Congratulations! You have battled on to where things get interesting ^_^ lol. Here we have…romance! R+R Pweease!!!! xxx

'So why didn't you tell me you were a Prince the first time we met?' Aragorn and Legolas were ambling absent-mindedly through the fruitful gardens of the palace, wrapped in conversation. Legolas paused and looked calculatingly at Aragorn.

'You are still wondering? I thought it did not matter to you?'

'It doesn't.' replied Aragorn quickly. 'You being a Prince I mean. It's just a little strange not to say, that's all.'

'Is it really that strange? I would have thought you of all people would have understood.'

'What do you mean?'

Legolas stopped and sighed, turning to face his friend.

'Tell me, Aragorn. Would you have acted in the way you did if you had known I was Thranduil's son? Or would you have put on the airs and graces supposedly befitting an Elvish Prince?'

Aragorn considered these words. 'I understand.' He murmured softly, and the pair continued, settling into a comfortable silence. For two weeks now the company of elves from Rivendell had resided in Mirkwood, and there were no plans to return until the autumn at least. Aragorn was glad. He could not explain the settled feeling he had when he was with Legolas, but he knew that he did not want to leave his newfound friend yet. There was still so much he didn't know about him.

Aragorn was drawn from his musings when Legolas paused beside an intricate iron archway, wound with honeysuckle. He reached up and drew down a blossom, not breaking it from its stem.

'Smell that,' he murmured, holding the flowers to the mans face. Aragorn inhaled the sweet, clean scent of the blossom, and tried to think what it reminded him so forcibly of. He suddenly opened his eyes.

'It smells of you.' He said, and his eyes met with those of the elf. Legolas smiled.

'Do you like it?'

'Yes. I do.'

The elf smiled again, and continued walking, leaving Aragorn to wonder at his question. After a moment he shrugged his shoulders in defeat and hurried after Legolas.

'You are very peculiar, elf.' remarked Aragorn once he had caught up. Legolas scowled the way he always did when referred to as 'elf'.

'You had better not upset me. I'm a prince, there's probably a law against it or something.'

Aragorn burst out laughing, and the corners of Legolas' shapely mouth twitched into a smile.

'Spoiled brat.' Aragorn goaded Legolas, encouraging him to rise to the bait of his teasing.

'Arrogant human.'

'Pampered Prince.'

'I may be pampered, but I can still outshoot you, outrun you, out climb you…'

'All right, point taken' muttered Aragorn in mock annoyance. Legolas regarded him amusedly. The silence was broken by a call from a young elf maiden standing on a balcony on the palace.

'Your highness? Your father requests your presence in his study. He says to go as soon as you can.'

'Thank you, tell him I am on my way.' Legolas watched as the elf maiden returned into the palace, and turned back to Aragorn, making a face.

'It seems I am needed elsewhere. My apologies. I will see you at supper.'

With a graceful nod, Legolas turned and made his way into the palace, under the watchful stare of Aragorn.

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Much later, when Aragorn had retired after supper, he lay in his bed thinking about Legolas. It unsettled him that even having lived his whole life among elves, this one was able to have such a profound effect on him. There was an otherworldly air about the elven prince. He was elusive and intangible, yet frank and honest also. He even looked waif-like, with his pale, slender frame, blonde hair and startling blue eyes. And every word spoken from his shapely mouth… Aragorn mentally shook himself, and decided that his choice of words was just a mistake. All elves were beautiful, it was not just Legolas. Aragorn sighed in irritation and rolled over, trying to stop thoughts about the Prince creep into his mind. He fell eventually into an uneasy sleep that had him tossing and turning in his high mahogany bed.

Outside, in a tree in the palace gardens, Legolas was having similar thoughts. Curled motionlessly on one of the trees boughs, one leg dangling down, he sat in a pensive silence. The night was cloudless, and he could see glimpses of the starry sky through the interweaving tree branches overhead. Needing no sleep that night he allowed his mind to drift from thought to thought, always returning the to the man he had recently befriended. The prince had had few close friends in his lifetime, for his heritage often made others uncomfortable, and many whom he did befriend were considered unsuitable friends for a royal prince. Aragorn, he mused, was probably the closest friend he had. How ironic that he should be a human. And yet that was part of his appeal. Legolas had to admit that he found the human fascinating. For a creature so fundamentally flawed in design, he had turned out to be surprisingly compassionate, kind and loyal. And it was not just his personality. Legolas had seen him dress many times since they had met, and was intrigued by what he had seen - the smattering of dark hairs on his friends chest, and the line down his stomach, not to mention his facial hair. Even his weaknesses were endearing…His need to sleep every sixteen hours or so, his intolerance of too much wine, his temper, pride and jealousy…Legolas sighed heavily and tried to make sense of what he was feeling. Aragorn was his polar opposite, which was perhaps why they clicked so well, but Legolas was sure there was something more to it, something much deeper. He ran a palm down the smooth bark of the tree branch, feeling its comforting, papery texture.

'Oh tell me what to do.' He murmured to the tree, but its branches just sighed in an unfelt breeze. Legolas smiled sadly, and swung from his perch, landing like a cat on the ground below. The moon shone through a gap in the trees here, highlighting the climbing roses which rose against the walls of the palace stables. Nodding his head firmly, he decided what to do.

'I must see Aragorn.'

---------------

Even in the uneasy throes of his dream, Aragorn became aware of the presence in his room. It was enough to draw him from his slumber, but he did not open his eyes immediately, listening instead in the dark. Slowly, he opened up and, to his intense shock, saw Legolas standing at the foot of his bed. Leaping up, his heart frantically beating, he grabbed the sheet from his bed and wrapped it about his naked waist to protect his purity.

'Legolas! You half frightened me to death! What are you doing here?' Aragorn's breathing calmed as he realized he was in no danger. Legolas grinned apologetically and lowered his eyelashes.

'I am sorry; I did not mean to startle you. I wanted to show you something.'

Looking around, Aragorn could see that the door was still shut and bolted.

'How did you get in here?' he asked.

'I climbed onto the balcony. It is the way in which we must leave as well, we should not be seen.'

'The balcon…are you crazy?' Aragorn demanded, keeping his voice in a low hiss. Legolas widened his eyes and looked at Aragorn imploringly.

'Please?'

'Ugh' Aragorn rolled his eyes. 'Fine. Just let me put on some clothes. What do you want to show me?'

'It's a surprise. I will wait on the balcony.'

Legolas left and Aragorn dropped the sheet and pulled on his under shorts and his loose white shirt. 'Why am I doing this?' he wondered to himself as he turned to the balcony. 'You already know' whispered a quiet voice in his brain. 'It's because he asked you to.' Aragorn ignored the voice and joined Legolas outside. The elf smiled.

'You must jump down. I will show you how to do it.'

'Legolas, I know how to do this. I live in Rivendell, remember? Lots of balconies?'

Legolas grinned. 'I have never been to Rivendell. But very well, just remember to…'

'Legolas!'

'Ay, ay! I will go first.' With that Legolas neatly leaped off of the side of the rail. Rolling his eyes once more, Aragorn followed suit, landing neatly on his feet beside his friend. With a smirk, he asked:

'I believe you wanted to show me something?'

Legolas, who had rapidly adopted a relaxed pose by leaning against a pillar with his arms folded across his chest and one foot tucked behind the other straightened up.

'This way.'

He led the way under an overgrown stone arch and into the palace gardens. Aragorn knew this area well and thought they were perhaps going to the orchard, but Legolas led him instead to a wall which appeared to be completely covered in ivy.

'Legolas, what's going o…' Aragorn was silenced as Legolas put a finger to his lips and shook his head. The elf ran his hand along the wall until he was about a third of the way along. Here he pushed the ivy aside to reveal a black wooden door, which swung open easily when he murmured an elvish word to it. Beckoning to Aragorn, he led the way through. Once inside, Aragorn caught his breath. There was only one tree in the far corner of the little grassy garden, so moonlight spilled in filling the area with a ghostly silver blue light. Snow-white and pale lilac roses grew up against all of the garden walls, and tiny silver and gold flowers speckled the grass. A path of white bricks, lined with low rose hedges led to the centre of the garden, where stood a magnificent three-tiered fountain, whose water droplets looking like pearls in the moonlight. The bubbling sound of its water sounded like bells, or laughter, and its glimmering moonlit depths sparkled as though lined with diamonds. Aragorn turned to Legolas, wonder showing in his face.

'What is this place?' He murmured, awestruck.

'It is the private garden of my father. Do you like it? It is best by moonlight.' The delight in Legolas' voice could be heard.

'Its so beautiful! Thank you so much for bringing me here.'

Legolas smiled and took Aragorn by the hand, dragging him over to the fountain. He was clearly excited. Once there, he reached down and trailed his fingers in the cold water, cupping his hands and drinking from them. Aragorn did the same. The water was cool, clear and impossibly pure. It felt like silver running down his throat, and he closed his eyes as he drank. When he opened them, he found Legolas watching him with a look he could not interpret. The sight of the elf made him catch his breath. His skin was impossibly pale and flawless, translucent in the moonlight, and his hair gleamed like shot silver. The only colour in his face was his eyes, which looked violet in the dusk.

'They say that the fountain of Thranduil exposes true feelings…' Legolas' voice was barely a murmur, and his eyes never left Aragorn's face. His breath quickened. A strand of silky hair blew across the elf's cheek, and without thinking, Aragorn reached out to brush it away, letting his wet hand linger afterwards. Legolas leaned into the contact, never breaking eye contact with Aragorn. The man felt his hand move round Legolas' chin until the palm of his hand brushed the lips of the elf. He moved it back to the back of the elf's head, silky hair slipping through his fingers. No words were spoken as Aragorn took a step closer to the elf. He paused. Legolas smiled.

'Kiss me.'

Aragorn leaned forward, his lips brushing Legolas' in the chastest of kisses, before drawing back. Legolas smiled, his lips curving up into a delicious grin.

'You call that a kiss?' He murmured softly, instinctively leaning in again. Aragorn laughed a muffled chuckle.

'If the Prince is not satisfied…' He did not finish his sentence, as his lips once more met with the elf's. He brushed Legolas' mouth once or twice, before nudging for it to open with his lips and tongue. Legolas readily obeyed, and Aragorn's tongue slipped into his mouth, sweeping over his tongue, exploring, probing tasting. Legolas' own tongue began to dance, brushing into Aragorn's mouth and deepening the kiss. Aragorn slipped his free hand around the elf's waist, and Legolas wrapped his hands around Aragorn's head, tangling his fingers in the silky brown hair. He could feel the stubble on Aragorn's chin against his cheek, and he leaned in further, tying to feel even more of the man.

Aragorn was in heaven. The silk of Legolas' hair, the suede of his tunic, the deep velvety warmth of his mouth…He couldn't think straight in this condition, but did not break the kiss until need for oxygen made him. They drew slowly apart, eyes closed, breathing heavily. Aragorn dropped both hands to Legolas' waist, and Legolas kept his hands entangled in the mans hair, resting his forehead on Aragorn's chin until his normal breathing pattern returned. Once it had, he looked up into the mans eyes. There was a moment's pause before Aragorn spoke.

'Say something.'

'What would you like me to say?'

'How about…that was amazing and wonderful and why aren't you doing it again?'

Legolas laughed, a genuine throaty sound.

'Surely there's no need for me to repeat that part about you doing it all again…'

Aragorn grinned and leaned in to kiss the Prince once more.

Legolas smiled as they broke apart for a second time. 'Mmm.' He paused, still smiling, before looking up into Aragorn's eyes. 'You should probably go back now…we shouldn't be found here. Besides, I know how grouchy you are when you don't sleep.'

Aragorn grinned. 'Yes, I probably should…in a minute…'

'Yeah… in a min…'

Aragorn's very persuasive lips silenced Legolas once more.