Disclaimer: All of Middle Earth's intriguing characters and serene locations are the property of Tolkien. The original characters in this story are my own.
The next morning, Antien was left to wake those archers that did not get up themselves. That also meant waking the Prince, for Antien did not observe him assembling the two-hundred strong group as he should have been. The camp was busy as elves cleaned up after themselves, leaving nothing behind.
"Legolas… Legolas! Wake up!" As his closest friend, he was accustomed to not addressing the Prince with formalities.
Legolas woke slowly to the sound of Antien yelling at him from the other side of the tent flap, not daring to open it, for fear of what might be revealed.
Legolas looked down at Alerae, whose face was buried against his chest.
"I will be right there, Antien. I'm sorry."
Alerae also woke and smiled up at her prince.
"'Quel amrun, meleth nin." (Good morning)
"I had a wonderful night, Legolas."
"As did I, but now Antien is anxious to get moving."
"Alright, well we can get up and get ready to head off." Alerae sighed, not wanting to expose herself to the cold winter air.
"The month of Ringare is wasted, the cold will only continue."
"I know better than you, meleth." She smiled at him playfully.
"You get up first."
"I don't think so, it is much too cold."
"Well I am not moving until you get up. Lle auta yeste." (You go first)
"Neither am I."
The couple lay there in companionable silence for a few minutes before Legolas stirred.
"Meleth, we really have to get going."
Alerae huffed but slid out of the bedroll and quickly covered herself with her dress.
Legolas smiled… he was slowly working her out of her insecurity.
After dressing and cleaning up the tent, they emerged. Antien had already organized the elves and they were all prepared to go, all they had left to do was mount.
"'Quel amrun, mellyn. I apologize for my late arrival--" some of Legolas' close friends were wearing knowing smiles as he continued, "but we should make haste now to Rivendell. Thank you for doing such a fine job this morning."
Legolas nodded to the group who addressed him as well and then strapped on his quiver and sheathed his white knives.
Another long day was expected, and a long day was had. That night, camp was set up and the events occurred much as they had the previous evening.
Alerae and Legolas retired together, but Alerae was already exhausted from two days straight of riding, and fell asleep soundly in her lover's arms, leaving him to dwell on the pain he would face when he lost her to bitter mortality.
The following day proceeded as expected and the company reached Rivendell's borders by nightfall. Even the elves were feeling the effects of traveling for nearly three days with little rest through bitter cold and snow.
Their arrival was reported to the lords of the house, Elladan and Elrohir, and the group was welcomed with a rich elven meal and plenty of miruvor.
The elven archers were each given their own rooms, and Legolas was left to talk to his old friends, who had only recently come to be the keepers of the Last Homely House.
Alerae had skipped the miruvor and only tasted a few morsels before politely retiring to the chambers that she had been assigned. She had said only two words to the elven lords, "good evening."
Taking a long bath and then climbing into the beautiful bed, she observed the room around her. She had now seen the three elven realms, and all were uniquely captivating; the intricate designs and the airy rooms, the feeling of nature everywhere, and the security. In her chambers here, she was surrounded by rich maroons and purples.
Just as she was falling asleep, Legolas knocked on the door.
"May I stay with you, or would you rather come to my room?"
"Mhmm."
Legolas laughed lightly and lay down next to her, pulling her into his arms as she fell asleep.
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The following morning was filled with activity. Elves were preparing to go and hunt orc, while Alerae was trying to remain out of the way. "I knew I should have stayed abed!" she thought dryly.
As she stood awkwardly at the edge of the clearing where the archers were preparing, one of the twins came up to her and smiled.
"'Quel re, Lady Alerae."
"Good morning, milord."
"You do not know which one I am, do you?"
She blushed but did not deny it. From what she had seen of the Rivendell elves, not all elves did have blonde hair.
"I am Elladan, and you may refer to me as such. I get tired of titles."
"Thank you for your hospitality, milord, err, Elladan."
He smiled and began to say something but was cut off by an archer yelling his name.
"I do apologize, but I am needed elsewhere. I will talk to you later, for now; I have to see to the battle arrangements."
She curtsied politely and then went to explore the halls of the Last Homely House.
After a short time, Legolas found her, wearing his quiver, white knives and carrying his finely crafted bow.
"We are setting off, we should return by nightfall. This won't take long."
He wore a cocky smile as he ran one hand up the bow.
"Are you sure I cannot help? It seems that all of my training will be for nothing if I am not allowed to fight. And anyway, I should be aiding my hosts."
"Alerae, this is a mere scuffle. It should take no longer than the remainder of the afternoon to drive the orcs out of the forest. You are not needed, although I do not doubt your skill."
"Why did Rivendell even need assistance then, if this is such a small battle?"
"Many of the well-trained archers have left the shores of Middle Earth for the Grey Havens. Sending those who are inexperienced in would be a mistake. And, I think my father wanted to aid Rivendell, seeing as we have not allied with this realm in some time."
She nodded, "Where should I expect to see you next?"
It was clear to Legolas that even with his aura of confidence, she was nervous about him leaving for battle.
"I will return by nightfall, if all goes well. Do not trouble yourself staying awake. Tomorrow, we will discuss your matters. I love you, you know this, and I have every intention of returning to you."
She nodded in response.
The archers, mostly blonde from Mirkwood and mostly dark-haired from Rivendell watched as the Prince of Mirkwood himself embraced a mortal woman. Elladan and Elrohir exchanged looks before Legolas approached the group again.
Alerae returned to her room and stepped outside onto the balcony to watch the elves leave the center of Rivendell. She silently prayed that all would go well.
Meanwhile, Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas were riding at the front of the column.
"So, Leg, who is she? We know her name but…"
Legolas tried to suppress a smile at the twins' familiar nickname for him, although he found it mildly annoying, "I love her, and I brought her here to meet her Elven father."
There was silence among the three for a short while before Elrohir spoke.
"Well, well. We thought you would never settle down, mellon." If he could have clapped Legolas on the back from horseback, he would have.
"What about you two? I don't see you two looking for brides."
"Right now, we don't need them… we have enough to worry about. I would say that when ada left our fun was dampened a bit. He says we have to set examples and lead our people until the last ship has left our shores."
The three friends exchanged stories and reminisced on the years when they were carefree, running about Rivendell causing trouble.
Legolas finally told them about Alerae, her past, how he had found her, and what had happened since then, leaving out the details, of course. They could see that their good friend was clearly in love with this girl.
Soon, the orc fortresses were in sight. The groups divided with one elf leading each. Surrounding the fortresses, they began their assault.
The orcs were taken by surprise, and Legolas, fighting alongside his friends and people, let his blades sing as he decapitated one after another. One of the creatures lunged for his neck, but he gracefully ducked, so that the orc's blade connected with the arm of another orc instead of its fair target.
These orcs had been closing in on Rivendell for years now, having escaped the last War of the Ring, they had no master and needed no master. The decreasing numbers of elves that resided in Rivendell made it especially vulnerable. They had been given multiple warnings to cease their encroachment, but had ignored them all, and therefore, the elves were forced to take such brutal action.
Legolas surveyed the now empty field. The battle had been more of a massacre. His elven friends were cleaning their blades or stacking up and burning the carcasses of the creatures.
Nothing was lost, and the battle was won. A true victory, although the orcs had hardly stood a chance against the well-trained, experienced elves.
The company turned their backs on the remains of battle and set off in the direction from whence they had come.
Alerae was still deciphering an elvish book when Legolas walked in, orc blood staining his tunic and his blades still in his hands.
Alerae cared not, running up to him and throwing her arms around him, she breathed in his now not-so-welcoming scent. The entire time she had been trying to concentrate on her reading, she had found herself worrying about Legolas. She had tried to convince herself that he would be fine… after all; he had fought in the War of the Ring and survived with hardly a scratch. However, when someone loved is at war, the worst case scenario is all that one can imagine.
"You smell of orc."
He smiled, "I should, considering my activities for the past four hours."
He placed his knives in the water basin in the bathing room and proceeded to clean them until they gleamed.
Alerae sat back down on the bed and watched him as he carefully inspected every inch of his bow, to rid it of any trace of battle.
When he had finished bathing himself and was satisfied with the cleanliness of his weapons, he retired, next to Alerae, who was already in her nightdress and staring at the ceiling.
"Legolas… thank you for coming back."
"Alerae, you didn't have to worry, I told you it was a mere scuffle."
"This I know, but I love you, and I was worried."
Legolas nuzzled closer to her.
"Legolas… I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders."
"Simply from me returning unscathed?" He smiled.
"No, that too, I suppose, but I mean, my entire life has been an ever-changing turn of events, always a downward spiral. I feel as though I have finally escaped that endless fall and I have been saved, and you, my savior."
She continued, "I love you in a way I thought not possible at one time. You have shown me so much, and, you have saved my life. I would not have lasted much longer had you not shown your fair face at that inn."
"Alerae, you had the will to end that torture, it was not simply me…"
"I know, I wanted to end it for some time, but you gave me the motivation and means by which to do so. Now, I am free. Now, I see that men, males in general are not to be feared, some, yes, some do deserve my hate, but most mean well and I do not have to be afraid anymore. You accept me for who I am, you don't care that I have a brand on my back, or various other scars… you treat me like a princess."
As she said the words, Legolas could not help but think "and one day, you shall be."
"Thank you for this confidence, this freedom, and this love. I do not ever wish to hide again."
Legolas wrapped her in a gentle kiss. He had nothing that he could say to respond, for no words could express what he wished to say.
When the kiss ended, Alerae had a fiery glow in her eyes, and also a new determination, a new courage and most of all, the will to make her life a wonderful experience.
"The only thing that I can say that I regret is my choice… but I cannot dwell on that. I will deal with the consequences of my actions."
Legolas nodded, and then kissed her again, while thinking "we shall both have to."
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