RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
**BEWARE! GRATUITOUS SUGARY MUSH WARNING ;)**
42.
Haldir laughed in the bright morning sunlight. Scarcely a fortnight had passed since all had been set right in his life. On the same day that Elrond had sent his messenger to King Thranduil, he had asked for and gained the Elven Lord's permission to court Merethiel. Now the young she- Elf stood before him with his bow in her hands, aiming an arrow carefully at a target.
"Careful now," he chuckled. "I am running short on arrows. Do not lose another, Melamin my love."
The truth was that she had not lost a single arrow since the day he began to teach her. She was a natural, which was more than he could say about his other student. Elenath was hopeless. He had not believed her at first when she told him as much, but he certainly believed it now and had already dismissed her for the day.
Merethiel let the arrow fly and it landed just off the bulls-eye. She turned to Haldir who shook his head, clicking his tongue at her. "Very disappointing," he said.
She smiled. "Not fair. You distracted me!"
"Distracted you? Would I ever do such a thing?"
"Well," her voice softened to a musical lilt. "Perhaps you should show me once more how I am to aim."
"Hmmm… Now that sounds like a good idea, young Merethiel." He stood and walked over to her. "Now turn. Turn your back to me. Yes… very good."
Merethiel sighed, leaning back into the muscled hardness of his body, her mind nowhere near the target she was supposed to be aiming for. She could feel his warm breath against the back of her neck. Her knees weakened when he wrapped his arms around her waist.
The two took the proper stance, and Haldir closed his hands about hers, watching with approval as she nocked the arrow to the bowstring as if she had been doing it since the day she was born. They pulled the bowstring back and began to take aim. But then his name escaped her lips. "Haldir…" Little more than a whisper it was, but both Elves lost their grip on the string and the bow, sending the arrow skittering through the trees, nowhere near the target.
Merethiel laughed, turning back around to face him. "You missed, Haldir! You completely missed the target!"
He could not help but laugh with her. "That is Captain Haldir to you, my Little Warrior. Besides," his eyes sparkled with mirth, "you distracted me!"
She shook her head, setting the bow and quiver gently aside. "Impossible. I could never distract so fierce and noble a warrior. And from Galadriel's guard, no less!"
"Aye, from Galadriel's guard," he answered. "You did distract me. You do distract me." He advanced on her like a predatory animal. "You distract me any time you are near." She shrieked joyfully as he caught her in his arms and held her tight, running his fingers through her long flaxen hair. "An entire army of snarling, shouting, nasty Orcs has no affect on my concentration, but you… You, my dear, definitely distract me…"
"I'm sorry," she whispered, laughter in her voice. "I promise I'll not do it again… on purpose."
"…And I cannot bear to think of my life without you. I want you to distract me every day for the rest of my life…"
"Every day?"
"Yes." He grew suddenly more solemn and sank to his knees before her. "Merethiel… Lady Merethiel of Rivendell… Will you marry me?"
Her breath caught in her throat and tears sprang to her eyes. "You… you want me for your wife, Haldir?"
"If you will have me," he answered, looking more vulnerable than she had ever seen him.
Sinking down next to him, she took his hands and looked into his eyes for what seemed like hours. "The great Haldir wishes to wed me…"
"You should not be so surprised, Amaelamin my beloved for I love you more than my own life. Please say yes…"
She smiled and reached up to brush a stray strand of hair behind his pointed ear. "Yes."
***
Elenath gazed out of her grandfather's chambers toward the archery field, a fiery blush rising to her cheeks as she watched Haldir give her cousin a smoldering kiss. "Perhaps a double wedding, then?" she murmured idly as her handmaidens unrolled bolts of fine cloth before her. She looked them over and sighed. "It is folly to begin work on a gown that may never be worn. King Thranduil may not approve of this union."
"Whether my father approves or not, Elenath, you will be my wife." Legolas came up behind her and wrapped her in his tender embrace, allowing his eyes to gaze out upon the archery field. "Ah… I see the fair maiden has agreed to wed the fierce warrior from Lothlorien."
"Indeed," replied Elenath. "And would the fair prince from Mirkwood agree to wed the fierce warrioress from Rivendell?"
He laughed and pulled her near. "Now, Mela Love, I believe the question should be, 'Would the radiant princess from Rivendell agree to marry the brave and valiant warrior prince from Mirkwood?'"
She regarded him with laughter in her eyes. "I might consider it if you would kiss me like that." She pointed to the archery field where the newly engaged couple was still lost in each other's embrace.
"Indeed?" Legolas gazed wolfishly into her eyes. Much to the delight of Elenath's giggling handmaidens, he backed her gently against a wall and kissed her until she was out of breath and barely able to stand.
When he pulled away from her at last, she gazed up at him with eyes full of love. "Kiss me like that again and I shall marry you and do whatever you ask for the rest of my life."
"Please!" Elrond's amused voice came from the doorway. "Not again. Not here. Though I doubt any Elf has ever heard or will hear again such an offer from Elenath. Now, then. I have word from your father, Legolas." He deposited a scroll of parchment upon the table between them. It bore the still-intact seal of King Thranduil of Mirkwood. "If you would like to do the honors."
"I would," replied the prince, beckoning to Elenath as he broke the seal. "This letter may well hold our fate. You should see it as quickly as I, my Lady."
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
**BEWARE! GRATUITOUS SUGARY MUSH WARNING ;)**
42.
Haldir laughed in the bright morning sunlight. Scarcely a fortnight had passed since all had been set right in his life. On the same day that Elrond had sent his messenger to King Thranduil, he had asked for and gained the Elven Lord's permission to court Merethiel. Now the young she- Elf stood before him with his bow in her hands, aiming an arrow carefully at a target.
"Careful now," he chuckled. "I am running short on arrows. Do not lose another, Melamin my love."
The truth was that she had not lost a single arrow since the day he began to teach her. She was a natural, which was more than he could say about his other student. Elenath was hopeless. He had not believed her at first when she told him as much, but he certainly believed it now and had already dismissed her for the day.
Merethiel let the arrow fly and it landed just off the bulls-eye. She turned to Haldir who shook his head, clicking his tongue at her. "Very disappointing," he said.
She smiled. "Not fair. You distracted me!"
"Distracted you? Would I ever do such a thing?"
"Well," her voice softened to a musical lilt. "Perhaps you should show me once more how I am to aim."
"Hmmm… Now that sounds like a good idea, young Merethiel." He stood and walked over to her. "Now turn. Turn your back to me. Yes… very good."
Merethiel sighed, leaning back into the muscled hardness of his body, her mind nowhere near the target she was supposed to be aiming for. She could feel his warm breath against the back of her neck. Her knees weakened when he wrapped his arms around her waist.
The two took the proper stance, and Haldir closed his hands about hers, watching with approval as she nocked the arrow to the bowstring as if she had been doing it since the day she was born. They pulled the bowstring back and began to take aim. But then his name escaped her lips. "Haldir…" Little more than a whisper it was, but both Elves lost their grip on the string and the bow, sending the arrow skittering through the trees, nowhere near the target.
Merethiel laughed, turning back around to face him. "You missed, Haldir! You completely missed the target!"
He could not help but laugh with her. "That is Captain Haldir to you, my Little Warrior. Besides," his eyes sparkled with mirth, "you distracted me!"
She shook her head, setting the bow and quiver gently aside. "Impossible. I could never distract so fierce and noble a warrior. And from Galadriel's guard, no less!"
"Aye, from Galadriel's guard," he answered. "You did distract me. You do distract me." He advanced on her like a predatory animal. "You distract me any time you are near." She shrieked joyfully as he caught her in his arms and held her tight, running his fingers through her long flaxen hair. "An entire army of snarling, shouting, nasty Orcs has no affect on my concentration, but you… You, my dear, definitely distract me…"
"I'm sorry," she whispered, laughter in her voice. "I promise I'll not do it again… on purpose."
"…And I cannot bear to think of my life without you. I want you to distract me every day for the rest of my life…"
"Every day?"
"Yes." He grew suddenly more solemn and sank to his knees before her. "Merethiel… Lady Merethiel of Rivendell… Will you marry me?"
Her breath caught in her throat and tears sprang to her eyes. "You… you want me for your wife, Haldir?"
"If you will have me," he answered, looking more vulnerable than she had ever seen him.
Sinking down next to him, she took his hands and looked into his eyes for what seemed like hours. "The great Haldir wishes to wed me…"
"You should not be so surprised, Amaelamin my beloved for I love you more than my own life. Please say yes…"
She smiled and reached up to brush a stray strand of hair behind his pointed ear. "Yes."
***
Elenath gazed out of her grandfather's chambers toward the archery field, a fiery blush rising to her cheeks as she watched Haldir give her cousin a smoldering kiss. "Perhaps a double wedding, then?" she murmured idly as her handmaidens unrolled bolts of fine cloth before her. She looked them over and sighed. "It is folly to begin work on a gown that may never be worn. King Thranduil may not approve of this union."
"Whether my father approves or not, Elenath, you will be my wife." Legolas came up behind her and wrapped her in his tender embrace, allowing his eyes to gaze out upon the archery field. "Ah… I see the fair maiden has agreed to wed the fierce warrior from Lothlorien."
"Indeed," replied Elenath. "And would the fair prince from Mirkwood agree to wed the fierce warrioress from Rivendell?"
He laughed and pulled her near. "Now, Mela Love, I believe the question should be, 'Would the radiant princess from Rivendell agree to marry the brave and valiant warrior prince from Mirkwood?'"
She regarded him with laughter in her eyes. "I might consider it if you would kiss me like that." She pointed to the archery field where the newly engaged couple was still lost in each other's embrace.
"Indeed?" Legolas gazed wolfishly into her eyes. Much to the delight of Elenath's giggling handmaidens, he backed her gently against a wall and kissed her until she was out of breath and barely able to stand.
When he pulled away from her at last, she gazed up at him with eyes full of love. "Kiss me like that again and I shall marry you and do whatever you ask for the rest of my life."
"Please!" Elrond's amused voice came from the doorway. "Not again. Not here. Though I doubt any Elf has ever heard or will hear again such an offer from Elenath. Now, then. I have word from your father, Legolas." He deposited a scroll of parchment upon the table between them. It bore the still-intact seal of King Thranduil of Mirkwood. "If you would like to do the honors."
"I would," replied the prince, beckoning to Elenath as he broke the seal. "This letter may well hold our fate. You should see it as quickly as I, my Lady."
