Disclaimer: Everything you don't recognise is mine, and everything else belongs to Tolkien.
A/N: Well, I am back and here is another update for all of you who are following this story and enjoying it. I have had time to write much more, so look out for an update soon! Thanks also to those who have reviewed!
Please review and tell me your thoughts, and flame if you must, though constructive criticism is always more welcome!
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Alarien lay awake for some time before falling asleep that night, her mind full of thought that she couldn't expel. The more time she spent with Legolas, the more love she felt for him, but also, the more deceitful. She couldn't bear the fact that she had to lie to him about her true identity, but the situation had gone to far to turn back now, and too much was at stake. If her secret was discovered, both she and Arwen would be disgraced, and Legolas would surely never want to speak to her again. The thought was so painful to her that she shook her head to try and get it out, but it still played in the back of her mind. To lose him now, when she felt so much for him, would be to lose a part of herself. Dragging her mind back into control she tried to relax and enjoy the present. There was time now to spend time with him, talk with him, be with him. It surprised her how much she longed for him even now, when she had only seen him a few hours previously. She smiled as she remembered his performance in the competition and how proud she had felt that he was hers, that the beautiful being had chosen her. She lay back and fell asleep with an image of him in her mind and a smile playing on her lips.
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She awoke refreshed the next morning earlier than usual, the morning air was crisp and looking out of the window she could see dew still sparkling on the grass. She wondered why she had woken up so early, she didn't usually. She got dressed quickly into a deep purple gown with lavender coloured stitching. Quickly running a brush through her long hair, she suddenly found herself eager to be outside on this cool, sunny morning. She hurriedly slipped her feet into the soft lilac slippers that lay beside the chair. She was still braiding her hair when she opened her door to leave and was pulling it shut when she felt her foot touch something. She looked down to see a pale pink rose with a note tied around the stem. She picked it up, noting the fact that whoever had left it there had taken time to remove the thorns from the stem. She inhaled the fresh scent with a smile then untied the note. In a slanting and graceful yet compact script she read "Meet me in the stables". She laughed quietly to herself, what game was he playing now. The thought that it could have been anyone but Legolas never crossed her mind, and, running noiselessly down the corridor she made her way towards the stables.
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Legolas had risen even earlier than Alarien that morning, and had made his way through the palace to her room whilst it was still half-dark outside. After delivering his invitation he had gone straight to the stables, savouring the silence of his surroundings. Once inside he had gone to his horse Ninniach moonlight, a present from his father a few years ago. Ninniach was a beautiful beast, his coat was a dappled silvery grey and his silky mane was pure white. Gently stroking the horse's nose Legolas had whispered his plans into Ninniach's ear, and was rewarded with a whinny of approval. Legolas laughed and began brushing him down. When he had finished he walked through to the other end of the stable and opened the stall of another horse, Alfirin small golden flower. She was another beautiful specimen, with a shining golden coat. On her head was a white star and there were white patches above her hooves. Like Ninniach, her mane and tail were also a snowy white. She tossed her head as Legolas entered her stall, and nuzzled the hand he held out to her in greeting. Soon she too was brushed down and ready. Now all he had to do was wait for Arwen. Outside, the day was still cool but the sky was light and the sun was shining brightly, slowly beginning to warm the air around him.
When Alarien reached the stables she saw Legolas standing with his back to her combing the mane of a beautiful golden horse. Silently she crept up behind him, hoping to startle him, but she was still a few feet away when he turned round and saw her. His perfectly sculpted mouth curved into a smile and he quickly took away the distance remaining between them in two paces. Taking her hand, he led her over to Alfirin and introduced them.
"Alfirin, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Arwen." Alarien giggled and reached up to stroke the horse's nose.
"Legolas, she's beautiful! And such a strange colour! Never have I seen a horse of this colour."
"No, I wouldn't have thought you would have. She is of a special kind that is found only in the Mirkwood region." Patting Alfirin's flank, he moved away and led her to Ninniach. Seeing the beautiful elf-maiden approaching him, Ninniach blew through his nostrils and tossed his head. When Alarien kissed him on the nose, he whinnied in delight and nuzzled her hand. Legolas laughed:
"I think he likes you! Ninniach was a present from my father some years ago. We are very great friends, he knows all of my secrets." Alarien raised her eyebrows in mock concern, masking the guilt she felt at the mention of secrets.
"So you have secrets, Prince of Mirkwood?" He leant over and kissed her lightly on her nose.
"Oh, many. Now, we must get going, we have some distance to travel today." Alarien looked confused.
"I don't understand, where are we going?"
"Ah, well, that's one of my secrets. You'll just have to wait and see when we get there. Come on!" He gently lifted her by the waist and placed her atop of Alfirin.
"But people will wonder where I am!"
"All taken care of. I left a note for my servant Falaborn; it will be his belief that I am taking you on a tour of Mirkwood and its outlying regions." With his natural grace, he leapt lightly onto Ninniach's back and moved out of the door. Without a command, Alfirin followed and Alarien marvelled at the smoothness of the horse's gait, she hardly felt as though she was moving. She noticed Ninniach had several bags hanging off either side, and that Legolas had not neglected to take his bow and a full quiver of arrows. She shuddered, remembering the last time she had seen them in their deadly use. The attack was still as fresh in her mind as if it had been yesterday and she harboured a deep fear of a recurrence of the event, after all, it had happened twice already. Legolas turned and smiled at her as they reached the open ground, and she felt her fears drift away. Once out in the open, both horses broke into a gallop, Ninniach slightly ahead, leading the way.
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They had been riding steadily for around two hours now and had left the main region of Mirkwood behind. Alarien was still enjoying the feel of being out in the sun with the wind flying through her hair, making it stream backwards like a banner. She watched Legolas in front of her. He was, like her, a natural rider and seemed to move in synchronisation with the animal beneath him. He too was enjoying the journey, the pleasure he usually felt at riding greatly increased by his present company. The journey so far had passed in relative silence, although occasionally Arwen had begun a song, and he had joined in, their melodious voices linking together in beautiful harmonies. He realised with a pang of pain that there was still an element of sadness in her voice, although barely detectable, and it hurt him to know that she was holding back. He ached to smooth out her sadness and erase the pain, but he knew she would have to come to him; it was not his place to pry. He concentrated on enjoying what was left of the ride; they were nearly at their destination, although to all appearances, there was nothing in front of them except flat plains for miles around.
Alarien was somewhat confused. A few minutes ago, Legolas had informed her that they would soon reach the end of their journey, but she could not see anything around her except flat planes of green grass waving gently in the breeze, a verdant undulating carpet. She continued to look around her then suddenly noticed a rough track crossing horizontally across the horizon. There seemed to be a slight shadow up ahead too, and she pressed Alfirin forward, drawing level with Legolas, in order to see better what it was in front of them. They met the path and turned down it, and Alarien noticed the ground had begun to slope downwards, gently at first, but growing in steepness. Her confusion grew when she saw that it appeared they had reached a dead-end, the path looked as through it led to a wall of rock, the level of the plane high above. But as they reached the end, she noticed that it turned sharply to the left, the path pointing back to the horizon. They followed the path round the corner, and then around another left-hand bend so they were now parallel with the horizon. As they turned this last corner, she gasped in wonder at the view before her, drawing Alfirin to a halt.
It was a dolentum, a 'hidden valley'. From the level of the plane it could not be seen; perspective lending it a cloak of invisibility. Unless one rode ride up to it, its presence would go entirely unnoticed. They were usually river valleys, centuries lending the river time to cut so deep into the ground. This one in particular was young, and not so deep. Its walls were around five hundred feet high. The young river was narrow, only around seventy-five feet wide, and its sparkling cleanness reflected the blue of the sky, so that it appeared there was another world shining below the surface. Several streams branched off the main river and flowed off out of sight into the woods around the river that filled the valley floor. There were the sounds of birds and animals, and an aura of peace that Alarien could only liken to that of Lothlórien, its borders protected from evil by the most potent and powerful ancient magic. The woods were beautiful, equal to the autumn beauty of her beloved home. The many varieties of trees were unlike any she had seen before, their very shapes and colours strange and foreign, but all beautiful. Legolas watched her, seeing the amazement with which she was taking in her surroundings. Although it was a familiar place to him, he never failed to appreciate its simple beauty. It had been a long time since he had journeyed to this place, and he breathed in the clean, woody scent of the forest, enjoying the feeling of peace it brought to him.
He dismounted and turned to see Arwen had done the same. He went over to her and took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together.
"What do you think?" he asked, although he knew the answer already. She breathed in deeply, and sighed, the scent of the woods bringing back potent images of her home.
"Its beautiful, Legolas, just beautiful." He smiled at her words; he had known she would appreciate this place.
"Then it is only right that you should be here. Beauty resides with beauty, such is the way of nature." He laughed lightly at the colour flooding her cheeks at his words. He let go of her hand and walked over to Ninniach, whispering something in his silvery ear. Turning back, he noticed her eyebrow arched questioningly.
"Ninniach is familiar with this place, he will roam with Alfirin, but they will come when we call them." He took the packs from Ninniach's back and slung them over his shoulder. "Now, are you hungry?" She nodded, she hadn't realised it before, but suddenly she felt ravenous. Linking hands again, they set off into the woods, Alarien continually craning her head this way and that to look around at the beauty of the place. She wondered where exactly where they were going, but Legolas seemed know exactly where he was leading them, so she walked leisurely along beside him, looking over at him every now and then to revel in his beauty. His silky golden hair, braided down the middle and at either side, shone in the sun, looking as though it was made of light itself. His blue eyes met hers and she lost herself in their ocean like depths, their gaze caressing hers. His perfect mouth curved into a warm smile and he pulled her closer, snaking his arm around her waist. She moved closer into his embrace and laid her hand on top of his as it gently stroked the curve of her waist. She was still looking up at him when he stopped. She turned to follow his gaze and quickly drew in her breath. If she had thought the woods were beautiful, then there just wasn't a word to describe the place they were in now. They had entered a small clearing, surrounded by strangely shaped trees, with long, thin branches with slender leaves that drooped all the way to the ground, creating a thin curtain of green. At one end of the clearing a small stream flowed, forming a large, still pool in the centre, the water clean and sparkling. The floor was dotted with small, lilac, pink, blue and yellow flowers with four petals, and the grass was green and lush. Alarien walked over to one of the trees and ran a slender branch through her fingers.
"These trees, such an odd shape. What are they?" She questioned.
"They are niatatharea weeping willows. They are not commonly found anywhere except here. Many rare species can be found in this valley, there is much ancient magic in this place." He looked contemplatively around himself for a moment then slung the pack from off his shoulder and laid it on the ground. "Shall we eat?" She nodded vigorously and watched as he unpacked the bags that he had been carrying over his shoulder. There was all manner of food and she felt her appetite growing as she saw it being laid out. "There. Your table awaits, my Lady!" She laughed at his words and sat down next to him on the cool grass. For a while, neither spoke, and eventually their hungers and thirsts were satiated. Feeling a bit full, Legolas lay back on the soft forest floor and looked up at the almost clear blue sky, the never-ending ceiling dotted here and there with a fluffy white cloud. He raised his head as he felt a tugging on his sleeve. Arwen was looking at him with the expression of an impatient child. He laughed and sat up, raising an eyebrow expectantly. She took his hand and gently pulled him to his feet.
"Don't start getting comfortable, I want to explore!" He allowed himself to be dragged away by her impatient hand, and finally succumbed, falling into pace beside her.
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A/N: So there you go, hope it was worth the wait. There will be fluff in a chapter or two so look out for the next updates!