Chapter 26: The Wedding
After lunch, Seven and Legolas walked through the settlement together. They walked for a while without any conversation, enjoying each other's presence and trying to ignore the stares from the townsfolk. They made their way into the woods where they wouldn't have to deal with curious people who had never seen an Elf before. Seven led him to a small waterfall. It was one of her favorite places, and she enjoyed sharing it with him. They sat on a fallen log just far enough away from the water to avoid spray.
"Do you have an idea when you'd like to have the wedding, Seven? I didn't mean to put you in an awkward position earlier." Legolas asked. Seven shrugged, a little uncomfortable. "Do you want to go ahead with it right away, or would you rather wait?" He was trying to prompt her for an answer without pushing her to make it sooner than she might prefer. A couple sentences removed.
"I would prefer sometime soon." Seven fought the urge to fidget. She wanted to go ahead with the wedding, but discussing it was awkward. She wanted to express her feelings clearly, but it was suddenly very difficult to do so.
"How soon?" Seven shrugged. "It will take a few days to organize. Would you like to go ahead with it right away, or is it too soon?"
Seven shook her head. "It is not too soon." She smiled, feeling suddenly shy. She didn't want to sound overanxious.
Legolas fought the urge to grin. She was as anxious for this as he was. Still, he tried to keep his voice even. "Gimli's folk are probably already in Minas Tirith, but it won't take long to send for him.
I suppose we'll have to wait to plan the exact day until we hear from them."
"The King and Queen may wish to attend, too. Would you like me to send a messenger to Minas Tirith?" Legolas nodded. "Then I will send a messenger in the morning."
"Then we'll go ahead with the wedding as soon as it can be arranged, yes?" Seven nodded. "Good." He leaned over and kissed her. They sat together for a while, kissing and chatting, before heading back.
The rest of the Elves arrived that night and found a meal and rooms waiting for them. A few days later, Aragorn and Arwen arrived with Gimli and Gandalf. It was a warm reunion. They stayed up and talked long into the night. The visitors rejoiced with Seven and Legolas as they finally prepared for their wedding. That wedding had been coming since Legolas was nearly turned away from Edoras with Gandalf, Aragorn, and Gimli.
Éowyn woke Seven early the next morning. Seven had been staying up later at night and sleeping almost until dawn. "Wake up, Seven!"
Seven came awake abruptly. "Éowyn. What time is it?"
"Time for you to get up. We have a lot to do to get you ready. You know, I think this is the first time I've ever been up before you."
"I have been staying up later at night so I sleep later in the mornings." Éowyn just chuckled.
Besides Éowyn, Arwen also helped Seven prepare. The following day, Seven and Legolas were married. Thanks to Éowyn and Arwen, Seven was dressed in an elaborate gown, her waist-length hair drawn back from face to fall in curls down her back, a few strands framing her face. Legolas gasped slightly at the sight of her. He was resplendent in Elven finery, and Seven's heart skipped a little at the sight of him.
A feast followed the ceremony, then dancing and more food. Q even showed up. Gandalf was in the back of the room where he appeared and intercepted him before he could get far. After that, Q waved to Seven and gave her a "thumbs-up" sign, then disappeared. Legolas, who was chatting with Aragorn, didn't even see him. Seven had to wonder what had passed between Q and Gandalf, but before she could ponder it too much, Legolas finished his conversation and pulled her up for another dance. After a while, they sat down again, chatting with whoever came over.
Food and wine flowed freely, but after a while Seven couldn't eat any more. She had never been in the habit of eating heavily, and the feast had been going for most of the day. If she had any more wine, she knew she would get drunk, and that was an experience she hoped to avoid. During a lull in the dancing, Legolas leaned over, "Do you think we could slip out without being noticed?"
"If we are quick, it is possible. We can go out the back way."
Legolas grinned at her. "Are you ready to leave?"
Seven nodded. "If we wait for another dance to start, we may escape notice."
As people got up for the next dance, the two of them slipped out quietly. Seven took a back route, out of the way of passerby. The night was dark, but she knew the way well. Suddenly, Q appeared in their path.
"Q, why are you here?" Seven fought back a surge of annoyance.
"I wanted to personally extend my congratulations, my dear. If not for me, none of this would have happened for you."
"In other words, you wish to gloat."
"You wound me, Seven." Seven rolled her eyes.
"Who is he?" Legolas asked.
"The being responsible for bringing me here."
"Q, at your service." Q gave an exaggerated bow. "You know, Seven, it's a shame your friends back in the Alpha Quadrant can't see you now. Perhaps we should pay them a visit? They'd love to meet your new husband."
"I think not." Seven didn't even try to cover her annoyance this time. "My place is here. Do not attempt to force me to return."
"Don't worry, Seven. I couldn't if I wanted to. Your friend Gandalf made that much clear." Q was sullen. "Still, it would be fun!"
"Is there a purpose in this visit, Q?"
"Is that a not-so-subtle hint? I'm amazed, Seven."
"Go away, Q."
"Seven! You could stand to be a little nicer. After all, you have me to thank for all of this." Q gestured around him, his gaze pointedly stopping on Legolas.
Like Seven, Legolas had had enough. "You heard her, Q. You've had your say, now let us be."
"Go away, Q." Seven's voice was firm.
"Fine, then, but this may well be the last time you see me. There are plenty of other people to visit. I wonder what Kathy is up to…" With that, he disappeared. Legolas jumped at the abrupt disappearance, but Seven just sighed.
"What is he?" Legolas asked.
"A troublemaker. He is a powerful being, but apparently limited in Middle Earth. Hopefully, he is truly gone. Apparently he has worn out his welcome with the Valar." Legolas looked at her, trying to figure out what to make of that. "If we wish to avoid detection, we should keep moving. The adults would not bother us, but the older boys are probably about causing mischief. Their parents will probably be too hung over to seriously discipline them."
Legolas laughed, and the two of them slipped into the night silently, taking a long route to Seven's small dwelling. As they approached from behind, they could see three boys waiting by the entrance. Seven picked up a rock and threw it down the road in the general direction of the hall where the feast was still going strong. If anyone had missed their presence, there was no indication. The boys ran off to investigate the noise, and the two of them were able to slip in unnoticed