Author's note: As usual, thank you all for your reviews. A particular thanks to Grumpy for his comment – you are quite right!

I have also posted a second story, Inauspicious Beginnings (story id: 1832755) that can be read as a sequel to this story or as a stand-alone story. So if you have not yet found it, please check it out and tell me what you think of it. I am currently wondering whether I should embark on a series of linked stories or just turn this one here into a very long one. Comments welcome!

And now to the story…

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Chapter 16 – To Make A Choice

It was snowing hard in Imladris. Midwinter was only a few days away, and everyone was getting ready for the celebrations. Midwinter celebrations were an important event. In all elven realms, midwinter was perceived as the turning point of the year, when the focus shifted from one year to the next. Therefore, the focus was on looking into the future, and creating new opportunities in the coming year.

Elladan and Legolas were sitting in the branches of a tree in Elrond's garden. Both wore warm cloaks with the hoods up. It was an ancient oak tree whose gnarled branches provided some shelter even without their leaves, and both young elves were off duty on that day. Estel and Elrohir were away on a patrol, recently Glorfindel had made the point to Elrond that it would be useful for Estel to go on patrols regularly rather then on odd occasions – after all, a ranger's life was nothing but an extended patrol duty. So the young human had been assigned to a guard unit, together with Elrohir, and they were not expected back from their current duty in less than another two days.

Legolas and Elladan had chosen a thick branch to sit on. Elladan was leaning against the trunk of the tree with his knees pulled up against his chest, whereas Legolas sat facing him, one leg pulled up on the branch, the other dangling freely. To a human his position might have appeared precarious, as an elf he was completely comfortable to perch on the branch in this position.

Legolas had never been in Rivendell over the winter, and had therefore never experienced the Midwinter celebrations. At home, the celebrations were formal, with speeches, promises and agreements between different parties for the future, combined with the best food that the cooks could produce at this time of the year. Much wine would flow to help the negotiations along. It was also the time of the year when betrothals were declared and weddings for the next summer would be announced. The formal activities would last well into the night, and would be followed by dancing and music. This would lead into an early morning meal followed by competitions.

Legolas had always wondered where this tradition had come from, it did not appear to make sense to test your skills after a night without sleep and too much to eat and drink. It very often meant that warriors were not in best shape, and on many occasions comparatively less skilled or less experienced contestants had won, most likely due to the fact that the older or more experienced warriors were in less than ideal shape that day.

Since reaching his majority, the prince had been expected to take his place at his father's side and to take part in the formal activities, and to participate in the dancing afterwards. Legolas deeply disliked these occasions, for him they always meant to dance with a seemingly never-ending stream of elf-maidens all interested in catching his attention.

Very few people in Mirkwood knew about his relationship with Estel, he had not told many and his father had kept it quiet as well, always hoping that Legolas would change his mind. Altogether, Midwinter celebrations were not something that Legolas normally enjoyed.

"Elladan, how do you celebrate Midwinter here? I have never been here for the winter."

"It is all quite formal." Legolas heart sank at this comment. Elladan continued. "As far as the weather allows, men from the surrounding human towns will come, some rangers might come from the west and any other travellers would be welcomed. Because of our location here west of the Misty Mountains, it is very rare for elves from either Mirkwood or Lothlorien to visit us here for Midwinter. Your being here is quite a novelty." The twin grinned.

Legolas' heart sank even further. He disliked being the centre of attention, but as a prince, he had to endure being in this position far more often than he liked.

"Any agreements and trade negotiations would be agreed before the celebrations in the evening. Then there is a very large meal with a lot of wine, and all new agreements for the next year and betrothals and weddings are announced. Everyone wears their best clothes and is supposed to be on best behaviour. My father uses this meal as an opportunity to seat together people who have common interest or who for some other reason would benefit from talking to each other. So you never really know next to whom you will sit for the meal. Most of the times this works really well, but on some occasions this arrangement has had some interesting results!"

"I quite like this meal, the cooks are always trying to excel and it is rarely boring. Because all the formal stuff is done before the celebrations begin, people start to relax and quite often relax a bit too much. A drunken dwarf or hobbit can make for interesting entertainment!"

This sounded quite different to his previous experiences of Midwinter celebrations. But then Elrond was not a king and did not have a court, perhaps it was for this reasons that the celebration were more relaxed. But Legolas suspected that for the most part the different personality of his father and Elrond were responsible for the variations.

"After that, there will be more wine, dancing and music, until the morning. It tends to get quite merry. Sometimes we all have an early meal together, or go for a hunt, or sometimes there would be competitions. But these are not planned in advance, it depends on what most people feel like doing, so it varies from year to year."

But the best thing about the Midwinter celebrations is that after the formal part, for two days everyone can do what they like, there is always food available and people come and go for meals as they please. The visitors may follow up any talks they had over the formal meal, everyone else is freed of their duties and commitments. These two days are time to spend with family and friends, free of responsibilities. Even my father will not deal with any business on these days, he will postpone everything that might come up to afterwards."

"Our traditions are quite different." Legolas went on to describe how Midwinter was celebrated in Mirkwood. He ended by saying: "At least, here I do not have the responsibilities of a prince. That might make a difference."

Elladan laughed at the exasperation in Legolas' voice. "I would not bet on it. I cannot see my father letting the opportunity pass to present you formally, as I said it is very rare for other elves to be here. And you being a prince…"

Legolas sighed. There was just no getting away from it.

"What will you wear? You have asked for that robe, but what will you wear underneath?" Legolas looked at Elladan. He had not given this any thought at all. At home, his formal attire was presented to him and he put it on when required, he never had to choose an outfit before. "I have not yet thought about it."

"You should. There is not much time left if you need something new to be made."

"I will probably some kind of tunic or formal shirt and some leggings. When I go to collect my robe, I can ask for something. I do not really mind, it will be underneath anyway and no one will see it."

This response was so typical for Legolas that Elladan laughed out loud." Come, let us go and find you some formal clothing." Both jumped gracefully down from their perch and made their way back to the seamstresses. Legolas also asked Elladan to help him with another errand.

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Midwinter. Imladris was brimming with guests. Several delegations from human settlements had arrived and a few rangers had come as well, although this time, Tharamir and Halbarad were not amongst them. The last few days had been very busy for Elrond, negotiating new deals, settling disputes and discussing agreements. Legolas had attended some of these sessions but not all. Elrohir and Estel had returned from their latest patrol safely.

The beginning of the feast was not long away, and Estel was still trying to get himself ready. He had chosen to wear a silvery grey tunic with dark leggings and a deep maroon ceremonial robe, long and flowing with wide arms. His long dark hair, although naturally curly, was heavy enough to hang in waves to almost waist length. It was only held back by two small side braids that were combined into one plait in the back. Estel was just tying off the end, when there was a knock at the door. This was Elrohir, already dressed in very similar clothes to his brother, only that his robe was dark blue. He, too, had chosen a grey tunic and dark leggings.

"Are you ready, little brother?" 

"Almost."

"You look stunning."

"Me? Hardly." Estel's grin was slightly lopsided. He was, as always, acutely aware of his position as a human amongst elves.

"So, how many maiden do you plan to seduce tonight, Elrohir?"

The younger twin laughed. "I don't know now. I will try my best to live up to my reputation!"

Both laughed and made their way together to the Great Hall for the feast. When they arrived, they were shown to their places. It turned out that they sat together with Elladan, and two unknown humans.

Estel looked at the table. "Is Legolas not sitting with us?" he asked Elladan who was sitting opposite him.

"Estel, use your brain… He will have to sit at the head table, at least for the meal. Afterwards he can come and sit with us, but not for the meal."

Estel groaned inwardly. It looked as if Legolas being a prince would very much dampen the enjoyment of the evening.

Glorfindel had the task of formally announcing the arrival of the people sitting at the head table, and to introduce all of them to the guests. So the first to be announced was Elrond, as the host and Lord of Imladris. The second person to be introduced was Gandalf, his presence formidable in itself. Then, Legolas.

"Prince Legolas Thandruilion from the Woodland Realm."

Estel stared. He had seen Legolas very rarely in his official role or indeed in formal clothes. He knew how much the elf disliked such occasions.  But for tonight, Legolas had dressed in a midnight blue robe with deep green embroidery, with a lighter blue tunic and dark leggings underneath. Unusually, his hair was unbraided and framed his face, only one strand on each side was pulled to the back, held together by a small gold catch that Estel had not seen before. He also wore a silver circlet that Estel had never seen before – he wondered where this had come from since Legolas had not brought it with him. He looked every inch the prince he was. Estel heard the man next to him gasp at Legolas' entrance.

Legolas eyes searched for, and quickly found, Estel and he allowed himself a small, almost imperceptible smile. Estel was there, looking his very best. The young man returned the smile with a small nod of his head. Only Elrond and Gandalf noticed the exchange.

After everyone had been introduced, the meal began, interspersed with speeches and announcements. The two men at their table turned out to be from a small town further west, they had wanted to negotiating some hunting rights with Elrond. To everyone's delight at their table, the older one of the two was an excellent storyteller and entertained the twins, Estel and his companion with a seemingly endless stream of smaller and larger adventures, probably much embellished.

Legolas' meal was much less enjoyable. He was sitting between Elrond and Gandalf, and there was also Glorfindel, and three humans from different delegations. Although both Elrond and Gandalf made an effort to keep the conversation flowing much of it was stilted and formal. Legolas was looking forward to the end of the meal. The last course arrived, much to his delight it was winterberry tart that was a rare treat in Mirkwood.

Elrond saw the expression of delight on Legolas' face. "You can have mine as well, Legolas. I have had more than sufficient already." The man sitting opposite Legolas, a tall broad man from a small town further west, frowned at that remark. In his opinion, princes had to be treated with utmost respect and formality, and every word he had directed at Legolas, had reflected this attitude.

"I am not certain I can manage two of these." Legolas smiled at Elrond, relieved at the informality with which he had been addressed. He had half expected and feared that he would be addressed as 'Prince Legolas' all evening. Elrond was once again struck by the beauty of the young elf sitting next to him. Seeing him on a daily basis, and in all sorts of conditions, had made Elrond less aware of it. Legolas saw Elrond looking at him and smiled again.

Gandalf saw the expression and was yet gain amazed how much Legolas had changed. His cold, marble-like beauty had given way to show glimpses of a sparkling personality and a vicious sense of humour.

The meal was coming to an end, and Elrond gave permission to move to the Hall of Fire for music and dancing. This also announced the end of the formal part of the evening. Giving his thanks, Legolas made his way over to Estel and the twins, who were still sitting at their table. Here, everyone was still engaged in lively conversation.

"Legolas, come and join us! I have kept my winterberry tart for you because I know how much you like them." Legolas grabbed an unoccupied chair and sat next to Estel.

"Oh Estel, I have already had two, your father gave me his when he saw how much I enjoyed them."

"Have a third one then. You could do with putting on a bit of weight." At that comment, the twins and Estel laughed. Legolas blushed deeply, and their human table companions looked confused. They were quite surprised how informal everyone treated the prince, after all, he was a prince!

Legolas looked at the yet uneaten tart in front of him and sighed. "I'll make myself ill, but I cannot resist."

"Go on, then." Elrohir laughed. Legolas ate his third desert with as much enjoyment as the first.

Once he had finished, they all decided to go over to the Hall of Fire. At first, there was music, and then much dancing and laughter. Much to some of the men's consternation, everyone was dancing with everyone, Estel and Legolas spending much time dancing together. As dawn neared, both Estel and Legolas were hot, thirsty and out of breath.

After a while, Legolas pulled Estel pulled outside into the garden. They sat down side by side on a bench, enjoying the cold night air and the starlight on the freshly fallen snow.

Legolas turned so that he could see Estel's face. "Estel, I have something for you…" he rummaged around in the folds of his robe.

Estel sat upright from his slouching position. Legolas held a ring in his hand. It was a silver setting crafted beautifully as leaves, and a dark stone in the middle. Estel stared at the ring. The ring was a replica of the ring he had given to Legolas, only in different colours.

"Legolas…" Their eyes locked.

"Estel, this is a promise. I know that we may never be able to bond formally, but between us I want to promise you that I will be true to you until the end of my days. I want you to have this so that you always remember how much I love you." Legolas' dark eyes looked steadily into Estel's grey ones; there was no hesitation or uncertainty about making this promise. Then he slipped the ring on Estel's right index finger.

"Will you accept it?"

Estel was too stunned to react immediately. This was totally unexpected, and yet, in a way it was not. He gently put his hand into Legolas tunic and retrieved the thin golden chain that held his own gift to Legolas. Legolas had taken to wear his ring near his heart rather then on his hand because he found anything on his hands interfered with his archery. Estel undid the clasp in the neck and took the ring of the chain.

"I cannot accept your promise as you made it, Legolas. "Estel smiled at the shock and hurt in Legolas eyes. "But I would like to accept an amended version. You can promise to me to be true to me until the end of my days. I do not wish you to be alone when I am gone, you will still be young and may well find new love when I am gone. I do not wish to deprive you of the chance of future happiness. My mortal life is too short for that."

"But also…" Estel took the ring he had given to Legolas, "I will promise you the same." He slipped the ring on Legolas' finger. "It was a gift of love and affection, it is now a promise."

Legolas looked at his hands and took both of Estel's. Their eyes locked. "I promise to be true to you until the end of your life."

"I will also be true to you until the end of my days." They were still looking at each other, holding hands. The moment held, until Estel leaned forward and embraced Legolas. They held each other tight, aware of the bittersweetness of the moment. They both yearned for a formal bonding, and both knew that given their circumstances, such an event was not likely.

After a while, they returned to the dancing, not wishing to be missed by the others. No one but Gandalf noticed the rings on their hands. Even though he could not guess the details, he had a pretty good idea what had just happened. He sighed. Things were getting complicated. These two were not supposed to be so close, Galadriel had foreseen other roads for both of them. And yet, sometimes foresight failed, or showed only what might come to pass.

TBC. Please review