Sorry it took a while everyone. As I said to my POTC readers, I have to update from someone else's computer since mine won't let me log in and update day snuck up on me this week. Enjoy!

Legolas

It had been settled. A week of planning, of strategy, and then I would travel to Ithilien and return with the other Elves. Not that I was allowing myself to think about it much, aside from when my help was needed for battle tactics. Mostly I tried to ignore it, think of anything but what I was going to tell everyone when I returned.

Elwyn helped with that. I had been spending most of my spare time with her. She was good at distracting me, and I think she sensed I needed to be distracted. We would ride, or take walks in the woods and I would tell her my memories of Mirkwood, or Eryn Lasgalen as it was called now before the war. Sometimes she would tell me stories from books she had read, or that she would make up off the top of her head, which usually left us both laughing. I grew more comfortable around her than I was around Aragorn.

Sometimes she would inquire about Arwen, even if it was just broaching the subject. Until she had asked, I wasn't aware she had been told of the Elf maiden. I would have thought Aragorn would have been attempting to forget her. I would remain silent or bring up something else, not sure how much her father would want me to reveal.

She had mentioned Arwen again one day, and again I was avoiding answering.

"May I ask you something?" she queried when she saw I had no intention of responding to her earlier question. I nodded, kicking at the leaves around our feet. "Have you ever been in love?"

Not at all what I had been expecting her to ask and not a question I was truly prepared to answer. It was enough to make me stop short and turn to her. For a moment, I thought it was a tactic to bring me out of the slight daze I had been in most of that day. But the look on her face when I raised my eyes to hers showed genuine curiosity. "I was engaged once," I revealed. I saw Elwyn's obvious surprise. "She was my parents' choice, an elf from Rivendell. I cared for her, I don't know if I would have called it love."

"What happened?" she pressed, evidently indicating my single status.

"The Fellowship. The war," I explained, allowing a small smile. "I was always more warrior than royalty. I assume she crossed to Valinor long ago."

"Do you miss her?"

I considered it for a moment, then shook my head. "No," I said. "She was never meant to be mine."

I felt her slip her smaller hand into mine and intertwine our fingers, then she continued to drag me down the path we seemed to be blazing through the trees. "And you?" I asked her.

"What about me?"

"Have you ever known love?"

She stopped again and turned back to me, though she didn't release my hand. "Why do you ask?"

I felt a wry smile coming on. "Why do you?"

She smiled as well, though hers was rather sheepish and her eyes shifted to her feet as if they were the most fascinating area in the forest. Her hand dropped from mine. "No. I haven't," she admitted. "I am young yet."

I nodded and swallowed hard. Such things were easy to forget, especially considering how much time I spent around other immortals.

"Why have you not yet sailed to the West?" she asked.

I remained quiet for a few more seconds, pensive. "Though I long for the sea, I have always believed that there was more meant for me in Middle-earth," I told her. "I simply have yet to find it." My eyes met hers again and held them. She stared right back at me, her gaze just as intense and I realized my heart was beating faster, harder.

It was she that broke the moment first, clearing her throat and turning away uncomfortably. I felt the sudden need to apologize, but I knew I couldn't without causing her more unease; not to mention I had no idea what to apologize for.

"Could you do me a favor?" I heard her ask, her voice unusually small.

"Anything," I said it before thinking, but it did not appear to faze her.

"When you ride into that battle…" She turned back around and surprisingly I could see unshed tears glistening in her eyes, "promise me you'll come back?"

I sighed and stepped closer, pulling her into my arms. I half expected her to pull away from me, but her own arms wrapped around my waist and she laid her head against my chest, sniffling. "Ávan vanda," (I promise) I whispered into her hair. I felt her nuzzle her face into the crook of my neck and my grip on her tightened.

My lips were on hers before I even realized what was happening, leaving me wondering which one of us had initiated it. My hand drifted to the back of her neck, drawing her closer still and a low groan involuntarily escaped my throat.

I think my reaction must have shocked her. It shocked me. I hadn't realized how much I had wanted this until it had happened and truthfully, it frightened me. Aragorn and Arwen suddenly flashed into my mind and I pulled back abruptly.

Elwyn stared up at me wearing a bewildered expression, her lips slightly swollen and her eyes searching mine for some form of explanation.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, my tone far more formal than I had intended it. "I shouldn't have done that."

She was still loosely in my embrace, but her eyes were now downcast. "Legolas, Ávan…" the words died on her lips.

I didn't know what to say anymore than she did, nor what to do. I found myself wishing it had never happened and at the same time, wishing it could happen again.

I felt Arod nudge my lower back with his nose, letting out a soft neigh and then a snort. Grateful for the distraction, I released Elwyn and patted his head in acknowledgement before turning back to her. "Perhaps we should head back," I suggested.

She nodded, refusing to meet my gaze, then placed two fingers in her mouth, letting out a low whistle. Luna appeared within seconds, rounding a tree on our right. Elwyn silently mounted her and for a moment, I thought she meant to ride away without me. But she waited patiently as I climbed onto my own horse, though she still quite obviously avoided eye contact.

I could feel the confusion rolling off her in waves as we rode back through the trees and I made a mental note to sit her down sometime soon and explain to her why it was best that she stick to her kind and me to mine.

Maybe while I was at it, I could explain it to myself.

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I'm still not done with Elwyn's chapter so you guys only get the one today (it's more mushy than this one and it takes a while to write ;) ). REPLIES!!!!