By the time you see another update to this, I will have changed my username. It's nearly eight years old, and it's in Quenya, and I want something in Sindarin :-) So, yea. Just warning you all :-)

And ack! I have not been receiving new reviews for this in my inbox. I hope you guys have been getting alerts for this, and my new story, at the least. Darn website. A couple did trickle through today, so hopefully it is fixed.

The hardest part about this ficlet? Converting the flipping third age Shire Reckoning dates in Appendix B to fourth age New Reckoning dates. I now hate calendars.

Prompt 74: Wish
Ficlet: A New Age
Rating: G
September 29, 3021 TA/October 4, 1 FA

It was not yet midnight when Aragorn awoke to soft crying. Frowning in confusion, he turned on his side to face his wife. Her back was to him and she was shuddering lightly. His sleepiness immediately disappeared and he touched her shoulder lightly. "Arwen! What is wrong?"

She stilled and he heard her sniffle. "I— I am sorry for waking you."

"Never mind that." He sat up and tried to see her face, but her long hair obscured his sight. Gently brushing it out of her face, he said softly, "Why do you weep, dear Undómiel?"

Arwen took a deep breath. "They have left Middle-earth, Estel. Daernana and Ada are gone." She turned to face him, and he felt his breath leave him as he saw the depth of sorrow in her eyes. "I remember when Nana left and the emptiness in my heart that came when she left for the West. I knew that the same would happen when they sailed, Estel, but…" Her words died and she closed her eyes as another wave of tears came to her.

Aragorn slid back down and wrapped his arms around her. "I am so sorry." He felt tears prick his own eyes as he realized that he would never see Galadriel or Elrond again. He knew it to be improbable before, but still he had hoped… now it was an impossibility. And with them, too, would have gone Gandalf, Glorfindel, and more friends beside. His tears began to fall silently as his wife sobbed softly into his shoulder.

They did not speak for several minutes, even after the tears ceased to fall. When one of them did speak, it was Arwen. "It is not fair. Why does He do this to us?"

"Who?"

"Ilúvatar. Why does he do this to us? Why does he allow his Children to experience such sorrow? Why does he not allow us to be together as a family?" She shook her head. "I wish… I wish we could stay together in this new Age, and remain together after our time in Middle-earth is done. Why should you and I not see Ada again, after our lives here are over? It is not fair."

He shook his head. "I do not know." He sighed softly. "I once asked Gandalf the same thing many years ago, shortly after I met him. He told me that while he did not know the mind of the One, he did not believe the separates paths of the Children would always be asunder. It is little comfort now, but perhaps…" His voice trailed off.

She moved her head off his shoulder to look into his eyes. "It does not fill the new void in my heart," she admitted, "but it does help mend it. The uncertainty frightens me, but if Mithrandir believed it was so, and you hope it so, then I will carry that hope with me."

"It is all one can do," said Aragorn. "I am glad I could bring you some small comfort."

She pressed her body against his, leaning her head once more on his shoulder. "You bring much more than small comfort, dear husband. Thank you."