Terribly sorry this took so long to get out. When I say life is a pain I mean in the best sense of that word.
Thank to Silma!
Faeryn
Celede would like to mention that I do not own Legolas or anything related to LOTR, and she is at loss as to why anyone would.
Elf muscles. Need I say anything more?
Have I mentioned that Mirkwood and its Prince are all conspiring against me?
I had finally gotten myself out of Lorien. The healers had okayed my ankle, Legolas had been kicked out of my Talon and three days later, I had a new, adorable bay horse and we were traveling.
Then it had started to rain.
Then spiders and other nasty things chased us.
Then it started to hail.
I don't even want to mention the mudslide, the rockslide, and finally us finding the cave only to discover that all the wood was wet.
So there I was sitting soaking wet next to an equally wet elf prince, both of our jaws chattering so hard I thought we were going to crack teeth.
Even elves get cold.
"We." I managed this word after three tries and decided one-word sentences were good. "Wood."
He looked at me through eyes that were slightly closed. "Dry."
From that I deduced that we had to find some wood that was dry first. Forcing my shaking body to move, movement did warm you up I am told, I headed towards the back.
There was always the chance that there were drier substances back there. Most elves left wood in the caves they stayed at in case of emergencies (hey, this was Mirkwood, we think of everything!).
To my utmost relief, there was some very flammable wood here.
An eternity later, we had a fire lit and I was attempting to warm my frozen limbs. Legolas, who had left to go Valar knows where, came back and dropped a set of clean and DRY clothes in front of me.
Waterproof pack.
Royalty sure got its pick of the best. But honestly, who was I to argue? But before I stripped down, I made sure that his back was turned. Hey, so I am a bit shy for an elf, and he did find it amusing as I changed as fast as my shaking fingers would allow.
Turning around once I got the shirt on, I looked at Legolas. He was still shaking but not nearly as bad as before.
"Legolas." My tone was soft and full of warning. "This had better not have been your only dry set of clothes."
He turned then, his eyes taking me in wearing his shirt and pants, and he smiled softly. "You need them more than I, meleth-nin."
My eyes narrowed. I could practically see the cave brighten from the glow in my eyes. Anger does that to she-elves slightly.
"Sit." I pointed to the spot in front of the fire where I had been sitting. There was no point in the elf freezing to death.
He sat.
I walked over to his pack, the waterproof one, and found a towel. I had already tossed my hair into a wet, sloppy bun after I had rung out all the excess water.
What was it with him and me and caves recently?
Grabbing the towel I attacked his wet head of hair. As I worked out all the excess water, I refused to think what it would be like to run my hands through it instead. Once I was satisfied with the fact that it was as dry as I could get it, I managed to demand his shirt through gritted teeth.
He shot me a surprised look then. Apparently he knew nothing of blotting and had never done his own laundry.
What a lovely luxury.
Not looking at the well-defined chest and shoulder muscles or the stomach for that matter, I rolled the shirt into the towel, rolled the towel tight, and then twisted it.
Laying the shirt and towel out next to the fire, I leaned up against the wall and let my eyes close.
It was better not to look at the well-defined elf in front of me.
"Where did you learn so much about clothes and water?" His tone was curious, which surprised me. He never asked questions, at least not the really personal ones that caused me to give away information.
"My brothers and I used to sneak away during the hotter summer days and go swimming. My mother used to rant at us about coming home with wet clothing so we learned the fastest way to dry it." My response was automatic and tinged with warmth.
Those were the days.
"It must have been nice to grow up with siblings."
A single child, the Prince was. I had forgotten about that little detail. Maybe his following me around was because he was alone all the time as a child and was lonely.
"I used to wish I had siblings, then we could play kill the spider or chase the dragon. But my Nana and Ada never made me feel lonely and when I got older, I found myself too busy to miss the lack of companionship." His tone was matter of fact; there was no sadness in his tone.
"Until I met you."
I snapped my eyes open. If he was going to get sentimental, I was going to go back out into the rain. I expressed this in a way that was...well brilliant.
He smiled softly.
"No Celede, you really have no idea how generally attractive you are to others."
Hold the Orc. Okay let me review my normally capabilities. I have the dancing skills of a dwarf, I have the archery skill of a hobbit that has had to much ale, I am as clumsy as a newborn, and my mouth normally gets control of my brains before I do.
Yep. I am definitely attractive.
Legolas shook his head. Apparently I had been talking out loud.
"Celede, there is something about you that just shines. It's like you were born with the starlight in you, and we look to you when the stars are not there for us to gaze at."
He went and got mushy.
But, to my most and absolute horror, I found that I could only stare at him in surprise. I managed to blink several times before narrowing my eyes at him. "Go to sleep Elf Prince."
He smiled slightly before rolling onto his half damp cloak and doing exactly what I told him to do.
I was up for a long time watching the flames dance.
~*~
I have never been so happy to see the Talan's of Mirkwood in the dying sunlight.
No more insane and spastic spiders, no more surprise Orc ballroom dancing, no more dismounting to a smarting ankle. No more spontaneous conversations with Legolas discussing everything from the different tastes in green and red apples, to why male Elves are morons (which was an argument that I won.)
I hid a yawn behind my hand as we approached the gates to the palace. I still had some distance to cover in the saddle and intended to make it to my brother's Talan before it got too late.
Until a warm hand wrapped around my good ankle.
"Stay here tonight, Celede." His tone was soft, but even I could catch the underlying current of steel.
"Legolas." I started to argue.
"Celede, I can supply you with clean clothes, a hot meal, and bath." His tone was coaxing, and I was hard pressed to say no.
Which means I didn't. It takes a stronger woman than I to turn down a hot bath after the month or so of travel I had had, the cold nights in the caves, and the stress on my brain.
My brothers could promise a cold creek.
So that was why I was sitting in a bath, scrubbing my waist length hair, and simply enjoying the steam coming from the piping hot water. It was Valinor on Middle Earth!
"Milady," a smooth, almost trill, voice questioned. "Did you want the blue or green dress for dinner?"
Opening my eyes, I saw two lace filled creations. Reaching for the towel, my hair now rinsed, I narrowed my eyes.
Oh no they did not.
I think the paintings on the wall shook with the force of my arguments on the dress designs. I disliked the lace, they wanted more frills, I argued color, and they wanted more silver.
I finally agreed to a shift like design that hugged my frame a little to closely for my liking but it lacked mass amounts of lace. Instead, it was delicately embroidered with silver. It was a pale green color, almost that of new leaves.
Of course it took her threatening to get into my pants, getting onto a horse, riding to my brothers, and letting them tell Legolas why I was gone for her to get the creation I had on even pulled from the closet.
And then there was the fiasco with my hair.
Of course nothing was as bad as when I found out I had to go and eat with the King and court for dinner. I think Galadriel in Valinor heard my screams of frustration at that little surprise.
Legolas was going to find himself in Mandos when I got done with him. Sneaky, cheating little elf.
I think he read something of it in my expression when he arrived to pick me up for dinner because he immediately placed the table between himself and me (plus the fact that I held a candlestick as long as my arm in my hand helped).
"I promise Celede, I did not know we were going to have to go in there until I got out of my own bath." His eyes were laughing at me, I knew that.
I started to circle him around the table.
The maids left quickly, laughing behind their hands. I would make sure they got theirs later.
"Celede?"
I paused suddenly. My eyes narrowed. "You owe me so big mister big breeches, that I cannot even begin to go into detail. If one single courtier bothers me tonight I am going to make YOU pay. Not that courtier, YOU!"
He gulped, but nodded.
I took the candlestick with me.
Dinner was an interesting affair. I thought Thranduil was going to choke on his food when he saw the candlestick. I have never seen the King laugh like that, but I was able to assure him that it was not for him.
I sent a pointed look at his son.
Over all it was a decent affair, until that tramp Halia came over and practically attached herself to Legolas' hip. I swear she would have climbed into his lap if she could have. It was disgusting.
I cannot wholly explain the tinge of green that lined my sight. I think it was the dress I had on.
I confess that I slipped away, leaving the candlestick in the hands of a competent maid, going outside to walk around the garden. I found a bench by a quiet, little stream and sat down.
I was as tired as an elf could get, but I really could not force myself to crawl into those fancy sheets just yet. Maybe it would have been better if I had gone to my brothers.
Actually, it wasn't that which was bothering my smarting conscience, but my reaction to having Legolas' attentions directed at someone else. Green may be my color but that emotion did not suit me.
It hit me then what my problem was and I felt slightly sick.
I was jealous…
For the attentions of the Prince that had driven me crazy since I was an Elfling. Did Luthien or Nimrodel go crazy at one point in their lives? Maybe I could be Elwing and just fly away because this was not going to work.
I could not be jealous of Halia, because that would mean I was attracted to Legolas, or worse...the L word.
Oh dear Valar, I could not be in love with Legolas Greenleaf. I wasn't even sure I was completely attracted to him. I mean okay, he is good looking, has a brain, is extremely sweet now and...
Oh. My. Valar.
I am attracted to the Prince of Mirkwood, and worse even, I could be falling for him!
Sauron's teeth!
I buried my face in my hands and groaned out loud. How dare he make me fall for him, that pretentious elf!
By all that is holy how could this have happened to me? I don't want to be a Princess; I always wanted to be the hero who SAVED the Princess. It was enough to make me cry.
But a single thought brightened my whole attitude.
Halia surely would be a good enough distraction (down mental images!) and he would forget about me long enough for a good getaway. I will not go in there and simply hit her for looking at him, I would not!
Of course the Valar have SO much fun at my expense.
"There you are." His tone was laced with amusement and exasperation. "I have been attempting to find you for some time, and if I had not seen the maid carrying your candlestick and asked her where you went, I would never been able to find you."
"And there goes the image of the all knowing hunter right out the window." My tone was highly sarcastic.
He grinned slightly and sat down next to me. I had not been aware of the chill until his body heat came into contact with my skin.
He slipped his arm around my shoulders. I had been expecting this move, and I shifted a little closer. Actually my body shifted closer, my mind was screaming to stop. He could not figure it out!
He sent me a quizzical look, but I kept my eyes glued to the sky. I never once admired his thin lips or high cheekbones.
Not I.
"My father was highly amused about our entrance tonight." His tone was light, but I guessed an odd tension in him. He turned me to face him, and I watched him curiously. "He wanted to know when I was going to get my act together and marry you."
That fact that my mouth had gone dry and that panic flared fully into my stomach meant nothing.
Legolas turned his pale eyes onto my face and I wonder what he read there because something like wonder passed over his face, quickly hidden by sadness.
"Tell me Celede, am I ever going to get close to the region of your heart?"
Oh no. This was just the time for my emotions to go out of control. Besides panic, there were a few others. My mind was telling me to run as far away from the Prince of Mirkwood as possible, that there was a Gray Ship that had my name written all over it.
But my heart was screaming something entirely different.
Legolas smiled sadly at my stricken face. He gently stroked my face. "I will wait for you Celede, even until the stars fall. Never doubt that." He pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "It's late. You should get some sleep soon if you plan to rise early."
He stood to walk away, but I latched onto his arm and pulled myself up. If I did not do this now I was never going to find the courage.
My heart had made its choice known and it was time to be a responsible elf and follow it.
Slamming into his chest, I pressed my lips to his and kissed him, hard. He froze under my assault, and I pulled back worried. But before I could figure out what I had done wrong, he stole all thought I had with his lips.
When I was able to think coherently again, I was lying off the path in some smooth grass and my neck was being assaulted. "Legolas." I managed to get his name out and he kissed me hard again.
This time though, he pulled me into his lap, as if he knew what his name had been a question of, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back fully.
We sat there for a long time, both trying to win dominance. As both of us are extremely stubborn elves, this took some work.
Eventually he did win, but only because I was tired. Hey, don't look at me like that!
"I take it this means I have grown on you?" His voice was breathy and his eyes glittered like two jewels that had been polished by a master's hand.
I grinned against his shoulder. My head had found a place there some time ago. "You can take it that way if you wish, Prince Elf."
He nuzzled my ear and I shivered.
I sleepily snuggled into his arms. I may have been able to compete in a small tongue duel but my body was too tired to do much more. He must have realized this because he stood up, carrying me up with him.
I sleepily protested.
He carried me through the back halls, and I saw no one. Of course his shoulder blocked most of it anyway, so there was no way I could repeat the performance he gave. Carrying me. No nasty thoughts thank you very much.
I stumbled into my bathing chamber, or the rooms bathing chamber, and changed into the shift I normally slept in. Coming out, I was surprised to see him still here.
I think I said so in a purely simple fashion.
He turned a brilliant grin on me and I must admit, against my will entirely, that my knees turned to jelly. Apparently he was dangerous at more than Archery.
"I had to make sure this was real and that you would simply not disappear." His tone was amused and sincere.
I laughed at him. Walking over I crawled under the cover, wincing at the cool feel of the sheets, and shook my head at him. He needed to go to bed and I told him so.
He could feel free to repeat his performance of this evening in the morning however.
He laughed then. Walking over he kissed me softly and told me to dream of him.
As if I wasn't already going to, sometimes even Elf Princes can be redundant.
~*~
I woke that morning smelling roses.
Blinking the Path of Dreams from my eyes, I looked around the room in surprise. The entire bed and floor were covered with multi-colored petals. I had no idea how he got them, could afford them, or anything like that, but I stared at them in awe.
In Mirkwood, roses are hard to come by.
Rising, I slipped into a pair of riding breeches and a shirt. Slipping my boots on, I opened my door, only to be met by a smiling Legolas and warm lips.
Apparently he had decided to take me up on my word of repeating last night.
Not that I minded terribly.
Of course, attempting to remind him that I had brothers I had to see between kisses was rather difficult, but I somehow managed.
Breakfast was fun.
Thranduil walked in once or twice and even ate an apple, the entire time talking about who knows what, but I finally managed to extract myself from Legolas and get onto my horse.
Of course, when I met my brothers sparkling and mischievous eyes, I wished I had stayed nice and safe in the palace.
"So what is this we hear about you and the Prince?"
