So Us Is This

by Red Tabby Tigress

Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas rescue a girl from a group of men who are abusing her, but she is frightened of them. She won't let Aragorn near her, doesn't trust Gimli, and Legolas has no idea what to say to her, as the sole person she is willing to trust.

7. Nil by Mouth

Disclaimer: Yes, I own LotR, I admit I am the genius behind it all. I am a man *I mean oops did I say that out loud?*

No, I have absolutely nothing to do with LotR, that's why you didn't see me at the premier for RotK :D. But I do own Eveaniea, and my plot. Oh! And Ita'istar :S

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Reviews:

Galadriel in Disguise: I don't know what would have happened at Helm's Deep to make him angry, but like, I call that bad lying. I do it a lot :S. Hehe, and she wasn't there, so she doesn't know ;)

Vera-Sabe: Thank you so much for the loooooooooong review!!! I was like WooO!! Hehe.

Twilightkitty: Thanks for reviewing like, every second chapter!!!! *hands ice-cream to the late comer :S*

0_0 *is feeling overflowed by all the reviews* Im not gonna reply to the rest of them, Im gonna just say a BIG thank you to all who reviewed last chapter, coz I have over a page of new reviews to answer to, and really, I just end up saying the same thing to you all, and it makes me feel stupid. Anyway, yesh, I hope this chapter is to the liking of..................certain people....:)

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Legolas rode Ita'istar through the woods, Aragorn and Gimli tramping along beside him, each deadly silent, much like the dark forest that surrounded them. He leaned backwards, wavering slightly, and felt his mount shift her weight to balance him and keep him on her back. He leaned forward and rubbed her neck, whispering soft words in Elvish to her in praise. He was glad she was looking out for him, for his head was thumping, his vision blurring. The wound in his back ached like mad, and pain shot through it if he dared to move too fast. He blinked slowly, and looked to his companions, who both had looks of utmost seriousness etched on their faces. Both of them seemed to be keeping an eye on him, to make sure he did not fall from his mount. The elf snorted, and looked back to the path ahead of him. But this time it was not his pride that kept him going, his strength was rapidly failing him, and he knew he badly needed rest to let his body recover. When he was not busy being a proud creature, he would give into sense, and listen to the concerns of his friends. But Eveaniea was out in the forest, alone, probably cold, and most definitely scared. He hoped it would not be too late to find her, and hoped that she had not been found by anyone. Though he wished her safe, the thought of anyone but him comforting her made him jealous to his stomach. Shaking his head to clear it, he frowned. It was ridiculous to be so jealous, he had never been before with anyone he had found, and in his long life, he had found many weary, lost travellers in need of aid. He suddenly felt lightheaded, and swayed unsteadily upon Ita'istar's back, coming very close to falling off. Aragorn saw this from the corner of his eye, and quickly steadied the Elf before he lost his balance, and Legolas felt the human press a hand to his waist, holding him upright. Then he tensed his leg muscles once more, although painfully, and twined his fingers in the mare's long silky mane to keep him up.

"Legolas," Aragorn said, sounding worried, "We must stop, you are completely exhausted. If it were not for Ita'istar's vigilance I fear you would have fallen from her back hours ago,"

Legolas shrugged the comment off and turned to the human, looking at him sharply, slightly angered, even though he knew the human was merely concerned about him.

"I will not stop looking for her until we I find her, Aragorn," he said in a condescending tone that the human barely heard from him. Aragorn sighed, drawing his hand away hesitantly, and then moved away altogether..

"Fine," he sighed in defeat, "We will continue until you fall from the saddle," he said reluctantly, "Do not overtax yourself Legolas, you had no rest after that fight, and you are hurt."

"I am sorry Aragorn," Legolas said a little more gently, "She....I......." he lowered his head in defeat.

"I am so worried about her, I do not want anything to happen to her, and she could be in danger. It hurts," he said sadly. Aragorn looked at him sympathetically.

"I know how you feel," Aragorn consoled him, "Every time I thought I would not see Arwen ever again was worse than I could imagine." He squared his vison with Legolas', and the elf sighed, turning back to the trail, keeping his concentration on staying upright.

"We will find her Legolas," Gimli said, his voice determined, "We have to. How else will I be godfather to all the little elflings you two will have?"

Legolas laughed, feeling a little better, still not feeling the best, but the weight on his mind was not quite as heavy. He nudged his mount's sides, pressing one leg firmly to her right side, signalling her to turn. He did not catch the expression on Aragorn's face, which was probably of benefit to him.

At least Gimli was still looking at things with a positive attitude. While his Dwarf friend could be, at times, very blunt, most of the time he was a good companion. Unbeknownst to him, Gimli himself was not feeling lighthearted at all, but quite depressed. For he had never seen the elf look so downcast in all his travels, and it was not something he was quite used to.

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Aragorn watched his elven friend intently as he turned, walking alongside him once again. He could sense an emotion clouding heavily over the elf, and identified it, after all his years of living amongst elves, as sadness. As much as the human did not want to believe it, Legolas was sick, and the cause would kill him if prolonged. He had not seen many elves dying of broken hearts, but this did not mean he did not know the signs, and his friend was displaying them without knowing. Aragorn knew not all the weakness the elf riding the horse possessed was from his injuries, and exhaustion. It would normally not affect his friend so badly, but the combination was not doing him any good. The elf was thinking of the worst that could happen to his female companion, and when his friend had told him how much it hurt him to think she was in danger only confirmed his suspicions. Although Legolas had only known Eveaniea for a couple of days, he knew the blonde elf had been an immense help to her recovering. Without him, Aragorn would still be trying to approach her slight, trembling form, in attempt to get her to tolerate his presence, and she would have been lost forever to them when the men found their camp. Eveaniea was so comfortable around his companion that she allowed him to sleep next to her, to hold her as she slept, which Aragorn was amazed at. He knew for someone who had seen such dark days as she had, it would take immense faith to trust anyone, especially while she was sleeping. Aragorn smiled. From what he had already seen, the two elves made a perfect couple. Legolas accepted and understood what she had been through, and did not think any less of her for it, which had brought her to trust and respect him. He had made her accept it, as well, and realise that no, it wasn't her fault, and her standard had by no means fallen because of the incident. While she was uncomfortable with being touched, or by closeness to anyone, he was cautious, careful, and would never lay a hand on her without her consent. He had never and would never raise his voice to her, nor came anywhere near close to raise a hand to harm her. The human knew that Legolas would rather have been submitted to the torture chambers in the depths of Mordor before he would even think of abusing her by any degree. And his friend was tolerant- had patience in spadefuls. Aragorn knew that naturally, after what had happened to her, she would be wary of going to bed with a male, no matter who it was, in fear of being hurt once more, but Legolas would never force her into anything, least of all sleeping with him just to satisfy his body. He would wait until she was ready, and not a moment before.

In short, Aragorn knew his companion was perfect for the she-elf, and it gave him a new incentive to carry on with their trail. He could see she had been here once, if only for a fleeting moment while she ran from danger, but he did not dare raise the issue for fear of bringing false hope to his companions. He would wait until he found real proof of her existence in the forest. He paused slowly as Ita'istar stopped, her head raised, and ears pricked ,as tense as her rider, and he watched Legolas sniffing the air delicately, a small look of hope flitting upon his face.

"I can smell smoke, from dead wood,"the elf looked at Aragorn, who raised an eyebrow, and nodded, "There is a camp of elves nearby, we should head towards them, they could have seen her," Aragorn saw a familiar sparkle in his friend's previously dull eyes, and he smiled to himself, quickly looking for more signs of their she-elf.

"Then we head for the camp," Aragorn agreed, "She may have stumbled upon them by chance. At worst they will look out for her,"

Legolas nodded, and Aragorn saw Gimli's eyes widen as the male elf nudged the sides of his horse lightly, urging her to a leisurely canter. He grinned, but in the dark the Dwarf was blind to it, and in the pale moonlight, he could see Gimli did not look amused at having to follow a running horse.

"I will scout ahead and find it, then I can lead you to it," Legolas said over his shoulder, pulling the hood of his cloak up to cover his hair. Aragorn felt a lot better, the elf's hopes had been renewed, and he had regained his spirit once more. The cloud of sadness that once settled over his mind was rapidly vaporising, and he could once again sense the light presence that normally surrounded the immortal. Their tired companion had almost magically disappeared, being replaced with a livelier creature, and the change had been so drastic that Aragorn himself had not at first believed it. He smiled, and looked to Gimli, who looked a lot more hopeful as well.

"Well, I do suppose we should follow him, master Dwarf," He laughed, and the two of them started to run after the horse. Gimli groaned, obviously not welcoming their late night run, but he hoisted his axe up, and as Aragorn broke into a run after Legolas, the Dwarf quickened his pace, running so quickly that even Legolas was surprised. But that passed after he had run a short distance, and he fell behind once more.

"As.....I......said....." Gimli puffed, "Dwarves.......are.....natural........sprinters, made..........for........short...........distances.............." Aragorn laughed.

"You should have paced yourself, Gimli," he said over his shoulder, and then he and the Dwarf disappeared into the bushes after Legolas.

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Eveaniea froze as she lay curled up against the side of a tree, her sharp ears picking up small amounts of sound as she heard a group of people draw near. But it was quiet. Almost too quiet for her likings, much to silent for humans, too many for just Legolas. She very slowly got up, shifting so she could see who was coming, and her mouth fell open in shock when she saw a company of Elves riding through the forest, their mount's hooves falling as softly as their own feet would have. They were all in perfect unison, not one out of place, and there was one they were elegantly swarming around, their weapons in close proximity to them in case of attack. Curious, she leaned forward to look at them closer, but was frightened half to death when the whole of them turned to where she was sitting, scanning the area intently with their sharp eyes. She crawled backwards, trying to stifle the noise of her movements as much as possible, but it was not enough. A dozen of them dismounted quickly, and came towards where she crouched, and she held her breath, hoping they would not see her. She reached for her knife, and gripped the handle tightly to defend herself, when one of the elves stumbled upon her, and in a deft motion swatted his bow downwards, so that it lay gently on her hand, discouraging her from using it on him.

~"There will be no need for that, M'lady,"~ he said evenly, ~"You are safe now, come with us, we will not harm you,"~ He watched her as she got up, and motioned for her to follow him back to the company. Defeated, not knowing what else to do, she resigned herself to follow him, tucking the dagger back into her shirt. She said nothing, but she could feel her bow on her back, wrapped in cloth, as did her quiver. In her silence, the guard said nothing more to her, but simply led her to the company of elves, who had returned to their formation, each of the horses standing square, and still. Her eyes widened, however, when she was brought before another elf, this one looking more grand than the rest, his blonde hair touched below his waist, and hung over his shoulders, bound at several intervals. His robes were green with gold trim, and she noticed he wore many intricately designed pieces of jewellery, in the forms of necklaces and rings, all of them made of gold. His eyes were clear blue, and he looked quite friendly. She knew who he was, knew he was of great importance, but she could not name him, or remember where it was that she had seen him before. Her mind raced, trying to think, but it only frustrated her more.

~"I present you to Thranduil, Lord of Mirkwood, our leader,"~ The elf said, and he bowed deeply in respect. Eveaniea's eyes widened as he said this, and she dropped to her knees, almost pressing her head to the ground in a bow to him. It was when she heard a quiet, kindly voice from above her

demand that she get up. She cautiously looked up, and the Elven Lord motioned her to stand in front of him. She did so slowly, and very shyly. Of course she had seen him before. In Gondor. She had been briefly introduced to him, before he was bustled away. Before she had been kidnapped, her parents had told her she was to be married to Thrandullion- the son of the elf before her. But she had not wanted to, and had gotten mad, and left the city to spend some time alone. She had wanted to marry someone of her choice, not just because her parents had a lot of money, and had a good status. That was when she had been caught, she had been alone, as she had wished, and the men had found her.

~"I..... It is a pleasure to meet you,"~ she bowed once more, not sure what to say. She was a mess. In front of someone of great importance. She could not stop the blush that spread across her face, and looked down for a moment, before fighting to rid herself of her embarrassment, and looking at him once more.

~"It is also an honour,"~ she continued, feeling slightly stupid at being wordless.

~"The pleasure is all mine,"~ he replied, smiling at her, ~"Now I hope you do not mind my asking, but what is your name, and why are you out in the wild, all alone,"~ His voice was concerned, and she sighed, not wanting to explain everything. All she wanted to do was rest, but at this moment, it was not an option. She carefully thought things over in her head before she recited them to him, leaving out as much detail as she could. She was not ready to tell a complete stranger everything that had happened in the last century, and was sure Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli would get into great amounts of trouble if it was known that they had been the cause of the death of so many men. Even if Aragorn was truly king, he was bound to be looked upon coldly for his acts, even though he was merely defending her and himself. She admired Aragorn, and made an exception to trust him, as a human male, which she knew he was honoured to have gained, even if he had only known for a short time. She closed her eyes, and sighed softly before she continued.

~"My name is Eveaniea, and I am from Rivendell. I am alone because I lost my companions, and I do not know my way around the forest." Thranduil looked at her sharply, and he looked her over more throughly, his face showing he was clearly surprised.

~"Eveaniea?"~ He said, in a quiet voice, ~"You are thought to be dead. You were the elf maiden who was to marry my son, were you not?"~ He looked mildly surprised, but kept it under control, and she felt bad. So he knew she had run away.

~"Yes, I was,"~ She ducked her head, ~"I was captured by men on the border, they have held me prisoner until recently,"~

~"Well I am glad you are not still in their hands,"~ he said, ~"My offer still stands, if you would like to he bound to my son, as he has not yet been wed,"~ The elvish Lord informed her, and she paused, feeling an oncoming wave of dread washing over her. She did not trust herself to speak sense when she opened her mouth, but a few words came to mind, and she tried to sound as respectful as possible to the Elven Lord in front of her.

~"I am sorry, but I am tired,"~ She apologized sincerely, ~"Please, may I sleep, and then give you my answer, for I cannot think straight. This has been a big shock to me,"~ She looked at him awkwardly, and shifted on the spot.

~"Very well,"~ he replied calmly, ~"You do look tired, little one, I will see to it that you are outfitted in more luxurious clothes, and are given a bed to sleep in,"~ he said, and she was lead to a horse, which she was to ride. She was boosted up, and the elf who owned it walked alongside it. She thanked him quietly for his kindness.

But her thoughts were elsewhere, and she could not concentrate. She was going back to Gondor to be married, again, and this time she could not run from it. She did not want to be caught again. She could not refuse the offer of the Elven Lord, her parents would be immensely angerd, and the Elf Lord would be deeply offended. Yet she did not want to spend all eternity with some spoilt prince treating her as some sort of prize in public, and acting stuck up and snobbish to her in person, she could not bear that. And if he had known what had happened to her he would never agree to it. That thought encouraged her slightly, and she hoped that she might run into Legolas in Gondor, but she supposed it would be too late, since he and his friends were stopping in Rivendell. Not noticing the hours had passed by, she hung her head, and took a took a bedroll that was handed to her some time later, and she half heard them tell her to get off the horse. She slid off the animals back, and looked around. They had stopped in a clearing and were setting up camp, setting out beds. She settled down, and did the same, staying on the edge of the clearing, silently rolling her bed out and setting a blanket across the bedroll. An elf came over to her, and he handed her a set of clothes.

~"I am sorry, this is all we have at the moment for you to wear,"~ he apologized, and she took them, discovering it was a tunic and pants, to her relief not a dress.

~"That is alright,"~ she smiled softly, ~"I would rather be wearing these at the moment, as they are more comfortable to travel in,"~

~"Lord Thranduil would like to speak with you when he is finished what he is doing, if you are not too tired,"~ He continued. Eveaniea looked at the elven king to see he was sitting with several other elves, looking at something, deep in conversation, a small frown appearing on his face.

~"Of course I do not mind,"~ she said, ~"I will just get changed into these,"~ he nodded, and bowed slightly before he returned to his company.

Eveaniea looked around for the most suitable place to get changed, and disappeared into the nearby bushes, close enough for the rest of the group to hear her if she was in trouble, but completely hidden from their sight. As she settled, she quickly slid off her dirtied clothes, pulling on the clean ones as fast as she could, smoothing them and making them tidier once she was wearing them. The set of clothes she was wearing now was green, and she noted she had been given arm guards to put on her wrists. They must have seen her bow earlier. She carefully adjusted her collar, and clipped her quiver on, picking up the once silver shirt she had worn, and carefully folding it up. It was covered in dirt, and now looked more a dull gray, but she could wash it. There had been too much work put into it to simply throw it away, and she liked it a lot, as it reminded her of Legolas. She settled for tucking it down the back of her quiver for now, and reminded herself to ask for a pack of her own if the company had a spare. She was readying herself to head back, when she heard footsteps, and whirled around. They were heavy, and whoever it was obviously wasn't going for the quiet approach. Quietly she moved close herself, and she heard the loud curses, familiar ones. She heard it again, and realised the voice was coming from a Dwarf. It was coming from Gimli. Her hope rose as she heard them coming closer, and she edged to the side of the trees. Sighting three approaching figures, one of them wearing a cloak with a hood, and riding a horse. As they came closer, she noticed Aragorn and Gimli walking, behind, and guessed Legolas was the one riding the horse. She recognised the animal, it was one from the men's camp that she had been taken to when she was handed over to the younger men once more from the men who had grown old. She saw the horse prick it's ears up as it sighted her, and it turned in her direction, eagerly picking her way through the woods towards her, prancing slightly.

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Legolas felt Ita'istar raise her head, and saw her ears prick up, and start to move away from where he was guiding her. They were so close to the camp now she could not play up, and he tried to steer her back on the trail once more. Ignoring him completely, the mare kept moving her own way, and when he tried to correct her direction once more, she reared, pawing the air once, before falling back on all fours. Then she flattened her ears back, and continued on. Although the elf was puzzled at her sudden misbehaviour, he was not in the least caught off guard when she reared, and he easily clung on, despite Gimli's gasp of horror. He smiled slightly. He would never get his friend on a horse again, for fear of it bucking or rearing now, and he was so close to getting the Dwarf to ride willingly. When she had touched down, he saw something in the surrounding trees with his sharp eyes, and he looked at it, curiously. Calling his mount to a halt, he slid from her back, landing soundly on his own feet, despite his previous injuries and tiredness. Upon seeing Eveaniea's familiar form looking at him uncertainly, he moved towards the bushes that she was hiding in, and sighed with relief.

"Legolas?" she whispered quietly, unsure of who it was. He realised that he was wearing the hood of his cloak up as to not give him away in the night, should the moon be out, because his hair was light, and it shone under the moonlight. In two steps he had covered the ground between them to stand in front of her.

~"It is only me,"~ he said in a soft voice, and he heard her sigh in relief, before he pulled her closer to him, slipping one of his hands behind her neck and kissing her. She wasn't at all surprised this time, and relaxed against him completely, linking her arms around his neck loosely. He could hear Aragorn and Gimli behind him, Ita'istar was throwing her head up, prancing slightly, making a bit of noise but he no longer cared what either of them thought, he was just happy to see the female elf again. When he drew away from her, he pulled her into a tight hug, and kissed her forehead, feeling her wrap her arms tightly around his back. He tensed however, when he saw more than two dozen Elves, each of them with a raised bow and notched arrow, all aiming at him. Eveaniea saw them too, and froze in fright, clinging to him tighter.

~"Let her go,"~ one of them hissed, and Legolas frowned slightly, releasing one arm around Eveaniea to slide back the hood of his cloak, settling it back on his shoulders. Upon seeing him, the guards lowered their bows, and returned their arrows to their quivers. Replacing his arm around Eveaniea once more, he saw his father approach the front of the rest of the elves, and he bowed his head slightly at the guards.

~"Beleger, Astalder,"~ he acknowledged the two head guards, ~"Heruamin (my lord)"~ he bowed his head completely as he turned to the Elven lord, ~"It is only I, Legolas,"~

Beleger and Astalder drew the rest of the guards back as Thranduil approached Legolas and Eveaniea, and Legolas waited for him to speak.

~"Legolas,"~ he acknowledged him, his eyes shining, ~"I see you have already met Eveaniea. You seem to be well acquainted,"~ he smiled, ~" do you remember, a little over a century ago you were to be married?"~ Legolas furrowed his brow slightly. He did not remember much about it, so he shook his head.

~"I do not remember, atar,"~ he said, his eyes clouding slightly in confusion. He did not see Eveaniea look at him in shock, for both the dark and because she had turned to look at his father, but he felt her cling tighter to him, and he wrapped his arms protectively around her.

~"I did not think so,"~ the Elven King smiled, ~" She disappeared the night after we arrived in Gondor, to see her, and I told you she had not accepted my offer. It was Eveaniea you were to marry, Legolas, do you not recognise her?"~ Legolas frowned, studying what he could see of Eveaniea's face from the moonlight, and his eyes widened.

~"I do,"~ Legolas said slowly, recognition dawning on him. His father had pointed her out to him when they had arrived in the white city, but he had indeed never met her, or been told her name.

~"We were merely returning her to her kin in Rivendell," he said softly, looking down at the she-elf in his arms, ~"She misses them terribly,"~

~"Her family no longer resides in Rivendell,"~ Thranduil informed them, ~"A year after she disappeared, her parents departed to the Undying lands,"~ Legolas stiffened slightly, and he felt Eveaniea shift, sensing her sadness.

~"Then I will travel with her wherever she wants to go, if she wants to follow her mother and father to the Undying lands, then I shall accompany her to the ship."~ he said steadily, his voice void of emotion, ~"It is the least I can do, to offer her protection,"~

~"I have already told her that my offer of marriage still stands,"~ Thranduil replied, ~"If she accepts, then you two shall be married in Gondor, with the consent of the High King,."~ The Elf Lord looked to Aragorn, who nodded slightly in consent.

Legolas reeled, and he felt Eveaniea pull from his hold, so he loosened his grip around her. She looked at him timidly, and he looked to his father in shock. He had always dreaded the day he was to be wed to a she-elf, he had never been thrilled to be in female company. But this was Eveaniea, and he loved her dearly- if not as her mate, he would definitely settle for the type of love he would have for a little sister. He sighed uncomfortably, and looked up at his father.

~"It is not fair of you to ask her to be wed to me right now, she will feel under pressure to oblige because you are of more power than her,"~ he said, his shock still evident in his voice. He knew his elder would not care if he was happy with the agreement, but did not want to force Eveaniea to wed him against her will, even though he liked her immensely, and would not at all mind her being his wife. He just wanted her to be happy, whether he was the reason or not. His father sighed heavily, and turned from him.

~"She has told me she would give me her answer in the morning,"~ Thranduil said looking over his shoulder to his son.

~"Until then I suggest you go to sleep Legolas, we will be setting off early in the morning once more,"~.

Eveaniea looked at him cautiously, and approached him, he felt her hug him tightly, and he realised she was trembling. He soothingly rubbed her back, and gently reciprocated her hug.

~Please, Legolas, I need some time alone to think,"~ she whispered softly, and he kissed her cheek.

~"You should head back to camp and get some rest,"~ he said gently to reassure her, ~"You do not have to give my father an answer until tomorrow morning,"~

She hugged him tighter, and then pulled away, kissing him quickly on the lips before moving away entirely.

~"Thank you,"~ She said softly, and headed back to the camp. He heard Aragorn and Gimli walk up behind him, but he did not turn around to face them.

"He cannot force her to marry me," Legolas said numbly, "It is completely unfair on her part, she was shocked, it was too much for her to take in." He dropped his head, and felt Ita'istar nudge him, so he absently caressed her face.

Aragorn gave his friend a sympathetic look, and approached him, tightening his arm around Legolas' pale neck, drawing him close so Gimli could not hear what he said.

~"Have you thought she may not think it unfair?"~ he whispered, ~"I know she likes you a lot, especially from your little display in the clearing a few moments back,"~ Legolas pulled back, looking at Aragorn as if he had gone crazy.

~"It is her decision, hers alone. If she is not ready to be married, then so be it. I will settle for being an over protective brother to her,"~ He said, knowing his voice sounded automatic and emotionless. Gimli shook his head and smirked.

"Legolas, an over protective brother does not have the intentions of what you want to do with her," he said. Legolas shot him a glare, and turned, heading back to the clearing. He did not see Aragorn curse the Dwarf yet again for teasing his friend, because by that time, he was nowhere to be seen.

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Eveaniea tucked herself into bed, her body feeling heavy, and numb. She drew the covers up so they nearly shielded her face from the outside world, and she closed her eyes tightly, keeping them shut so tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks did not leave her eyes. She felt absolutely terrible, she must have made Legolas feel terrible too, and that thought hurt. Burying her face in her pillow, she tried to muffle her sobs. She was upset at the news that her parents had gone to the undying lands, and she desperately wanted to see them again, but then there was Legolas. For the few days they had been separated, she had felt so lonely, and hurt. She had missed him tucking her into his bed, missed his friendly nature, and his touch. She had never felt so alone in her life, and she never wished to again. The rest of her wanted to cry with relief. The prince whom she had been to marry was Legolas himself, and this contradicted all of her assumptions of being used, and unloved. She had nearly fainted with shock when the Legolas had called the Elven King 'atar'- she had not known he was Legolas' father, that she was to be wed to the elf that she loved so much. She gasped, unsure that she had just admitted it to herself. She loved him so much. There was no way that she could leave the male elf, not now, not even for her parents. She did not want that empty space to come back again. It would hurt too much, and it would be forever.

It was then that she heard soft movements beside her, and a felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up straight into his blue eyes, which were full of concern for her, a stark difference to her own, which were red from crying.

~"Are you alright?"~ She heard him ask, sounding like he was almost scared for her, ~"I know you wanted to be alone, but you were crying, and I was concerned. I hope I did not upset you,"

She pulled herself up, so she was sitting, and he settled down next to her, sliding an arm around her shoulder, letting her rest against his side.

~"I don't want to be alone anymore,"~ She said softly, and she felt him wipe away some of the tears that were falling down her cheeks. She lay her head on his shoulder, and sighed.

~"May I bring my bed over and sleep next to you?"~ she asked, ~"I need to talk to you,"~

She felt him gently loosen his arm from her shoulders, and he let her sit up.

~"I will bring my bed next to yours, that way I will not awaken Aragorn and Gimli," he said, and she watched as he quietly brought his bedroll over to her, setting it next to hers, so they were adjoined. She slid beneath the covers, and he did the same, drawing close to her, and propping himself up on his elbow, looking down directly into her eyes.

~"What do you need to say?"~ he asked softly, ~"Something troubles you, I can sense it," he gently caressed her face, and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, then exhaling.

~"Legolas,"~ She started, quietly, ~"I.........I.....I love you, I felt so sad when we were separated, and I..."~ she stopped, unable and not sure if he cared. She slapped herself mentally. Of course he cared. Why else would he be lying next to her, hearing her out, and being so caring toward her. He looked a little taken aback, but he quickly pulled her into a hug, one hand holding her head to his chest, his other wrapped around her side, and arm.

~"I was worried as well, A'maelamin," he emphasised the last word, and stroked her cheek, ~"I thought we would never find you. It hurt so much," she lay there, still as she could, savouring the feeling of him holding her.

~"I would be happy to wed you,"~ she murmured softly, ~"If that is what you want, I now realise that I should not have run that night, if I could have been with you for all that time."~

~"Of course I would take you as my wife,"~ he let go of her as he said this, ~"What is done is done, do not regret it. It will only come back to upset you." He shifted, so he leaned over her, and he kissed her gently, and this time deeply, making her melt. When he finally moved away she felt as if she was merely a puddle at his side, but he held her close to him, and she felt immensely happy. She started to drift into a deep sleep, feeling exhausted.

"Amin mela ille, Eveaniea," she heard his voice growl deep in his throat from where she lay, and she smiled softly.

~"I love you too, Legolas,"~ she replied, twining some of his golden hair around her fingers for comfort, and she drifted off, barely feeling the rise and fall of her mate's chest as he too fell asleep.

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Translations:

Atar: Father

Amin mela ille: I love you

A'maelamin: my beloved

Now I wasn't going to make Legolas the elf, as you can probably tell, some of that was kinda way out of proportion- but I got a couple of people who thought her was, and let me just say I had an idea one day while I was walking somewhere, and thought it would make things a little more interesting, as this was going to be a fairly boring chapter. Anyway, I hope no one gets annoyed or queer at this chapter, so.....ho-hum. :S

R/R

~RTT