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Alassë slowed her horse as she kept a steady eye upon Elrohir. She watched as the elf grimaced now and then when the horse jostled. She urged her horse forward to ride next to him and watched as he drew himself together and offered her a smile. "Why did you not say your wound pained you? We would have stopped." She softly said.
"Because we are not that far from Minas Tirith. I wish to ride into the city my brother holds by myself." Elrohir's answer was harsh and she could understand it. It would only increase the worry when Elrohir would not be riding his own horse. She looked back to Elladan and he shook his head at her, knowing better then to argue with Elrohir.
"But if you fall off your horse in the middle of the courtyard, think of what tales shall circle then." She shot back, looking at him. "Why should you care if I fall off my horse in the middle of the bloody courtyard? Ever since I first rose from the bed, you and Elladan have done nothing but hover over my every step. Leave me alone!"
"Because if you are to be my mate I would prefer you in one piece. But if you seek to deny me such a right then perhaps my choice has been wrong." She snapped before spurring her horse forward. She did not look back as Elrohir's face fell. Elladan caught up with him and said softly. "She is only worried, Ro. She does not wish for you to injure yourself further so please go to her now. We shall ride into the city within the next hour or so and the festivities shall begin tonight. You are not at your full strength and you must not overextend yourself, least of all if you wish to make this night special."
Elrohir fingered the necklace that hung around his neck, nodding. Alassë did not look back. She simply refused to look back at Elrohir, knowing it would satisfy him. "You appear angry?" Legolas' voice cut into her thoughts. She smiled at the prince, knowing now he saw her as a friend. "It is Elrohir. He refuses to take a rest and it angers me."
"Ah yes, I can imagine that. He is very proud and does not wish to show anybody a weakness." Legolas looked back at the Imlandris' elf, smiling. "Is this a male thing?" She spat, still refusing to look back. "I would not know. Perhaps, it is to show our loved ones we do not need them to worry about us."
"Perhaps." She merely answered, urging her horse forward once more. She grimaced when she once more thought about the last weeks when despair had visited the houses of healing where Elrohir lay still. She remembered the fear that had seized her heart at the thought of losing him.
She smiled when she heard the familiar sounds of the spring festivals when all new life was celebrated. In Gondor queen Arwen was hoping for a child. But no news had come yet so Alassë had assumed there was no news to be had.
She tried not to let the noise bother her as they entered the city. She was not used to the crowd that greeted them in the streets of Minas Tirith. She noticed how the others seemed to smile and at ease in amidst this cheering.
Soon they came to the courtyard where king Elessar and queen Arwen greeted them. Alassë waited until Elladan and Legolas had walked forward before she dismounted as well. The next moment somebody grabbed her hand and she turned her head sideways to find herself looking at Elrohir. "I wish to apologize for the words I spoke earlier. Will you accept it?"
"Yes, I should not haven spoken so. I am sorry, Ro." The old use of his nickname seemed strange on her tongue but as she watched him smile she realized all the more while she was drawn to him. He gave her a gentle nudge and asked. "Will you take a walk with me tonight? I heard the gardens are very beautiful at this time of the year."
"Yes, although last year I did not have many changes to look upon them." She giggled as she watched his expression change. He nodded at her before they both turned their attention to the royal pair before them.
Walking up the steps Alassë waited until Arwen had greeted her brothers before the queen turned to her. "You look like you are glowing, Alassë, my dear. It has been too long." The queen spoke with a happy voice as they embraced each other.
"I am well and you, Arwen? How is the life of the queen of Gondor?" Alassë watched as Arwen smiled and nodded at her lord. "It is well. It pleases me, even with the amount of work we still need to do to repair the damage done to us in the War." The queen guided her guests inside.
While the king took his guests away, Elrond drew Elrohir away, white with worry. Alassë regarded the process with mixed feelings but she allowed herself to be led away by Arwen. "Adar wishes to make sure Elrohir is well himself. It took all of Elessar's strength to keep Atar here in Gondor when he heard the news. But it does not matter now. He is safe and well."
Arwen's smile was contagious as Alassë smiled as well. They sat down in the queen's private common room as Arwen poured tea. "Elrohir seems strangely at peace. I do not know how to explain it but it is almost like he stopped searching." Arwen shook her head as she tried to explain herself.
Sipping her tea, Alassë finally said. "I have chosen. As hurtful as it is, it has given peace to many of the people I now call friends." She watched as Arwen's expression changed before she smiled at her lifelong friend and continued. "The choice was obvious from the beginning but it took a tragedy for me to see it. Elrohir has been the one for me all along, as strange as it may seem too many."
Arwen clasped her hands together and cried out. "Atar will be so pleased. It was always his worry Elrohir and Elladan would not sail to the west but become mortal like me, but now to welcome you into the family will make his heart mend just a little. He has always loved you even before your family sailed west."
"Do not say anything just yet. We have not pledged troth yet." Alassë soon found herself caught in a hug by Arwen as the queen continued. "This means we shall be sisters. I am so happy for you both." Alassë could only smile as Arwen continued to chat.
The evening was bright and filled with stars and Alassë smiled at the gathered friends who danced and laughed together. She looked to the right when Elrond came to stand beside her. He was beaming with pride as his daughter danced with the king and Elladan had led Eowyn into a dance as well. "I suppose a welcome is in order I heard."
She turned to him to notice he was watching her intensely. "I have long longed for somebody to welcome into the family as my own son of daughter as the wife of my sons. I cannot even begin to say how happy you made me." A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder as she heard Glorfindel's rough said over her shoulder. "Neither can I. No matter what may transpire between you and him now, know you will always be welcome within this family, little one."
"News travels quickly then." She softly spoke. Glorfindel turned her around to say. "Perhaps, but is always better then sad news." He drew her in a hug as Elrohir came to stand beside them. "Perhaps you can release her now. It seems my family knows things better then I do." He smiled at her as he drew her away. "I shall bring her back later. She has promised me a walk in the garden."
Ignoring the pointy looks they were receiving and not noticing Glorfindel walked after them at a slow pace, Elrohir drew her away into the gardens. Alassë barely had eyes for the scenery as Elrohir seemed to glow with the very light of the Eldar. At last they stopped and he turned to her.
"Even when you know what my question shall be, I still feel nervous asking this. I had dreamt of one day asking this of you but I always imagined myself doing so in the Undying lands, where I would know if my love for you was true or merely the overpowering emotions of the elves. My choice itself did not seem to weight so heavily upon me then but now it does the ever more. Knowing if I shall choice to become mortal then you shall surely die as well. It would have been a just reason for me to wait, had I the patience but I do not."
Elrohir took a deep breath to pull out the necklace she had seen him wear on dozens of occasion. Knowing it was a gift from his mother, this ring. The same ring given to Elladan. She frowned as he unclasped the chain to take the ring from it and presenting it to her. "I cannot give you another ring when this means so much to me. It is a trinket, that is true but when it was given to me, I was very young to even remember its significance but now I do. Knowing my mother resides in the west while I linger here. Knowing she is not here for this moment."
"I cannot accept this, Elrohir. I will accept any other ring you give to me but not this one. Not the one that belongs to you." She watched as his eyes misted over but he smiled tenderly. "There will be no tales sung about us or story remembered about our love for it is like any other love only different for we are different. It will only matter to us as this ring only matters to me and my family members. To any other it will seem like a thing with no meaning as our love will be, but to us not so. Our love is special as this ring is special to me and therefore I will give it to you and ask you to pledge troth with me and to be my wife till the ending of time."
"If by your leave then I will accept this ring and pledge troth with you on this day and this day when a year has gone by I will be your wife till the ending of this earth." She smiled as well as he placed the silver ring upon her finger. "But I have no ring to give you, Elrohir. Only those that have no meaning." She bowed her head.
"I will accept anything that has meaning to you until it can be replaced by a proper ring." Elrohir softly said as she looked up to unclasps the chain hanging from her neck. "This is what my own father has given me before he passed west. It is no fancy jewel but it does hold value to me and therefore I shall give it to you." She showed him the green pendant and he nodded. "Then I will accept this and pledge troth with you on this day and be your husband in a year's time."
As she clasped the chain around his neck, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She pulled back to ask. "Is that all I receive from you when we have just pledged troth?" He grinned at her and the next moment slid his arms around her waist, picking her up easily. She threw her arms around his neck to keep her balance as she was spun around.
When he stopped to put her down on her feet again he purred. "You shall receive a lot more, beloved." He softly kissed her lips as they rejoiced in the fact that they would soon be bonded. A year was really nothing to the elves and once they usually pledged troth they had already in fact made their choice.
When there minds touched briefly they both pulled away, stunned at the contact. Elrohir's face fell when he realized he saw fear in her eyes. He held out his hand and said. "I am sorry. I keep forgetting the trust of my soul is more powerful then what you are used to. Atar has told me about this but I keep forgetting."
She eyed him uncertain before moving forward to grasp his hand and lean up against him. "I did not know it would be this powerful." He kissed her hair to say. "A union is always powerful, Alassë. No matter between who it may be." She grimaced as she realized Glorfindel had been sitting there for quite a while.
She pulled herself free and Elrohir looked at her with an unreadable expression until she pointed towards Glorfindel and Elrohir grabbed her hand to walk towards the seneschal. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough." Glorfindel spoke to pull Elrohir in a hug. She waited until they had finished speaking and then Glorfindel stood in front of her. "I cannot once more say how pleased I am. It has been a long time since Rivendell had the pleasure of housing a wedding feast. Especially one of the children of its lord."
Glorfindel guided them back to the feast where once they were surrounded by family members, a toast was brought out in their honour. Both could not help but to smile.
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