Author's Note: Here's the final chapter!

CHAPTER 15: Good-bye Forever?

When she finally regained consciousness, the bridge was glowing so brightly that the dark night was no longer visible. Mina's right side was hurting, thinking she might have broken a rib. Her head was also throbbing with pain as she tried to shield her eyes from the light to see what was going on. She tried to crawl her way to Elise and Legolas to see if they were all right but the sudden wind that kept her back was too strong.

Legolas was the first to come into her view. He was also on the ground, reaching for Elise's hand with the same magical force keeping him away. Elise was yelling out for him, trying to reach him as well, but the light was pulling her from him. "Legolas!" Mina called out.

He turned at the sound of her voice, relieved that she wasn't hurt very badly. "Mina, you must try to leave this place! Leave before it is too late!"

"But…what about you? What about Elise?" she looked over at Elise who looked more panicked for his safety than she did.

"Don't wo—" his words were cut off by a sudden scream emulating from his throat. He fell flat on his stomach, yelling out in pain again.

"Lance, no!" Elise screamed out in sobs. "You must fight it!"

Mina pushed herself even harder to get to the prince. She was closer than Elise, who was stuck where she was, inching further and further away from him as if she was held captive by the light around her. "Hang on, Legolas!" Mina said to him.

"Mina! Mina, please help him!" Elise begged. "I am starting to fade," she looked at her hands that were looking transparent again. "Once the moon goes dim, I will vanish and he will die! Please, do something!"

The wind picked up again, Mina extending her hand as far as she could out to Legolas, but the strong breeze lifted her up into the air, throwing her forcefully back, like a strong pair of hands, where she first started. Mina screamed out in horror thinking that her life was going to end once she hit the concrete. She closed her eyes and awaited her fate, her heart pounding feverishly in her chest. But, instead, she landed on something soft. In someone's arms. "Are you all right, child?"

She reluctantly opened her eyes to see who had caught her. "Gan…Gandalf?" she couldn't believe he was there. He was dressed in a gray cloak, holding a staff. Mina almost didn't recognize him with the long, white beard he was wearing on his face. He was always so clean-shaven with short hair and concluded this was his true form. She remembered Legolas mentioning he was some kind of wizard.

"Thankfully I am not too late," he said with concern, watching the ritual taking place.

"Please! Can you help him?" she asked, turning to see if there was any progress with Legolas's condition. "You're a wizard aren't you? Can't you use your magic to help them?"

Gandalf shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot interfere even if I wanted to. My magic will not work against this magical curse that only you have the power to break."

"I've tried and I can't!" she frowned, wincing at the pain in her side. "I'm not strong enough. Every time I get close to him, something stops me. And, Elise…"

"Elise cannot do anything but wait for Legolas to reach her. She is bound to the light until it is all over."

"Then all is lost…" Mina shrugged, defeated, tears filling her eyes.

"Not quite," Gandalf gave her a small hopeful smile. She looked at him, confused by his expression. Out of his cloak, he pulled out the small dagger Legolas had given her.

She took it from him, still confused. "Legolas gave this to me to protect myself with."

"I speculate that he did not tell you the kind of power this dagger holds?" he had a slight mischievous grin on him.

"What do you mean?"

"This is the sacrificial knife used to turn an immortal into a mortal."

"What?" Mina examined the dagger that sparkled in her eyes. "What am I supposed to do with this? Give it to Elise?"

"No, Mina…" Gandalf slowly shook his head, waiting for her to catch on.

She shook her head in disbelief. "You can't mean that this knife was meant for me to use? This knife was something that Elise was supposed to use to show her love for Legolas…not me."

"The other part the prince has failed to tell you about the curse is that in order to successfully complete the ritual, Elise's reincarnated form must use the dagger and thrust it into his heart."

"You can't be serious?" Mina laughed in skepticism. "If I stab Legolas with this knife, he'll die! Only his true love can perform this, which is Elise."

"By holding this dagger in your hands, it can detect if your heart is pure and true for the one it is meant for. Can you not hear it speaking to you? A part of Elise's essence is already in you. By placing this dagger into the heart of the prince, your heart and his will join, releasing him from the curse. But, if doubt sits in your heart, you both could die."

"Why didn't he tell me?" she frowned again, the heavy burden reaching her heart once more. "Only if you choose to use it…" his words echoed in her mind.

"He did not want to make you feel more obligated to be in this ritual than you already do. The prince felt that he would be strong enough to endure this night without the use of the knife, but unfortunately that is not how fate and curses work for the immortals."

"That stupid Elf…" she muttered to herself. "I can't believe he didn't tell me this."

Gandalf smiled a little. "Do not be upset with him. He did this because he wanted to keep you safe. This ritual is very dangerous to those involved in it."

Mina shook her head again. "But, I don't get it? From what Legolas told me, both individuals had to love each other in order for the transformation to work?"

"My dear child, it should be clearly obvious," Gandalf chuckled. "You know the prince loves you."

Mina blushed. "He's said it, but…it's hard for me really believe."

The wizard placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you not love him in return?" She looked away, biting her bottom lip. "You must have faith in him and in yourself. You know what you feel inside, but something in you is holding back. If you want to truly save Prince Legolas, you must let all of your doubts and fears go and admit to yourself what your heart is telling you."

She gripped the knife's handle tightly in her hands against her chest. There wasn't much time. "I'm afraid of losing him and never feeling this way again with anyone. That's why it's easier if I keep my real feelings at a distance and not get attached…" she admitted quietly.

"We can lie to ourselves as much as we want, but our hearts always reveal the truth. Love has no rules. People are the ones who place such things on love when love should have no boundaries. He does not have much time. The forces at work here tonight are too powerful. If you cannot open your heart to him then all hope will be lost. But, you have the power to bring to hope to everyone, even yourself."

"Me?" she gave Gandalf a baffled look.

Gandalf smiled again. "Loving others unconditionally."

"I don't understand?"

"Before coming here to the Water Castle, your heart was closed to many things. After the all events you have experienced, you have learned to open your heart and accept others for who they are. You were willing to do a selfless act of helping two long, lost loves be together again and even concerned yourself with your friends' safety, sacrificing your own life to save theirs if need be. You learned to put others before yourself…for the people you love unconditionally."

"I still don't understand what you mean about hope for myself…" she replied, still tightly gripping the knife's handle.

"Hope that even with all the doubts and fears that you carry, there is courage within you to be strong for others when they need you or cannot find enough strength within themselves," he explained.

She looked back at the two lovers and how dismayed Elise looked at Legolas's frail body on the ground. She was quickly vanishing, unable to do anything to help him, as he grew paler by the minute. Mina tried to put herself in Elise's shoes and understood how she felt. Losing someone important to her would be devastating. "I don't know if I can really do this," she quietly told Gandalf.

"The most important thing is trying, my dear," he smiled again at her. Mina gave him a short nod, still unsure if she would be able to perform the task that was given to her and her alone. "I can get you closer to Legolas. The rest will be up to you. Keep in mind that time is not on our side, so you must act quickly."

"Okay…" she nodded again. Gandalf turned her around to face Legolas, his hands pressed gently on her back. He whispered a few words she didn't understand and pushed her in his direction. Mina flew smoothly in the air and landed right next to the prince. "Legolas!" she exclaimed.

"Mi…Mina," he whispered with a feverish look on his face. "Leave…this…place…"

"Everything is going to be all right," she wiped his forehead and tried to give him a hopeful smile. The wind grew angry and tried to separate them when it realized Mina was by his side. She grabbed onto him tightly. "I am not going anywhere!" she yelled out, pressing her body against his to protect him.

"Mina, please, hurry!" Elise begged again, her form now barely visible. Legolas's cry in the night became deafening in her ears.

The thumping in Mina's heart also filled her ears as she held the knife with shaky hands. She turned Legolas on his back and kneeled beside him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember everything that Gandalf had told her. "I don't want to lose you, but I know that I can't keep you either," she said to Legolas, wiping the tears from her eyes. She saw the same look in his blue orbs and understood what he was telling her even though he no longer had the strength to speak. Silent tears were streaming down his face.

"Mina, he does not have much time!" Gandalf reminded her from where he stood by the entrance.

Legolas was falling in and out of consciousness, his eyes slowly closing. His body felt heavy and weak and couldn't stay awake for much longer. His time with Mina flashed in his mind as he finally gave into the darkness, a small smile gracing his face. "Legolas, no!" Mina screamed out, hitting him on the chest. Without thinking, she raised the dagger with both hands and stabbed him in the heart. The wind forcefully pushed her back, as the light around the bridge grew brighter than before. Gandalf caught her again before she hit the stone wall. The light and Elise suddenly disappeared in an instant with Legolas still left unconscious. Everything was calm and peaceful again, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The moon grew dim and the clouds around it parted.

After a few minutes, Mina finally groaned awake in Gandalf's arms. "What…what happened?" she tried to focus her eyes on her surroundings. She sat up slowly with her head feeling like she just got hit by a truck and saw Legolas's lifeless body. "No…" she whispered and stumbled to him. She sat his body on her lap, hugging him and crying on his chest. "I'm so sorry…I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough!"

"Lady Mina…" Gandalf said softly. She slowly looked up in his direction and saw his attention was toward the edge of the bridge. Mina followed his gaze and saw a figure start to appear. It was Legolas smiling at her. She looked at his body in her arms and then at his spiritual essence standing before them.

"Legolas?" she stood up and walked over to his see-through form.

"Thank you, Mina," he said. She tried to touch him but her fingers went right through him. He smiled at her attempt and wished he were able to touch her one last time. "Thanks to your strength and generous heart the curse has been lifted."

"So, we did succeed after all?"

"Yes," he nodded happily.

"Lance?" Elise's spirit appeared near him. "It is time for us to depart."

He nodded at her and turned back to Mina. "I wish we didn't have to part so suddenly. Please know that you will always be in my heart and that you carry a piece of me wherever you are. My love for you is also timeless and I know you will find love again."

Mina couldn't speak as she was trying to hold back her tears. Instead, she swallowed the lump in her throat and just nodded and tried to smile. Legolas walked back to Elise and reached out for her hand. She took it willingly as they began to float away in the sky. Elise looked back at Mina and said her silent thank you. "Do not think of this as the end, but only as the beginning," she smiled appreciatively.

"They're gone…" the realization hit Mina like a ton of bricks. Legolas's physical body also disappeared like ashes floating away in the breeze. Everything felt like it happened so suddenly. The only reminder she had was the massive headache and throbbing side she had.

"We are all very thankful to you," Gandalf placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Anastasia and Vincent saw Mina in the dining hall having breakfast quietly by herself. "You're up early," Anastasia commented with a yawn.

"The sun woke me up," she lied.

"Hey, you're right! It's actually sunny today for once," Vincent looked out the large window.

"Good morning, everyone," Gandalf walked in. He was dressed in his usual attire with short hair and without his long beard from last night. "I have received word that the roads are now safe to travel on. When you are ready, I will take you into the city to join your group."

"Finally!" Anastasia smiled with a sigh. "I was beginning to miss real buildings and street noise. The first thing I'm going to do when we get into town is buy a caramel macchiato at Starbucks!"

"Is Sir Legolas around?" asked Vincent. "I would like to thank him personally for his hospitality."

Mina briefly looked up at the servant. Gandalf smiled and apologized for his absence. "Unfortunately, Master Legolas is not here. He received a late call last night and left early this morning on a business trip as soon as the roads cleared. He sends his own apologies and best wishes on your safe journey home."

"Oh, well, that's too bad," Vincent said. Mina quietly sighed at the lie they came up with to tell her friends. However, it was partly true in the sense that he was gone…forever.

When the three students were finally reunited with their class, Mr. Wilkins thanked Gandalf like there was no tomorrow. He had also wanted to thank Legolas directly for having to take care of his students, but Gandalf gave him the same story about Legolas away on a business trip. "I hope that this small incident doesn't put the university in a bad position of visiting your great castle again in the future."

"No, of course not," Gandalf assured him. "We will be more than happy to welcome you again." He said good-bye to Mr. Wilkins, Vincent and Anastasia, and turned to Mina before he left. "I have a small parting gift for you."

"For me?"

"Something for you to remember us by," he smiled and handed her what looked like a small locket. Mina opened it and saw a mirror image of the Water Castle, sitting by the sea she recognized in her dreams, the sun beautifully gleaming in the background.

"It's beautiful, thank you," she hugged him, surprising Mr. Wilkins and some of the students by her actions.

"What exactly happened over there?" some whispered to each other.

For the next few days, Mina, along with Anastasia and Vincent, stayed behind with some of their friends, touring around London after the class trip was over. She went through the motions of showing a happy face, even though she felt lonely inside and didn't really enjoy the sites as much as they did. Even travelling to Paris with her parents didn't lighten her mood. She just wanted to go home to get some normalcy back into her life.

Back in Seattle, she opened the door to her room on campus and sighed at the sight that she never thought she would miss in such a short time. "Home, sweet, home…" she placed her bags on the floor. Lily, of course, wasn't there again, most likely at her boyfriend's. Mina looked out the window and thought about everything that had happened. The cherry blossom leaves on campus were floating all over the grass, creating a serene mood for her. She thought it was strange she didn't feel sad or cried herself to sleep at night, and felt more of a sense of peace after that night's events.

The locket in her hand Gandalf gave she would often look at and smile. She walked over to the bouquet of flowers that Legolas also gave her, which were supposed to live as long as she did, and placed them by the windowsill. Mina told herself that starting today, she would never look back or regret anything that she has done. She tucked away the picture Anastasia printed out of her and Legolas that was taken at the Water Castle, and smiled at her future.

One year later…

"Where are you?" Mina sighed, pacing around the fountain, frustrated that she had been waiting for almost ten minutes.

"Mina!" Anastasia waved.

"There you are!" she rolled her eyes. "What took you so long? You know I have to be in class soon and it's clear across campus."

"I know! I know!" Anastasia apologized. "I forgot how hard to find parking around the Ave. Where is he?" she looked around Red Square of the UW Campus.

"Weren't you two together?" Mina raised a confused eyebrow.

"I know, but you know how he can be such a slowpoke," she sighed at his tardiness. "Oh! There he is, finally!"

"Hey, guys," Vincent jogged the rest of the way to them. "Sorry, I ran into an old classmate and got the talking."

"You could have told him you were in a hurry. We're starving!" Anastasia whined.

"I'm sorry," he placed an arm around her. "I'll buy you some Haagen Daz ice cream afterwards," he promised.

Anastasia's eyes lit up. "Okay, you're forgiven," she smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Mina quietly laughed to herself because she still couldn't believe they were dating. They seemed so mismatched, with Anastasia's feisty attitude and Vincent's nerdy appeal. But, she figured opposites attracted and that's exactly what they were. Ever since they left the Water Castle, something in them had changed. They slowly began to form a closer friendship that eventually led to a relationship and has gone on for almost a year now. Mina was happy for her friends, even though they still bickered at times, which never lasted that long.

"Hello? Earth to Mina?" Anastasia waved her hand in front of her. Memories of the past blocked out everything around her and didn't notice that the waiter at the restaurant they were at for lunch was waiting to take her order.

"Oh, sorry," she picked up the menu and quickly scanned it, picking the first appealing thing she saw. "I'll have the chicken teriyaki." After the waiter left with the menus, Anastasia leaned into the table. Mina already knew the look on her face. It was the look she got when she had gossip to tell. "Okay…what did you hear now?"

"Well, I heard that someone just recently moved into the old Mayberry Estate," she smiled curiously, wondering who now lived there.

"Really?" she sounded surprised. "That thing has been on the market for ages."

"Well, given the property value of the place and what Mr. Mayberry was trying to sell it for, can you blame the people who didn't want to pay a gazillion dollars for it, especially with the recession we're in," Vincent commented.

The house that sat on the top of the hill near the campus was well known in the area. It was located in a nice neighborhood and gated in seclusion. Mr. Mayberry, who had lived there for a long time with his wife, was a CEO of a billion dollar company and gradually kept adding to the house's structure, almost making it look like a castle with two tall pillars in the front porch. When he retired, he finally decided to sell the house and moved to Florida so that he and his wife could be closer to their grandchildren. The property was left on the market for years since no one was able to afford the price value of it.

"There have been at least a dozen trucks lined up entering the gate. Whoever this guy is, he seems to have enough stuff to fill that huge house," said Anastasia.

"Is he some sort of rich old guy like Mr. Mayberry?" Mina asked.

Her best friend shrugged. "I don't think so. From what some people had told me, he looks pretty young…and handsome!" she smirked, squeezing Vincent's leg, letting him know to not be jealous of her remark. He just rolled his eyes and let them continue their conversation. "All I know is that he looks European."

"And how would you know?" Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"I don't," she shook her head with an attitude. "I just heard..."

"Maybe that's the owner's son or something?" Mina guessed. Anastasia and Vincent just shrugged. "Oh, crap!" she looked at her watch. "I gotta go, Mr. Wilkins is starting his class soon. I'll see you guys later!" She left money on the table and dashed out the door.

Mina did the nine-to-five job for a while, but she realized the type of profession that suited her didn't really suit her at all. She wasn't happy in her career and didn't feel she was meant for the corporate world and wanted to do something more enjoyable. She ran into Mr. Wilkins at the grocery store one day after she resigned from her job and after explaining her situation, he

offered her an assistant position for his classes. She had always been one of his favorite and brightest students.

He needed some extra help gathering materials and research for his lectures, and thought Mina would make a good assistant if she was interested. She was more than happy to accept and after clearing and finalizing a few things with the college about her employment, she started immediately. Mr. Wilkins had her correct last week's exams and wanted her to return them to him today for grading. While the students were taking this week's exams, he would give them their grade. She jetted across campus since she knew how important the papers were.

She started to get lightheaded, since she wasn't a jogger or a runner. All Mina kept thinking about was getting water for her parched throat, but she couldn't make any pit stops. She would just quietly collapse in the corner when she arrived and hoped someone would splash water on her when they found her dehydrated body. "Almost there," she breathed. As soon as she turned the corner, she saw Mr. Wilkins talking to someone outside of the building. She couldn't see who it was because this person's back was to her. The man was in a black peacoat, with blonde short-cropped, shaggy-like hair. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and pulled the papers out, walking over to them slowly.

"Ah, Mina there you are!" Mr. Wilkins waved to her. The man in the peacoat kept his back to her.

"Here are the papers. Sorry I'm late," she replied quietly.

"Don't worry about it. It shouldn't take me long to look through these since you've already corrected them." He reached out to take them from her. He stacked the papers neatly in his hands and smiled. "Well, I should get back to my students," he said to the man he was conversing with before she arrived. "Oh, Mina! Where is my brain today," the professor shook his head, laughing at himself. "I almost forgot. You remember Sir Greenleaf—err…Legolas, don't you?"

Mina froze as her heart felt like it just exploded out of her chest. He slowly turned around with a small smile on his lips. "Hello, Mina," he said coolly. Her arms went limp on her sides and she couldn't do anything but just stare at the man she thought was basically dead.

Mr. Wilkins didn't understand the strange, awkward silence between them and excused himself. "Well, it was nice to see you again, Legolas. I'll be in touch with Gandalf for this year's tour of the castle," he shook his hand.

Legolas politely smiled at him and turned his attention back to Mina after Mr. Wilkins entered the building. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but she was still in shock and couldn't form any sounds. "I know you probably have a lot of questions," he smirked at her expression. "Ouch! What was that for?" Mina had to poke him to be sure he was real and that it wasn't some sort dream again. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Yes, I'm real," he said as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Let's walk," was all she could muster out of her vocal cords and started to leave without waiting for him to catch up. Legolas quickly moved to keep up with her. Mina stopped abruptly as if she was going to say something again, but didn't, and started walking again. She did this a few times that threw Legolas off guard.

"Mina, stop," he finally put her to a halt. "Look at me." She kept shaking her head in disbelief, students passing by giving her weird looks for her behavior, others staring at the handsome prince.

"You…you were supposed to be…dead," she whispered her last word, glancing around in case anyone heard her.

He smiled, lightly laughing. "A spirit, but not dead," he mimicked her teasingly.

"It's not funny, Legolas," she glowered. She was shocked, baffled, happy, nervous, and curious—everything out of the book you could think of. Mina didn't appreciate him making light of the situation when she had been trying so hard to forget about him and move on with her life because she thought she would never see him again.

"I'm sorry," he smiled. "I have missed you and your quirky little ways."

She blushed, turning away, which seemed to amuse him even more. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked in a slightly demanding tone.

"Here-here, or why am I alive-here?" he asked for specification, knowing full well what she meant. But, he felt like playing with her question to get a reaction out of her.

"Both," she rolled her eyes. They stopped under a cherry blossom tree and began talking.

"Well, I remember feeling warm and light…and happy where I was. Then, suddenly, darkness began to close around me again and I found myself plunged into the water behind the castle. Somehow Gandalf knew I would return and was expecting me. He took me out of the water, wrapped me in warm cloak, and brought me inside."

"So, you came back?" she asked quietly, which was more of a whispered statement to herself.

"Yes, a few days later. Well, technically, my body did," he corrected her.

"Huh?"

"The ritual was a success in the sense that my immortal being was able to be released so that Elise and I can be together. My mortal body, however, is another story. My spiritual essence is still with Elise in the afterlife, always and forever. But, I suppose the gods took pity on my mortal soul and allowed me to return."

She noticed him grin a little. "So…you didn't know that would happen?" she asked curiously.

"Not at all," he shook his head. "From how Gandalf has explained it to me, my spirit split into two—immortal and mortal. It is something that has never happened before given the rare circumstances when we met."

"What do you mean?"

"One does not have a reason to return to the world of the living unless he has a reason to," he looked into her eyes.

"You're speaking in riddles again," Mina moved her gaze to the grass. She still could never get used to the way he stared at her. It made her heart beat like drums in her chest with the slightest of attention from him.

Legolas chuckled at her seemingly clueless demeanor. "Mina," he raised her chin up, "I came back for you. The gods knew where the other part of my heart belonged and allowed me to live my other life with you."

"Me?" she still had the look of a deer caught in headlights on her face.

"Do I really have to spell everything out for you?" he shook his head, laughing again. "For a smart girl, you can be very obtuse sometimes."

"Okay, okay…" she shook the confused trance her brain was in and tried her best to process everything he had just told her. "So, you came all this way to Seattle to see me?"

"Of course not," he lightly scoffed.

"Oh…" her small smile faded into a disappointed frown. "Then why are you here? I thought you said…"

The prince unexpectedly gathered her into his arms, her face turning even brighter under the shade of the tree. "I said I came back for you," he whispered into her ear. He gave their bodies space so that he could see her reaction. Mina just blinked at him. "I am not here to see you, Mina. I came here in hopes that you will still allow me to be in your life…that is, if you don't already have someone in it," he said, somewhat preparing himself for disappointment if she did. It had been a year, after all.

"No, there's no one," she quickly shook her head.

"Good!" his smile and light mood returned.

She looked at him, examining his hair. "You cut your hair…" she gently caressed a piece of his blonde locks.

Legolas nodded. "I thought it was time to make a few changes in this mortal body. The most drastic thing I could think of doing was to cut my hair. As they say, one step at a time," he smirked at her.

"What hotel are you staying at? The Westin? The Fairmont? The Sheraton? How long will you be here for? And why were you talking to Mr. Wilkins?" She shot him with a million questions now that she was able to fully speak again.

He didn't mind the questioning and just continued to laugh softly, as he was expecting it from her, given his surprised reappearance. "I came by to see Mr. Wilkins to talk about his next visit to the Water Castle this summer. I left Gandalf in charge of everything, telling your professor that I was busy with meetings and travelling so I could not entertain him this year."

"Funny how he's never mentioned anything to me," Mina replied. She had been Mr. Wilkins's assistant for almost three months now and never heard him once talk about the trip to Europe.

"Gandalf had asked him not to mention the trip yet to the students until things were finalized with the school and itineraries," he explained.

"Well, I guess Mr. Wilkins has a habit of being forgetful, too, sometimes. Anyways…where are you staying?"

"Not far," he grinned. "Just up the hill or so."

"Up the hill?" her eyes grew wider. "But there aren't any hotels—wait. You're the one who bought the Mayberry Estate?" His grin turned into a full smile now. "Well, of course, it would be you," she rolled her eyes. "Who else could afford that place?"

"I have been looking into a place of residence in Seattle for the last few months, hoping to be closer to you. I was also hoping that after you graduated, you would still stay close within the area. Fortune was luckily on my side when Mr. Wilkins mentioned you were his assistant, which made it easier for me to find you," he smiled again.

Mina was dumbfounded. "You travelled clear across the ocean and moved here to be with me?"

"Well, I assumed you wouldn't want to leave your family and friends to live with me in Europe so suddenly, so I thought why not just move here instead?" The prince shrugged like it was no big deal, giving her a crooked grin. "I have never been to Seattle before so perhaps you can show me around?"

"I think I can do that," she tried suppressing a smile.

Legolas caressed her cheek, admiring her quietly. "You know I love you, Mina," he finally whispered, "and I intend on keeping my promise to you of loving you forever and giving you all that I have in this new life and the next."

She searched deeply into his eyes and saw the truth in them. She practically jumped on him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, which made him laugh again, holding her tightly against him. His familiar scent and the feel of his strong arms around her put her in a state of bliss. "So, you're mine? Really mine?" she asked sheepishly.

"Yes, love, I am all yours," he kissed her forehead, slowly bringing his head down so that his lips could meet hers. Mina's entire body felt like it was tingling and hadn't realized how much she had been longing for his touch. She could hear a few people snickering at their displays of affection but she didn't care. Nothing else mattered in that moment.

The prince broke their kiss off sooner than Mina wanted and slightly pouted. He smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and told her they would have plenty of time for a formal reunion. "So, what did you want to do now then?" she asked. "I don't really have anything else to do for Mr. Wilkins today."

"Eat!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"Eat?" Mina laughed. "No sightseeing then?"

"We can do that afterwards. This mortal body seems to always be hungry. It took some time to adjust to. I feel that my steps are also much heavier and I cannot see as far as I used to," he squinted his eyes into the distance.

"That's being human for you," she smirked. "You'll get used to it, I'm sure."

"And I have you to show me the so called 'ropes'," he winked at her. Mina stepped closer to him with her head slightly bent down. "What is the matter? Are you…all right?" he placed his hands on her shoulders, concern suddenly flooding him.

Mina looked up and gave him a half-smile. "I love you, Legolas," she said quietly.

The concern he felt washed away and donned another smile in its place. "I love you, too, Mina," he replied, kissing her hand. "Now…let's go eat!" he pulled her to the nearest restaurant.

THE END

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the ending! Thank you all so much for your reviews and support with this story! I had fun writing it. Keep me on author alert if you might be interested in future stories from me. Thank you again and happy reading/writing. Cheers!