A/N: Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't written in a looong time. It's a long
story, but I will say that it involves the fact that I've had a writer's
block the size of Mt. Everest, and various stuff came up in my personal
life that wasn't exactly great for inspiration. Anyway. This is my feeble
attempt to get back on track. I'm sorry it's so short, but I'm almost done
with the next chapter. Hopefully, you won't have another 3 week wait.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Legolas continued his vigil even as the sun appeared over the mountains. As the warm rays filtered through the hazy early-morning air, the birds began to sing in a loud and joyful chorus. So loud and joyful, in fact, that they awoke Arwen. He turned when he heard her stir. She noticed him looking at her, and she smiled sleepily and said, "Good morning."
He smiled back and asked, "Are you ready to continue to Lórien? 'Tis but the journey of a day now, so we will be there by sunset."
He thought the information would please her, but instead, her face fell, and her eyes grew sad as she looked off to the north to where Lórien lay. "So soon?" she murmured quietly, as if to herself.
Legolas was puzzled. "What do you mean, 'so soon'? Have you not waited for this moment? Was this not the purpose of your journey?"
Arwen slowly turned to him. "Yes," she replied. "But that does not mean that it was a journey that I wanted to take."
"What do you mean?" Legolas asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Arwen sighed. "I am useless, Legolas. The world has stripped me of everything that I labored long for, and it has now gone on without me, like a highwayman robbing a traveler of all his possessions and leaving him in the road. I am left bereft, and have no place in what is to come. Therefore, I go to dwell in the past, for whatever time is left to me."
"And so you go to Lórien, where you and Aragorn fell in love," Legolas said with sudden understanding.
She nodded and turned away to face the north again. "You need not come with me," she said. "If it is but the journey of a day, there is hardly any way I could lose myself."
"I do not think it is wise to leave you," he said anxiously.
Without turning, she said, "Wisdom is a thing of the present, or the future. Neither have a place with me anymore. Besides," she said, turning and smiling at him faintly, "I am weary of being wise. For over three millennia I have been wise and responsible. Before I die, I want to do something unexpected."
Legolas felt his heart tighten, and he swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. "I agree, Undómiel. Will you not come with me across the Sea?"
Her gray eyes were sad as she answered, "You have no idea how much I want to, Legolas. But I cannot. I have chosen a mortal life."
"You can at least be happy with me at the last!" he said desperately. "Aragorn had you for so long; it is *my* turn now!" As soon as the words were out, he realized what he had let slip, and he closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them, he would be anywhere else in Middle Earth.
No such luck. He opened his eyes and saw the sadness in Arwen's eyes had deepened. "Oh, Legolas," she sighed, and gently brushed her fingers against his cheek. "My father said that it was merely infatuation."
"He lied," he whispered, unconsciously closing his eyes and leaning into her touch.
Tears started to her eyes. "Why?" she asked.
"For fate," he said, opening his eyes and smiling sadly down at her. "Lord Elrond took me aside and carefully explained the situation."
A/N: Sorry to leave it like this, but the flashback is fairly long, so I'm going to have to post it separately. Keep R/R-ing!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Legolas continued his vigil even as the sun appeared over the mountains. As the warm rays filtered through the hazy early-morning air, the birds began to sing in a loud and joyful chorus. So loud and joyful, in fact, that they awoke Arwen. He turned when he heard her stir. She noticed him looking at her, and she smiled sleepily and said, "Good morning."
He smiled back and asked, "Are you ready to continue to Lórien? 'Tis but the journey of a day now, so we will be there by sunset."
He thought the information would please her, but instead, her face fell, and her eyes grew sad as she looked off to the north to where Lórien lay. "So soon?" she murmured quietly, as if to herself.
Legolas was puzzled. "What do you mean, 'so soon'? Have you not waited for this moment? Was this not the purpose of your journey?"
Arwen slowly turned to him. "Yes," she replied. "But that does not mean that it was a journey that I wanted to take."
"What do you mean?" Legolas asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Arwen sighed. "I am useless, Legolas. The world has stripped me of everything that I labored long for, and it has now gone on without me, like a highwayman robbing a traveler of all his possessions and leaving him in the road. I am left bereft, and have no place in what is to come. Therefore, I go to dwell in the past, for whatever time is left to me."
"And so you go to Lórien, where you and Aragorn fell in love," Legolas said with sudden understanding.
She nodded and turned away to face the north again. "You need not come with me," she said. "If it is but the journey of a day, there is hardly any way I could lose myself."
"I do not think it is wise to leave you," he said anxiously.
Without turning, she said, "Wisdom is a thing of the present, or the future. Neither have a place with me anymore. Besides," she said, turning and smiling at him faintly, "I am weary of being wise. For over three millennia I have been wise and responsible. Before I die, I want to do something unexpected."
Legolas felt his heart tighten, and he swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. "I agree, Undómiel. Will you not come with me across the Sea?"
Her gray eyes were sad as she answered, "You have no idea how much I want to, Legolas. But I cannot. I have chosen a mortal life."
"You can at least be happy with me at the last!" he said desperately. "Aragorn had you for so long; it is *my* turn now!" As soon as the words were out, he realized what he had let slip, and he closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them, he would be anywhere else in Middle Earth.
No such luck. He opened his eyes and saw the sadness in Arwen's eyes had deepened. "Oh, Legolas," she sighed, and gently brushed her fingers against his cheek. "My father said that it was merely infatuation."
"He lied," he whispered, unconsciously closing his eyes and leaning into her touch.
Tears started to her eyes. "Why?" she asked.
"For fate," he said, opening his eyes and smiling sadly down at her. "Lord Elrond took me aside and carefully explained the situation."
A/N: Sorry to leave it like this, but the flashback is fairly long, so I'm going to have to post it separately. Keep R/R-ing!