Eli walked down the hallways of Rivendell, pulling her cloak more tightly around her. The chilly wind of winter blew through the open windows, still carrying with it the scent of summer flowers, even though summer was long past.
It had been two months since they had attended the Council, and Eli made the best of that time to prepare. She had been going back and forth between the library, Camille, and the Elven-smiths of Rivendell, working on a certain "project" of hers. And today, would be the day all her walking back and forth would pay off.
The moment she had entered the smithy, one of the Elves working there immediately passed to her a few packages wrapped in thick black cloth tied closed with silver-colored string. ^Here are the blades you have requested, Lady Eli.^
Eli smiled kindly at the Elf as she accepted the packages. ^It is you I should be thanking, Ithirihor. Without your help none of these would have been made. I do not know how to repay you.^
Ithirihor smiled, and shook his head. ^The knowledge you and Lady Camille have imparted to us in the making of these blades is more precious than anything we could ever receive in payment. Henceforth all Elven blades will be wrought in the manner you have taught us.^
Eli smiled, and curtsied. She turned on her heel, and left the smithy, only to almost run into Aragorn in the hallway. The only thing that prevented her from knocking into him was that she managed to jump slightly to the left.
^Ah, so this is where you have been, Lady Eli,^ Aragorn said with a smile as he bowed politely to her. ^Elladan has been wondering where you had gone. I thought you had decided to go out riding by yourself.^
Eli cocked her eyebrow slightly upwards in surprise. ^Elladan? What would he want with me?^
^I do not know, My Lady, but he seemed quite anxious to see you again.^ A quirk of a teasing grin played at the corners of Aragorn's lips. ^Perhaps he wishes to bid you a lover's farewell before we leave tomorrow?^
Eli narrowed her eyes at him, and jabbed him hard in the ribs. Slipping into Westron, she whispered, "Say that one more time, and I will personally see to it that by the time we leave tomorrow, all of the people of Middle-Earth will know of your relationship with Arwen."
The Ranger's eyes widened slightly, but Eli didn't have time to listen to whatever it was he had to say. She spun around, and headed towards Camille's rooms. As she walked, she thought about what Aragorn had relayed to her. To go or not to go…that is the question…
She reached Camille's room even before she had an answer to that. She tapped the door with her foot. "Hey Camille, open up! I've got a surprise for you!"
* * *
The moment Camille heard Eli's voice from the other side of the door, she walked over to it, and opened it wide. There stood Eli, a large black parcel tied with silver cording in her arms. Camille's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Wha…
Eli swept past her into her room, dumping the entire lot on her bed. She grinned at her with a strange smile. "Look what I had the Elven-smiths make for us." So saying, she proceeded to unwrap the bundle, and in time, revealed a most marvelous sight.
Oh my God… Camille slowly approached the bed, her eyes wide. There, amidst the black cloth, glittered several swords. She picked one up, and pulled it out of the sheath. In shape and length it resembled a classic katana, but there were other details that were most certainly NOT a part of it. The hand guard of the sword had an Elvish pattern of whorls and spirals carved into it, and the handle itself was not cushioned with the usual woven reeds, but with some sort of silver rope. And as for the sheath, she noticed that a silver dragon had been inlaid into the wood.
Eli smiled with pride, and gently pried it out of her hand. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" As she spoke, she swept the sword in a slow circle around her, and the air sang as the metal cut through it.
Camille nodded. "Definitely." She turned her attention back to the other swords, and this time, her mouth fell open. She squealed with delight, and pounced on two sheaths. They were shorter than Eli's katana by a few inches, but the shape was the same, as were the hand guards and the handles. As for the scabbards, each had been inlaid with a golden phoenix.
Camille sighed as she drew the blades out of their scabbards, holding one in the left hand, the other in her right. Like Eli's, the air sang as she thrust them out. Kodachi…it's been a while since I last handled these…
"It's going to be good to handle weapons again," Eli said as she picked up the remaining blades. Camille had already seen what they were: a set of kunai so beautifully wrought that it almost seemed a waste to use them as mere throwing weapons. They were placed in a long leather strip, which Eli wrapped around her waist and hid beneath her outer robes.
"That's true," Camille answered as she placed the kodachi back in their scabbards, and set them aside. She grinned wickedly. "I can't wait to see how the others will react when they see us carrying these around. As far as Legolas is concerned, he knows that the only weapon I know how to use is a bow and arrow."
Eli snickered with her, anticipating the surprise they would pop at the others the following day at their departure. However, a sudden thought entered her mind, and she said, "Look Camille, I've got to go somewhere else for a minute. I can leave these things here with you until tomorrow, right?"
Camille nodded, but was mildly surprised at her friend's sudden request. What's with her? As Eli left the room, she got up, intending to follow her, but Merry and Pippin, who suddenly wanted to talk with her about their journey tomorrow, waylaid her. With a sigh, she had to abandon her original plan, realizing that she really didn't have any say in it anyway.
* * *
Eli clambered over a small boulder that was in her way as she meandered through the many paths in Elrond's gardens, looking for someone. ^Elladan…Elladan…^ Oh crap, where could that idiotic Elf be?!?! He tells Aragorn that he wants to talk to me, THEN when I decide that I actually want to do that, HE has to disappear on me!
^I am here, Eli.^
Eli jumped, startled. She whirled around, and noticed Elladan leaning against a nearby tree trunk, gazing at her with a knowing smile as if he had been there all that time, watching her. For all I know, he could have been there all along and I wouldn't have noticed. She put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. ^How long have you been watching me?^
He smiled at her obvious irritation. ^For quite some time now. Though I doubt if that is important.^ He approached her, walking with all the easy grace only an Elf could have. ^So Aragorn has delivered my message. I looked all throughout the house, and I could not find you. I even went so far as to ask Lady Camille, and even she had no answers. Where were you?^
Eli smiled slightly. "That's for me to know, and for you NOT to know until I want to tell you."
Elladan laughed. "Why must you keep so many secrets from me, Lady Eli? No Elf here knows yet what you are truly like. It seems like only Lady Camille knows your true self."
Eli sighed, and turned away from him. "There are reasons, Elladan, why I act the way I do. Camille and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember." She grinned. "Have I ever told you that we're actually distantly-related cousins?"
The Elf's eyes widened in surprise. "No, I believe you have not."
"Well, it's true. We're related on my mother's side, or her father's side, in her case. We're cousins in the fourth degree, or fifth, I think. But since that's too much blood in between the two of us, I don't really look at her as my cousin, but as my friend. My best friend."
Elladan walked up to her slowly, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Why do you sound so sad?"
Eli didn't answer him. She bowed her head, to avoid looking at him in the eye. This is crazy, she told herself. Why are you acting like this around him?
A gentle touch alighted upon her chin, and instinctively she attempted to swat it away, but Elladan stilled her movements, reassuring her with his whispers, his tongue weaving a spell for her in Quenya, ^Hush, fair one. I will do you no harm.^
She shook her head. ^Elladan, what are you trying to do?^
^I only wish to express what has lain in my heart these past few months,^ he told her. He attempted to pull her into his arms, but Eli had read his move already. She stepped away from him, her eyes pointed determinedly on the ground below her feet. She kept walking backwards, only to be stopped by the trunk of a birch tree. Damn it, caught!
A teasing smile slid onto Elladan's face. ^You have cornered yourself, Eli.^
She glared back at him. ^Don't take chances, Elladan. You do not want to try my fighting skills, not now, of all times. I may not have a weapon, but I can assure you that my body will be enough of a weapon.^
He leaned closer to her, and, for the second time that day, Eli felt herself succumbing to the spell of his voice, the look in his eyes, his touch... He caressed her cheek lightly with the back of his hand. ^Hush, I do not wish to hurt you.^
Eli closed her eyes, trying to find herself again in the midst of the roaring storm of emotions that spun through her. This doesn't seem too unpleasant, she told herself. You're just scared, Eli, she chided herself. Scared that you'll end up with a broken heart. This couldn't be so bad…learning to love Elladan…God only knows how much I've wanted to be loved by someone aside from the usual "buddy-buddy" relationship… Elladan had always been kind to her, more so, she realized then, than any friend had been. He had been there whenever she needed someone to scream her thoughts at, whenever she wanted to go out to the woods and Arwen wasn't available, whenever she just wanted to sit quietly and have someone with her. And the past two months since the Council had only brought the two of them even closer together.
She drifted back to reality only when Elladan kissed her on her mouth. It was a gentle, seeking kiss; not rough, as Eli had always feared. His scent overwhelmed her, his touch made her senses whirl…her mind told her that this was right.
But then again, she thought as she hesitantly returned the Elf's kiss with one of her own, why does my heart tell me this is wrong?
* * *
Elrohir watched his brother tug Eli away from the trunk of the birch tree, letting her lean against him, drawing her into an intimate embrace. Elladan's hands got tangled up in the Lady's hair, while Eli gripped his forearms tightly to prevent herself from slipping to the ground. Their lips were still locked together, and he began to wonder when those two would come up for air.
He shook his head at his rather snide thought. This had to be one of his greatest masterpieces: getting the cold Lady Elisabeth Carnahan and his brother together. The kiss he was witnessing was the culmination of all his efforts.
But why does my heart feel so heavy at seeing this? To get the two of them together meant having to spend time with Eli, often in the guise of his brother, and have her trust him as much as she trusted Lady Camille. In time, it had happened, and he knew the seemingly ice-hearted maiden as well as Lady Camille did. He knew that her cold demeanor was only a shield against pain, that she kept it up because she was too afraid of getting hurt. And he had tried his best to ease her out of her shield, little by little melting the many walls that surrounded her heart.
He knew her as no other Elf did, more so than his brother. Maybe that is why it hurts me so, he told himself. He chuckled, and walked off towards Arwen's chambers, eager to tell her this latest development. This would be quite a surprise for her.
* * *
Elrond frowned as he looked down into the birch grove, watching the scene that unfolded before him. His son, Elladan, had just professed his feelings to Eli, and apparently, the maiden had felt the same way about him too. They ended up in each other's arms, kissing in that sweet and tender manner that only Elves knew how to do. He should have been happy with this, but he knew that he could not.
He turned away from the grove, and looked instead at the interior of his study, at the piles and piles of books that lay open on the desk. He had been trying to do research on the Legend of the Summoners, trying to find out as much information as he could about them. But his mind could not focus on the Legend anymore. He was much too concerned with losing one of his sons.
Why did it have to be so, he demanded of himself as he clenched his fists. Am I doomed to lose two of my children to mere mortals?! He knew long ago that he had lost his darling Arwen to Aragorn, but to know that Elladan was lost to Eli was just too much.
And not only is she a mortal, she is from another world, as well! He had heard of their determination to return to their original world once the Ring was destroyed, and the sound of Eli's voice showed that there was no turning back for her. Would she love his son, and then return to her original world, leaving Elladan to die of a broken heart? Or would she remain, and force Elladan to give up his immortality, just as Arwen had? Either way, the choices were NOT to Elrond's liking.
Or did he really have a say in all of this? In spite of the fact that I am their father, it is not my place to dictate whom my children love, and to whom they surrender themselves. He was, after all, the product of the love of an immortal Elf and a mortal; that was why he was known as the Half-Elven.
He sighed wearily, and sat down in his chair. There is nothing I can do now.
* * *
Camille sighed as she stared down at Elladan and Eli, watching as the two parted from their kiss. "Lucky girl. She goes to another world and manages to snag herself a lover."
Merry and Pippin simply sniggered as they watched. Frodo and Sam, on the other hand, had politely turned away. "Why do you sound so wistful when you say that, Camille?" Sam asked slowly. "Is it so hard to find a lover where you are from?"
Camille shrugged as she turned away, sitting down on the grass in front of the Hobbits. "I think it depends. If you're beautiful and have a nice personality, I suppose that finding a lover shouldn't be hard. But I'm not pretty, and I'm much too hot-tempered."
"You're pretty enough!" Merry exclaimed suddenly. "I've been trying to compare you with the other Elf-maidens, and none of them are as beautiful as you are…well, except for Lady Arwen, of course."
"And as for saying that you're hot-tempered… If your attitude during the Council is any indication, then yes, I suppose you're hot-tempered – terribly so, I might add – but you're not like that ALL the time, are you?" Pippin asked.
Camille laughed, and gazed at the Hobbits. They're just too plain nice. I wish that they didn't have to come with us for this trip, Frodo most especially. "Maybe not, but if someone pushes the right buttons, then I can blow up worse than a volcano."
"Is that what Boromir and Lord Elrond did, then? Push the right buttons, as you said?" Frodo asked.
Camille nodded. "Yup, that's exactly what they did."
"I don't blame you for blowing up, though. If I were in your place I would have been upset, especially by what Boromir said," Pippin declared.
"Oh yeah, that REALLY got to me," Camille said with a nod. "It was just so insulting, the way he looked at Eli and me. It wouldn't have hurt if it was disbelief, but he was looking at us with flat-out scorn. His opinion of women is too low. In our world men and women are considered equal, you see, so I'm used to having a man look at me as his equal. But what Boromir did was just plain rude. I've never allowed anyone to put me down, and I'm not about to start anytime soon."
By now the Hobbits were looking at her with admiration. Frodo spoke then, his voice soft. "I'm glad that you decided to come with us, Camille. Your courage comforts me in many ways."
Camille smiled gently at Frodo. "You're welcome, Frodo."
Just then, there was a slight rustling above them, and the four Hobbits and one human looked up to see a familiar figure with long blonde hair and dark blue eyes gazing down at them. Camille rolled her eyes. "How long have you been up there, Legolas?"
* * *
Legolas smiled down at the lady and the Hobbits below him, but his attention was mostly focused on the girl sitting down on the ground with her back to the trunk. "For quite some time now," he answered as he began to climb down from the tree to land in their midst. He turned to the Hobbits. "Forgive me for listening in to your conversation."
Frodo grinned back at him. "Don't worry Legolas, you didn't hear anything that should have been kept a secret."
"But I bet that he DID see something that shouldn't have been seen," Camille teased.
Legolas chuckled. He knew very well what the Lady was referring to: the kiss of Elladan and Lady Eli down in the birch grove. He turned to Camille, his blue eyes twinkling. "Perhaps the Lady is jealous?"
Merry and Pippin dissolved into a fit of giggles, Frodo smiled knowingly – he HAD known of Legolas' feelings for the girl since the Council - Sam turned away to hide a quickly reddening face, and Camille just looked up at him with a stunned expression and a soft blush over her cheeks.
The Prince smiled down at the mortal girl, catching her hand and gently pulling her to her feet. "Come now, Camille, there is no need to lie." He attempted to draw her closer to him, speaking to her in Sindarin, ^Come, and be my love, fair one…^
Those words only seemed to make Camille all the more frightened. She broke away from his grasp, turned on her heel, and ran, ran towards the Bruinen.
Forgetting all about the Hobbits now, Legolas ran after her, his Elvish reflexes allowing him to catch up to her in no time. He found her standing on the viewing deck that overlooked the Bruinen, her back turned to him, her long rope of braided hair waving slowly in the wind that the falling water had stirred.
He approached her slowly, but made his steps heavy and detectable for any mortal to hear him. "Why do you fear me so?"
She did not turn to face him. "I'm not afraid of you, Legolas. I'm afraid of something else."
Legolas quickly realized what she meant. He held his arms out imploringly to her. "You fear my touch, do you not? For why else would you cringe from me if not to avoid it?"
She did not reply.
He sighed, and walked closer to her, his chest almost touching her back, but that was as far as he allowed himself to go. He felt the warmth radiating from her person and it was almost his undoing. He desired nothing more than to sweep her into his arms, knowing almost certainly that her form would fit neatly against his own as surely as a key fits the lock it was made for. He desired to loose her hair from its confining braid, to tangle his fingers within the silken strands just as he had seen Elladan do with Eli. He desired to kiss her, to caress her rose-petal lips with his mouth and see if they tasted as sweet they did in his dreams…
"It's not just your touch, Legolas," Camille said quietly.
"Then what else do you fear, Camille?" He gazed at the back of her head, trying to see the expression of her beautiful face. Would it be pained or worried? Would it have the same expression as it did when I first attempted to kiss her?
He closed his eyes, knowing that the time for confession had come. In a gentle whisper, using his native tongue, he said, ^I love you, Eriol. I love you, more so than you could ever imagine. My heart has longed for you since I saw you many moons ago, and that longing has only grown through time. I have desired to tell you this, but I bided my time, waiting for the appropriate moment to tell you.^
She turned to him then, her dark brown eyes carrying a sorrowful light within them. She shook her head, and seemed on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry Legolas, but…I…I cannot love you back."
"Why, then?!" Legolas croaked, his voice suddenly hoarse as his throat constricted from her refusal of his love. "Do you have someone else, another lover who awaits you in your realm? Tell me so now, that I may cease this hopeless love and remain your friend, if that is what you wish."
"I do not have a lover," she told him, her voice still quiet but carrying a slight tremble to it. "But even so, I just want us to be friends. I want to love you, but I cannot. There is a difference between 'cannot' and 'do not'." She pulled away from the railing, and started walking away from him. "Please understand, Legolas Greenleaf. Please understand."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Awww…sniff, sniff… Looks like our poor Elf will have to settle for a slightly broken heart for now! This is, by far, the mushiest and sappiest chapter I have yet written for this fic. For those of you out there who do not really appreciate sap and mush…so sorry! I just figured that I HAD to let this fic live up to its Romance reputation, y'know? As for you Legolas fans…please don't be mad at me for breaking his heart! I'm a fan of his myself (even before I saw the movie), and I just thought that it would be best if he didn't have his way for now. But eventually, he will. TRUST ME. Be patient, my friends!