Chapter Eight

Rose walked through Rivendell that evening before dinner was planned to occur. They had planned a feast in her honor of her bloodline's return to Rivendell. Whoever whished to could attend, and the buzz of excitement rang through the city. She came upon a statue, and stopped in front of it. She looked around, and then read the runes that were inscribed on the bottom.

"Do you know who that is?" Elrond asked from behind her. Rose nodded.

"She spoke so highly of you." Rose said softly. "She said there wasn't a day that went by when she could not see you that she didn't long for you."

"She loved this place."

"And she loved you." Rose said, looking at him. He was starring at the statue.

"To this day I regret not being able to bring her here for life." He said. Rose chuckled slightly.

"You could not bring her from the shore." She said, and touched the statues hand.

"And tell me Rose, would Legolas be able to tear you from the shore?" He asked. Rose turned to him again, not sure what he meant.

"He has not asked."

"It does not matter." Elrond said. "Could he?"

"I…I do not know." She said, looking out over the city. "If I were to come I would not be able to return. And there is more of my family in that house than I could ever take someplace. It is not the shore that Legolas would have trouble tearing me from, it is my home. It is the memories and value that my house holds."

"How do you feel as you look upon the city, Rose?" Elrond asked, standing beside her. "What is it that soothes your heart and eases your mind about this place?"

"There are people here who are happy to see me. They treat me as I belong, and know so much more about the world than I could acquire in a thousand lifetimes. Rivendell glows with the light of knowledge that cannot be dimmed nor put out. The town of the humans is dull and grey, soot covering any light that is straining to shine through. Knowledge is nonexistent there, and looking to the stars is near forbidden." She stood in silence, a look of worry slowly spreading across her face. "My heart pleads for me to love Legolas, but my will tells me to return home and keep things as they were."

"And which is stronger?" Elrond asked. Rose leaned against a pillar, still looking out over Rivendell.

"I can not tell." She answered softly. Elrond waited a moment before gently putting his hand on her arm. "They are constantly struggling against one another."

"What has won in the past?"

"This is different than the past." She answered. "I have dreamed of looking upon this place my entire live, yet I am so troubled I feel as if I cannot fully enjoy it." Elrond turned her to face him, and spoke softly.

"Come; do not worry over this tonight. Come to dinner." He said, and the two relatives walked down the long hall to where the feast was about to begin.

Rose and Legolas danced effortlessly along with the other elves, smiling broadly and laughing aloud at the excitement that raced through their veins. Once they had finished eating they did not sit again, and Elrond watched them closely, with a small smile on his face.

"What do you believe she will decide?" Arwen asked, sitting beside him and watching them as well.

"What do I believe, or what do I wish?" Elrond asked.

"Either." Arwen answered.

"I wish she would stay. I know nothing beyond that." He said. "She is in more danger than she realizes back with the humans."

"She realizes it. She just is not afraid." Arwen answered. "She is afraid of nothing."

"She is afraid of what Kiyala was afraid of." Elrond said. Arwen looked at him in confusion. He slowly turned to her, a look of regret on his face. "Herself." Arwen starred at him for a moment more before turning back to the crowd of dancers and starring at Legolas and Rose as they danced close, engulfed in one another's presence.

When the sky began to lighten and the food had been put away, Legolas and Rose retreated to a quieter part of the house. Rose sat up on the railing in front of him, both of their hands in her lap.

"I had told you earlier I wanted to speak to you about many things."

"I know." Rose said. Legolas looked at both of their hands for a few moments before continuing.

"You seem to enjoy it here." Legolas said. Rose nodded. He looked up into her eyes. "Rivendell can offer you everything that the humans cannot. And so can I." He said. "And if this not all that you desire, than I shall take you to Mirkwood." He picked her up, and set her down so she was standing in front of him. "And if not there, than I shall take you to Galadriel and Lothlorien. The point is I want you to be with me. Always."

"You want me to leave the shore?" Rose asked softly after a moment.

"I know that everything you know is there, but what loves you is here. You belong in Rivendell with other elves where they will accept you. You are among your people if you chose to be." He took her hands, and pressed his forehead against hers. "And you will be with me. Forever."

"You are asking so much of me." Rose said, shaking her head. "I do not know what to decide."

"There is no rush." He said, and hugged her. "My heart longs for you to be by my side forever."

"As does mine." Rose whispered into his chest.

"The path my life has taken has had so many rocks and roots in the way until I arrived at your door."

"You arrived in my bushes and I had to chase you to find out who you were." Rose laughed. He smiled, glad to see she was not as troubled as she appeared by his request.

"I was afraid." He answered.

"Of what?" She asked.

"Of you being afraid of me."

"I am not afraid of anything." She said. "The only thing that frightens me is walking into a cage where I have run out of options."

"And that is what frightens you about Rivendell." Legolas said, understanding. He gently touched her cheek as she stood, trying to make her understand. "Rivendell can open your eyes and introduce you to a whole new world. Our world. Your world." He said. Rose turned away from him, looking at one of the sculptures. "What do you have at your house besides the despair and abuse that your family has endured since they had arrived on Rohan?"

"I have everything I have ever known." She said, turning back around to face him. "Centuries worth of work and artifacts that cannot be replaced. Things that I could not carry in a hundred trips on horseback. All that I have left of my mother is in those walls. Her heart and soul are what soothes me to sleep and protects me until the sun rises." She said, growing upset. Legolas stepped towards her, trying to calm her down.

"Then let my heart and soul protect you throughout the day. Let me protect you as night falls and the sun no longer shines. Let my body be your shield until the end of time." He said, his voice matching her tone by the end of the statement.

"You can not protect me from myself." Rose said, walking to the railing and looking out over Rivendell. Legolas watched her, unsure of what to say next. They stood in the same position for a long time without speaking a word to one another. Rose finally turned to him, a single tear trailing down her cheek. "Tiyala said that elves feel the deepest grief. I know now that she was not lying."

"Elves also feel the greatest happiness, beyond what a human could imagine." Legolas said, his touch as soft as his voice. "Let me give you the happiness that you have given me." She fell into his arms, pressing her face into his chest. He kissed the top of her head, gently rubbing her back. She finally pulled away, looking into his eyes.

"I will ride back to my home alone in the morning, and return by nightfall."

"She belongs among us. Among her people."

"She has not decided yet that we are her people. She still has that decision to make."

"She will decide to be with us. She despises the humans." Arwen said, watching Elrond walk back and forth in front of the window. Elrond shook his head slowly.

"She will decide what Legolas tells her."

Arwen looked at him, shocked and angry. "Legolas is not going to tell her to do anything against her will."

"She is in love with him; she will do what he wants."

"Rose is too much like Kiyala to let someone else tell her what she should do." Arwen said. "Father, you can not believe that she will follow Legolas blindly, nor that Legolas would lead her down a blind path." Elrond fell silent, looking across the courtyard. Legolas and Rose were in an embrace, softly talking to one another. Elrond sighed.

"She has decided."

"She will stay then. That is her choice." Arwen said. "You let her decide for herself."

"What I fought for years to make Kiyala see, Legolas has accomplished in a few hours." Elrond said, mostly to himself. "Their choice is now set in stone. There is no room for error between the two of them."

"And there won't be. Legolas is not a fool."

"If anyone knew this, you would." Elrond said, turning to his daughter. Arwen was standing, looking out the window.

"I have loved Legolas all of my life." She said. Elrond starred at her, waiting for what she was going to say next. "Legolas' happiness is all I wish upon him. His happiness lies within her soul."

"You will love again, my daughter." Elrond said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She smiled softly at him, and Elrond left the room. Arwen went to the window, and rested her head on the window frame. She felt a small pinch of doubt in her mind that something was going to go terribly wrong. As she watched them, she spoke softly to herself.

"Be careful, my friend. Be careful what you wish for."

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