Elrond was not sure whether he liked dancing or not. He had danced many times in his long life, of course, but never with that much relish. He supposed it was all right, in its own way, yet he much preferred socializing while standing still. But tonight was his wedding. He figured that he could make an exception and dance more than just once with each of his few lady friends, i.e. his (newly wed) wife and his cousin. Besides, Celebrian loved dancing. She always had and she was very good at it too. He was lucky to have such an accomplished partner. "All right then," he said to himself. "Let us see if there really is anything to this dancing business that I have missed in my past experiences."
Celebrian's heart began to beat faster as she watched Elrond make his way across the floor in the Hall of Fire towards her. The crowds separated the newlyweds, but the only person she could really see was her husband. She strongly suspected that the time had come for the first dance to start, and she had been waiting for this moment all evening: Elrond, although he would not admit it to anyone, was an excellent dancer. The new lady of Imladris watched her lord turn aside from his path briefly to speak to the musicians, confirming her suspicions. Her anticipation grew ever higher.
Elrond met his wife's eye as he neared her and began to actually look forward to the approaching dance. So many things in his life had seemed dull before he had met that lovely woman; dancing was definitely numbered among those activities. When a dance with her ended, he always felt he could have danced all night. He reached his beautiful lady and held out his hand. The room fell silent.
And there he was, fingers outstretched to hers. He spoke no words, but his eyes told her volumes and volumes about his thoughts. Celebrian was sure that she had married to the most wonderful and handsome man in the whole of Middle Earth. She slipped her hand into his; he grasped it firmly and whirled her out onto the floor while the musicians started, slow and calm. Elrond pulled her close and they swayed gently back and forth with the rhythm of the music.
"Are you enjoying yourself, love?" he murmured into her ear. The two had been together for most of the evening, but in the past few minutes he had left her side in order to attend to some small matter.
"Oh yes, darling," she assured him. "It is a lovely party, and all the guests have been very kind. Are you enjoying yourself?"
A twinkle appeared in his eye. "I am not sure," he said, pretending to be critical. "I think the plans should have been made by someone more used to planning weddings. The decorations, for instance, could be better. Whoever picked out red roses as the centerpieces was clearly much too fond of bright colors." He pinched her playfully: she had begged and begged for those roses to be the main theme of the décor.
"Oh, I do not know if I can agree with you," she played along with his teasing. "Some things about this whole affair are extremely well done. For example, I highly approve of the bride's dress. Whoever made it is obviously very skilled, and the designer has excellent taste. If the seamstress and the designer were the same person, well, I am impressed."
Elrond chuckled and adjusted his hold on her waist. "But would you not concur that the dinner seemed slightly ostentatious? I mean, nine courses. Were I not used to such extravagant feasting, my stomach would have burst. Who hosted that supper, anyway?"
"Well, you can't blame the host. I know him rather well, and he is not usually that excessive," returned Celebrian, turning her head to meet his eyes again. "I think that he was trying to impress the bride with his entertaining skills."
"Do not make excuses for him," Elrond reproved her. "I stick to my first judgement: the meal was a bit over the top."
"But the food was delicious, and the cake!" Celebrian smiled and snuggled farther into his embrace, letting the music dictate the movements of her feet. "Even you, oh harsh critic, must say that elegant confection was worthy of the Valar."
"It was sloppily cut," he tutted in mock disapproval. "The groom told me he does not cut cakes too often and that the bride has probably never cut a cake in her life."
"Well you can tell the groom that he is very wrong!" stated Celebrian indignantly. "The bride has cut quite a few cakes in her lifetime and considers herself rather proficient in the art of cutting cakes!"
The lord of Imladris smirked. "It was still sloppy," he insisted. "And did you see the best man? Of all people to choose... Lord Glorfindel of the Impeccable Hair. If I were in the groom's place I would have chosen someone less perfect-looking for fear he would detract from my own fabulous appearance. Especially with this groom's face... He needs ask the help he can get."
Celebrian finally began to giggle. "Elrond, darling. Have you nothing good to say about this whole celebration? Will only criticism issue from your mouth?" she admonished.
She felt him inhale deeply, taking in her scent. "I will say that the bride looks absolutely stunning," he murmured in her ear. "When I saw her enter the room I completely forgot to breathe for a few seconds, her beauty was so overwhelming. I feel tempted to steal her away for myself."
Her heart beat quickly. "Did you tell her so?" she asked, although she felt the game was dying.
"I think I shall," he smiled. "Of all compliments ever given, it is the most deserved."
They let the music play on in silence for awhile. Their slow dance steps carried them closer to the fire and Celebrian's jewels began to sparkle with reflected light.
Elrond spoke again, very quietly. "Do you know what else the groom told me?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Do tell," she whispered.
"He did not really like to dance before he met his wife," he told her. "He says that she brings a new life to everything they do together. He says that only she can make him feel like spring is ever-present, like life is always good, like he cannot be sorrowful when she is in the room. That no one else gives him a thrill like she does." The song drew to a close and they stopped moving. "He says it had to be her, only her, wonderful her."
Celebrian was smiling like a child who had received exactly what she had wanted as a gift for her birthday. "The bride feels the same way," she murmured.
Elrond pressed his lips against hers. "I love you," he whispered, holding her tightly.
She exhaled, completely contented with her life. "I love you too," she answered with all her heart.