Chapter 34:

Legolas slowly opened his eyes as the midday's sun rose higher in the sky. He lazily stretched and smiled as he awoke from what he thought had been the best sleep that he had had in recent years.

All because his beloved had returned to him.

He smiled as he turned over in bed and reached for Aria's body to pull her close to him. But he quickly found that where her body should be lying, the bed was empty and cold.

Frantically he sat up and looked around the room as a feeling of despair spread through him.

Had the previous night all been a dream?

He quickly dispelled that thought given his current state of undress and seeing a light blue dress lying haphazardly on the floor. Aria had been wearing that dress last night. So where was she?

The door to their suite quietly opened and then shut as a pair of soft footsteps were heard in the sitting room. Legolas grabbed for his discarded leggings from the night before and pulled them on before going to see who had entered the suite – silently hoping that it was Aria.

He walked to the doorway and peered around the corner. Sighing in relief – and thankful that the previous night had not been a dream – Aria stood in their sitting room, wearing his dark blue tunic from the night before. She was setting out some dishes of food on their table. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist as he placed a kiss against her neck then nuzzled her lovingly. She turned her face towards him and kissed his lips before offering him a bowl of berries with cream for their meal. There were also fresh strawberries on a plate as well on the table already.

He accepted the bowl and sat down at the table, only to pull her into his lap. "You have been gone from me for far too long. I am still not done letting you out of my sight," he said in a lustful growl directed at his wife.

"Or out of your grasp," she said with a smile before offering him a spoonful of the berries mixed with cream before taking a bite for herself.

"Or that."

The couple continued to enjoy their meal this way for the next few minutes.

"You know there is a difference between the berries of Valinor and Middle Earth?" Aria said, as she picked up a strawberry and looked at it.

"What is the difference?"

"The ones on Valinor were too sweet for my liking. They are good, but these are my favorite," Aria said as she bit into the strawberry. Legolas smiled and leaned up and kissed his wife's lips after she finished eating the fruit.

"I think they are my favorite as well."

Aria kissed his lips again as she fed him a strawberry. They finished their meal in between feeding each other and several kisses. Legolas had to admit it was one of the tastiest meals he had ever eaten. Once they were done, Aria rested her head on her husband's shoulder and sighed. Legolas lazily wrapped his arms around her and inhaled her scent.

After a few moments, Legolas felt Aria gently take a hold of his hand and placed something into it without looking then closed his fingers around it. He pulled his hand up and looked at what his wife had placed into his hand.

It was the vile of poison.

He sighed heavily as he looked up at Aria, who was looking at him with such sadness in her eyes. He gently set the vile on the table before running a finger down the side of her face. He knew that she was waiting for an explanation. "I was so lost without you. I could barely function. I would go through the daily motions but when I was alone, all I would do for the first two years was weep. I had dreams of you and our son. I had nightmares of your death. Adar sent me away from Mirkwood right after your death, thinking that your Ada would be best suited to help me. But it was to no avail. When I was not fading, I felt like I had to take matters into my own hands so that I could join you in the Halls of Mandos."

"There was a reason you had not faded…"

"I know that now." Legolas said in a whisper as tears rimmed the edges of his eyes. He placed his forehead against Aria's, as he continued. "Elves only love once in their lives. The day you died, half of me was ripped away. The warmth that I felt through our bond was snuffed out in a second and replaced with coldness. My world had gone dark and cold."

A tear slipped down his cheek as well as hers. She quickly wiped both of them away. "And now?" she gently asked placing her hand against his cheek.

"My world is right."

"As is mine," she answered, kissing him deeply on the lips as she felt him pick her up and carry her back to the bedroom.

"I would have thought that the two of you would have been in seclusion for a few more days," Elrond said as Aria and Legolas entered the dinning hall just on the other side of the Hall of Fire to join the family for dinner.

"With everyone leaving tomorrow, we decided that we would join our families for dinner," Aria said as she sat down next to Elladan with Legolas on the other side of her. "Then there would be more than enough time for ourselves after that."

Legolas nodded in agreement as dinner began along with various small talk around the large dinner table. Typically the family dinner in Imladris would include Elrond, the twins - if not out on patrol or with the Rangers, Arwen, Erestor and Glorfindel. Occasionally Aragorn would be added to the mix. Or course Aria and Legolas were included as well. But tonight, the family dinner included Thranduil, Laurian, Talia and their children.

Once dinner had been served, the family retired to the Hall of Fire where various other elves and elleths were already gathering to listen to songs and talk into the night. This was how each night was in Imladris. Most nights in the past, Aria and Legolas would go for a walk on their own or head off to their quarters early, but tonight they hung around the Hall of Fire for a while.

"I heard about what happened with the elleth from Lórien." Thranduil said in a low whisper to his son when Aria was out of earshot. They were standing off to the side-watching Aria braid Imaya's long blond hair. "Tauriel informed me shortly after it took place. How did Aria take it?"

Legolas sighed. "She seems fine."

"But…"

"That is the problem, I don't know. There is something that she is not telling me. Something happened to her while she was in Valinor."

Thranduil looked at his son for an explanation, but Legolas never gave him one – instead he saw frustration spread across his youngest son's face.

"Remember that the bonds between two elves in marriage are the strongest in our world. Even though she has just returned to you, that does not mean that she did not feel your pain and suffering while the two of you were separated."

"Perhaps."

"I am sure it will all work out in time, ion nin," Thranduil said squeezing his son's shoulder. "Just give her some time. Besides if you have heard any of the stories from Lord Glorfindel about being reborn than you know that its nothing something that you recover easily from. I just ask one thing of you."

Legolas turned and looked at his father.

"Come home soon. I know that the elves of Mirkwood would love to see their prince and when word reaches them that their princess has returned, then they will be overjoyed as well."

Legolas smiled. "Soon adar. Just as soon as Aria is up to the journey."

"Good so that is why Elrond and I thought it best that Tauriel stay here as well. Plus it might help aid in Aria's recovery – having another friend here for her."

Legolas smiled and nodded in agreement.

"You still have not told him." Glorfindel said, towering over Aria shortly after she had finished braiding Imaya's hair. The little girl had happily run off to show her parents what her aunt Aria had done for her.

"It has been one day. Let me readjust to living!"

"The faster you get this done, the better off both you will be!"

"Oh and this coming from the Lord of the Golden Flower who pined over his dead best friend's son for how many centuries?"

"This is different."

Aria sighed as she turned away from Glorfindel and looked back towards Legolas who was talking with his adar. "How exactly am I supposed to tell Legolas that I had been murdered?"

AN: Whew! I've had some crazy weather around here and ended up with three days off this week! But alas, I must return to work tomorrow…oh well, I can deal with a two day work week. =)

And check out SleepyHollow5's fic, "A Road Less Traveled"