A/N – Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it.
Galadriel called them before her, asking of the progress. Nimuea blushed deeply and said she was halfway done, but had taken some time to relax. The elder elf frowned only slightly and said, "Nimuea, if the fate of the heirs of Middle-earth is at stake you must not tally too long."
The golden haired elf nodded and left leaving O'histuoh and Tuestuoh alone with Galadriel. "Ah," she said, smiling, "my daughters."
The two sisters smiled. Galadriel was not upset with them.
"You must travel and warn the other heirs," Galadriel told them. "Speak with Celeborn and he shall tell you where each resides or was last seen. You must do this with haste. The Xessoust still haunt the edges of Lorien though they dare not enter too far into its borders."
O'histuoh and Tuestuoh nodded and left quickly. Galadriel had told them that they would leave in the morning when the dawn was shinning over the horizon: a time of day that the Xessoust hated. They sought out Celeborn and he pulled out a map and marked each heir's position with a different colored ribbon marker.
"Aragorn and Legolas must remain here," said Celeborn. "They are safe here under the protection of Lorien's guardians and your horses are fleeter than theirs."
Frowning Tuestuoh left O'histuoh to walk on her own when they had left Celeborn's study. She slipped into her own room and changed out of her riding clothes into a moss green dress. Walking through the trees she looked over the golden leaves, her fingers straying across their velvet like coating. The grass around her shone with life and comforted her bare feet.
The light shining through the trees caught her at odd intervals and her hair was at times half-golden and half-brown. She found a tree that she had loved as a child and sat at its trunk. The branches arched all around, looming low to touch the ground before darting into the sky again. A very good climbing tree. A very good crying tree as well. The branches and leaves hid anyone sitting at the trunk of the tree from vision unless you looked hard enough.
Tuestuoh climbed part way up the tree; not too high, O'histuoh was the climber of their pair, not she. Perching just right she looked out a small opening in the leaves to stare at the movements of the forest of Lorien.
"You shall forever be my home," she sighed, leaning back against the trunk.
The half-High, half-Half elf thought of the next step in their mission and how they were to fight against the Xessoust. The heirs were being targeted. Legolas and Aragorn would be safe here in Lorien.
Tuestuoh frowned. Why had none of the Xessoust remained at Rivendell to try to catch or kill Arwen? She was the heir of the Half-elves. Sighing, she wondered if Galadriel and Celeborn were right in their assumptions that the Dark Elves wanted Middle-earth for their very own.
"I know you're there," she said softly, looking downward.
Legolas stared back up at her, his face questioning. "Why are you avoiding me so suddenly?"
Tuestuoh frowned; she had not realized that he thought her solitude for thinking was a way of trying to avoid him. After telling him such he motioned for her to climb down. Hesitating she did so, climbing skillfully down to where he stood. When she reached him he slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her lower body to his and kissed her lightly.
"Celeborn has informed Aragorn and I that we must stay here while you and O'histuoh run madly around Middle-earth," Legolas said. His voice sounded bruised and hurt.
"It was their decision, not our own that you should stay here," said Tuestuoh, running fingers down the sides of his face, tracing the outlines of his cheekbones and jaw. "But I do agree, I wish for nothing but your safety."
Legolas sighed. "I do not wish to be parted from you Na Eesmooh," he whispered, touching his forehead to hers.
My Darling.
Tuestuoh kissed him tenderly. "I will return swiftly, I promise you that Legolas," she said.
He returned her kiss with passion and they made love under the leaves of Lorien. When they had finished Legolas turned to her, fingers running over her bare thigh, kissing her neck softly.
"I must send word to my father," he said quietly.
"About the Xessoust?" Tuestuoh asked.
"No," he replied. "Something more important than dark warriors chasing down the heirs of Middle-earth."
Tuestuoh laughed, her white skin shinning in the moonlight that penetrated the canopy of golden trees. "What could possibly be more important that making sure the future of Middle-earth lives?"
The High elf hoisted himself up to where he was leaning over her, supporting his upper body on his elbows, grinning down at Tuestuoh. "You."
Tuestuoh smiled, but inside her heart contracted with fear. There was no possible way that Legolas could convince his father to let his son take a bastard girl as wife. Tuestuoh said nothing and instead let her hands roam over Legolas' body, gaining kisses and moans. While their bodies joined again she thought: He will forget about me, his father will not let him marry me and he will forget about me.
* * * * *
O'histuoh found Aragorn sitting in his room in the canopy of the Lorien trees staring across the golden leaves. She joined him without a word, sitting next to him on the bay window cushioned seat. Pulling her legs up onto the cushion, folding one knee in front of her, and sitting on the other, she laid her hands down, comfortably hugging the leg bent at her chest. After a time he stopped puffing on his pipe and looked at her.
"You leave in the morning," he said. It was not a question.
"Celeborn told you," she replied and nodded. "Yes, Tuestuoh and I leave in the morning."
Looking out the window she suddenly felt his hand on hers. The Dark Elf shifted her gaze to his. Aragorn said nothing, but moved closer to her. "Promise," he said, his voice gruff. "Promise me you will return alive and well."
O'histuoh stared into his eyes for a moment, thinking. She knew the human had feelings for her, it was obvious. Her own feelings for him were kept hidden, though now for some odd reason she felt them rise, unabashed to the surface. Her black eyes, reflecting the stars, shone with life and emotions unchecked.
"I shall return to you Aragorn, that I promise," she said.
O'histuoh cannot remember who moved first, but suddenly found herself kissing the heir of Gondor. Her lips came alive with electricity and her body burned with raw energy, the levels rising the longer they stayed in contact. When Aragorn moved to end the kiss she shoved against him, knocking him against the wall of the bay window seat.
Clothes were torn from bodies, Aragorn throwing her lightly onto the bed. While they joined their swords lay on the floor, scabbards crossed. An odd glow arose from the swords, the two weapons humming loudly. Neither O'histuoh nor Aragorn noticed the swords, so absorbed in their own passion.
Even as the two slept the swords continued glowing and humming, the energy around them glowing with life. In the morning when O'histuoh awoke and silently gathered her things, preparing to leave with Tuestuoh to venture across Middle-earth, she snatched up her sword belt without noticing the energy.
The room immediately felt the loss, and O'histuoh took the feeling not as something she had done by picking up her sword, but rather looked at it as her heart bruising at the thought of leaving Aragorn, even for so short a time.
That morning the two girls left the city. Aragorn was still asleep in his bed, and awoke when he reached out to clutch the Dark Elf and found nothing. Legolas watched them go from the top of Tuestuoh's tree where they had shared the night.
A/N – It's starting to get interesting, no? R&R!!! 3 TheLady
Galadriel called them before her, asking of the progress. Nimuea blushed deeply and said she was halfway done, but had taken some time to relax. The elder elf frowned only slightly and said, "Nimuea, if the fate of the heirs of Middle-earth is at stake you must not tally too long."
The golden haired elf nodded and left leaving O'histuoh and Tuestuoh alone with Galadriel. "Ah," she said, smiling, "my daughters."
The two sisters smiled. Galadriel was not upset with them.
"You must travel and warn the other heirs," Galadriel told them. "Speak with Celeborn and he shall tell you where each resides or was last seen. You must do this with haste. The Xessoust still haunt the edges of Lorien though they dare not enter too far into its borders."
O'histuoh and Tuestuoh nodded and left quickly. Galadriel had told them that they would leave in the morning when the dawn was shinning over the horizon: a time of day that the Xessoust hated. They sought out Celeborn and he pulled out a map and marked each heir's position with a different colored ribbon marker.
"Aragorn and Legolas must remain here," said Celeborn. "They are safe here under the protection of Lorien's guardians and your horses are fleeter than theirs."
Frowning Tuestuoh left O'histuoh to walk on her own when they had left Celeborn's study. She slipped into her own room and changed out of her riding clothes into a moss green dress. Walking through the trees she looked over the golden leaves, her fingers straying across their velvet like coating. The grass around her shone with life and comforted her bare feet.
The light shining through the trees caught her at odd intervals and her hair was at times half-golden and half-brown. She found a tree that she had loved as a child and sat at its trunk. The branches arched all around, looming low to touch the ground before darting into the sky again. A very good climbing tree. A very good crying tree as well. The branches and leaves hid anyone sitting at the trunk of the tree from vision unless you looked hard enough.
Tuestuoh climbed part way up the tree; not too high, O'histuoh was the climber of their pair, not she. Perching just right she looked out a small opening in the leaves to stare at the movements of the forest of Lorien.
"You shall forever be my home," she sighed, leaning back against the trunk.
The half-High, half-Half elf thought of the next step in their mission and how they were to fight against the Xessoust. The heirs were being targeted. Legolas and Aragorn would be safe here in Lorien.
Tuestuoh frowned. Why had none of the Xessoust remained at Rivendell to try to catch or kill Arwen? She was the heir of the Half-elves. Sighing, she wondered if Galadriel and Celeborn were right in their assumptions that the Dark Elves wanted Middle-earth for their very own.
"I know you're there," she said softly, looking downward.
Legolas stared back up at her, his face questioning. "Why are you avoiding me so suddenly?"
Tuestuoh frowned; she had not realized that he thought her solitude for thinking was a way of trying to avoid him. After telling him such he motioned for her to climb down. Hesitating she did so, climbing skillfully down to where he stood. When she reached him he slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her lower body to his and kissed her lightly.
"Celeborn has informed Aragorn and I that we must stay here while you and O'histuoh run madly around Middle-earth," Legolas said. His voice sounded bruised and hurt.
"It was their decision, not our own that you should stay here," said Tuestuoh, running fingers down the sides of his face, tracing the outlines of his cheekbones and jaw. "But I do agree, I wish for nothing but your safety."
Legolas sighed. "I do not wish to be parted from you Na Eesmooh," he whispered, touching his forehead to hers.
My Darling.
Tuestuoh kissed him tenderly. "I will return swiftly, I promise you that Legolas," she said.
He returned her kiss with passion and they made love under the leaves of Lorien. When they had finished Legolas turned to her, fingers running over her bare thigh, kissing her neck softly.
"I must send word to my father," he said quietly.
"About the Xessoust?" Tuestuoh asked.
"No," he replied. "Something more important than dark warriors chasing down the heirs of Middle-earth."
Tuestuoh laughed, her white skin shinning in the moonlight that penetrated the canopy of golden trees. "What could possibly be more important that making sure the future of Middle-earth lives?"
The High elf hoisted himself up to where he was leaning over her, supporting his upper body on his elbows, grinning down at Tuestuoh. "You."
Tuestuoh smiled, but inside her heart contracted with fear. There was no possible way that Legolas could convince his father to let his son take a bastard girl as wife. Tuestuoh said nothing and instead let her hands roam over Legolas' body, gaining kisses and moans. While their bodies joined again she thought: He will forget about me, his father will not let him marry me and he will forget about me.
* * * * *
O'histuoh found Aragorn sitting in his room in the canopy of the Lorien trees staring across the golden leaves. She joined him without a word, sitting next to him on the bay window cushioned seat. Pulling her legs up onto the cushion, folding one knee in front of her, and sitting on the other, she laid her hands down, comfortably hugging the leg bent at her chest. After a time he stopped puffing on his pipe and looked at her.
"You leave in the morning," he said. It was not a question.
"Celeborn told you," she replied and nodded. "Yes, Tuestuoh and I leave in the morning."
Looking out the window she suddenly felt his hand on hers. The Dark Elf shifted her gaze to his. Aragorn said nothing, but moved closer to her. "Promise," he said, his voice gruff. "Promise me you will return alive and well."
O'histuoh stared into his eyes for a moment, thinking. She knew the human had feelings for her, it was obvious. Her own feelings for him were kept hidden, though now for some odd reason she felt them rise, unabashed to the surface. Her black eyes, reflecting the stars, shone with life and emotions unchecked.
"I shall return to you Aragorn, that I promise," she said.
O'histuoh cannot remember who moved first, but suddenly found herself kissing the heir of Gondor. Her lips came alive with electricity and her body burned with raw energy, the levels rising the longer they stayed in contact. When Aragorn moved to end the kiss she shoved against him, knocking him against the wall of the bay window seat.
Clothes were torn from bodies, Aragorn throwing her lightly onto the bed. While they joined their swords lay on the floor, scabbards crossed. An odd glow arose from the swords, the two weapons humming loudly. Neither O'histuoh nor Aragorn noticed the swords, so absorbed in their own passion.
Even as the two slept the swords continued glowing and humming, the energy around them glowing with life. In the morning when O'histuoh awoke and silently gathered her things, preparing to leave with Tuestuoh to venture across Middle-earth, she snatched up her sword belt without noticing the energy.
The room immediately felt the loss, and O'histuoh took the feeling not as something she had done by picking up her sword, but rather looked at it as her heart bruising at the thought of leaving Aragorn, even for so short a time.
That morning the two girls left the city. Aragorn was still asleep in his bed, and awoke when he reached out to clutch the Dark Elf and found nothing. Legolas watched them go from the top of Tuestuoh's tree where they had shared the night.
A/N – It's starting to get interesting, no? R&R!!! 3 TheLady