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INDEED THE ROYAL WEDDING SYMBOLIZES IN ITS BEAUTY AND JOY ALL THAT THE HEROES OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS ACCOMPLISHED IN THEIR LONG QUEST TO SAVE MIDDLE EARTH--SO LIFE AFFIRMING HAS BEEN THEIR SUCCESS THAT NIGHT, ONCE FEARED AS THE CLOAK OF SAURON, IS NOW FOREVER ASSOCIATED WITH THE BEAUTY OF THE EVENSTAR AND THE HOUR OF HER WEDDING TO MIDDLE EARTH'S GREAT HIGH KING AND LIFEGIVER. WITH THEIR UNION, THE WHITE TREE AND LIFE HAVE RETURNED.. FRODO SAYS IT BEST: " AT LAST I UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAVE WAITED! THIS IS THE ENDING. NOW NOT ONLY DAY SHALL BE BELOVED, BUT NIGHT TOO SHALL BE BEAUTIFUL AND BLESSED AND ALL ITS FEAR PASS AWAY!"

AND YET, TOLKIEN REMINDS US QUIETLY THAT THIS NEW AGE IS AN AGE OF MEN--NOT AN AGE OF ELVES, WIZARDS, ENTS AND DWARVES. ELROND RETURNS THE SCEPTRE OF ANNUMINAS TO ELESSAR AS A SYMBOL OF HIS REUNITED KINGDOM, AND GIVES HIM THE HAND OF HIS CHERISHED DAUGHTER, WHO HAS CHOSEN THE MORTAL FATE OF HER BELOVED. THEN HE STEPS BACK--TO LET A NEW AGE BEGIN. FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, HE TURNS HIS THOUGHTS SEAWARD--TOWARD THE LAST JOURNEY HIS PEOPLE, GANDALF, AND THE RINGBEARERS WILL SOON MAKE OUT OF A WORLD AND TIME NO LONGER THEIRS.