The large group of forest elves were sent out to burn back the encroaching spiders once more. If they were allowed to nest too closely to the protected elven lands, they could easily overrun the elves just trying to live in peace during the conflicts happening in the rest of the world. It was the Second Age and their faction of people had recused themselves from participating, fulfilling their queen's desires.

“Be prepared to handle the surge of evil.” The head elf of the hunting party said as he and his group approached the area that had been reported as infested.

“Your will be done.” The others said in response and spread out to handle the situation.

It turned out to be much worse than usual. The spiders had dug in and created defenses, fully prepared to protect their own chosen nesting grounds, like the elves that had chosen the forests of Lorien to settle in.

It was a pitched battle with arrows and flames flying from the elves, with venom and sacrificial spider lunges from the man-sized monsters. When it was over, three of the elves were dead from poisoning, one was severely burned from the fires they had set, and ten of the others were cut, bruised, and singed.

The leader of the hunting party lit the final arrow and shot it at the queen spider's nest. “Let this be the last time the monsters encroach on our lands!”

The other elves cheered halfheartedly as the thick bundle of webs went afire. They had won; but, at a terrible cost.

*WHABOOOM!*

All of the elves were blown off of their feet from the explosion and burning pieces of webs were sent out in a wide area. The head elf was shocked by this, until he saw a body flying towards him. He braced himself and the body slammed into him, bowled him over, and they came to a stop at the feet of the other elves.

“You always were a great catch, Celeborn.” One of his elves praised him and the others laughed softly.

“He is surprisingly heavy.” Celeborn said and the other mobile elves picked up the partially dissolved body. “He must have been the queen's favorite snack to have been in the middle of her funnel.”

“We should rejoice that we stole her food!” One of the elves said and then laughed. “And he lives!”

That shocked the other elves and they all gathered around and checked for themselves.

“He truly is alive.” Celeborn said, shocked. “Gather the dead and injured. We must return and inform our Lady immediately.”

“Your will be done.” The others said and stretchers were quickly constructed to carry their burdens... including the sole man that they had rescued.

*

“Uhhh.” I groaned and tried to open my eyes. I was surprised that they worked, considering I apparently dissolved away with the rest of the universe. When I tried to move my arms to see if I still had fingers, I only felt things down to my elbows.

“You are awake.” A familiar voice whispered and a female figure walked over to me.

I caught my breath as Arlene Wilcox, from the Scooby Doo universe, stood over me and gave me a warm smile. “Arlene?” I asked, almost afraid that she would say yes.

Her smile didn't falter as she sat on the side of the bed and her gentle hand lightly caressed my cheek. “My name is Alatariel.” She said. “You were severely hurt during the hunt and my husband brought you home.”

I bit my tongue on my curse before I could shout it out. Once more, I was stuck in a world where a woman I had loved, was married to someone else.

“He tried to tell me to let someone else take care of you and I told him that if he didn't want me to fulfill my duty, he should have left you in the woods.”

“I might have been better off.” I whispered.

Alatariel lost the smile. “Please, do not despair. We have healed as much of you as possible and we will do more when you are recovered more.”

Healed. I thought and stared at her face. Does that mean I'm in some kind of fantasy world?

Alatariel used a hand and swiped at her loosely hanging hair to pull it back over her ear. Her pointed ear. “I have heard tales of men that have lived with worse than what you've suffered.”

“I doubt that.” I said and my eyes couldn't stop looking at her ear. I'd say that's a confirmation.

“It is not polite to stare at a Lady in such a way.” Alatariel said.

I blinked my eyes at her and knew her phrasing was deliberate. “I am very sorry, my lady. You look identical to a woman I loved a very long time ago.”

Alatariel's smile returned. “Then I will forgive some impropriety.” She said and her smile changed to a sly one. “Although, my husband may not.”

I chuckled. “He would be an imbecile if he did.”

Alatariel beamed a smile at me. “Would you shamelessly proposition a Lady in spite of my husband's wishes?”

“Is he any good with a sword?” I asked and lifted one of my stumps to make her laugh.

“As amusing as it would be to see you try to slay my Celebron with a sword in your teeth, he is a good man. He lost several good elves fighting off the queen spider and retrieving you.”

My budding good mood vanished. “How long ago was this?”

“Merely hours. Why?”

“What are they doing with the bodies?” I asked and tried to sit up. I flopped around a little and laid back down. Dammit, I forgot I didn't start regrowing them yet.

“They will be prepared by their families and given a proper...”

“Please stop them. I have magic that can possibly save them.” I said and she gasped. “Hurry! The more time spent out of their bodies, the more difficult it is for them to return.”

Alatariel gave me a surprised look, then stood. “I would not normally indulge in fantasy such as this; but, the surety in your voice compels me to at least let you try.”

“Thank you, my lady. I hope we can be in time.” I said and waited until she left the room before I formed the bacta needles and felt out with the Force. I grit my teeth and held in my shocked yell when the Force pretty much assaulted me and begged me to use it. No one at all had been attuned to it in millennia and it was immensely grateful for me being there.

I had to be very careful as I picked up the needles and injected myself in my arms and legs, then in the other spots that I felt damaged. I hadn't realized my nose and my ears had been missing until they grew back after I cast Healing on myself several times. Barely five minutes later, I felt an abundance of energy flow through me and I had my arms and legs back, which was the fastest time yet.

That proved two things. One, this world had an abundance of magic and anything related to it was going to be powerful. Two, I had to be very careful about the types of spells I cast.

I pushed off the blanket and transfigured my clothing into a Jedi's traditional outfit, as the robes could fit into any fantasy story. I stood up and then realized something. I had no way to discover where I was or what story or lore I was in. How do you ask a character what story they are in without sounding crazy? Would they even know the name of it? How could they?

I sighed and walked over to the window and looked out. It was a very nice view of trees and that was of no help at all. I also couldn't see a single piece of modern technology anywhere. No electricity, no flashlights, and I suspected that there was also no indoor plumbing.

The door of the room opened and Alatariel was there with another elf, a man. They both looked shocked that I was standing at the window. I carefully used the Force to reach out and touched both of them. Or tried to. It fully encompassed the both of them and essentially hugged them.

Alatariel let out a little moan and then she blushed. “The families have reluctantly agreed to try the magic you have to save their loved ones.” She said and the elf beside her coughed. “My husband Celeborn has... requested... to come along and bare witness to whatever ritual you wish to conduct.”

I had to smile widely at that. “That is perfectly understandable. I could have been a rival for your affection a few thousand years ago.”

They both took in a sharp breath at that. I didn't tell them I had gained an image of 'Lady of Lorien' and 'Royal Consort' from them.

“It's just my luck that I would meet an incarnation of you and I still can't be with you.” I said and walked over to them.

“How are you walking?” Celeborn asked.

“With my legs. How else would I walk?” I joked and then stopped in front of him. “I am only making fun. My healing abilities are pretty powerful here.” I said and copied their Elvish Speak ability. I wouldn't use it, though. I was sure that I needed to let them think I was ignorant of their native speech.

“Can you truly bring the dead back to life?” Celebron asked.

“They aren't quite dead yet. According to the records I've found, it takes the soul a while to abandon their connection to life. Some will stay around for hours while other will stay for days or weeks. It depends on the individual and if they desire to cling to life.”

“Then we must hurry.” Alatariel said and waved me forward. “I will lead you to the preparation chamber.”

“I hope it's big enough. The modified Lazarus Pit is fairly large.”

“I do not recognize the name.” Alatariel said and led Celeborn and myself out of the guest room and then out of their house.

I gained a specialty forest that gave me three green magic. It had the ability to grant me an experienced forest elf ranger or an experienced forest elf soldier if I didn't use the magic when I used the land. All I could do was think that Gloria would love to have a copy of this land. I gained another land that did the same thing before we arrived at the very large preparation chamber that was a standalone building.

“This will do nicely.” I said and stepped to the middle of the room. “I wish to thank you and your people for rescuing me, so if I could clear this room out, I'll give you a very valuable gift.”

“You cannot take our honored burial ritual room.” Someone said, indignantly.

“I'm not.” I said and waved my hand around. “The modification will be that big around. Unfortunately, when I convert the space, anything inside will be lost. I don't want you to lose any of your precious items and carvings.”

“Call the others. If we all work, we can have it cleared quickly.” Celeborn said.

“I don't need anyone's help, just the Lady's permission.” I said and nodded to Alatariel.

“I have already agreed to let you try.” Alatariel replied.

“Thank you, my lady.” I said and reached out with the Force to fill the room.

“Ohhhh!” Several of the female elves moaned with pleasure as it hugged them. The men gave me stern looks.

“My apologies to you all. My ability is very strong here.” I said and lifted everything and everyone up at once.

They all stared at me as I easily moved them around and placed them all carefully outside with everything that had just been in the room. I walked over to the large doorway and smiled.

“My gift to you.” I said and placed my hand down on the floor and converted the entire structure into the modified Lazarus Pit. The gleaming reinforced titanium and steel walls had the elves making awed and appreciative sounds as they flocked to look at it, so I used the Force to put all of the items back to their approximate places.

“What is this metal?” Alatariel asked as her hand rubbed along the wall's surface.

“It's a composite alloy of several base metals. I can tell you all about it later.” I said and motioned to the three bodies that were wrapped and were partially prepared for their death ritual. “We need to get them prepped and inserted into the Lazarus fluid.”

The families of the three dead members ran back over to the bodies and they brought them inside the modern building. They gasped at the yellow bubbling liquid.

“It's all right.” I assured them. “In about six hours, their bodies will be cleansed and they'll come out wondering what happened.”

“Should we really submit our husbands to this demon magic?” One woman asked.

I walked over to her and she backed up slightly. “Please, I mean no harm.” I said and pulled a needle out of my robes. “You've had a sore arm for a long time.”

“Y-yes, I... wait, how did you know that?”

“One of my abilities is discovering ailments. What happened?”

“I fell while carrying my eldest as a child.” She said and the tall male elf beside her nodded.

“May I heal it for you?” I asked.

“Wh-what?” She asked, surprised.

“As proof that I mean no harm, I will heal your old injury.”

“With that.” She said and nodded at the needle.

“Yes, and this.” I said and took out a little vial. “It's a numbing liquid that will stop you from feeling pain as I fix your arm.”

“If you hurt my mother, I will kill you.” The male elf said.

“You will find that boast is unnecessary.” I said and popped the vial open and used the Force to spread some of the liquid on her arm, then I put the needle inside her arm and used the numbing liquid to coat her bone and used the Force to break it, moved it back into the right spot, and then injected the bacta.

It almost snapped into place and started healing right away. I cast several healing spells on her to speed it up and she sucked in a sharp breath as the magic flowed over her arm.

“Mother?” Her son asked, concern in his voice.

“It's all right, Hanersil. My arm doesn't ache anymore.” She said and rubbed her arm. “I don't understand why.”

“Some things need no explanation.” I said and lightly touched her arm. “Please, allow me to try and bring him back.”

She looked down at the wrapped body and back at me. “If he comes back changed, you will be vilified and cast out.”

I smiled warmly at her. “Don't hold me responsible if he is happier than ever because he has you and his son back.”

She blinked her eyes at me. “I... perhaps... that won't be too big of a change.”

I chuckled and picked the body up with the Force, did the same with the other two bodies, then unwrapped them and rolled the wrappings up to not wrinkle them and left them with the families. I did the same with the clothing, which made a few people catch their breath and start whispering. I stripped them down to their underwear and then gently laid them into the bubbling yellow liquid.

“Now we wait.” I said and sat down right there beside the Lazarus Pit in a meditative pose.

“You can return to the room that...” Alatariel started to say.

“No, thank you, my lady.” I said with the utmost respect. “I must stay and attend to them. They are my responsibility until such time that they are returned to their families. I will not ignore my duty to them.”

That seemed to settle some of the unease the elves felt.

“I will stay as well.” Celeborn said and sat beside me in a similar pose.

“As will we.” The woman I had healed said and sat beside me and gave me a pointed look.

“I will refrain from using my abilities for the duration of the wait.” I said with a smile and then I closed my eyes as several others sat to join us as well. “I intend to meditate and go through my mind to order it after the disastrous end to my last travelling trip.”

She leaned forward slightly and looked at Celeborn as she spoke in Elvish. “So, it is true? This man was rescued from a spider lair?”

“Unfortunately.” Celeborn responded. “I personally lit the main nest on fire and it exploded, sending flames everywhere and him towards me.”

I listened as he told everyone what had happened and I would have to thank him personally for not allowing me to slam into a tree or into a large rock or something. I would need to get the memory from him later and see the full story for myself.

The other elves whispered conversations in their native tongue was almost like music, especially when the women spoke at length. It was quite soothing and I felt calmness flow over me. It wasn't my own calmness, so I very gently used a tendril of the Force to follow that feeling back to the source. When it made contact, it highlighted the Lady of Lorien image in my head and I smiled. I used the Force tendril to lightly caress her cheek as thanks and pulled it back.

You are a very strange man. A very beautiful voice said in my mind.

It was so similar to my connection with Seven of Nine that I responded without thinking. Alatariel? Is that you?

You can respond to me? Alatariel asked, surprised.

Your mental voice is more attractive than your normal one. I thought and was sure that I felt her blush.

My husband would not be pleased if he knew we could converse in this way. Alatariel warned me.

Then I will give him the ability to share it with you and recuse myself from the conversation. I thought and she caught her breath. Please wait a moment as I do so.

You continue to surprise me with your generosity. Alatariel thought. He will be consoled that you are giving us this gift.

He really should be, as there is no known limit to how far away you can be for it to not work. I thought to her and she gasped, which gained a few other waiting people's attention.

Alatariel assured them that she was fine and had just had a surprising thought cross her mind as she waited with her husband.

I reached over and touched Celeborn's hand and he gave me a look, saw my eyes were still closed, and didn't react until I gave him the telepathic link ability and keyed it specifically to Alatariel. It was his turn to gasp when he started to have a mental conversation with her and gained attention himself, so he chuckled and said he had the same thought as his wife, which made the others laugh, too.

Luckily, Alatariel was an accomplished telepath and I didn't hear anything, so I closed my mind off and then started my meditation. I knew it was going to take a while, considering my high strung emotions at the time and what I did at the end.

I checked the last image I received before the reality was erased, which still angered me for all those lives that had ended on some asshole's whim. I did my best to not react at seeing 'Monitor - Guardian of Realities' and his ailment 'Out of Sync with Time'. What surprised me was that a lot of his powers were greyed out and couldn't be used by him or copied by me.

That just pissed me off more, because not only did I lose everything from that reality, including all the lands I had meticulously seeded and a great family that loved me, I also didn't benefit from killing the bastard that killed them all.

I had to fight my emotions down and latched onto that calming feeling that Alatariel was emitting and I let it flow into me. It allowed me to push my angered thoughts aside and to see this as an opportunity. I now had access to an extra-dimensional being. I would have to make another image and remove the 'Out of Sync' ailment, then I could create my own Monitor and ask him what the hell was going on.

With a solid plan set in my mind, I started to sort through everything else from the last trip. I looked into the image of 'Hall of Memories' and smiled as Sable's last memory was right where she had wanted me to put it. Then my real work began and I dredged through all the memories I wanted to keep and the ones that were easily discarded.

I was quite glad that I had come up with the cheat to make an image of groups of memories, because it let me completely sort things and cleared out a lot of space in my head. I was up to a thousand rooms in the Hall of Memories and had room for hundreds of thousands more. I was very happy for that.

“Strange Man, the liquid makes very large bubbles.” The woman beside me said.

“Oh! It's nearly time.” I said and brought myself out of my meditative state and looked at the churning yellow liquid. “You'll have to forgive them when they first emerge. Regenerating from dying isn't a pain free experience.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“You'll see in three... two... one... and now the uncontrolled yelling.” I said as three elves jumped up into a standing position, splashed the liquid all over, and then they screamed at the top of their lungs.

The elves waiting around stood and were screaming as well, so I cast silence on them.

“Relax. It's just the side effect.” I said and waved at the three elves. “Gentle elves, that's enough. You're fine now. Step forward and rejoin your families.”

“This isn't a dream?” One of them asked. “I remember the spider grabbing my arm and... I died.”

“Only temporarily.” I said and stood as I motioned them forward. “If I had been there at the time, I could have healed you before the poison finished its work.”

“Truly?” The one in the middle asked.

I nodded. “I regrew my arms and legs in only a few minutes.”

“Can you heal anything?” Celeborn asked.

“That depends on how the damage occurred. If it's from birth, I may not be able to do anything.”

“No, a lot of my hunters were burned by the flames and one suffered considerable damage.” Celeborn said.

“Then sure. I'll need to examine them first and then it shouldn't be a problem treating them.” I said and the other elves started to murmur and talk about my great healing powers. I touched the woman's shoulder next to me and nodded at her husband. “As promised, your husband.”

“I... I don't... he is mostly naked.” She said and blushed. “And wet.”

I chuckled and waved my hand over the men and dried them instantly, then copied the male elf's outfit three times and switched it with the air around the three resurrected men. “Problem solved.”

Everyone stared at me and I laughed.

“You can wonder about me later. Greet your loved ones.” I said and the three families did so. A bit of crying, a lot of hugs, and a lot of male nodding and claps on backs happened.

“May we know your name, Strange Healer?” Celeborn asked.

“John Hansen.” I said and bowed slightly to him. “I am at your service, my lord.”

“You are a man and you would pledge such a thing to me?” Celeborn asked.

I couldn't stop my smile from forming. “I could pledge to your wife and be of service to her instead.”

A few people around us laughed under their breath. They knew what that meant. I would become her attendant and would be at her beck and call for as long as I remained in the elven lands.

Alatariel blushed and put a hand on Celeborn's arm. “I believe you could be much more useful to our people as a whole, John Hansen.”

I nodded to her. “Then as long as I am here, I will attend to the needs of the people when possible.”

“You look to be young for a human.” One of the other male elves said. “How long will you stay here before your wanderlust consumes you?”

“I may wander from time to time; but, I usually only make one home to stay in and I always return there.” I said. “Unless I meet someone that I want to settle down with.”

The elves all laughed.

“What's funny?” I asked.

“You will never find an elf to settle down with. Intermixing with other races is not done.” Celeborn said.

“Oh.” I said and looked at Alatariel. “I never had a chance anyway, even if you weren't married.”

Alatariel blushed. “I am sorry, John Hansen.”

“Hansen. You can call me Hansen.” I said and she nodded. She understood the implied distancing of only using my last name.

“Hansen, we should go to visit the injured.” Celeborn said.

“Yes, of course. Lead the way.” I said and followed the man out of the death preparation room that would be known as the Resurrection Room from now on. It would also be a very well guarded secret.

*

Life with the elves was a peaceful and stressful one over the years, because I was treated like a monk in a monastery. I could go anywhere and do anything to help, and could never touch any woman, even if she was curious about the human living with the elves. It really was a taboo to have an inter-species relationship.

Plus, I was the shortest person around at only six feet tall. Alatariel was 6 foot 4 inches when she wasn't wearing her royal outfits and they added three to five inches to her height when she did wear them. If I hadn't been so long lived, I was sure that I would have developed an inferiority complex about it.

The worst part about it was that there were no maps. The elves always moved as if they knew where they were at all times and their confidence had allowed them to travel with impunity. Apparently, maps were a 'man thing' and those kinds of things were not needed or used by the other races.

Also, their only real scholar-like person was Alatariel and I was almost strictly forbidden to be alone with her, despite my adamant vow to never do anything inappropriate with her or to her. Because I was a man, my word didn't mean as much to them as another elf's word did.

Like I said, peaceful and stressful.

Alatariel soon became pregnant and I was sure it was Celeborn's unspoken statement to me that Alatariel was his and his alone. I refrained from laughing at him about it. Well, to his face, anyway. In private, I laughed pretty hard that he had to get her pregnant to prove that she was his. If I was even slightly less monogamous that I was, I would have seduced that woman, I mean female elf, a long time ago.

I was only a man, so I was also forbidden from going along during the evil purges that the elf hunters did every couple of months as they circled the lands claimed by the elves. They knew I could handle myself and they still refused to allow me to help in that respect. Healing them afterwards was perfectly fine, of course. I was being a proper servant doing that.

I took that treatment for a long time before I decided I was going anyway. I had the means to hide and the ability to keep up with their pace as they ran through the forests. Their long strides let them move very fast.

I also developed the condition known as 'a leg man', because seeing the tall elf handmaidens wearing barely anything at all as they moved about the private quarters of the Lord and Lady (and attended to Alatariel), gave me delicious views of their extended thighs and their exquisite calves. I was sure that I was caught a few times... or a few hundred times... because I could swear that they made sure to give me a great show.

I always tried to not stare, because it really was a taboo for anything to happen. But, damn. It made my mouth water when they would tease me and would caress their thighs with oils and scented water. I would later leave them their favorite fruits or flowers in their rooms as a thank you. I wouldn't learn until later that they would do it on purpose to get me to attend to them without it being official.

One day, I had no duties and Alatariel was occupied by her handmaidens giving her choices about the future baby's clothing options and colors. It gave me the perfect opportunity to follow the hunters and I left a decoy in my room, instructions that I would be staying in the room and didn't want to be disturbed, and flew out my window wearing an invisibility cloak.

What followed was a display of expert precision work by the elves that I had never witnessed before. It was no wonder that the elves didn't want an outsider to participate. They had probably practised for decades to be that good at dismantling a spider nest and to kill the queen. Celeborn, as the leader, always took the final shot to destroy the nest.

Now that I knew what they did and how they did it, ensuring that no spider ever escaped, I figured it was my turn to try it. I had a few extra things to assist me, however. Stasis spells, Immobilization spells, stunning spells, fireballs, etcetera, etcetera. I flew deeper into what was classed as the spider's normal territory and quickly found another nest.

There were almost three times the number of spiders and it showed me the reason why the hunters only stopped them from encroaching onto the elven lands and didn't try to go out and exterminate the spiders permanently. There were just too many of the creatures. Well, for them, anyways. My magic advantage wasn't to be trifled with.

Using a combination of invisibility, stasis spells, limited fireballs to keep the creatures contained, and then a single overcharged Kamehameha at the queen's nest, I easily dealt with the potential threat. It had just taken time, which I was running out of. I summoned the remaining webs and destroyed any hidden eggs, then stored the webs. I was sure they could be useful for something.

I flew all the way back to the place I stayed in the elf compound and flew in through the window. I heard knocking, so I dismissed my decoy and my clothing, leaving myself in just elf-styled underwear. I ran over to the door and opened it.

“My sincere apologies.” I said and bowed slightly. “I was asleep and only now heard your knock.”

The female elf looked me all over and apparently liked what she saw. “Our Lady has requested your presence.”

“Of course. Please escort me to her location.” I said and stepped out of my room and locked the door.

She gave me a surprised look. “You should don appropriate garb to see our Lady.”

I smiled and crossed my hands over my chest and swiped them down as I created my Jedi Robes.

She blinked her eyes at me for a moment, then she nodded and turned to lead me away. Of course, I stared at her cute ass and her sumptuously long legs for the entire time she was ahead of me. I didn't bother trying to hide that I did so, even during the brief glances she gave me to check if I was still following her.

“Hansen!” Alatariel gasped when I entered the room. “I'm so GLAD that you are HERE!”

I quickly cast diagnostic spells on her to make her moan and calmed her down. “I see. You are going to give birth soon.”

“Please... you must...”

“I will retrieve your husband immediately.” I said.

“Can you do that?” One of the handmaidens asked.

“I know relatively where he is. I'll be right back.” I said and smiled. “Please excuse the sound.”

“What sound?” She asked as a light crack echoed in the room and I disappeared. “AHH!”

I appeared a short distance away from the hunting party and walked into the resting camp with my hands up. “I am Hansen, Guest of the Lorien Elves.”

The hidden scouts flowed out of the trees and lowered their weapons.

“What are you doing this far from the enclave?” One of them asked.

“Our Lady is about to give birth and I've come to retrieve Celeborn.” I said.

The two men smiled slightly and quickly led me into the camp. As soon as Celeborn saw me, he frowned, then the scouts said why I was there and his face changed to an urgent one.

“Pack up and return home. Our hunt is over for today.” Celeborn said. “I hope you can keep up when I run, Hansen.”

“Our Lady cannot wait for that long, Celeborn.” I said and took his arm. “She needs you right now.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, then I apparated us both back to Alatariel's room with a loud crack.

“AHH!” The same handmaiden yelled in surprise.

“My darling!” Alatariel exclaimed and Celeborn ignored me completely as he went to his wife's side.

“Are you in pain, my flower?” Celeborn said as he took her hand and kissed it.

“Yes, I...” Alatariel started to say and then gasped as I cast another diagnostic spell.

“We are mere minutes away.” I said and knelt at the foot of her bed to lift her knees and then her night dress to make it like a tent and to gain access.

“What are you doing?!?” All of the handmaidens and Celeborn asked in a shout.

“I'm assisting in the birth, as is my duty.” I said and looked at Alatariel. “Please forgive the intrusion. I must check to see if the baby is going to have a smooth delivery.”

“You are violating the natural way of things.” Celeborn almost spat.

I gave him a wide smile. “Where I come from, we care so much for mothers that we ensure that both she and the child suffer the least amount of pain and trauma from the birth.”

“You... you don't just let nature take its course?” One of the handmaidens asked.

“Even nature needs a helping hand sometimes.” I said and Alatariel let out another pained sound. “Your body is preparing to push the baby out and I will help ease the passage, with your permission.”

Alatariel looked at Celeborn's stern face. “Forgive me, husband. Uuhhhh. Someone other than you will see where we've joined.”

“Actually, it's quite distorted because of your motherly changes. I won't see the same thing as your husband, especially as it stretches and the baby passes through it.” I said.

They both gave me surprised looks, as did the handmaidens.

“Don't worry, though. A mother's body is such an amazing thing that in only a short time, you will recover and it will return to the way it was when you shared your love for each other.” I said. “It might even be more sensitive, letting you express even more love for each other.”

Celeborn looked conflicted until his wife let out another pained gasped. “You will not speak of seeing it with anyone.”

“I would never disclose a patient's history. I am a healer.” I said and ducked my head in under Alatariel's nightgown and moved her legs apart before I used my fingers to quickly examine her.

She let out a couple little moaning sounds, just from the intimate contact.

“You are very close. The baby is in the right position and the umbilical cord...”

“What's that?” Everyone asked.

“It's the little fleshy rope attached to the baby's belly.” I said. “It's out of the way and won't choke the baby.”

One of the handmaidens sucked in a breath.

“Yes, it can happen.” I said and slipped my fingers inside to check the walls of the canal, making Alatariel moan loudly. “There are no abrasions and no tearing...”

“Explain that word.” Celeborn said.

“Scrapes or cuts, my Lord.” I said. “I'm going to cast a very subtle spell to ease your pains, my Lady.”

“UHH!” Alatariel gasped. “Yes, please!”

I very carefully enlarged her vaginal area and Alatariel immediately sighed with relief. “I can see the head.” I said and ignored the handmaiden's comments. “Alatariel, when I say, I want you to hunch and squeeze your stomach muscles. It's called 'pushing' and will tell the baby you want to see it right now.”

“Y-yes, Hansen. I will do so.” Alatariel said.

“Celeborn, hold her gently and encourage her that she's doing well. Kiss her cheek and reassure her that your love is about to manifest in the world.” I said and waited as he did so. “Now! Push!”

“AHHH!” Alatariel yelled and hunched up to push and squeezed her stomach muscles.

That was all it took.

With the widened passage, the baby slipped right out of the womb and into my waiting hands. I summoned the fluid out of the baby's mouth and throat and cleared any obstruction. After a diagnostic spell, I quickly cut the cord and used magic to seal it instead of sewing it shut, giving the baby a cute little belly button. I also cast a cleaning charm and dried her off.

“May I present to you, your beautiful daughter?” I asked and created a baby wrap for her and moved around the bed to hand the baby to Alatariel.

“She is beautiful!” The handmaidens exclaimed as one and hugged each other.

“She truly is.” Celeborn said and kissed Alatariel's cheek.

“You've both done a great work this day.” I said and went back to between Alatariel's legs. I cleaned up and made sure she wasn't going to bleed out, healed any minor damage that might have occurred, then I cancelled the enlargement spell and her vaginal area squeezed down to return to normal. I cast a diagnostic spell on her and everything was perfect.

Alatariel didn't moan this time, because she seemed lost in the baby's eyes.

“My job here is done.” I said and covered her with her night dress and eased her legs together while keeping them bent. “When I leave the room, if she starts to fuss, I suggest breastfeeding.” I walked over to the door. “If you need me for anything else, or if there's a problem, I'll be in my room.”

“Hansen!” Celeborn exclaimed and I turned to look at him. “Thank you. I've never heard of such an easy birth.”

“I swore to take care of your people for as long as I was here.” I bowed to him. “Now you know the extent of my personal commitment to that goal.”

Celeborn let a small smile appear on his face. “As will everyone else, Hansen. Word will spread.”

I chuckled. “Hopefully, it will be mostly good.”

Celeborn couldn't stop his small smile from becoming a full one. “I promise nothing.”

“Ha!” I barked a laugh and shut the door behind me as I left.

*

The entire elf settlement celebrated the birth of the Lord and Lady's daughter, Celebrian. It lasted for three weeks, because representatives from other elven settlements kept showing up to offer their congratulations and gifts, then stayed to keep celebrating. It all came to an abrupt end when one of the visiting Elven Lords commented about how surprised he was that Celeborn would allow his pet man to roam around freely.

A completely oppressive magical aura filled the room instantly and it squeezed everyone that had gathered together. They all turned to look at the source and Alatariel stood there with her baby in her arms. Her face and clothing were dark shadows and her eyes glowed brightly, giving her an ethereal and terribly beautiful appearance.

“YOU WILL ALL PAY THE PROPER RESPECT TO THE RETAINER OF MY FAMILY.” Alatariel said and her powerful voice shook the walls.

Celeborn carefully walked over to her. “My wife, please remain calm. He did not mean to offend.”

“YES, HE DID. HIS OPINION WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM FOR MUCH LONGER.”

The pressure on everyone increased and a few of the elves cried out in pain.

“Alatariel...”

“I HAVE FORSEEN HIS FALL AS THE THIRD AGE, THE AGE OF MAN, APPROACHES. HE WILL BE THE FIRST THEY SLAUGHTER, BECAUSE OF HIS OPINION OF THEIR RACE.”

Her terrifying words shocked the elves down to their souls, for she had said 'slaughter' and not 'sent home'.

Celeborn touched her shoulder and her ethereal eyes focused on him. “Hansen has already retired to his room. He did not hear those remarks.”

“HE DOES NOT NEED TO HEAR THEM. HE KNOWS YOU ALL TREAT HIM AS A PET.” Alatariel said and then the shadows and the pressure seemed to fade away. She blinked her eyes at her husband briefly. “I am appointing Hansen as our daughter's personal attendant. He will become her guard, her shield, and her confidant.”

That made a lot of the female elves gasp.

“He cannot fulfill that duty, my wife.” Celeborn said. “He is only a man and will be gone long before she is a teenager.”

“You as well?” Alatariel asked and shook her head. “It is my choice and I choose him. Celebrian will not suffer the shortsightedness that our race suffers from.”

“We will discuss this later...”

“There is no discussion!” Alatariel spat and the shadows flowed for a second before she calmed down. “I am the Lady of Lorien and you will abide by my wishes.”

Celeborn sighed and nodded.

Alatariel looked at everyone there and her eyes glowed. “Since you cannot keep a civil tongue in your mouths about things that do not concern you, GO HOME!”

Everyone shivered and then bowed, almost against their wills, and spoke as one. “Yes, my Lady.”

Alatariel nodded, gave her husband a pointed look, and walked away from the large gathering.

*

I severely debated taking a sabbatical from my sworn duties to the forest elves after that celebration party. Being subjected to the abrasive attitudes of all those high class nobles and not being allowed to respond, really grated on my nerves.

It wasn't until Alatariel came to me the next day and told me my new role, that I realized that she had been just as insulted by their attitude as I was. Appointing me as her daughter's attendant was going to make them all see how wrong they were... or cause the forest elves to be ostracized. Either way, I wasn't going to disappoint her for standing up for me.

I accepted the position and her grateful look as she handed over her daughter into my care, would be one I would remember for a very long time. I glanced around, as if I was about to do something illegal, then leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Thank you for trusting me, Alatariel.” I said, sincerely.

Alatariel gave me an odd look for a moment, then she smiled and leaned in to kiss my cheek back. “I am unsure why I feel like you and I are going to spend a very long time together.” She said and then she reached up and ran her hand through my short hair. “You should let it grow long. You may fit in better if you mimic the male elf look.”

I was surprised that she had just broken three strict rules given to her by her husband and her people. “As you command, my Lady.” I said and cast several hair growth spells to make it long enough.

Alatariel put a hand over her mouth to contain her laugh and barely succeeded.

“Can you give me a hand to style it properly to cover my ears?” I asked and held out a hairbrush.

“Of course, Hansen.” Alatariel said and took it.

“When we're in private, you can call me John.”

Alatariel smiled warmly and nodded as she started to brush my hair.

Thus began the days of my proper training for etiquette and the care of the future Lady of Lorien.

*

Time passed once more and events happened that I was unaware of. If it wasn't for the second hand conversations by Alatariel and her husband, Celeborn, I wouldn't have discovered where or when I was.

Apparently, the Maia Annatar, or the 'Lord of Gifts', had guided Celebrimbor and the other Ruling Elves of Eregion in the creation of the Rings of Power. Of course, Alatariel took an immediate distrust to Annatar, because no one would give such powers away without a good reason.

It later turned out that this mistrust was justified, as Annatar was eventually revealed to be Sauron, the supreme evil that was rising in the lands and the cause for all the evil to be surging across the world.

Alatariel counselled Celebrimbor in the hiding of the rings, to stop the temptation and corruption of the Lords of the Elves. She also wanted to limit Sauron's meteoric rise to power.

When Eregion was attacked soon after, Alatariel was entrusted with one of the Three Rings of the Elves. Her ring was Nenya, the Ring of Water. Since she was conscious of Sauron's power and corrupting influence, she wished to thwart it and did not use the powers of her ring for as long as the One Ring was in Sauron's hands.

That was how I discovered what story world I was in. It was The Lord of the Rings, only thousands of years before any of the significant events had happened. Even the War of the Five Armies would be centuries in the making as the evil spread across the world and Sauron made the Rings of Power for each of the three humanoid races, elves, dwarves, and men. Mankind wouldn't get their rings until the Second Age was near its end.

So, resigned to my elongated fate, I dove into my role as Celebrian's Attendant. Unlike what everyone at the enclave assumed, my role was not for as long as she lived there, it was for as long as I lived. Since they all assumed I had a normal lifespan of only decades, no one bothered to change the wording of the vows.

*

Time marched on and the decades passed and Celebrian grew up under my tutelage. My birth assistance was almost a requirement for the female elves to experience, as every birth had been nearly painless and always successful.

As the centuries passed, the looks I received from the elves became more pronounced, especially by all the female elves that had dismissed me as a curiosity a very long time ago. None of them ever asked why I was still alive, either.

The only two elves that really knew me were Alatariel, that I now knew was another name for Galadriel, and her daughter, Celebrian. It was quite the shock to learn who my unrequited love was, let me tell you. I got over it, as it wouldn't help me to dwell on the past.

Over time, while her husband was busy caring for the people and fighting off the encroaching evil on their lands, Galadriel, Celebrian, and I would travel to the other elf settlements to gather support for the upcoming war that everyone knew was approaching. It was during these travels that Celebrian met her future husband, Elrond of Rivendell and Galadriel met her future friend and confidante, the very young Gandalf the Grey.

It took decades of hard work, years of pleading and convincing, and promises of shared power, to gain the support that the elves would need for the conflict that was brewing. Thanks to the preaching of Gandalf the Grey to the lands of Men and to the Great Eagles, and envoys sent to the Dwarves, the defense of the realm was set against the unimaginable forces of the goblins and wolves (wargs).

*

The battle was a massacre.

Tens of thousands of elves, men, and dwarves all fought the hundreds of thousands of goblins and wolves. The elves, being the longer lived race and experts in battle, took the brunt of the evil forces on and the pitched battle was a horrible thing to behold through the modified Pensieve I had gifted Galadriel.

“You have to let me try, my Lady.” I pleaded and felt two hands on my arms, one from Galadriel and the other from my charge, Celebrian.

“I have told you what will happen if you participate, John.” Galadriel said in a soft voice.

“But, Alatariel...”

“My mother has never had a false vision, John.” Celebrian said. “If you appear there, you will die.”

I turned to her to refute her statement and her hand covered my mouth.

“You assume you are immortal, because your power saves you, usually at the last moment.” Celebrian said. “Sauron can negate innate abilities. If you are there on the battlefield, you will be mortal.”

Galadriel's hand moved from my arm to my face to cup my cheek. “You have a job to do and this battle has already been determined by Fate itself. Sauron will fall and it will be at the hands of Man. This is the end of the Second Age, the Age of the Elves. We will retreat from the world and the bulk of our people will return to the lands of our ancestors, Valinor.”

I took a deep breath and sighed. “I don't like sitting back and not helping when I can.”

Celebrian gave me a reassuring smile, glanced at her mother briefly, then she leaned in and kissed my free cheek. “My children will need a tutor, my loyal attendant.”

I sighed and nodded acceptance, before both women stepped close and hugged me, which broke even more taboo rules of their people. “Elrond will not be happy that I will be going with you to Rivendell.”

Celebrian's smile lit up the darkened room. “I am the Lady of Lothlorien and will become the Lady of Rivendell. He can tell the waterfalls what to do; but, he cannot tell me what to do.”

I chuckled. “You've taken your mother's personal stance as your own, have you?”

“Why stop doing what works?” Celebrian asked and it was Galadriel's turn to smile warmly.

“There are the Great Eagles to provide the distraction.” Galadriel said and we watched as they swooped in and caused massive devastation. “Gandalf has come through for us once more.”

I nodded and put my arms around their waists to hold them tenderly. “There's the charge of the front by the Forces of Man.”

“It's going to break.” Galadriel said. “They've left their flank open for the wolves.”

Celebrian rested the cheek of her face on mine. “It's so bleak watching it like this.”

“I know.” I said and hugged her a little tighter. “Sauron seems to be gaining strength as both armies clash and death is everywhere.”

“He is gaining power... his castle...” Galadriel stopped talking and shivered. She looked down at the ring she had placed on the table. She felt the thing calling to her, begging her to put it on and to assist their master ring.

I was a little surprised I could hear the ring whispering to her, so I had to do something. “Arlene.”

Galadriel caught her breath and her gaze left the ring and went to my eyes. She hadn't heard that name since the first day I had woken up here.

“I never did say goodbye properly.” I said and let Celebrian go to turn to Galadriel. “I'm going to miss our time together for the rest of my existence.”

“J-John, you... you shouldn't do this.” Galadriel whispered.

“I know.” I said and cupped the sides of her face and kissed her. It was chaste at first, because I was kissing another man's wife, then my mind decided she needed a real kiss and not the weird ones the elves did. So, I got right in there and I kissed her as soundly and passionately as possible.

My tongue assaulted hers and she didn't resist at all. She could feel my magic and she could feel the Force asking to help, so her own magic responded and rose up to engulf the both of us in shadows and glows. Mine responded in kind and the Force rejoiced as it flowed freely between us and connected with Galadriel's own elemental magic.

Neither of us knew how long we wallowed in each other's power as the battle raged halfway across the world.

“It's over!” Celebrian gasped.

The power high Galadrial and I were locked into, broke at Celebrian's words and we felt the ring on the table lose its connection to it master as we lost the connection to each other. I stopped kissing Galadriel and moved back slightly, only to see unending longing and utter desire on her face as the shadows faded.

“You need to leave and never return.” Galadriel whispered the order.

“Yes, my Lady.” I said and used my thumb to lightly caress her cheek. “That was my goodbye to you.”

Galadriel closed her eyes and schooled her face to hide her emotions. A few moments later, she opened her eyes again and I moved my hands away from her. “I have passed this test.”

I nodded and stepped back from her and bowed. I saw Sauron's defeat and the armies on the side of good celebrating in the reflective surface of the modified pensieve.

Galadriel picked up the Ring of Power named Nenya, put it on, and let the power flow through her, now that Sauron was defeated. “Our people need us, Celebrian.”

“Yes, mother.” Celebrian said. “Hansen, gather our things. We must leave immediately. The wounded need tending to.”

“Yes, my Lady.” I said and quickly left the room to pack her things, then paused outside to listen.

“He actually loves you and kissed you, not Arlene.” Celebrian said.

“I know that, which is why he has to leave. I cannot resist his temptation forever. This last moment was all that my will could withstand.” Galadriel said. “His strength... his power... his love... I doubt I could survive and still remain myself.”

Celebrian laughed softly. “Mother, he would never make you change. That's not what love is about.”

Galadriel sighed. “He has taught you his ways even more than I thought he would.”

“He's taught me much more than that, mother.” Celebrian said. “He taught me the value of true friendship.”

“Celebrian, please tell me that he hasn't kissed you like that.”

Celebrian laughed softly. “I could only wish that he would grant me that honor, mother. Unfortunately, he knows I am in love with Elrond and would never jeopardize that.”

“What are you saying?” Galadriel asked.

“He knows you love father and you have been together for centuries. Giving you a little thrill as he leaves was always his plan.” Celebrian said. “You're just lucky he did it in private without witnesses.”

“You saw him do it.”

“I feel the same way, mother. You needed the shock to clear your head for what you need to do.”

Galadriel was quiet for a moment. “Yes, I will fiercely protect my people.”

“Then call the others after the battle wounds have started to heal. We need a combined council of the races to deal with the remaining evil in the world.” Celebrian said. “I will inform Elrond about it.”

“Very well. I will spearhead the formation of the White Council.” Galadriel said. “Go and be safe, my precious daughter.”

“I have John to take care of me, thanks to you. I couldn't be safer.” Celebrian said.

That was my cue to leave and I ran down the hall and apparated to her room and summoned her clothing into several conjured trunks and started packing.

*

The Third Age began and the Realms of Man rejoiced as the elves relinquished their control over most of the lands and retreated to their ancestral home of Valinor. Mankind spread out for the first time and populated a significant portion of the world.

The powers of the elves waned as more of them were gone from the world and the remaining elves relegated themselves to their small enclaves. They had agreed to become members of Galadriel's White Council to essentially become wardens of the world, to keep evil in check. Unfortunately, they objected to appointing Gandalf as the head of the council.

Celebrian's arrival at Rivendell was uneventful, except for the fact that Elrond finally admitted that he cared for her, as if she didn't already know that. They were married in Third Age 109 and she soon became pregnant in Third Age 130. Both were surprised when I said she would be having twins. After their birth, Galadriel and Celeborn visited and I was 'requested' to leave for as long as they were there, which we all knew would be for years.

So, for the first time in centuries, I was not officially restrained in my movements by the elves. I bid Celebrian goodbye and kissed her hand, making her smile and Elrond frown. I walked out of the city and the elves living there saw me as another curiosity and some viewed me as 'worth it'. It always made me laugh that they would tease themselves about breaking the taboo.

When I was out of sight, I changed my clothing to my Firefly outfit of reinforced armored clothing and the long leather duster coat. My goal was to find the different lands, which was funny, because there still weren't any maps to be had from the elves. They weren't really explorers or would freely share information with a lower race, anyway.

I donned an invisibility cloak and flew up into the air, mentally marked the location of Rivendell, and took off in a random direction to see where it would take me.

*

It took me almost a hundred years to map out the entirety of the world, including Mount Doom and the Mines of Moria. I tracked down all of the iconic places and marked them on the physical map I had drawn. I once tried to create a droid to assist me and it had exploded spectacularly as soon as it formed. I knew I couldn't chance creating anything technologically advanced after that display.

With my world map complete, I returned to Rivendell in my Jedi robes and my presence caused a stir, and not a good one. Apparently, there was conflict with a local tribe of men trying to take over the elven lands and they claimed rights over the best growing fields in the region. They didn't realize that it was because of the elves and their abilities that it was so.

I went directly to Elrond in the fairly crowded throne room and Celebrian smiled warmly at me. “My Lady, my lord.” I said and nodded to each respectfully. “I will deal with the encroaching men on your lands.”

My words shocked everyone in the large throne room.

“You would bear arms against your own kind?” Elrond asked.

“I swore ages ago to protect the elves under my care. That hasn't changed, just because my vows were altered to focus on my Lady. That she is now married makes no difference to me. She is in danger and I will deal with it.”

Celebrian beamed a smile at me. “I told you, husband. My Hansen is loyal to me and my family, even when parts of it need him to go away when necessary.”

I smiled at the reminder of Galadriel only just leaving, now that her grandsons were 'old enough' to take care of themselves at a hundred years old.

“Then I will assign a guard squad to escort you.” Elrond said.

“My apologies, my lord. I don't need them to antagonize the men before I handle things.” I said.

“You dare refuse my father's orders?!?” One of the men nearby exclaimed.

“Ah, Elladan. You always did react first.” I said and he looked surprised. “And Elrohir, always in full support of your brother.”

“How did you tell them apart?” Someone else asked.

“I helped them be born and delivered them into the world.” I said. “I would be ashamed of myself if I couldn't tell them apart.”

Celebrian's hand quickly took Elrond's hand and squeezed it.

Oops. I thought and bowed. “I will leave immediately to move the men along.”

“Yes, do that.” Elrond said in a flat voice.

I nodded to Celebrian and strode out of the throne room. I easily felt the elves following me and ducked around a corner and put on and invisibility cloak. The two elves ran by, their light armor clinking and their swords sheathed. I smiled at their backs and walked over to a window and jumped out to fly towards the human settlement that was being built nearby.

I landed a ways away and took off the cloak to reveal myself. I had visited the occasional human town during my travels, so I changed my clothing to fit in. Several people pointed me out and a man dressed in haphazard armor and an old sword tried to walk confidently over to me.

“What is your business here, stranger?” The guard asked.

“I need to speak to your elder, or mayor, or town council, whatever you've decided to have here.” I said and waved at the half-built huts not far away. “We have some important things to discuss.”

The man gave my clothing a look and he easily noticed the high quality. “Who are you?”

“I am Mage Hansen.” I said and he didn't react. “Wizard Hansen? Healer Hansen?”

“Oh! That one I know!” The guard said and smiled. “Elder Jadden will be pleased you have come. Several of our settlers have taken ill.”

I nodded and followed the man into town. The structures were better constructed as we approached the center of town and the main hall building was the most ornate and best decorated. I shook my head slightly at the waste of resources to make the building the best before ensuring housing for the residents. We gained quite a bit of attention as we approached the guarded door.

The guard walked right inside and I followed him with a nod to the guard. The guard nodded back and looked surprised that I had acknowledged him.

“Ah, Gibbons. How goes the day?” An older man asked from behind a very nice desk.

“Elder Jadden, this is Healer Hansen.” The guard said.

The older man gave me a searching look. “You are much too young to be Healer Hansen. He should be nearly fifty years old by now.”

I smiled and walked over to him as I cast a diagnostic spell on him. “I see your hip is giving you trouble. Let me just fix that for you.”

Both men's mouths opened in surprise as I made my hand glow, to show them I was doing something, and placed it on the Elder's hip. They wouldn't believe it if they couldn't see it happening. I cast a healing spell on him and he sucked in a sharp breath.

“You'll find your knees won't give out on you, either.” I commented and walked back around the desk.

“How did you do that?” Both men asked at the same time.

“Magic.” I said. “I could have done it the normal way; but, why waste time with stinky polstices and weeks of rubbing it on?”

The guard chuckled and the Elder nodded.

“I see your point.” Elder Jadden said. “What brings you here?”

“You've illegally claimed lands that belong to the elves.” I said.

The guard grabbed the hilt of his sword. “They sent you here?”

“No, as soon as I arrived in the region and discovered you here, I came right over.” I said, completely honestly.

“That is convenient, considering they send their scouts out to harass my people at least once a week!” The Elder spat.

“Is it harassment to chase off thieves stealing their precious fruits and vegetables?” I asked him and his face went red.

“How dare you accuse...”

“I wasn't accusing anyone.” I said and held my hands up. “I'm just giving you a reason as to why your people are starting to get sick.”

“Excuse me?”

“Men are not supposed to ingest elven foods. Your bodies are quite different and require different things to remain healthy. You believed you needed the food to stay alive and have the right to feed yourselves, except you are taking that sustenance from the elves that need it.”

“We are allowed to do whatever we need to do to survive!” The guard said. “Our king has declared so!”

“Your king is allowing you to start another war, this time with the elves?” I asked and both men's faces changed from confrontational to fear.

“N-no... we... we are... just settlers and...” The Elder stammered.

“If they get annoyed enough, they will mobilize and clear you out of here, with the same reason you just stated. Their leaders have told them to do whatever they need to do to survive as well.” I said and both men started to tremble. “You need to pack up your things and find another place to settle.”

“We can't. The king approved this site as a settlement ten years ago.” The Elder said.

I sighed. “That limits my choices.”

“What do you mean?” The Elder asked.

I ignored him and looked around the office. “You really wasted a lot of time making this thing and furnishing it, didn't you?”

The Elder bristled. “I'll have you know that the townspeople are quite proud of this establishment!”

“And how many people died of starvation when they should have been farming or gathering?” I asked and he closed his mouth and glared at me. “Getting things going should have been your priority and not this. You could have had this built at any time and not strained the people before they were established.”

“You have no right to complain about how things in our town are done.” The guard said.

“Actually, I do. Considering I'll be removing this eyesore from the elves lands.” I said and the guard braced to attack. “No, I won't be killing you all, even if the elves would prefer that. I'm just going to move you away. Far away.”

“We need that farmland!” The elder spat.

“That's because you're too lazy to start the fields for yourselves and need to steal from others.” I spat back.

“Guard! Remove him from my sight!” Elder Jadden ordered.

“Healer Hansen might have accepted that.” I said and cast a stunner at the guard. “Mage Hansen does not.”

Elder Jadden looked terrified as I pointed at him.

“Remember! Stealing is wrong!” I said and stunned him.

I went around the entire town and stunned everyone and brought them back to the main hall and stuffed them inside. Once they were all gathered inside and I had healed them, I used the Force to pick up the entire building. There was a startled gasp from the treeline and I smiled. Elrond's guards had finally found me. I didn't say anything to them and walked out of the settlement with the huge building floating behind me.

I slipped on a cloak of invisibility and then disillusioned the building before I flew up into the air. I knew there were a few settlements that I hadn't found on the map that were mentioned in the story, so I decided to help things along and flew to one such location a hundred miles away. I put the building down in the center and updated the plot of land around it into a copy of the previous settlement.

It only copied the buildings and not necessarily the contents, so I flew back to the old settlement and made myself visible as I packed everything up and loaded it into a conjured wooden cart that was nearly the size of a building. The elves watched the entire time and never revealed themselves as I worked.

Once I had everything, including all the tools and personal effects of everyone packed, I reached out with the Force and covered the entire settlement. I lifted my hand slightly and every manmade thing lifted a foot off the ground, then I made a fist and everything flew towards me and crushed together. The sound of wood crunching was very loud in the now large empty space.

I resisted the urge to look at where the elves were hidden and let the giant ball of wood and metal drop to the ground. I used the force to lift the giant cart and walked out of what used to be a town square, then did the same cloak and disillusioned trick to go to the new settlement. I unpacked everything into the proper spots and then vanished the cart.

With that part of my work done, I decided to let the men and women of the village wake on their own. I went around the new town and made enough farmlands and renewable crops for them to live a long time. I even left a note and directions on what to do, with better farming tools and their own water source nearby.

I flew back to the original village and floated above the place and saw the two elves inspecting the large ball of wood and metal that used to be a town. I flew a short distance away and landed, took off the cloak, and changed my clothes back to my Jedi robes. The elves heard me approaching and scattered.

“Such a shame that men don't care about the beauty they destroy by cutting down all those trees.” I said and bent down to touch the ground. “I, Healer Hansen, call upon the force of nature and all that is good. Heal this land and repair the damage the ignorant have caused.”

I was making all that up for my captive audience before I used my ability to convert the land into an elven forest. The trees shot up out of the ground and grew almost instantly, shocking the elves enough that they screamed.

I had to take notice of them now. “Ah, hello.” I said and stood up to wipe off my hands. “I've removed all traces of the settlement.”

The two elves crouched there and just stared at me.

“I'm going back to the city to attend to my Lady.” I said and folded my arms into my robes and walked at a casual pace through the brand new fully grown forest. It took them ten minutes before they ran after me and then took up guard positions behind me and to cover both flanks.

My entrance to the city this time also caused a stir, only this time my guards ordered everyone to leave me alone and to give the proper respect to a member of the Lady's family. Who knew that doing an impressive display of earth magic would bring them immediately to my defense?

We entered the throne room and Elrond frowned. “Why have you returned so soon?”

“It's done my lord.” I said and bowed my head to him. “I've returned to resume my duties to my Lady.”

Celebrian smiled at me and Elrond nodded to his sons. Both men quickly left the throne room to check out my claim and six guards followed them.

I walked over to Celebrian and bowed to her. “My Lady, it is so nice to see you again after so long.”

“I reciprocate those feelings, Hansen.” Celebrian said. “May I asked what you did?”

“Perhaps a second-hand account would be more entertaining, my Lady.” I said and walked around her to stand in the appropriate spot. “Guards, if you would.”

The two guards exchanged looks.

“One can start and the other can add commentary.” I said and they nodded.

The entire room listened as the guards told the unbelievable tale. I had been so amused by their reactions that I had missed it when Celebrian's sons had returned. When the guards were done, the sons and their guards confirmed that there was a lush and sprawling forest where once it was a settlement of buildings and huts made by man. Everyone in the room turned to look at me.

“Do you require something else of me?” I asked and held in my laugh at their surprised faces.

“Why have you never displayed such power before?” Elrond asked.

“Who said I didn't?” I asked and a few of the elves gasped. “Your farms and orchards are quite prosperous, are they not?”

“I knew you had done something.” A man's voice said. “No one would believe me that our trees didn't always bloom with fruit twice a year.”

“The simplest explanations are usually the only acceptable ones.” I said with a knowing smile.

Celebrian held a hand out to me and I took it and kissed it. “Welcome back, Hansen.”

“Thank you, my Lady.” I said and let her hand go. “I have always been honored to serve your family.”

*

Eleven years later in Third Age 241, she gave birth to Elrond's pride and joy, Arwen. He doted on her and gave her everything her heart desired, to everyone's amusement. Even Celebrian would laugh under her breath at his antics, because Arwen had her father firmly wrapped around her little finger. She was a completely sensible girl, however. She never took things too far and listened to her mother's and grandmother's advice.

*

Centuries passed once more and various visits were had between Celebrian's and Galadriel's families. It was during one such time in Third Age 2509 that Celebrian was travelling on her own to discuss the rising evil with her mother and to retrieve Arwen, that an incident happened. A new force called Orcs had risen near the Misty Mountains and attacked her caravan as it passed through the Redhorn Pass.

Of course, Hansen was always there to protect her and as the elf guards were starting to be overwhelmed, he stepped out of the carriage and swiped his hand at the large band of Orcs. Heads were severed by the dozens and then he formed a glowing silver sword in his hands and jumped into the fray.

To say the elves were shocked by this, was an understatement. They had never seen a healer fight like that before and they were soon fighting right by his side as they cleared out the Orcs. With barely a word, he formed enough metal poles to impale the Orc bodies and then mounted the heads onto the tops. There was enough of them to line a large portion of the Redhorn Pass.

*

Celebrian looked at the horrible work that I had just done and then at me. “I'm sure future travellers would appreciate the gesture, if the bodies wouldn't become bones before long.”

I smiled at her as my sword faded away, then I waved a hand over everyone and the blood on everyone's armor and weapons disappeared. “Don't worry, my Lady. I've enchanted them to never rot.”

That caused the elves to start talking among themselves.

“Let us continue on to mother's.” Celebrian said and I helped her enter the carriage and sat across from her. The caravan continued on and she gave me a searching look.

“No, I don't mind that I can never enter where she currently resides, be it at her own home or yours.” I said.

“Why not?” Celebrian asked.

“I've finally learned that my life doesn't have to revolve around finding someone to love.” I said and she raised an eyebrow at me. “In that way, my Lady. You know I love you.”

Celebrian smiled sadly. “You still refuse to kiss me like that.”

I couldn't stop my soft laugh. “You and your husband have a very active sex life, my Lady. My assistance is not needed to spice it up.”

“My Arwen is of age...”

I laughed pretty hard at that. “She's almost 2,300 years old!”

“Yes, as I said. She's of age.” Celebrian said with a smile.

“My Lady, even if she is much more open with fraternizing with a man, it is not my place to impose upon her any more than it's my place to do so with you. Or your mother.”

Celebrian nodded. “I suppose I will have to wait until you do find someone before I'll discover the secrets you hold within your britches.”

I reached over to take her hands in mine and kissed the backs of each of them. “My Lady, if all I wanted was sex and didn't care about the consequences, I would have ravished your mother eons ago.”

“Not me?” Celebrian asked.

“You were a long time arriving, so you wouldn't have been first.” I said with a grin and she smiled. “However, I did not want to have you as ostracized as I was. A Lady has to be above things like that.”

Celebrian sighed. “Yes, I must uphold the values my waning society embraces.”

“You know what your mother has said.” I reminded her.

“I know. It is why I never complained that Arwen spends so much time away from home.”

“She will be the bridge to bring peace to the realms. We just have to be patient and allow things to unfold as they are supposed to.” I said.

Celebrian squeezed my hands. “Why does it sound like you are convincing yourself and not me?”

“Because I want to go gallivanting across the countryside and dismantle all of the evil that's building up. Unfortunately, I know that my interference would only make things worse and delay them for however long it would take for the evil to rise again.”

“Which would change those involved when it happens.” Celebrian said.

“Yes, and it irks me that I can't do anything to help it along. Your mother's warnings were quite heated and pointed.”

“Even in a memory?” Celebrian asked and I nodded. “Why does she never do such things for me?”

I chuckled and kissed her hands again. “Tell her I'm coming to dinner tomorrow night and you'll experience it for yourself.”

Celebrian laughed and nodded. “I'll do just that.”

*

(AN: The following is mostly quoted from LOTR Fandom and Wikipedia. It was rewritten quite a lot to fit the narrative.)

Unlike what everyone thought, Sauron was not destroyed. He had been reduced to a formless phantasm and began plotting his return to power from his stronghold at Dol Guldur. After millennia wearing down the Exiles of Numenor and the Elves, Sauron was eventually driven out of Dol Guldur and returned to Mordor in Third Age 2941.

From there, the evil sorcerer accelerated his return, rebuilt his fortress of Barad-dur, summoned the Nine Nazgul to his side and bred countless thousands of foul, dark monsters in Mordor's pits. All the while however, Sauron's mind was bent on a single thought.

The One Ring.

He needed this above all else to restore himself to his full might. To that end, he deployed numerous spies across Middle-Earth to search for it; but, the closest he ever came was the capture of an insane, raving Stoor Hobbit, the creature Gollum who had been discovered sneaking about the borders of Mordor and who contained traces of the One Ring's power.

Sauron savagely tortured and interrogated Gollum relentlessly for weeks, receiving only inane babble in return until finally Gollum blurted out two clear words, 'Shire' and 'Baggins'. Seizing on this, Sauron released the Stoor under the belief that he might be of later use and deployed the Nazgul to find the Shire to track down the One Ring.

*

Gandalf had known for quite a while that Sauron's use of Smaug, the last remaining dragon, would virtually guarantee victory over his enemies, while laying waste to the remaining strongholds of the Elves. He and the company of Thorin Oakenshield and his twelve dwarf companions, with a particular Hobbit along for the adventure, set out to destroy Smaug and recover the ancestral home of the Dwarves.

The group travelled into the wild where Gandalf and Bilbo saved the company from trolls eating them and then led them to Rivendell, where Elrond revealed secrets from the map Thorin had for entering his lost home.

When the group attempted to cross the Misty Mountains through the Redhorn Pass, they were unnerved by the impaled bodies of Orcs and were caught by goblins and driven deep underground. Although Gandalf rescued them, Bilbo was separated from the others while they fled from the goblins.

Lost in the goblin tunnels, Bilbo stumbled across a mysterious golden ring and soon encountered Gollum. In an attempt to escape unscathed, Bilbo engaged the distorted being in a game of riddles. As a reward for solving all the riddles, Gollum would show him the path out of the tunnels; but, if Bilbo failed, his life would be forfeit.

With the help of the ring, which conferred invisibility when worn, Bilbo tricked Gollum and escaped. He rejoined the dwarves just outside the mountain and improved his reputation with them. The goblins and Wargs gave chase, much to their panic. After a short pitched battle where Bilbo proves his valor and saved Thorin's life, the company was then saved by the Great Eagles summoned by Gandalf and they all rested in the house of Beorn.

Gandalf left them to perform a necessary task and the others entered the black forest of Mirkwood without him. In the Mirkwood, Bilbo first saved the dwarves from giant spiders and then from the dungeons of the Wood-elves.

As they neared the Lonely Mountain, the travellers were welcomed by the human inhabitants of Lake-town, who hoped that the dwarves would fulfill the prophecy of Smaug's demise. The expedition soon reached the mountain and find the secret door just in time, because its Moon-letters could only be read on Durin's Day by the last light of the setting sun.

Bilbo soon entered to scout the dragon's lair and stole a great jewelled cup, while also spying a gap in Smaug's armored scales. The dragon was enraged that a thief had entered its lair and deduced that Lake-town has aided the intruder and left the safety of the mountain to destroy the nearby town.

A thrush, or magical bird, had overheard Bilbo's report of Smaug's vulnerability to Thorin and reported it to Lake-town and its defender, Bard. During Smaug's assault on the town, he prepped their lone defense, an ancient harpoon of a legendary metal, and fired when the shot presented itself. The long metal arrow almost magically found the hollow spot and impaled the dragon, killing it.

When the dwarves took possession of the mountain, Bilbo stumbled across the Arkenstone, an heirloom of Thorin's family, and hid it away. The Wood-elves and Lake-men besiege the mountain and request compensation for their aid, reparations for Lake-town's destruction, and settlement of old claims on the treasure.

Thorin refused their unreasonable demands, considering he had just arrived, and summoned his kin from the Iron Hills to reinforce his position. Bilbo, in a poor attempt to head off yet another war, tried to ransom the Arkenstone to the dwarves. Thorin was enraged at the betrayal and banished Bilbo from the mountain and a battle seemed inevitable.

Gandalf, having completed his surveillance task, reappeared to warn them all of an approaching army of goblins and Wargs. The dwarves, men and elves band together to fight. It is only with the timely arrival of the eagles and Beorn with his forest animals, that they win the climactic battle.

Thorin, being fatally wounded by the head goblin, reconciled with Bilbo before he died. Bilbo, saddened by his friend's death, accepted only a small portion of his share of the treasure. He still returned home a very wealthy Hobbit, about a year and a month after he had left, with his adventuring spirit being quenched.

Years later, he would write the story of his adventures for his nephew to enjoy.

*

During Aragorn Elessar's twentieth year, he met Arwen for the first time in Rivendell, where he lived under Elrond's protection. Arwen, then over 2700 years old, had recently returned to her father's home after living for a while with her grandmother Galadriel in Lorien. Aragorn fell in love with Arwen at first sight.

Sixty years later, Bilbo celebrated his 111th birthday in the Shire and reunited with his old friend, the wizard Gandalf the Grey. Bilbo revealed to him that he intended to leave the Shire for one last adventure and left his treasure, including the One Ring, to his nephew Frodo.

Gandalf quickly left and investigated the Ring. He soon discovered its true nature while also learning that Gollum was captured and tortured by Sauron and his Orcs, horrified that the creature had revealed two words during his interrogation, 'Shire' and 'Baggins'.

Gandalf quickly returned to the Shire and warned Frodo to leave the Shire and he would meet him in Bree, to go on a quest. Frodo trusted the old man and departed with his friend and gardener, Samwise Gamgee.

Gandalf rushed to Isengard to meet with the wizard Saruman to warn him of the danger, only to discover the other wizard had already given his alliance to Sauron, who had already dispatched his nine undead Nazgul servants to find Frodo.

Frodo and Sam were soon joined by fellow hobbits Merry and Pippin, and they evaded the Nazgul before arriving in Bree, where they were meant to meet Gandalf. However, Gandalf never arrived, having been taken prisoner by Saruman. The hobbits were then aided by a Ranger named Strider, who promised to escort them to his home of Rivendell and they fled from Bree at their best speed.

However, they were chased and then ambushed by the Nazgul on Weathertop. Their leader, the Witch-King, stabbed Frodo with a Morgul blade after Frodo tried to wear the ring. Strider tried to heal Frodo with a magical plant and all it did was ease the pain. They try to flee the remaining wraiths and soon encountered Arwen, an Elf and Strider's beloved.

After a brief explanation that she felt that he needed her, she had located Strider and rescued Frodo, summoned flood-waters that swept the Nazgul away, and she rushed on horseback to take him to Rivendell. It took some time; but, he was eventually healed by the Elves and the others caught up to him.

Sauron had been foiled once more by the machinations of Gandalf and the One Ring remained lost to him. Undeterred, Sauron continued to rebuild. His Orc armies continued to grow in Mordor while his thrall Saruman forged alliances with the Easterlings in the East, the Haradrim in the South, and the Dunlendings.

Frodo finally met with Gandalf, whom had escaped Isengard on a Great Eagle, and they discussed what needed to be done, then went to Elrond to discuss it with him.

Sauron's spies eventually tracked the One Ring to the city of Rivendell near the end of the year in Third Age 3018 and concluded that his enemies had the Ring. He prepared to launch his war to recover it and to destroy those that opposed him, unknowingly forcing the Fellowship of the Ring to be formed in response.

Facing the threat of both Sauron and the evil wizard Saruman, Lord Elrond decided against keeping the One Ring in Rivendell. He held a council of Elves, Men, and Dwarves, also attended by Frodo and Gandalf, and they decided that the Ring must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom.

When no one offered to lead the mission, Frodo volunteered to take the One Ring himself, since it was entrusted to him by his uncle. Soon, several others added their own support and stood by him. Gandalf, Samwise, Merry, Pippin, the Elf Ranger named Legolas, the Dwarf named Gimli, and Boromir of Gondor.

The last to volunteer to go was Strider, who was actually Aragorn, Isildur's heir and the rightful King of Gondor. Bilbo, who's adventure had brought him to Rivendell and was now living there, gave Frodo his sword named Sting and a chainmail shirt made of mithril.

The Fellowship of the Ring set off over the mountain Caradhras, but Saruman used his magic and summoned a storm that forced them to travel through the Mines of Moria, where they found all of the Dwarves of Moria dead. They are then attacked by Orcs and a cave troll and after a short and desperate fight where they successfully held them off long enough to flee, they were confronted by Durin's Bane, a Balrog that resided within the mines.

Gandalf used his magic to gain the creature's attention and tricked the Balrog into following them across a narrow rock bridge. “YOU... SHALL NOT... PASS!” He yelled and used his magic through his staff to shatter the rock bridge and dropped the creature into a vast chasm.

Unfortunately, the Balrog used a desperation move and snagged Gandalf with his firewhip and dragged the unlucky wizard down into the darkness with him.

The devastated Fellowship fled the mines and eventually reached Lothlórien, ruled by the Elf-queen Galadriel, who privately informed Frodo that only he could complete the quest and that one of his friends in the Fellowship would try to take the Ring. She gifts the Fellowship items that will help them along their way, including cloaks and food.

The Fellowship then borrowed small boats and travelled by river to Parth Galen. During a break, Frodo wandered off and was confronted by Boromir, who tried to take the Ring as Lady Galadriel had predicted. The Uruk-hai created by Sarumon then ambushed the Fellowship, mortally wounding Boromir as he tried to save Merry and Pippin, which redeemed his previous actions.

Merry and Pippin were taken away by the Uruk-hai after they tried to help Boromir. Aragorn arrived soon after and comforts Boromir as he died, promising to help the people of Gondor in the coming conflict.

After the confrontation with Boromir, Frodo feared that the Ring would corrupt his friends, so he decided to travel to Mordor alone. His friend Sam confronted him and tried to follow by swimming in the water after the boat. Frodo saved the Hobbit that didn't know how to swim and reconsidered his decision to go alone, after he recalled the promise Sam had made to Gandalf to look after Frodo.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli decide to rescue Merry and Pippin, since following Frodo at the time would let the other hobbits die. Frodo and Sam went to ground once more and made their way down the mountain pass of Emyn Muil. As they journeyed on to Mordor, Frodo informed Sam that he was glad to be with him and verbally confirmed their longtime friendship.

(AN: Sorry about the dryness of most of that. I added in a few things and changed the wording on a lot of it; but, it was essentially just a summary of the Hobbit and the first LOTR movie.)

*

I sat back and sighed as I watched it all play out in another modified pensieve. There were so many spots that I could have changed things for the better, at least in the short term. Like Galadriel had warned me, saving them hardship now would only delay the evil from taking hold and the current players in the 'Game of Fate' would change for the worse and then there might never be an end to the evil that plagued the world.

It actually hurt my heart to watch people be tortured and killed by the armies of evil, so I stopped watching for a while. I knew what was going to happen and forcing myself to witness it once more and not be able to help at all, made me start to regret coming here. That was quite significant, since I usually just went along with things. I looked at Celebrian and she gave me a sad smile.

“I know, John. I know.” Celebrian said and hugged me.

“I don't think you do.” I said and held her tenderly. “You see, I'm seriously considering moving on.”

Both she and Arwen caught their breath.

“I've rarely thought of doing that, so you know how much this bothers me.” I said.

“It bothers us as well, John.” Arwen said and her hand reached over and stroked my long black hair. “I should be there beside my chosen and I cannot, by both elven law and my grandmother's plea.”

I pulled her into the hug with her mother and both women sighed and cuddled into me, despite me being shorter than them by a couple of inches.

“Please, reconsider.” Celebrian whispered. “Stay here with us until the War of the Ring is over.”

I closed my eyes and nodded, then felt them kiss my cheeks. “I'll stay until the Fourth Age begins. Galadriel can't complain that I'm interfering after the elves give up the stewardship of the world and sails for Valinor.”

“Thank you, John.” Celebrian said and hugged me tightly.

So, that's what I did. I hung around doing nothing for most of the year, because the elves had stopped giving birth in preparation for leaving the lands they currently occupied. They packed up what little possessions they owned and waited for their time to end. The feelings of both resignation and hope filled the air.

I didn't like the atmosphere at all and did my best to not participate in any discussions about it. It was too close to my own feelings for me to keep hurting myself like that.

Celebrian and Arwen kept me informed about the events playing out, just so I would know when in the timeline it was, and soon it was time to watch the final battle and Frodo's ascension of Mount Doom. I knew what was going to happen, that Frodo was going to falter in that last moment, so I gave Celebrian a pointed look.

“John! No!” Celebrian gasped.

“I can't let it taint him.” I said and apparated out of the city and then flew at my best speed. Because of the inherent magic of the world and the lack of science and technology, the 'sound barrier' didn't actually exist, despite me breaking it several times. I donned a cloak of invisibility as Frodo and Sam entered the high mountain tunnel, which was actually an active volcano.

I grabbed Gollum and disillusioned him, then threw him inside the tunnel. He barrelled into the two Hobbits and they tumbled and rolled most of the way towards the huge drop off.

“MY PRESCIOUS!” Gollum yelled in triumph as the disillusionment faded, the ring clutched in his gnarled fist and raised up to the sky.

I cast a wind spell and pushed the creature off of the ledge and he screamed as he fell down into the molten rock churning below.

“We... we did it, Mr. Frodo.” Sam said as he and Frodo looked over the edge and watched both Gollum and the ring were destroyed. “We did it.”

“Yes, Sam. We did.” Frodo said, his heart light and his smile bright. “Do you think we can drag ourselves out of here before the mountain explodes?”

Sam laughed and rolled over onto his back. “I'm not sure I can to move at all, Mr. Frodo.”

I took off the cloak and walked over to them. “Don't worry about that, brave Hobbits.”

Both of them gasped and stared at me. “Who're you?”

“Someone that's deeply regretted not being able to help you before now.” I said and used the Force to pick them up. “This might tingle a little.”

Both Hobbits laughed as my magic flowed over them and I cast several cleaning spells and then healed them.

I pulled out several pieces of elven bread and two flagons of ale for them, making both very happy, and I walked down the tunnel with them floating behind me.

“Why didn't you help before, Mr... whoever you are.” Sam asked and had one of the fulfilling elven bread gone already.

“Unlike what I usually do, namely causing as much disruption as possible, I was warned that it was the journey that mattered and not the destination, even if I could have changed the destination.” I said and they gave me confused looks. “If I stepped in, the people involved would have changed, the evil would have changed tactics, the war could have gone on for decades, or it could have let evil win.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Frodo said and took a drink of ale. “My uncle Bilbo had the same thing happen to him. He said because he was there, it changed how the dwarves handled retaking their home. If he hadn't gone along, they wouldn't have made it.”

I successfully hid my sigh at that, because I could have handled the One Ring way back then. But, it wouldn't have stopped everything else from happening, just how it happened and how long it would take. Letting others be corrupted and succumbing to the Ring's influence really bugged me, which was why I stopped Frodo's corruption when I could.

“What's your name, mister?” Sam asked.

“It doesn't matter.” I said as we left the tunnel and the volcano called Mount Doom, started to erupt behind me from the infusion of evil magic. I floated up into the air and flew over to where the eagles would be arriving to rescue the Hobbits.

“We're flying, Mr. Frodo!” Sam exclaimed.

“Levitating, actually.” I said and landed and stood them up. “The Great Eagles coming for you will let you fly for real.”

The two Hobbits stared at me as they finished off their ale.

“You've both done this world a great service.” I waved a hand over their clothing and repaired it. “Go home, find a cute little Hobbit woman to marry, and have a bunch of cute little Hobbit children.”

Their faces flushed red with embarrassment.

“As a reward, please accept this token of my appreciation.” I said and handed each of them a sack full of gold and jewels. “Have fun, live your life, and be good to each other and your families.”

“Mister, this... this is...” Sam stammered.

“Not enough?” I asked and held out another sack, then another. “Can you give those to Merry and Pippin for me?”

“I sure can!” Sam said and clutched the three sacks to his chest. “They're going to be so happy!”

I nodded and floated up into the air.

“Wait!” Frodo exclaimed. “What do we tell them about you?”

“That a passing wizard thanked them for their hard work saving the world.” I said and waved as I disillusioned myself and faded from sight.

“Did that just happen?” Sam asked and looked at the gold sacks in his arms. “It must have.”

Frodo put a hand on his shoulder. “Sam, I think he's right. We've done something amazing and now we can go home, relax, and just be ourselves once more.”

I hovered off to the side and stayed out of the way as the Great Eagles showed up with Gandalf and the others, then they all flew away. I took off myself and flew to where I knew there were still evil creatures. The seeds were still there, like the breeding pits and spider nests, so I unleashed my powers on them.

Energy blasts, Bombarda Maxima, Fiendfire, you name it, I used it. The best parts were when I used my land conversion ability to change the Moria breeding pits into Naboo forests. I destroyed every single evil place on the map and replaced them with forests, lakes, and mountains. I even changed the swamps into lush fields of tall grass and the oppressive dread feeling vanished.

I hunted down everything that could restart the evil in the world and removed it. It didn't take me long, because I had already found them all while waiting for the final war to happen.

With my job done, I flew back to Rivendell and saw the caravans from the other elf enclaves. I entered the city and made my way towards the throne room. Inside were all the elf lords and ladies, including Galadriel and Celeborn.

“You have changed things.” Galadriel said to me in a stern voice.

“Only for the Fourth Age, my lady.” I said and bowed. “The world is no longer your concern.”

“Nor is it yours, Hansen.” She responded.

“I already took care of things.” I said and glanced at Arwen. “The only thing I can't do is stop the evil in the hearts of men.”

Arwen smiled warmly at me. “You can leave that to my future husband and I.”

I nodded and joined in the procession towards the docks. I wasn't surprised to see several members of the Fellowship of the Ring there waving goodbye to the elves. Bilbo was already on the ship and he waved back to his nephew, Frodo. Several other people said goodbye among them as well, including Aragorn bidding Elrond a fond farewell.

“I'm going to miss you, Hansen.” Celebrian said and gave me a hug in front of everyone.

A ripple of shock went through the other elves and I had to laugh.

“You just couldn't resist, could you?” I asked.

“There are no men where we are going. I had to give them one last thrill.” Celebrian said and smiled.

“Come, wife. We must depart.” Elrond said. “Our sons are already onboard.”

“Good luck, father, mother.” Arwen said and hugged them both. “I will do my best to lead what remains.”

Elrond and Celebrian nodded and started to walk up the ramp.

I felt a pang in my heart and I couldn't ignore it. “Wait.” I said and they stopped walking. I held a hand out to Celebrian and she walked down to stand at the end of the ramp and took my hand.

“We have already said our farewell.” Celebrian said.

“One final gift.” I said and let her hand go to cup the sides of her face, then I kissed her passionately.

There were several loud shouts of protest, a few swords being drawn, and a surge of magic. The last was from us, though.

Everyone froze as our magic combined and formed into an immense pressure that didn't crush anyone, because it hugged everyone with the love and caring it contained. The Force joined in and every female elf moaned loudly as they felt what it could have been like if they were just a little less strict in their views.

I broke the kiss and the magic eased down, making everyone shiver at the loss. “Goodbye, Celebrian.”

Celebrian had the same look of unending longing and utter desire on her face as Galadriel had when I kissed her all those centuries ago. “Now I know why mother kicked you out of Lothlorien.”

I smiled and stepped back, bowed deeply to her, and kissed her hand. “Safe journey, My Lady.”

Celebrian nodded to me and walked up the ramp to stand beside her husband and her mother was on her other side. The rest of the elves that were leaving the realm of man boarded the ship and it set sail.

The last thing I heard from Celebrian was her whisper to her mother. “I would have failed the test if I stayed.”

I waved and felt Arwen take my other hand as my Chi started to build inside me. “I'm leaving, too.”

“I know.” Arwen said and I turned to look at her. “Safe journey, John.”

“I can't kiss you like that.” I said with a smirk and she blushed.

“I wouldn't forgive myself if I let you before I was married.” Arwen said and then smiled. “Goodbye.”

I gave her a quick peck on the lips and let her hand go as I stepped back. “Bring mankind to new heights, Queen Arwen.” I said and dropped tons of gold coins and jewels at her feet.

Arwen gasped at the fortune I had just given her, then she stared at me as I floated up into the air.

“Give him lots of children and love him for all you're worth.” I said as my magic covered me completely. I activated my ability and popped away from that reality.