Hi!

So, the whole "once a week" thing was never going to happen. That was my attempt at pacing myself, which when I get my write-on totally goes out of the window.

I also have my induction at my school tomorrow for my Teacher Training which starts in September. Am I procrastinating when I should be washing/ironing my clothes? Perhaps.

I adore-adore-adore this chapter. This, and the next one. I'd love to hear your thoughts! I know you're reading out there in the ether, make yourself known to me! :) As always, thank you to my reviewers Horsey, Violin and DeLacus - I love you more than a hobbit loves second breakfast) and to my favourite-ers and lurkers!

(I still need ideas for Elladan. Ideally from Arthurian Legend onward.)

Love always,

MM -x

One week, two, and then three passed. A month since our encounter and I saw Elrohir more and more, until it was a rare day indeed that we did not pass one another or converse. He was remarkably intelligent and so quick-witted that sometimes even I felt slow around him.

"Litawen!" He called that morning as I dropped off an order of bread at the seamstress for my Mum – finding any excuse to be in town these days, and full well she knew it. I'd not told her that I had developed a romantic interest in the dark-haired elf yet, but I felt I would have to soon lest she explode from her unquenched curiosity.

"Lord Elrohir." I bowed my head in greeting – knowing full well the scolding the use of his title would get me. I enjoyed his tempestuous moments greatly, for it showed me the fire in him that I so shared which had earned me the names our trouble and dragon between those who knew me best.

"Oh, I see – trouble from the start, indeed." He grimaced, taking my arm without even offering it now. It had become such a pleasant habit to bump into him and then spend an afternoon or a morning together, sometimes strolling through town or otherwise going to the beach. Now I came to town on purpose in the hope that we might pass even for just a moment or two.

"I have been thoroughly wound up by the twins all morning, so came to town to run a delivery for Mum. She has been a little busy of late, so I help where I can."

"I could not possibly imagine why twin brothers could be so bothersome." He said thoughtfully and I huffed, smacking his arm. "I jest, I jest!" He rubbed his arm dramatically, earning a laugh from me. "So, what shall we do this afternoon, fair one?"

"It is getting later – perhaps we could search for some food? I confess, I have not taken time to eat since yesterday." I admitted to him and he frowned.

"No wonder you are quite so short if you do not recall to feed yourself!" He cried, lifting me up off the floor as I shrieked a little. "So light, as if you were made of air!" Elrohir laughed as he put me back on my feet again – my knees weak from how closely he'd held me to him. Damnation, I could not let these feelings get in the way of my simple bodily functions no matter how pleasant they might have been.

"Do not do that, you terrible creature." I scolded him, one hand pressed to my heart to calm its racing.

"You shall survive, wild one. Now, let us eat before you disappear entirely."

I wondered if he would take his leave quickly, but instead of a short meal we seemed to end up with pitcher after pitcher of wine and plates of bread and cheese as we talked, joked, and almost wept with laughter until the night became old.

Despite this, he kept a slight distance at all times even when our faces were close over the small table. He would occasionally reach out to brush my hair away from the dancing light of the candle which stood between us, yet when I braided it to keep it from the fire he rolled his eyes and reached over to remove the bindings.

"You know, Elrohir, many a tale I have heard of your debauchery. However with me, you seem positively proper!" I joked, my chin propped upon my hands and he assumed the same position across our small table with quite the naughty smirk.

"You wound me, Litawen. Proper; I? It is all a disguise, I assure you." He rolled his eyes at me and in a fit of slightly drunken childishness I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed out loud at my silly little faces. "Truly – in the management of Imladris many things changed. Two hundred or so years was enough at the helm to help me understand myself a little more. I confess I was roguish in the past – a prankster, if you will." He said thoughtfully, taking a sip of his wine. "Though I may be accused as much worse, I fear. Most rather unintentional."

"Such as?" I prompted, but knowing what he spoke of. Mum had told many a tale of Elrohir to me from her younger years before I was born – primarily about his ill-fated flirtation with my Aunty J.

He eyed me shrewdly. "You know what, I think. I assure you, those times are long past."

I grinned guiltily. "I may know a little, my Lord." He glowered again and I took a sip of my wine, my head dipping forward to hide the colour that had climbed from my chest to my cheeks before thinking of a tale to tell. "I have been accused of the same, but truly I am not quite so bad as all of that. Mum has a healing gel that is made with a calming draught – I spread it across her sheets when I was thirty five to make sure she slept through the night for once. I pretended I was simply being naughty..."

"A cunning plot indeed! I recall once when I was much younger, Elladan and I had little to do and so we had been searching the pantries for ways to amuse ourselves. We came across the supplies of one of the dressmakers and we found a pot of dye for cloth. Elladan touched a little, and it stained his skin quite thoroughly too as it would material. Of course, can you think of the first thing we did with this information?"

"Oh Valar, who did you dye?" I cringed.

"Father – oh, Litawen, it was a sight to behold!" I covered my face with my hands, peeking out to see him almost crying with laughter.

"What colour?" I dared to ask against my better judgement, and he pointed to my dress. Imagining Lord Elrond dyed a fetching shade of green caused me to cough and splutter and laugh until I could no longer breathe.

"Oh, how I wish I could see it." I held my stomach, feeling warm all over from the wine and from Elrohir's joyous and boisterous tales.

He launched straight into another about his Mother and I let myself become absorbed in his goodness and his happiness, trying hard to ignore the stares and whispers coming from some of the others in the tavern. One lady – a particular witch who sneered each time I brought my kills to the market – sent me a dark look and I could no longer stand it.

"Perhaps I should go, Elrohir." I said quietly, close so that no others could hear me.

"Why... are you unhappy with the company?" He looked pained, and I reached out to grasp his hand in a panic. I couldn't have him think it was him – not when my heart so raced around him, flushes took me, and he made me so truly happy.

"No; please know that it is not you. I fear... I fear that it is my company, my presence, which is not so welcome." I said stoically, fighting the desperate sadness. "I told you before, my Lord Elrohir – we are not popular. Whilst never directly ignored, we are perhaps estranged even more so than most Silvan elves. Many see Mother as little more than a Mortal, and her sisters no better." My eyes were downcast and my voice low. "I shall forever have to fight for my place amongst our people, just as she does. I am sorry, I should not have come for I would not have you tarred with the same brush."

I stood to leave but he grabbed my wrist, holding me with a strength I did not expect. "Litawen, I implore you, sit. Do not permit them their perverse pleasure and divest me of my own happiness." His words were louder than necessary, and I knew that all those listening would feel properly shamed for they were directed at them.

"Elrohir, please think on what you do." I begged, still stood, my eyes filling a little and my throat tight as often it became when I was fighting back tears.

"I have, and steadfast I so remain. In fact, I think we should go. I suddenly feel the atmosphere rather sour." His eyes, dark as storm-clouds, swept the room with a curl of his lip. He stood smoothly and held out his arm to me, which I took in the blink of an eye and held my head high. I would not shame him, and I would at least try to prove I was worthy of the honour his company afforded me.

Out in the courtyard, the warm air of summer hit me and I forced myself to relax. I couldn't face him, instead walking by his side until he broke the silence.

"I did not lie, Litawen. I remain steadfast and by your side – their lack of manners appals me and I find it quite abhorrent that they feel their behaviour acceptable. Benny saved their lives, and still they act as if she is little more than a distasteful curiosity. And you!" He cried, spinning me and holding my shoulders. "You let them do it – you defend your Mother, this I know, but do you never defend yourself?"

"I would rather not draw any more attention to myself than strictly necessary. I can walk away – I will not sink to their level and fall into bickering." I crossed my arms, grasping at the material of my dress so tightly I feared it might tear.

"Oh, Litawen. It is one thing to be so strong as you are, but I suppose it is quite another to be able to walk away." He sighed, and then I was bundled in his arms and I held on to him as if I were a woman drowning, finally the frustrated tears that I had kept at bay breaking.

"I hate to cry, Valar – I look such a fool." I spoke into his tunic and he chuckled, arms about me as his chin rested upon my crown. "I am sorry I have ruined such a wonderful evening."

"Never. I am glad that I was here with you now more than ever – it really was wonderful. It is wonderful, despite this brief moment." Elrohir stood back and then examined my face for the tears that had quickly dried. "Come, I shall walk you home."

"It shall be a longer walk – the tide will be high by now so we must take the land."

"Then I have another hour in your company; I shall count myself fortunate indeed." Elrohir took my arm again and we walked together in contemplative silence. "I feared for a moment you truly no longer desired my company."

"No, never." I swore, lifting my skirts as I avoided a particularly muddy spot on the path. "I did not want for you to see truly how they can be."

"There is no need for such nobility, kindly though it was meant. Do you always care of all others before yourself?" Elrohir asked and I flinched. "No, I did not mean that Lita. I wondered simply how I came to find such unfaltering goodness."

"I think my tales this evening proved quite thoroughly I am not quite so good as you seem to think!" I laughed incredulously, and caught his eye as he offered a naughty wink.

"But that is when you are at your greatest – when you roam wild and free." I did the same back and he laughed outright as I span away, letting my dress flare out about me – the wine was talking more than I was, but Valar, it was so much fun to let it. I kicked off my slippers then and held them in one hand, lifting my dress with the other.

"Fine then, if you believe so – race you." I flashed him a grin and then I was off, hair flying free behind me.

I knew he would catch me; not so soon as I had expected, but he did catch me and I felt his arms around my waist only a few minutes before we would have reached home. He pulled me back to him, and I felt the slight pant of his breath as he spoke in my ear.

"You know the terrain and have quite the unfair advantage, my wild one. Next time, you shall not best me so easily."

Gods, but his voice and the closeness of his lips against my skin made my knees weak once more. Now was the time. Now, when we were both emboldened by drink, and when the fires kindled within us by both joy and righteous anger were burning bright. Now was the time to be daring, and ask the question that settled within my heart so completely.

"Do you truly want there to be a next time?" I turned to face him, chin tilted upwards in as much of an attitude of defiance as I could manage.

His eyes roved my face searchingly, his lips parted slightly almost as if the question shocked him. "How can you even think that I would want anything but... Valar, Yes." His voice was like a hiss on the wind, and I felt my breath catch in my throat as his lips touched my cheek. My eyes were closed for but a brief moment as I swayed, but the distraction that lasted but a few seconds was enough for when I opened them again, he was gone.

"How was Elrohir?" Mum asked as soon as I entered the door, my eyes slightly glazed still from the touch of his lips against my skin. I raised a hand to the spot where he had kissed me, feeling the ghost of their gentle pressure still against my cheek, just as the wings of a butterfly kissed the air.

"Litawen?" She prompted, elegant brows arched. I dropped my hand and gazed at my fingers as if they were a curious attachment to my body, for a strange tingling and numbness had begun to set in as well as a slight nausea.

Perhaps I was more drunk than I thought.

"I... Fine. He was fine. I must..." I floundered, and she stood to take my arms. "Where is Dad?"

"Playing cards with Legolas and Glorfindel, to keep your poor Aunty J and her bump free for an evening of his smothering. You drunk?" she snorted, and then sighed before pottering into the kitchen. "Get ready for bed, trouble. I'll bring you some tea and then you can rest your poor head."

I struggled to change into my nightgown, my fingers stumbling. Mum thought I was rather addled with drink, and perhaps I was, but what was stunning me more was that not only had he said that he wanted to see me again, and that he had dared to kiss my cheek, but that he had defended me against those who thought the very worst of my family.

He did not care.

I sat on my bed, finally dressed in my cotton and gossamer nightclothes, and let my fingers trail across the bedspread – elegantly embroidered sheets of deep sapphire blue with waves curling across them. My own little space in a home so filled with noise, and one I feared I was beginning to outgrow. I loved by brothers, I loved Mum and Dad, but I needed my own space more and more and it was becoming time for me to voice it.

I glanced up as my Mum came in, and she passed me a glass filled with clear liquid. I drank it in a few gulps and felt her familiar brew soothe me, before her hands replaced it with a warm mug.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked and I shook my head, drinking the chamomile tea in slow sips.

"I am not yet ready. I will, I swear this to you, but at this moment I fear I need rest and to sleep off the wine." I laughed, still exhilarated, and she sat on my bed before pulling me back to curl up against her. "It is as if I am a child of thirty summers again."

"You will always be my little Lita, even now when you're full grown and nearly one hundred, or even when you're one thousand. Now sleep, you drunken fool of a woman." She chuckled and I felt her press a tender kiss to my forehead before I fell soundly asleep in her arms.

xxxXxxx

"Hello, little Grandfather." I let out a long breath after having hiked all afternoon through the lower parts of the great mountains which separated the east coast of Aman from the rest of the land. We had lain him to rest in a great cave hewn from the rock, his body in a tomb of stone; a fitting resting place for the Dwarf Lord I had so loved.

"I feel strange. I think there is an elf who I am interested in, but it is so improper and I do not know what to do. I could never expect someone of so high a station to take any interest in me." I touched the stone which covered the entrance to his tomb, my fingers catching on the carvings. The Lady Galadriel herself had made the carving, with words written in honour of him by those of us who knew him best

Love, strength, and friendship
All these things did Gimli son of Gloin hold dear
And so back to the arms of the Valar does he take them.

Following the inscription was a list of his accolades and accomplishments, and captured in a clear gem were the hairs granted to him by the Lady Galadriel at the time of his death, to match those he had been granted in Lothlorien.

"I know what you would say, I think. I think you would tell me to get on with it and sod the rest." I chuckled, imagining his rough voice saying the very words to me. "Yet it seems so difficult. I told him of you, and of how dear to my heart you still are. Oh, how I miss you. We all miss you – your booming laugh and your penchant for ale, and still your heart." I sat down by the entrance, my head resting against the stone. There was a slight chill in the air, but nothing that was too extreme.

"Can I sit here with you for a while, little Grandfather?" I asked, and I imagined I heard his agreement as I leaned back against the stone.

For an hour I sat, sometimes talking to him and sometimes not, brushing away the occasional tear until I finally came to a decision. I stood and placed a kiss upon the clear glass which encased Galadriel's hair. "I love you, and I'll come and see you again soon."

I liked Elrohir – there was no denying it. Now, I needed to see where my heart would lead me. Down through the mountains I climbed until I came home in the early evening – the sound of my home filled with song and the scent of fresh bread filling me with a feeling of contentment.

"Hi Litawen, where have you been?" Mum asked as I entered the door.

"Into the mountains." I said by way of explanation, and the confusion cleared from her expression.

"Oh, I see. Do you want any dinner?" She asked as I turned to walk to my rooms, and I shook my head.

"No, thank you. I just want to sit and think for a while." I heard her drop what she was doing and then her arms were around me, holding me close in a firm embrace.

"I love you, trouble. You know where I am if you want to talk." Her fingers brushed a few curls away from my face. I forced back the tears that were trying to break free, and then gave a quiet sob as one finally escaped. She sighed and drew me closer again, stroking my hair and back soothingly. "Get a little bit of rest, Lita. You'll feel better for it."

"I will. I love you too, Mummy." I said with a slight hiccup, a small but teasing smile upon my face. She rolled her eyes at the name and gave me a push towards my rooms, and I closed my door behind me.

On my bed were three roses, each a pale shade that was somewhere between pink and peach. It was beautiful and unique, and the scent was both sweet and deep from the bloom. Attached to them was a note and I held it up, reading the sweeping cursive text with a frown that eventually gave way to a gasp.

Because of their colour these roses had been left untouched at a stall I happened to pass by at the bay, wondering where the lovely Lady Litawen might be.
Can you believe that? I rather think they are quite lovely, and they reminded me of you.
Like these roses you are beautiful, and you are quite perfect as you are.
Be wild, be free, and above all; be yourself.
 - E

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes once before putting the flowers upon my dressing table with a slightly dreamy smile.

This was more than simply liking Elrohir. This was not simply falling, either. I had somehow managed to stumble into being quite in love with him in but two months of making his acquaintance.

Well... shit. The little voice, the voice that sounded remarkably like my Mother, piped up.

Picking up the roses and the letter again, I packed a bag as often I had in my childhood and leapt out of my window to the forest floor, my feet landing silently upon the grass. I made my way to Tatharien's and clambered through the trees to her balcony, knocking as I used to do as a younger lady.

"Litawen?" Her head popped around the door with a frown, her fair hair braided about her. "Dearest, you look as if you have succumbed to some illness. What on earth is wrong?" I fished in my bag and held out the roses, still bound with string and the note attached. She read it and looked up at me sharply before pulling me in.

"Mother!" She called, leading me through her room into their family room. Aunt Osellë looked up from her book, saw my curiously dazed expression and the way my eyes lingered on the roses, and sighed.

"Should you not be speaking to Bernadette on this first, Niece of mine?"

"I know not that I can. The identity of the Lord in question may be a sensitive topic, if I recall some of her stories correctly." I took the glass from Uncle Orophin, and then I eyed the three of them carefully. "Do you promise not to tell Mum and Dad?"

"On this you can be assured our secrecy." Tath promised, as did my Aunt and Uncle.

"Elrohir. I fear I am falling quite irrevocably in love with Lord Elrohir." The silence that followed was truly deafening, all but for Tath's sigh as she touched the roses reverently before passing them to her Mother who read the note with rapid flicks of her eyes.

"Start from the beginning, Litawen. The shock here is that we did not know you were even truly acquainted." Orophin said tactfully.

"That is where you are so very, very wrong." I felt my lips tug into a smile again, and I heard my Aunt's sigh at my dreamlike expression. "We have met every week, and in the last month almost every day, since he came to these shores."

I launched into my tale, sipping wine occasionally, until I had come to the end of my story and the finding of the roses before us in my rooms.

"On this I will be frank – if he does not love you, I shall kill him. The good news is that I think he does sincerely like you, Litawen. If it is true as you say and you have spent more and more time together, then I think you should quite seriously consider speaking to Haldir and Bernadette on this."

"I thought perhaps you might say that. I may speak of it with Mum first, but despite this gesture still I fear he toys with me. I am not so young, it is true, but it is rather that I fear he will turn and flee. He defended me last night, but will he tire of doing so each and every time we go out?"

"Not if he loves you, Litawen." Tath said, reaching out to take my hand. "I shall never tire of doing so, and you are as a sister to me. Closer even than that, perhaps. I love you and I want you to be happy. If you think that Lord Elrohir may bring that happiness to you, then I shall do everything in my power to make it as easy for you as I can. So will we all."

My eyes roved to my Aunt and Uncle, who nodded with steadfast expressions of love on their face. "Thank you – thank you all. Tomorrow, I shall speak with Mum on this and help my heart to decide truly what it desires."

"Stay here tonight, Lita. I shall put these in water, let you collect your thoughts, and then tomorrow speak to Benny." Osellë advised me, and I nodded.

Sleep did not come easily, for I was fraught with nerves. It was only when the light of the stars filtered through the open window did I find a little peace, and then when the morning came I was quickly ushered away with my roses retied after being carefully kept in water.

"Thank you." I told Tath sincerely as I tucked the stems reverently into my bag. She rolled her eyes and pushed me from the door with my family looking on with equal expression of fondness. I lingered and tarried all the way home, avoiding the stairs, until I could do no more but face my Mother and admit the feelings in my heart.

"Mummy?" I asked timidly, using the childlike name for her as she looked up from her book.

"Little Lita? Welcome back – you disappeared last night." She teased back, but sensed my unease and placed her book down as I came to sit opposite her. "What's playing on your mind?"

"I think I may... Well, that is to say, I think I rather, well. I think I rather like Elrohir. A lot." My words came out in a tumble, and her eyebrows shot upwards.

"Really now?"

"Yes, yes I suppose so. I recall you told me stories in playfulness about how he and Glorfindel competed for Aunt Jade, but I know not what to do. I would follow my heart, but my head tells me that I should flee." I admitted, knotting my hands together. Mother came to sit beside me, pulling my hands apart and grasping them in her own.

"He is a great person, he was one of my very first friends here, but... I couldn't bear to see him hurt you." Mum had cupped my face, thumb running across my cheek. "That said, not all affairs in love go the way we expect. You must listen to your head, yes, but sometimes you need to let your heart make its own decisions."

"I know it. I would speak to Aunt J, but I know not what her reception would be."

Mum chuckled, running fingers through my hair gently. "She would tell you he's an arse and that he is so far up his own rear he can see the sun out of the other side. He is, don't doubt it for a minute, but he is also gentle and kind and funny. Only you can decide how you should proceed, darling."

I giggled at her crudeness, glad that she was so understanding. "I.. I may confront him. Ask him what intentions he has." I said finally, and she nodded with a hint of pride.

"Sensible, but do not let his answers rule you one way or the other. Actions speak where words cannot." She said wisely, and I felt my heart clench in my chest as I took the roses which had been in water overnight from my bag.

"An action like this, perhaps?" I offered timidly, and she took the flowers to read the note which was still tied about them with brown string.

"Yes." She said faintly, smelling the blooms with closed eyes. "Yes, a gesture like this might just do the trick. Lita – I know you've been meeting with him, I've seen the two of you on the beach often enough. I just can't seem to connect all of the dots. I know you might want to keep this private and if you do that's absolutely fine, but would you tell me?"

I blushed, taking the roses from her and standing to put them in water. We didn't have a vase free, but we did have an old glass milk-bottle which stood clean upon the counter. I filled it with water from the pitcher we kept full, and carefully arranged the three stems so that they stood with the note holding them together. She knew not to pry, and I felt that I owed her everything.

"It began that day on the pier. He touched my hand, and I swear to you that I felt something akin to fire flare through our fingertips. I saw his eyes widen and I knew, Mum; I knew that there was something between us that could not simply be put into words. After that, we quite literally collided in town and I took him to the beach."

Mother watched me carefully as I let my fingertips sweep over the blooms in repetitive motions. "And then...?"

"We watched the sun rise. We spoke of Arwen – he gave the letters to his family the night before and it was difficult for him. I told a few tales, I told him of Gimli... and I told him that when the stars shine he can always remember her, and when the sun then rises it is a new day full of new opportunities." My voice was hushed as our eyes met, and she stood to take my hands over the counter.

"You very rarely talk about Gimli, nor share your sunrises with anyone. Litawen, tell me the truth. This is more than just liking Elrohir, isn't it? It is much, much bigger than that."

"Yes." My reply was quiet but sure as her green eyes met my own grey ones. "Yes, I think so."

I watched as her eyes welled with tears, a lopsided smile capturing her lips. "I am so happy for you, trouble. Have you spoken about it with him?"

"No – I would have known your thoughts first on it." I reached out to brush her tears away, and she laughed a little as I did so.

"I think you will love, and love forever. I doubt even Glorfindel could have picked better for you." She ran her fingers through my curls, golden and free about me. "Now, put those in your room before your Dad sees them, and let's keep this just between us for now, hmm? The last thing we need is him telling Elrohir you love him before you do."

"Gods, can you imagine the look on his face?" I giggled uncontrollably then and she did the same as I twirled, makeshift vase in hand, into my bedroom. I paused as I placed the roses down, and then returned to the front room where she watched still, an amused smile on her lips.

"If I might say; you do not look surprised." She laughed outright then, coming to take my hands in her own.

"I'm not. I knew when you came in piss-arse drunk the other night that something might be going on. That's why I held you as you slept – one last night with my eldest one like I did when you were a little girl." She said wistfully. "I imagine you're thinking of moving out soon, too."

"How do you know that?"

"Lita, I always know. You're my eldest one, and I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person. You grew within me; I've cared for you, watched you grow..." She stopped, her eyes shining a little despite the smile she wore. "I'm your Mum, and despite how like your Dad you are, you are a part of me. How could I not know?"

I felt my heart in my throat as she spoke – her voice not laced with sadness, but with such joy that it made my heart full. "I am so proud of you, Litawen, of everything you've done and everything you've overcome. You deserve someone who loves you completely, and whose fire matches your own. Really, when you think about it, he is the only one I'd ever think good enough for you."

"Thank you." I was overcome then, and I threw my arms about her in a hug that I had no intention of leaving for a good long while – even when Dad came in and gave us his usual look as he put his bow down.

"What has you pair so doe-eyed and... Valar, are you both crying?" He spoke the words with distaste and I laughed again, completely done in by my newly discovered and admitted love.

"Nothing, sweet." Mum gave me a sly wink then as she let me go and wiped her eyes a little, the door to my room closed so that I could enjoy my secrets just a little longer.

What do you think? Reviews so appreciated, you don't even know.

Elrond in green is my favourite mental image... Probably EVER, if I'm honest.