She shifted her hold on the pile of books, stopping momentarily in her walk as she tried to manage a more comfortable way of holding up the massive weight. Oh, why had she taken this many books from the library! And still she could not resist, and probably would have taken more if she had been able to make the pile she was carrying taller without it falling over her. She should have opted for making two trips instead of trying to take all these books in only one go. At least she was almost half-way to her family's chambers in the Palace.
She turned left at the corner, stepping into the long thin hallways that lined an ample inner courtyard, having to tilt her head lightly in order to watch where she stepped. The ice cold breeze of winter toyed with her loose hair as it filtered through the stone pointed arches that lined the corridor, at times threatening to push her pile of books off balance, and making the many trees and bushes that adorned the courtyard waltz and sing to their own intimate tune.
"What are you doing?" The calmed voice made her stop in her tracks, her head turning to glance behind her in surprise, immediately recognizing that powerful quiet sound.
The Crown Prince approached her in long graceful strides, coming from the opposite side of the narrow hallway. Her lips curved up lightly at the sight of him looking oddly different without the usual rich robes, currently in an elegant simple light tunic and leggings, the soft blue fabric adorned in silver embroidery in the patterns of leaves and vines.
He easily reached her side and she was once again reminded of how tall he was, towering nearly a full head over her. His long light blond hair cascaded down his shoulders and back, neatly combed and braided, piercing emerald eyes fixed on her, narrowed slightly in puzzlement.
"I am taking these to my chambers." She smiled lightly as she spoke, watching as his eyes swept up and down the pile of books. She had not expected to see him before late afternoon.
"All of these?" A fair eyebrow rose high on his forehead, and she wondered if he too was thinking that she had indeed taken too many books from the library. "I will take them."
He did not give her a chance to reply before she felt some of the weight being lifted from her hands, and she felt herself almost regaining feeling along her partially cramped arms. She let out a silent sigh of relief, readjusting her hold on the now very small pile of books that still lingered on her hands, but slender fingers were suddenly taken those from her as well, leaving her hands completely free.
"I can help take some. You have left me empty-handed." She offered, feeling somewhat useless with nothing on her hands. And still he made carrying that pile of books seem so easy, and she would have believed they weighed nothing had she not been struggling to carry them only seconds before. In his hands, the books looked made out of air.
"I will carry them." The lightest of chuckles filtered through his voice, almost seeming offended at her insistence of not letting him carry all of the books. "You lead the way."
She relented easily and without argument, in truth relieved as her hands and arms were finally free of the massive weight, and she allowed herself to calmly walk beside him as they continued through the long narrow hallway, leaving the open courtyard behind. She noticed that he walked slower than usual, as if peacefully pacing with no rush to get anywhere.
She was only glad that these parts of the Palace were mostly empty, for she was sure that it must have been an odd sight to see the Crown Prince carrying her pile of books when he could have easily asked any servant or maid to help her instead.
"No meetings today?" She could not hold back a smile as her eyes turned to look in his direction, that warm fluttering feeling fleeting in her stomach as those swirling emerald irises, so open and so unreadable, turned to meet her.
"No." Was his casual reply, lips curving up in the ghost of a smile that touched the corner of his silently gleaming eyes. "I have the afternoon free."
Those simple words made her heart suddenly beat loudly in excitement. She had barely seen him the past week, only once had he showed up to their unplanned meetings by the pond, and he had been so exhausted and sleep deprived that he had fallen asleep within minutes. Apparently there had been some foreign dignitaries in the Palace for some sort of negotiation, and she did not need to be told that those things required unusually long meetings and entertaining dinners and banquets.
"Left here." She indicated and they started up a majestic set of marble steps. "Where were you headed before you saw me?"
"Down to the training fields." The golden sunlight brushed his silvery strands of hair as they walked, reaching the top landing of the elegant staircase and turning right into another long intricate corridor. "I thought I might catch Tadion there and perhaps challenge him to parry."
"Do you let him win?" She once again could not hold back her smile, silently pointing for him to turn left again into another narrower hallway.
"No." Unreadable melted emerald eyes narrowed at her in amused puzzlement, and she once again found herself lost in that endless forest swirling just underneath that impenetrable surface, seeming so oddly reachable and inviting yet never fully graspable.
"He is your younger brother!" She laughed, once again trying to understand what it was like to have any siblings.
"That is precisely the reason why I do not let him win." He spoke as if it was the most obvious thing, his voice that perfectly serene sound that would command even the forest with its gentle power.
"Here." She said, stopping in front of that familiar heavenly crafted set of double doors that extended high towards the intricate ceiling. She turned the knob in an easy practiced move, letting one of the doors gently slide open, revealing the ornate interior of the small vestibule.
She silently stepped inside, holding the door as he followed her closely behind and Valar she was relieved that neither her aunt nor uncle were currently in there. She noticed that he had stopped at the doorway, his eyes silently asking her if it was all right for him to step in, and she almost laughed at it, waving with her wand for him to feel at home. She knew her uncle was working and would return late in the afternoon as was usual, and her aunt had left the Palace with some maids to go somewhere in the center of town, although she had no idea what.
She led him through the vestibule and the large Sitting Room that followed, not missing how his eyes peacefully swept left and right, not missing a single detail in the ample room. Still it felt so odd having his presence there, as if both this very familiar and room and the regal Crown Prince belonged to two different worlds. They turned left once more, and she softly opened the large door to her own bedchamber, once again holding it open for him to be able to pass through.
"Where should I put them?" The gentle sound of his voice echoed through the large room, but just a second after he had spoken the Crown Prince stopped dead in his tracks, and for a second she saw him almost imperceptibly cringe, eyes widening slightly.
And never before had she been more self-conscious about the fact that there were books lying almost everywhere inside her room, over nearly every single piece of elegant furniture. She bit her bottom lip. Suddenly, judging by his momentarily stunned expression, she had the feeling that his chambers must be the neatest and most orderly chambers in the entire Palace.
"On the bed is fine." She answered his question with a graceful movement of the hand. She knew the pile of books must be heavy, even if he made it look so easy to carry.
"No." He said flatly, stunned emerald eyes still eyeing the room in anxious astonishment, not even moving from his spot at the doorway, tall and royal even though he look as if he wanted to run away. "On the bed is not fine."
She laughed lightly, the cold breeze entering from the balcony and playing with the soft green fabric of her dress. "They must be heavy, just place on the bed. I will move them later."
"To where?" He held tightly to the pile in his arms, not seeming willing to just drop them over the perfectly made bed, and yet looking suspiciously at his surroundings as if trying any other surface that would be empty of books. And even though the couch and the couple of elegant chairs by a small table were completely empty, she knew he would not place them there either. Oh, her aunt would love him.
And still, she felt her stomach tie in a nervous knot as she figured out that her mess of books was not the only thing he was silently cringing about, his eyes not missing the still unpacked wooden chest with her things she had brought from Lorien. She had finished unpacking almost everything, but there were still a few chests left.
He did not wait for her to reply, suddenly crossing the bedchamber in graceful steps, making his way towards the already full bookcase. And then, before she could say anything, he gently lowered the pile of books he had been carrying over the marble floor in one corner, turning once more to meet her smiling eyes.
"Why is the top shelf empty?" His emerald eyes narrowed slightly in puzzlement, an amused faint smile once again curving at the corner of his lips as he motioned to the tallest self in the exquisite bookcase.
"I cannot reach." She shrugged lightly, once again finding herself incredibly entertained by his puzzlement, her stomach fluttering at the melodic sound of his quiet chuckle.
"I can reach." His eyes were already looking around at the many books spread over furniture. "Which would you like up there?"
"Arahaelon" It was her turn to laugh as she sighed crossing the room to reach his side. "Do not worry about that. Enjoy your free afternoon, I can get a maid to help me if I need it."
She spoke her words softly in between quiet chuckles. His name sounded so easy on her tongue. He rarely had any free time at all, and she did not want him to miss his time to enjoy himself. And still he stood there, eyeing the room with a strange combination of wanting to leave running and at the same time needing to put the books somewhere where they would not be a bothersome mess. And yet, he waves off her comment with an effortless move of his hand.
"No." Emerald eyes met hers, swallowing her in those gentle powerful swirls that she could understand yet not read. "There are books everywhere and there is an empty shelf. Which are the ones you have already read so that I can place them up there?"
"Arahaelon." She sighed again, unable to contain her smile at his reaction.
"There are books everywhere." He repeated in that same gentle and calmed voice that suddenly let her know that there would be no arguing that would convince of leaving this rooms in the same condition that he found it, making let out another round of light laughter. Her aunt would most definitely love him. "Which would you like up there?"
"The ones on the chair." She gave up, finding the situation too entertaining, still unable to contain her smile as he was immediately making his way to the indicate piece of furniture. "Not that chair, the one by the dresser."
"These?" He motioned to the books over the indicated chair, picking them up with extreme care at the nod from her head. And then his emerald eyes fell over the dresser's polished surface, where many of her favorite jewels lay scattered –although neatly.
"Do you not own a jewelry box?" A fair eyebrow went high on his forehead once more, even though his smile glimmered on his eyes, and she had to hold back her laugh as she understood that he was now internally debating whether to take care of her books or her jewelry. And still he had not touched anything but the indicated books, as if there was some kind of invisible line that preventing from taking anything from hers in his hands without her consent first.
"I have not unpacked them yet." She replied as she once more reached his side, taking some of the books from the chair into her own hands.
"Books first." He added silently, seeming to be speaking more to himself, as if making his mind.
She followed him back to the overly large bookcase, handing him book after book as he ever so carefully placed them all neatly on the highest shelf, taking his time and being gentle with every single one of them. And to her surprise, after he had neatly placed all the books that lying on the chair, there was still some space left on the shelf.
"Now the ones on the other chair." She anticipated his question, answering him before he could ask, smiling widely and shaking her head lightly as he went to take the new indicated pile of books.
And once again she stood next to him, carefully handing him the books as he stretched his arm all the way up in order to reach the shelf. Said shelf, however, was full before they could finish placing the books from the second chair, three of them still left in his hands.
"Those three you can return to the chair." She pointed out, immediately laughing at the un-princely expression that crossed his face.
"Nothing is returning to the chair." He was chuckling now, as if the questioning her sanity, and she felt a warm feeling fill her heart as she read in his eyes that somehow –strangely enough- he was having fun. "The chair is to sit down."
"Then over the bed." She offered another solution, and she was once again not surprised at his immediate shake of the head.
"The bed is to sleep. No items on the bed." He clarified, not letting her take the books from his hands as if he knew she would place them over the bed if he let her have them.
"They can go over the bed during the day, leaving the chair empty to sit, and then I can move them over the chair in order to free the bed to sleep." She rationalized, even though she knew her words were only making him cringe more. She did not need her bed free during the day. She would only sleep there at night!
"No." He laughed stubbornly once more, emerald eyes turning to scan every single inch of the packed bookcase. "We can place them over the bookshelf. See how the decorations on the sides extend a little higher? Those will prevent the line of books from falling sideways."
Why had she not thought about that before? Now that she looked up at the tall bookcase she could see that they could easily manage to build up an entire new row of books using the top of the bookcase as an additional shelf. Juts for the time until her uncle managed to get another bookcase built for her.
"Can you reach there?" She asked, suddenly remembering that he had had to stretch his arm to reach the highest shelf. He shook his head as a reply, and now it was her turn to look around the room to find something she could use…
"I can reach if I stand on the chair." She chuckled as she spoke, moving to drag the now empty chair across the room when a pair of pale hands went about to help her.
And once again he made moving the heavy chair seem so effortless, easily placing it before the majestic bookcase, waiting for her to slip off her shoes and offering her a hand as she climbed over it. And oh she was high now! One of her hands gripped tightly to the back of the chair as the other refused to leave his helping hand as it was now her turn to look down at him.
"Can you reach?" He asked her softly and she slowly let go of the back of the chair, standing straight over the chair and starting to stretch her arm high up before she suddenly turned around, her honey colored eyes landing on him as she gripped tighter to his hand, fearing going off balance.
"Do not let go of me!" She added hurriedly, even though he had made no move to let go of her hand, eliciting another round of that musical quiet laughter that could send butterflies swirling inside her stomach.
"I will not let you fall." He chuckled, and yet the second her eyes fell on those open whirls of melted emerald she knew that he would not let anything happen to her, even if he seemed to be teasing her at the moment. Standing up straight once more she reached her free hand as high as it would go, smiling widely as she found that she could indeed reach the top of the bookcase without trouble.
He handed her one of the books, and as it turned out she needed both of her hands to lift the heavy tome upon the top of the bookcase. And yet, the second she begrudgingly let go of his hand, she felt both of his hand gently begin placed on her waist, holding her steady in case she would falter and she had never felt safer in her entire life. Still, as she continued to place book after book all her mind could register, all she could think about were those gentle slender fingers on her waist, and she did not want him to ever let go of her.
But all too soon the top of the bookcase was also full and she cursed the Valar for making time go so fast. The hands on her waist lifted her from the chair as easily as he had carried the heavy piles of books, placing her to stand on the floor once more, and then the touch was gone, and she could feel the cold winter air touching her waist where the gentle warmth of his hands used to be.
But his eyes had not left hers, and she felt as if she could forever drown in those green oceans. And she knew she had been right from the start. There was so much more beyond those impenetrable powerful eyes of the Crown Prince, behind that perfectly composed calmed façade. Underneath the Crown Prince everyone knew and respected there was a whole other elf that anyone rarely got to see, that elf that she was getting to know more and more every day, the one who could make her knees go weak with only that touch of his carefree silent smile.
The pale blue curtains swayed at the sudden cold wind from the balcony, the ruffling sound of the trees outside filling the ample room. She saw his eyes turn in that direction, as if he could hear something she could not, the faint smile never leaving his lips as he walked into the balcony. She followed him there, her eyes dancing over the thick branches that canopied over the space like a natural ceiling, so close she could touch them if them wanted to.
"This is nice." He commented as his slender fingers brushed against the bark of one of the canopying branches, eyes turning ahead to look at the view. For a second she was about to ask him if his own balcony had branches extending into it, but she suddenly realized that this chambers must be higher up in the Palace, probably having spectacular views that would put hers into shame.
"It is." She agreed, reaching his side as she let her hands rest over the delicate railing, eyes waltzing over the extending little houses and town at the distance, almost blending with the thick forest, the raging river looking like a faint silver line from up there.
"Although I wish I could see the pond with the lilies from here." She added with a chuckle, and she heard his own quiet laughter joining her for a second. "What view do you have?"
"My chambers are on the other side of the Palace." His eyes met hers as she spoke, greener and brighter than the endless forest ahead. "I have a view to the gardens."
"Can you see the pond with lilies?" She tried to imagine such view, but knew that her imagination would not be able to do justice to a view of all of the gardens at once from above.
"Yes." He smiled again only with the corner of his mouth. "But the flowers look too small so you cannot really see them."
"It is a shame." She shrugged and he laughed once more, her heart fluttering as he unexpectedly placed a quick kiss on her cheek before his attention turned back towards her chambers, evaluating the remaining mess.
"What do we do with the rest of the books?" He seemed to be trying to figure out a way to place them in some sort of order, or at least clear them away from her useful furniture.
"Many of them have been damaged over time, so I need to figure which so that I can put them away in one of the wooden chests." She explained, already making her way back inside the chambers and pointing at the still unpacked chests of her things.
"You cannot put anything in those chests unless you unpack them." He reached her side and she could see that he was trying to figure out how she had managed to live weeks in Mirkwood without fully finishing unpacking her things.
"It is fine." Her hand reached up to rest on his upper arm, but for the first time he did not tense at an unexpected touch. "I can do that at a different time. You have already lost an hour of your afternoon, go enjoy the rest."
"No." He shook his head once more, the smile never leaving his face. "I am not leaving these chambers in this condition. How can you live here?"
"It is only books!" It was her turn to laugh. He made it sound as if all of her things where splayed everywhere when in fact her things were carefully stored- expect for her jewelry and her mess of books.
"Bu they are everywhere!" He stressed and she had to make an effort to control her madly beating heart as she felt his hand reached for hers, intertwining their fingers together. "Do you even know you have a table here?"
He raised an eyebrow as he spoke, his hand motioning to the small rounded table which's surface was completely covered in accumulated books, emerald eyes seeming to mock her playfully. She narrowed her own eyes in return.
"Of course I know I have a table there." She complained. Could he not see she was using it?
"have you ever seen its top?" His eyebrow rose even higher, if that was possible, and oh, Valar, the way his eyes were looking at her just made her wish he would press his lips to hers once more.
"Do not waste your time here." She spoke, unable to look away from his gentle eyes, her hand lifting to cup his cheek, and she felt warmth filling her already fluttering heart as his palm pressed gently over her hand, keeping it there.
"I am not wasting it." Was all he said, and she could feel his warm breath brushing her skin, his lips suddenly touching hers in a gentle kiss that made her heart almost jump out of her chest, her spirit soaring with desire to reach his, feeling that pulling, that stirring, but she did not reach for his this time. Not yet.
All too soon he broke the kiss, but this time he did not pull away, his forehead still resting against hers, their noses almost brushing. But, Eru, why did time had to keep on going? Why could she not stop it whenever she wanted to?
"Now," He looked up once more, turning his eyes towards the remaining piles of books, although she noticed that his hand never left hers, their fingers still intertwined. "Which chest should we unpack first in order to be able to sort out the books?"
She let out a light laugh, quickly deciding on a chest to start, and, Valar, who would have thought that sorting out books and unpacking would turn out to be the best afternoon she had ever had. They went through chest after chest, and he even helped her placing all of her jewelry neatly over the newly unpacked silver jewelry boxes. And then they went through the books, slowly clearing pile after pile. She was sad to discovered that many more books than she had anticipated had been damaged, many beyond repair. But he insisted on keeping a list of her damaged books to know which ones would need replacement.
And she did not even notice time, the hours flying by in a whim. She did not even notice when they had tired of moving around the room so much and had moved the books to piles on the floor, or when they had sat down on the floor, their backs against the bed and had started to inspect the books for damage and sort them out from there. She did not even notice that she had never put her shoes back on, and could not even remember when he had also discarded his. She only knew that at some point – after many hours- she had walked outside to their small kitchen and had retrieved a bowl full of honey bread and had prepared tea for the both of them. But the tea had long ago grown cold and forgotten, only half-drunk in both of their cups lying on the cold marble floor, the bowl of honey bread nearly empty now.
And she could not tell when she had started to move closer, or when he had started to lean towards hers, all she knew was that she ended up with her body leaning against his chest, feeling his perfectly sculpted muscles through the rich silk of his tunic, one of his arms snaked loosely around her waist. They had stopped looking at books individually and now the both looked at whatever book he picked and placed on her lap, his chin almost resting over her shoulder. It felt so odd, yet so comforting so natural to be sitting this close to him, their bodies touching, and for the first time she knew that he too was completely comfortable there, not wanting any sort of distance.
The sun was already setting in the horizon by the time they finished sorting out her books, all of the tables, chairs and even the desk now completely free to be used, her books now either on the bookcase of neatly packed in the wooden chests – and she had no idea how he had managed to pack them so cleanly. And still they sat by the foot of the bed, now sitting side by side as the cold breeze made the trees outside dance and twirl, neither of them wanting to get up just yet.
The faint sound of footsteps outside was the only warning she had, her head flying towards the door which suddenly opened before she could even react.
"Indilene, do you-" Her aunt stopped in tracks, still standing at the doorway looking momentarily perplexed. Valar, she wanted to disappear. She would have a lot of explaining to do tonight, and she did not look forward to It.
But thank you, Eru, for her aunt's ever easy personality, which could always reaming calmed and casual even in the most surprising of situations, a wide smile –probably too bright for her liking- drawing on her face as she nearly waltzed inside the piece, as if nothing felt strange to her.
"You did not tell me we were having company." Her aunt seemed too delighted about the situation, her storm grey eyes meetings hers with a gleam that only meant she would be asked a million questions later that night. Next to her, Arahaelon had remained perfectly composed, the perfect picture of royal serenity, even though she could feel him suddenly tense. Oh, he too wanted to disappear, and probably even more than she did! He must be so uncomfortable now.
"Indi, have you not offered His Highness anything but plain honey bread?" Her aunt half-scolded with a shake of her head, her grey eyes narrowing in her direction, noticing the nearly empty bowl. If there was something her aunt adored was hosting. Given the opportunity of having any guest she would bring out every single pastry, tart, or snack that they possessed. And now she was sure there was another thing why she would be grilled tonight. But thankfully again her aunt did not look or sound nearly half-way as scandalized as Indilene probably knew she was.
"I am fine." Arahaelon added politely, that perfect smile that did not touch his eyes appearing on his lips, once again the Crown Prince, and she knew that nobody, except her, would be able to tell just how uncomfortable he was.
But her aunt did not seem to have heard him as her eyes continued to partially glare at her. And still she did not miss the way her aunt's eyes almost unnoticeably widened as she took in the now perfectly neat room. It was as if her aunt was suddenly trying to decide in between being ecstatic that the mess of books had disappeared, or confused and worries as to how that had happened. And if only her aunt found out that Arahaelon had help her….Valar, she did not want to see how scandalized her aunt would be. She could almost already her the lecture she would receive. You have brought the Crown Prince into this mess of a room for to perform the task of a maid! She could already see it coming.
"Of course, My Lord." She was once again thankful for the casual and easy sound of her aunt's voice, as the situation was incredibly normal to her, only bowing her head politely as she addressed Arahaelon. "You are more than welcome to stay for dinner."
She tried to ignore the hopeful gleam concealed in her aunt's eyes, but it seemed that the mention of dinner had given Arahaelon the perfect opportunity to excuse himself. And although she was happy he would not be forced to stay because of politeness, she was somewhat disappointed that he would leave.
"I appreciate your offer, but I am already expected somewhere." He spoke, always sounding so regal, so serene. And still she knew his words were true. Still she could not help but feel her heart sink as he rose to his feet, with her following his example.
The sky outside had turned a dark shade of purple, the blackness of the night only some minutes away. She watched in silence as he politely inclined his head in farewell, and she accompanied him towards the door, -her aunt following behind as saying respectful farewells as etiquette demanded- and all too close she was watching him walk away through the intricate corridor of the Palace.
She closed the door with a silent click, turning on her heels only to find the gleaming eyes of her aunt. It was as if for the first time her aunt could not find her words, looking at her as if she had suddenly grown blue hair.
"Do not tell Ada yet?" She pleaded. She had not wanted her aunt to know about anything yet, at least not before she was sure he felt comfortable about it. She knew that any relationship with the Crown Prince would follow incredibly different protocols than any other regular relationship, and she knew he did not want to call any attention on anything yet.
Instead of speaking, her aunt only nodded her head, her eyes glistening in delight. If there was one thing she knew was that her aunt could keep a secret, and said aunt seemed to be enjoying it far too much to know just which secret she was now keeping. And still, when she was finally able to speak, the words that left her aunt's mouth were the ones she had last expected.
"And you wanted to wear a used old dress for Winter's Solstice" Oh Valar, here came the questions.
And there were thousands of them, some of which she knew how to answer and some of which she definitely did not. And of course, along with the questions came the scolding: Do not call him by his name, you should show respect; he saw the mess in your chambers!; you made him help you unpack! All and more than she had expected. And of course there were the questions that she had been expecting: Did he send the bracelets? Was he courting her? How long had they been seeing each other? How did it even happen in the first place? Does the King know? –Valar, she hoped not! - And then, there was that question, the one that made the tone in her aunt's voice suddenly change, becoming sober yet smiling, looking at her straight in the eyes: Are you happy?
"Yes." And an answer had never come so easily to her before. She only hoped her aunt had not scared him away.
Never before had she been so sure of that. The answer to her question only confirmed once again the next day, when she found an unexpected item waiting for her in her bedchamber after lunch. There, sitting on the dresser by the open balcony was a large cut crystal bowl, the golden rays of sun reflecting in thousands of colors over its intricate surface. It was filled with almost to the top, and there, floating delicately lay at least ten water lilies, the most beautiful her eyes had ever seen. Only a small card had been left next to the bowl, her name written in his elegant slanted calligraphy. And she was sure her heart was about to burst. Her own pond of water lilies. He thought of everything- and the only thing she lately thought of was him. Yes, she was happy.
Hi there! Here is chapter 7! The overlap with Almarëa is coming soon in the story, just a warning in case it brings any spoilers to anyone who has not yet read it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it! Let me know what you think!
Thank you so much to you who reviewed the last chapter! I love each and every single one of your comments and it means a lot to me to hear that you are enjoying the story! Thank you for taking the time to comment: Amsim, wwwz3, Teddy2104, StarFilledSkies and Josie.