2. Questions Answered

Exactly one hour later, Eleriel heard a soft tap on her door. She almost leapt out of her skin, because she had convinced herself that he wasn't going to come, something which probably would have been good for the both of them. Eleriel stood and smoothed her dress. Eleriel was not beautiful; she lacked the perfect beauty of her sister Arwen. Instead, Eleriel's beauty was no greater than that of the typical elf. Like the rest of her family on her father's side, Eleriel had dark brown hair and fair skin. However, while their eyes were grey or blue or deep brown, Eleriel had dark green eyes. Her features were not special or noteworthy, nor was her figure. Although Eleriel was a very strong, fit elf, her figure looked no different than those of other lady elves. Only if someone were to touch her would they realize how strong and fit she was.

Legolas started when Eleriel came to the door. He'd forgotten how breathtaking she was in a dress. But then, he mused to himself, no one else has ever agreed with me. Eleriel had always had a fair number of suitors, but that was only because of her noble status. Most elves didn't like Eleriel's independent streak. His observations were cut short by Eleriel's voice.

"I'm ready," she said. "Come."

He nodded and took her arm. Eleriel's chambers were a good way from the Hall where they were meeting the others, and the two elves walked in silence for awhile. Suddenly they both started to talk at once.

"How is Galdor?"

"How is Lissiel?"

They hesitated and glared at each other. "Galdor," Eleriel spat. "Still the obsequious elf, as always."

"I wouldn't know about Lissiel," Legolas replied to Eleriel's query. "I try and avoid her whenever possible." Eleriel only raised an eyebrow and they walked the rest of the way in total silence.

When they reached the doors of the Hall, an elf opened the heavy doors for them and let them into the enormous room. The Fellowship and the Lord and Lady had already seated themselves, and Eleriel and Legolas noted with reluctance that they were sitting right next to each other, Eleriel right beside Galadriel, and Legolas right beside Eleriel. Aragorn sat beside Celeborn and right across the table from Eleriel. Frodo sat on the other side of Aragorn and the rest of the Fellowship was seated down the length of the table. Galadriel nodded to Eleriel and turned to Legolas.

"Legolas!" she cried. "It's been quite awhile, hasn't it?"

He smiled. "Yes, it has."

Celeborn jumped into the conversation. "We've missed you around here, lad," he said. The Fellowship stared. It would never have ocurred to any of them to refer to Legolas as "lad."

The conversation turned to other topics as the meal progressed, though Eleriel and Legolas remained silent. As their plates were being taken away and being replaced with little dishes of sweet fruits, Aragorn suddenly asked a question that caught the attention of the entire table.

"So, how do you two know each other?" he said to Eleriel and Legolas.

Legolas' eyes widened, and he froze, looking slightly panicked. Eleriel, however, responded, "I told you, as the daughter of Elrond I meet a lot of noble elves."

Aragorn's eyebrows raised. "I think this is more than just a diplomacy issue, Eleriel," he commented. Neither of the two elves responded. Suddenly Galadriel spoke, and the ears of all the Fellowship perked up to listen. This was something they had been wondering since they arrived in Lothlorien, but were afraid to ask, because they had witnessed Legolas' temper before, and Aragorn had quietly warned them that Eleriel's temper was worse than that of the Prince.

"Well," Galadriel said, "if you can believe it, these two used to be inseperable."

"Grandmother!" Eleriel muttered through clenched teeth. Galadriel only smiled at her granddaughter.

"About 1500 years ago, Prince Legolas here started courting Eleriel," Galadriel continued. Legolas' face turned bright red as eyes started to turn to him. "Quite diligently, too," Galadriel added.

Celeborn spoke up. "He courted her for a good three hundred years," Eleriel's grandfather said cheerfully. "They were quite obviously in love."

"Don't you think that..." Eleriel began, before being cut off by Aragorn.

"I'm finding it very interesting, sister. Imagine! My sister and one of my best friends used to be in love! Do continue, Galadriel." Aragorn smiled evilly and tried hard not to squirm under the fierce glares of Eleriel and Legolas.

Galadriel smiled at him, before continuing. "After three centuries of courting, these two finally decided to take that final step." She looked at them finally. "I suppose I should get your permission before continuing. I understand that it's a rather touchy subject for you both."

Legolas and Eleriel glared at her. "I guess you can't stop now, can you?" Eleriel said acidly. "I'm already humiliated... you might as well finish."

Galadriel shrugged, and turned to the Fellowship. "Do you know the traditions of elven marriage?" Only Aragorn nodded. The others only shook their heads. She continued, "Elven marriages proceed in three stages. First, the two elves privately make the decision to marry, and bring their souls together. Their souls are irrevocably bound to each other, making one constantly aware of the other if they concentrate and if the other isn't shielding themself. After this step, the elves become lovers." Galadriel's voice died away as all eyes at the table turned to the blushing Eleriel and Legolas. Celeborn continued where his wife left off.

"The vast majority of elves save themselves for after they've bound themselves. So Eleriel and Legolas were each others' first lover, if I'm not mistaken. The last for Eleriel as well." He ignored Eleriel's look and paused again before continuing. "The second stage of Elven marriage is moving in together. Legolas moved from his home to live with Eleriel here in Caras Galadhon."

"Perhaps we should let them continue the story," Galadriel broke in. Celeborn nodded.

Eleriel glanced at Legolas, who remained resolutely silent. She sighed, and said, "the last stage of elven marriage is the actual wedding ceremony. You might say that the soul bond is the spiritual aspect of marriage... it's certainly the most important step. You also might say that the act of moving in together secures the physical aspect, but the wedding ceremony is only the official part. It just makes the marriage official on paper. In reality, elves are truly married after the soul bond." Here her voice faltered, and Legolas finally continued.

"You can't know what it's like," he said. "A soul bond makes you always aware of your partner, unless they deliberatly block you or neglect the bond. The bond always remains unless the elves go through a complicated procedure to break it. However, it can fade a little. But when you're bonded, you can always feel the emotions of the other, no matter how weak it is. You can even feel it through a block. You can also feel their pain. Obviously it's considerably weaker when the other is blocking you or when the bond has been weakened considerably..." His voice faded away and Eleriel took up the next part.

"Legolas and I never got past the second stage," she said matter-of-factly. "The groom and his family are supposed to arrange the final wedding, but.... sometimes they don't." No one missed the thinly disguised resentment in her voice. Legolas then spoke.

"Or sometimes they're just so busy with their duties it's put off for a more convenient time," he said irritably.

"A more convenient time, like a time when they can whisk their son off to marry someone else," Eleriel muttered so that the rest of the Fellowship could barely hear her. She said more loudly, "we'd been living together for a century and half when we received word from Mirkwood."

"My father saw fit for us to form a tighter alliance with the reclusive Nandor elves," Legolas said. "And apparently it was a good idea to them to arrange a marriage between myself and their princess, an elf called Lissiel."

"And Legolas, ever the dutiful son, just left," Eleriel said stiffly. "Not so much as an apology. Just said, 'well, it's a shame really, and it was nice while it lasted, but I've got to go marry this twittering idiot at home so my father doesn't feel threatened by the scary Nandor!'"

"Not quite," Legolas protested. "I was sorry, you were just too bitter to hear it!"

The table was tense. The others were sure that an explosion from one of the two was imminent. Finally Eleriel said, "there are two ways to break a bond. One is the conventional method... it's rare for elves to ask for such a thing, but it happens. It's a fairly complicated ritual, but it's almost painless, or so I've heard." She paused. "The other way, however, is much, much more painful." She glared at Legolas.

"It's not my fault!" he protested. "I thought you'd already had someone break the bond!"

"You would have known if I had!" Eleriel shot back, before continuing her explanation. "Only one of the two elves have to be present for the first procedure. Another elf basically recites ancient words, sings ancient songs, and one of the elves drinks a special brew, and the bond is broken. Apparently genius-elf here thought I had already had it done, but I don't know why he would think that, since he would have felt it if I had." She glared at him again. "The second way, like I said, is very painful. One of the two elves can go and bind himself to another, which is exactly what Prince Charming here did."

"I said I was sorry!" Legolas snapped.

"It takes more than a 'sorry' for something like this," Eleriel replied a little sadly, before continuing. "Anyway, for the elf who is binding himself to another, that's Legolas in this case, there is no pain, because for him, it's basically like taking back what's his and giving it to another. For the one to whom they are bonded, however, it's an entirely different story." She shuddered. "It's like... it's like someone took your heart and pulled it from your chest... it's like watching your loved one approach you with a knife, intending to kill you. It's like your best friend betraying you. It's like half of you dying, just...falling away. One moment you're whole, complete... the next, you're dying. There is no longer any reason for life, no longer any reason for love, no reason for anything. Death would be much more pleasant that this experience... it's basically like someone taking everyone, everything that is dear to you away and laughing in your face, and all those precious people, everything, just laughing along with him." She shook her head. "I can't describe it to you. It's just the most unimaginable pain possible." No one missed the tears glittering in her eyes.

Eleriel quite obviously couldn't continue, so Galadriel took up the story. "Do you know what fading is?" she asked the others. Once again, all but Aragorn were confused. Galadriel explained, "fading is one of two ways you kill an elf. One way is in battle, and the other is fading. If an elf goes through some unendurable emotional torment, their heart breaks and they lose the will to live... then they simply fade, for lack of a better word. Their eyes become dull, they stop eating, stop enjoying anything. They simply waste away from despair. Well... that's what happened to Eleriel."

"I swear I didn't know," Legolas said sadly.

Galadriel smiled sadly and said, "we know, Legolas. We know. We don't blame you for anything. Eleriel doesn't blame you either, but she'll never admit it."

"Thanks, Grandmother," Eleriel said sarcastically.

Legolas decided to complete his part of the story. "Well... I went home and married Princess Lissiel," he said. "I can't stand her. The alliance between her people and mine was secured, but very soon it became evident that Lissiel had... other lovers on the side, and that might be acceptable under a few circumstances in regular marriages, but I couldn't tolerate it, and neither could my father. The marriage was broken off about fifty years later, and our bond was erased. I haven't seen her much since then; I avoid her if I can."

"And I," Eleriel said, "have since recovered, except for this irritating elf who insists upon courting me at home... his name is Galdor, I believe you have all met him... I can't stand him. But the final step of recovery for me was the arrival of the most adorable baby human boy in Imladris." She smiled sweetly at Aragorn, who blushed furiously.

"Well," he said tentatively. "It's a shame you two aren't together anymore... But if you reconcile your differences..."

Eleriel stood. "Aragorn," she said fiercely, "I know what you're doing. Stop. One thousand five hundred years ago I met an elf and fell in love. A little over a thousand years ago that love fell apart. It's taken me the better part of the last millenium to rebuild my life, and I am not going to erase the last thousand years' worth of careful work because of your scheming." She glared furiously at the people at the table. "And now, if we're done discussing topics that are intensely personal, I am going to my chambers." Eleriel turned, her skirts swishing, and stormed from the Hall.

"Well," said Celeborn. "That was a pleasant supper. Would anyone care for more fruit?"