Thank you once again for all of the support and suggestions on my writing. Special thanks to Lynliss for reading my story and offering your help where it was needed, you are my favorite author and it's nice to have your support.
Chapter 3. The Road to Cerin Amroth
Legolas smiled at Aníron, and she could hardly keep herself from laughing out loud at the elven prince's expression, for he was wearing a look of happiness and also a look that suggested he knew something that somehow made him superior to her. 'What is so funny?' he asked her, still speaking in Sindarin, in case anyone from the fellowship should overhear. 'You look as if you could burst out laughing at any time, what is so funny?' he repeated. 'You are wearing a look of such maddening superiority, it is hard not to laugh,' she replied with a smile, 'Why do you have that expression on your face?'
Legolas simply smiled and answered, 'I am the only one here who knows of the beauty that walks in our midst.' Aníron stopped to look at him in shock, leaving the others in their group marching on, gazing at the trees around them. He pulled her behind a tree near by to assure that no one would hear or see them. Aníron could feel blood rising in her cheeks as she faced the tall elf standing before her, his golden hair blowing across his face in the light wind. He pushed her hood back, releasing her star-bright hair from the confines of her cloak.
Blue eyes met golden-green as he looked into her face. 'Your eyes,' Legolas breathed softly, 'they are the color of the mellyrn leaves above us.' He reached out his hand and brushed several locks of hair behind her delicately pointed ear. He then moved his hand down her face, caressing her milky white skin and feeling the curves of her beautiful face.
Suddenly, they were jerked back into reality by a high pitched whistle like a bird. Aníron sprung into action pulling her hood back over her head, and responding with a whistle of the same kind. She grabbed Legolas' forearm and sped to the place where the rest of the company was waiting for them, somewhat impatiently.
'I tripped over a stone in the ground,' Legolas explained, 'and An....Alorien stopped to help me up.' Aníron held her breath during this speech and her heart stopped beating when he almost gave away her true identity. Though Legolas did not know her position among the Galadhrim, Haldir and the other elves that were present did, and there would be quite an uproar among them, which was something she did not need.
However, Haldir dismissed this with a simple wave of his hand and returned to the business at hand, stringing a rope across the river as a bridge. Aníron was relieved and her heart began beating again. After seeing the width of the rope Legolas could not help but point out that his companions could not cross this bridge, and Haldir strung two more ropes across as handrails for the men, hobbits, and dwarf. After crossing, Haldir and three of his elvish companions took the lead once again as Aníron moved to the back once more.
It was not long until she and Legolas were engaged in conversation once more, this time speaking of their homes when they were young. 'When I was young, I did not live in fair Lórien, but in Mirkwood in the north,' Aníron confessed to Legolas. 'Who are your parents,' he asked, 'perhaps I know them.' She replied timidly, 'My mother's name is Lórin, my father's name is Gwendir, and he currently is one of the lords in Thranduil's court.'
'I know him well,' Legolas answered, 'for I have spoken with him many times. I also remember fighting alongside his son, before he was slain.' At the mention of her brother, Aníron bowed her head and fell silent. Legolas noticed her silence and softly laid a hand on her shoulder. 'Your brother fought valiantly to the end, and died in honor,' he said quietly. She turned to the prince and smiled at him, seeing concern in his sky-blue eyes. 'Thank you my prince,' she whispered, turning back towards the company who had now stopped after crossing another rope bridge.
'Now, as was agreed, I will blindfold the eyes of Gimli the dwarf. The others of this company may walk free until we draw closer to our dwellings,' Haldir announced to all that were present. Gimli protested furiously and drew his axe in anger when the time came to blindfold him. Aníron acted quickly, drawing her bow and rushing to her captain's aid. Legolas came behind her muttering, 'A plague on Dwarves and their stiff necks!' Aragorn stepped forward to the aid of the dwarf, who was still brandishing his axe. 'It is unfair to Gimli to be singled out, therefore all of the fellowship will be blindfolded, even Legolas,' he said.
When the time came for Legolas to be blindfolded, Aníron asked to bind his eyes. When she stepped towards him with the cloth, he grew angry saying 'I am an elf and a kinsmen here.' Aragorn simply said, 'All of the fellowship must fare alike' and Legolas allowed her to bind his eyes.
'These are indeed dark days when I must walk blindfold under the golden leaves of Lórien,' he whispered to Aníron, 'and it pains me even more that I cannot see the beauty of your face, for it is much fairer than the golden wood.' Aníron was glad that his eyes were bound, otherwise he would have seen her pale skin turn the color of a rose. She led him through the wood describing all that could be seen around them, until once again they stopped.
'What has happened, Aníron,' Legolas asked, 'why have we stopped?' A large company of elves were passing by and one of them had stopped to speak with Haldir. 'I do not know,' she answered quietly, 'I will go and ask Haldir what has happened.' She walked up to Haldir, who was pondering something the elf messenger had told him. 'My captain,' she asked 'what did the messenger say?' He turned to her 'I am to release the fellowship from their bindings, for the lady seems to know who and what they are, and bids their blindfolds be removed.'
Aníron ran quickly back to Legolas, who was still standing where he had been when she left him. Without explaining, she untied his blindfold and smiled up at his reaction. 'Wha...' he started to stammer, but she cut him short. 'The White Lady has ordered that your fellowship is to walk freely through Lórien,' she said breathlessly, 'Welcome to the Naith of Lórien.'
Legolas looked at his surroundings in wonder. A green hill dotted with many flowers, like yellow and white stars stood before him. Two rings of trees sat upon it, one of which consisted of trees with snowy-white bark and bare branches, and the second ring was of tall majestic mellyrn with silver bark and golden leaves. Legolas stared in awe at the trees, not hearing Haldir as he told Frodo of the home of Amroth, the lord of Lórien before Celeborn and Galadriel's time.
'Cerin Amroth, it is indeed long since I have walked under the shade of the trees here,' Aníron sighed happily. She felt Legolas' hands on her shoulders and heard his voice whisper in her ears, 'Come with me Lady Aníron, I too wish to stroll under the shade of the trees here and to feel the grass under my feet.'
Legolas took Aníron's hand and led her away from the rest of the company, up to the mound. They stood in the shade of the trees and Legolas reached his hand up and brushed her hood off of her fair head. Aníron's hair flowed down her back to her waist, and a radiant glow seemed to come from her. Legolas looked at her and it seemed to him that her beauty far outmatched their surroundings, which were said to be the most beautiful place in all of Middle-earth. She looked up into his eyes and saw happiness beyond compare.
Legolas leaned down and whispered, 'The first time I saw you standing by the river Nimrodel, I knew that I loved you.' He kissed her, and a radiance surrounded them that shone like the stars. Thus the sun set on the hill of Cerin Amroth with the city of Caras Galadhon standing on the horizon.