That afternoon she arrived at their meeting place entirely too early, to pace. She must have braided and unbraided a strand of her hair a thousand times trying to talk herself into leaving before he arrived. However every time she got close to leaving, the image of him spotting her and smiling drifted through her mind, returning her to her place beside the tree.
She did not notice when the sun had set, only hearing a rustle of noise coming from the path. She hid quickly, her back against the tree, her palms clinging to the rough bark for balance. When the rustling noise stopped, she felt something soft touching the top of her hand, another's hand clasping around hers. She fearfully looked to her right, only to be confronted with Thranduil's gently smiling face.
She released an unsteady breath, "You startled me."
"I see that," he replied, stepping closer.
She stared at him for a few moments, feeling his breath trail over her cheeks, feeling her heart thunder in her chest. She bit her lip, fighting off a smile that threatened to answer his own.
When he leaned closer, his eyes straying to her mouth, her heart almost stopped completely. She panicked and tightened her hand's grip in his and turned her face to the side.
"Come, I have something to show you," she told him, pulling him along with her.
She dropped his hand and began to climb the nearest tree, only pausing to make sure he followed her. She felt nervous showing him this place she had found, the place she had frequented often in the nights when she could not sleep.
She was so very concentrated on her nervousness, that she did not notice when she grabbed on a branch entirely too small for even her slight weight. When it snapped, she stumbled, and she felt his hand wrap around her waist to catch her.
"Careful," he murmured.
She flushed and continued to climb. She lead him to the very tops of the trees, careful to lead him over strong branches that she knew would carry their weight.
She stepped over to the patch of branches she had cultured into a resting place and lay down on top of them on her back. She wiggled slightly to get comfortable, and watched as he stood over her, watching her curiously.
She gestured for him to do the same, and stared as he folded himself down beside her with easy grace. He placed a hand on his abdomen and stared up at the sky beside her. Her head was angled towards him, to watch him out of the corner of her eyes. She glanced down at his free hand, not far from where her own lay, and wondered if he had done that on purpose.
She heard him inhale as if to begin speaking and her eyes quickly snapped to his face, which was still staring at the stars.
"It is a beautiful night," he said softly.
She looked up again, and agreed, "It truly is."
He took another deep breath, "I wonder if my mother would have found beauty in this night as well."
Celebelen stilled, unsure how to answer him.
"Do…do you remember much of your mother?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, I was quite young when she was slain. It changed my father. Grief is a terrible thing to experience, and especially with a young son. I am told I look very much like her," he said.
She was silent for a moment, then decided to tiptoe her fingers towards his, keeping her eyes trained on a specific star above her. When her fingers touched his, she heard his slight intake of breath and hesitated. She felt his fingers quickly grab for hers when it seemed she was going to pull back, then relaxed when her fingertips slightly traced over his palm. After another moment's hesitation, she placed her palm on his and laced their hands together.
A sigh of contentment and a feeling of being complete overtook both of them. It felt as if two worlds had come together in perfect union, and no words in any language could describe the joy coursing through both bodies.
She finally turned her head to look at him fully, surprised to find he was already looking at her. They stared at each other for a moment.
"However, I believe he made a valiant effort in raising me, I think," he said with a smile creeping onto his features.
She tried to keep the smile off her lips, but it came anyway.
"It was my mother that helped me discover my ability to heal," she told him.
He hummed in acknowledgement, "My father was very focused on my skill with a blade."
The look in her eyes became sad, "I have healed many wounds inflicted by a blade, it is unpleasant to say the least."
His grip on her hand tightened briefly, reassuringly, as he lifted his body closer to hers, then to turn on his side, to see her more fully. He spotted a stray tendril that lay across her collar bone and grasped it between his fingertips on his free hand, twisting it lightly.
"May suffering and harm never touch us again," he breathed.
They were silent again, for a time, only looking, enjoying one another's presence.
He spoke again, "You have stars in your eyes, Celebelen."
She flushed lightly, "What you see is only a small reflection of something far greater."
A corner of his mouth quirked up, "There is no reflection, only you."
And he leaned down and watched as her eyes widened as their mouths were inches apart. When he stopped, just above her, he watched as her surprise simmered to comfort. He saw her hand move out of the corner of his eye, and felt it settle on the back of his neck, playing with the strands that rested there. She smiled as she pulled him down the rest of the way for their mouths to meet.
Immediately, both of them felt a jolt of correctness in their actions, as if fate had designed this moment for them. Her hand that was still clasped in his released it and came to wrap around his shoulder, trying to hold him closer. They continued to kiss for several long minutes, slowly, leisurely, until Celebelen needed to breathe.
When she broke the kiss, she was breathless. She felt some satisfaction in feeling him taking deep breaths trying to hide the fact that he too was winded. His lips rested against her jaw, his eyes were still gently closed. She caressed the skin at the base of his neck with shaking fingers.
"I am to assume I may court you now, yes?" he asked after a time.
He had to ask? When it felt as if her whole life had built to this moment?
It started with a smile blossoming on her face at the ridiculousness of his question. Then turned into barely suppressed chuckles, turning into giggling, then finally her whole body was shaking with laughter.
He lifted his head and opened his eyes, fighting a smile himself. Watching her eyes squeeze shut, her mouth open wide, and a happy flush spreading over all of her visible skin, he let the joyful sound of her laughter wash over him, warming his heart. He moved to resume lying on his back before he joined her, chuckles rumbling from his chest.
When at last her laughter had subsided into giggles, she turned to mimic his former position at his side. Her hand slid over his heart to rest against his cheek. Mirth still shone in her eyes when she finally said, "Yes, you may court me."
He nuzzled his cheek into her palm, and felt a slight tremor run through her. His brows furrowed in confusion, then he realized that she must be cold. His hands immediately went to the frog at his throat, unclasping it with nimble fingers. He only smiled when she gave him a questioning look, pulling his cloak out from under him. With a quiet fwoosh, he aired out the cloak and let it fall gently over them both. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and encouraged her to move closer, when she did, her hand slipped from his cheek to rest on his chest, and on the opposite side, over his heartbeat, lay her head.
When they settled together, he gave a same hum of appreciation to how well they fit together. He lifted his head to drop a short kiss on the crown of her head, and lifted his gaze heavenwards. His last thought before his eyes closed, was that it was a beautiful night indeed.