle-Earth pains many of his kin who do not cope well with the ageing of the world. It is a burden for many and leaving for the Undying lands would bring great comfort. Without the power of the Three Rings of Power, Elves do not belong on this Earth anymore."

They were quiet for a moment as their words were sad. Ilmarë knew that her grandmother would have to leave, and her grandfather not long after. Elrond and all whom she had ever known would not resist the great pull of going to the Undying Lands. It was her final destination as well but as long as Ilmarë's mortal friends walked on this Earth she knew that she could not leave.

"I love Middle-Earth with a passion," Ilmarë spoke and glanced at Legolas. "I cannot see myself anywhere else as long as our friends are here."

"I agree," Legolas said with a smile.

And without speaking another word they had both agreed that they would stay in Middle-Earth with Aragorn, Gimli, Éomer, Éowyn, Faramir and everyone else that they loved. Ilmarë sighed a sigh of relief and glanced at Gimli who seemed utterly confused.

"Do not worry, my friend," Ilmarë said and nudged him on the shoulder. "You will be stuck with us for quite a while."

Gimli didn't even give them as much as a cheeky comment in response, but simply smiled warm heartedly toward them both. The poor Dwarf had been crying his eyes out at the coronation and now Ilmarë suspected that he was actually the most sensitive of them all.

"It's all over now," Gimli breathed. "We have nothing to do."

"We have another wedding to attend," Legolas said and smiled.

"Yes, yes, yes," Gimli said and waved his hand in dismissal. "But after that, we're off again, just like we promised we would. The Glittering caves, Fangorn, the Shire... Another adventure, just the three of us."

Legolas glanced at Ilmarë hesitantly, asking for her opinion. Ilmarë wouldn't say she did not like the sound of a calmer adventure this time. Exploring all of her home, all of Middle-Earth, sounded like a great idea.

"What do you say?" Legolas said and smiled at her.

"I say - what are we waiting for?"

*

Erebor was ruled by King Thorin III Stonehelm, son of King Daín, the day Ilmarë arrived in the kingdom with Legolas, Gimli, and her five-year-old daughter Amariel. This was the kingdom Ilmarë had told her child about since the day she was born, yet this was the first time in long she actually stepped foot inside the Erebor keep. Ilmarë's former name, Míriel, was still recognised amongst the Erebor Dwarves by her old friends Glóin and Bofur.

King Thorin allowed Ilmarë and her family to have a look around Erebor and Gimli was happy to introduce Legolas as his friend to his father while bragging about the Elfling who was almost as much Gimli's daughter as she was Legolas'. Meanwhile, Ilmarë managed to sneak away on her own to find the place she longed to visit the most.

Ilmarë walked into the memorial, an entire hall dedicated to the memories of Thorin Oakenshield and his nephews Fíli and Kíli. Ilmarë had been there once before when she visited Erebor when Daín was still king, but now it felt so different. Then she had been alone, broken, and now she had a husband and child with her.

Three statues had been raised in honour of her friends, the heroes of Erebor that once delivered the kingdom from a terrifying dragon. This was the place that Ilmarë had fought to hard to help reclaim, and now it was a home for hundreds of Dwarves. It was exactly what Thorin would have wanted for his homeland. If only he had been allowed to be king for longer; to have a life that extended long enough so that he could meet Ilmarë's daughter.

Ilmarë walked up to the middle statue which portrayed Thorin. It did not look much like him in all honesty, but it did not matter to Ilmarë. She knew that this was the closest she would ever get to the Dwarf again for he was now far away, out of reach to touch and hear.

"I... don't really know what to say to you," Ilmarë began speaking. "I don't even know if you can hear me, or where you are. I brought my daughter to see your home, Amariel is her name. When I was still carrying her, before I knew the gender, I considered naming my son Thorin, or Fíli or Kíli." Ilmarë chuckled to herself and dried some tears off her cheeks. She remembered Legolas' protests as she suggested it for he had been insistent that a child of the Eldar could not have Dwarven names. "There aren't any braver people on this earth than you, and a day doesn't pass that I don't think about you. I remember everything, from the freckles on your faces, to your smiles and your laughs. I remember our first meeting, all of our fights and the love. Because I loved you all, you were my family. I would have desperately wanted you to meet my new family."

Ilmarë had to take a deep breath and compose herself before continuing. The memories of them still brought pain to her heart, even after nearly a hundred years without seeing them.

"I married Legolas after all, even after erasing all his memories," Ilmarë said with a smile. "I know you never liked him, Kíli, but he is a good person. He is my Tauriel... Either way, it turns out I am no Elf at all. I was a Maiar all along. You all would have loved that story... It would have made it easier for you to befriend me."

Ilmarë sighed again and placed her hand on the statue of Thorin.

"I will remember you forever, and when the last Dwarf on earth draws his breath I will still think of you," Ilmarë vowed. "The sons of Durin will live on."

I amar prestar aen...

The world is changed.

The Fellowship of the Ring that was in eternity bound by love and friendship, was broken but remained forever in their hearts.

The end