NOTE: Reference has been made to the appendices of RotK.

Chapter Eighteen: An Evening in Eryn Lasgalen

Síriel was excited. Legolas had agreed to spend the evening with her! Despite her weariness, she could not help but feel her heart flutter. A smile replaced the haggard look on her face, and her steps lightened. Gil-celeb smiled to himself. She was deeply in love with ernil Legolas. Here was yet another sign that she was an almost grown elven lady.

Once they reached their cottage, Síriel prepared a heavy meal for herself and her sire. After finishing eating, both sire and daughter were feeling exceptionally tired, especially considering the fact that the meal had been anything but light. They both went to their rooms and rested.

Several hours later, Gil-celeb awoke to the sound of Síriel's voice as she sang softly to herself in the language of the Beornings. He noticed that it was almost evening; the sun was beginning its slow descent under the horizon. The rest was refreshing. He felt himself energized, and being unable to slip back into rest, he rose from his bed. Gil-celeb found his daughter in the sitting room, brushing her long copper-red hair.

"You bathed." he stated.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Well, you look shinier, and I can tell by the smell of the tonic you always use." Gil-celeb told her with a small smile.

"I hope I did not wake you from your rest." she said, blushing a bit. "I wanted to exit quietly without bothering you."

"You did not. Avo 'osto, sell nín."

Síriel finished brushing her hair and rose to her feet.

"Well, I must be off. There is food if you are hungry later on." she said. "I do not know for how long I shall be gone."

Gil-celeb smiled, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I will be fine. Enjoy yourself, but be on your guard." he told her.

Síriel nodded her head. He watched as she went to the door then slipped softly outside. He knew she was quite nervous.

Legolas made his way swiftly from the palace towards Síriel's cottage. Evening was almost upon the world. The sky was painted in lovely shades of purple, orange, and red. He went first to the cottage, thinking that Síriel was there, but when her sire informed him that she was outside, he began to search for her. She probably was not very far.

He stumbled upon her near the riverbank. Her back was towards him as she sat on a swing. It was constructed of two pieces of thick rope tied around a sturdy branch and secured to a flat piece of bark. Her hair glinted in the fading light of the sun. She seemed unaware of the fact that he was behind her, being too absorbed in observing the sinking sun.

"Maer fuin, oh beautiful one." he whispered softly to her, slipping his arms about her waist. "Are you rested?"

She gave a start, then instantly relaxed.

"I am." she replied. "I did not hear you coming."

She eased herself off the swing. Legolas noticed that she was again dressed in a tunic and matching pair of leggings. He wondered why.

"Do you wear nothing but the attire of men?" he asked curiously.

Síriel chuckled.

"You have seen me in a dress at the feast, do you recall? So that answers your question. However, because of the nature of work I do, it is not fitting for me to wear dresses." she replied.

Again, his eyes beheld her well-defined feminine curves. His hands slipped up to cup the sides of her face and pull her in for a kiss. Then he took one hand and allowed it to slide gracefully up and down her back. She trembled involuntarily, and it delighted Legolas. His mind became clouded with visions of himself making love to her. He desired to do it, but he knew that if he wanted to do so, it must be with her consent.

"Let us walk by the river's side." he told her softly.

The stars were beginning to light the dark, velvety sky as they strolled leisurely along the riverside, arms linked together. Síriel told Legolas of her trip to Lake-town, describing in great detail all that had happened. Legolas had never been there, but he had heard many tales about it. He was surprised to learn that she had met Gimli.

"What was he doing there?" he asked.

"Apparently there was a group of Dwarves there on a visit. I also met his sire, whom I had known when he was in prison." she replied. "I almost forgot. Here, it is from Gimli."

She handed him the letter the Dwarf had given her.

After that, they resorted to sit by the river's feet. Síriel wanted to know his experience on the Quest, and Legolas was more than delighted to share it with her. He told her of the Council, of their journey over Caradhras, then through the mines of Moria, afterwards to Lothlórien they went, and then how the Fellowship was broken with the death of Boromir and the Hobbits being separated into two different parties. He told her how he, along with Gimli and Aragorn, had named themselves the Three Hunters as they pursued the party of Uruk-hai that had taken Merry and Pippin captive. They found themselves in Rohan, where they had fought in the Battle of Helm's Deep. He recounted everything to her in such detail that she felt she had been one of the Nine Walkers herself.

"I am so grateful that not every place and everyone has been touched by the War. At least Mirkwood was left unscathed." he said.

"That is not so, ernil, for Mirkwood was affected. There was a great battle under the trees. Great black smoke swept throughout the kingdom, and many a fair tree was burned. The army of Dol Guldur assailed us, but your sire defeated them. I lost someone. His name was Aglargelair. I had promised him should he return from battle that I would wed him. But he never returned." she said. "Do you not know that even Lothlórien was assailed thrice? But it did not suffer as much damage; the enemy managed only to reach the borders before they were driven back. And then on our day of New Year, your sire met with Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, and she threw down the walls of Dol Guldur and laid its pits bare. They cleansed the Wood and then divided the land amongst themselves, the Woodmen, and my kin, the Beornings. Lothlórien was renamed East Lórien, and Mirkwood was renamed as well."

Legolas stared at her, stunned. He did not know this.

"What is Mirkwood's new name?" he asked.

"Eryn Lasgalen." Síriel said softly. "Is it not a beautiful name? I was told that before, Mirkwood was known as Greenwood the Great, and then when the Shadow fell on it Men renamed it Mirkwood. But now that the Shadow has been defeated forever, it has been given a new name, The Wood of Greenleaves, in the Common Tongue."

They were lying on the ground. A patch of soft moss cushioned Legolas, with Síriel nestled comfortably in his arms. He turned her so that she was facing him. There was a peaceful look in her eyes.

"Since I have returned home, everything looks fairer than I can remember. Now I know why. It is because of you, Síriel. You make everything around me seem much fairer." Legolas told her, nuzzling her neck gently. "Sad I am that our home was assailed, but glad I am for one thing: that it did not take you. I cannot live without you, Síriel."

She blushed.

"I am a common maiden, a half Elf." she told him quietly, her eyes closed in complete ecstasy of the moment.

"That is why I love you. You are different from all of the other maidens here. They do not care for anything save their own desires. You are not like that. You have a kind heart, and a certain charm." he said.

"You are not at all shallow like them. You are one of your own kind."

He moved his face upwards and sought out her soft lips with his own. His kiss was aggressive, yet gentle at the same time. It forced her to yield to him, and he found he was able to deepen his kiss until she was moaning softly in response. Her hands were entangled in his blond silken hair. He broke their kiss abruptly to nip her pointed ears gently.

"Le annon veleth nín." he whispered into them.

Sindarin Translation:

Le annon veleth nín: I give my love to you