The wind sang sweetly over the falling golden and red leaves, making them float in the chilled breeze. The orange carpet that now covered the ample green grass of the Palace's gardens crunched deafly underneath her slow footsteps. Far through the thick golden canopy the Sun was setting in the horizon, the cool afternoon air slowly dying away in bright rays of red and pink that painted the sparse floating clouds in all shades of orange and violet.
Almost absentmindedly, she gripped her deep cerulean cloak closer to her body against the icy gentle breeze that lazily brushed her loose strands of ash colored hair over her shoulders. This would be a cold winter, the end of autumn was already proving to be colder than usual. Not that the cold bothered her, as elves were not affected by it, but it still felt more comfortable to be huddled underneath the thick heavy cloak.
The faint chirping of a bird could be heard somewhere among the dense canopy above her head, merging harmoniously with the sound of the wind ruffling against the dry leaves. Late afternoon had become her preferred time to escape from the crowded halls of the Palace and walk through the usually deserted gardens. The few times she had opted for taking walks earlier in the afternoon she had found herself running into many finely dressed ladies that seemed to have had the same idea as her, hence being forced into polite little conversations that she did not really care about.
Besides, the past two weeks had given her a new reason to prefer her walks through the gardens at this late hour instead, just when the sun was beginning to set and the chores of the day where usually over. She never knew for sure whether or not she would find him there, always in the same secluded garden facing the overly large pond with the floating water lilies. And in part it was the thrill of the unexpected that kept her coming to the same garden every afternoon. Some days she would find him there, sitting casually in the long chaises by the water's edge, normally reading something or simply lost in thought. Other times she would have to wait some time for him to show up briefly before they both had to retire for dinner, and other times he did not come at all. Yet she could always come, even if just for the possibility of him showing up at some point.
The meetings were odd, yet refreshing, never planned, never set in advance. And just as he had been almost every time they met, she could never really foresee just how distant or how invested he would be in their short conversations. She felt as if every day was the Autumn feast all over again. Some afternoons he would talk more freely, a few times even laugh, yet others he would barely say a word at all. The only thing constantly present was that careful wall that seemed to surround him, that glassy emerald barrier that sealed away all the swirling thoughts and power in the depths of his forest green eyes.
She had also learned that he was not entirely comfortable with her calling him by his given name, even though he had given her permission to do so. And yet, she had somehow managed to know when to call him by his first name and when not, as if slowly but surely she could start reading his mood, using his first name only on those days she found him more talkative. And still she kept coming, every afternoon, every day more eager than the next, longing more and more to spend a few minutes in his presence, even if he would not talk.
Her thin fingers pushed a long strand of her ash colored hair behind her left ear, her feet rounding the corner into the very familiar garden she had been looking for. The vast pond came first into view, the black still surface mirroring the oranges and reds o the sky above. A few tall trees hunched over the water's edge to one side, long branches softly kissing the water surface with their bright golden leaves.
He was there. Her lips curved up into the faintest of smiles as her feet slowly guided her towards the figure currently laying down on one of the long chaises. Her smile only grew slightly in surprise as she rounded the piece of furniture. The Crown Prince of Mirkwood lay completely asleep, deep emerald eyes glazed over and staring lost into space, fine hair fanning softly over the cushions. A soft warm feeling spread over her heart at the sight. For the first time, fast asleep, he looked completely unguarded, the handsome features of his marble face looking so peaceful, completely relaxed. He looked tired. One of his pale hands lay softly over the cushion underneath his head while the other lay hanging from the edge of the chaise.
Her eyes turned down to the grass, where a book lay in a forgotten heap by his hanging hand, lying half-way open with the pages wrinkling messily from where it had obviously slipped from his steady grip. Silently, she bent down to pick it up, being as careful as she could with the damaged pages, gently unfolding all the wrinkling corners so that his book did not get ruined. And yet, as her fingers carefully arranged the messed pages, she noticed that instead of the fine neat writing she had expected to find on the yellowing parchments, her eyes fell on perfectly traced images. These were drawings. And they were flawless, her eyes glued to the thousands of delicate lines that outlined the perfect shape of the tree in the center of the page she was currently arranging. Had he drawn this? She had to suppress a nervous giggle from forcing its way out of her lips. If it had been him to draw this, then oh Valar he must have been laughing so much at her horrid attempt at drawing the water lilies some weeks ago.
She wanted to flip through the pages, to find out just how many drawings lay hidden in the interiors of this book, yet she gently closed it shut. She would not go through his stuff while he was asleep and could not consent to it. Instead, she made her way to the tiny side table next to where slept, the hem of her dress brushing deafly against the soft green grass. Gently, she placed the book on the table, noticing a half-drunk cup of tea sitting forgotten upon the surface. Her eyes narrowed slightly, immediately picking up the faint smell of pain relieving herbs infused in the tea, her honey colored irises immediately flying to look back at the Crown Prince, only to find still peacefully asleep. Was something wrong that she had missed?
She did not have the heart to wake him, instead moving to sit down on the empty chaise next to him as silently as she could, letting her eyes dance lazily over the floating lilies. She had always found this pond so strange yet so fascinating. The majority of the water lilies floated clustered in the center of the pond, very few lay near the edges.
She did not know exactly for how long she sat there, never once growing bored as the red sky turned slowly into violent and then into black, the pale half-moon casting a frail trail of light over the water mirror. It was only after one or two hours after the Sun had set that the Crown Prince stirred from his slumber, her eyes softly moving to his figure. His emerald blinked dazedly a couple of times fingers rubbing the sleep from his eyelids.
"Good Morning." She spoke softly, his surprised eyes turning immediately to glance in her direction as if for the first time realizing that he was not alone. She had chosen her seat carefully, sitting on the piece of furniture next to him yet keeping the small side table in between them, allowing a distance that she knew he was comfortable with.
A small smile flashed in her direction, accompanied by a nod of his head as his still blinking eyes turned to look at his surroundings with a slightly furrowed brow, as if slightly confused that it was currently completely dark outside, and she had to suppress a giggle at his uncharacteristically puzzled expression. And then his eyes widened slightly, nearly jumping as he suddenly sat up straight on the chaise, impenetrable and powerful irises turning to look at her direction.
"Nobody came looking for me?" He asked, and judging by the puzzled and slightly startled look on his serene face she could read that he had most certainly been expecting someone to come wake him at some point.
"Nobody has come." She answered, her voice as calmed and soft as before, yet a light chuckle escaped her lips as she was quick to guess his predicament. "Did you miss a meeting or something?"
A faint smile grew on the corner of his lips as he rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head in his hands. He still looked somewhat tired, and yet the fact that he had remained less guarded than usual made her heart flutter all the more warmly.
"I did." He said, those endless unreadable eyes turning to look at her briefly before he casually lay back down against the cushions, her heart once again slightly swelling at that tiny seemingly insignificant action. Yet with him, it said tons, understanding that around her he did not feel the need to always sit up perfectly straight and composed. Still she could not help but feel a pang of worry appearing at the pit of her stomach as he casually lay back down, her eyes momentarily flying to the now cold cup of healing tea.
"Are you all right?" She asked cautiously, proud that she still managed to sound perfectly casual and calmed not reacting when, as expected, his powerful unreadable eyes flew once again in her direction, piercing at her silently from long moments.
She did not miss as his eyes quickly, almost imperceptibly, shifted to where the forgotten cup lay on the small side table before returning to glance at her, knowing exactly from where her question came from.
"Had a headache." He spoke, his expression always perfectly calmed and composed as those immensely powerful emerald eyes continued to stare at her as sealed and silent as the blackened mirror of the pond's surface. She could not tell whether he was telling the truth or whether he had made up a lie, but she dismissed the thoughts, knowing that he would add more if he wanted to.
"Are you in trouble for missing whatever meeting it is you missed?" She changed the subject, absently crossing her legs, letting herself sit back comfortably against the sold silk cushions. Part of her had wanted to call him by his name right away, yet another part of her told her to wait a while, not wanting for him to tense and back away once more, especially since this night felt like of those night sin which he was up for talking more freely. Her heart was already fleeting inside her chest as she tried her best to appear as composed as he did. And yet it somehow saddened her that he always felt the need to be a little distant, even through the times where he let some of his barriers down.
"The guards knew I was here." A soft smile drew on his face as he spoke, the barely noticeable casual tone in his voice letting her know that he felt more at ease talking to her than he had some weeks ago. The thought of that making her suddenly nervous, almost oddly scared. And yet she could still feel the faint stirring of her spirit, as if slowly fluttering more and more whenever in his presence, frail and barely there, yet fascinating and nerve-wracking. "If none of them came wake me then I guess I was excused from attending."
His eyes danced briefly over the book now laying on the little side table, and she could tell he knew she had been the one to place it there.
"I dropped it?" He concluded, a hint of wariness suddenly flashing over his calmed sealed eyes, and she instantly knew that whatever it was he had in this book he did not appreciate seen, and she was glad she had decided not to invade in his privacy.
"Quite messily, I must add." She kept her casual tone going. Conversation had always come easy to her. "I placed it there so that it would not get ruined on the grass."
"Thank you." He nodded his head slightly and she was again faced with that nerve wracking feeling that his eyes could see straight through her. And she somehow knew that he was very well aware that she had not looked through the pages, giving her that unsettling feeling of not knowing exactly which of the two he was thanking her for.
"Do you know why the lilies grow only in the center of the pond?" She asked the question that had been nagging her mind for the long hours she had sat there waiting for him to wake, once again managing to change the subject of the conversation.
"It is shallower there." He answered, as if it was a well-known thing, his perfectly serene face turning to look in her direction as he slowly sat up on the chaise to face her better. "They cannot grow where it is deep."
"In the center of the pond?" A thin eyebrow rose on her forehead, slightly puzzled yet intrigued by his answer. "It is shallower in the center of the pond?"
"Yes." He answered. That soft smile that made butterflies flutter inside her stomach suddenly appearing in his face.
"Have you ever seen a pond, my Lord?" She let out a light laugh, her eyes now openly mocking him. "They tend to be shallower at the edges and deeper as you approach the center, that is what makes water stand still in them in the first place"
This time, one of his eyebrows rose high on his forehead, and for a split second that glassy barrier in his emerald eyes seemed to lessen somewhat. "I can assure you it is shallower where you see the water lilies, which is in the center."
"You sound so sure about it."
"Do you wish I prove it to you?" A faint hint of a smirk crossed his unreadable emerald eyes, an expression that she had never before seen on his face, and she suddenly had the unquestionable feeling that if she accepted she would be most certainly proved wrong.
"Prove how?" She let her honey colored eyes stare deeply into his, unwavering, already feeling that she would be wrong but already temped by his request. For the first time, the faint gleam in his powerful eyes seemed to hold an undeniable teasing spark she had seen so many times on Legola's eyes before, except that his face remained as gentle and serene as always. Oh yes, she about to be proven wrong.
"What would you be willing to bet that I can get to the water lilies without going deeper than knee length in the water?" That took her by surprise, yet she could not suppress her grin from growing larger, seriously considering his words.
She already suspected, and most certainly rightly, that should she accept she would lose. But then again, the faint possibility of wining the bet and watching him accidentally falling into the pond sounded too good to pass by. Besides, how would he even attempt to get there in the first place without going further that knee deep? Then a sudden thought crossed her mind. Maybe the entire pond was shallow, and he already knew that?
Considering his words but not yet giving an answer, Indilene rose to her feet, making her silent way towards the water's edge, where a few worn down stone steps disappeared into the black inert surface. She was not going to let him outwit her so easily. Searching around until she found a long enough stick on the ground – longer than what would be his knee-length- she proceeded to insert the stick into the water trying to feel where the bottom was.
She nearly dropped the stick as she heard a chorus of chuckles right behind her, that free round of peaceful laughter she had heard only very occasionally. She had not heard him following her. She was growing to like that sound, so uncharacteristically carefree and unguarded.
"Are you testing the depth of the pond?" His eyebrow rose again, phrasing the statement as a question even though she knew he was already sure of what she was doing.
She did not answer, shaking her head slightly as she continued to insert the stick into the water, going deeper and deeper until her whole hand was submerged in the ice cold liquid, the stick not yet reaching the bottom. It was deeper than the knee. Valar, it seemed even deeper than the waist if not more.
"Even if where the lilies are the pond is shallower, as you say, you cannot possibly get there without swimming." She added, a victorious smile forming on her lips, yet still wondering what it was he had in mind.
"And if I can?" Now it was his eyes the ones to mock her, his long light blond hair glistening in silver undertones at the pale moonlight. He was standing close to her now, closer than he usually would at least, towering a whole head over her.
"Well then I will admit that I was wrong." She added quickly letting out a light laugh as she continued. "But if you do go deeper than the knee – which is most likely to happen- you still have to reach the water lilies, even if you have to swim all the way there"
His emerald eyes narrowed at her request seeming to ponder on it for a short time. "Very well. I will do that. But it should be the same case for you. If I do get there without going deeper than the knee, then it is you who have to swim to the water lilies."
She considered it for a moment, weighing the odds of her loosing. But by Elbereth who was she kidding, of course she would agree to it, if only to see him try.
"Very well." She finally said, crossing her arms over her chest, her heart once again fluttering at the smile that grew on his lips, that rare unguarded smile, almost reserved, that she was now sure very few elves had ever witnessed.
Then, without another word, the Crown Prince suddenly slipped his shoes off, the fine leather slippers – which she had seen elves wear usually with their formal robes around the palace- now completely discarded at the water's edge. Then he proceeded to unclasp his thick deep green cloak from around his shoulders, letting it drop casually over the grass, and for the first time she noticed that he had indeed been wearing formal robes underneath, no doubt dressed up for the meeting he did not attend.
She watched in silence, trying to suppress her chuckles as he stepped into the first stone step, now ankle deep in the water, a sudden very un-princely expression crossing his face, making it impossible for her to suppress her amusement any longer.
"It is cold." He complained, and she suddenly understood what his expression had meant.
"I know. I touched it." They may not be susceptible to the cold as men where, but that did not mean that the incredibly low temperatures of the water would feel at all pleasant. The water was freezing. "Do you still wish to swim there?"
"You will be the one swimming here." He spoke as he turned his back to her, looking deeply at the water surface for a long second.
"Are you having second thoughts?" Emerald eyes glared at her briefly. Not answering her before he suddenly took a calculated long step forward. And to her surprise he still remained ankle deep only.
She watched as he took a second, then a third, then a fourth step forward, always managing to stay ankle deep, holding the front of his robes as to not trip over them. He was far from the edge of the pong now, but still only half-way to the center of it. She had also noticed that he did not walk in a straight line, every step slightly zig-zagging, and he always waited for a couple of long seconds before taking the next step. His steps also varied in length, some short and some nearly making him jump. And she nearly kicked herself at how naïve she had been. He was walking over rocks. He had known where the tall rocks lay underneath the black surface. Yet it was so strange, so refreshing to see him acting like that, almost completely devoid of his Crown Prince façade. There was so much more to him that she barely even knew.
By the seventh step he seemed to stop longer than before, and even from the distance she could see his emerald eyes concentrating hard on the water surface, seeming to be searching all around him.
"Are you stuck?" She called from the water's edge, managing his head to turn in her direction.
"It is a little too far." He admitted from the distance.
"Then come back." She called, waving a hand in his direction even though he did not see it. "I believe you now. It is not worth you falling in the pond." That would be cruel with the water this cold, not matter how amusing the sight would be.
And yet, contrary to her words he leaped forward, splashing loudly over the water as the hem of his robes got completely wet. However, he did manage to land precisely on the rock he had been looking at underneath the water, still not going deeper and the ankle. After that the path seemed to become easier, and in nearly no time he was standing there, ankle deep now in the middle of the thousands of floating water lilies. And she had been proven wrong.
"Fine, you win." She called, pulling her cloak closer to her body against the sudden chilly wind, but made no attempt to fulfil her part of the bet.
"You have to come here too, remember?" His voice was gentle, yet she did not miss the teasing tone in it, as he waited in the center of the pond.
She was about to complain, thinking about it for a second before deciding that it was only fair that she did her part. Yet there was no way she would throw herself to swim on that freezing water! Instead, she too discarded her own slippers and cloak, stepping down onto the first stone step just like he had done previously. And Valar the water was cold, making let out a squeak that he silently laughed at.
Her eyes searched frantically over the water surface, but all she could see was a perfectly still black mirror. She could see nothing underneath! How did he manage to see where the rocks where?
"Where do I go now?" She laughed, only glad that did not seem to mind at all that she had chosen to walk to where he was instead of swimming as she had agreed.
"To your left." A pale finger pointed in that direction from the distance, yet no matter how much she looked she still could not spot the rock. Was she supposed to just jump blindly? But then how was she supposed to know how far to jump?
"I cannot see anything!" She was starting to regret her decision, trying to make up her mind between jumping in the direction he had said and simply stepping out of the water while she still could.
"Just look at the water." She obeyed, letting her eyes fall on the indicating point staring deeply at the pitch black surface. "The water is not completely still. It will eventually splash lightly where the tip of the rock is, wait for it."
She was about to protest at his words when she saw it. Almost too faintly for a looking eye to notice, the water did splash to her left, indicating there was something shallow underneath. But how had he noticed this in the first place? Deciding to go against her odds, she took the leap of faith, nearly crying out in surprise when she indeed landed on something shallow instead of falling all the way to her head in ice cold water.
"Now look slightly to your right, not too much." She once again followed the instructions of his gentle voice looking in the indicated direction. "Wait for the water to touch the stone."
And she saw it once more, the faint splash of white over the still dark surface. And she jumped once more, once again surprised at her safe landing. And it was the same routine for the remainder of the obscured path through the hidden rocks. She would wait for him to indicate the direction and then she would look until she could see where the rock lay hidden underneath. And then, sooner than she had anticipated she found herself stepping into a vast expanse of smooth flat stone, a hand carefully curling over her arm to stabilize her after the last jump.
"This is completely flat." She exclaimed bewildered, her heart still skipping a bit at the soft sensation of his slender fingers still curler over her thin arm. He had never touched her before, not once, only that gentle tap on the shoulder the day of the Autumn Festival, and she did not know why but she had not imagined his strong grip to be this gentle. It only lasted a short second though, his fingers quickly letting go of her once she had found her footing.
Her eyes immediately danced over the thousands of flower lilies pooling at her feet. They looked larger from closer, the delicate white petals shimmering in silver and platinum at the moon light. Yet she was still surprised at the perfectly flat stone surface her feet where currently standing on. It was much too large to be a rock, and, as she took a couple of steps forward, going deeper and deeper through the lilies, she found out that it was not made from one piece of stone but many, pieces perfectly cut in squares to fit against one another.
"This is a constructed platform." She was unable to hide her puzzlement from showing on her face at her discovery, her deep hazel eyes searching for his impenetrable emerald ones.
"It used to be above water but the river has flooded it over the years. And the lilies took over." Was all he offered as an explanation, once again making her feel incredibly young next to him. It felt so odd being there, in the middle of the pond but only ankle deep, having nothing but a mirror of black water surrounding her from all sides. She was sure they must have looked overly strange standing there if anyone where to look from the water's edge.
"Do you like them?" The question took her off guard, her head once again turning to meet his silent emerald eyes, only to find two orbs of liquid green, as deep as the forest around, making her slightly petrify in her spot, unable to look away. There was no barrier. For the first time she was seeing straight into his endless eyes, swirling so gentle, so powerful, drowning her in their vast swirling expanse.
"I do." She answered, knowing that he was talking about the water lilies. "But I am not sure I like what is happening underneath."
He laughed at that, once again that soft melodic laughter, so free yet always mildly quiet, and she knew he could tell she was talking about all the roots and moss and stems that led to the beautiful pure white flowers floating over the surface. They felt sticky over her bare feet, sometimes brushing uncomfortably against her ankles, feeling ticklish.
"You knew there was a path to get here." She accused him, once again wanting to call him by his name but not wanting to spoil the moment in case it was one of those nights in which he felt uncomfortable about it, especially now that he seemed to be letting her in.
"I did." He smirked softly. "I used to tease Tadion into following me only to watch him fall into the pond."
"You never told him where to step?"
"No." He confessed, and she did not know why but it made another round of light laughter escape her lips. "Let us head back before the water gets even colder."
She nodded her head at his words, following him as he started the march back through the hidden stones. The way back was resulting way easier than the way going, probably because this time he would wait on a rock and extend his arm for her to reach where he stood before he jumped to the next. And sooner than she had expected they had once again found that tricky space where a rock was a little too far away. He made the jump easily and extended his arm to catch her. But of course it would be her the one to have the ill luck. She did manage to land into the rock but right on the edge of it, waving her arms frantically to regain her balance, and pushing him as he tried to help her not fall.
Everything happened so fast. She waves her arms frantically around her to regain her balance, and she felt him trying to grasp her wrist as she pushed him. The water suddenly splashed loudly, her arms immediately flying to cover her face form the splattering drops, and she was vaguely aware that the hands that had been trying to stabilize her were suddenly gone. Her eyes grew wide, her mouth hanging half-open in a pout that resembled that of an elfling after having broken her mother's most precious vase.
A light blond head broke through the dark surface, long arms swaying around him to stay afloat. It was a wonder he could swim at all with all the weight from his robes. She opened her mouth to speak when she felt something cold suddenly sliding from her wrist. She moved quick, frantically trying to catch the slipping sapphire bracelet, the garment sliding through her clumsy fingers, bouncing once on the shallow rock before diving in the water with a silent splash. He had also quickly reacted, his hands flying up in time to catch it but being slightly too far away to do so, a suddenly very endearing alarmed and panicked expression crossing his face. He had accidentally unclasped it while trying to prevent her from pushing him in.
She was about to wave it off, but he was already diving underwater, trying to catch the lost bracelet while it sunk always deeper and deeper, but she already knew it was a lost cause. The water was pitch dark.
"I cannot see anything." A guilty expression crossed through his face as his head once again broke through the water, thick drops sliding down his cheeks and hair, making the pale strands look darker than usual.
"It is all right." She added quickly, offering him a gentle smile, trying to prevent him from going underwater once more. He would not be able to find it in this darkness. "Besides, I did not like that one that much." She lied, trying to wave him off from searching again.
"You like all of your bracelets." He contradicted her, his deep green robes swirling heavily around him in the water as he slowly glided to the rock upon which she crouched. And she was once again surprised at how much he noticed, how many details he saw.
"I will live without this one." She added with a laugh, trying to wave it off as unimportant He seemed overly guilty about it.
"I am sorry I pushed you." Was all that left her mouth, her eyes still wide as a round of nervous giggles left her mouth once he reached her side, still floating in the water. Yet to her utter surprise, he was laughing too, once again that carefree real laugh that she had grown used to for this night. For once the expression on his face did not seem as perfectly serene and composed, but open, smiling widely. And her heart one again swelled lightly at the sight. He was having fun.
"Is it too deep?" She asked having noticed that he had not stopped swimming in order to keep his head above water. He could not reach the bottom.
"Cold is what it is." Even his voice sounded different, as if for a moment he had completely let go of his clamed and composed demeanor, for once allowing him to enjoy himself freely. "And deep." He laughed. "It is very deep here"
And with that she saw his head disappear once more underneath the water, leaving her to wait a few long moments before it emerged again, taking a long gulp of air. "I cannot reach the bottom even if I try. Your bracelet is lost."
"You are going to freeze, Arahaelon." His name slipped unnoticed from her lips before she could stop to think, and yet this time he did not seem to mind it too much, her hands trying to reach for him to pull him up to the rock where she was now crouching. The hem of her dress was entirely soaked by now, but she guessed she could survive that. For a second she feared that he would grab her extend hand and pull her in, but was glad when did not attempt that.
"I will meet you at the shore." He laughed once more, starting his slow steady swim over to where the few stone steps reached the grass outside. She was about to protest but found that it was indeed easier if only one person stood on the rocks instead of two, besides he was already soaked!
He helped her out of the last stone steps, her hand gripping to his fingers tightly for leverage. His skin was freezing. Absently drying her feet before slipping on her shoes once more she took a long glance at him. The tall and regal Crown Prince was dripping wet from head to toe, the lush bright green of his elegant robes now looking as dark as the pond as it continued to drip onto the grass, his hands placing the now drenched strand of his long hair behind his right ear. It was a sight that would be hard to forget, and a sight that few people would believe if she were to tell anyone.
"You must be freezing." She instantly approached him, her gentle hand moving to rest on his cheek before she had even realized it, before she could stop herself. It was so easy for her to approach others casually, enjoying closeness, that she constantly had to remind herself that for him it was not the same.
His cheek was softer than she had expect, and she pulled her hand immediately away not only at the sudden way in which he tensed at the unexpected contact, but at just how ice cold his now dripping skin felt. Even an elf would be shivering while drenched in water this cold and stepping out into the night.
And yet, what surprised her the most and made her stifle a silent gasp was when suddenly his cold fingers captured her retiring hand, slowly, almost tentatively placing it back over his cheek, just like she had previous done. She was sure that from this distance he would be able to hear her heart drumming loudly like a caged bird. He was always so unpredictable, so impossible to read. He standing so close to her now, closer than he had ever been, closer than any other elf had been to her. She could feel his eyes drowning hers, falling endlessly in those orbs of liquid forest, so powerful, so gentle, trapping her completely. His face was less than an inch from hers, so close she could feel his warm breath caressing her skin, his lips brushing against hers…
He suddenly pulled away, and the faint sound of approaching voices reached her ears, his lips placing instead a quick kiss on her cheek before he was already patiently slipping on his shoes and picking up his discarded robe and book. And Valar, whoever were the elves that choses than precise moment to take stroll through the neighboring garden she already disliked them so much, her heart sinking deeply inside her chest.
"I should head back inside before it gets later." She spoke quietly, managing to keep her voice sounding gentle and unaffected, she too slipping her cloak around her shoulders, pulling close to her at the cold air, thin droplets of rain starting to sprinkle from the night sky. It looked like she would get drenched after all.
"I will walk you, Indilene." His voice was calmed, once again that kind serene tone, and yet a smile grew on her face, her heart somehow not feeling as sunken as it had before. He had used her name, and she was happy to find out how much she liked the sound of it in his voice.
They did encounter the two elves that she now despised on their way back through the gardens, and although both of them greeted the Crown Prince with respectful bows of the head she did not even through a glance at them. To her slight disappointment, yet as she had expected, Arahaelon once again walked at a certain distance from her, any bystander would guess that he was merely politely accompanying her on her way back to the Palace. But she did not really mind that.
What had started out as a weak drizzle had turned into full pouring rain by the time they reached the long open terraces, and she found herself overly glad to step underneath the high ceiling, already drenched from head to toe. She did not even have time to say anything else to him, for as soon as they had stepped into the ample terraces, a familiar tall figure was already approaching him, dressed in a simple but elegant light blue tunic.
"Did the rain wake you?" Prince Tadion's carefree and teasing voice called to his brother as he approached, not seeming to have paid attention to her presence. Not wanting to draw any attention either, and simply slip away unseen she took one last glance at the Crown Prince, meeting his emerald eyes for a short second before offering him a small smile, continuing her way through the terraces and away from the Private Quarters of the Palace.
"How did you know I was asleep?" She could hear Arahaelon's voice answering as he too joined his brother in heading towards the opposite direction she went.
"You did not show up for dinner." Tadion's voice sounded farther now, his tone always teasing, always easy and casual before it suddenly turned into a lower more serious one. "Do you feel better?"
She did not hear anything else, her feet already taking her through the familiar labyrinth of long hallways and pointed arches, heading to the set of spacious chambers she now called home.
The rain did not let up the next day, nor the day after that, and not for the whole week, and she found herself slightly saddened of not being able to resume her visits to the garden. She had instead once again found herself submerged in her daily routine of helping her aunt in whatever it was she was doing, all thoughts of the night lit pond and the shallow platform with the water lilies momentarily forgotten, drifting off to the back of her mind.
Yet it all came back to her, detail by detail on a particular night, way after dinner when her uncle suddenly joined her and her aunt on the balcony, his face contorted into a puzzled expression as he held on to a small silver wrapped box.
"Were you expecting something to be brought here, Celairil?" Her uncle's deep blue eyes turned to meet his wife's equally puzzled grey eyes as she shook her head lightly, her uncle lowering himself to sit down next to her on the elegant couch. His long formal burgundy robes trailed his feet around his movements, and she could see that his long ash colored hair was still perfectly braided.
"Does it not have a name on it?" Her aunt questioned, pale hand reaching for the little box as her uncle shook his head lightly. Indilene let her eyes wonder to the box too, curious as she found that it did have a small tag attached to it, woven in the thin golden ribbon.
And her heart skipped a beat, a smile drawing on her face. "It is for me." Was all she offered as an explanation, trying to ignore the looks her aunt and uncle were suddenly throwing her. There, tied with the golden ribbon was a small piece of parchment, and yet instead of a name, instead of any written words were a collection of messily placed squiggly lines, lines that although reading nothing said too much to her. It was just what he written on that tiny piece of parchment during the Autumn Feast. The box was from Arahaelon, and nobody, except for her would know that.
Her finger's instantly opened the box, too aware yet not able to care less as her aunt and uncle continued to study her carefully. And she could not name what she felt, only knowing that her heart had never beating as fast, as warmly as it did as her eyes fell upon the contents of the box. Inside, in a soft velvet cushion lay four delicate bracelets, each the most exquisite ones her eyes had ever seen, and each adorned with a different precious gem: One in emeralds, one in rubies, one pearls and one in sapphires.
"It looks like your daughter is being mysteriously courted, Laeronor." Her aunts' soft voice chimed from her felt, and she did not miss the teasing mirthful tone in the usually sweet and motherly sound. Her aunt and uncle had always called her their daughter, even if she was in truth their niece, but they had raised her since she was in infant. She called them Ada and Nana too when addressing them.
Yet her uncle did not seem even half as pleased at the news as her aunt had been, his face adopting that serious expression that appeared at every feast every time an ellon approached her with an invitation to dance. But she did not hear whatever it was he added next, her fingers picking up the little note that was left in the bottom on the box. Scribbled with his slanted elegant calligraphy read only one word:
Sorry
On the back of the note there were also only two short sentences.
You never wear less than three.
And another for the one lost.
Finally here is chapter 4! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Please let me know what you think!
Again thank you so much to those of you who reviewed my previous chapter, this chapter is specially for you! Amsim, BigBadBayMare, Witchy, Yaulewen, Jibril and guest!
Also this story is dedicated especially to Martine9295 for always keeping these characters alive! I hope you are having an AMAZING day!