First the good news: I bought and watched the THG-bluerays yesterdat, and watched the extra's. It was marvellous! If you have some spare money left, you know where to spent it :)

Bad news: It's finisheeeeeeeeed! I'm really emotional now! But I'll spare the rest of my remarks for the end! Please read and enjoy the last chapter of the Lord of the Hunger Games!

BETA: thewayfaringstrangers

Amberly Elden: Me too! Let us cry together! :P I loved writing this story, and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself reading it :)

Angelfabeth: Thanks :) Hopefully a great epilogue too :)

Arwenia: as usual, you made me blush :) Thank you so much for your review! :) Hope you'll stay with me in other fics :)

Erynel: Heeeee, you actually read these bold-things :) Cool :) And yes, your guess is correct, it was the forcefield, or kinda :P Thank you very much! :)

melanie: Yeah, all of a sudden that came to me. You have some of those rare moments... :P

Muirgheal-of-Lantern-Waste: I corrected it, thank you :)

Pie in the Face: You're very handy then, eating a burrito and checking your mail at the same time... although I don't want to see how your keyboard was looking then :P Eh... what's a burrito? :P Sounds mexican? :P

Pipkin in the Grass; Thank you! Hope you love this last chapter too :)

Silme-Quesse: Don't die just yet :P Perhaps you'll forgive me after this epilogue... or not ;)

TheButterflyCurse996: I know. I sent you the fics, remember ;) Anyway, glad you're free to roam fanfiction again :) Fine, whatever you want :) Just don't get yourself killed in your coughing, okay? :P

Ynnealay: Omg. Omg. I just loved your review! I think I'm gonna save it somewhere. You almost made me laugh and cry :P And it's very useful, knowing which parts you like :) I could pay attention to that in other fics :) Anyway, thank you so so much for this wonderful review! Love you! :)
PS: I didn't know about iest, another thing learnt :) A friend of mine has a book to study elvish :) I'll borrow it one day -though it is in english, I think ;)

Buzzing. That was the first thing he was aware of. A continuous, never-ceasing buzzing. Not long after followed by a high beeping. Just like the buzzing, it didn't stop. The two played with each other, grew louder and then stilled again, but they never faded completely. It was irritating.

Aragorn frowned. Go away. The sound grew higher, as if it was asking a question.

Yes, I'm talking to you. Change places with Silence. The buzzing made a noise that sounded suspiciously much like a snort, but didn't leave him. The man sighed again.

Please? Three irritant, mocking notes. Clearly laughing at him.

Fine. Aragorn tried to close his ears and ignore it. It seemed to be working. The sound grew dimmer, and the low buzzing was now almost inaudible. Aragorn smirked. He had won. Only the last traces of the high beeping had to go away…

"Aragorn!" The man almost shot up, confused, but then he realized he didn't really know how to move his body. And for some curious reason, he didn't feel the need to try. He just wanted to sleep. If only there would be silence. The buzzing and the beeping had finally faded -the Valar be praised- only to be replaced by voices and vague, far away sounds. One voice in particular was very deep, shattering the feeble silence near his ears.

"Faramir! Arwen! I think he's waking up!" Aragorn groaned and tried in vain to bring his hand up to silence the booming voice. But that only seemed to encourage him.

"Very good, laddie. Now open your eyes! You have been laying here far too long!" Another voice jumped in.

"My lord? Aragorn? Please return to us. Arwen needs you!"

Arwen? He knew that name… Perhaps he should try to wake up. But his eyelids were so incredibly heavy. It took all of his will to open them a split second, then they fell closed again. He sighed and gave up.

"Now, now, none of that, laddie. You've scared us a great deal just by disappearing on a simple ride. You at least owe waking up to us. I remember that after the battle with the Wargs you were stronger. Or have you grown weaker by being a king? I think I'll have to drive some orcs you're way. A bit of exercise will do you good. Or a good old dwarven festivity, if you find time," the heavy voice scolded, even though it was laced with concern. "Now, will you wake up, or do I have to kick you out of your bed?"

Aragorn scowled. The voice was really too irritating. Frowning, he tried to open his eyes again to glare at the person next to him. This time, it seemed easier, though his vision was blurred. He blinked a few times.

"Estel! Melleth nin, thank the Valar you are awake!" A beautiful face shimmered before him. Aragorn squinted his eyes. The face became clearer. Radiant brown eyes in a face that held the moonlight, and hair dark as night surrounded it. He smiled.

"Arwen."

"Melleth nin." For a few seconds, Aragorn was content just to stare at her, taking in her fair features. Then, curiosity won over, and he looked around. Faramir stood a bit further away, not wanting to intrude on their privacy. Gimli however, was standing right next to him, joy and concern upon his face. He seemed like he wanted to speak, but Aragorn cut him off.

"What's this about kicking me out of my bed?" The dwarf had the decency to look slightly –slightly- ashamed, but he showed no regret.

"Well, laddie, you scared us all a bit. Faramir told us that accursed elf had dragged you away for a ride, before disappearing for nearly two weeks! You should have waited for me! With a sturdy dwarf at your side instead of such a flighty elf, none of this would have happened!" Those last words brought a flood of memories with them. The fence. The Hunger Games. Katniss. Peeta. The mutts.

He shot up. "Legolas! Where is he?" No one answered. Aragorn looked questioningly at his wife, then at the steward and the dwarf.

"What happened to him? Tell me!" His concern got the better of him and his question turned into an angry shout. Slowly, Gimli placed his hand on Aragorn's shoulder.

"We found him next to you near the borders of Fangorn. He hasn't woken up yet."

"He hasn't…? Why not?" The three exchanged a glance, but it was Faramir who spoke up.

"We thought you would be able to tell us."

"I… I don't know. The mutts were chasing us, but it seemed we reached the borders of the Arena for…" His voice trailed off as he saw the faces around him grow confused.

"Perhaps it will be easier if you tell me what has happened in my absence?"

"There isn't much to tell, really." Arwen spoke softly. "Legolas had told us you would be away for two days." She raised her hand to cut him off." Yes, I know he said to you he would only be taking you on a short ride, but you know Legolas. He was convinced you were working far too much, and he truly wanted to spent some time with you as before, so he decided to lead you so far into Fangorn Forest that you couldn't return the same day." Aragorn snorted, but realized he should have expected it. Instead, he looked accusingly at his wife and steward.

"And of course, you two couldn't be bothered to tell me."

"With all due respect, my lord, you wouldn't have gone riding if we had, would you?"

Aragorn didn't even answer.

"Whatever the case, when you didn't return the third day, we grew worried. We knew that even if you had accepted that you needed a little trip, you wouldn't stay away from your beloved city for over three days. You are a good king, Estel." Arwen smiled, remembering the child that once had saidhe would never be king, and that he had no desire to try to obtain the throne. Faramir took over.

"On the fourth day, we sent out search parties. For nearly five days, they scanned Fangorn, but it was as if you two had faded. There was no trace of you to be found. By that time, Gimli had arrived too."

"I was Legolas' back-up plan, it would seem. He persuaded me to leave the work in Aglarond and come to Minas Tirith, so that the three of us could spend some time together. I must admit I was curious how the repairs here were going, so I decided to have a look myself." Of course Gimli would never say he had missed his friends –especially not the elf-, but it was clear in his words.

"Anyway, when I arrived here, the whole city was in turmoil. Your people love you greatly, laddie. They mourned you every day you were gone. Some even blamed the elf, but Arwen, Faramir and some elder soldiers who had seen him fight for themspoke up for him repeatedly."

"Together with Gimli, we kept on searching for nearly three days," Faramir continued, "but mostly in the southern part of the forest. We thought perhaps Saruman had a hand in this. Even in death, he might be able to strike the world with evil. Then Gimli remembered something."

"The elf had said he would like to visit Northern Fangorn one day. He had tried to drag me in there." Gimli gave an undignified harrumph. "Well, I'll tell you one thing; that elf will never be able to make me love trees like he does. After I had seen the destruction in the southern part, I had no desire to go up further, so we never got there."

"And of course, I was foolish enough to do just that," Aragorn sighed.

"Yes, we thought so. So Gimli took a riding party with him to the Northern part. We found you two days ago. At first, it seemed you were sleeping, but when we tried to wake you, you didn't even stir. We brought you back to Minas Tirith, and since then, you've been lying here, until you decided to join us again."

"So you will understand, melleth nin, that we are very curious about what has happened," Arwen concluded. Fortunately, the door opened at that moment, giving Aragorn some time to digest the new information. A slim, blond lady entered the room, the curiosity upon her face quickly turning into unmasked joy.

"Aragorn! So you are awake indeed! Eomer said so, but to see you up makes it very much more real. How do you feel?" The warrior behind her made a face, seemingly offended that his sister hadn't believed him, but his eyes were laughing. Aragorn couldn't help but smile.

"I am fine, Eowyn, thank you."

"She was just visiting me when the news of your disappearance came. You should have seen how quickly she sped to the very first horse she saw –which would be mine- and flew away. I had to borrow my marshal's horse to pursue her."

"By borrowing he means stealing," Eowyn teased.

"By borrowing I mean taking him in the full meaning of intending to ask permission later. Besides, you're the one who took my horse in a hurry, and I didn't hear you asking either."

"Stop nagging." Faramir shook his head in amusement at the childish behavior of his wife, but didn't intervene. When Aragorn threw his legs over the edge of the bed, he did hurry to the bed though, and tried to push him back.

"Where do you think you're going?" The man shot him a questioning glance. Immediately, Faramir turned a little redder in the face. "I mean, my lord." He didn't loosen his grip though.

"I am going to check on Legolas."

"Do you think that's wise? You've only awakened a few minutes ago. Perhaps…" Eowyn too was helping Faramir now. Irritated, Aragorn chased their hands away.

"Stop! Leave me be! I'm perfectly fine, I just want to see Legolas! Valar, Faramir! First you aid Las to abduct me from my city, and now you do not let me see him! I thought you were my steward! Who's side are you actually on?"

"My lord, I-"

"It's alright, Faramir." Arwen's soft voice easily cut through the heated discussion. "Ada couldn't hold him back either when Legolas was injured. But," she shot a stern glare at her husband, "After you've seen him, you will go back to bed and rest. Understood?"

"Yes, naneth," Aragorn answered meekly, earning a laugh from Eomer, which was quickly stifled in a cough. He didn't care though, he only wanted to see the elf right now.

The sight of his friend didn't give him much solace. Gimli had been right. It looked as if he was just sleeping, but he was pale and his eyes were closed. For a moment, Aragorn was in doubt. How could he know for certain that what happened was real? Could it not just have been a feverish vision, caused by some orc poison? But if it was only a hallucination, it was not possible that…

Gently, Aragorn rolled up Legolas' sleeve. His fingers were trembling a little, with tension. He just had to see it. It could not have been a dream - could it?

A sigh of relief. The scar was there, a little sign to indicate the place where the knife had scraped his arm. It was true. They had been in the Games. He didn't really know why he was so relieved, but he would have regretted it if Katniss and Peeta and Rue were nothing but a vision. To be honest, he didn't really know why. There were so many emotions whirling through his mind now. He just had to sit down for a moment.

"Aragorn? Melleth nin, please look at me." Arwen sank next to his chair on her knees, her eyes pleading. "Tell us what happened. Perhaps we can help Legolas."

Aragorn sighed deeply, and looked at Legolas. He wished the elf was here, to aid him to recall all of those wonderful, terrible memories. But his friend was deep in sleep, and couldn't hear him. And so it was only his deep voice that told about the Capitol and the Games; about the mysterious elven prince Cinna had created; about a little, black-skinned girl, so cruelly taken away; about fire and bees and mutts; about the fence around the black district; and about courageous Katniss and gentle Peeta.

Epilogue

"Why can't I see it?"

"Because it isn't finished yet. Give me a moment, will you?"

"You said yesterday that it was finished. That's why I came to Ithilien, remember? To see it."

"Yes, that is true. I invited you to Ithilien to see it…"

A triumphant laugh. "So you admit it!"

"Not knowing you would run out of your office, jump upon Wingfoot and take of in seven hastes, without even warning your guards. One of them said, after he had traced you down here with an exhausted horse, that there was some panic in the city, especially after your latest stunt. Somehow, I do not remember you being so eager to leave the city the previous time."

"My latest stunt? It was you who dragged me away!"

"Do you regret it?" All of a sudden, the light-hearted banter was gone, to be replaced by Legolas' serious voice. The elf was sitting behind a canvas, hiding his craft from Aragorn's curious eyes. From time to time, the soft sound of a chisel was heard, indicating that the elf was doing some last corrections. Aragorn himself was sitting against a tree trunk on the other side of the canvas, smoking. They were silent for a moment, while he pondered the question. When he spoke, he chose his words carefully, thinking about every sentence.

"Strangely enough, I don't… I… We have seen so much horror, Legolas… But… Somehow… It felt right to be there. Do you understand? I am glad to have known Katniss and Peeta and Cinna… and Rue, even though she died… It made me more grateful for what we have." He sighed. "I must sound like a fool."

"No, you do not. For I feel the same." This solemn answer was not what he had expected, but it seemed the elf was in a melancholy mood. The sea-longing was weighing on him again. That was one of the unspoken reasons why Aragorn didn't regret going to Panem. For a few weeks he had his old friend back, the one who laughed and teased easily, not plagued by the longing.

"It's ready." Aragorn pushed away his dark thoughts and jumped up.

"It is? It's about time. Let me see it." With a proud grin, Legolas appeared from behind the canvas.

"You have the honor of seeing this first. If you laugh, I swear by the Valar you'll go straight into the Anduin."

"Promise made. Show me." With a last grin, but slight uncertainty in his eyes, Legolas pulled away the curtain.

It was marvelous.

His friend really had made his work true. Every little curl, every eyelash was cut out with wonderful precision. The stone was polished until it gleamed, and if the sun hadn't reflected his own image, Aragorn would have thought they were truly standing right before him.

He stretched his hand to touch Rue. The girl was lying down, eyes closed. Even in the dark marble, Aragorn could imagine her skin growing pale as blood flowed from her wound, her breathing growing weaker. Around her lips, a small peaceful smile was lingering though, as if she was remembering happier days.

Her head was resting upon Katniss' lap. The huntress was stroking Rue's hair, but looking straight at Aragorn. There was so much emotion in her dark eyes. Confusion. Grief. Anger. A plea. Pride. Defiance.

Behind her, Peeta laid his hand upon her shoulder in silent comfort. Just as Katniss was, he was staring at the two friends before him. But his eyes weren't made out of obsidian like the girl's, but soft opals. He looked sad, but there was determination there too, the will to protect the huntress before him, and also love. At Rue's feet, a small, silver carving rested.

In Memory of the 74th Hunger Games

And the Tributes Who Fought and Died.

Rue Lalorniel, Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark.

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor.

AUTHOR's NOTE: To read the rest of Katniss' and Peeta's adventures, read The Hunger Games. No other changes were made in the plot after this point :)

Voila. It's done. It's finished. It's over.

I want to thank all my wonderful reviewers! I loved getting response of you, pointing out mistakes, praising parts you liked! It helped me improving this story and it gave me a wonderful time writing it! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Now, I can only wish you all the best, and I hope I will see you some time in my other fics (preferably the ones I stil have to write, since my older fics are kinda horrible to read, so please don't ;) The only reason why they're still on this site, is out of respect for the ones who reviewed them)

For those who are curious about my next fic, don't worry, I'm working on it. First chapter should appear pretty soon. It's an Legolas-meets-Estel-story (not reversed), but with quite a bit of Legolas angst.

So, now please excuse me, I'm gonna cry somewhere in a corner...

xXx Archiril