With the rising of the new dawn, all was quiet in Minas Tirith; not a soul was awake.  All the soldiers from Rohan had slept within the outer wall, ready at a moment’s notice to fight.  But they were still weary from preparation and so they did not see when Saruman came over the distant hill towards the city.  It was not until a lone guard awoke from his slumber and looked over the battlement did anyone know of the coming army.  And by that time it was almost too late.  The guard ran to the horns of Gondor and sounded it loud and clear.  All awoke with a start but rushed to the gates to face their foe.

“Go with the women and children to safety,” King Elessar said to Arwen.

“I won’t leave you,” the Queen protested.

“Arwen, please,” the King pleaded, “For the sake of our son.”

“How did you -?” she began to question.

“I am the King of Gondor,” King Elessar interrupted with a brief smile, “Not much happens within my kingdom without my knowing.”

“Then know that I will not have my son be fatherless,” the Lady Arwen said sternly.

“At least go to the House of Healing,” King Elessar said with a sigh, knowing that he couldn’t make her leave no matter how hard he tried, “Saruman will be after Lienan for sure.”

With a nod in agreement, the Queen left and headed quickly to her destination as the others gathered around her husband for their final orders before the battle.

“Where are Maelute and Legolas?” King Elessar asked when he found his circle of friends smaller than he recalled.

“I think they left for Dol Amroth last night with Prince Imrahil,” Faramir replied.

“Hopefully they heard the Horns of Gondor and are on their way here with reinforcement for the men,” the King said mostly to himself.

“What are we to do until then?” the Gondor Captain asked.

“We prepare for battle,” King Elessar replied as the clouds rolled over the sun, casting the land into shadow.

The battle was even more gruesome than the last.  All fought until their last breath but still it was not enough.  They were still outnumbered by the Uruk-hai.  Just then, as the sun came out of the clouds, Faramir saw a shining banner over the hill.  

“What’s that?” he inquired.

“It’s Legolas and Maelute,” the King replied, using his keen eyes, “They have the banner of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth!”

Sure enough, the armed forces of Dol Amroth emerged behind them from over the hill.  Seeing the battle had already begun, they charged headlong into the field to help their comrades.

As the armies battle for the second time,  Saruman quietly and secretly made his way to the House of Healing where he knew Lienan would be.  But he arrived only to find out that there was some sort of barrier around the building.

Inside, Arwen was seated beside Lienan’s bed whispering a protection chant in Elvish.  Frodo was on the other side of her bed watching Arwen as Merry and Pippin tried to block the door with anything they could find.

“So, the Queen wants to challenge me,” the evil wizard said in amusement, “I’ll teach her to meddle in my affairs.”

Using the magic that remained in him, Saruman started whispering his own chant against the Lady Arwen.  As the two battled for access of the House of Healing, dark clouds gathered around the city.  The Queen of Gondor struggled to keep him out, but at the same time she knew that over exerting herself like that ran a big risk of losing her unborn son.  Finally, Saruman ended it with a final burst of power and overwhelmed her.

“AH!” the Queen cried out in pain.

Even from all the way on the battlefield, the King Elessar could still hear his wife’s cry.  Turning his senses to the House of Healing, he could feel Saruman’s presence outside of the building.

“No,” he whispered in horror.  Then turning to those around him, he took action and ordered to the others “Haldir, Legolas, Maelute, you three come with me; Imrahil and Faramir, you are in charge of the men.”

As they rushed off towards the House of Healing, Saruman had managed break the barrier that the Lady Arwen had put up and access to those inside.

“Are you alright?” Frodo asked with concern as he helped her off the ground.

“He’s in!” the Lady warned the little Hobbit.

Frantically, Merry and Pippin pushed everything towards the door to block him from getting in, but with one blast of his magic the doors were forced open, sending the furniture flying in all directions across the room including the two Hobbits.  The wizard eyed the sleeping from on the bed as he entered the room.

“Stay way from her!” Frodo shouted as he unsheathed Sting from his belt.

“Do you really think you can stop me alone?” the wizard mocked, “Last time, you needed her help just to keep you from being killed.”

“I don’t care how stronger you are than me,” the Hobbit stated with determination burning in his eyes, “You won’t get her.”

“I beg to differ,” Saruman said with a smirk.

With little effort on his part, Saruman managed to take Sting from Frodo and threw it to the other side of the room to join Merry and Pippin.  He then grabbed Frodo by the neck, lifting him up off the ground.

“No!” Lady Arwen screamed in despair.

“Silence, wench!” the wizard demanded harshly, “Unless you want to deal with me.”

“Stay out of this, Arwen,” Frodo said to the Gondor Queen, “Protect Lienan.”

“No one can protect her from me,” Saruman stated as he looked at the Hobbit, narrowing his eyes with anger, “If I can’t have the power she possesses, then no one will.”

With that, Saruman made his way over to Lienan’s bed where she slept peacefully since the day she was expelled of the ancient creature that Saruman had unleashed.  The wizard reached out one sickly hand for her neck, hoping to squeeze the life out of her as he was doing with Frodo.  But just as Saruman was about to lay his cold hand on her exposed neck, the Elf’s hand shot up and grabbed his suddenly.  Startled, Saruman pulled back, dropping Frodo in the process.

“What sorcery is this?” the wizard asked in shock at seeing her.

Lienan’s closed eyes opened wide to reveal that they were the lightest color of blue, almost seeming white in appearance.  Slowly, the Elf maid sat up from her bed, her eyes never leaving Saruman who was cowering back towards the door.  

“Lienan?” Frodo called out, sensing that something was strange about his beloved.

“I am not this Lienan of which you speak,” she explained, her voice booming of that of the Valar as she eyed the retreating wizard, “I have been sent here by the Valar to be judge and jury for the crimes you have committed.”

Frightened for his life, Saruman turned to run out of the room to escape his fate.  But with one gesture of her hand, Lienan stopped Saruman in his tracks.  She held her hand up and put a force on Saruman’s neck that resembled that of the grip he had on Frodo moments before.  

“Did you think that you would not be punished for all the evil you have wrought, Curunir?” Lienan asked in a menacing tone.

“I can explain,” Saruman stuttered nervously.

“It is far too late for you; now hear me, Curunir,” the Elf snapped, “I sentence you to an eternity in the fiery depths of the earth with the very creatures you created to satisfy your need for destruction and chaos.”

“NO!” the wizard called out before he was sent to his eternal prison.

And just like that, Saruman was gone in a sea of smoke and light; the remnant of his army disappearing to join their master in the fiery depths of the earth.  Without a word, the goddess empowered Lienan left the room.  

As Haldir, Legolas, Maelute, and Aragorn reached the doors of the House of Healing, Lienan was stepping out of its doors and headed down to the fields.  More concerned about his wife and unborn son, Aragorn rushed inside to find Arwen.  Meanwhile, Frodo rushed after Lienan, worried about what would happen next.

“Where are you going?” the Hobbit asked.

“To complete my task by cleansing this land of all the evil and destruction caused but that foul creature,” Lienan replied emotionlessly, leaving the Hobbit behind as she walked faster to her destination.

Lienan walked to the Anduin River and saw the great mass of blood gathered in it from the battle.  She dipped her hand in the running stream and let the blood drenched water run over it.  Then she reached deep into the river to the bottom and miraculously pulled out a silver staff.  Slowly, she raised the staff over her head to the sky in her hand.

“Mighty Valar, cleanse these waters that have been tainted with the blood of hate and chaos,” she called out to the sky, “May they forever remain pure and clean of such things until the world is changed.”

Dark clouds began to form over Lienan‘s head as she summoned the help of the Valar.  Lightning flashed in the sky as the wind picked up, swirling around her at amazing speeds.

“What will happen to Lienan?” Frodo shouted over the noise of the wind.

“She will join us for her services,” the vessel replied.

“No,” Frodo pleaded, “Please don’t take her.”

“But she is no longer needed here,” the entity justified.

“I need her,” Frodo protested.

Lienan remain quiet and continued with what she was doing.  Faster and faster the wind swirled around her as the blood in the Anduin slowly disappeared, rushing out into the open sea where it would never be seen again.  In one final stroke, Lienan raised the staff over her head with her hands and jammed it into the river bed with a crash.  At that same instance, lightning struck the staff giving out a brilliant flash of light.

All who stood there shielded their eyes to the light.  When they were able to see once again, they saw Frodo in the river holding the seemingly lifeless body of his beloved Lienan in his small arms.

“No,” Legolas whispered in pain.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” King Elessar said as he placed a comforting hand on the Elf Prince’s shoulders.

Frodo huddled over the body of his beloved Lienan, weeping and thinking that she was gone forever.  But as he moved to wipe away the tears that were streaming down his face, he noticed the rise and fall of her chest.  She was breathing.

“She’s alive!” the Hobbit exclaimed at the top of his lungs, “She’s still alive!”

Legolas, who had bowed his head in grief, looked up in shock and hope at the Hobbit‘s call.  He rushed to his sister’s side and saw her slowly breathing.

“Lienan?” the Elf Prince called softly to his sister.

At the sound of his voice, Lienan slowly opened her eyes to find the faces of her lover and her brother looking back down at her.  

“Don’t worry,” she whispered weakly with a smile, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s over,” Maelute commented as she smiled to herself.

“Yes, it is,” Haldir agreed with a bitter sweet smile of his own, “At least for now.”

~*~

The days that followed were filled with happiness and joy.  The realm of Gondor was once again at peace and all were regaining the life they had once possessed.  

“What will you do now?” King Elessar asked Faramir as they spoke privately inside of the throne room.

“Éowyn has agreed that we do not belong together,” the Gondor Captain replied.

“So it is over between the two of you?” he questioned.

“Yes, my Lord,” Faramir said with a nod, “And a beginning for me and Rowena as well as for Éowyn and Imrahil.”

“He has finally confessed his love for her?” inquired the King.

“He has, though I was not suppose to hear of it until tonight’s feast,” Faramir hinted, nudging the King with his elbow.

“Not to worry, old friend,” the Gondor ruler laughed, “I will not tell a soul.”

Faramir chuckled at the good mood his king was in, glad to have all their troubles behind them for now.

“Well, it’s a fine match for the both of you,” King Elessar said softly as he clapped a hand on Faramir’s shoulder.

The two men looked at each other with much respect as if they were brothers and joined in a brief exchange of smiles before leaving the chamber to join everyone outside in the gorgeous sunlight.

Down in the court yard, Merry and Pippin were enjoying an afternoon with the local children of Minas Tirith, telling them of the adventures the two Hobbits had been on since the first time they left the Shire.  Lienan was nearby, enjoying the peace and quiet under the shade of a tree.  She looked about her and saw her brother, Legolas, walking through the orchards hand in hand with Maelute.

“Now they both get what they have waited so long for,” she mused to herself as she watched them.

Just then, an image flashed in her mind as she looked upon them.  It was too quick for a normal person to see, but she had lived with such visions all her life and had since learned to see them.

“And more happiness is still to come,” she added, smiling to herself.

Not too far away, she spotted Frodo approaching her.  He walked past Pippin and Merry as they were telling the children about the time they stole one of Gandalf’s famous fireworks.  Smiling at the memory, he sat down beside Lienan under the shady tree.

“You should be inside,” he playfully scolded her.

“I could not sit inside on a day like this,” she protested.

“It is a nice day,” Frodo agreed as he felt a cool breeze blowing.  Then turning to Lienan, he asked with all concern, “How are you, my dear?”

“Better,” Lienan replied softly, “Still weak.”

“But alive,” the Hobbit added as he lightly and lovingly caressed her cheek.

Lienan blushed as Frodo reached for her hand and held it.  They sat there the rest of the day and well into the night enjoying the peace as well as the company of each other, knowing and feeling the love that was between them; a love that would always be there until the end of time.

THE END...yay! ;)