**Narmo**
Legolas smiled.
"But of course," he said. "I must dress first, though."
"You are missing only a tunic," I said, smiling at him playfully. "I do not think that people will find you indecent. Tell me, Legolas, who would see you this time of night in the woods?"
He shrugged.
**Legolas**
"I shall not wait," said Narmo, although jokingly.
I tried to put on my shirt as quickly as possible, but Narmo took one of my boots and went to the edge of my balcony. She sat down on the railing as I clasped the last hook on my tunic. Narmo tantalizingly dangled the boot over the edge. I grabbed its twin and ran to the balcony. Narmo dropped the boot just as I was about to grab it.
"Let's go on our walk barefoot," she said, "because you have less of a choice than I."
Narmo smiled. I couldn't help but laugh. One thing that I loved about her was her sense of humour. She leapt off the balcony railing and landed lightly some ten feet below on the soft soil. She quickly untied her boots and threw them up to me. While I was bending down to pick up one of the two, the other hit me on the shoulder. I heard her laugh as I rubbed my injury.
"Just for that." I said, jumping down after her.
She started running at with all her speed into the forest. Narmo was a fast runner, but I was an even better tracker. If I had learned one thing from Aragorn, it was that skill.
**Narmo**
After a couple of minutes of running, I stopped in a glade. I sat against a tree and thought about my dream. I replayed it in my mind, hoping that if I thought about it enough it might come true. After a while of torturing myself, I pulled out my flute. It reflected the moonlight, my only treasure from my kin, the Solosimpi. My uncle, Rúmil, had given it to me as a gift, and I treasured it. He had said that when I returned, we could pipe together on the beaches of Tol Eressëa. Oh, how I missed Tol Eressëa. I longed for it with my whole heart. I wanted to be in the evening mist and pale dawns, but I wanted to be there with Legolas. Ah, Legolas. I drifted back into my dream. I imagined him putting his arms around my waist. Suddenly, I felt someone grab my shoulders. I whirled around and saw Legolas, sighing in relief.
"Hello, tracking practice," he said, smiling.
"You are improving," I said, "but you frightened me terribly."
"I didn't mean to scare you," he replied, worry in his eyes.
I put my flute back in my pocket.
"Come," I said. "Let us walk. Is that not why we are in this forest so late at night?"
We started out, making our way back to the path. We walked for a bit.
"Would you play a bit of music?" asked Legolas. "I saw you had your flute out ere we began walking again."
Legolas was a sweet man. That was partly why I loved him as much as I did.
"What would you like to hear on this our starlight stroll?" I asked him.
"Everything you play is so wonderful," he said.
I laughed.
"Surely you can be more specific," I replied.
"Something from your home," he said.
I took out my flute and put it to my lips. I began playing a song, with which my uncle used to entertain the visitors at the Cottage of Lost Play. I turned away from Legolas as a tear rolled down my cheek.
After a few minutes, I said, "Certainly you would rather talk than listen to my sad music of which you know nothing."
**Legolas**
Narmo put away her flute. I loved her music, although she was correct. I did not know much about Tol Eressëa, but I wanted to know more. I could see that it was close to her heart. Anything that meant as much as Tol Eressëa did to her, I wanted to know everything about.
"I can see that you love your home. Is there someone who was close to your heart there?" I asked, quickly as to make it look as though it were an innocent question, but not wanting the reply I feared.
"Merely my uncle," said Narmo.
I was relieved that she had not left a love behind. Relationships had never come up in our conversations before.
"Indeed," she said, "love is but a fleeting dream in the night for me."
"Aye," I replied, "it may seem that way, but nearer, in truth, than you believe."
I reached out to hold her hand, but I stopped myself.
"I fear it is not so," Narmo said.
"Has love touched your heart in the past?" I asked her.
"Aye," she said, "and it lingers still."
My heart sunk. Narmo was in love.
"Does he know of the love you hold for him?" I asked.
"Indeed, he does not," she answered, "and he never shall. My love is but a dream; I would not hurt him by telling my feelings. He does not love me as I do him."
"I know your mind," I said.
"Is it the same in your heart?" she asked, watching my face in the moonlight.
"Aye," I answered, "I hold much love for a women quite dear to me, but I would not tell her for fear of breaking her trust."
Narmo replied, "Trust can be a dangerous thing, and yet, untold love is too painful to a burden at times."
"Your name describes you well," I said.
**Narmo**
"How is that?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
He smiled and said, "Just as a wolf, you are a huntress of great skill with silent paws and long endurance, but you are easily swayed in your trusts. You have not changed since I met you those long years past in Gondolin. We have known each other much longer than most. Do you trust me?"
"I would trust you with my life," I said, and smiled. "You are one of the few people in my life that I have trusted with my entire being. I would happily put my life in your hands. And you?"
"Aye, I would trust you," Legolas said, "with both my life and the fate of our entire world."
We continued walking.
**Legolas**
Suddenly, Narmo looked into the forest, listened intently, and then darted into the trees. I followed her. She led me to a pool of aqua-blue water. It looked as though, at the edge of the pool, there was a straight drop of about 10 feet to the bottom. A small waterfall poured into the water at one end. The entire pool had a diameter of about 25 feet.
"I knew I heard water," said Narmo, looking back at me, smiling. "Would you come swimming with me tomorrow?"
I wasn't going to tell her that my biggest fear in life was water.
"If you would like to," I replied.
She smiled. I would do anything for her, and perhaps she would not remember the next morning. We walked back to the Royal House, silently, no words exchanged in the breathless night, but I watched her walk with elegance about her, unmatched by any of her equals in battle. Narmo was an enchantress, nothing less. She noticed that I was staring at her.
Legolas smiled.
"But of course," he said. "I must dress first, though."
"You are missing only a tunic," I said, smiling at him playfully. "I do not think that people will find you indecent. Tell me, Legolas, who would see you this time of night in the woods?"
He shrugged.
**Legolas**
"I shall not wait," said Narmo, although jokingly.
I tried to put on my shirt as quickly as possible, but Narmo took one of my boots and went to the edge of my balcony. She sat down on the railing as I clasped the last hook on my tunic. Narmo tantalizingly dangled the boot over the edge. I grabbed its twin and ran to the balcony. Narmo dropped the boot just as I was about to grab it.
"Let's go on our walk barefoot," she said, "because you have less of a choice than I."
Narmo smiled. I couldn't help but laugh. One thing that I loved about her was her sense of humour. She leapt off the balcony railing and landed lightly some ten feet below on the soft soil. She quickly untied her boots and threw them up to me. While I was bending down to pick up one of the two, the other hit me on the shoulder. I heard her laugh as I rubbed my injury.
"Just for that." I said, jumping down after her.
She started running at with all her speed into the forest. Narmo was a fast runner, but I was an even better tracker. If I had learned one thing from Aragorn, it was that skill.
**Narmo**
After a couple of minutes of running, I stopped in a glade. I sat against a tree and thought about my dream. I replayed it in my mind, hoping that if I thought about it enough it might come true. After a while of torturing myself, I pulled out my flute. It reflected the moonlight, my only treasure from my kin, the Solosimpi. My uncle, Rúmil, had given it to me as a gift, and I treasured it. He had said that when I returned, we could pipe together on the beaches of Tol Eressëa. Oh, how I missed Tol Eressëa. I longed for it with my whole heart. I wanted to be in the evening mist and pale dawns, but I wanted to be there with Legolas. Ah, Legolas. I drifted back into my dream. I imagined him putting his arms around my waist. Suddenly, I felt someone grab my shoulders. I whirled around and saw Legolas, sighing in relief.
"Hello, tracking practice," he said, smiling.
"You are improving," I said, "but you frightened me terribly."
"I didn't mean to scare you," he replied, worry in his eyes.
I put my flute back in my pocket.
"Come," I said. "Let us walk. Is that not why we are in this forest so late at night?"
We started out, making our way back to the path. We walked for a bit.
"Would you play a bit of music?" asked Legolas. "I saw you had your flute out ere we began walking again."
Legolas was a sweet man. That was partly why I loved him as much as I did.
"What would you like to hear on this our starlight stroll?" I asked him.
"Everything you play is so wonderful," he said.
I laughed.
"Surely you can be more specific," I replied.
"Something from your home," he said.
I took out my flute and put it to my lips. I began playing a song, with which my uncle used to entertain the visitors at the Cottage of Lost Play. I turned away from Legolas as a tear rolled down my cheek.
After a few minutes, I said, "Certainly you would rather talk than listen to my sad music of which you know nothing."
**Legolas**
Narmo put away her flute. I loved her music, although she was correct. I did not know much about Tol Eressëa, but I wanted to know more. I could see that it was close to her heart. Anything that meant as much as Tol Eressëa did to her, I wanted to know everything about.
"I can see that you love your home. Is there someone who was close to your heart there?" I asked, quickly as to make it look as though it were an innocent question, but not wanting the reply I feared.
"Merely my uncle," said Narmo.
I was relieved that she had not left a love behind. Relationships had never come up in our conversations before.
"Indeed," she said, "love is but a fleeting dream in the night for me."
"Aye," I replied, "it may seem that way, but nearer, in truth, than you believe."
I reached out to hold her hand, but I stopped myself.
"I fear it is not so," Narmo said.
"Has love touched your heart in the past?" I asked her.
"Aye," she said, "and it lingers still."
My heart sunk. Narmo was in love.
"Does he know of the love you hold for him?" I asked.
"Indeed, he does not," she answered, "and he never shall. My love is but a dream; I would not hurt him by telling my feelings. He does not love me as I do him."
"I know your mind," I said.
"Is it the same in your heart?" she asked, watching my face in the moonlight.
"Aye," I answered, "I hold much love for a women quite dear to me, but I would not tell her for fear of breaking her trust."
Narmo replied, "Trust can be a dangerous thing, and yet, untold love is too painful to a burden at times."
"Your name describes you well," I said.
**Narmo**
"How is that?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
He smiled and said, "Just as a wolf, you are a huntress of great skill with silent paws and long endurance, but you are easily swayed in your trusts. You have not changed since I met you those long years past in Gondolin. We have known each other much longer than most. Do you trust me?"
"I would trust you with my life," I said, and smiled. "You are one of the few people in my life that I have trusted with my entire being. I would happily put my life in your hands. And you?"
"Aye, I would trust you," Legolas said, "with both my life and the fate of our entire world."
We continued walking.
**Legolas**
Suddenly, Narmo looked into the forest, listened intently, and then darted into the trees. I followed her. She led me to a pool of aqua-blue water. It looked as though, at the edge of the pool, there was a straight drop of about 10 feet to the bottom. A small waterfall poured into the water at one end. The entire pool had a diameter of about 25 feet.
"I knew I heard water," said Narmo, looking back at me, smiling. "Would you come swimming with me tomorrow?"
I wasn't going to tell her that my biggest fear in life was water.
"If you would like to," I replied.
She smiled. I would do anything for her, and perhaps she would not remember the next morning. We walked back to the Royal House, silently, no words exchanged in the breathless night, but I watched her walk with elegance about her, unmatched by any of her equals in battle. Narmo was an enchantress, nothing less. She noticed that I was staring at her.