*Disclaimer: I'm not Tolkien. These aren't all my characters. Please don't sue me, I'm poor.

A Question of Immortality

"Why do you carry two bows and quivers?"

Amariell walked into the clearing and set down her pack and the two bows she had slung over her shoulder. "One is for me and one is for you." Was her simple reply as she planted a light kiss on the mouth of her lover.

Legolas returned her kiss and looked down to quiver at this feet. He bent down and picked it up. A tiny elated cry escaped his lips. "Oh, Amariell!" He turned the quiver around in his hands and as he did, gold etched bird he had fallen in love with appeared. He looked up at Amariell, who was beaming vibrantly. "It's the quiver your father made. Why did you bring it to practice?"

Amariell rolled her eyes. "It's for you, Legolas. My father gives it to you as a gift." As Legolas opened his mouth, Amariell held up her hand. "He will not accept any payment. He knew you would offer, as did I. His payment, he says, is that the best archer in all of Mirkwood will be using his bow and carrying around his quiver."

Legolas pulled Amariell into his arms and kisses her wholly on the lips. "Because I cannot thank your father in such a way, I thank you." He said when he'd pulled away.

Amariell laughed loudly. "No, I would hope you would not thank my father in such a manner."

Legolas beamed and picked up his new bow. Slinging the quiver over his shoulder and situating it on his back, he pulled an arrow out of it. He looked over at Amariell and saw that she had already notched her arrow. Legolas notched his own and came to stand next to her.

"Okay, now spread your feet a bit wider apart. No, no…like this, Amariell." He got into his archery stance and pointed to his own feet with his notched arrow. Amariell nodded and copied his stance. Legolas nodded approvingly and set his bow down.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, knowing that they would be tense because they always were. "Meleth nin, you need to relax. If your shoulders are not relaxed you won't hit your target."

He began to massage her tense shoulders, which caused Amariell to sigh longingly. "If you continue to massage me like that, elf, I will not be focused on the target at all."

He laughed and kissed her neck, which only made her worse. She moaned with both irritation and desire. He laughed again and backed away. "Okay, okay. I will not torment you...now." The last part he added with a smile, though he knew she could not see it. Amariell smiled too, knowing that he was smiling himself, and shook her head. His definition of torture left something to be desired, for it only involved passionate kissing and an occasional grope.

Finally, after correcting her stance several times, Amariell was ready to practice. Legolas watched as his love shot through piece after piece of fruit. She was learning quickly, her dedication to archery showing every time she picked up her bow. Legolas smiled again and again as she looked back at him to gauge his reaction of her progress. Now, if only she could get her stance down, Legolas thought.

As the day wore on, Legolas and Amariell moved on to some meditation exercises, then sat down to have lunch. Amariell had packed lunch this time and as she reached into her pack, Legolas regarded her.

"My father asked me today when you would be gracing us with your presence at our supper table again. I told him that I would ask you today, at practice." Amariell smiled over at him as she took out four containers filled with food and set them down between Legolas and herself. He took the goblet she offered him and titled his head slightly at her. "My father likes you, Amariell. It's rare that he likes the maidens I choose to court. Usually he just suspects that they reciprocate my feelings because I am a prince. He genuinely does like you, though, and that makes me immeasurably happy."

Amariell looked at him deadpan. "Why else would I let you woe me, Prince Legolas? You are royalty, after all."

Legolas simply stared at her in shock, unable to speak. He wasn't certain he had heard her correctly. She continued to look at him, her face unchanging as she poured him some wine. He swallowed and looked at his goblet, most troubled with her admission. Her laughter brought his eyes back to her face and he saw that she was smiling evilly and nibbling on a piece of vegetable. At his flabbergasted look, she laughed harder.

Finally, after a few seconds, she calmed down and inhaled deeply, trying to catch her breath. "Oh," She gasped, clutching her breast. "Oh, Legolas, you should see the look on your face. You look positively stunned!"

"You were joking then?" Was his reply. His face softened at bit, from stunned to mildly amused. Amariell nodded.

"Of course I was joking! Oh Legolas, I love you and you know it. Prince or no prince, you are the elf I wish to spend the rest of my mortal life with."

Legolas's growing smile faded as she mentioned her mortal life. He was so caught up in his love for Amariell, that sometimes he forgot that she wasn't immortal, that she wasn't an elf. Seeing his look, the smile that faded from his lips, Amariell instantly knew what was wrong. She sighed, suddenly depressed. The topic of her mortality hadn't come up in a while. It was a sore subject for both of them. Sometimes she thought that Legolas forgot she was mortal, perhaps not by choice, but because they rarely talked about it. Truth be told, Amariell was happier not talking about it at all. She knew it was a pipe dream, but she almost had herself convinced that if she didn't think about it, if she didn't mention her mortality, she wouldn't have to deal with it. Amariell couldn't even fathom her life without Legolas and the thought of only being able to spend a limited amount of time with him broke her heart.

The idea broke Legolas's heart too. He had discussed the topic of mortality with is father since meeting Amariell. He had inquired if there was any way she could extend her life beyond the expected hundred years. Her father said he knew of no potion, spell, chant, or charm that could extend Amariell's life. This had greatly saddened Legolas, but he still hadn't given up. He searched through every book he could find in his father's study that dealt with the subject of mortality and immortality, even the joining of the two. A few weeks ago his father had come to him with the possibility of speaking to Lord Elrond, for he was half-elven. Perhaps he could give Legolas some answers to his inquiries. Legolas had already known about Elrond's mixed heritage, but had not thought to ask the Lord of Rivendell about it. Before he didn't feel it was right to pry, but now he felt justified in asking. He was willing to travel the long distance to Rivendell to talk with Elrond in the hope that there was some way to extend Amariell's life, even if by a few years. Legolas was willing to do just about anything for Amariell. He loved her so much.

"We should go to Rivendell." Amariell stopped eating her lembas and looked at him, eyebrows raised. He nodded his head insistently and continued. "Yes, we will go to Rivendell and inquire of Lord Elrond if there are any known ways of extending a mortal's life. He would know, he has to, he is half-elven.. If he doesn't know, then he might know someone who does." His voice was hurried and excited as he spoke.

Amariell held up her hands to stop him. "Legolas, slow down. Rivendell is a far journey, my love." Her eyes grew dark then and she felt the sting of tears forming. "Besides, I do not think there is any way in which I can extend my life."

Legolas's brow furrowed at her reaction and drew nearer to her, grasping both her hands. His voice became suddenly soft and a great sadness filled his beautiful blue eyes. "I do not want to loose you. What you said, 'I want to spend the rest of my mortal life with you', it got me thinking. I know we don't talk about this subject much, but I think we need to talk about it now. No longer is your mortality enough for me. I want to be with you forever. I won't loose you, Amariell."

Legolas did not expect the reaction he got from her. She pulled her hands away, rather roughly, and turned from him. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "I don't want to hear this. You know there is nothing that can be done, Legolas. Do not torture yourself, or me, by harboring any false hopes." Her voice cracked and the tears spilled from her eyes. "My mortality has to be enough for you, for it is all I have to give."

Legolas shook his head and reached out to touch her shoulder. She recoiled again. His voice was pleading as he spoke. "What if there was a way? What if there was SOME way that you could become immortal? I am willing to go to the farthest reaches of Middle Earth if there is even the smallest chance that I will find something, anything, that will enable you be with me forever."

Amariell whirled on him, tears streaking down her face. Her eyes were sad, so incredibly sad, but her voice was harsh as she spoke. "Then you will travel alone, Legolas." Throwing her lembas down to the ground, Amariell stood, and turned her whole body away from him. "I am sorry if my short life isn't enough for you. Perhaps I was foolish in thinking that a relationship between you and I would work. You are being so selfish."

Legolas stood as well and gazed at her back. A sudden gust of wind took up her loose tresses and he watched with love and sadness as her beautiful curls swirled in the wind. When the wind died down, he spoke. "I know you do not mean what you say, Amariell. I know that you are upset and that my hasty words have filled you with anger. For that I am sorry. You want what I say to be true just as much as I do." His voice was tender as he spoke.

Amariell's was not. "Do I, Legolas? Do I want immortality? You seem so certain of my answer. But have you asked me? Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps I am happy with being mortal and that I will gladly spend the rest of my days with you."

She looked at him now and began to sob. "Don't you see that is all I can promise? I am not an elf, Legolas. I cannot spend all of eternity with you. This…this hope that you hold…I cannot hold it with you. I cannot afford to believe in such fantasies. Because if I do and it turns out that there is no hope, I would surely die of a broken heart. Can't you understand that?"

Legolas reached out for Amariell and when she did not move away, he held her tightly to him. He kissed her soft curls and rocked her back and forth as she wept into his chest. He had been hasty with his words and he regretted all that he had said. Legolas should have discussed it more with Amariell before making such rash decisions. He hadn't meant to upset her, he hadn't meant to make her cry. He would have given anything to make her tears go away.

It was a long while before either of them spoke. He let Amariell cry on his shoulder for as long as she needed. Finally, after her sobs had quieted down a bit, Legolas kissed her forehead and cupped her tear stained face with both his hands. "Two hundred years or two thousand years. It makes no difference to me, Amariell, as long as I have you. " A tear slipped down his cheek and he swallowed hard to get rid of the lump that was tightening in his throat. "I am so sorry for my harsh words. I was being selfish and I did not consider your feelings before I suggested such things. I love you so much, Amariell. The thought of loosing you, even hundreds of years from now, scares me beyond belief."

Amariell sniffed and smiled through her tears. "I'm sorry, too. Of course I want what you say to be true. I want nothing more than to be with you forever, Legolas. But it is not possible. You and I both know that. Why lie to ourselves and create false hope?"

"I'm not sure that there isn't any hope, Amariell. I have not exhausted all possibilities. There may not be any way of extending your life now, but who knows what will happen in the years to come. I will not give up hope until I am completely certain that there are no more options." He added quickly as he saw his love's eyes fill with tears again. "I am sorry if this upsets you still, but I will not give up."

Amariell shook her head as fresh tears spilled over her cheeks. "No. No it's not that anymore. I am so lucky to have you, my love." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her lips for a long, passionate kiss. The two lovers were so rapt up in one another that they did not see or hear the elf that emerged from the woods behind them.

Pellen gazed at his prince and Amariell locked in a tight and loving embrace. He honestly did not see what Legolas found so fascinating about the mortal woman. Pellen knew for a fact that Legolas had courted elves much more beautiful than this mortal, Amariell. Yet Legolas insisted that she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Pellen supposed he had no real reason to dislike Amariell. The only time she had acted unkind to him was when he said unkind things to her and it was clear to Pellen that she was positively enamored with Legolas. He just did not want to see his prince's heart broken. He and Legolas had grown up together in the palace and they were the best of friends. He looked out for Legolas and, in turn, Legolas looked out for him. One always went to the other for advice and Pellen held secrets about his prince that he would keep for all eternity. But looking at the two of them now, wrapped up in one another's arms, Pellen felt a twinge of an emotion that he had not felt in a long time.

Elves, though they do not show them often, did posses emotions. Pellen had known many, many emotions throughout his three thousand years of life. The emotion that rose in his heart as he watched the two lovers was, indeed, jealousy. At first Pellen chose to deny his jealous feelings, instead making fun of Amariell and writing her off as just another mortal. He suspected that she had gotten the same type of reaction from most of the elves that had met her. Eventually, jealousy is supposed to fade. With Pellen it did not and he suspected he knew why. Amariell was a threat to his and Legolas's relationship. Subconsciously Pellen knew that, if the opportunity ever arose, Legolas would renounce his immortality in order to share the same fate as his lover. He had not come out and said such a thing to Pellen, but they both knew it was true. Pellen knew that nothing he could say to Legolas would change his mind. Since meeting Amariell, his friend had changed. Pellen knew that even though the two had only known one another for a short time, Amariell was the woman that Legolas was going to marry. Again, Legolas had not said anything of the sort to Pellen, but it was something that did not need to be said aloud. Just as the thought of loosing his beloved tore Legolas apart, so too did the thought of Pellen loosing his best friend.

Pellen cleared his throat. "Legolas?"

The two lovers separated immediately and Legolas reached to his belt and gripped his knife hilt. Instinctively, Legolas stepped in front of Amariell in order to protect her from any harm. When he saw that it was Pellen who stood before them, he relaxed his stance and let got of his knife. "Pellen. How long have you been there?"

Pellen bowed slightly and eyed Amariell, who had come to stand next to Legolas. "Forgive me, Legolas. I did not mean to startle you and Lady Amariell. Your father sent me to find you. He has received some disturbing news and he requires your presence at the palace immediately."

Legolas's face grew apprehensive. "Disturbing new? Of what kind and where from?"

"These things he would not tell me. He asked me to find you and bring you back to the palace at once. I suspect he is pacing in his study as we speak. Legolas, your father is very distressed."

"How long ago did this disturbing news arrive in Mirkwood?" Legolas inquired, racking his brain to think of what this news could possibly be.

Pellen looked directly into Legolas's clear blue eyes. "It came about an hour ago."

Pellen looked like he was about to add something, but did not. Legolas looked him over carefully and then decided to press his friend harder. "Speak Pellen, I can see that you wish to say something more than you have. What is it?"

Pellen sighed and shook his head slowly. "Legolas, I do not want to guess at matters such as these." Seeing the look Legolas gave him, he continued. "I cannot say for certain, but I think the news is come from Rivendell."

"Rivendell?" Amariell spoke for the first time. She stepped closer to Pellen and regarded him with a wary look. "Why do you suspect this news is from Rivendell?"

Again Pellen sighed. "It may just be a coincidence, but Elrohir and Elladan have arrived in Mirkwood. I was not in the palace when they were brought before Lord Thranduil, but I came back from running errands to see them escorted to their chambers. I stopped by the kitchen and there was talk of two extra guests for supper from Rivendell. Your father summoned me then, Legolas and he was indeed perturbed. He told me to drop what I was doing and to find you at once. Legolas please, do not linger here any longer. We must get back to the palace. Your father awaits." Pellen's voice was growing more distressed by the minute.

Nodding, Legolas turned to Amariell. "My love, we must return to the palace. You shall eat with us tonight and meet the sons of Elrond, half-elven."

Amariell shook her head. "I cannot. My father is celebrating the day of his birth tonight and I am making him dinner. I will meet up with you afterwards if you so wish, but I cannot make it to your table tonight." Picking up the food from their picnic and stuffing it into her pack, she continued to speak to Legolas. "Your father requires you, Legolas. Whatever this news is, it sounds urgent. You go home now and find out what is wrong. I will meet these elves, Elladan and Elrohir, another time."

Legolas nodded reluctantly and grabbed Amariell's arm as she walked past him to pick up her bow and quiver. He gazed at her and smiled, bringing her lips to his again. "Very well. I will let you know what the news is about. I will try to stop by tonight and thank your father for his gifts. Namarie, meleth nin."

Amariell brought her free hand up to his cheek and caressed it lovingly. "Namarie, melethron." Pushing him gently toward Pellen she grinned and gestured off toward the woods. "Now hurry."

Legolas kissed her hand as he left her and nodded at Pellen. Amariell watched as he and Pellen broke out into a brisk trot and disappeared into the woods. Sighing, Amariell picked up the last of her things and headed off in the direction of her home.

*So, uh, how's about clickin' on that review button and givin' me an ego boost?