To the Sea, to the Sea!
Imrahil ran over the shingle beach. "Legolas, what are you doing?" he asked, putting a hand on the elf's arm. Legolas, standing knee-deep in the water-and unaware of the man until now-spun round and stared at him wildly.
Gods, his eyes! thought Imrahil.
"Come, Legolas," he said, reaching again for the elf's arm, "come with me. Eowyn is waiting. She will be worried." And he tried to pull the elf back to the shore, but a stinging blow sent him reeling full length into the sea.
Imrahil lifted himself onto his elbows and spat out a mouthful of seawater. Legolas was wading still deeper. By the gods, he thought, his mind has completely gone. I must get help.
…
By the time Imrahil returned, with Aragorn, Gimli and Eomer, Legolas was submerged up to his shoulders in seawater.
"I knew it," hissed Eomer. "'I love her, Eomer,' he said. 'I will never leave her,' he said. But I knew an elf could not be trusted. So what do we do now?"
"He cannot be reasoned with," said Imrahil. "I have tried. So I suggest that we three wade out to him and drag him back by force. Then we take him to his chambers and let Eowyn deal with him."
"Carry me out to him," said Gimli.
"Gimli…"
"Carry me out to him, Aragorn, or I will drown myself."
Aragorn nodded to his two human companions then lifted Gimli onto his back and the four friends waded out towards Legolas.
"Do not get too close," said Gimli "or you will startle him. But can you get me round in front of him?"
"No," said Aragorn, spitting out some water, "he is taller than I am, and it will be deeper in front of him."
"Very well," said the dwarf, "then let us stay here." Gimli gathered his thoughts.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING YOU CRAZY ELF?" he bellowed, "YOU HAVE TERRIFIED YOUR BEST FRIENDS WITH THIS NONSENSE AND IF YOUR LADY COULD SEE YOU HER HEART WOULD BREAK IN TWO!"
Something in the elf's posture changed and, briefly lucid, he turned to stare at the dwarf. "Gimli?" he asked, in a small, frightened voice. But then his eyes glazed over once more and he turned back to gaze at the horizon.
"Carry me in closer," said Gimli.
Taking a deep breath and holding it, Aragorn took two more steps towards the elf. Gimli drew his axe and struck Legolas hard with the flat of the blade. The elf sagged. Eomer threw himself forward, catching the elf's shoulders before he could slide beneath the water, and Imrahil ducked below the surface, grabbing his feet. Together the two men rushed the stunned elf back to the shore and dumped him on the shingle.
"You might have given us some warning," gasped Eomer to Gimli.
"And risk warning the elf?" asked Gimli.
But though Legolas was stunned he was still conscious and he immediately tried to get to his feet. "Stay there," yelled Eomer, throwing himself bodily on top of his friend, trying to pin him down. But the elf was stronger, and easily pushed Eomer off his back, then rose to his hands and knees and began crawling towards the sea. Simultaneously, all four friends jumped on him and held him down. And, though Legolas continued to struggle, even an elf was no match for four sturdy warriors.
"Now that we have him, let us get him back to Eowyn," panted Imrahil, "quickly."
…
It was no easy task to carry an angry, struggling elf back through the city gate, through the city streets, into the castle, and up the spiral staircase to his own bedchamber.
Several times, a well-aimed kick or punch sent one of the friends staggering. Then there was the shrieking to contend with. And, on top of that, as they passed by The Pyewype tavern, a few of the citizens of Dol Amroth, imagining that the elf was being murdered, attempted to rescue him-until they realised that the blackguards they were thumping were in fact the kings of Gondor and Rohan, and their own prince.
"If you do not stop that noise, elf," warned Gimli, finally losing all patience, "I will be forced to use the blade of my axe on you." And he scowled, murderously.
After that, Legolas quietened down slightly, but that did not stop him landing the odd blow, here and there, when the opportunity arose. The most difficult part of the journey proved to be the staircase, because Legolas soon found that by stretching out his arms and legs he could wedge himself in the stairwell. Luckily, Haldir, who was recovering well from his ordeal on the galley, and Master Dínendal, the healer, joined the fray and, eventually, the three men, the two elves and the one dwarf succeeded in propelling the screeching, struggling elf through the door and into his bedchamber.
Then everything stopped-even the elf stopped struggling and stared.
Eowyn, dressed in a gown of the purest white silk and looking like a spirit in human form, was standing before them. "Legolas?" she said, and she stretched out her hand towards his face. And the elf leaned towards her and pressed his cheek into the palm of her hand.
"What has happened?" she asked.
"We do not know, Eowyn," said Aragorn. "We found him up to his neck in the sea. He does not know us… He does not know himself. He is like a wild animal." He shook his head. "It is as if his sea longing has turned into something wholly destructive. It is almost as if he has been bewitched-"
"Oh gods," cried Imrahil. "I gave him permission to question the apothecary. Perhaps he…"
But Imrahil could not voice what they were all now thinking.
"Master Dínendal," said Aragorn, "can you do anything to restore his wits?"
Carefully, as if dealing with a nervous horse, Dínendal approached the now subdued elf-but the moment he got close, Legolas lashed out at him.
"No, no, my love," said Eowyn, catching his hand. Legolas stared at her, not recognising her but clearly fascinated by her.
Eowyn pointed to a heavy chair. "Sit him down there," she said.
"It is not safe, my lady," said Haldir. "We must take him somewhere where he can be properly restrained-"
"No," said Eowyn, "I will not permit that. Sit him down there."
"Very well, Eowyn," said Aragorn, "but we must tie him down."
Eowyn bit her lip but agreed, reluctantly. The elf began to struggle again as Imrahil and Eomer held him down on the chair, but Aragorn used two leather belts to secure his wrists.
"Is that really necessary, your Majesty?" asked Dínendal.
"Until you can find some way to cure him, Master Dínendal, yes, I am afraid it is."
"Leave me alone with him," said Eowyn.
"Are you mad?" cried Eomer, grasping her shoulders.
"You have seen how gentle he is with me," said Eowyn, wrenching herself free. "Leave me alone with him."
"My lady-" began Haldir
"I promised him, Haldir. I promised I would bring him back from the sea."
"This is not just the sea, my lady-" he said gently.
"I promised him!"
"But what if you cannot?" asked Aragorn.
"Then I will take him to the Undying Lands-Haldir will help me."
"My lady!" Even her champion, Haldir, was astonished by Eowyn's temerity.
"Yes Haldir," she said, stroking Legolas' hair. "If he does not recover we will not let him suffer like this. We will take him to Valinor and then we will wait offshore, in case he should come to his senses. Now, please, all of you, leave me alone with him."
"This is madness!" cried Eomer, "Eowyn-"
"My mind is made up, Eomer! Leave me alone with him."
Aragorn sighed. "He is already calmer, and more lucid, now that he is with her. We will leave them. But we will stay nearby, in the sitting room below," he said to Eowyn. "And if you need us, you have only to call."
"Thank you, Aragorn."
The men, the elves and the dwarf filed out reluctantly-Eomer giving his sister a pointed look. Then Eowyn locked the door behind them, walked over to Legolas, and began to free his hands.
"Can you speak to me, my love?"
Legolas tipped his head to one side and looked at her intently, like a bird.
"Do you know me?" she asked, softly.
"Have we met before?" he asked.
"So you can speak," she said. "Yes, my love, we have met before. We know each other intimately." And she unstrapped his hands and knelt before him, placing her own hands lightly on his knees, and looked up into his stormy blue eyes.
He had once told her that the sea longing was like desire, and she could see the lust in his eyes now-he had been denied the sea and instead he wanted her.
"Let me help you find your way back, my love," she whispered. And she gave herself to him without hesitation.
…
"Eowyn? Eowyn, melmenya, did I hurt you? Please do not cry, Eowyn nín."
But tears continued to stream down Eowyn's face and, smiling through them, she said, "No, my love, you did not hurt me. The sea had claimed you; the sea thought she had finally won you. But you have come back. You have come back to me."
An orc hunt
Gimli had no idea how to take a prisoner-he suspected it involved pointing an arrow at the victim and making some sort of threat. The March Warden will be in his element, he thought. But I will have to improvise.
He selected a slow-moving Uruk Hai as his target, drew his axe and ran towards it. It was sluggish-the whole band was sluggish-but big. Using a slight incline topped with a large flat stone as a ramp, Gimli leapt into the air, throwing himself onto the Uruk's back and battering it about the head with the flat of his axe. Caught completely by surprise, the Uruk Hai had no defence. It sank to the ground, unconscious, taking Gimli with it, and trapping the dwarf's legs beneath the dead weight of its great torso.
Gimli pushed his hands against the Uruk's shoulders, struggling to free himself-Just who is supposed to be the prisoner here? he wondered.
Then a commotion amongst the elves to his right caught his attention. A warg was rampaging through the encampment, trampling all in its path, and heading straight towards him-"Awwww!" Gimli roared, pushing, and wriggling, and swearing, but he could not free himself.
So this is it, he thought and he turned his head to face his doom.
But a small warrior with long golden hair had placed herself between him and the galloping beast. She raised her sword and awaited her chance.
…
"Gimli!"
Legolas had heard his friend's battle cry and was running towards him, knives drawn, already aware that he might be too late, when, with a mixture of horror and pride, he saw his wife place herself in the path of the furious warg.
Eowyn waited, sword raised, until the animal was almost on top of her. Then, like a bullfighter, she stepped aside at the critical moment, and calmly brought her blade down in a two-handed slice.
The beast fell to its knees within inches of the dwarf's chest, its head almost severed from its neck.
Eomer plays the big brother
Legolas picked up the leather dispatch bag, broke the seal, unfastened the buckles, and had just started to pull out the papers when someone in a hurry knocked loudly at the door.
"Come in," he called.
The door flew open. "Eomer," said Legolas. "Come in. Sit down. How can I help y-"
"I have had to wait two days to get you alone," cried Eomer. "What possessed you to take her on an orc hunt? She could have been killed-ripped from throat to belly, like Theodred. She could have been raped-left permanently crippled, or mad, or pregnant-"
"I know."
"She could have been taken off to their den and used as a-"
"I know! Do you think I wanted to take her?" shouted Legolas. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Please, Eomer, sit down. I had planned to leave her at Eryn Carantaur. I was terrified that something would happen to her-but she persuaded me-"
"The way she was persuading you last night, outside the Banqueting Hall, no doubt."
Legolas gave him a dark look. "I hope you did not stay to watch," he said softly.
"I did not need to watch," said Eomer. "Her commentary was perfectly explicit and could be heard all the way to my apartment."
"Eomer!" cried Legolas.
"You are a bad influence on her-"
"Will you sit down!" Legolas pushed the irate king into a chair. "Good. Now-" he cried, "listen! I took her on the raid because her determination-her refusal to give in-broke me. I could not leave her behind. She threatened to follow us by herself."
"You should have locked her up."
"She would have escaped, Eomer," he said. "You know how resourceful she is." He suddenly smiled, fondly. "There is no one like her! She is unique."
He poured two glasses of spiced wine. "Here," he said, handing one to the king. "I know that you have always felt responsible for her-though, in truth, she is stronger than any of us-but you cannot keep her wrapped in swansdown. Eowyn has the spirit of a warrior and-however much you want to protect her-if you keep her caged you will destroy her. So no-though it terrifies me-I am not going to try to stop her training, I am not going to try to stop her fighting, and I am not going to try to stop her going on orc raids. I am going to let her be herself-"
He was interrupted by another knock. He set down his wine, and went to the door.
"Ah, Mistress Hereswið," he said, "come in."
The woman entered carrying a large, flat parcel, but when she saw Eomer, she stopped. "I am sorry, my lord," she said, "I am interrupting you. Shall I come back later?"
"Certainly not, mistress," said Legolas, "I am anxious to see your work."
The woman smiled and laid her parcel on the bed. Legolas opened it, unfolded its contents and examined them carefully. Then he held them up for his brother-in-law to see.
"What do you think, Eomer?"
Eomer searched for the correct response. "It is blue," he said. Legolas' face told him that he had failed. "-Fine," he corrected. "It is a very fine gown indeed. Blue."
Legolas shook his head. "It is perfect, Mistress Hereswið," he said. "The cut of the bodice and the beading around the neckline…" He ran his fingers over the embroidered icicles. "And the sleeves…" He examined the beaded white lace. "The sleeves remind me of frost on a pane of glass!"
"And am so pleased that you like it, my lord-and the head-dress was made by Queen Arwen's own jeweller." The woman held up an intricate silver coronet decorated with trailing strings of blue and ice-coloured beads.
"She will look wonderful, mistress," said Legolas. He carefully laid the gown on the bed and fetched his money pouch from the desk. "Five hundred gold pieces, I believe?" Eomer choked on his wine. Legolas counted out the money and handed it to the dressmaker. "Thank you Mistress Hereswið. I shall be sure to recommend you to my friends."
The woman bowed and left.
Eomer shook his head. "I do not understand you," he said.
"Why?" asked Legolas, carefully folding the gown.
"One moment you act like a Uruk Hai beserker, the next you act like a girl."
Legolas turned and stared. "A girl?"
"All this." Eomer waved his hand at the gown. "Lace and ribbons…"
"This is for Eowyn," said Legolas.
"Choosing her clothes, dressing her up like a doll. It is not manly."
"I am not a man," said Legolas.
A premonition?
Legolas took one last look at Middle Earth.
How he would miss it! The mountains of Gondor, the plains of Rohan, his beloved trees of Eryn Carantaur. But it was all in safe hands. Eldarion would carry on his father's work with wisdom and honour. Elfwine King had been ruling Rohan in peace and prosperity for many years. And his own son had taken over the guardianship of Eryn Carantaur.
"Are you ready, my love?" asked a voice beside him.
He nodded. "Are you ready?" he replied.
"I have said my good byes," she said. "And though I shall miss Meldon every moment of every day, I know that he will join us when it is his time." Then she added, in a whisper, "Haldir is growing impatient and I think Gimli is getting tired, Lassui."
"Of course," he said. "Let us go."
And he took Eowyn's small, smooth hand upon his own, elven fashion, and led her down the steps and along the quay, and onto the grey ship.
…
Legolas sat bolt upright. He remembered them. He remembered all of them. Every dream he had had since the Winter Solstice.
Dreams of Eowyn. Unchanging. Immortal.
And of their child-a son.
But we have lost the child, he thought, so the dreams…
He looked down at Eowyn, sleeping beside him. He could not tell her. But he needed to tell someone. He needed to know what the dreams meant.
…
Aragorn opened the door almost immediately. "Good morning, mellon nín," he said. "That tap had to be you-or one of my brothers. Come in." He closed the door. "Sit down-and tell me what is troubling you."
"Is it so obvious?"
"To one who has lived most of his life amongst elves, yes."
"Do you know anything about dreams?"
"Has Eowyn been having nightmares?"
Legolas shook his head. "No, I am the one who has been dreaming-about her."
Aragorn looked surprised. "Have you ever dreamed before?"
Legolas lowered his eyes, "Yes…"
"About her?"
"Yes… But this is different."
"How?"
"Last time was immediately before the Harvest Rite, and-er-" His alabaster skin flushed a delicate rose.
"Ah," said Aragorn.
Legolas cleared his throat. "That was a difficult time, Aragorn," he said. "But now-now I am dreaming about the future. Or perhaps a possible future." He shook his head. "I do not know." He described the dreams-the being of light, Eowyn's unchanging face, the Grey Havens and Tol Erresëa. "What do you think they mean?"
Aragorn sighed. "I know what you must hope they mean, Legolas. And I have heard it said that our dreams during the twelve days of Yuletide foretell our future."
The elf's expression almost broke Aragorn's heart.
"But in truth, mellon nín," the man continued, gently, "I think it more likely that your own mind, unfettered by sleep, is using your dreams to paint a picture of the future as you want it to be."
A glimpse of the past and a promise for the future
The fireplace, the pillars, and the beams of their severely elegant sitting room had all been decorated with garlands of holly, ivy, mistletoe, and fir cones; the windows had been hung with deep green velvet spangled with golden stars; and the mantelpiece and hearth sparkled with hundreds of tiny white candles.
"Merry Yuletide, melmenya," said Legolas. He laid a large, flat parcel-wrapped in iridescent green gauze and decorated with a golden ribbon tied in a large, artfully arranged bow-on her lap.
Eowyn ran her fingers lightly over the bow. "It is beautiful," she said. "I love it."
"You have not opened it yet!" said Legolas.
She pulled the ends of the bow, carefully untied the ribbon, and unwrapped the fabric. Inside the parcel was a gown of bright green velvet embroidered with clusters of golden holly leaves and deep red holly berries. "Oh, Legolas!" She held it against herself. The neckline, edged with golden braid, was cut very low, in the elven fashion. She looked at her husband, suspiciously.
Legolas laughed. "You will look lovely, melmenya," he said. "Your wound will be fully healed by Yule. And look-this shift goes underneath. It will show at the neck-and preserve your modesty…" The shift was made from translucent gold silk, decorated with tiny golden snowflakes. "Try them on," he said. He helped her change out of her tunic and leggings.
"The gown laces up the back…" said Eowyn.
"Mmmmm," said Legolas, carefully tying the lace, "that way, you will always need help undressing, melmenya!" He carried her into the bedchamber and held her in front of the mirror. "Do you like it?" he asked.
Eowyn examined her reflection. "It is the most beautiful gown I have ever seen," she said, kissing him tenderly. "Thank you." Then she added, excitedly, "Carry me over to the dressing table! But do not look!"
When she was sure that Legolas' back was turned, she opened her jewellery box, took out a small silver key and unlocked the cupboard on her side of the dressing table. She sorted through a pile of small parcels and selected one, wrapped-rather untidily-in bright orange fabric. Eowyn made a last minute attempt to straighten its corners. Then she closed the cupboard door. "You can look now," she said, holding the present towards him.
Legolas gave her a ravishing smile. "Thank you, melmenya!" He weighed it in his hand. It was light. He shook it. It made no sound.
"Open it!" said Eowyn.
Legolas carried her to the bed and, sitting beside her, carefully unwrapped the present. It was a large comb, carved from a single piece of dark red wood, its spine decorated with a line of intricately detailed Mûmakil. Legolas examined the animals carefully. "It is beautiful, melmenya, thank you." He sniffed it. "It smells of spices!"
"I know. It is the natural smell of the wood. It comes from a tree that grows only in Far Harad."
Legolas' expression suddenly turned wicked-he handed the comb to Eowyn.
"Take off your tunic," she said, smiling.
Once Legolas had slipped off his clothing, Eowyn carefully unfastened his braids and gently massaged his scalp. He sighed contentedly. Then she began combing, working out the few tiny snags, until she could run the comb through the full length of his hair. Legolas moaned and arched his back slightly. Eowyn smiled. She had had relatively little experience of men, but she was almost certain that this reaction was uniquely elven-and that her gift had been the perfect choice.
"Lean forward," she whispered. She put the comb down and began to massage Legolas' neck and shoulders and to kiss the delicate points of his ears.
"Gods, melmenya," he gasped, his back arching sharply.
Eowyn laughed. "I love the way your ears are so sensitive…" she said.
Legolas rolled over, pinning her to the bed, and kissed her hungrily, tickling her neck and shoulders with his mouth and his loose hair. Eowyn wriggled and laughed beneath him, and they hugged tightly. Then Legolas suddenly stilled. "Wait, melmenya! I have something else for you!" And he jumped up and ran into the sitting room.
Moments later, he returned and placed another parcel on Eowyn's lap.
Eowyn examined it carefully-it was a cylinder, about ten inches long, made from a brightly coloured material that was neither fabric nor parchment, but something similar to both, and its ends were twisted to form a sealed pocket in the middle.
"Hold your end, tightly," said Legolas, grasping the other end. "Now-pull!"
BANG!
"OH!" cried Eowyn, falling over onto the bed, laughing.
Legolas hugged her. "You have won, melmenya," he said. "See!"
Eowyn looked at the remains of the cylinder. It had torn open, and she was holding the larger part. Inside was a slip of parchment and a small wooden box.
"Why did it explode?" she asked.
"It contains a small amount of the powder that Mithrandir used to use in his fireworks," said Legolas. "Pulling makes it explode-do not ask me how, Eowyn nín, for I do not know!"
Eowyn grinned. "Where did you get it?"
"Dol Amroth. I had a terrible time keeping it dry on the way home…"
Eowyn read the parchment.
"I know a word of letters three,
Add two, and fewer there will be."
She looked at Legolas questioningly.
He grinned. "I am not telling you the answer, meleth nín," he said. "You will have to work it out for yourself. Open the box!"
Eowyn picked up the wooden box and carefully removed its polished lid. "Oh!"
It was a ring or, rather, two rings-one silver, one gold-flowing over and under and around each other. "It is a betrothal ring, melmenya," said Legolas. "I know it is a little late. But I wanted you to have one-I wanted to give you one." He took it from the box and slipped it on her finger.
"Thank you," she whispered.
…
"FEW!" cried Eowyn.
"Well done, melmenya!"
…
"All I said was- "
"I know what you said. But what you want to know," said Eowyn, "is whether this lover I had before Faramir was Aragorn-you are jealous. That is why you are so angry-"
"I am not angry-"
"Yes you are. Why? Why does it matter if it was Aragorn?"
"It matters! It matters because I loved you, even then," said Legolas, furiously, "and because Aragorn was already betrothed. He had no right to take you. He had no right to-"
"He did not!"
Legolas stared at her, confused.
"It was Theodred!" she said. "It was not Aragorn. Theodred was my first lover."
"Theodred? Oh, melmenya," he reached for her, "melmenya…" He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. Eowyn did not resist, but she remained aloof.
"How many lovers did you have before me?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it matters-now! How many?"
Legolas sighed. "Twelve," he admitted. "But I am much older than-"
"No you are not! I am almost middle-aged; you are young for an elf! But I suppose," she added, "as a Prince, you were encouraged to sow your wild oats. I suppose some palace official was ordered to supply you with ellyth-"
"Melmenya!"
"You started this, Legolas, being jealous!" She sighed, and began tracing the muscles in his chest with her finger. "So who did you have before me?"
"I cannot tell you that-"
"Why not?" she asked. "I told you-and, besides, I need to know."
Legolas sighed-she had a point. "There was a whore my tutor hired," he said, "after my coming of age ceremony-she was the first."
"That is a sad way to start," said Eowyn, softly.
"There was the daughter of my father's Chief Counsellor. Several other ladies at court-"
"How many?"
"Four. There was an elleth I-er-knew in one of the settlements to the north of Mirkwood. A serving elleth-"
"Legolas!"
"I treated her well… A dancer at Imladris, when I attended the Council of Elrond. And two bathing attendants at Lorien."
"Together?"
Legolas nodded, looking slightly embarrassed.
"And then you tried to get me into bed at Edoras-you were busy during the Fellowship," she said, dryly. "But that is only eleven. Who was the twelfth, Legolas?"
He hesitated for a long time. "Arwen," he said.
Eowyn was taken aback. "Arwen!"
"It was many years ago, melmenya. Long before Aragorn was born…"
"Was it serious-with Arwen?" she asked.
"No, melmenya!"
"Was it serious with any of them?"
"No."
"So it was just physical?"
"Yes."
"Were they better than me?"
"Oh, melmenya!"
"That means yes."
"No! No it does not! No one could ever be better than you!"
"Not even the whore?"
"The whore was efficient."
"What does that mean?"
"It was over in moments…"
Eowyn smirked, her face buried in his chest. "That was not her doing," she said. "With you it is often over in moments."
"Melmenya!"
"Was she better the second time?"
"There was no second time. She wanted more money."
In spite of herself Eowyn laughed. She raised her head. Legolas smiled at her and she touched his face. "What about the others?" she asked, softly.
"Oh, Eowyn! What if I were to ask you about Faramir and Theodred?"
"Then I would tell you that Faramir was kind and gentle but that his heart was not in it," said Eowyn, "and that Theodred-Theodred was too much like Eomer-and I could not let go."
Legolas kissed her tenderly and-at last-felt her relax into his arms.
"I did begin to think," she said, softly, "that there was something wrong with me…"
"No, melmenya. No! You are a wonderful lover-passionate and giving-I meant it when I said there was no one like you. Not for me. You give me everything I have ever wanted. You give me joy such as I never imagined existed."
"Really?" Eowyn asked, with child-like insecurity. "Truthfully?"
"Of course, my darling. We are perfectly suited, you and I. Human and elf."
Eowyn nodded. "You are hot where I am cold and cold where I am hot," she said.
"Melmenya?"
"It is something I thought a few days ago," she said, softly. "But the truth is that we are not perfectly suited-the truth is that some of your 'brief affairs' with ellyth will have lasted for longer than my entire lifetime-"
"Melmenya-"
"I do not want to leave you, Legolas," she whispered.
Legolas shook his head. "I will not survive you, Eowyn nín. I will die when you die-"
"No!"
"Shhhhh," he kissed her hand. "We will never be parted, melmenya. We will be together forever. I have made up my mind-"
Eowyn pushed herself up on her hands in alarm. "To do what?" she cried.
"To follow you," he said. "Woman and elf, we were both created by Ilúvatar. And the Valar gave you to me. Whatever happens to men when they die, wherever they take you, I shall follow. I shall beg to be admitted. It may take time, but I will persist-"
"Legolas-"
"Shhhhh. Will you wait for me?"
"Of course I will wait for you."
"Do you think your ancestors will accept me as your husband?"
A single tear ran down Eowyn's cheek. "Oh my love… yes."
"Then it is agreed?"
Eowyn nodded.
"Good," said Legolas, smiling. He reached up and lifted her bowed head until their eyes met and an answering smile transformed Eowyn's face-and then they grinned at each other like two children who had just agreed to be naughty.
And when he turned her onto her back, and gently pressed her into the bed, she did not resist but wrapped her legs around him and returned his kisses with equal passion.
…
"Legolas?"
"Mmmmm?"
"Am I really better than Arwen?"
"Oh, melmenya!"
THE END
My bow shall sing with your sword (NC-17). Our favourite couple gets together. Eowyn travels to Legolas' colony of Eryn Carantaur, in South Ithilien, to take part in the Harvest Ceremony and finds herself helping him conduct a murder investigation.
To the Sea, to the Sea, the white gulls are crying (NC-17). After three months together, Legolas and Eowyn travel to Dol Amroth to take part in Prince Elfwine's Naming Ceremony. But someone is kidnapping elves-will Legolas be the next victim? Or will Eowyn lose him to the sea?
The time of the Orcs has come (NC-17). Legolas and Eowyn return home to find that several large bands of orcs have settled on the outskirts of Eryn Carantaur. Why are they behaving so strangely? Our favourite couple battles a supernatural enemy.
The lady vanishes (NC-17). WIP. Against the background of the Yuletide celebrations in Minas Tirith, Legolas and Eowyn investigate the disappearance of a young woman and uncover the villainy of a local crime lord.