Hearing this, Sylas was genuinely astonished.
He had assumed that, as with Elrond and Rivendell, the responsibility for Lothlórien would be entrusted to him. He had not expected Galadriel to pass it directly to Arwen.
For a moment, he realized, he had been somewhat self-centered.
Sensing his thoughts, Galadriel spoke first, gently clarifying the matter.
"Lothlórien is not the same as Rivendell," she said.
"The Elves of Rivendell nearly all know the road to the West and will eventually depart. But Lórien still shelters many Silvan Elves, the Wood-elves, and they will not sail to Valinor."
"I hope that after Arwen inherits Lórien, she can gather and protect these people," Galadriel continued, "giving them a peaceful land to dwell in, far from strife and the fading of the world."
Only then did Sylas fully understand.
No wonder Galadriel had chosen Arwen.
He was a human wizard, no matter how powerful, he would never truly be suited to rule the Elves of Lórien. But Arwen was different.
She was the granddaughter of Celeborn and Galadriel of Lórien, and the daughter of Elrond of Rivendell. Her bloodline was noble, her status unquestionable, and she was, by right, a child of Lórien itself.
Among Elves, lineage and legitimacy mattered deeply.
Moreover, Elven society did not diminish the authority of women, quite the opposite. The example of Galadriel herself stood as proof. Between Galadriel and Celeborn, it had always been clear that Galadriel's power surpassed that of her husband.
Thus, compared to placing Lórien under the rule of a human sorcerer, having Arwen inherit it was far more acceptable to the Elves.
And there was another reason.
Sylas and Arwen were husband and wife, one destiny, one will. Arwen ruling Lórien was, in essence, no different from Sylas protecting it. Through her, the Elves of Lórien could still receive Sylas's blessings and protection.
It was evident that Galadriel and Celeborn had thought this through with great care.
Sylas naturally agreed with their decision without reservation.
Soon after, Galadriel and Celeborn announced that they would hold a coronation ceremony for Arwen. Before departing for Valinor, they would formally relinquish their authority, abdicating their roles as Lord and Lady of Lórien and passing all sovereignty to her.
Thus, on the New Year of the Third Age, a grand coronation was held.
In the central square of Caras Galadhon, the capital of Lothlórien, Elves from across Middle-earth gathered.
There were Elves of Rivendell, represented by Elrond; Silvan Elves from Greenwood the Great; eastern Elves from distant lands; and Elves from Lindon and the Grey Havens.
Before all of them, Galadriel herself placed the crown upon Arwen's head.
It was a crown woven of mallorn leaves and living blossoms.
With solemn authority, Galadriel proclaimed Arwen the Queen of Lothlórien.
Not merely a Lady, but a Queen.
By Sylas's will, Arwen was also granted authority over Rivendell's lands under his protection. Thus, she became the acknowledged sovereign of both Lórien and Rivendell's Elves.
Among the Elves, she came to be known as the White Queen, the Lady of the Golden Forest.
One by one, the Elves of Lórien knelt and pledged their allegiance, receiving their new queen's blessing.
During the coronation, Arwen sat high upon the Elven throne, her robes resplendent, the crown gleaming softly upon her brow. She radiated a presence both gentle and majestic.
Below the throne stood Sylas, alongside Elrond, Celeborn, Gandalf, and the other honored guests.
Elrond and Celeborn watched Arwen with pride and deep emotion.
Sylas, however, was openly radiant, his admiration unmistakable. Seeing his wife embody such queenly grace filled him with a thrill he made no effort to hide.
Sensing his gaze, Arwen glanced down from the throne and gave him a playful wink.
At her sides stood Elseth and Elroth, one on each side of their queen mother. Their faces were flushed with excitement, their eyes bright with anticipation.
The coronation ceremony was extraordinarily lively. Elven songs and music filled the air without pause. Though the Elves were by nature reserved, rarely shouting or making grand displays, they nonetheless showered their Queen with flowers and gentle applause, expressing their blessings and devotion in their own way.
Those who attended the coronation were filled with delight.
There had been rumors that Lothlórien was already in decline, yet before their eyes it remained radiant and full of vitality. And now, with a new Queen upon the throne, even as more Elves gradually chose to sail West, it was clear that Lórien would continue to flourish in peace.
Because of this, some Elves who had originally intended to remain in Middle-earth began reconsidering their choice. They thought of moving to Lórien or to Rivendell, seeking a place to settle.
After all, the coming Age belonged to Men.
The Age of the Elves was drawing to its close, and the lands that once belonged to them would shrink year by year, eventually passing fully into human hands. The Elves who remained in Middle-earth were mostly Silvan Elves, peace-loving folk who shunned conflict, lived in seclusion, and sought only quiet refuge.
Some had once dwelled in Greenwood the Great, but many did not wish to sail to the unfamiliar Valinor.
With the rise of Men, the living space of the Elves was inevitably compressed. Only places like Lórien and Rivendell, lands protected by lingering magic, could still offer true peace.
Thus, many Silvan Elves chose to settle there.
Over countless years, the traces of Elves gradually vanished from the wider lands of Middle-earth, surviving only in ancient legends passed down among Men.
In time, only Lórien and Rivendell remained as hidden Elven havens, withdrawn from the mortal world.
But all of this lay far in the future.
For now, Lórien, Rivendell, and the Western Elves had not yet departed. Arwen's ascension to the throne had instead brought an unprecedented liveliness to the age.
Although Arwen had become Queen, she still spent most of her time with her husband and children at Hogwarts Castle, and she did not relinquish her position as Professor of Magical History.
Before Elrond sailed West, Rivendell continued to be governed by him. Likewise, Lórien remained under the guidance of Galadriel and Celeborn.
Those who swore allegiance to Queen Arwen were primarily the Silvan Elves who chose to remain in Middle-earth. As for the Noldorin Elves and others of the West, they knew their fate lay in sailing with Elrond, Galadriel, and the remaining High Elves.
It was as if Arwen's coronation had opened a gate to a new era.
In the years that followed, other coronations took place one after another.
First came the Mirkwood Kingdom.
After returning from his long journey through Middle-earth, Legolas was crowned King by his father, Thranduil.
Soon afterward, Thranduil abdicated. He led a small company of Elves to the Grey Havens, there to await the ship bound for Valinor.
Sylas personally attended Legolas's coronation, recognizing him as King of the Woodland Realm. On that day, an alliance was sworn between the Mirkwood Kingdom, Hogwarts, and Lórien.
Not long after, Aragorn formally ascended the throne as King of Gondor in Minas Tirith.
It was worth noting that Denethor II, the former Steward of Gondor, declined Aragorn's invitation to continue serving as Chancellor. Instead, he departed with his eldest son, Boromir, and a portion of Gondor's people.
They traveled eastward, reaching the southern shores of the Sea of Rhûn, where they founded a new realm, the Kingdom of Anda.
Once known as a land plagued by darkness and war, it was renamed the Land of Hope.
Denethor II became the first king of Anda, though he did not rule long before dying of illness. His eldest son, Boromir, succeeded him as king.
Meanwhile, Denethor's younger son, Faramir, remained in Gondor, serving as Grand Vizier and earning the complete trust of King Aragorn.
Under the influence of Aragorn and King Boromir of Anda, the two realms forged a firm alliance, much like Gondor and Rohan of old, pledging mutual aid in the face of any future threat.
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