Lothlorien was a magical land, especially at night. Caledorn had always thought this, even after visiting the mysterious forest many times. And tonight was no different. The moon lit the trees in a pale light, illuminating the path that the company was now taking. Even the dwarves had silenced their grumbling as they gazed upon the mystical platforms that were interspersed among the trees.

"In all my days, I never thought I'd see somethin' as marvelous as this," One of them said breathlessly.

"Durin's beard, look at the craftsmanship!" Another added.

Caledorn turned to his side to see Taliel looking up at the elven city, though her expression was one of sorrow rather than one of awe. He remembered that she had said she was from Lothlorien, though it wasn't until now that he realized that the return was not a joyful one for her.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly. He rarely expressed concern, and was loathe to betray his emotions ever, but it seemed as if she needed someone to care at that particular moment, and he was the only one that would have noticed her feelings among the company.

She looked surprised that he had asked, though she smiled gratefully. "Yes... This place just brings back memories that I have fought to forget for many years now."

Caledorn nodded slightly. "Memories of family?"

Taliel turned away from him. "Yes. I was raised here, you know."

"I gathered as much. I imagine that it must have been quite a place to grow up."

Taliel smiled wistfully at his words. "It was. Though as a young elleth I was more preoccupied with chasing squirrels and butterflies than enjoying the beauty of Caras Galadhon."

Caledorn's mouth tugged up into a wry smile as he pictured a young Taliel causing mischief in the city. "I don't suppose that you pretended to be a knight as well..."

"I did!" Taliel exclaimed. "I had a stick that I pretended was a sword. I named it Effíriëolwen."

At that Caledorn made a sound that he had seldom made; He laughed. It was a clear, strong laugh that was strangely joyful for such a solemn elf. It sounded as if it had been held in for millennia, but had been waiting for the moment to make itself heard. "Death stick? Well you certainly weren't creative with the name..."

Taliel joined in laughing, shoving Caledorn playfully. "I was young! Give an innocent young lass a break!"

"Well I had a sword named Miriel when I was young. It wasn't sharp but it looked real enough. I used to terrorize all of the elves traveling past my house with it. One time, I-"

He suddenly stopped speaking when he saw a procession making its way toward the company. Armed elven warriors brought up the front, followed by none other than the Lady of the Wood herself, Galadriel. To her right was Celeborn, clad in silver robes and wearing a circlet of sapphire. To her left stood Gerithor, though instead of his worn traveling garb he wore a midnight blue tunic upon which was embroidered the seven starred Tree of Numenor. He appeared kingly to Caledorn, though of a line long lost to the ages. He also seemed older, as if he had seen things that had aged his heart and soul.

"Greetings, warriors of the Company of Gerithor Lastborn," Galadriel said, her voice powerful. "Welcome to my forest. Though many of you would have chosen other paths, it is not mere coincidence that has brought you hence. The tide of war is now crashing upon the shores of Erebor, and Dale. Surely, it even touches the realm of Mirkwood. But do not be troubled. For there is hope..."

Her voice slowly faded from Caledorn's mind, and it was replaced by a voice that spoke directly to him.

"Caledorn Ingwalen, it is good that you are here. Without your guidance this army would have surely fallen by now." When Caledorn did not respond, the Lady's voice continued. "You are troubled. I can feel that this journey has been a heavy weight upon you, for you have seen and experienced much. Long have you been Middle Earth's defender, and the importance of your quest has even rivaled that of the Istari. But you are no Maiar, and you have reached the point of no return. Your soul is weary. Take heart, Caledorn, for your quest is nearly finished. You have almost completed what you first set out to do."

Caledorn's head lowered, and his eyes began to fill with unshed tears. "What more must I do? For I fear that I do not have the strength to do it. Even now I am tormented by the enemy."

"He sees your role in this War of the Ring, and he seeks to break you. You must see this quest through, to whatever end it may lead. For Gerithor, and all others, shall fall if not for your council."

"Why am I having visions? Why do I see those who have died?"

"Your soul is fading, Caledorn. You draw closer to the Halls of Mandos, where those whom you have seen await their fates."

"What must I do to cease having these visions?"

"There is little you can do here. Should you survive the coming battle, you must sail into the West, and there your soul will heal."

Caledorn's tear-stained eyes met those of the Lady. "Then my time here is fleeting, regardless of my fate in the battle to come."

Galadriel nodded slowly, and without any further words turned away. Caledorn clenched his fists before brushing the tears from his eyes.

"What is it?" Taliel asked, a concerned expression crossing her face as she noticed the turmoil that played across his features.

"It is nothing," He said simply, though within his heart was rent in two. For the thought of leaving the land that he had dwelt in for his entire life, and had fought to save for so long, filled him with sorrow.

"Go, now, and rest. For you all must fight in the battle to come," The Lady continued as Caledorn focused back on her words. "My men will show you to your quarters."

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Caledorn had found a fresh set of clothing in the quarters he had been given after he had bathed. An elegant burgundy tunic was accompanied by long black trousers, and a pair of short, gold-lined black boots. The entire outfit was slightly small on him, and as such he was rather uncomfortable in it. The maids had taken away his armor, however, leaving him to suffer in silence.

The platform, also known as a flet by the elves, that Caledorn had been quartered on was lower to the ground than many of the others, and from the balcony he could see Galadriel's garden below. As he glanced down at it his sharp hearing caught the sound of singing in the flet beside his. He recognized the song as a Silvan lullaby, one that he had often heard when he was younger but had forgotten until now. He began to hum along absently as he gazed upon the flowers of the garden.

He didn't notice that the singing grew closer until the person who was singing was right beside him. When he noticed, he abruptly stopped and whirled around to face the one who the voice belonged to.

He barely recognized Taliel, for her hair was no longer in a ponytail, but was flowing down her shoulders in long silver curls. Instead of her signature elvish armor she wore an elegant gown, as green as the forest that surrounded them. The sole feature that gave her away was the long scar that ran past her left eye and disappeared behind her hair. For the first time since he had met her, Caledorn noticed that she was quite beautiful.

"You know the song too, I gather," She said softly, breaking the silence. "I heard you humming along."

Caledorn regained his composure and nodded, perhaps slightly more awkwardly than he had intended to. "I do. It reminds me of my childhood. I haven't heard it since then, it was a welcome memory."

"Being here brought the words back to me. But with them came mournful memories."

"Do not think of those," Caledorn replied in an attempt to console her. "Tell me of a good memory you have here."

Taliel's expression became thoughtful for a moment, and then a smile played across her face when she began to recall the memory. "Well... When I was just a girl my family had a picnic upon the lawn of Galadriel's garden. It was spring... the flowers were in full bloom."

"Go on," Caledorn said, leaning against the railing of the balcony as he watched her intently.

"There were bees everywhere. Big bees, little bees, bees in between. My older brother was scared of them, so while I chased them about he hid by my mother. But I wasn't scared. I had found a massive bumblebee, and I was intent on catching it." Her eyes lit up as she talked, and Caledorn smiled faintly. It warmed his heart to hear her speak happily about something, for the moment distracted from all else but her tale.

"I followed the bee wherever it went, through hedges, over fences, up trees. I eventually left the garden completely, and soon I was out of the city."

"Sounds dangerous," Caledorn said in a mock-scolding voice.

"It would be now... back then it wasn't, at least not as much. So without a care in the world I followed this bee, until I was deep in the forest. Of course, it was then that I lost the bee. I was lost now, for I hadn't paid heed to the path that I had taken."

Caledorn, though usually adept at focusing on many things at once, found it difficult to follow her story. For he was distracted by the way the moonlight shone through her silver hair, and the way her bright eyes narrowed ever so slightly when she wanted to emphasize what she was saying. But he nodded, as if somehow that proved that he was paying attention.

"Well, suddenly I heard this low growl. It started quietly, then built up until a massive, dark brown bear burst out of the brush to my side. Any sane person would've been terrified; the beast was twice the size of an ordinary bear and looked far fiercer. But I was young and curious, so instead of screaming, what do you think I did? I laughed. I sat down and laughed. Well, fortunately for me the bear wasn't really a bear at all, but a skin-changer. Skin-changers were more common in those days, as I'm sure you know. He seemed to understand that I meant him no harm, and he sat down right next to me. After realizing where I had come from, he picked me up and carried me back to the gates of Caras Galadhon, where he left me. I never met another skin-changer, but I'll always remember him."

Caledorn had managed to focus back in at the end of the story, so he knew enough to respond. "It's a shame that they're all gone now. The skin-changers I mean."

"I've heard rumors that they're not. Though I haven't investigated myself. I had avoided this forest until now, and I would have continued to were it not for our quest."

At the mention of the quest Caledorn's face fell. Taliel immediately noticed and slowly walked to his side.

"Something is bothering you, mellon," she said simply, as if she knew and was not leaving it open for debate.

Caledorn nodded slowly. "Galadriel spoke to me. I... I have been seeing things of late. Phantoms, of those who have already passed into death. At first I thought that I was going mad, but it kept happening and I deciphered that there was more to it than that. The Lady confirmed what I had feared..."

"What did you fear?" Taliel asked.

"My soul is fading. I am slowly passing into their realm."

Taliel's eyes widened in surprise and shock. "I did not know that was possible."

Caledorn squeezed his temple with his fingers. "For elves, death is normally quick, since it comes in battle most often. But for those who live long enough, and see enough sorrow, their souls fade slowly. I have been here for too long, it seems. My soul has experienced too much death, too much suffering."

After a moment of silence, Caledorn felt a hand gently rest on top of his own. He looked back up to see Taliel watching him, her eyes filled with worry.

"Is there a way to reverse it?" Taliel asked.

"I know not," Caledorn replied. "In all my years of studying, I have failed to learn of such an ailment as this. But I feel weary, Taliel. Perhaps it is time for me to go."

"You cannot give up, not now," She said, her voice urgent. She released his hand for a moment to point up at the stars. "Remember? There is still hope. Though the enemy's shadow spreads, the stars shine all the brighter. There is still good in this world. And we have to fight to defend it. We are what stands between it and the shadow. Don't give up."

Caledorn's emerald eyes looked up at the stars, and then they shifted to Taliel. She, though she had been through her own trials, still had hope. She still stood strong against evil. And that, beyond the strength of the dwarves or the ancient might of the elves, gave him hope.

"I won't give up. But I cannot see this through alone. Will you stand beside me?" Caledorn's eyes shone with tears, for he knew that he was weaker now than he had ever been, and that to ask another for help was the greatest trust he could bestow on anyone.

"I will. To whatever end," she replied solemnly, taking his hand in hers once more and drawing closer. Caledorn suddenly felt something that he hadn't felt since he had been with his family last. He felt like he was not alone. But more than that, when he looked upon Taliel he felt a stirring within his heart. A feeling that was said to only happen once in the life of an elf, and was said to be chosen by Eru himself.

"Taliel... Though I do not know what fate will require of us in the days to come, I wish for you to know that I care about you deeply. You have been a loyal companion, and a steadfast friend."

Taliel smiled at his words, and she took his other hand in hers. "I care about you, Caledorn. Since we first met in Rivendell I have felt that there was something different about you. As we traveled together, I have seen your selflessness. And when you spoke of fading... I knew how I felt. No matter what happens... I want you to know, that I love you. Truly, and without doubt."

She leaned closer and their lips met. Taliel closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Caledorn as he returned the kiss. After a moment he pulled her into a loving embrace, and she rested her head on his chest. She seemed so vulnerable then, and Caledorn felt protective of her in a way he had never felt of anyone before. Caledorn knew now that in no uncertain terms, he had something... Someone, to fight for. Someone to hold on a little longer for. And on that balcony, under those stars that shone in defiance against the shadow of Mordor, he decided that he would see the quest through... to whatever end it may lead him to.

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Another chapter up! This one was quite difficult to write, for multiple reasons. 1) I am incredibly inexperienced in romance, 2) I was nervous about how people would respond to this direction, 3) it was in the works for a while and I wanted justice to be done to it, and 4) I had to do a lot of research on elves and the afterlife to make sure this was all canon. And I found out that it is! So there it is! Hope you guys enjoyed it!