Chapter Two, Meeting the One

Drowsy emerald eyes snapped suddenly open, and a frown full of confusion marred beautiful features as Calén woke up suddenly from his peaceful slumber. A light, warm breeze danced through the room coming from the window above his bed, caressing his warm cheeks, and ruffling his hair which had fallen out slightly of the best braid he kept it in for bed. He sat up and looked around his room in confusion, wondering what had women him up in the middle of the night.

He soon found his answer as he heard a whisper on the wind, that made him leave his warm bed in search of the whisper. He froze when a bright white light materialised in the light of the moon heading for his window. He watched frozen in his awe as it formed into a shape he knew all to well.

It was the shape of a stag, but not just any stag; it was the stag of his late father. Calén's heart beat increased erratically in his chest feeling like it was trying to pound a whole through it to escape. Calén's breathe caught in his chest as the form cleared finally, leaving no doubt in his mind that it was his father. The majestic creature bowed it's armoured head at Calén. "Prongs?" He whispered. The stag hit the floor I front of his bed; his front hooves making no sound as they hit the wooden flooring that wasn't covered by the plush white rug. He threw his head back and galloped soundlessly around Calén's room once before exiting. "Wait!" Calén called after him. Without giving it a second thought Calén took off after the stag, his bare feet barely making a sound in the dead of night, as he sprinted through the many passage said of Caras Galadhon in hot pursuit of the stag.

Calén reached ground level, breathing hard with the strain and looked frantically around in search of the silver costed stag. The moonlight that broke through the dense branches of the Mallorn trees painted bright silvery circles on the vibrant green grass, and Calén gasped when he saw the stag glimmer as he stopped in one of those rays, it was if every star known to man was trapped inside the majestic creature along with the moon and the sun for Calén had never seen something gleam as brightly as the stag did then. Catching a glance of Calén the stag huffed before turning around, strutting slowly down a path that was covered in grass, and Calén followed after it at a slower pace then he had been before.

Looking around Calén realised it was the path that he rarely travelled opting for the higher grounds of Caras Galadhon and along the riverbank of Anduin. It seemed to Calén at least, that many shadows lingered here, and he felt as though something was crawling up and down his skin sending shivers down his spine. A chill settled around him, seeping into his bones and he wrapped his arms around himself to preserve some of his warmth, he licked his suddenly dry lips in anticipation in what was to come. He didn't knew how long he had walked or how far he went, but he found himself standing on the edge of a small clearing that was covered in small, light blue flowers.

Moonlight shone upon the clearing bathing it in a Mercury glow, and in the middle of the clearing stood Prongs looking almost corporeal in the light of the moon. Calén hesitantly made his way toward the stag, it didn't move. It just observed Calén with its pale gaze. Calén stopped a foot in front of the stag his arms crossed over his chest, not knowing what he should do for it had been a lifetime since he had seen the majestic creature that stood before him. As if sensing his indecision the stag huffed once more and leaned his head forward towards Calén.

Eyes widening in wonder s the stag nudged his hand asking him to pet it, the young Elf couldn't stop his lips from titling upwards into a smile as he hesitantly lifted his hand to the stags head, softly petting it. Feeling braver Calén took a step closer to the stag as he caressed it between the large antlers. The stag was as tall as Calén if not slightly taller, which was no hardship. It's body was strong from all the muscles that lined the creature's powerful body, causing Calén to think that the stag wouldn't even feel his weight if Calén mounted him, if he was allowed to that is. "I thought I would never get to see you again, Prongs," he whispered tenderly his thrust feeling rather tight as continued to stroke him. "I'm no longer Harry Potter, as such I don't have my magic anymore, though I still have all of my memories, including the bad ones unfortunately." The stag huffed in what Calén thought was meant to be comforting as he threw his large head over Calén's shoulder in a make shift hug.

An incredible warmth enveloped Calén, that he hadn't felt for an age, and peace settled into his heart. "I am happy. Happier than I've ever thought I would be - ever thought I could be. Considering..." he trailed off not wishing to continue, but he had a feeling that he didn't need to. The stag moved away slightly and licked Calén's right cheek, causing the young Elf to giggle happily. "So did you just came here to check up on me?" he asked and Prongs huffed and nodded his big head. Calén tilted his head to the side a loving smile playing at his lips. "Dad. Now you know that I am happy, that I am alright. Please, don't worry about me anymore, there is no need. Tell mum not to worry either. I have finally found my happiness, no matter how short it could last."

Prongs stared deep into Calén's viridian eyes. Prongs's silver eyes reflecting in Calén's own. Suddenly Prongs moved back and turned his head to the side, focusing it on a tall form that stood on the edge of the clearing, slightly hidden in shadow. Calén's naturally quick reflexes kicked in and he was suddenly standing behind Prongs never taking his eyes off of the figure in the shadows. "Il' gorge! Amin il' cronuva lle." The man slowly stepped out of the shadows, and Calén swallowed with slight difficulty, Calén's eyes widened when Prongs bowed his head to the stranger and stepped around Calén nudging him with its muzzle causing Calén to

stumble forward slightly.

"I am sorry I didn't mean to frighten you." The man spoke softly his hands raised in the air his palms facing towards Calén. Calén looked at the man who had stopped several feet in front of him. He looked like a traveler that has seen many misfortunes, and has now finally come to a place in which he could finally rest, even if it was for a short while. But he also looked like a warrior, like one of the Rangers he'd heard about from the other Elves. Black hair fell to strong, proud shoulders, what little skin could be seen was tanned, obviously from spending a lot of time on the road, and the heavy duty clothes he wore did nothing to hide a tall, strong physic.

He carried himself with the awareness of a warrior, but not with the smug attitude that he heard some could get. His grey eyes shone with knowledge and love for everything that was good in this world. He looked rough and wary, and yet Calén could see gentleness in the man's gaze. "You startled me," Calén finally spoke up, and the man placed his right hand on his chest and bowed at him, causing Calén to flush a pale pink, he wasn't used to people bowing to him, oh he knew most of the Elves is Caras Galadhon bowed to him but that didn't mean he liked it.

"I apologise. It was not my intention to scare you I merely went for a walk since I couldn't sleep, and stumbled upon you in my wanderings."

Calén nodded at him only to yelp in shock and surprise when Prongs nudged his back again. "What are you doing?" Calén asked but Prongs just huffed and nodded his head towards the man as though he wanted to say something, but for the life of him Calén couldn't understand or guess what it was. "You're acting strange," He muttered.

"It is a peculiar friend you have there."

Calén looked at the man and his right eyebrow twitched up a bit. "I would not call him a friend," he said slowly and Prongs huffed as though he was annoyed. The man chuckled and slowly approached them.

Calén was surprised when Prongs walked straight past him only to stop right in front of the stranger who raised his right hand with no hesitance (unlike himself Calén inwardly grumbled) and rubbed Prongs between his antlers. Prongs turned his head towards Calén and huffed as though to say 'See? He is not a threat', Calén sighed and shook his head with a small smile full of fondness. "He seems to like you," he commented and the man chuckled as he looked at Calén.

From standing so close to the man, Calén was made aware of how small his stature really was. Compared to the wanderer, he seemed more like a small child than a young Elf. Those gray eyes showed nothing but kindness, and Calén managed to let go of the initial wariness which had overtaken his heart at first instance, and as a smile tugged on the man's bearded face, Calén found himself seeing the man's kind heart clearly and was left wondering how he'd missed it in the first place. "If I may be so bold to ask for your name?" he asked as he approached the man, placing his left hand on Prongs' back.

"You may call me Aragorn." The man introduced a grin playing across his devilishly handsome face.

Calén nodded at him, all the while wishing that his blush would diminish.

"And you may call me Calén."

Aragorn's lips tilted up into a small smile. "So you are Calénandir. I have heard a lot of stories about you from Elladan and Elrohir," he said and Calén's eyes widened.

"You've met them? Tell me, are they well? I haven't seen nor heard of them in several years!" He asked desperately.

"They are well. Their sister, Arwen Undomiel, resides here in Lothlórien, if I am not mistaken."

"She does. Have you not seen her during dinner?"

Aragorn shook his head as he continued to pat Prongs's head after some prompting from the stag. "I have traveled without rest for several days, so after I greeted Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, I went straight to bed. I haven't been to dinner."

"Neither have I," Calén nodded. In that moment, Prongs huffed and turned to nudge Calén's chest with it's head. "Must you go already?" he asked mournfully, and Prongs licked Calén's cheek comfortingly. Calén smiled though it wasn't as bright as his previous ones and hugged the stag around it's neck tightly. "Be careful and be blessed," he whispered as he let go and took a step back albeit reluctantly. Prongs huffed and strutted away, fading into the moonlight until he was no more. Calén chanced at glance at Aragorn and couldn't help but laugh when he saw the expression of shocked amazement on the older man's face."That look doesn't suite you, Aragorn," he teased and the man looked at him.

"What magic was that?" Aragorn asked in wonder and Calén giggled before he looked up at the moon with a small, nostalgic smile. "Just the Moon creating visions in the silence of the night," He answered cryptically and Aragorn looked at the Elfling's beautiful face. "Are you just a vision as well?" he asked and Calén smiled at Aragorn with eyes full of mischievousness. "A vision of the night disappears once the Sun takes the Moon's place," he teased and Aragorn chuckled, taking a step closer to Calén. "Will you disappear once the Sun comes out?" he asked flirtatiously, and the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy making it hard to breathe, not that either of them seemed to notice or care that much.

The only thing Calén could see was Aragorn's grey eyes; they were as a grey as a stormy sky right before rain fell. The urge to run away overlapped and fought with the need to stay, causing Calén's heart beat hard in his chest as though it wanted to jump right out. "The Moon and the Sun are but two sides of the same coin and one but reveals what the other conceals." Aragorn chuckled and his almost overbearing presence enveloped Calén like a heavy, warm blanket that you could wrap around yourself as you curled up in front of the fire. "You have not answered my question." The mischievousness which shone in Aragorn's eyes had not only increased tenth fold but had also sparked something within Calén's heart, but instead of letting go of the bubbling laugh which threatened to roll off of his lips, Calén merely smiled and took a step back to Aragorn's obvious surprise.

"I belong to neither Moon nor Sun." Aragorn took a step forward for each step Calén took back. "The Stars merely shine down upon me, while the Shadows conceal me from sight."

"Will the Shadows allow you to meet me again?" the older man sounded hopeful and Calén smirked as he stepped into the shadows of the forest. "Shadows are darkest when the light shines the brightest, Aragorn, son of Arathorn. We shall meet again, someday soon." with that Calén turned on his heel and broke into a run too fast for Aragorn to follow no matter how hard he tried.

The wind carried his bubbling laugh, through the forest bouncing off of the large trees carrying it back to where Aragorn still stood, and his eyes shone with excitement that had not been seen for years, as he ran towards Caras Galadhon. Once safe inside his chambers, Calén threw himself on his bed, a huge, happy grin stretching his lips. The moon glimmered down at him happily, caressing his heated cheeks. His heart beat fast in excitement, and his mind swirled with thoughts was full of grey eyes, mysterious as the raging sea, yet warm as a burning fire.

We shall meet again, Aragorn, was his last thought as sleep claimed him. We shall meet again.

Translations:

*Elvish: Il' gorge! Amin il' cronuva lle." English: Fear not! I will not harm you.

End of chap two!