We walked back to camp slowly, hand in hand. I heard everyone groan as they saw us.
"Back together again I see. Is it physically impossible to separate the two of you?" Aragorn looked at our joined hands.
"Absolutely impossible." We looked at each other, grinning.
"What are soulmates for?" Legolas said fondly, bringing up my cupped palm to kiss it.
"Soulmates? What's that mean?" Pippin asked, looking confused.
I blushed, and became suddenly interested in my boots, which, now I was looking at them, seemed very dirty. As did my leggings and my tunic. I really ought to get them cleaned...
"Are your boots as interesting as mine?" Legolas mumbled, and I gathered that he was looking at the ground.
"Yes, I've just noticed how much I need to wash."
"Hm, I was just thinking the same thing"
"About me or about yourself?"
"About myself, melamin."
"Would now be a good time to walk away slowly in the hopes that they don't notice as Aragorn so kindly explains?" I breathed in his ear
"I believe so." He replied. We slowly backed up and as soon as we ere far enough away, we picked up the pace. Soon, we were walking quickly through the little woody area. I flopped down onto the ground.
"Why was that so embarrassing to talk about for us?" I asked, sighing.
"It is an intimate thing to talk about; it is perfectly acceptable that we did not wish to talk about it yet. Do not worry; we shall be able to discuss it when we have fully accepted it ourselves."
"I know. It's so hard to believe that we are connected in such an amazing way." I said, looking out into the afternoon sky.
"I am a different person when you're around. I feel truly alive, and I have to smile. You are always with me, in here." He placed his hand over his heart. "I love you, forever." He sat next to me, kissing me on my head, holding me close.
"I love you, and I know you're always with me, I can feel it. Your presence in my mind, your heart in mine." I grinned at him. "That sounded incredibly stupid." I laughed.
"But the truest of things to say." He said, and I kissed him lightly on the lips, and he kissed back, closing his eyes, and I mine. One hand remained at my hips; the other went to cup my face. I wove my hands into his now only slightly damp hair.
"Awwwww..." I heard people say together, and I looked around to see the four hobbits looking at us.
"HOBBITS!" I groaned in frustration. "Always getting in the damn way."
"Not true, we can be helpful sometimes, like last night..." Merry cracked up.
"Your face! Like farmer Maggot when we'd been in his vegetables!" Pippin joined in, and soon all of us were laughing, including Legolas. I stopped, gasping as my ribs started throbbing.
"I should imagine I did look a mess. It was really quite funny when you think about it." I nodded, still holding my side.
"Anyway. Strider has sent for you so we can get going. He said we'd 'had long enough with our fooling about'. Quite rude really." Merry said, frowning.
"We had best go then, if Mr 'I-haven't-seen-a-razor-in-weeks' wants us." I sighed dramatically, making the others laugh again.
"True, true." Legolas pulled me up. He was a little rough, and my ribs still hurt.
"Careful!" I moaned, and he looked sheepish.
"Amin hiraetha. I'm sorry." He sad, slipping into Elvish for a moment.
"It's ok, I just don't want much pain right at this second, I need to keep myself alive to get to Lothlorien." I looked out, and then came back to earth. "Come on."
I followed the hobbits out into the open, and tried not to meet the eyes of Aragorn or Boromir or Gimli.
"Come, we can make it there if we pick up speed by tomorrow, we are closer than I anticipated. We must go on throughout the night, mind." We all let out whoops and cheers, our spirits lifted slightly. I looked at Frodo, and noticed how much he as suffering. His eyes were gaunt, and I wondered if he had been eating properly. I pulled out a small packet of Lembas bread, breaking some off. I ran to the hobbit, and held it out to him.
"We all feel Gandalf's death, but starving yourself is not the answer. If I did that, I would be force-fed by you lot, like when you bandage my ribs." He looked at me, smiling slightly.
"I know you would. It is a hard loss; he was a good friend to me." The little hobbit said.
"I understand. I lost the most important person in my life before Legolas, My Mother. It was hard, growing up without her. But, as they say back home 'what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger', and they are wise words. Now..." I shoved the bread in his mouth, watching until he finished it.
"Are you set on choking me!?" He exclaimed, and I shook my head.
"I am set on keeping you alive, Master Baggins!" I said, doing an impression of Gimli.
"Go back to Legolas, before he kills me for keeping you away for too long!" Frodo snorted.
"Going, going!" I said, defeated. "Make sure you eat at least a mouthful of lembas every few hours!" I called, and he chuckled again. I stopped, waiting for Legolas to catch up with me. He took my hand in his and we went at a steady jog, chattering like normal. The moon was high in the sky when we were allowed to stop for a rest and a drink. I took a gulp of the liquid that Legolas had given me on the mountain to ease the pain in my side. I pulled out my water flask, taking in the last of my water.
"I'm out of water, Legolas." I complained.
"I'll walk with you to the stream. It's about..." He listened for a minute. "Half a mile away." I stood up from the grass, and began following Legolas. We got to the stream in about ten minutes, and I filled up my flask with the clear water.
"We should go back to the group quickly." I said in a hushed tone. We walked quickly, keeping our eyes open for anything suspicious. We got back, and everyone was prepared to set of again. I picked up my little backpack, placing my flask in it, and we set off at a run again.
"I should hope that I have lost weight with all this running." I laughed. Legolas gave me a look.
"You do not need to. Being too thin is unhealthy, and you are perfect to me, melamin."
"What does that mean?" I was getting angry at it, just because I did not know what it meant.
"You did not figure it out? It means My Love, melamin." My mouth made a perfect o.
"Ah, glad we cleared that up. Hand!" I held out my hand, and he grasped it in his own larger one. "I do not like being without your touch, Legolas. I need your comfort." He gave it a quick squeeze.
"I will always be here to hold your hand." He said, smiling gently.
We stood at the edge of the forest, and I looked in awe at trees so impossibly tall.
We walked in, and I heard Gimli talking to the hobbits. "Stay close, young Hobbits! They say a great sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf-Witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell." He murmured.
Frodo gasped, stopping dead. Sam frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Mr Frodo?"
Gimli was continuing. "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox." A group of elves had surrounded us, bows pointed.
"Oh..." Gimli said in shock
One of the elves stepped forward, smirking. "The Dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark." I stifled a laugh, leaning on Legolas a little. Hr too had a grin on his face.
Aragorn walked up to him, clearly speaking in Elvish. I rolled my eyes; did he forget that seven out of the nine of us could not speak the language? I could understand the first three words, Haldir of lorien
Gimli was looking petrified. "Aragorn, these woods are perilous, we should go back!"
The elf named Haldir spoke. "You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back. Come. She is waiting."
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We were lead through the woods in silence. I felt Legolas's hand covering my smaller one, which was comforting. I kept stealing glances at him, and we always looked at each other at the same time. We were lead up a staircase, and I stared as I saw their houses were up in the trees.
We were stood in our group in a small room, and I felt Gandalf's disappearance again. It was like the gap in the bridge, there was nothing to fill it. I shielded my eyes as a bright light came into view, and out from it stepped the lady Galadriel and the male elf I assumed to be her husband.
Welcome, Elanor Snowfield of the lost race. I grinned, and thought; 'It is an honour to be here, My Lady.' She stood in front of us, and the elf next to her I couldn't place spoke up.
Celeborn, my husband... You are in Love with Legolas, and he is in Love with you, yet you are Mortal and Immortal... I heard her say in my head again, and the feelings about that problem in our relationship crashed back into me, and my eyes filled with tears.
You are soul bonded, a way you shall find to be together...
"Nine that there are here, yet ten there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him."
Galadriel looked at Aragorn. "He has fallen into shadow. The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and you will fall to the ruin of all...
"Yet hope remains while the Company is true." She looked at Sam.
"Do not let you hears be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace..." The others were lead to their own little tree house, but Legolas stayed behind with me.
"Lady Galadriel, Elanor is injured, two broken ribs on the left side." He said quietly, head bowed.
"Since when, Prince Legolas, did you bow down to me? Come, I should get her to the healing house before she is in too much pain..."
"Too late for that..." I muttered, and Legolas grinned at me.
"Just like her mother..." the lady sighed before leading us to the healing house. I was lost in my own thoughts. Lady Galadriel knew my mother?
"Lie here; I will summon one of the healers." She drifted off, and Legolas helped me on to the soft double bed.
"This is too comfortable; I may not wish to leave once I am well again. Although, the promise of certain activities may just draw me out from under the sheets..." I giggled, pulling his head down to kiss him lightly.
"I shall keep that in mind, beautiful one." I played with his hair, pulling it out of its restraints so it was completely loose about his shoulders in waves.
"I love your hair... I want it!" I exclaimed, running my fingers through it.
"Remember, your hair is coming out of it's bonds as soon as you get out of here." he reminded me. I watched as a healer bustled out of a door.
"Prince Legolas, so nice to see you. OUT!" she ordered. He gave me one last soft kiss before leaving the house.
"This will not be comfortable. Take off your tunic, please." I did as I was told, lifting it up and over my head. She removed my dirty bandages, and assessed my awfully bruised side. "My, there is certainly a fair amount of damage here. How long have you had the wound?"
"Honestly, I cannot remember. Since we left the mines of Moria." I choked out. She shook her head.
"Two weeks, maybe? Now, you may want to grab this." She handed me some stiff foam. "It is going to hurt."
She placed both her hands lightly on the area, and I felt my bones being pulled into place. Pretty soon I was screaming out a long stream of cuss words along the lines of; 'fuckbollocksstupidbitchshitbloodyhellshitedamnyoufuckingcuntOW!'. As the bones shifted and healed. I was gasping for air by the end of it, and as concerned as the young healer was, she was laughing her head off.
"I did warn you it would hurt, although I did not expect an exclamation such as that! Now, you should get some rest, you are staying here over night so I can heal the bruising. The liquid will make you incredibly sleepy, so do you want any messages passed?"
"Tell Legolas I love him, and that I want him next to me, right now." The healer gave me a strange look. "I cannot sleep without him." I said as explanation she accepted it, and walked out of the house, leaving me alone. Or what I thought was alone.
"You are so much alike to your mother; there is no mistaking you are her daughter." Lady Galadriel brought me out a nightdress, it was a silvery blue, and almost see through. It had thin straps, leaving my arms bare.. "You can change into this." I took it off her, and pulled it over my head. I kicked off my boots, dropping them off the side of the bed, and slid of my trousers and underwear, dropping them on top of my boots.
"How did you know my mother?" I asked, getting underneath the covers.
"She was exploring Middle earth, and she was determined to find out about the other races. Your father was not married to her then, and I met her as she came to Lothlorien." I nodded, smiling.
"What was she like? She died giving birth to me, I never met her."
"She was a kind and caring woman, always looking out for others. Like you, she loved being outside, not closed in by walls. I must leave you now...Namarie..." she walked off without a noise. I sat thinking about her words, and jumped a mile high as I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"U'ennen ninie!" Bloody hell! I shouted, whipping my head around, my heart racing.
"Prince Legolas should be here in a moment. As soon as you are settled, take the healing liquid, and I shall check you over in the morning." I nodded at the nurse.
"Thank you." I watched the doors intently, my head resting on my knees. I waved him over as soon as he entered, pushing my braids out of my face. I patted the bed next to me, signaling for him to sit down. I shifted over and he sat softly, barely sinking into it.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, wrapping my fingers in his.
"You would have known if you had been here, now I'm just bruised." He frowned playfully.
"What did you say?"
"Something like:'fuckbollocksstupidbitchshitbloodyhellshitedamnyoufuckingcuntOW!'" I blushed.
"You really need to be careful of what you say..." I shook my head at him.
"Impossible. Come on, I'm only taking that..." I pointed at the medicine "If you sleep next to me. I'm so used to sleeping in your arms that I can't sleep properly without you."
"As you wish, My Flower."
He pulled off his boots and silver tunic, so he was half naked. I pulled the covers back so he could slip in next to me, and I sighed as I felt his soft skin against my own. He reached over me and took the small beaker that contained the lovely stuff that would heal me completely. He brought it to my lips, and I swallowed it, licking my lips afterward.
"Mmmmm, that tastes better than that nasty stuff you gave me for my throat." I smiled slowly, and he kissed me softly before pulling me into his embrace. I snuggled against his chest, his body against my cheek.
"I love you, my Flower. He whispered to me, and I only just managed to reply to him.
"I love you...too." I gave a yawn, smiling at him before falling fast asleep in his arms.