Hi all! Sorry it's taken a while to update, but December was so busy with Christmas and travelling. But I'm back now, and I can't wait to continue reading all of your fanfics, either. I have so many tabs open on my tablet where I'm engrossed in so many of your fanfics, all at the same time! :)
I also just want to thank the 'guest' reviewer on here for the lovely review, as I can't PM you. Thanks! :)
Chapter 21 - A Climb to Emotional Beauty
Breakfast the following morning was extremely awkward. Lynwen very nearly decided not to attend, but determined that it would be for the best to face Daeron as soon as possible, knowing that she wouldn't be able to avoid him forever.
Daeron didn't look up from his plate once, and didn't acknowledge Lynwen at all throughout the meal. But it wasn't through embarrassment that he avoided any interaction with her, but just through sheer anger. He was still seething by the way Meldiron had attacked him the night before, and wanted nothing more than to disembowel that interfering old get!
Thranduil, as usual, seemed unaware of his offspring's peculiar behaviour as he continued to speak to his eldest son about business matters in Laketown. But Daeron's unusually pensive mood didn't escape Legolas' notice, and neither did Lynwen's incredibly uncomfortable demeanour as she continued to shift uneasily in her chair beside him.
Lynwen, as always, was the first to excuse herself from the table, followed very shortly by Thranduil, leaving only the two brothers alone in the dining room.
Daeron was still staring at his plate, aimlessly pushing the remainder of his food around with his fork, his eyes shining with fury.
"What's up?" Legolas asked him from across the table.
Daeron raised his head to look at his younger brother, but didn't say anything.
"Are you ok?" Legolas asked him again.
But Daeron just snorted at his brother's question. "Don't pretend like you care, Legolas."
Legolas furrowed his brow in a mixture of confusion and hurt. "I do care, Daeron." Legolas retaliated defensively.
But Daeron only snorted again in response while rolling his eyes at his younger brother's sympathy.
Legolas studied him for a few moments, thinking about his and Lynwen's strange behaviour during the breakfast meal. Was he just being paranoid, or had something transpired between those two to have caused their strange behaviour this morning? Knowing his brother and his womanizer ways as well as he did, he silently prayed that Daeron hadn't bedded Lynwen the night before. Just the thought of it pained his chest, and made his gut wretch. No, please don't let it be that. Not Lynwen, he silently begged. Legolas readied himself as best as he could by taking a deep breath, as he hesitantly spoke again.
"Is it something to do with Lynwen?" Legolas asked, holding his breath as he tried to prepare himself for what Daeron might say, hoping more than anything that his suspicions about the two of them were incorrect.
Daeron immediately straightened up in a defensive stance, his eyes suddenly wide and panicked. "Why? What has she said?!"
Legolas felt his heart skip a beat at his brother's reaction. Was his worst fear about his brother, and the girl who dominated his mind constantly, true? "She hasn't said anything." Legolas responded calmly, causing his elder brother to relax his posture, somewhat. "But you just did." Legolas said after a few moments of silence, which caused his older brother to look back up at him with panic in his eyes.
"Oh, just piss off Legolas!" Daeron eventually said, as he stood from his chair. "You're just as bad as that silly old bastard, Meldiron." He said, before he stormed from the dining room, leaving Legolas sat there alone in utter confusion.
Meldiron? Legolas was sure that Daeron's strange behaviour had had something to do with Lynwen. So what did Meldiron have to do with anything?
It had been a week since Legolas had arrived back from his mission on the outskirts of Dol Guldur, and as yet, he still hadn't engaged in any sort of a conversation with Lynwen. They still hadn't spoken since that morning, seven weeks earlier, when he had stormed out of her chambers, leaving their, somewhat shaky, relationship hanging by an even thinner thread.
And just seeing the obvious way that his brother and Lynwen had clearly felt incredibly uncomfortable by being in the same room together during breakfast, told him that something must have gone on between those two, which only filled him with an overwhelming sense of jealousy and fury.
A part of him wished he could just not care if he never uttered another word to the Rivendell girl ever again, finally ending this constant, endless torture on his mind and emotions every time he saw, or even just thought about her!
But a much bigger part of him wished he could not only make things right between them, but that he could embrace her in a fearsome and passionate kiss, allowing their bodies to meld together into one, finally relieving the constant ache and longing he always felt for her.
What the hell was he thinking? Elrohir was a good friend of his, and he greatly valued his long-term friendship with the twin sons of Elrond. Just allowing these seductive thoughts about Lynwen to enter his mind, was the ultimate betrayal to Elrohir and to their close friendship.
Legolas abruptly stood up from his seat, pushing all thoughts about Lynwen, Elrohir, Daeron, and anyone else who was threatening his sanity, firmly out of his mind, before he exited the dining room and went in search of Horthien.
xxx
Early that afternoon, Lynwen was sat in the mending rooms, after finally returning to work that morning. As per usual, the elleths in her workplace only spoke to her when absolutely necessary, leaving Lynwen alone in a secluded corner, which only resulted in her being left alone with her thoughts.
She felt sick to her stomach about what had nearly transpired between her and Daeron last night, feeling complete and utter guilt that she had very nearly cheated on Elrohir, even though she had been completely unaware of what was going on at the time, in her drunken state.
Then her guilt turned to anger. Anger at Daeron, for it was now very obvious that he had planned to get her drunk last night, before he would have then, very happily, taken advantage of her in her, almost, comatose state of mind.
But she also felt a little anger towards Meldiron too, and the way that he had handled the situation. Had he now just made the situation a thousand times worse by attacking Daeron like that?
And thinking back to Daeron's threat to Meldiron before he had exited her chambers, made her think that the eldest prince was probably someone not to be messed with.
But then, neither was Meldiron! she thought, as she vividly remembered the unsettling sounds of Daeron choking.
She was still really shocked by Meldiron's brutish behaviour last night, never before having ever seen him look and act so deadly, which instantly threw her back to the memory of how the usually calm, Elladan, had attacked Éomer almost a year ago, which had also shocked her deeply.
Had she lived such a sheltered life, that she could be so shocked by these elves, whom she knew were infamous warriors, suddenly showing their wild side and attacking someone that they saw as a threat?
After living here for the past five months, and witnessing both a brutal killing and a very near murder of a fellow kin member, it was now very apparent to Lynwen that Elrond had indeed, tried very hard to protect her from all the woes that appeared to be a natural part of this world, by keeping her locked up within the safety of Rivendell her whole life.
So, savagely killing orcs, threatening fellow citizens with their lives, facing attacks from giant spiders, and Eru only knew what else; was this real life? Was this what Elrond had been keeping her hidden away from all these years? Was this the life that Elrohir, Elladan and Estel had always lived whenever they weren't at home in Rivendell? Did the three of them think nothing of simply ending someone else's life?
She knew that her siblings were warriors, but had never really truly understood the meaning of that word before she had seen Legolas, Horthien, and now Meldiron, in action. So, were her brothers murderers, too?
The thought of her dear siblings being so violent towards another being, sent shivers down her spine. But not because the image of someone being mutilated disturbed her, but because she had now finally realised that her brothers were also the cold-blooded killers that she had been fearing so much from the Mirkwood elves.
She sighed to herself now, wondering how she could have been so naive her whole life. This was reality! People killed each other in order to survive, and it was as simple as that! She knew that she needed to get her act together, and sharpish, if she was also going to survive in this brutal world. Yeah, she almost got raped by a pack of orcs, but that was nothing compared to what those orcs then had to endure when Legolas and Horthien had so painfully ended their lives, she thought to herself.
She took a deep, refreshing breath, feeling a sudden surge of satisfaction that she was now going to take a charge of her life, finally understanding what this world was really about, and how she needed to harden up if she was ever going to survive it alone. Because she was alone now, she thought, and would continue to be, until Elrohir came for her.
She stood up from her chair suddenly, realising that she was due a break and knowing exactly how she was going to spend that next hour. She had conflicts to mend, and bridges to re-build, and she was going to start fixing them right away.
xxx
Legolas was sat in a secluded corner of one of the wooded gardens, on the southern surround of the Halls. He was tilting his head up towards the sky, with the tops of the tall trees of Mirkwood, as usual, obscuring his view. He had his eyes closed and was deeply inhaling the very early stirrings of spring. It was his favourite time of year, watching all the plants and animals coming back to life after the cold and emptiness of winter.
So far, today had been a beautiful day with not a single cloud in the sky, with the sun shining brightly all day long, casting millions of shadows of the newly growing leaves from the surrounding woodland, as it's glorious rays shone through the canopy of the thick forest.
He had spent the morning with his good friend, Horthien, sparring on the practice field, and relishing in the rush he always got when he battled with his twin blades. It was also a great way of relieving his anger and frustration which he had been feeling after the breakfast meal that morning.
But Horthien had had to report to the head of his regiment this afternoon to convey his findings from his recent patrol, leaving Legolas to spend some quiet time alone in his favourite part of the gardens.
He was sat on an intricately carved stone bench amongst the thick, lush greens, of the healthy part of the woodland in which his father's Halls were located. It was difficult to avoid being surrounded by thick tall woodland wherever you were in his father's realm, which made most of the garden spaces, somewhat, shady and covered. But Legolas actually loved this particular area of the gardens because it was even more secluded than the rest of the grounds. The stone bench was not only hidden amongst the ancient trees of Mirkwood forest, but was also secreted amongst some tall bushes, making it an incredibly quiet, and serenely peaceful area where Legolas would often go to, to meditate his mind.
The only sounds that could be heard right now was that of the few birds that were beginning to nest at the tops of the giant trees leering above him, with the rich smells of the soil and plantation, pleasantly invading his senses.
Even though he was so lost in the serenity of the moment, he heard the faint approach of footsteps scrunching on the grass. But not sensing any sort of a threat in the approaching person, he didn't bother to look to see who it was, and instead, kept his eyes closed with his head tilted up to the foliage-covered sky, relishing in the mild heat emanating from the late-winter sun.
After the approaching person had reached the bench, and hovered above him for a few seconds, he sensed them finally deciding to take a seat next to him after a few moments of hesitation, and could clearly sense the unease in their persona as they sat rather rigid next to him.
"I'm sorry."
Legolas immediately opened his eyes at the recognition of Lynwen's voice. He slowly tilted his head back down and turned to look at her sitting beside him.
She was looking down at her fidgeting hands in her lap, taking a few deep breaths where she was trying to build up the courage to speak again.
"You didn't deserve my ill-treatment and constant snubbing towards you." She eventually said, before bringing her head up to meet his gaze. "You never did." She concluded as she looked at him with nothing but sincerity in her eyes.
Legolas just remained silent, still feeling a little taken aback by her unexpected appearance. After seven weeks since their, already dodgy, relations were left on bad terms, and seeing the way that she still continued to avoid any interaction with him, he had never expected that Lynwen would ever talk to him again, never mind that she was now the one making the apology!
But after allowing a number of moments to compose himself, while looking at how the deep blue eyes that haunted his dreams on a nightly basis, were silently pleading for his forgiveness, only caused him to break out into a heart-warming smile. "Apology accepted." He said with an acknowledging nod of his head.
Lynwen also smiled widely after this, her demeanour instantly relaxing as she exhaled a long breath of relief. She reached out her hand and innocently placed it upon his knee while looking him directly in the eye. "Thank you." She said with seriousness in her voice. "I didn't expect you to be so forgiving. And to be honest, I wouldn't have blamed you if you had never wanted to bother with me again."
Legolas tried so hard to remain passive and to not show his discomfort at Lynwen's touch on his leg, as he kept his gaze firmly fixed on her eyes and not on the hand that was still resting upon his knee.
"It's ok Lynwen, all is forgotten..." He said with a nervous smile. But he couldn't help but wonder as to why she decided to even speak to him, let alone apologise, as he had just come to accept that she would forever hate and fear him. "...but, what made you change your mind about me?" He asked a little nervously, but more so, because of the way her fingers were still lightly grazing him.
But much to Legolas' relief, Lynwen removed her hand from his knee, and placed it at her side. "I've actually been wanting to speak to you for the past seven weeks, ever since the morning we last spoke in my chambers." She said as she looked down to her lap again. "I felt awful after you walked out, because I knew that everything you had said had been right." She said as she took a deep breath before continuing. "You have done so much for me since my arrival in Mirkwood, and you've been nothing but kind to me,..." She lifted her head up to look at him again, a slight smile now gracing her lips. "...well, apart from my first number of days here, that is." She said as she playfully nudged Legolas' shoulder with her own, her smile now a teasing grin.
Legolas laughed at this, his radiant smile lighting up his young, fair face. "Aye, I suppose I was a bit, unapproachable, in the beginning." He said through his small laughter.
Lynwen snorted in response. "That's putting it mildly, Legolas!" She said, as she too, began to join in his laughter.
A silence fell between them after their laughter had died down, and surprisingly, neither one of them felt awkward, as they both took a moment to enjoy the mild warmth of the sun. Legolas turned his head to look at Lynwen again, watching how she was looking up to the sky before she slowly closed her eyes and quietly inhaled the fresh air.
"Do you miss Imladris?" Legolas finally broke the silence.
Lynwen sighed heavily. "More than anything!" She said through an exhale as she opened her eyes, her head still tilted up to the sky. "Which is something I actually never thought I'd say." She said as she stared off into the distance. "I spent my whole life wondering what was outside of that place, imagining what the rest of the world would look like. You see, Elrond was very protective, and never allowed me to leave the safety of Imladris my whole life..."
Legolas couldn't help but notice that she had addressed the Lord of Rivendell as Elrond, and not as ada, but remained quiet, as he continued to listen to her.
"...well, until he brought me here, that is." She said with a snort, as her face clearly displayed the anger that she was feeling at being reminded of Elrond's betrayal.
Legolas allowed silence to fall between them again for a few moments, seeing that Lynwen probably needed a few seconds to compose her rising anger. After a few seconds of quiet, he spoke again with a sprightly voice where he tried to lighten Lynwen's solemn mood.
"I've been to Imladris myself, a few times, and it's such a beautiful place. I can see why you would miss it so much." He said.
Lynwen turned her head to look at Legolas. "Yes, it is beautiful but, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure as to why I miss it so much. You see, apart from my family, I was pretty much alone during my life there. I never had any friends, and any interaction I did have with any of the elves there, was usually just hostile. I never did fully understand why I was treated like an outsider by most of the residents there..." Lynwen trailed off, as she thought about her life spent in Rivendell. She perked up suddenly as a bright smile lit up her face. "I suppose it's not Imladris that I'm missing, but only Elrohir." She said, as she paused happily in thought for a few seconds.
Legolas wondered if he should say something during this pause, but didn't know how to respond to her obvious longing for the youngest twin son of Elrond. And he wished more than anything that her admittance of her feelings for Elrohir, didn't tear at his heart like this. But thankfully, Lynwen spoke up again, putting an end to the painful knot in his stomach.
"And the sunset!" She said suddenly. "I really miss watching the sun set beyond the horizon." She turned her attention back to Legolas now, her face showing much enthusiasm and happiness at the memory. "There was a spot on top of one of the valleys in Imladris that myself and Elrohir used to go to, to watch the sun set. It gave us a perfect view of the land beyond Imladris, allowing us to watch the sun sinking behind the hills, miles and miles in the distance, watching how it coloured the sky in a variety of colours as it did so." She said with a heartfelt sigh. "But you don't get to experience that here, as it's just so dark, dreary and awfully enclosed. I mean, I actually can't remember the last time I saw the sun without a bunch of trees obscuring my view!..." She quickly looked at Legolas with panic in her eyes after realising what she had said. "...not that that's a bad thing! I mean this realm is actually very beautiful! I didn't mean to say it's dark, or dreary, I mean it is, but not in a bad way..." Lynwen stumbled over her words as she desperately tried to back-track her insult towards Mirkwood.
But Legolas couldn't help but to laugh heartedly as he witnessed Lynwen's clumsy attempt to dig herself out of the hole that she had innocently created. "It's ok Lynwen." He said through his laughter. "I agree, Mirkwood is a lot more dark and restricted than Imladris, and you haven't offended me, I assure you."
Lynwen stopped in her lame attempt to try to undo her insulting description of Legolas' homeland, and just smiled at the blond prince, completely forgetting how infectious his laughter could be. She remembered back to her first month spent here, when hearing that beautiful sound had started to become a regular occurrence where Legolas had been attempting to befriend her.
But where she had spent the last number of months hiding away in her self-created darkness, wallowing in the unfortunate events that she had had to endure, she had completely forgotten about how the sound of Legolas' laugh had instantly been able to lift her spirits, just as it was doing right now.
"I apologise." Lynwen said through her embarrassed and nervous laughter, as she coyly looked to the ground.
Legolas found it so endearing to see her face flushed a light shade of red from her embarrassment, feeling his insides twist again at the deep longing he felt for this girl, and wishing more than anything that she felt the same way about him.
But he just had to face the fact that it was never going to happen, for her feelings for Elrohir were just too strong. And for the second time that day, he felt complete and utter guilt for thinking these desirable thoughts about Lynwen, feeling that he was betraying his good friend, Elrohir, by doing so.
But he just couldn't help it. He had tried so hard to deny it to himself for months now, hoping that if he ignored these emotions for long enough, that it would all eventually fade away.
But looking at her at this very moment, nervously tucking her unruly hair behind her ears, and her cheeks flushed a beautiful pink colour from her embarrassment, he knew that he couldn't run away from these feelings anymore. He couldn't run away from these feelings anymore, because at that very moment, he finally accepted the fact that he loved her.
Legolas quickly composed himself, hoping that he was doing a good job of not making his feelings seem obvious. "No need to apologise." He quickly said, before suddenly re-directing the conversation. "How come you are not training with Meldiron today?"
Lynwen seemed to stiffen slightly at Legolas' question, suddenly looking rather uncomfortable. "Oh, he came to my chambers last night to tell me that he's been called out on urgent patrol, meaning he'll be gone for the next few weeks."
Legolas wondered why Meldiron going to her chambers to inform her of his urgent patrol, would cause her to seem so uncomfortable. Then he remembered his brother's comment at breakfast that morning before he had stormed out of the dining room. Daeron had said something about Meldiron before his abrupt exit. It seemed obvious to Legolas that something had happened between his brother and Lynwen the night before, but did it also involve Meldiron? But before he could question it, Lynwen continued to speak again.
"And so, I decided that today was as good a day as any, to finally return to work." She said as she turned her head to face Legolas. "And I probably should be getting back, actually." She said as she stood up from the bench. "Thanks again, Legolas, for being so understanding. And I hope that we can be friends?" She asked hopefully.
Legolas smiled at her request. "Of course." He said, instantly feeling his heart filling with warmth at the idea that a friendship could possibly develop between them now. "I would really like that." He concluded happily.
Lynwen smiled as she shyly looked down at the ground. "Very well." She said before she looked up at him again, still holding the genuine smile on her face. "Well, I'd better be going..." She said as she turned from him and started to walk away.
"Lynwen?" Legolas called after her, causing her to stop in her tracks and turn back around to face him.
Legolas stood up from the bench, but remained in the same spot. "Are you able to get out of work a little early today? Say, around an hour before sundown?"
Lynwen frowned slightly at his peculiar question. "I suppose so." She said a little hesitantly. "But, why?"
"There is somewhere that I would like to take you... if you will accompany me?" He asked hopefully.
Lynwen just continued to look at him for a few moments, studying his kind smile, and the sincerity shining in his ice-blue eyes. She wondered where he could possibly be thinking to take her to. But instead of feeling caution at his sudden and strange request, she felt nothing but ease at his offer, somehow knowing that no harm would come to her in Legolas' company.
"Ok." She said with an intrigued smile. "Where shall I find you?"
"I'll be waiting here for you." Legolas replied, his own smile showing his sudden excitement.
Lynwen looked to the ground again, for some reason feeling a little embarrassed at Legolas' offer to take her somewhere. But a bigger part of her was just intrigued. "Ok, until later, then." Lynwen said as she turned again and started to walk away, throwing Legolas one last curious glance over her shoulder, while still smiling at him curiously.
xxx
Lynwen had never sewed so fast in her entire life! She finished off her jobs at record speed, wanting to make sure that she finished her work as early as possible, just as Legolas had requested. She'd spent the rest of the afternoon wondering what it was that Legolas had in store, trying to imagine where in this dark and depressing realm, that he could possibly want to take her to.
And as soon as the parts of the blue skies that she could see outside the window, began to dim, she threw on her thick woollen cloak and darted out of the mending rooms, heading straight for the gardens where Legolas said he'd be waiting.
Legolas had returned to the stone bench he'd been sat on earlier, and waited patiently for Lynwen to arrive. After hearing her talk about Imladris earlier, had instantly made him think of a particular location not too far from here, that he hoped would make her happy.
And with his elven hearing, he heard Lynwen approaching long before he saw her appear around the curve of the gardens that surrounded the southern base of his father's halls, and he swiftly stood up from his sitting position to greet her.
"So where are you taking me to?" Lynwen asked him with a nervous, but curious smirk on her face.
"Not too far from here." Legolas responded, as he looked upwards at their surroundings. "But we must move quick." He said as he looked back at her, his eyes flashing with excitement. "Follow me." And with that, he took off into the woodland at a jog.
Around five minutes later, and Lynwen was already out of breath where she was desperately trying to keep up with Legolas.
"Come on, Lynwen!" Legolas shouted back over his shoulder, as he continued to dart through the thick thicket of trees, effortlessly leaping over raised roots, and ducking beneath low branches. It was obvious to Lynwen that Legolas knew this woodland inside out and back to front, as he skilfully avoided anything that could have caused him to trip, long before it had even come into view.
But Lynwen had not been so lucky, as she proceeded to stumble in her desperate attempt to keep up with the mad sprint of the blond prince. Although the Halls were set in the healthy part of Mirkwood forest, it was still very dense, and somewhat dark, making her pursuit even more difficult to navigate.
And after a couple more minutes, Legolas suddenly stopped as they reached the base of what appeared to be a very large rocky hill. A mountain, even!
"Where are we?" Lynwen asked as she stepped up behind him, grateful that they had finally stopped in their mad rush, which allowed her to try to catch her breath.
Legolas wasn't the slightest bit out of breath as he looked up at the rocky terrain, the top of it disappearing beyond the enormous trees above. "We're at the Halls." He said as a matter-of-fact, turning to face Lynwen with a smirk on his face.
Lynwen furrowed her brow in confusion. "The halls that we live in? Really?"
Legolas' smirk broke out into a huge grin at Lynwen's ignorance. "Yes, but we've just come around to the north eastern edge, meaning we're at the rear." He patted his hand onto the stone in front of them. "Behind this stone, are the inside of my father's halls." He said, as he looked up to the tops of the enormous trees leering over them. "But we must hurry, we don't have much time left." He said, as he began to ascend the rocky hillside.
"Don't have much time for what?" Lynwen called after him, immensely intrigued as to what he was talking about.
But Legolas didn't respond, and only continued to climb the hill with speed and skill.
Lynwen sighed as she watched him climb the hill, dreading that she was going to have to follow suit. This was a far cry from the valley that she used to ascend in Rivendell, with that particular one being much more of a gradual climb, while the one that she was stood at the foot of now, was far more steep, meaning she was going to have to climb it, rather that walk up it.
She reluctantly reached out and grabbed a hold of the rocky terrain, pulling herself up and using the jutting rock to place her feet, as she proceeded to follow after Legolas. Although the hill did have a gradual incline, it still required some strength to prevent a tumble.
After around ten minuets, Lynwen briefly paused in her climb, and looked down over her shoulder to the ground below, seeing that it was actually quite a steep fall if she was to accidentally lose her footing or grip. She winced at the thought, before she turned her gaze away, re-focusing on the rest of the hill above her.
Of course, Legolas didn't have any problems with his climb, as he speeded on ahead. "Come on, Lynwen, you're going to miss it!" She heard him shout back at her from somewhere up above.
"Oh yes, Legolas, you just go on ahead and leave me here to, very probably, fall to my death." Lynwen muttered under her breath in frustration, as her knee scraped a sharp piece of rock for the third time. "Bloody elves!" She mumbled irritably as she paused, and looked back over her shoulder again at the ground below which, she noticed, was now a very, very long way down.
But as she turned her head back around, she jumped from fright as she found Legolas hovering directly above her, a teasing grin upon his face and his hand held out to her.
Lynwen looked from his face to the hand that he was holding out for her to take, suddenly feeling a little reluctant of him again.
But as soon as she looked back up to his face, seeing his blue eyes shining with nothing but kindness, and a little mischievousness too, instantly made her feel relaxed in his presence. It was hard to describe the emotions that she was experiencing with him right at that moment, but the only word that she could think of to explain what she was feeling was, safe. She felt completely safe in his company, knowing for certain that Legolas would never let her fall. And seeing the sincere way in which he was looking at her now, she somehow knew that Legolas, metaphorically speaking, would never let her fall for the rest of her days.
She slowly reached up her right hand and laid it in the palm of his, watching how his fingers slowly and securely closed around hers. She looked back up to his face, seeing that his eyes were still locked on hers, as his teasing grin grew into a wide smile. "Come, we must hurry." He said, as he pulled her several feet up the rocky hillside.
After a couple more minutes of climbing, they were finally high enough to be able to push up through the highest branches of the tallest trees, freeing themselves from the dense enclosure of the forest that was now below them.
Lynwen couldn't help but be momentarily halted by the sudden gust of a cool breeze hitting her freely, the wind no longer being halted from the thickness of the woodland below her. The gust blew her unbound hair from her face, as she inhaled deeply, relishing in the sudden brightness of the fading daylight, bathing their surroundings in an uninterrupted golden light that Lynwen had missed so much these past months.
She took a moment to look up to the fading blue sky above, relishing in the endless view of the cloudless blanket that she hadn't been able to see without trees obscuring her view, for five months now. She instantly looked over her shoulder to curiously try to see what lands lay in the distance beyond the eastern borders of Mirkwood.
"Lynwen you're going to miss it!"
Legolas' voice from somewhere above, broke her from her brief reverie, and she quickly turned back around to find that Legolas had already disappeared over the crest of the hill, above. It was only a few more metres away to the top so she, begrudgingly, continued to scramble up the hillside as she painfully scraped her knee again, wishing that she could just remain in her current spot a little longer and take advantage of her temporary freedom from the claustrophobic forest below.
But as soon as she forcefully pulled herself up over the rocky crest, lethargically coming to rest on her knees on top of the Halls, her mouth instantly fell open at the incredible, and completely unexpected sight that she was met with.
Before her, was the most beautiful aerial view of western Mirkwood forest, stretching for miles upon miles into the distance, with the peaks of the awe-inspiring Misty Mountains being just about visible to her in the far distance.
And lowering itself behind the infamous snow-capped mountains that made up the horizon, was one of the things that she had missed the most.
"You said you missed watching the sun set." Legolas said from his sitting position next to her, smiling at the enthralled look on Lynwen's face.
Lynwen slowly dragged her gaze away from the sunset and let it fall upon Legolas. But she was momentarily speechless, as she just couldn't find the words to acknowledge this breathtaking moment.
"It's amazing." Lynwen finally said, barely above a whisper as she turned her gaze back to the ocean of treetops in front of her, watching the deep orange sun slowly sinking behind the Misty Mountains in the far distance.
The sky was completely cloudless, and was a mixture of oranges, pinks, and the comings of the dark navy blues that would soon envelop the entire night-time sky. It was probably the most spectacular sight that Lynwen had ever laid eyes upon, and as she slowly sat herself down on her behind to comfortably watch the endings of another day, she couldn't contain the overwhelming sense of emotions that were souring through her body. But she kept her eyes focused on the horizon ahead, not wanting the blond prince to see the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes.
Legolas continued to look at Lynwen, and he could see that she appeared to be upset. He began to wonder whether bringing her up here had been the best decision. Maybe watching the sunset brought back too many painful memories for her.
"Lynwen? Are you ok?"
Lynwen couldn't contain the huge smile that now broke out on her face, as she snuffled back her emotions.
"Yes, I'm fine." She said as she turned her head to look at him with her beaming smile. She then laughed slightly as her eyes began to water some more. "I'm more than fine! I'm immensely happy! I mean, just look at it!" She said as she gestured her arm out to the tremendous view in front of them.
Legolas smiled at her confession to being happy. It was exactly the reaction he had been hoping to get from her when he had thought to bring her up here this afternoon.
He continued to look at her, noticing the way the deep orange sun was reflecting off of her unshed tears, making her eyes sparkle, and emphasising the sheer joy that she was feeling.
Up here, high up on top of his father's halls, way above the tallest trees of Mirkwood Forest, there were no obstructions. They were completely open to the elements with no enclosures, walls, or any other type of boundary. And so, the soft wind continued to blow at them without hindrance, making Lynwen's dark brown hair flail out behind her, completely exposing her face to him. He studied how her cheek bones cast light shadows on her skin, and the way the sun's rays exaggerated the uneven skin tone on her face, emphasizing the faint brown freckles she had dotted on her nose. For him, it was the most beautiful face he had ever seen, and it was a face that still continued to haunt his dreams on a nightly basis.
So transfixed was he, in her flawed and fascinating beauty, that he found himself beginning to reach up his hand with the intent of affectionately grazing her cheek.
But luckily for him, Lynwen suddenly snorted back her emotions, making the best impression of a pig that he had ever heard in his life! But despite the immensely un-ladylike noise she had just made, he was grateful that she had woken him up out of his lust-filled daze, to which he quickly brought his hand back down by his side.
Lynwen seemed blissfully unaware of Legolas' intent to reach out to her, as she turned her gaze back out to the sun, slowly sinking behind the Misty Mountains. She brought her knees up to her chest, tightly wrapping her arms around her legs, as she continued to stare at the sunset in silence. Legolas admired her for a few more seconds, happy that he had managed to please her today, before he too turned his head and looked out to the horizon.
They both sat there in comfortable silence for the following few minutes, gazing at the setting sun in the distance, until it had disappeared behind the peaks of the Misty Mountains, leaving only an orange aura surrounding the highest tips of the infamous mountain range.
"Thank you." Lynwen quietly said to Legolas, as she continued to watch the wonderful show that nature was currently presenting to them.
Legolas turned his head to look at her beside him, unable to prevent the small smile currently lighting up his face and displaying his subtle dimples as he gazed at her. But he continued to remain silent.
Lynwen slowly turned her head to look at him, her eyes still glistening with her unshed tears. "You have no idea how much this means to me." She whispered. "This is just what I needed," She said, before leaning over and innocently placing a kiss upon his cheek. "And I thank you so much for bringing me up here." She said with sincerity in her voice after pulling back from the kiss, her face now only a few inches from his.
Legolas froze. He hadn't expected her to kiss him. Although he knew it had meant nothing on Lynwen's part, to him it was magical, and he desperately wanted to feel her soft lips upon him again. And now her face was just a hair's breadth from his, her hot breath tickling his skin with her dark blue eyes looking right into his. Her close proximity only lasted a second or two before she pulled back and returned to her upright sitting position next to him. But to him, it had felt like an age.
Again, Lynwen seemed blissfully unaware of the effect she was having on Legolas, as she brought her knees up to her chest again, leaning down to rest her chin upon her bent legs.
"You're welcome." Legolas finally said, realising that he hadn't spoken for a while. He tried very hard to disguise the fact that he was a little flustered from Lynwen's kiss, as he nervously clasped his hands together in his lap, while looking out to the darkening horizon before them. "I can bring you up here anytime you want, Lynwen. You need only ask." He said as he looked down to his feet, unable to make eye contact with her.
Lynwen turned her head to look at Legolas, her head still resting upon her knees. She remained silent for a few moments as she studied the blond ellon sat next to her. He was nervously looking down to the ground, as he firmly wrapped his arms around his knees where he seemed to be trying to keep his hands from fidgeting. And his ears were a bright shade of pink, matching the colour that had suddenly appeared on his cheeks. He seemed embarrassed. Even a little uncomfortable, Lynwen thought to herself. But she wasn't sure as to why. Even so, she couldn't help but think as to how sweet Legolas looked at this moment, realising that he was actually a caring and considerate being, and not believing that she hadn't realised this fact about the Mirkwood prince before now.
"I'm sorry." Lynwen finally said after a few moments of silence, causing Legolas' head to snap in her direction, his face holding some confusion.
"I know I already apologised to you earlier today, but I really am so sorry for the way I treated you over the past number of months." She said as she lifted her head up from her knees. "It's just that... I've never seen anyone being killed before, and..."
"I'm the one who's sorry." Legolas interrupted her, as his ice-blue eyes looked at her with concern. He sighed deeply while his gaze remained fixed on her. "I said it at the time, and I'll say it again. I never should have subjected you to that slaying, Lynwen." He shifted his body now as he turned to face her fully, his eyes boring into hers, showing nothing but sincerity and concern. "And I'll do everything in my power to ensure that you will never have to witness anything like that again." He said with his smooth voice sounding confident and defiant. "I promise you that."
Lynwen smiled at his words, feeling completely content in his company. She knew that no words were necessary to respond to his promise, knowing that her warm smile was enough to acknowledge his statement, as she watched Legolas flash her his own warm smile.
After a few moments, Legolas broke the eye contact. "We'd better be heading back." He said after looking up to the darkening sky.
But Lynwen placed her hand on his arm, stopping him from making a move. "Can't we stay here a while longer? I've really missed watching the stars like this." She said as she leant back on her elbows and looked up to the navy sky. A large grin then appeared on her face after a few moments, before she turned her gaze towards Legolas, her eyes flashing with enthusiasm. "And let's see who can spot the most shooting stars!" She suggested excitedly, as she remembered back to when her and Elrohir used to do the very same thing.
Legolas chuckled at her eagerness. "Very well." He said, as he reclined back into a lying position, comfortably placing his hands behind his head. "But I'll have you know that I'm the master at this game!" He said with a smug smile upon his face, his voice displaying his mocking arrogance.
Lynwen snorted defiantly. "We'll just see about that!" She playfully retaliated, as she too, laid down next to him, both of them staring up at the blackening night sky.
xxx
Over the course of the next two weeks, a friendship was indeed developing between Legolas and Lynwen, as they continued to meet up in their spare time, with each meeting lessening their awkwardness and unease about each other, more and more.
They would spend their meetings hanging out in the gardens or sitting up in the branches of the trees of the woodland, and of course, at Lynwen's new favourite place; on top of the Halls, where they would watch the sunset, or star gaze, or both!
Their newfound blossoming friendship didn't go at all unnoticed by Daeron, who witnessed their developing relationship from across the dining table each day. They had gone from seemingly avoiding each other like The Plague, to chewing each other's ears off with their incessant chatter. And all in only a matter of weeks.
Daeron was still seething about that unfortunate event in Lynwen's bedroom a couple of weeks previous, and was thankful that he hadn't run into Meldiron since that night. But not because he would be embarrassed if he ever saw the older elf again, but because he feared what he might do to Meldiron if he ever encountered him again. He wanted to cause great discomfort to that ancient ellon for interfering and undermining him like that, and secretly vowed that he would get his revenge soon enough.
Legolas and Lynwen, suddenly bursting into laughter, pulled Daeron out of his thoughts. He looked at the pair up ahead, standing at the top of the corridor where his and Legolas' chambers were housed and wondered, not only as to what could be that hysterical, but also as to what they were doing here? There was nothing up here apart from the princes chambers, so why was Lynwen here? Had Legolas finally manned up and taken a girl to his bed? But Daeron quickly dismissed that idea, for he was certain that his younger brother would continue to be a boring old frigid for a while longer, yet.
Their growing friendship both intrigued, and annoyed Daeron. Had they gotten so close now, that they were hanging out in Legolas' chambers? The same chambers that Daeron was certain had never seen a single female enter through its doors in the last five hundred plus years?
He quickly leant against the walls of the corridor, hiding in the shadows so as the pair remained unaware of his presence. He watched as they talked to each other with great ease, smiles spread across both of their faces where they were obviously still reliving that 'tremendously hysterical' moment from seconds before.
Daeron was a little peeved that he hadn't been able to 'conquer' Lynwen in the bedroom department, but had just concluded to himself, especially after that fiasco with Meldiron, that she just wasn't worth the effort. Not that he'd ever turn her down if the opportunity ever arose, mind you.
Daeron knew deep down, that his desire to take Lynwen to his bed had been a mixture of curiosity, and a need to shit all over Elrohir's ego. And it had been frustrating for Daeron that he hadn't been successful in either.
But seeing his younger brother now, getting his forearm gently stroked by Lynwen's fingers, stirred an immense fury within him. Why would she rather be with his prudish younger brother who wouldn't have the first clue on how to locate her g-spot even if he was armed with a detailed map and a torch, when she could have someone far more experienced, like himself? Someone who would make her come over and over again all night long, until she thought she would pass out? It just didn't make any sense to him.
"Ok, I'll see you in a few days."
Lynwen's voice brought him back to the moment as he watched her farewell his younger brother, before turning in his own direction and beginning her walk away from the princes chambers. He watched, utterly intrigued, by the way Legolas was staring after Lynwen walking away from him, as if his younger brother was in some sort of a trance. But the blond prince eventually dragged his hazy stare away from Lynwen before he finally turned from the corridor and entered his chambers.
Daeron quickly emerged from the shadows and began walking in the direction that Lynwen was coming from, hoping that it looked like he had only just arrived in the corridor, and had not been spying on the pair.
Lynwen's happy expression immediately dropped when she saw the elder prince heading in her direction. Although she'd seen him at meals since that horrible incident, she hadn't actually been alone with him since that night, and panic instantly set in as to how she was going to deal with this inevitable encounter. But she decided to just swallow her unease, and simply address him, getting this awkwardness out of the way once and for all. She had, after all, decided a couple of weeks previous that she was going to take control of her life by mending conflicts and re-building bridges.
She took a deep breath. "Good evening, Daeron." Lynwen said as the black-haired prince became level with her.
But Daeron simply ignored her, brushing past her and making her stumble slightly in the process, as he just continued in his brisk walk towards his chambers.
"Daeron?" Lynwen called after him.
Daeron seemed to acknowledge her after this, finally coming to a standstill, but remained stood still with his back to her. He remained like this for a number of seconds, making Lynwen wonder what he was contemplating. But before she could ponder any further, Daeron slowly turned around to face her but remained silent as he only proceeded to stare at her, his expression looking bitter and angry.
"Daeron... I..." Lynwen stumbled over her words, feeling a little intimidated by the unfriendly way in which he was looking at her. "I'm sorry for what happened." She finally said in a quiet voice, as she looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to respond.
But Daeron continued to remain silent, his unsettling stare unnerving Lynwen greatly, as his hands were clenched tightly into fists at his sides.
Lynwen swallowed her unease of the dark ellon before her, as she took a deep breath to steady her nerves, slowly taking a few steps towards him. "Daeron, I don't want it to be awkward between us..."
"Well you should have thought about that before you set your minder onto me!" Daeron interrupted her with a slightly raised voice, his blue eyes burning with fury.
Lynwen remained in stunned silence for a few seconds, before being able to finally gather herself again. "Daeron... I don't condone Meldiron's actions towards you..."
Daeron snorted at her words, a look of resentment etched into his face. Lynwen just sighed a little, in a mixture of frustration and slight nervousness, before continuing.
"... My memory of that evening is rather hazy." Lynwen said as she looked past Daeron, staring into empty space as she thought back to that night. "But I'll never forget that horrible sense of feeling like the earth was spinning, and dragging me along for the ride." She took a deep breath where she tried to refrain from throwing up at the unpleasant memory. She looked up at Daeron now, meeting his gaze. She felt a slight surge of bravery as she looked into the older prince's eyes, and decided to just say what was on her mind. "Surely it was obvious to you how drunk I was? I can't help but feel that you took advantage of my intoxicated state of mind..."
"You were a willing party!" Daeron interrupted her, defensively. "I never forced you to do anything!" His eyes narrowed now as he looked at her, with his voice dropping to a lower and calmer level. "And from what I recall, Lynwen, you seemed to be enjoying every bit of it." He sneered, his eyes just mere slits. "Every moan, every gasp, the way you spread your legs wide open for me; all of it was you encouraging me to go further..."
Daeron stepped closer to her, his tall body towering over her short frame as he reached up and subtly stroked her bare collarbone with the tips of his fingers, loving how she always seemed to wear her over-sized shirts with the top few buttons undone. He leant forward until his mouth was brushing against her earlobe, his hot breath uncomfortably heating her skin. "...All of it, was your doing, Lynwen." He said in a whisper.
Lynwen pulled back and just continued to look at Daeron, unsure of how to respond. He did have a point. She had been enjoying it. But that was before the cold reality of the situation had hit her. Did Daeron have every right to be angry at her? Had she spurred him on, and encouraged him to go further? Had she taken him to the point of no return, where it had just been plain cruel of her to have expected him to stop?
As the two continued to stare at the other, each waiting for the other to speak first, neither of them had noticed the person who had just bore witness to Daeron's last words spoken.
Legolas remained hidden in the shadows of his bedroom doorway, watching the pair further on down the corridor, and listening to his brother's lewd description of Lynwen's actions. So his suspicions had been correct? His brother and Lynwen had slept together...
Legolas couldn't bear to listen to any more, fearing that hearing any further details of Lynwen and Daeron's intimate affair, would only result in the breaking of his newly loved-up heart. He silently, but hastily, re-entered his bed chambers and closed the door behind him.
He leant back against the wall of his room as he stared into the space in front of him, desperately trying to steady his out-of-control breathing. He was greatly hurt by what he had just overheard, but also extremely pissed off that his brother had seemingly been intimate with Lynwen; the very girl who he now knew that he loved more than life itself. She was now the reason he got up every day. The reason he felt himself smiling more often. She was even the reason he bothered to breath!
What was he going to do? He was madly in love with a girl who could never be his. And he knew that he would always detest the person whom would lucky enough to get close to her. And at the moment, that person was Daeron, his very own brother! But soon enough, he knew that his detest would turn back to his close friend Elrohir, knowing deep down that soon enough, Lynwen would be with the Rivendell ellon again.
Legolas took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping that the calming intake of air would help to clear his mind. But as soon as he opened his eyes, his unsettled emotions took charge of his body once again, painfully filling his heart with the utmost, deepest love, for Lynwen, but also agonisingly jamming his head with hatred and pure rage. A hatred and pure rage which was currently aimed at Daeron and Elrohir, but would also be aimed at whomever else could end up with Lynwen in the future.
Legolas brought up his arms and slowly dragged the palms of his hands down the length of his face before continuing to stare into the space in front of him, panic at his uncontrollable desire to cause pain to any male who dared to get close to Lynwen, set deeply within his ice-blue eyes.
Legolas slid down the wall, coming to a sitting position on the floor, as he rested his forearms on his bent-up knees. He hated the way these alien emotions were threatening his usually serene and composed personality, but he just couldn't help it. He loved her. And with that, came the animalistic instinct to claim her as his own. To ward off any other male who dared to enter his territory.
But the problem was, was that Lynwen was not his to claim. He had no right to be jealous, and that what she chose to get up to, and with whom, was entirely her business, and definitely not his. He knew this. And he also knew that he desperately needed to swallow down these feral instincts to want to bond with Lynwen in the most passionate and loving way, and to cause extreme harm to anyone else who dared to get in his way.
He continued to stare into empty space, wondering how he was going to be able to switch off these powerful emotions that dictated his train of thoughts, and tore up his heart constantly. But he knew it was necessary to try to keep a firm control of these emotions in order to maintain his relationship with his brother and his good friend from Rivendell. But he knew for definite that this wasn't going to be an easy task.
He sighed deeply while tilting his head and resting his forehead on his arms, burying his face in-between his knees. He was in deep shit, and he knew it.
As always, please review and let me know what you think! Thanks! :)