Chapter 21
For All Eternity
A/N:: I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this. I had to change it several times to be satisfied. But here it is; the conclusion to 'Of the Wind'.
I own nothing…
***
"How is the wizard doing?" Laera's mother inquired, taking a sip from her honey tea.
"Ah, very well. He was last seen headed toward Hobbiton to visit a friend of his," Lord Elrond answered.
"That is good. And what of Legolas?" asked Arwen.
Laera's spoon had fallen to the floor with a clatter and all eyes had turned to her. "Yes, father. Have you received word of Legolas's condition?" she asked as casually as she could. Everyone but Arwen paid no heed.
"Oh, yes. Last I heard, the Mirkwood Prince was doing quite well -has been up and about for a while now. Actually," Elrond took his napkin from beside his plate and regally wiped his mouth before continuing, "we are to have visitors from Mirkwood coming in later today. Thranduil is coming and Legolas as well, Laera."
Another clatter from Laera's spoon being dropped again rang in the air. "Oh dear, I am so clumsy this morning."
Eyes swivelling away from her, Elladan had taken a bite of his bread. "Today, father? Thank you for notifying us."
"Yes, right before they are actually to arrive," muttered Elrohir.
"I heard that, Elrohir, and I have reason for not mentioning it to you all sooner." Eyebrows rose as they anticipated the reason. Clearing his throat, Elrond's gaze lowered to his plate. "It slipped my mind, you see."
"So Legolas is to visit Imladris?" spoke Laera's mother when the laughter had died. "It is about time. It has been so long since he had visited here properly."
"Yes, he was only a child when he used to visit here. What a lovely little boy I remember," commented Arwen with a smile.
"Lovely to you, Arwen. I believe poor Laera here remembers differently."
All eyes turned to her at Elladan's comment. "Y-Yes," stuttered Laera.
When she didn't elaborate, Elladan continued, "What a terror he was! To think that imp of an Elf would someday grow up to be what Legolas is today." He shook his head as if he still could not quite believe it.
"Oh! Remember that one time he got honey all over Laera's hair! Or that time he shot Laera in the eye. You were so small, Laera."
"I remember how at least one piece of furniture, or dish, or vase, or window would be broken by the time he had to go," laughed Laera's mother.
"How about that time he stopped the whole banquet to tell us about that vase he broke," said Elrohir.
"Oh, yes. Poor boy…" giggled Arwen.
"He broke a vase?" said Laera, finally speaking.
"Yes. That one in the hallway," said Elrond.
"No… remember? It was I who broke that vase. Legolas had pointed his finger at me."
More laughter burst forth. "He did, didn't he?" said Elrohir between chuckles. "Well, Laera, he told all of us in the banquet how it was his arrow that knocked it from the stand."
Before Laera could speak, her father rose quickly. "Oh my, we really must start preparing for the arrival of Thranduil and his family. Get up, all of you. I expect you all to be ready in two hours!"
The sound of chairs being pushed back and people leaving filled Laera's ears. She was still recovering from the fact that she was going to see Legolas at long last later on that day! It had been six long months since she had last seen him. Biting her lip, she forced her frozen limbs to move. She must get ready!
***
"Do I look all right?" Laera asked Arwen for the seventh time that day. The family and most of Rivendell's Elves stood gathered in the grand atrium of Imladris, anxiously awaiting the arrival of King Thranduil. But there was one Elf in particular who was most anxious of all.
Arwen laughed and studied Laera's carefully brushed hair and her pretty dress. Laera's face was flushed with excitement and her eyes fairly shone. "You look beautiful, Laera," assured Arwen patiently. She understood how nerve-wracking it could be for an Elf awaiting the arrival of that special individual.
Frowning, Laera looked away from Arwen and began to pace nervously. Wringing her hands, she faced Arwen with a look of utter unease. "Oh, Arwen. It had been such a long time since I last saw him."
"Laera, dearest, it will be all right. Legolas loves you… I know it. If his affections had waned over the time you have spent apart from him, then you should not bother thinking about him ever again."
"Thank you for your words, sister, but-" Laera was interrupted when the trumpets suddenly sounded. Her heart pounded in her chest as the large doors of the atrium slowly swung forward. After awhile, her quickened breathing stopped altogether as Elves from Mirkwood began to file into the room.
Her eyes darted from fair Elven face to the next in a vain attempt to spot him. For a moment, Laera felt like she were six years old again as she glimpsed a small Elven boy with strikingly blue eyes. But she was not a little girl anymore and after a few minutes of searching, her blood ran cold when she realized that he wasn't there.
As if reading her mind, Laera felt Arwen's hand on her arm. "Do you see him?" whispered Laera.
Arwen shook her head 'no' and gave her arm a small squeeze in comfort. "Perhaps he is a little late?" Arwen suggested a little feebly.
The room began to shift and Laera clutched at her sister for support. What was happening? Through blurred vision, Laera watched as her father embraced king Thranduil and welcomed the guests. She did not know what happened after, but after a few moments, she felt she could take no more. Trying to swallow the lump that had begun to rise in her throat, she left the support of Arwen's arm and escaped out of one of the doors. Once free, she hugged her arms tightly against her body and closed her eyes.
She paused at a window where she leant on the stone sill. Legolas had not come! "Why had he not come?" she said aloud worriedly. Why should she be surprised? She knew she shouldn't be. There was nothing very significant that happened between them. A little kiss… that was all. Everything that happened after was not worth thinking about.
With a sigh, she leant her head out of the window and smiled as a sudden image of a little Elven boy, running through the meril and uilos as quickly as his plump legs could carry him, passed through her eyes.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps approaching. Turning, she smiled to see her father approach her.
"You left so quickly, daughter," Lord Elrond said.
"Yes." It was all she could say.
"Might it have something to do Legolas's absence?"
Laera lowered her head and blushed. She loved her father, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to talk about things sort of things with him. But then again, she also couldn't lie to him. Her head still bowed, she nodded silently.
Elrond sighed and turned to the window. "Let us take a quick stroll to the orchards, shall we? The cordof trees are supposed to be in full bloom at this time of year and I have not yet time to see them."
The two walked out of the palace and silently walked towards the blossoming cordof trees whose rose-petal flowers held the promise of ripe, beautiful fruit come autumn.
When they were well under the boughs of the trees, they paused at a fallen tree, which served as a comfortable bench. Sitting down, Elrond broke the silence, "I remember Legolas as a small Elven boy. Quite the troublemaker, was he not? I quite vividly remember the day he broke that vase. Your mother and I never fail to laugh over that memory."
Laera glanced at her father sharply and drew in a quick breath. "Did he really confess to all of you like Elrohir said?"
Elrond chuckled and faced his youngest child. "That he did. I remember the day well; we were all feasting and having a wonderful dinner. All of a sudden, Legolas, plump and small as he was walks into the centre of the room ringing a bell."
"A bell?"
Elrond chuckled and continued, "It was a cow bell taken right from Bessie, our sow. However, we were too curious as to what he had to say to scold him for that little thievery."
"What did he do next, father?"
"He rang the bell until we were all silent. When he was convinced he held everybody's complete and full attention, he cleared his throat, as if to prepare for a long, grand speech..."
***
Legolas stood, petrified, staring at the dozens of faces that stared right back at him. Most of the faces held expressions of amusement, others held curiosity and interest -either way, he had not anticipated feeling this nervous. How will he ever be able to do it? For a moment, his feet twitched to turn his body around and flee. But then he thought of Laera, her eyes big and wide as she was, falsely accused by him. No, he must do this!
With renewed determination, Legolas balled his hands into fists and broke the silence, "Lord Elrond, I have something to say." His voice faltered as he spoke the Elven lord's name, but gained confidence as he continued. "Laera was not the one who knocked over the vase in the hall. I-I lied to you." Legolas bowed his head and the smallest of sniffles was heard by those who were nearest the Elf. "I am awfully sorry, my Lord. You needn't punish Laera because…" he paused, faltering once more.
His frightened eyes searched the faces of the many Elves before him until he finally saw Arwen's. On her lips she held a smile, not of amusement, but encouragement. Smiling back, Legolas took a deep breath and continued. "Laera is a very good girl. She only gets in trouble because of me and I really don't mean to!" He gulped and his eyes returned their gaze to the floor. "I never mean to get her in trouble. She is the nicest girl I know and-and…the greatest girl in the world!" A relative gasp came from almost every Elven mouth as the young prince scrambled from the room.
***
Laera felt numerous bouts of uncontrollable laughter welling up inside of her, but the image of Legolas doing such a thing for her was such an endearing thought that it were tears that streamed down her cheeks instead of laughter from her mouth.
Blinking back her tears, Laera had never felt more of a need to see him…to throw her arms about him and tell him how much she really cared.
Lord Elrond watched his daughter weep with confusion. "Why, Laera, is everything all right?"
"Oh, father, that was a lovely story."
"Then why do you cry so?"
"Because I miss him, father. He did not come to Rivendell and I can only assume that it is because he feels no need to."
"That is what upsets you?" Elrond sighed and patted his daughter's clasped hands. "I do not know the reason why Legolas chose not to make an appearance, but what I do know is that that Elf has loved you from the moment he saw you. You may not have known it, but every time something wrong happened, he always came to me to explain it all."
When Laera did not speak, he continued, "He did that often, young Legolas. Always seemed to have a knack for finding trouble for himself and others. Especially you. He did care a great deal for you, Laera, even young as he was."
"Even though I thought I hated him, father, I suppose I always cared for him just as deeply. Maybe even more so," whispered Laera. "It is like the wind; strong enough to shape mountains and swing mighty branches of trees to and fro… but it is never seen."
Elrond sighed and abruptly rose from his seat. "Well, we have a party to attend. My guests cannot very well enjoy a party without their host, can they?"
Laera smiled, but remained seated. "You go ahead, father. I am not in the mood for festivities right now."
"I understand." Elrond gathered his robes about him and prepared to leave the orchard. Just as he was about to go, however, he turned back. "I told you that you would one day be looking forward to his visits."
Finally, Laera laughed. "Yes, you did." But as her father disappeared from the orchard, her sadness returned.
As she sat there, tracing the outline of the dead wood she sat upon, she wept lonely tears. It was times like these, she suddenly thought, that her friends, Bertle the dryad and Fiona the fairy, would come out to comfort her. How she missed them now. How she wished that their whimsical faces would poke out from the brush to smile at her and listen patiently to her woes.
She sighed and leant her elbows on her knees. Her eyes keeping a steady gaze on her toes, she barely noticed with a pair of feet clad in soft leather approached and stopped just within her line of vision.
"Laera?" a voice soft and comforting whispered to her. She did not have to look up to know who that voice belonged to. Her breathing rapidly increasing with every second past, Laera slowly raised her head to gaze into the eyes of Legolas.
She felt a joy, as painful as it was wonderful, fill her heart. So much time had passed and she had replayed this very scenario over and over in her head. But now that he was there, in front of her, she was at a loss for words.
"Laera," he whispered again, this time kneeling before her. Legolas wiped a tear from her cheek. Involuntarily, she shivered. "Do not cry, Laera... Are you not happy to see an old friend?" His uncertain laughter died on his lips at fresh tears quickly rewetted her cheeks.
Finally, she felt the courage to bring her eyes up to meet his gaze. "What are you? A spirit of my imagination? A ghost sent here to torment me?"
"I am no spirit…" Legolas took a trembling hand and held it to his cheek. "Do you feel that? I am real and I am here. And so is this," he placed her hand over his heart, "which beats only for you. My heart has continued to pump blood in my veins all for the promise of seeing your lovely face again."
"Oh," she let out a choked cry, and at his words, Laera collapsed into his arms. He held her tightly, whispering comforting words in her ear and stroking her hair.
Keeping her arms about him, she pulled herself a little away from him, so that she could see his face. "Where were you?" she asked simply.
"It took four months for me to recover," he said. "That is a relatively short time considering the severity of my wound, but it was never soon enough for me. I must say, Laera, it was torture for me to be able to walk on these legs and not be able to walk to you."
"It was not soon enough for me either," she whispered. "Wait, a moment," Laera said, puzzled.
"Six months have passed since I saw you last. What were you doing the last two months?"
"I was waiting, waiting, and waiting for the dwarves to finish this up," he said, reaching into his pocket. "And now I am here to finish what I began nearly two-thousand years ago." Gently, Legolas pulled away from Laera's lithe body and took her hand in his. "Laera, I have known you since my youth and yet, I feel I have known you for all eternity..." the Elf smiled revealing a magnificent ring of silver. Atop rested a beautiful stone that reminded Laera of ice and snow. Carefully, he slid it onto her finger. "And for all eternity, I pledge my love to you."
Tears slid down her cheeks as she gaped in wonder at the beautiful ring. Her eyes darted from the ring, to Legolas's eyes before they came to rest on his face. With a smile on her lips Laera took her newly jewelled hand and tucked a flaxen strand behind his pointed Elven ear.
For once, Laera didn't blush. Her heart beat much too fast to allow the blood to dally within her cheeks. Her world rapidly began to spin and fade away until it were only Legolas's eyes that she saw; blue as the azure sky that stretched above them both, cerulean as the seas she had yet to see.
And as a single blossom broke free from a slender, pale branch and floated gracefully to the floor, the two shared their second kiss. It lacked the element of surprise their first contained, but was full of just as much passion, just as much love as they each felt for each other at that moment.
When they parted, Legolas wondered if it were really possible to be this happy. For a horrible moment, he believed that it was and that Laera and all that surrounded him would dissipate within the nether regions of his mind in the form of a wonderful dream. But the feel of Laera's body against his own, the fragrant aroma of blossoming cordof, the sound of a million petals fluttering in the spring breeze was all too real.
"I love you," whispered Legolas.
Slowly, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and gently played with a strand of his golden hair. "As I love you. Ever since the day you stuck out your tongue at me, there has been no other and there never will be."
He drew her near and another beautifully sweet kiss was shared. When their lips parted, they took each other's hand and walked slowly out of the clearing. Neither knew what the future held for both of them, but be it bad or good both welcomed it, for it would be faced with the each other by their side.
***
END
***
Acknowledgements
OH boy. I have many people to thank for this story. First of all, I MUST thank the lovely reviewers who had nothing but sweet comments and helpful criticisms.
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER…
Dr. Linkshlof -is not a guy:
THANK YOU so much for your criticism early on in my story. When I felt discouraged that I was not receiving many reviews, your encouragement helped me so much. Your helpful hints and suggestions did help to boost my review average and I want to thank you so much for that.
Concetta:
Thank you for your suggestion of me incorporating real Elvish into my story. Thanks to you, I've downloaded an awesome Sindarin dictionary and all the names of my characters since have Sindarin meanings. I'm sorry I never answered your questions. It wasn't that I was lazy, it was just that I knew the answers to your questions would all be explained in later chapters. Thanks for the questions anyways because they made me aware of plot holes that I had that needed explaining. I also loved your enthusiastic, all-capitalized reviews. Your exclamations never failed to make me laugh. I only hope that I continue to be honoured with your reviews with stories I have yet to write.
Valerie:
Dearest Valerie. I must say you are one of my favourite reviewers. You were there at the beginning and reviewed nearly every chapter in this story. Thank you SO MUCH for your encouragement, your flattering comments, and enthusiasm. Your eager suggestions did not fall on deaf ears, or blind eyes I should say, but I took them all into consideration. Therefore, my fic was good partly because of your suggestions. Yes, Britney Spears is evil and I can't believe I put that song in (lol). You, like Concetta, had many questions. Thank you for them all.
Lexilee:
LEXILEE! I really loved reading your reviews. They always brightened my day. You were one of those reviewers who commented on my plot and development of characters. I took everything you've told me in stride and my fic was all the better because of it. I am sorry I couldn't kill Rhovan off like you wanted, but, you see now, she was needed to save Legolas (lol)! Sorry I made you wait for the loooong updates, but I hope I never disappointed you when they finally were posted. You were also one of the reviewers who inspired me to write longer chapters. Thank you.
Elfpilot:
I loved reading your flattering comments. They never failed to brighten my day. Your small comment about the detail in my stories made me aware of something I never particularly noticed. Also, thank you for the comment about Legolas's childhood. I was waiting for someone to comment on that. Thank you.
Jynessa Greenleaf:
Another faithful reviewer! You've been there since the very beginning and I'm so thankful you stuck around until the end. I'm glad you enjoyed reading every chapter. I looked forward to your reviews after I posted each one. You have always been there with a sweet comment and wonderful praise. Your energetic reviews complete with multiple exclamation marks and all capitalized words always cheered me up. Thanks to your urging, my chapters were posted sooner just so I can wait to hear what you think. As for the question if I have any more stories coming up, I plan to finish my other Lego'mance 'Unspoken'. I also have a Pippin story cooking up so if you're into Pippin, then that story will be posted soon. Thanks for your undying support.
Spaceman:
You didn't review many chapters, but I enjoyed reading your reviews. Thanks for your encouragement and helpful suggestions. Sorry I couldn't bring Rhovan back for a bit of jealousy on Laera's part, but you did inspire me to have her return for an even greater purpose. Thank you.
LotR-Redwall-Obsessive-Child:
Thank you for your few reviews. Because of your criticism, I realized my little error in the earlier chapter and fixed it. I still don't know how I could have let that little mix-up about Greenwood and Mirkwood pass… especially with a beta-reader (she didn't catch it either). Thanks for pointing out what I needed to work on and I hope you enjoyed reading this fic. Thank you.
Eryn Lasgalen:
Your review was the sweetest, nicest, most flattering review I ever got. It was also one of the longest, if THE longest. Your kind words simply touched my heart and I'm glad you enjoyed my writing to such an extent. Thank you.
Lil dreamer:
Thank you for your reviews. Yeah, I don't think Aragorn is 'roguishly' handsome like I said my story, but I was describing him from Arwen's perspective. Viggo Mortensen is a cool actor, though. Thank you for commenting on my personification of my characters. I never really noticed those kind of things until wonderful reviewers like you point them out. Thank you.
Kiari:
Hey you (lol)! You also didn't review my story much, but I was still thankful for the reviews. Thank you for boosting my ego and calling me creative. I think you were the only reviewer to do that. Thank you.
Legolas' girl:
Another diligent reviewer! Okay, you didn't review a lot, but when you did review, you said a mouthful (lol)! I loved reading your reviews because they were lengthy and offered me advice in addition to the compliments. I'm glad you were able to relate to Laera (not many people liked her… but then again, I didn't write her to be liked). Thank you for commenting on my use of metaphors. You were the only reviewer to do that. Also, you were the only reviewer to point out the similarities between a chapter and that scene from 'Mulan'. You're very observant and I like that in a reviewer. Yes, I've read 'Emma'. Watched a couple movie versions of it as well. I liked the one with Gweneth Paltrow the best. Thankyou for your wonderful reviews. They certainly made my day.
Allora Gale:
Thank you, Allora, for your nice reviews. I hope I didn't disappoint you with my rendition of all the Arioc ass-kicking. I hope you did have fun. Thank you.
Mystic Elf:
You didn't review much, but I liked your reviews. I hope you finally got that chapter out of your head and did well on your exams. Your broken sentences in your next review had me in stitches. Thanks for the laugh and don't blame poor Legolas for that little misjudgement! (He is healing quite nicely from that frying pan you hit him with, by the way).
YingRui:
Thank you for your sweet reviews! I apologize for not recommending any good fics like you requested in your review. I always meant to write you personally, but it always slipped my mind! Some great fics that I personally love include Camilla Sandman's 'OFUM: Offical Fanfiction University of Middle-earth'… or something like that. Forgive me if I blundered that title. But it's a hilarious fic that deals with fanfic writers and the canon characters. Check it out! Thank you for inspiring me to get off my lazy ass and write chapters.
Little Green Lawn Gnome:
I really liked your review. I'm still not sure if it was a review or a flame… You don't like Britney Spears, that's what I got out of your one review. That's okay, as I mentioned in another thank-you note to another reviewer, I don't understand why I picked that song. You're right, there were numerous songs out there I could have picked that were a thousand times greater. Sorry about the Spears thing. Your review made me laugh! Thank you.
Phoebemoon:
Not too sure whether your review, like that of the Little Green Lawn Gnome, was a review or a flame (lol). Hope you liked reading my fic! I really like your pen name, by the way. Thank you.
Eulalie Desdemona:
Thanks for your review. I also found your penname interesting!
Vanya Quende:
I am so glad you were not disappointed with my new chapters after coming back from London. I've always wanted to visit there. Thanks for your lovely reviews and I hope you liked the conclusion of my story. Thank you.
Sokochan:
You are such a sweet person! I loved your reviews. They certainly boosted my ego and made me smile each and every time. Thank you for liking Laera's character. Sometimes even me, her creator, felt like kicking her. But that was the persona that I gave her and thanks so much for understanding that! Thank you for spending those three hours reading my story. I am also very sorry that I have not updated in a long while and you had to wait for this. Bah, I hate chemistry. I am currently on the verge of failing it. It is DEFINITELY the Last Great Evil. That… and Sean Desmond. I have never heard of that comic 'God is Groovy', but it sounds hella interesting. I don't think there will be a sequel, but thank you for the suggestion. I hope the ending didn't disappoint you. Thank you SO MUCH for your support.
Daze E:
Thank you for being such a fan of my fics. In answer to your question, I will be finishing 'Unspoken' soon. As for my third fic, only time will tell if I decide to continue on that one. Thank you for your review, Ruby.
Aga_xris:
My beta reader said the SAME THING about the Arioc almost seeming nice. In fact, I was throwing around an idea that it would turn out nice all along… but that wouldn't have made sense, now, would it? Thank you for your review!
Here are a few others who I must thank for their supportive reviews:
Blahblah
Morwen
Queen Isis
Kikari
Zarsky
She-Elf15
Elenya
Madmaddie
Just Curious
AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NEVER LEAST…
Thank you to my wonderful, amazing, supportive beta, Erika Palad, who was always ready with a suggestion and an idea when they ran dry. Many times she was my muse and I owe her many thanks for helping me to complete this story. Thank you for forcing me to write chapters when I didn't feel like it. You are a fabulous beta… even if you did let an error or two slip.
Thank you all,
~Jerika