~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Eight: Boundaries that Overcome All

"You gave all of that up for me?" Merry asked incredulously.

"All what?"

"Legolas is a Prince, Limalo. If you had married him, your life would have been perfect forever more. Why did you give that up?"

"Because I love you, Merry."

"Most of the people- elves, hobbits, men -wouldn't care about love in a betrothal as long as they knew their future was secure."

"I don't. Merry, I believe in love. I thought I loved Legolas. But then.I met you and I finally knew what love was. I can't bear to think of going through life and not being with you Merry."

"No." Limalo was taken aback.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I mean that I'm not going to let you give up your future for me. Go back to him, Limalo, ask him back."

"I thought that you loved me!" she cried out softly, not wanting to realize that the horrible truth could be that he didn't want her.

"I.I do. That's why I am telling you to go back to Legolas, because I want you to do what's right for you." She backed away from him, hand over her mouth.

"You can't be saying this to me! There's.there's no way.this can't be happening! Merry, he doesn't want me back! He's fallen in love with Uvia. He doesn't want me anymore. He no longer loves me, and I no longer love him."

"I can't let you just throw away your life, Limalo!"

"You won't be! I won't be throwing away my life by marrying the one I really do truly love!"

"I just don't know, Limalo! Okay? This is hard for me, too! I'm confused and I don't know what to think, what to say, what to even believe."

"Believe in love, Meriadoc. Believe in our love." She took his hands in hers and clasped them to her heart. "Because I do love you."

"I love you too."

"Have you at all decided what you really want, for both me and you?"

"I never dreamed you'd be asking me if I loved you the same way you loved me, but here we are. And I definitely never thought I'd have to say no. Because, Limalo, I do love you, and I never want to let you go." He held her close to him, burying his face into her hair and breathing in the sweet scent of the herbs she used to wash her hair. "I just want to stand like this forever."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aragorn paced back and forth in front of Ifina, who was sitting in the front room of the healer's huts. "I wish you'd stop worrying about her. She will be fine my lord. "

"I can't."

"I wish I could help, but my magic is just not strong enough." "Everyone knows if you overexert yourself we will be without a healer."

"Some would rather it be that way."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"Aragorn. Elessar. Dunedain, whatever I should call you to tell you this."

"What?"

"I.I love you Aragorn. Even from that first moment I saw you so many years ago. And then Arwen...Arwen came. And now you ignore me as if I'm just the tavern whore everyone thinks I am."

"Ifina.you're not a tavern whore. This is news to me, why did you not tell me before."

"Because you love her."

"With every fibre of my being, yes."

"Then I have no purpose to tell you anything else." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Legolas silently walked into the hut and shut the door. No one was still awake but he. He went straight up to Uvia's bed and kneeled down.

"Who?" she whispered, opening her eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Legolas Greenleaf."

"Prince of Mirkwood."

"Yes."

"I would bow, my lord, but I am weak as you can see."

"Tell me at least, milady, your name."

She smiled. "It is Uvia. I am an elve of Mirkwood."

Legolas walked over and kneeled before her. "Will you tell me who your companion was?"

"It was my guardian, Jeral. But while we were riding he was shot."

"Orcs."

"Yes."