Thranduil walked through the halls searching for Legolas. He felt like he
was going in circles, even though he wasn't. He was thinking where Legolas
might be when he stopped. Voices were coming from around the corner.
Finally, maybe these people can tell me where to find Legolas.
Thranduil moved closer and the voices became clearer. He stopped in shock. One of the voices was Legolas'!
"...I love you, too. You are worth more than anything to me." Thranduil was shocked. He looked around the corner and saw Legolas kissing Elrond's daughter, Arín, the one who had met him at the gate. He did not move and nor did he hear Elrond walk up behind him.
"Thranduil, what are you..." Elrond stopped when he saw what Thranduil was watching. Legolas and Arín were there, down the other hall away, kissing! Elrond leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. He looked at Thranduil. He was equally as shocked and the two of them looked around the corner again.
"You cannot give me this," came Arín's voice. They saw in her hand an emerald leaf veined with gold on a thin leather strap.
"Yes, I can. And I will," replied Legolas. Elrond and Thranduil gasped as Arín and Legolas kissed again. Then Arín and Legolas bid their good nights to each other, kissed, and Legolas left, in the opposite direction Elrond and Thranduil were hiding. Then the two of them looked at each other.
"I think we need to talk," Elrond whispered. Thranduil nodded and they walked away quickly, so as not to be discovered by Legolas or Arín.
~*~
Arín opened the door and threw herself on the bed. She lay there staring at the ceiling, holding Legolas' leaf necklace to her heart. There was a knock on the door and she sat up.
"Come in," she called. The door opened slowly and Rian stepped in.
"Hello, Arín." Now that the lighting was better, Rian could see what a mess her best friend was. Her clothes were blood stained and torn. She had a cut on her left arm just below her shoulder and another on her right cheek. Her hair was tangled, wet and stuck to her face.
"You are a mess, let's get you cleaned up." Arín was in too good of a mood to argue. She took a seat on the floor and Rian sat over her and gently un- braided her braids and brushed her hair. Then she filled the tub with hot water and Arín got washed up. Rian sat out side the bathroom door, reading, when she suddenly asked Arín a strange question.
"Arín, I know this sounds strange, but what is battle like?" Arín was silent for quite a long time and Rian spoke again.
"If you don't want t..."
"No, I do want to tell you," Arín said, as she walked out of the bathroom, combing her hair, "but I don't know how to say what I am thinking." She took a deep breath and continued.
"At first it feels terrifying to look upon your enemies. Sometimes they outnumber you and sometimes you outnumber them. Your first shot, if your favored weapon is the bow, or first sweep with a sword, if that is your favored weapon, is a rush. After that most of the rest is a blur and you hardly remember, but parts are embedded in your mind and thoughts for the rest of your life. You can never forget the sounds of death of those who risked their lives to protect you, whether or not you know them. But perhaps the worst is to see your loved ones fall or die while you cradle them in your arms. Battle is horrible. Never go unless you truly have to. You got that, Rian, never."
"I have it Arín, I have it," she sobbed.
"Don't cry my friend, you will never have to go. I promise that." She embraced Rian.
"Now, let's finish getting me cleaned up." Rian looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. All of a sudden the door opened. Arín whipped around. Arwen was there and so was Laylin.
"What happened to knocking, Arwen?" she asked sharply.
"I am sorry, I forgot."
"Hello, Laylin," Arín called over Arwen's shoulder.
"Hello, Arín."
"Close the door," Arín told her sister. " What would you like?" she asked the three of them, who were now sitting next to each other on the bed.
"We need to talk to you," Laylin said.
There was a knock at the door.
"About what?" Arín asked, getting up to open it.
"Legolas," Rian answered.
~*~
Legolas walked down the halls to his room. He felt happier than he had ever been in his life. He had arrived at his room and had opened the door to step in when someone called his name. He turned to see Elwen running towards him, looking relieved.
"Thank goodness I have found someone I know. This place is too big for me. Have you seen Father?"
"No," he replied absentmindedly.
"Legolas, what is wrong with you?"
"Nothing," he replied shaking his head slowly.
"All right," she sighed, "Father must be with Lord Elrond." Legolas nodded. "Do you know where to find him?"
"No."
"Well then, who does?" she asked, starting to get annoyed.
"I don't know, go find him yourself."
"Listen, Legolas, you know people here, I don't. A little help would be very nice."
"Fine, go to the end of the hall, take a left. Then go down the hall until you come to your first right. Go down that hall, take your second right, go up the stairs. At the top, take a left. When you come to the end of the hall, take a right and knock on the seventh door to the left." Elwen had a very confused look upon her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Legolas cut her off.
"Don't ask, just do," he told her. She shrugged, sighed and walked away.
~*~
Elrond and Thranduil sat on a bench in the garden. They did not speak nor acknowledge that the other was there. They were lost in their own thoughts.
Elrond sat there with his head in his hands, hardly daring to believe what he had just seen. Why did I not see this before? All those time they practiced alone together, the way she looked at him during his coma, how she looked the day after the first attack. It was so obvious. What am I to do?
Thranduil sat staring at the stars. My son, in love. I never imagined this. All the times I tried to get him with a nice girl in Mirkwood, he turned them all down. And now he chooses the daughter of Elrond. Well I guess that he was right to wait for the right one. Let us just hope she is the right one. I do not want to see my son's heart broken.
Elrond suddenly spoke. "Thranduil, I think we should keep what we saw a secret. Don't tell anybody."
"I agree."
~*~
Elwen followed Legolas' instructions carefully. Down this hall, then left. Now down this hall and take first right. This hall second right and up a set of stairs. Which way now? She stood there for at least ten minutes. Now I remember. Right. She walked down the hall and came to a T in the hall.
Now which way? Let's try right. She walked down the hall. On the left side there were only six doors, on the right there were five.
Maybe if I went the other way... She tried that, same thing. There were six doors on the left, five on the right. She stopped and sat, trying to remember her brother's instructions. After fifteen minutes, she realized what she had done wrong.
I was supposed to take a left at the top of the stairs, not a right. Let me go back to the top of the stairs and start over. She went to the stairs and took a left. Then she went to the end of the hall and took a right, the only way she could go. Then she looked over to the left side and counted the doors.
...Two, three, four, five, six, seven. This is it. She took a deep breath and knocked.
~*~
Arín turned and stared in disbelief at her friends and sister. After a long pause she spoke.
"What for?" she asked them slowly, forgetting about the person on the other side of the door.
"We all saw you run to Legolas when he and I came out, and the look in your eyes every time you look at him, Arín, it's obvious," Arwen told her sister.
Arín sighed and looked up at her sister. "You are right, you're all right. I, I just didn't want any one to find out, yet."
"Well, we did," Arwen whispered and pulled her sister close. "And we won't tell anyone, not even Elladan and Elrohir. Right?" She looked at Rian and Laylin.
"Right," they answered together. Arín looked up at them.
"Thank you all so much," she whispered, "I love all of you very much." With that, the four of them embraced.
Finally, maybe these people can tell me where to find Legolas.
Thranduil moved closer and the voices became clearer. He stopped in shock. One of the voices was Legolas'!
"...I love you, too. You are worth more than anything to me." Thranduil was shocked. He looked around the corner and saw Legolas kissing Elrond's daughter, Arín, the one who had met him at the gate. He did not move and nor did he hear Elrond walk up behind him.
"Thranduil, what are you..." Elrond stopped when he saw what Thranduil was watching. Legolas and Arín were there, down the other hall away, kissing! Elrond leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. He looked at Thranduil. He was equally as shocked and the two of them looked around the corner again.
"You cannot give me this," came Arín's voice. They saw in her hand an emerald leaf veined with gold on a thin leather strap.
"Yes, I can. And I will," replied Legolas. Elrond and Thranduil gasped as Arín and Legolas kissed again. Then Arín and Legolas bid their good nights to each other, kissed, and Legolas left, in the opposite direction Elrond and Thranduil were hiding. Then the two of them looked at each other.
"I think we need to talk," Elrond whispered. Thranduil nodded and they walked away quickly, so as not to be discovered by Legolas or Arín.
~*~
Arín opened the door and threw herself on the bed. She lay there staring at the ceiling, holding Legolas' leaf necklace to her heart. There was a knock on the door and she sat up.
"Come in," she called. The door opened slowly and Rian stepped in.
"Hello, Arín." Now that the lighting was better, Rian could see what a mess her best friend was. Her clothes were blood stained and torn. She had a cut on her left arm just below her shoulder and another on her right cheek. Her hair was tangled, wet and stuck to her face.
"You are a mess, let's get you cleaned up." Arín was in too good of a mood to argue. She took a seat on the floor and Rian sat over her and gently un- braided her braids and brushed her hair. Then she filled the tub with hot water and Arín got washed up. Rian sat out side the bathroom door, reading, when she suddenly asked Arín a strange question.
"Arín, I know this sounds strange, but what is battle like?" Arín was silent for quite a long time and Rian spoke again.
"If you don't want t..."
"No, I do want to tell you," Arín said, as she walked out of the bathroom, combing her hair, "but I don't know how to say what I am thinking." She took a deep breath and continued.
"At first it feels terrifying to look upon your enemies. Sometimes they outnumber you and sometimes you outnumber them. Your first shot, if your favored weapon is the bow, or first sweep with a sword, if that is your favored weapon, is a rush. After that most of the rest is a blur and you hardly remember, but parts are embedded in your mind and thoughts for the rest of your life. You can never forget the sounds of death of those who risked their lives to protect you, whether or not you know them. But perhaps the worst is to see your loved ones fall or die while you cradle them in your arms. Battle is horrible. Never go unless you truly have to. You got that, Rian, never."
"I have it Arín, I have it," she sobbed.
"Don't cry my friend, you will never have to go. I promise that." She embraced Rian.
"Now, let's finish getting me cleaned up." Rian looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. All of a sudden the door opened. Arín whipped around. Arwen was there and so was Laylin.
"What happened to knocking, Arwen?" she asked sharply.
"I am sorry, I forgot."
"Hello, Laylin," Arín called over Arwen's shoulder.
"Hello, Arín."
"Close the door," Arín told her sister. " What would you like?" she asked the three of them, who were now sitting next to each other on the bed.
"We need to talk to you," Laylin said.
There was a knock at the door.
"About what?" Arín asked, getting up to open it.
"Legolas," Rian answered.
~*~
Legolas walked down the halls to his room. He felt happier than he had ever been in his life. He had arrived at his room and had opened the door to step in when someone called his name. He turned to see Elwen running towards him, looking relieved.
"Thank goodness I have found someone I know. This place is too big for me. Have you seen Father?"
"No," he replied absentmindedly.
"Legolas, what is wrong with you?"
"Nothing," he replied shaking his head slowly.
"All right," she sighed, "Father must be with Lord Elrond." Legolas nodded. "Do you know where to find him?"
"No."
"Well then, who does?" she asked, starting to get annoyed.
"I don't know, go find him yourself."
"Listen, Legolas, you know people here, I don't. A little help would be very nice."
"Fine, go to the end of the hall, take a left. Then go down the hall until you come to your first right. Go down that hall, take your second right, go up the stairs. At the top, take a left. When you come to the end of the hall, take a right and knock on the seventh door to the left." Elwen had a very confused look upon her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Legolas cut her off.
"Don't ask, just do," he told her. She shrugged, sighed and walked away.
~*~
Elrond and Thranduil sat on a bench in the garden. They did not speak nor acknowledge that the other was there. They were lost in their own thoughts.
Elrond sat there with his head in his hands, hardly daring to believe what he had just seen. Why did I not see this before? All those time they practiced alone together, the way she looked at him during his coma, how she looked the day after the first attack. It was so obvious. What am I to do?
Thranduil sat staring at the stars. My son, in love. I never imagined this. All the times I tried to get him with a nice girl in Mirkwood, he turned them all down. And now he chooses the daughter of Elrond. Well I guess that he was right to wait for the right one. Let us just hope she is the right one. I do not want to see my son's heart broken.
Elrond suddenly spoke. "Thranduil, I think we should keep what we saw a secret. Don't tell anybody."
"I agree."
~*~
Elwen followed Legolas' instructions carefully. Down this hall, then left. Now down this hall and take first right. This hall second right and up a set of stairs. Which way now? She stood there for at least ten minutes. Now I remember. Right. She walked down the hall and came to a T in the hall.
Now which way? Let's try right. She walked down the hall. On the left side there were only six doors, on the right there were five.
Maybe if I went the other way... She tried that, same thing. There were six doors on the left, five on the right. She stopped and sat, trying to remember her brother's instructions. After fifteen minutes, she realized what she had done wrong.
I was supposed to take a left at the top of the stairs, not a right. Let me go back to the top of the stairs and start over. She went to the stairs and took a left. Then she went to the end of the hall and took a right, the only way she could go. Then she looked over to the left side and counted the doors.
...Two, three, four, five, six, seven. This is it. She took a deep breath and knocked.
~*~
Arín turned and stared in disbelief at her friends and sister. After a long pause she spoke.
"What for?" she asked them slowly, forgetting about the person on the other side of the door.
"We all saw you run to Legolas when he and I came out, and the look in your eyes every time you look at him, Arín, it's obvious," Arwen told her sister.
Arín sighed and looked up at her sister. "You are right, you're all right. I, I just didn't want any one to find out, yet."
"Well, we did," Arwen whispered and pulled her sister close. "And we won't tell anyone, not even Elladan and Elrohir. Right?" She looked at Rian and Laylin.
"Right," they answered together. Arín looked up at them.
"Thank you all so much," she whispered, "I love all of you very much." With that, the four of them embraced.