Seas: Chapter 1
"Prince Legolas, please stop," I whispered as he pulled me through the halls of the palace. He had taken me from my quarters just minutes earlier after I had dressed in my outdoor clothing. "Hush! You will alert the guards. We don't want them to follow us!" He whispered back, continuing to pull me forward. "Please, just tell me where you are taking me...or I shall alert the guards myself," I threatened. He stopped the hurried jog we were moving at. Then he made me gasp as he spun me to be in front of him and wrapped his arms around me. Lord Legolas leaned down close to my ear, and I could feel his breath on my neck.
"Please do not do so, my flower. I must keep it a secret. The guards mustn't find it,' he whispered. I shivered. "W-why, my Lord?" I asked shakily. I felt him sigh. "Firstly, I have already told you, that is not my name Titles matter not when I am alone with you. Secondly, I am taking you to a secret place that shall belong to us forever," he breathed into my ear. I as frozen on the spot, unable to respond. "Come, quickly," he said suddenly, and unwrapped his arms from around me, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the halls once more.
After going through many passageways, we reached a hidden door that I could only assume Lord Legolas knew of simply because he is the Prince. He opened the door and we entered the cool peacefulness of the forest. It was quiet, even as we ran through the trees, the only sound being our soft boots tapping on the ground and occasionally the wood of branches. He led me through a part of the woods that I had never entered; an extremely dense area that I had not an inkling of how he knew his was through. Finally, we came to a stop. "I understand now why you wanted me to wear these clothes," I murmured, pulling a thorn out of the thick leggings I was wearing. "Shhh..." Prince Legolas hushed me once more. "Come, we are almost there." He led me slowly just a few more yards, and then we entered the clearing.
I gasped, and my eyes widened as I took in the sight. It was a small space, but it had a cozy and calm feel to it. The trees that usually covered the moon's glow and starlight did not do so here, allowing the whole area to be bathed in a blue and white glow. To the left, a small spring trickled merrily down the sloping rocks, and into a miniature pond that reflected the stars, as if the pool was the sky itself. Soft- looking grass covered the ground. But the part that took my breath away was the flowers. Beautiful, glowing white moon flowers dotted the ground as I had never seen, and then more white flowers, for which I had no name, climbed and swirled up the trunks of the nearby trees in vines. I had no words to describe its beauty in full.
"Oh...Prince Legolas...," I murmured, slowly walking into the clearing. "Do you like it?" he asked, and I turned back to look at him. I smiled and answered, "Of course. There are no words to describe the utter and pure peacefulness and joy I am feeling right now."
"I believed you would say that," he said, coming to stand beside me. "Come, sit," Lord Legolas invited, spreading his arm towards a flat rock by the little pond. I walked lightly towards it and sat down, leaning on one arm staring into the water. I heard Prince Legolas sit behind me, and then the sound of him fiddling with something. I turned and looked over my shoulder. He had weaved a circlet of moon flowers together, and he was smiling at me. I breathed a laugh and allowed him to place the crown on my head. "Olórëdes...you look beautiful..," he murmured. I looked up at him and blushed. "Thank you, my Lord," I said reflectively. "I have already said, that is not my name," he said, slight frustration showing through his tone. "If not Prince, what would you like for me to name you by?" I asked, not meeting his gaze. "Olórëdes, look at me, please," he whispered, placing a finger under my chin and tilting my head up to look at him. "You may call me Love, or Darling, or Star, or Flower,..or even just plain Legolas," he said softly, and gave me his silly half-smile.
"Legolas, then," I said. I reached up to push his finger down from my chin, but he caught my hand. He pulled it closer and held it to his chest. When I looked up to ask what he was doing, I froze. He was looking at me with a look I had never seen before. "Legolas...are you alright?" I asked worriedly. His blue eyes glimmered in the moonlight. "Olórëdes," he began, a tone in his voice that I didn't know he possessed.. "I have been meaning to say this since I met you months ago; you are like no other woman I have seen. All of the royal elf maidens I have been show are nothing compared to what you mean to me. I love you," he declared. We sat in silence, his hand holding mine to his heart, for a long time. He continued to look into my eyes and I into his. Finally, I decided how to respond. My voice was not strong like I wanted it to be, but shaky and uncertain.
"I...I believe I love you as well," I said slowly. I watched as his face lit up and he lifted my hand to his face and kissed it gently. I smiled. "Thank you," he whispered, and smiled back to me. We stared into each others eyes for an immeasurable moment, then he looked down at his hand, still clutching mine to his chest. He twined our fingers and let our hands drop to his knee. He began inspecting my hand carefully, so I turned to look at the water of the pond. It truly reflected the stars in the sky beautifully, and soft waves rippled the surface, making it seem as if I was peering into a moving sea of sky.
I looked down and saw my reflection. The ringlet of moon flowers still faintly glowed. They complemented my deep brown hair perfectly. My pale skin seemed to be reflecting the moonlight, and my blue eyes sparkled like stars. I had never thought myself particularly pretty, even; my combination of pale skin, blue eyes, and brown hair was certainly not uncommon among the Eldar, but my eyes seemed to have a dazzling effect in the starlight. But...Legolas could not have known that until tonight. What had he seen in me?
