It was dark.

Sulrochil woke up and tried to turn around to look at the window to get some picture of what time of night it was, but at once found she could not move. She was fastened firmly in place. Cautiously, she tried to move the arms that were beleaguering her - with no success.

Wriggling her legs, she tried to slip from the grip, but the impossibility of it made violet clouds begin to gather in her mind until she abruptly stopped, and a lovely smile lit her face. This was exactly what she had been missing for three days. A silvery braid was tickling her nose, and she gulped - were her mornings forever going to be like this - at the same time nettled and swooning with delight. Should she wrench his arm or absorb into him?

Besides, it was weird that she always woke up earlier than Legolas. Why was that? Or was she really waking up before him every time? The sweet memories of all their shared mornings swamped her, but there was no way to put them into straight order. Nor could she bother to consider the problem further, because an important piece of thought entered her mind, a question of absolute urgency that could not wait. She had mulled over it last night but forgot to talk about it with Legolas. "But if I think of you first," she suddenly burst out, "and you think of me, who thinks of us first?"

Legolas opened his eyes, and after a short glance at the window, he closed them at once. "Did you know some people say 'good morning' when they wake up?"

"Should we consider what we need?" Sulrochil continued. "Not you, nor me, but us?"

"Does it make any difference?" he said, trying to pull her closer and reach her lips, but she shied away. "Perhaps it does, but can we think about that later?"

Quickly, Sulrochil hid her face in his chest, "This is important. If our wishes collide, whose wish wins?"

"Have you ever heard of a thing called a good-morning kiss?" he replied, sliding his hands down her back, trying to persuade her to show her face again.

"If you wish to kiss and I wish to talk, whose wish wins?"

"Yours apparently," Legolas sighed, caressing her ear with his forefinger.

"There!" Sulrochil said and prodded her finger at his shoulder. "It is important to think of us first and consider what our shared wish is."

"We are still doing the thing you wish - talking."

"But I am trying to tell you neither of us should lose, but we should do the thing that is important to us. Not to you, nor to me. Us. What could be important to us?"

"Arguing," Legolas stated. "At least to you."

"We must always tell the truth and not make assumptions about what the other wants."

"You do not need to assume anything. I have been quite clear about my preferences," Legolas said. "I have heard some people actually do get a kiss when they wake up. In my case, that is obviously unattainable; all I am getting is a good-morning argument."

"But how can we balance our clashing wishes?"

"We could try putting things in a queue," Legolas said. "First, a ridiculous squabble. Then, possibly a kiss - it could be even a short one, if you are so reluctant - and finally the war."

"The war!" she gasped and made an attempt to rise up. "I forgot! I must go at once! I should be out there seeking people for my group today and not lingering here!"

"Do not worry," he said, grabbing her tightly in his arms. "Hithfaeron will find the right people for you. He has clear instructions."

"But-" she made another attempt to rise.

Legolas did not let her move at all. Softly tracing her ears, he said, "You asked. He accomplishes. It is that simple."

"Perhaps." Sulrochil pushed his hand away. "Nevertheless, this is the day of the war, we cannot make them wait for us by playing lovey-dovey here. Besides, do you not have something to do before battle, as well?"

"Aye," he whispered, bending closer to her again. "To kiss you."

"But," she said, trying to push his head away. "If we are the leaders, are we not supposed to be out there doing the leading thing."

"If today we do as much as show up, we are doing more than our part," Legolas said, sliding his fingers along her neck. "We lead by love. When we go out and meet our army today, they need to see that we have reconciled. Everyone admires us for what we have done during the first days of our life together. Now, they wish for us to stay here as long as we need, and when we go out that door, everything between us will be settled. They need to see that we are happy because it is our love that gives strength to them. They need our kisses now."

"They?" Sulrochil sighed. "Of course this is about them."

"You make me feel whole again," his voice was suddenly thick with emotion, and he squeezed her tighter. "Yesterday, I believed I could never be alive again. I cannot believe how long we slept."

"We needed it for our healing."

"You mean I needed it."

"No, I mean we needed it," Sulrochil said. "Are you fit for the war?"

"Always," Legolas said. "But if I can hold you here just a few moments more, I will be even better. Perhaps, I will finally get a chance to kiss you. You see, a kiss or two would be helpful for our people and boost their willingness to fight," he said, and the mirth in his voice made them both smile.

"You are almost sounding like yourself," she grinned, "all the time chasing the opportunity to kiss me."

"You make yourself so hard to reach." Legolas tried to kiss her, but she pulled away, laughing.

"Only because I know you love the chase," Sulrochil smiled, letting her love pour into his heart. "Is everything between us settled now? Do you trust me?"

"I should have trusted you in the first place," he said. "I have to learn to fully count on you. It was wrong of me to think I could forbid you doing what is within your skills. You did nothing beyond your abilities, and I need to stop controlling you."

"You have seen my death," Sulrochil said, and softly brushed his cheek. "I understand your need to keep me safe. Forever, I will understand. Please, do not ever blame yourself for your need to shield me. And it was our betrothal day, you saw me in a different light then. We should not have been separated for the first days of our life together, even though the cause was vital. Instead, we should have used these past days like this - laying on a bed, face-to-face, talking-"

"Who cares about talking if we can kiss?" he interrupted, trying to pull her lips closer again.

"-that too," she laughed, dodging all his attempts, "but destiny threw us apart and therefore you could not see the truth. You saw me as someone to guard, not as someone to send into a snake pit."

"Aye, you should have told me the truth about your mission. But on the other hand, I also kept secrets from you. If it had been any other day, we could have revealed all secrets and still you would have made your mission. I would have given you the freedom to do what you needed to do. On any other day, I would have encouraged you to do it."

"And I would have known you could endure our shared pain," she said, "because if anyone in this world can do it, it is you."

"From now on," he said, "we both must always tell each other everything. Can you promise that?"

"I can," Sulrochil vowed. "From now on, I shall always tell you everything, even if it would lead to abandoning the missions."

"I swear I shall never again hide things from you," Legolas said. "I wish for us to be on the same side always."

"You would be bored," she laughed. "A good fight is better than a dull agreement."

"If we are not keeping any secrets, we can argue as much as you wish," Legolas said.

"My pleasure," Sulrochil smiled. She blinked and dropped all her shields.

Now that Legolas felt she had stopped the game, he did not accept any more attempts at evasion. He pushed her against the mattress and began pecking small kisses all over her face. "Is everything settled now?" he whispered between the kisses.

She nodded, relishing the feeling of the softness of his lips upon her skin.

Legolas slid his hand over her neck to see if her mind still jolted when he touched her. He needed to feel her disorientation, and he nuzzled her hair, breathing in its sweet scent. A whisper of a sigh escaped her lips as he slowly moved to give small kisses all over her neck.

Legolas took Sulrochil closer into his arms. There was no haste in his kiss as he finally captured her mouth. "These days without you…" he began, and all the pain tried to surface again.

"Do not fight it," Sulrochil whispered as her soul was filled with sharp edges of his violent attempt to defeat the agony. With brutal slashes, Legolas tried to make the grief go away.

"You are meant to fight," she continued. Her face found a soft place to nestle against his neck. "But you cannot fight pain. One never can. You must surrender to it. But that word is not in your dictionary. I can surrender for your sake if you let me. Give all your suffering to me. Please, let it all flow to me, and I can be weak, so you do not need to."

With a small sound that came from his throat, Legolas drew her closer. Sulrochil felt his need to be comforted, and ever so gently she caressed his face. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be loved, let her feel his thirst for her.

Sulrochil took them to a meadow filled with flowers of every colour. "I would take you home, but we have much to do today. I want to give you the peace of the world that you crave - but it is not in my hands. Today, we must fight for it. We can fight for peace - but not against pain. Please, let yourself rest for a while, and I will chase all evil out. I can be the fortress between your soul and the blackness if you let me." The agony began slowly to turn into small butterflies fluttering above the soothing meadow. "I cannot give you peace, all I have is this moment. This moment between the horrors of yesterday and the horrors of today is my gift to you."

"You make strange waves stir in my heart," he breathed into her ear. "Before you, I did not know who I was, nor where I was."

"We are not meant to be alone. Alone we are merely halves, and our souls yearn for a companion," Sulrochil said, tracing his ear. She put her ear on his chest and listened to his rapid heartbeat. The pain would not leave his soul today, no matter what she did. Nothing she said or did, would make him whole again in the blink of an eye. The grief should be shoved into the dark corners of his soul - for the time being. She wrangled her own soul out of the darkness and made the quietude of the meadow overcome all shadows. In an overly cheerful tone, she said, "I am not sure if I will ever be able to sleep without you."

"You do not have to, because I am never again going to spend a night without you," Legolas said, and welcomed the sudden change of mood. How she was able to do it was beyond his comprehension, though. "And I never want to wake up without you. Can you promise never to leave me while I sleep?"

"That is easy to promise," she smiled, "because you cling to me so tightly even in your sleep, I cannot move an inch."

"I am not clinging," he frowned.

"What would you call this then, when I probably would not find my way out of the tangle of your impossibly long arms and legs even if I had a map?"

"I would call it your miserable scouting skills." Legolas grinned.

"Perhaps I will draw a map," she punched him gently on his chest, "at least it would be a better one than what we saw yesterday."

"Aye, Noruinivel is one of the worst drawers in the whole army."

"But they made her draw, so you would not need to see me stand too close to any male."

"That was unnecessary because I would not have had anything against any male elves there."

"You would have!" Sulrochil's eyes grew wider.

"No," he said. "Well, perhaps..."

"You definitely would have."

"You are right."

"Of course I am right!"

"You always know everything," he announced, "so there is no question about it!"

"You are horrible!"

"If you say so."

"Stop that."

"Even when you are wrong, you are right," he said.

"No!" she yelled.

"Especially then."

"Could you please stop now?"

"Whatever you say, my Lady," Legolas said, and paused for a moment seemingly in deep thought, "but do tell me, what was the topic."

"I cannot remember anymore," Sulrochil admitted.

"But whatever it was, you were right," he remarked.

"You are… I cannot say anything anymore, because whatever I say, you just say I am right."

"Of course, because you are always-"

"Stop it!" Sulrochil began laughing.

"At once, because you-"

"Stop it!" she was giggling uncontrollably, tears began falling out of her eyes, and she put her forehead against his chest to stop her gales of laughter.

"Are you trying to run away from an argument?" he asked, trying to lift her face with his forefinger.

"No!" she said between her giggles and pressed her face tighter against him.

"You are!" Legolas said. "That is something I never would have expected of you."

"You are-," she began. "I can't even-" she tried again but knew she had lost this one. All she could do was to squeeze her head on his chest because she was sure if she looked at his eyes, he would make her laugh again. "When is the last time you ate anything?" Sulrochil finally asked.

"You are trying to change the topic!" Legolas replied. "That means I won."

"Never," she said.

"I won, even though you are not going to admit it," he declared.

"Perhaps," she quickly said. "But you did not answer my question."

"I won, accept it."

"Alright," she had to confess, "Are you happy now?"

"My greatest achievement ever," he claimed. "But your question does not make sense - it is what I usually ask you."

"This time, you know exactly when I ate the last time. It was a slice of bread four days ago in Lake-town Inn."

"That was not a slice of bread, but one-third of one."

"Perhaps, but have you been able to eat?"

"Not much."

"Then I command you to eat something so you will have enough strength to slay some orcs later today."

"I do not get your reasoning here. You are the one who has been fasting, but I am the one who must eat?"

"Of course," she smiled and tried to jiggle out of his grip unsuccessfully. "Now if you let me go, I might also eat something."

Legolas clutched her even tighter into his embrace. "Might?"

"Alright, I promise."

He released her at once, and it made her laugh again. Listening to her sniggering, they rose up. When Sulrochil was standing beside the bed, she raised her hand to Legolas' hair and shook her head. "Your hair is a mess." She grabbed his jaw and turned his head around with her hand, giving it a disapproving look. "Now look at those frizzy braids!"

"I thought my braids fell in place magically," Legolas shrugged.

"The magic is strangely wavering now," Sulrochil said and passed a candle to him. "Light that and I shall get your comb."

Sulrochil turned her back to him and began searching for the pockets of his coat that was lying on the floor. Her babbles filled the room, "I suppose you actually do possess a comb. I have never even seen it, but then again you never have been wounded so badly you would have needed anyone to do your braids. You never get wounded, and you'd better not start today. Do you have a comb, or do I need to use my own?"

"You can use your own if you wish," he said, looking at her crouching by the coat. "But I do possess one. Keep searching. You are doing just fine."

Sulrochil paused and peeked at Legolas. "You would prefer I did this search while you were wearing the coat."

Legolas spread his arms. "You may search me anytime."

"Of course," Sulrochil smiled. She went on with her rummage, enjoying the wanderings of his eyes all over her body. "I will not let you go to war looking like that. You are supposed to kill the orcs with your weapons, not make them laugh until they die." After a few moments of frantic hunt, she finally produced a comb from one pocket. "Here it is!"

When she rose up and looked at Legolas, he was standing with the candle and gazing at Sulrochil's movements. "You look good in the candlelight," he said.

"If you continue to watch me like that, you will be late for your war," Sulrochil said. "Now, sit beside the bed, and I will begin to untangle that bird's nest on your head."

Legolas placed the candle on the bedside table and sat on the floor. Sulrochil sat on the bed, began unbraiding the first braid and asked, "What kind of rumours they must be telling about us amongst the soldiers?"

"The soldiers know only about how bravely you accomplished everything in Shadowland, but what they talk about us amongst the Captains is a totally different matter," Legolas said and enjoyed the twists and turns of her fingers on his scalp as she unbraided the hair.

"Most likely it is something like: 'Legolas has been trapped by some feeble-minded nutter, who only drives him crazy.'," she said, and began to comb his hair.

"I was thinking something along the lines of, 'So this is Sulrochil, who just won the Award for Sheer Audacity.'"

"It is actually called Legolas Award for Sheer Audacity," she said, running the comb along his hair. "You admire people who are bold enough to be awarded. And you would hate it if I was not able to gain the trophy."

"That is true," Legolas admitted. "You cannot be tamed, and it was wrong of me to even try. I love it when you impertinently defy the King, and I adore you when you have the nerve to deceive Mithrandir. I do not mind arguing with you about inane things, but when you cheekily go toe-to-toe with me and make no apologies for it, it sends me around the bend."

"That is exactly the point," she said, pecking a kiss on his ear. "So far everyone has stood against someone else; the King, Mithrandir, or anyone, but now it is you. I opposed you. You hate it. Of course you hate it, but deep in your heart, you love it."

"I would have resented it if you had come back from your mission, and had not done what needed to be done," Legolas said.

She was a puzzle to him, an unparalleled mystery - and he was not sure if he ever wanted to unravel her uniqueness completely. To be allowed to explore her hidden depths kept him intrigued.

"I need you to be bold," he mused more to himself than to her. "And to truly be bold, means that you must do whatever you wish, regardless of my opinions. You are a wildfire, burning everything down in my heart."

They fell into silence, and Sulrochil combed his hair for a long time. It actually felt for Legolas that she was doing it for an unpurposefully long time before beginning to braid it again.

"Will you pass the candle closer, I will wax the first one," Sulrochil said. She took melted wax from the candle and rolled the end of the braid with it.

"Are you truly doing my usual braids?" Legolas asked, turning his head to see her behind him.

"No. I am doing something similar to what my grandmother used to wear," she paused for a moment and leaned down to kiss his temple. "Of course I am doing your usual braids. They will only be so much neater when I do them. Anyone can see you did not do them by yourself."

"And that is exactly why you are braiding my hair now. You want everyone to see I belong to you."

"And that is exactly why you let me do this now - you wish for everyone to see you belong to me," she laughed, and began doing the second braid above his left ear. "Before I went to Shadowland, I was going to tell you about the King's orders, but I forgot."

"Forgot?" he asked, turning his head again so he could see her.

"Do not move!" she said, tugging the braid. "It was our betrothal night, after all. You made me forget everything."

"I made you forget? So, it was my fault? And I am not moving."

"Of course it was your fault, and if you swing all the time, these braids will look like they were made by you."

"Why is everything always my fault?"

"Well, it was you who watched me all night making my whole body hot," she whispered, finishing the second braid and beginning the last one. "Not only did you watch me, but your hands... Oh, your hands. Do you remember what you did with those?"

"It is quite hard to forget."

"So you see, it was your fault. It was your soft lips on mine, making me feel you wanting me."

"I cannot recall you resisting."

"No, but you cannot blame me. It was the gentlest touch of your hands, making me melt in your arms."

"For me, you seemed quite willing."

"Still, it does not change the truth that it was your fault," she smiled and tugged the middle braid. "Your hair is ready. Dress up."

"Soon," he said, rising, taking her hand, and pulling her up to stand in front of him. "Because before that, I am going to kiss you."

"You do not need to warn me about that," she whispered, and blinked when she saw the breathtaking look in his eyes, hinting of something that never before had been in his eyes. It was something which suggested that he could do to her anything he wanted, but at the same time assured her all he ever wanted to do was to make her feel good.

"Are you sure?" he replied, putting his both hands on her neck and leaning his head down to meet her lips.

With slow movements, Legolas slid his hands under Sulrochil's hair and touched the nape of her neck with his forefinger, not letting the kiss pause for a moment. His tongue explored the sweetness of her mouth, and against her lips, he breathed, "It is strange, but that you pulled the loony trick out there makes me love you even more. I would have liked to see it."

Sulrochil opened her lips and let their tongues mingle, as well as their souls. "The orcs fell down so quickly, that it was over almost before it began," she whispered and turned her head, inviting him closer. "There was not much to see."

"Do you think I would have been watching the dying orcs?" he said, enfolding her warmth in his arms. Little by little, he moved his mouth down her neck, giving small pecks on her warm skin. Finally, he found the pulsing spot just above her collarbone and, for a lovely eternity, enjoyed her heartbeat drumming against his lips. The collar of her shirt tickled his cheek. Legolas swallowed as he felt what Sulrochil wished for him to do. Tentatively, he moved the cloth away, exposing more of her neck - fulfilling her silent request.

When he felt Sulrochil's welcoming encouragement, Legolas tugged the cloth a shade farther, and pressed his lips to the part of her skin he had never before even seen. For a moment, he let his lips rest there, all the time sensing the hammering heart in her chest. She yielded under his touch, as he claimed her mouth again, and it threw him off balance. "I want to feel your body - all of it - against me," he sighed between kisses. "In the fullness of time, we unlock the secret of love."

Sulrochil felt a scorching urge in her body to be entwined into him, to adjoin with him, to become one with him, and she opened her soul for him to feel it.

The cascading waves of all her hidden desires swamped him. "There will be a day - our wedding day - when I can carry you to our bed and gently lay you there. Then, I will kiss you. I will undress you, and you will let me see all of you. We will wrap ourselves around each other and embrace softly until our bodies beg us to do more. I will touch all of you, and you will let me do it. And not only let - you will want it. I will make you want it. Our beings shall be reshaped, and we will become one flesh. Do you feel it?" Legolas let his hands slide down her chest, kissing her softly while briefly touching the very spot under her collar he had revealed a moment ago. Then, his hands wandered down her sides.

To allow him to touch more Sulrochil rose on her toes and draped her arms around his neck. His body became thoroughly jammed with her yearning for his touch. The closeness of their bodies made his breath hitch, and the kiss changed drastically.

Legolas tightened his grip around her back and moulded her tightly against his body to feel her softness, to wake up what had been asleep. Two pairs of lips needed to catch on after being separated, two bodies yearned to be aware of each other again, two souls were searching for the right way to intertwine again. Their ears caught the drumming sound of their rapidly beating hearts.

"Our bodies will awaken. Like a crimson rose, you will open your petals. We will taste the essence of love and are entitled to savour every moment of it."

He ran his hands down her body to her lower back and drew her closer to him. Never before had he done that, and when Sulrochil felt her stomach pressed flush against his… him… against him... it made her inside fill with hot oil which slowly seeped into her loins and everywhere sending her flying in the blue sky.

Sulrochil gaped at him, eyes wide open at the realization of the meaning of his actions. She tried to say something, but all her words had disappeared.

He also opened his eyes and looked at her with an expression of smugness. "You are beautiful," he whispered, tracing the arc of her spine with his forefinger. "Your body is the finest bow in my hands. Slowly, I shall draw you until you are taut - and yet a dash more. Just when you cannot take it anymore, I move my finger a shade and release you. Will you let me do it?"

She nodded because her mind was somewhere in the sky floating like a ribbon the wind had robbed from a maiden's hair.

"Did I leave you speechless?" he asked even more smugly, trying to settle his breathing.

She nodded again because the ribbon had now tangled on the branch of a green linden.

"That is quite an accomplishment," he continued in the same tone.

She nodded the third time. The astonishment eased, she could form a thought in her mind and say aloud, "Do not even think you can get me off balance again if you repeat that."

"No, of course, not by repeating that," Legolas smiled, "but by doing something different, something more. Each day of our betrothal, I shall explore you and discover something new. I will search for every nook and every corner of your body. Every day, I will find new ways to stir you, and eventually, we will find ways to touch each other we cannot even think of now."

Looking at his eyes, Sulrochil blinked, but all words had vanished from her mind.

"Be warned," he whispered, enjoying her disorientation, "and finally there is a way to silence you. I might use that some time again - especially if we are in a big crowd."

"But you cannot do anything like that when others are watching!" she gasped even though her mind was still spinning.

"No," he grinned, "but I can think of doing something like that to you and force you to feel what I feel."

"You would not do that?"

"I would if you annoy me enough."

"You are incorrigible."

"And you are mine. Never forget that."

"You make it quite hard to forget," she said, beaming, and continued in a quiet voice. "We must go now. They are waiting for us."

"Sultithen, you have no idea what it means to me to have you by my side. When we go out that door, I will be proud when everyone sees you with me."

"I want to try to live up to everyone's expectations."

"No one is expecting anything of you."

"They are," Sulrochil insisted.

"What do you mean?"

"You are an exceptional warrior, one of the best to ever have lived, and as your betrothed, I am now equal to you. It means I must live up to that."

"But you are yourself one of the most remarkable warriors there ever has been. Your skills are just so unique and what you did yesterday was truly unrivalled. Everyone who has heard what you did considers your actions exceptional, including me."

"Thank you for granting that now."

"I am not going to apologize for the things I said to you yesterday. Everyone who heard us understands I said those things to you because I love you. And I cannot wait to take you with me in front of the whole army today."

"It will be strange to stand there in front of everyone."

"We will go together, you and I," Legolas said. "I guess the only rumour circling right now is that this army is now led by love. Everyone will witness our love, and want to honour us in the battle."

"We need to get ready," she said and looked at her coat hanging on the wall. Dressing up in that coat would again change who she was, who they were. For that coat was not a coat, but it was one step on the path to their unity.

"Thank you for what you did yesterday," he said reflectively, "I could not have been able to look at you in this coat then."

"That is my duty," Sulrochil said. "You are the mightiest warrior this land has ever carried. With your fierce heart and strong hands, you shield me. I must be the last stronghold of your soul so that you can always be what you are - the invincible hero this world needs now. Forever, I shall drag the attention of the on-lookers to myself, if I need to. I will act foolishly or make up thick lies if that keeps your vulnerabilities hidden from the world."

"You have done it many times," Legolas said, staring at the coat. He had not seen it earlier, but it was the truth.

"We are two sides of a single coin," Sulrochil continued. "I hide, you shine."

"A coin," Legolas whispered. "If we are a coin, forever I shall take the hits so that your side can be safe."

"You wish to keep me safe," she said. "But I also wish to keep you safe - safe to show me the weariness of your soul, and secured to know I will go to great lengths to keep it secret from everyone else."

Legolas glanced again at similar coats. The lingering pain deep in his soul almost began to surface. How many ways are there to lose her? Will this ever end? He tried to stop these hammering questions because it would not do now to let it fill their minds. He tried to shut his mind because all the pain would have to remain under the surface until later - until the war was won, until there was safety again, until they were not needed anywhere.

Sulrochil stepped beside him and pressed her ear against his upper arm. "Mellegolasdaer, I would sing you a white song of hope, but the thunder rumbles. If a shallow hint of hope in my tune exists, it is not yet known to us."

"The road did not lead us where we wanted," he replied. "But we are here now, and we need to forge a path out of here. Never will we back off, only go through whatever there is."

The flames of pain still flickered in Legolas's soul, and Sulrochil knew the only way to wrench him out of the blazes. The challenge.

Sulrochil lifted her eyes to his, pulled his soul out of the misery, shouting cheerfully, "Who's first?" she dashed towards her coat, threw it on her shoulders and with quick movements of her fingers began fastening the buttons.

It did not take long for Legolas to follow suit and he grabbed his coat. "This is unfair!" he glared at her, pushing his arms into the sleeves. "You got a head start!"

"You were not paying attention! Besides, you are a laggard!"

"A laggard?!" he said, glaring at her. "This has nothing to do with speed, but the fact that my coat has more buttons."

"It is not my problem if you are taller than a mallorn!"

"And you are smaller than a flea! That means you can jump into the buttonhole with the button!"

"Are you really suggesting you have problems with the buttons?" Sulrochil sneered. "And here I thought you were quite adept with your fingers."

"You could come here and help me with these," he pleaded in a silly whining voice, trying to sound extremely desperate, and paused the buttoning for a while. "Will you?"

Sulrochil rolled her eyes and when she had managed to fasten all her buttons, she grabbed her weapons from the floor. "Do not even dream of it!"

"And now you begin telling me what I am allowed to dream of?!" Legolas said, finishing his buttons. He did not rush to take his weaponry, though. Instead, he was all eyes when Sulrochil attached her quiver.

"I won!" Sulrochil exclaimed when she was standing wearing the coat, all weapons attached, lifting her bow high, marking her victory.

Legolas did not rush with his quiver, and when he, at last, was ready, he smiled. "No. I won."

"And how is that?" she asked, eyeing at him snidely.

"Because your ring and other items are still in the pockets of your jerkin," he said in a buoyant mood pointing at the piece of her Marchwarden clothing still lying on the floor.

"That was not in the rules!"

"Did we have rules?" Legolas wondered. "I thought the only rule was about who was ready first."

"No!" Sulrochil yelled. "It was about the coat. You are bending the rules!"

"You are doing it yourself," Legolas smiled. "Like always."

"This is unfair!" she yelled, crouching by the jerkin and digging the ring out of the pocket.

"Most unfair, indeed," he said, "for me to be forced to listen to your ravings about nothing again."

"How can I take the ring with me anyway, because I have no pocket for it?" Sulrochil argued, shoving all her other things into the pockets of her new coat.

"I suppose you do have eyes and can use them?" Legolas smiled, tugging the lapel of her coat.

Sulrochil tucked her forefinger under her coat and finally found the tiny pocket. "So, you asked the seamstress to sew the pocket on my coat?"

"There was no need for that," he replied. "She has been sewing that kind of pocket on my clothes for over two millennia, and she only made a wild guess that it would be you who would need it from now on. Besides, I saw the pocket when you pulled the lapels together over your chest and began buttoning."

"Of course you saw," Sulrochil said and patted his shoulder. "Your eyes are always locked there."

"And you missed seeing the pocket in the first place because your eyes were occupied elsewhere," he said. "Do I need to clarify where?"

Sulrochil gave him a simpering smile and avoided his question. "And was the seamstress sure I would not be wearing the ring all the time?"

"Of course, because you are so squeamish about your hiding. As if any ring or whatnot could have any effect on it."

"It could!"

"Aye, it goes without saying," Legolas said, waving his hand in the direction of the ring, "Now put it on your finger so we can finally go and get amused looks."

Side by side, they walked to the dining hall, which was already full of people eating breakfast. Everyone was carrying weapons, shields and armour - you could almost hear the swords clanging and see the blood already spilling. All eyes turned to look at the couple coming through the door, all lips in the hall began smiling at the pair with similar coats, with similar confidence, with similar pride. All people in this room knew this war was the last of the elves - and it was one to be won. All hearts in the hall felt the air of love the couple brought into the room.

It was like a whisper of wind in the vast wilderness.


Author's Note:

Now that we finally got these two here, I'll take a bit longer break before tackling the last chapters. This has been a strange year, and I need time off. Hopefully, I can publish the next chapter in February.

I live in the backwoods of Finland, and so far we've been quite safe, but now the pandemic has finally reached our neighbourhood, even though we have been doing everything we can to avoid it. This virus is awful - but who am I to tell you that? You all know it better than me. I hope you and your loved ones are safe. For the whole year, I've been grieving over the sad news all over the world, but now it's the reality also here. At work, I'm in charge of the customers' and employees' safety in our establishment - and it feels like I'm trying to learn tightrope walking.

Christmas couldn't arrive at a better time.

On another note, the statistics of this site are broken, and I have no idea anymore if there are readers to this story. The only occasions I know someone is reading is whenever someone decides to fav/follow the story or to leave a review. So, please, if you are reading this now, leave a comment - I really need them. Before, when the statistics used to work well, the reader count was all the time growing. Now, an occasional click every once in a while - so I don't know if anyone's here anymore.

I honestly would appreciate it if you took your time to say something about the story. What made you read this far? What would you like to see in the final battles and after that? Thank you in advance!

Merry Christmas! Hyvää joulua!