~AUTHOR'S NOTE~ Again, I'm sorry it took me so long to update this! But I'm so glad that ff.net is back *knock on wood* and that I can post again! Enjoy :)

~DISCLAIMER~ I will say this a thousand times (and probably will have to) – I DON'T own Tolkien's characters. I do own MY characters – by now you should know who those are.

We walked together along the river, bathed in white moonlight and Lórien a swirl of silver and gold behind us. The night was still early and the sky was calm and clear above.

I was no longer nervous in his presence and we talked as though we had known each other forever. Along the riverbank we sat on the soft mossy ground, gazing at the stars.

"Have you lived in Lórien your whole life?" Legolas asked me suddenly.

"Yes, except when I was only an infant. My family and village were destroyed by goblins shortly after I was born. They took all the children and by the time there were stopped by Haldir and his guards, I was the only child left."

"You were chosen," he remarked. I only smiled. He continued, "And how long ago was that?"

"About 20 years ago. Do you know how old you are?"

He just laughed. "Oh, much older than that! Um," he paused to think. "I think I am just shy of 3,000 years old."

"…Oh," was all I could think of to say.

He laughed again. "If you take into consideration the difference in the races, I am not really that much older than you." His smiled made my head spin and I just nodded my agreement. "There are very few humans in all of history to be raised by Elves," he commented, again turning serious.

"I was lucky," I replied.

"Not lucky, Raélowen," he said, cupping my chin in his hand. "There are very few 'lucky' ones. You are special. You were chosen to be raised here in Lórien."

His words were so sweet and his eyes gazed deeply into mine. I knew that my lips were not far from his. All it would take was enough courage to bring my lips to his: courage that I did not have.

He turned his eyes back to the stars, almost embarrassed. I silently chided myself for being such a coward.

"The stars truly are beautiful," I remarked after a moment of silence. Legolas smiled and nodded his agreement. "When I was a child," I continued, "I would climb to the highest branches of Lórien and sing to the stars, hoping they would sing back." I smiled softly at the memory.

Legolas grinned as well. "And did they?"

"No…but still when I sing, I usually sing towards the sky and the stars."

"Would you…" Legolas's voice trailed off.

"Would I what?"

"Would you…sing something for me?" He seemed shy about asking.

"Of course!" It was a simple request, but the way I was feeling, I would have crossed the Misty Mountains blindfolded if he asked me to. "What shall I sing?"

"On anything, my love!" He said it casually, but his choice to say "my love" was not lost on me.

I had most recently sung the Elvish lament, so I sung the first two lines for him. "Mithrandir,

A Randir Vithren

ú-reniathach i amar galen."

"Gandalf's lament," he whispered.

"Yes."

"That was you who sang that?" He sounded in awe.

"Yes. You heard me?"

"Yes. We all did. Merry – uh, Meriadoc, one of the hobbits I am traveling with – asked what you were singing. But your voice filled me with such emotion that I could not tell him."

"I'm sorry."

Again his eyes met mine. "Do not be sorry! You have a beautiful voice, Raélowen."

I just blushed. "Thank you."

We sat in silence again. "So," I asked, breaking our brief silent moment. "Why are you, Legolas Prince of the Wood Elves of Mirkwood, traveling with humans and hobbits? Or especially a dwarf?"

"Now that is a very long story. And one that I fear I cannot share with you."

"Oh," I said, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"You need not be sorry!" His smile still made me feel weak. "We are the Fellowship of the Nine Walkers – each race of Middle earth is represented."

"You represent the Elves?"

He nodded. "My skills as an archer also serve to help protect the Fellowship. Aragorn the Ranger and Boromir of Gondor represent humans, Gimli of the Lonely Mountain represents dwarfs, and four young hobbits of the Shire in Eriador represent, well, hobbits."

"And Gandalf for Wizards?" I asked softly.

He replied sadly, "For the Maia, yes."

I put a hand on his arm. "I am sorry for you loss."

"Do not worry. Your lament made me realized how much he was loved by our people and that he is gone and yet not."

I just nodded, saddened by his use of "our people," for it only reminded me that I was not of "his" people. But then I thought of his obvious caring for the other members of the Fellowship, no matter what their race. It was a comforting thought, as was the ever-present fact that the Mirror had shown me Legolas as my destiny.

"Did you know what you were singing? I mean, you do speak Elvish?" Legolas asked.

"Yes, I do. I understand Quenya more than Sindarin, though."

"Really?" Legolas sounded impressed. "Most Elves do not speak Quenya very well."

"I have studied Quenya for many years," I explained shyly. "I can understand most of the language, though I wouldn't say I'm fluent."

"That must have been incredibly difficult!" He still sounded impressed. "Without the Elves' racial memory, learning to speak and understand Quenya is a very difficult task."

I blushed, happy for his praise and also proud of my accomplishment, though it did not seem that big of a deal to me.

"Raélowen," he said, pondering. "What does your name mean?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure it means anything. As a human, I am, as you say, chosen to have an Elvish name in the first place."

"Well, whatever it means, it's beautiful."

All I could think of to do was to thank him again. His talk to my Elvish name made me think of Shamiel's refusal to call me by it and my curiosity over whether anything had happened with her and Legolas got the better of me.

"So…" I began, unsure of how to approach it. "Have you spoken with many of the people of Lórien?"

Legolas grimaced. "Only one other than you and the Lord and Lady. A she-elf called Shamiel. Do you know her?" I made a face, to which he just laughed. "Yeah, you must know her!" he said, laughing harder.

I sighed, giggling. "It's not that she's really horrible or anything, it's just…she's difficult to get along with."

"She seemed awfully stuck on herself," Legolas remarked. "Plus, I'm not sure but I think she was trying to seduce me!" We both laughed and I nodded.

"Yes, she was. I heard her and another she-elf talking. She mentioned how she was going to seduce you."

"Well, it didn't work!" he said with a grin.

I sighed, half jokingly and half serious and said, "If she wasn't around, my life would be a lot easier."

"How?"

It seemed not right that I burden him with my complaints against Shamiel, but I soon found myself telling him everything. He just listened sympathetically.

"I do not understand how she can be so cruel to you, Rae."

"I am human," I said with a shrug and a sudden smile.

Legolas started to smile, too. "What?"

"Rae. It's my nickname, but only Emeriel and Calíme have ever called me by it."

He just took my hand and kissed it. "Well, milady, do I have your permission to use it as well?"

Giggling, I could barely say yes.

"Then come my Lady Rae!" He stood up and pulled me with him. Not letting go of my hand, he said, "Let us go back to Lórien, for it has been long since I have visited your fair city, and would love to have a, shall we say, private tour?"

"After you, my Prince!" I said extending my free hand. He grinned and we headed back towards the great tree city.