When the children were almost fully grown was when I finally sat down to write the story of my life and about all of the battles and people I met along the way as well as how Legolas and I met and fell in love. I decided that I would write the prologue before leaving Middle-Earth for Valinor. Meanwhile, I had a lot to get in order. Thoughts in my head had to be chronologically organized so I would not miss any crucial details. Neither Legolas nor the children would bother me when I would write in our sitting room looking out at beautiful Rivendell. It was my private time.

On one of those days, I was lost in thought quill pen in hand, when I heard a loud crash come from the back of our land. I immediately ran out of my sitting room and saw dust bellowing from the Rivendell Library. The noise was so loud it echoed throughout all of Rivendell getting every elf's attention. By the time everyone—including Legolas, Gimli, and our children—converged on the library, the archivist was coming out of the dust covered interior, coughing.

"What pray tell has happened?" I asked the archivist, concerned.

"Some of the older bookshelves have collapsed, your highness." He explained, still coughing.

Shaking my head, I waited for the dust to settle and then entered the building along with the archivist to see if the foundation itself was intact. I wondered around and saw what was broken and what was still standing. Thankfully, the vaults were made out of metal and were unharmed but a lot of the older bookshelves were completely splintered with hundreds of books lying everywhere. The building was fine; which was a relief. I then exited it again and explained what I had seen. Legolas then called on Yael to ride to Mirkwood and bring back their finest wood craftsmen to help with Rivendell's own to restore the bookshelves. The job was just too big for 3 of Rivendell's finest.

"We need to restore these bookshelves to pristine condition so that way they do not collapse in another 10,000 years." I said in the common tongue as everyone nodded and Yael ran to the stables for his trip to Mirkwood.

"Agreed." Legolas replied. That is when I looked at Gimli and started to laugh. He was the only one carrying a weapon. I turned to him then and said:

"Gimli, there is no need for your axe. You are not going to slay the books. I think they have been hurt enough."

Everyone else giggled as Gimli looked from me to his axe and back again realizing just how ridiculous he looked. He harrumphed and put his weapon into a holder attached to his back. Afterwards, I told the children to help me take the books out of the library and carefully lay them on the grass. Every elf around was helping out when Altherial raised an eyebrow and asked me:

"But naneth, why do we have to do the work when there are other elves here?" I stopped what I was doing and looked her in the eye as I explained it to her and her brothers.

"Because my dear child it does not matter that we are royal. Both your father and I were raised to help in every situation regardless of our standing or lineage. This library has aided me many a time and because of that among other things that we lend a helping hand with everything. We being royalty does not make us higher or better than anyone else." Gimli was listening to my explanation and decided to add his own story and memories.

"Listen to your mother, child. If it was not for her, a lot of things would have been different in this world. Your father too. It was your mother that was the first elf to treat dwarves with respect right before and during the Battle of the Five Armies. Your father followed her example. Mine own father told me when I was a wee lad that when he and Thorin Oakenshield along with company first arrived in Mirkwood, they were imprisoned by King Thranduil, your paternal grandfather. Your father too, was none too kind to us. One elf named Tauriel fell in love with a dwarf and it was seen as an abomination in her land." Altherial, Angrendir, and Elros' eyes were wide as they listened. Legolas and I smiled at the memories of long ago as we continued to ferry books out of the library; Gimli continued.

"Your mother was the first one to acknowledge Tauriel and Kili's love for one another. To her it did not matter who they were. Love was the primary factor; life was too short. Though Kili was killed trying to save Tauriel, it showed your father and his father that it did not matter who we were in this world, what our faults were, as long as we cared about one another, that is and was what mattered most. Your mother was willing to give anyone a chance. It is why your father and I are as close as we are now having fought together. Royalty or not, the kindness and humility that comes from within is what makes anyone truly magnificent and honorable in this world."

By the time he was finished speaking; only Altherial was left listening to him as the boys had taken the early cue to help with getting the books out of the library. I smiled at Gimli and he nodded at me. The respect we had for each other was palpable. Legolas patted Gimli on the back in a 'well done' type of manner. Altherial by that time had also joined her brothers in the library. She had told Lyric one time that she wanted to be just like me one day. It warmed my heart when I heard that from Lyric. Just as I was thinking of her, she stepped forward though her parents looked incredibly nervous and said something that made me freeze in my tracks.

"You have always given everyone the benefit of the doubt; just like you did with Melchel."

Lyric and her parents had their heads down. They looked ashamed as a skeleton came tumbling out of their closet. It was then that I pieced it together. Lyric and Melchel were related though distant cousins. Lyric was a newborn when Melchel had attacked me, very nearly did serious harm to Arwen, and was banished from Rivendell and Lorien by uncle Elrond all those years ago. She was a noble elf that wanted to be a princess but had not a single drop of royal blood in her body nor was on her way of marrying anyone royal. On top of that she was poisoning her own mother. After I nearly took her head off her shoulders and uncle Elrond banished her to Dol Guldur, her parents sailed to Valinor to live out the rest of their existence away from the pain that this world had caused them. I walked up to Lyric then and said:

"My dear child, do not fret. What Melchel did and who she was has nothing to do with neither you nor your kin. She was her own person; a wretched one at that but her own. Just as my uncle and I did not punish her parents for her wrongdoings, I shall not look upon any of you any less because of whom you are or were related to. Come let me show you something."

I led Lyric and her parents down the long winding pathway to a tree a few hundred yards away. Legolas was watching from a cement path himself. I stood next to the tree and pointed toward a black and silver elongated spot in the trunk of the tree. They peaked closely as I explained:

"Where Legolas is standing is where Melchel and I were that fateful night." They looked back toward him; there was a sizable distance between us as I continued.

"This black and silver spot is what is left of Melchel's sword. When she attacked me, I split her sword with mine own and sent it hurtling down here where it struck this tree. Many eons have passed since that evening and though the tree was impacted, it is taking back what belongs to it. The tree is covering up the wound from that sword. In less than 500 years, you will not even remember that there was a sword here. Though the sword poisoned the tree, it has been strong enough to recover and slowly return to its original way. Of course that all depends on the age of the tree. But even wounds that deep, with the right treatment, heal over time."

Little did I know how prophetic mine own words would soon be. The following day there was loud noise and banging coming from the direction of the library as the woodsmen were crafting new and more durable bookshelves. I had worn a more sensible dress so that I could get dirty and not worry about messing up one of my better gowns. I was helping the archivist rebind the books that fell apart during the collapse when Elros ran over to me looking breathless with wide concerned eyes.

"Naneth, there is a strange filthy man at the front gate! The guards let him in but no further. Altherial is guarding him. He is very bizarre looking." Elros was pointing in that direction. Angrendir had gone to get Legolas who was in the smithy speaking with Yael.

I looked at him puzzled, knowing full well that the guards would not let just anyone into Rivendell especially through the front gate. So who could this be? I followed Elros back to the front gate and was joined by Legolas and Angrendir. As we approached the last corner before where the stables were located by the front gate, I knew exactly who it was as soon as he said to Altherial:

"You look exactly like your mother."

Gimli had joined us as well and I was smiling by the time we reached where Altherial was standing with the 'strange filthy man' who was none other than Radagast the Brown. He bowed to both Legolas and I when he saw us. I waved Altherial back who was looking very fierce indeed. There was no need for confrontations. Radagast was the only wizard left in Middle-Earth now that Mithrandir was gone. He had also saved Mithrandir's life by taking him away from Dol Guldur as my aunt, uncle, and the late and loathsome Saruman took on Sauron and his wraiths before the Battle of the Five Armies. I owed Radagast a lot for saving Mithrandir.

"Welcome to Rivendell, Radagast. It is an honor to have you here. To what do we owe the pleasure?" I asked kindly.

"I bring word from Treebeard of Fangorn Forest; he is in need of your immediate help." Radagast said stuttering slightly.

Legolas and I looked at each other in surprise. It had been a long time since we had heard those names. There seemed to be a lot more to the story so we invited Radagast to our dining hall for food and libations. Legolas told the caretakers at the stables to wash Radagast's slay as well as his animals. Though he said it was not necessary, he himself looked like he had not had a bath in eons and we welcomed him to a room to take a bath in and get groomed while his clothing was washed. It was returned to him by the time the meal was prepared and he looked a lot more refreshed then he ever did when he sat down at the table with the children, Gimli, Legolas, and I.

Though we knew he would have poo in his hair again soon and look as he had before as well, at least he looked like a ton of weight had been lifted off of him. He spoke little as he ate and we did as well. The children kept looking at him with curiosity. Finally, after everyone had finished their respective meals, Radagast began his story.

"Treebeard is seeking the help of the elves to reclaim the lands. Well one land in particular. Isengard." That name had Gimli, Legolas, and I looking at each other with a hardened gaze. If it was not for Saruman and the land around his tower Orthanc, there would not have been a Battle at Helm's Deep and Haldir would still be alive. I ground my teeth as I thought of that last part.

"Ada, what is Isengard?" Angrendir asked.

"Tis a place where great evil was born." Legolas said and then saw Lyric; motioning her to take the children back to the library. This was serious business and we did not want or need any intrusions or unwanted questions from our youngins at that moment. They protested but we did not budge so they left and Radagast continued.

"After that battle, when the Ents released the river and washed away the orcs and remaining Uruk-Hai, we all thought that once the river subsided, the trees would once again grow back but nothing has happened. It looks like a barren wasteland still only without the smoke and fires. Treebeard does not know what to do so he asked me to come seek you out. Elves were the ones who woke up trees in the first place and taught them how to speak. Perhaps, there is something you can do." Radagast looked desperate.

As he finished speaking, a vision hit me. I saw exactly what was going on and what would need to happen in order to make the ground fertile again for growth. The whole scene played out in my head from start to finish as the others watched me, knowing full well what was going on. When the visions would hit, I would get a faraway look and sit almost in a catatonic state. When the vision was over, my gaze returned back to the present and I knew exactly what we would have to do.

"Do not despair my dear friend. I know what we must do. For starters we need a lot of people to come together. Legolas and Gimli will help me write letters to King Aragorn and my cousin Queen Arwen of Gondor as well as Prince Faramir and Princess Eowyn of Ithilien, King Eomer of Rohan, and the Hobbits. We will also need as many of all of our respective armies and people as possible for the task at hand. Come now, there is much work to be done in the meantime. Please inform Treebeard that we shall meet with him in 3-5 days and fix this mess once and for all." I said confidently.

As Radagast bowed and left swiftly to deliver my message to Treebeard, I knew that the task at hand was of mammoth proportions but I also knew if all of the people I had mentioned would join with us; we could once and for all solve the problem. I explained my vision to Gimli and Legolas; the latter of which whistled at the sheer enormity of the undertaking. Once I was done explaining, everyone sat down to write their respective letters and other then Yael, we had multiple couriers this time to deliver the letters to their recipients as soon as was possible. In the letter I wrote to Aragorn and Arwen, I mentioned that if they felt it safer they could send their three children to Rivendell while we were working on this project.

Once everyone was in agreement and had assembled all of the supplies needed, we all headed out toward Isengard and Fangorn Forest. Just as promised everyone arrived on day number 3. It was nice to see everyone though only Merry and Pippin had come. Sam had too many children to leave his wife and sent his regards. Both Merry and Pippin were married by then as well but had yet to have any children. Therefore, it was easier for them to leave. Faramir and Eowyn had sent their son to stay with Queen Bailan in Rohan while Eomer arrived with all of the Rohirrim. Legolas, Gimli, and I had come with close to 10,ooo elves from the 3 United kingdoms.

When mentioned that we had left some at home, the others were flabbergasted by just how massive the elven armies were now. Legolas told everyone that it was my idea and that it happened while my uncle was still here. Aragorn, Faramir, and Eomer nodded, very impressed. They had all aged a lot and though they could still do what was needed of them, it was obvious the difference between humans, elves, hobbits, and dwarves. It was then that I told them what we were going to do:

"My vision is to destroy Orthanc." They all gasped at that as Pippin shook his head.

"But that is impossible. When the Ents tried throwing rocks to destroy the tower, nothing happened. It is impenetrable!"

"Not so, my dear Guard of the Citadel. Stone cannot defeat metal but fire can. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas remember what caused the breach in the wall at Helm's Deep; a giant explosion. Metal is born from fire and from fire it shall die." I said with a wink at Pippin.

"But where are we going to get so many of those explosions?" Eomer asked.

"Saruman was no fool. If he created one, he surely had all of the ingredients to make more of those within that tower. We must go inside; not only to find the explosive components but also to secure all of the staffs of the wizards. There are many things within Orthanc that cannot be destroyed. Things that Saruman had and used before he became a traitor to these lands as well as to us all." The others nodded.

As we looked upon the tall and menacing tower, we decided who would go inside and who would stay outside. Legolas, Arwen, Eomer, Aragorn, and I went inside while the others stayed outside. Aragorn kicked the door open and we started to look inside the vast halls. It was dark and musty. We found some candles and lanterns to place them in as we looked around the place. In some parts it was windy while in others it was so shut off that one would think it was never used.

Suddenly, up above we heard a noise as if someone was there with us though the place had been shuttered for centuries. We rushed up the nearest stairs and ran after the noise which stopped in a particularly dark and dank room that we all subconsciously recognized as being Saruman's main room where he had his throne and stand for the pallantir originally. As I looked around the room and turned slowly about, out of the darkness a shrill yell was heard and a black shadow detached from the wall and charged at me. I whirled around, unsheathing Altherial as I went, and pinned the creature against the wall with one hand as I held my sword to its throat with the other.

As windows were opened to let light in, many around the room gasped as they recognized the being I was holding captive. Eomer rushed forward and backhanded him across the face with all his might as he spit out:

"You witless worm! You should be dead!"

We had found none other than Grima Wormtongue who had with the command of Saruman himself, helped poison the mind of the late King Théoden before Gandalf the White freed him from the mental prison. After the Battle of Helm's Deep, when the fellowship had come to Isengard to retrieve Merry and Pippin; Grima stabbed Saruman causing the latter to fall from the tower to his death. Legolas had shot Grima immediately afterwards and everyone had thought it was a kill shot but he was shot in the shoulder. He must have climbed back into the tower when the others left and spent all these centuries living and healing within the walls of Orthanc; never stepping out in fear of being discovered by the Ents of Fangorn Forest.

"Bring him out and hold him captive as we finish our search." Eomer said as Legolas took Grima roughly and threw him down the stairs.

After they left, the rest of us were joined by Radagast as we finished walking through the entire place. First we found where all of the ancient texts where hidden and brought those out. Secondly, Radagast found the staffs of all of the wizards and gently with the help of Aragorn and myself brought those out as well. Lastly, we found exactly what I had been looking for; large round iron barrels and explosive powder in large carts and bags. We ordered our respective armies to carry everything outside where we would strategize how to destroy the seed of this evil once and for all.

Once everything was done, we looked up to see Treebeard and some of his fellow Ents coming towards us. Eowyn, who had been speaking with Merry and Pippin only belatedly saw Grima held captive by the Rohirrim. With a wild cry, she launched herself at him with her sword raised as his eyes bulged and he squirmed away from her. Faramir caught her arm before she could spear Grima with the sword.

"Let go of me! This disgusting vile being poisoned my late uncle's mind! He must be destroyed! How is it that he is still alive?" She tried to get free from her beloveds' arms but he held her steady.

"Be at peace, my love. He will get what is due to him. We will surely receive all of the answers once the others are done within." He said quietly with a reassuring smile as she stopped struggling and put her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

I had just come out for the final time from Orthanc and quickly guessed what had happened. I glanced over at Faramir who nodded that they were alright. I then glanced coldly at Grima who had attacked me in the first place; I suppose he thought I would be the weakest one; being a female elf and all. I seriously enjoyed being underestimated by these filthy beings because then the shock value of my actual capabilities would stun them into submission. Arwen then got my attention:

"Cousin mine, we all agree that the staffs of the wizards and Saruman's texts should go to the Rivendell library and into the vault. It would be the best and most secure place for all of them."

I kind of hesitated remembering the absolute mess we were still trying to fix when we left within the library. She saw my hesitation and raised an eyebrow. Legolas and I then explained what had happened with the bookshelves collapsing and the current rebuilding process. Everyone was pretty surprised but we knew that even with that small setback, she was right about where all of those items should go. Elves were quick with everything and I knew that by the time we handled this situation, the library would be as good as new. Meanwhile, Treebeard had cleared his throat and wanted to be introduced to everyone. Radagast did the honors.

"Treebeard, you had asked for the help from the elves and you received just that and then some. First and foremost, the one in charge of this problem who had the vision of a solution is Queen Hedraliel Anorithilian. Her husband is King Legolas Greenleaf and they rule over the 3 United Elven Kingdoms; Gimli son of Gloin lives in Rivendell with the royal family." Both Legolas and I bowed our heads as did Gimli to Treebeard as he bowed very low to both of us. Radagast continued:

"We have King Elessar and Queen Arwen of Gondor, King Eomer of Rohan, and Prince Faramir and Princess Eowyn of Ithilien with their respective peoples and armies. And of course you remember Merry and Pippin, the hobbits."

As the introductions finished up, Treebeard was very pleased indeed with just how many people had come to help out the land and the trees.

"But why had the land around Orthanc not been able to heal and recapture what belonged to it like the tree had done with Melchel's sword in Rivendell?" Legolas had wondered aloud.

"Because Orthanc is poisoned; the evil within it had through the metal, leeched into the ground and made the surrounding area uninhabitable." I explained just as I had seen it in my vision. The others looked at each other surprised as I continued to explain it as only I had seen it.

"That is also why Grima here was able to live for all these years. He stayed within the tower and the evil that had festered in his heart had made him almost immortal. The wound caused by Legolas' arrow was able to heal without treatment or very little of it. When you separate evil even one changed by a wizard from a land, that land can breathe again and be again what it once was."

"So what do we do with this filth?" Eomer said yanking Grima by the hair. I could see in his eyes that he wanted nothing more than to hold him captive in a prison in Rohan. But that would not be a good thing.

"I can tell what you want to do Eomer and I would not recommend it." I looked him straight in the eyes as I said it.

"Why not?" He asked confused.

"Because just like Orthanc has poisoned Isengard and the surrounding lands, Grima himself is poison. If you bring him back to Rohan, that poison will leech into your lands and your people and you do not want that. We have had enough evil to last several ages in this world. It is time to put an end to it." Everyone nodded at this point as did Eomer as he thought over my words; then he said:

"I defer all judgment and the outcome to you Hedraliel regarding Grima Wormtongue." He bowed then and stepped back. I nodded with a small smile.

"Treebeard, do you mind holding onto that thing while we prepare for the execution of bringing down Orthanc?" I asked him. Treebeard nodded and grabbed a hold of Grima firmly before grunting and saying:

"This creature is a human? How despicable." We all nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, we all set about pouring the explosive powder into each respective iron barrel. We had gotten about 15 of them ready as I rode around the tower on Sunset and decided at which angle to place most of the charges. After which a few would be placed within the tower itself. In order to make the explosions powerful enough to bring down the tower; I took out Altherial, closed my eyes, and let her runes glow brighter than Anor itself. Then I plunged my sword into each iron barrel so that the powder was glowing red hot. Those that had never seen me and Altherial in action were flabbergasted to say the least. After everything was set, all we had to do was light the charges and go swiftly for cover. As all of the charges were lit and we all took cover, the countdown began.

The blasts went off simultaneously, just as I had wanted them to. I knew that the shock wave of this magnitude most likely reverberated throughout all of Middle-Earth. The explosions blew Orthanc out of the ground and toppled the massive iron tower on its side as the smaller ones inside, split the tower into multiple pieces. Finally, the cacophony stopped and the smoke cleared to reveal the once majestic foreboding tower now a pile of pieces and rubble. We all left our hiding places as Grima was still held by Treebeard. A tear was seen on his cheek; he knew his time on this earth was ending. Aragorn looked at the massive pile of pieces and shook his head.

"Now what? How do we ever clean this up?"

"We help but the pieces and all remaining evil will go to the one place evil was first forged and is almost completely extinct. There is a mountain not far from here that has blasted fire into the air for far too long. It is time for it to die out." I said carefully.

"Mount Doom?" Faramir asked as I nodded.

"But how shall we ever get these enormous pieces there? No man or elf can lift any of these." Aragorn continued. I smiled then and looked up toward the east.

"We will not have to." As everyone looked toward where I was, Pippin exclaimed:

"The Eagles are coming! The Eagles are coming!" One of his favorite phrases throughout the battles.

Sure enough, Gwaihir the Windlord and the rest of the eagles had arrived just as I had called for them before the explosions went off though no one had seen me do it. Mithrandir had given me the power of calling upon the eagles for help long ago though I never used it until now and of course I waited out of respect for him until he left for Valinor. As the eagles touched down, everyone was in awe of their massive size. I spoke with Gwaihir and told him what he must do. The eagles each started picking up the bigger pieces of the tower and flying away with them and then returning for the smaller ones.

Meanwhile, the people and armies that came to assist us shoveled the really small pieces into burlap bags and those were taken away along with the larger pieces toward and then into the top of Mt. Doom. Finally only one piece was left. Legolas, Aragorn, Eomer, and Gimli took the giant wooden wheel that still had Saruman's skeletal remains attached to it and placed all of it inside the last chunk of Orthanc per my guidance. I then turned to Grima; who got very scared very quickly.

"You are the last component of this evilness and now you shall pay as is just. Your final destination is the start of all of this corruption. You have caused much pain and suffering even death to so many; now you will understand what a painful death feels like. That is my final word."

With that, I nodded and a squirming Grima Wormtongue was tied with thick ropes to the last remaining piece that also held Saruman's remains. Both parties were tied to the piece so Grima would not leap out half way there. Everything had to go according to plan and the way I had foreseen it or it would not work properly. Finally, everything was ready and Gwaihir himself took that final piece as we all looked on. We knew exactly when he threw that last piece into Mt. Doom because there was a tremendous eruption and then silence. Mt. Doom had finally gone extinct. It was over.

I kept 4 pieces of iron from Isengard's Orthanc tower and created a diamond shaped memorial of sorts in the place where Saruman had cut down the trees to use in order to burn the fires below Isengard. Finally, the rest of the people and armies got to work, planting trees and seeds for grass and plants. We were going to make this new place a wonder and in order to do that, someone got out a map of Middle-Earth and everyone agreed that the land of Isengard should be renamed. Orthanc was no more and every time people thought or heard either of those words, only hate and evil was what came to mind; enough was enough. Now with the destruction of the tower, everyone in Middle-Earth was ready for a fresh start.

Because I was the one who came up with the plan through my vision and the plan itself was a successful one at that, Treebeard and the others thought it only fair that I would choose the new name for the land. It did not take me long to come up with one. I looked at the light now surrounding the place as our peoples joined together to plant the foundation for a new chapter and beginning of the land, I smiled and told everyone what I thought the land should be renamed:

"I think it should be called Earendil. It is no longer a land of evil and darkness but a land of hope and light. I think Aunt Galadriel would be proud of all we have accomplished." Everyone agreed with a smile as Legolas brought out a quill pen and crossed out the word Isengard on the map and replaced it with Earendil.

Now it was official, the new land of Earendil was to prosper for many eons and ages to come and Treebeard got exactly what he was asking for. Everyone was very proud of everything they had accomplished. It was finally time to go home. I told Arwen that when Legolas and I returned to Rivendell, we would send her children back to Gondor under guard escort. She nodded and hugged me. We all hugged each other, promised to write and were left with loving words and a bright outlook for the future.

Little did I know that very soon I would suffer a loss so great that it would very nearly shatter my heart into a thousand pieces and quicken my destiny so much more.

To be continued.....