A.N. I am so sorry for the delay with this chapter. I went on an adventure to New York City these past couple of days and just now returned. I hope everyone will enjoy this lasted chapter. I also want to thank everyone that has reviewed. Getting reviews is a real motivator. Thanks again and enjoy.

Chapter 10

Help!

Legolas quickly maneuvered his way through the crowd with a single thing on his mind: ESCAPE! Escape from the voices of the happy well-wishers that rung in his ears. Escape from the sight of her fair face that only brought pain to his heart. Escape from the betrayal he felt in his soul. Escape from the world that he no longer believed in.

Once he finally made it out of the massive crowd, he stopped and looked around and wondered what he should do. The first thought was to go to the stable, saddle up Arod and leave this horrible place behind and to never look back. But something inside stopped him from doing so. He then turned in the opposite direction and walked into the blackness of the night.

The stars in the night sky shone like beacons in a dark sea. Looking up into the majestic sky only brought back the memories of the night before, and their first kiss. He needed to forget her, but her memory was to fresh in his mind. He was destined to feel the torture of her memory for a long time to come. How could he ever look at a field of wild lavender and not think about the picnic they had shared? He would never again be able to pass by a pool and not imagine her floating so peacefully on top of the still water!

Why did fate deal him so cruelly? He was not an evil elf. He was just a fool in search of what so many others searched for: love. And just when it was within his grasp, it slowly slipped away like grains of sand blowing in the wind. After this he was certain that he would never let himself care for anyone again. A piece of his heart had just perished.

His mind started to ache from all the thoughts that were spinning in his head. The pain in the depth of his heart was utterly unbearable and like no other pain he had ever felt before. All the physical wounds that he had encountered over the years held not comparison to this torturous suffering. Legolas headed in the direction of his camp to seek the solitude of his tent.

***

Eomer did not see Gwenneth slip away from him and the crowd that had gathered around them to congratulate them. She wanted to find Gandalf. Surely he would have some idea of how she could find her way out from this courtship! And he must have seen where Legolas had gone. She so desperately needed to see him, to tell him that this was not her doing and that she did not want to marry Eomer! She needed to tell him that she loved him.

She scanned the crowd and in the distance she spotted Gandalf standing in a group of hobbits, laughing heartily. Gwenneth tried to go unnoticed as she sliced her way through the group towards him. But her wish remained unfulfilled as she was stopped by a gentle hand on her arm. Gwenneth turned to face the most beautiful she-elf that she had ever seen. Not that she had seen many of them! But the one that stood in front of her now was incredibly breathtaking.

"Hello Lady Gwenneth," said the she-elf as she nodded her head slightly. Her voice was a mixture of caring and seduction. It was hypnotic to the ear. "You do not know me, but I have heard many wonderful things about you and I had to make your acquaintance. I am Arwen Undomiel from Rivendell," she said, as her right came up to cross her heart in a gesture of friendship.

Gwenneth smiled at the elf and bowed to return the gesture. "It is nice to meet you too, Lady Arwen. But I am confused…..How is that you know of me, if I may be so bold to ask?" she said nervously, looking around to make sure Gandalf was still in sight. She wanted to make this hasty so that she would not lose the Wizard.

"Why, from your brother Aragorn, of course," Arwen said, as if surprised that Gwenneth did not know about Aragorn's conversation with her. "Did he not tell you that we spoke this morning?"

Gwenneth's head snapped back to look at the elf with confusion. Did she just say she spoke to Aragorn? That could not be - Aragorn would never voluntarily talk to an elf! " No… it is strange, but he did not. But then again…..I did not see him till later in the day," explained Gwenneth. "And you talked to him where?" she asked, trying to dig for information

"I ran into him on my morning walk today. Your brother is a very kind man. We talked for a long time and he even walked me to my camp," she said in a husky voice.

Gwenneth studied the elf for a moment. Surely the Aragorn this woman was talking about was not her brother! Something was amiss. But right now she had other things to worry about. Like finding Legolas and making some explanations. 'Wait…maybe Arwen knows Legolas and could tell me if she has seen him?' she thought to herself a moment later.

Before Gwenneth could think of asking about Legolas, Arwen continued: "I wanted to congratulate you on your upcoming marriage. Eomer seems to be a wonderful man and…"

"Yes, yes….I guess he is," she interrupted quickly, knowing that this was her chance to find out more about Legolas. "So you say you are from Rivendell?" she asked, trying to change the subject quickly. She was no longer worried about Gandalf; she just might have found someone else to help her.

"Why, yes I am! My father is Lord Elrond. It is a beautiful place. I do hope that some day you will visit there. We would love to have you," Arwen offered with a smile on her face.

Upon hearing Arwen's request, a weak smile formed on Gwenneth's lips. She highly doubted that Eomer would ever let her visit Rivendell. "Maybe some day," was her soft reply. Suddenly she felt bold. She HAD to know if Arwen knew Legolas! "I was wondering if you know Legolas Greenleaf?" Her heart was pounding in her chest with the hope that Arwen knew him.

Arwen was shocked by the question. With confusion she stared at the young Princess. "Why, yes…..of course I know him. We rode together from Rivendell," she stated and then asked: "Why do you ask?"

This was it! Here was the perfect person to help her. Gwenneth needed to tell Arwen the truth about the arranged courtship and her love for Legolas. She just prayed to the Valar that the elf would be willing to help her and get a message to her love. "Arwen, I do not really know you but I feel I can somehow trust you," Gwenneth said, looking her straight in the eye. "I need you help," she finished with a plea.

Arwen was taken aback by the request. "But Lady Gwenneth…..why do you request this of me?"

Gwenneth took Arwen gently by the arm and guided her away from the crowd so that they could speak in private. When she was sure that no one would hear them, she again turned to the she-elf . "I need your help…because…..because….." she stuttered, trying to speak the words. " I…I do not love Eomer and can not marry him. I am in love with someone that you know and I need to get a message to him."

"Is it an elf you speak of?" Arwen asked cautiously, almost with a whisper.

Gwenneth stood still for a moment as if summoning the courage to tell the stranger whom it was she spoke of. The girl again looked around making sure that no one could hear what she was about to say. "It is….Legolas. He is the one that I love," she breathed and then held her breath, waiting for Arwen's reaction.

If a breeze had come by at that moment, it would have definitely knocked Arwen over. She was stunned to say the least! She wondered if Legolas felt the same for this girl. "You…you love Legolas?" she asked. "But then if you love him…. why are you marring Eomer?"

Gwenneth sighed and looked down to her feet. The tears started to fall again as she remember Aragorn coming to her tent to tell her about the arrangement he had made for her benefit. Reluctantly she raised her tearful eyes to Arwen's. "It was my brother…… Aragorn arranged this marriage without even wanting to know how I feel about it. He said it will be good for me, but how can it be good for me when I do not love Eomer?" she said in between sobs that soon turned into a continuous stream of tears.

Arwen took the girl in her arms to soothe her overflowing emotions. How could Aragorn do such a thing? She must have been mistaken, because she was positive that she had seen remorse in his eyes when he talked about why Gwenneth had never left Gondor before. He was definitely not the man she had believed him to be! And she did not know if she ever wanted to speak to him again. At that moment she felt so much anger and distaste towards him, that if she but spotted him now, she would have walked up to him and told him what she thought of his so called "doing things out of love".

'What kind of a man would do such a thing to his own sister?' she wondered. She felt so sorry for this young girl crying in her arms. Then she pushed Gwenneth back to look upon her. "Of course I will help you," Arwen said with conviction. "What is it that you ask of me?"

Gwenneth pulled away from Arwen and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Could you please get a message to Legolas? I need to speak to him. He does not know my feelings for him and I need to tell him and I want him to know that I had nothing to do with this," she said as another wave of tears came to her eyes when she thought about the horrified look on his face the moment he had heard the news. "Oh Arwen if you could have seen the expression in his eyes! I have caused him so much pain! Pain that he does not deserve. He left in such haste and I could not catch up to him."

Arwen reached out to brush away the few tears that still fell. "Please tell me what the message is." Even though Legolas and her never really got along, she wanted him to be happy. It was strange to think that this happiness might be found with a human girl, but then again…..did it really matter where he found it?

Gwenneth then told Arwen that she was still planning on slipping away when everyone was asleep, and that she should tell Legolas to meet her where they had decided to meet, before. "Tell him it is most important that I see him!" she pleaded in between sobs.

Arwen agreed to give the message and then turned to leave to find the missing elf. Gwenneth headed back into the crowd to be with Eomer. She hoped that no one would be suspicious about her disappearance. Once she made her way back to him, he smiled to her and took her hand in his and placed a light kiss in her palm, he then looked at her with a scrutinizing eye. "Are you well? Have you been crying?" he asked while he stroked her red cheeks.

Gwenneth's eyes grew wide with the horror. "Crying? Of course not," she said. "It has been such a long day and this news is so overwhelming! I am just tired and need to rest."

His eyes softened when he heard this. "Yes, you do look tired," he agreed putting his arm around her, "Come, I will take you back to your tent. You need to get your rest. Tomorrow we will spend the whole day together."

The corner of Gwenneth's lips curled in an attempted smile. This was just what she had wished for! To spend the whole day with someone that she did not care about! She would rather spend the day digging in the mines of Moria with the dwarves! "Thank you," she said, looking up at him while tying to put on a more pleasant façade.

When they arrived at her tent, Eomer pulled her to face him. Smiling down at her he said, "I am truly a lucky man to have you by my side. I do hope you feel the same way, my dear. Tomorrow we will begin anew - we will begin a new journey together." With that he bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Goodnight Milady," he whispered before he turned away and left.

Upon entering her dimly lit tent Gwenneth fell onto her bed and wept. Hopefully Arwen would deliver the message to Legolas and she would have a chance to explain her side of the story. She then rolled over and stared into the flame burning in the oil lamp, which was providing what little light there was in the tent. The dancing fire hypnotized her into a trance as she waited until all were asleep so that she could make her exit.

***

Darkness surrounded his body like the darkness that now settled around his heart. The solitude of his tent was a welcome necessity for his mind. He was tired of thinking about what had just occurred and only wished for rest. For in the morning he would leave Hobbiton and the memory of her behind. And maybe someday the pain that he was feeling would hopefully fade along with the memory.

As he lay on his back staring up into the darkness, he heard something rustling outside. He tried to ignore it, in hope that whoever or whatever was making the noise would simply go away. But his hopes were lost when Arwen burst through the opening of his dim and quiet tent.

"There you are Greenleaf! I have been searching all over for you!" she exclaimed. She suddenly froze when she noticed that he was lying in the dark. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Go away Arwen and leave me be!" he hissed at her.

"It is because of Lady Gwenneth and Eomer, is it not? You are upset about it."

Legolas' body flinched when her heard her words. "Why would that make me feel any different?" he asked cautiously, so that he would not raise her suspicions.

Arwen lighted a candle and walked over to Legolas who was still lying on his cot. She sat the candle down on the night table and then proceeded to sit next to him. When she looked into his eyes, she saw how lost he was. Never before had she seen so much pain and she never wanted to see it again. She hoped her message would ease his grief. "I have spoken to Gwenneth…..and she told me about you and her."

Legolas quickly sat up in bed, astonishment evident on his face. But then the excitement slowly faded as he realized that this meant nothing. "What? Is she not going to marry Eomer?" he said, knowing that the answer had not changed. He slid back down again to stare up to the ceiling.

Arwen shook her head and wished that she could tell him different. "I am sorry, but that has not changed," she said somberly. Eager to bring him some relief, she continued: "I have a message for you from Lady Gwenneth."

Again he flinched at the warm sound of her name and then diverted his attention to the she-elf sitting beside his outstretched body. "I do not care to hear this message," was his cold and lifeless response.

Arwen's sadness for the elf quickly turned into anger at his self-pity. "Oh I think you DO want to hear this message, dear Legolas!"

Legolas stared at her coldly. "What does she want?" he asked with an icy hiss.

"She plans to be at the pond later tonight, like you originally agreed to be, and she still wants to meet you there. She says she needs to talk to you and that it is very important."

"For all I care she can stay there all night long! I do not plan on seeing her again. In the morning I will leaving to return to Rivendell."

"Legolas! You can not leave!" she protested vehemently. "You need to go and hear what she has to say!"

"Why? So she can put another dagger in my heart?" he asked as he got out of bed and stood over her. His eyes burned into hers. "No! No…I can not let that happen again!"

Turning away from the seated Arwen, he walked to the other side of the shelter. A vision of Gwenneth's face flashed in his mind as he hung his head from the torment. Then he felt Arwen gently pulling him around to face her. For the first time since they had known each other, he saw true compassion and love in her eyes.

"Legolas….I can not tell you what to do, but you owe it to yourself and to her. Go and listen to her side of the story. I can not tell you all that she explained to me, but please know that she is in as much pain and despair as you are."

Arwen then reached out and caressed his cheek. "So much needles pain," she said in a whisper. A moment later she turned and walked to the opening. But she turned to Legolas one last time and pleaded: "Go see her….End this pain for both of you." Legolas remained alone with his thoughts.

After Arwen left, Legolas slowly trudged his way back to his cot and fell upon it a fluid motion. As he lay on his back, studying the roof of the tent again, Arwen's words came back to him. Maybe she was right. Maybe he should go and see her, to bring him closure to this whole charade. He sighed reluctantly and decided that he would indeed go to see what excuses she made for her betrayal. Legolas crossed his arm over his eyes and waited.

***

It was well after midnight when Gwenneth peeked out from her tent. The campsite was as quiet as a tomb as she slithered out into the night. The moon shone brightly in the sky, changing the blackness into a shade of pale silver. Gwenneth hurried out of the encampment and onto the dusty path that led to the pond.

As she walked, she began to worry that he would not show up. 'And why should he?' she told herself. Her stomach was in knots thinking about him. She could not get his painful expression out of her mind. It was too much for her to bear as once more the river of tears started to flow. Through the tears she could see the cluster of trees that surrounded the little pool of water.

With each step her anxieties grew until they consumed her and she felt the need to turn away and run. She did not know why she was so scared to see him. Maybe it was because she knew she caused him so much pain. If he did have feelings for her, surely after tonight's events he had none.

She made her way through the trees not seeing any signs of him. She walked up to the water's edges and knelt down to look at her reflection in the still water. Staring back was a petrified little girl who just a few hours ago was so full of life and hope, and afraid of nothing! It was funny how one's whole world could change in an instant. Looking down at the girl she did not know, Gwenneth reached out to the reflection and erased the pitiful image. She then leaned back and waited.

When Legolas opened his eyes, the candle that Arwen had lit earlier was still burning as shadows danced on the canvas of the tent. He stretched his arms above his head and then slowly sat up. Rubbing his face he went over the events of the evening. He still could not believe what had happened! It all seemed like a dream, but sure enough the pain in his heart reminded him that it was not.

After talking to Arwen he wanted to know what Gwenneth had to say but he was not sure if he could see her. "I should just leave and put it all behind me," he said to no one but himself. He was glad that for once his heart and his mind agreed on this one thing. This time it was his instinct that told him different. Reluctantly he sighed and got up and walked out of his tent.

He made no sound as he passed through the trees towards the pond. Stopping to search the area he saw her lying on the ground, asleep. He then slowly and silently made his way to where she was lying. Kneeling down by her he gazed at her peaceful face. Unconsciously he reached out to stroke her smooth cheek. Her skin felt incredible to his touch, and he closed his eyes to revel in it. "Why?" he then whispered opening his eyes to watch her.

Gwenneth faintly felt something touching her as she pulled herself back into consciousness. Her eyes fluttered opened and slowly focused on Legolas kneeling over her. A smile stretched over her lips at the sight of him. With a cold expression on his face Legolas backed away to give her room.

"I thought you would not come," said Gwenneth as she sat up and looked at him.

"To be honest…" he looked away and drew in a breath before looking back and continuing, "I was not going to, but Arwen gave me your message and before I left to return to Rivendell, I thought I might as well hear what you have to say."

Gwenneth looked at him in shock. "Leaving?!…Why?" she asked.

Legolas chuckled. "I can not believe you ask my why!" he spat and then he turned and started to walk away. He wondered why he even came to see her. And now after that question he just wanted to get away from her and end it.

When Gwenneth saw that he was leaving she sprang to her feet and lunged after him. Grabbing onto his arm she held on for dear life. She fell to her knees as she willed herself the strength to stop him. "Please do not go! I ….I need you!" was her desperate plea.

Legolas stopped in his tracks and looked down at the sad creature grasping his arm. She looked so different now. She looked like a child who had lost her way. It was then that he realized that she was hurting too. All of his anger quickly melted away by looking into her sad eyes. His heart ached and he felt the need to take away her pain. He did something that he did not expect to do: He lowered himself to the ground beside her. Pulling her gently into his arms he softy kissed her tear stained face.

When she felt his lips against her face she let out a subdued cry of joy. After a few moments of letting herself be drowned in his kisses, she pulled back and looked into his intense blue eyes. "Legolas….I….do not want to marry Eomer," she confessed. "I….I….love you - not him."

Legolas' body stiffened as he stared at her in astonishment. "You lo….you love me?" he stammered in disbelief.

"Yes I do," she said, reaching out to cup his cheek in her hand as she smiled warmly at him.

He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes to savor those words that were still ringing in his ears. He had never thought that he would hear those wonderful words! That simple phrase took away all his pain and anguish. He looked down into her warm eyes and all he wanted was to give her all the love he had for her. He did not know if he wanted to laugh or to cry.

"Are you not going to say something?" asked Gwenneth, after a long silence.

"I just can not believe what I am hearing."

Gwenneth's laugh was the sound of joy as she flung her arms around his neck and smiled. "Believe it my love. This is one feeling that I could not lie about," she reassured him, then added a soft kiss to further convince him of her feelings.

Legolas again closed his eyes when her lips met his. The feel of her velvet lips enticed him. Then the burning question entered his mind as his eyes slowly fluttered open. "Then why are you marring…Eomer?" he asked with a touch of despair in his voice.

A somber look passed over Gwenneth's face as she pulled away from his strong embrace. She walked to the edged of the pond and cautiously tested it with her bare foot. Hanging her head she started to speak. "I am sorry. I wanted to tell you before you heard it from Aragorn." Then she turned to face him. "Eomer went to Aragorn today while I was with you and asked for my hand," she explained her and once again eyes welled with tears. "Aragorn agreed to it without even asking me! And now I am bound to him….to someone that I do not want to be with! Someone I do not love!"

Legolas's jaw clenched as he listen to Gwenneth. Aragorn had arranged this whole lie of a courtship! What little respect he held for the man was now lost. He looked away for a moment, not wanting her to see his anger as his fists clenched with rage. He suddenly felt the urge to go to Aragorn and… No he could not do that to Gwenneth. His love for her was too important to be thrown away like that.

Feeling the need to wash her troubles away, Gwenneth started to walk into the water, not caring about her clothes. The water was cool and soothing as she waded out until she stood waist deep. She turned to face Legolas who was staring at her with an intensity that he had never shown before. If she did not know him, she would have been frightened by his present state. Shivers ran up her spine.

"Are you ok?" she asked in a timid voice.

The sound of her voice softened his façade. "I am sorry…I…I cannot believe your brother could do such a thing to you!" was his response.

"I know. He said he did it for me…but I….I just cannot do this. What am I going to do?!"

"Then we will run away together!" he boldly shouted. "We will go far away so no one will find us. And we will travel throughout the land, and I will show you all of Middle Earth!"

"Will you take me to Lothlorien?!" she asked with glee.

"Oh yes!" he exclaimed as he too walked into to cool water. "It is the most beautiful place on earth! When the sun goes down in the evening….and the lights of the city slowly start to burn…. it is so……incredible!" he explained with a whisper as he was now close enough to touch her.

"Can we? Do you really think we could just run away?"

"If we love each other, we can do anything. We will go anywhere you want."

She smiled at his response. "Where will we live?"

"We can live in my home, Mirkwood. No one would find us there and I can take my place on the throne and you will be my Queen."

"Your Queen?!"

"Yes…my Queen" he stated firmly. But when he suddenly thought himself overconfident, he quickly changed his tone and asked, "You will be my Queen, will you not Gwenneth?"

Gwenneth's heart skipped not just one but multiple beats. She could not believe her ears! Was he asking to marry her? And if he was, how could she possible say no to him? After all, this whole relationship with Legolas was like a dream come true. She had never thought that she would really find love in this most unusual way. Now that she had, she would never let it go!

"Of course I would be you Queen, Legolas," she whispered.

Legolas grinned in delight when he heard her words. Then he stepped closer to her and reached out to encircle her waist and pull her closer to him. Staring into her eyes he spoke softly, "Thank you, Gwenneth. You have made me so happy. I wish only that I can make you feel the same way."

He cupped her head in his slender hands and kissed her gently. When the taste of her sweet lips reached his mind, his arms encircled her body and pulled her tightly to him. A moment later he leaned back and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

Gwenneth looked up to him. "You do make me happy Legolas. As long as I am with you, I will always feel like this."

"We have to figure out a plan so that we can leave together," he stated.

"Maybe we should go and talk to Gandalf. I am sure that he will help us. And Eowyn will, too."

"Good. Then tomorrow we will see Mithrandir and plan our departure."

"Oh…Tomorrow Eomer wants to spend the whole day with me. I do not know if I will be able to get away."

Upon hearing this, Legolas' eyes burned with anger. He did not want her anywhere near that man! But they needed to keep up this charade until they could make their leave. Just knowing that she was going to be with Eomer instead of him, drove him extremely mad. But he had to trust Gwenneth's love, and he did so with all his heart.

Gwenneth tried to ease his anger: "Legolas do not worry. For all the time that I am with him, I will be thinking of you and only you."

The elf's eyes brightened and he smiled warmly when he heard her words. It was so wonderful to feel the love of another! He wondered how he ever did without it all these years and now he knew that he could never be without it again. Looking into her blue depths he gently ran his fingers through her hair. "As I will be thinking of you, Milady," he spoke tenderly. Then he became serious for a moment. "I will go and see Gandalf in the morning. We will discuss the ways we might be able to leave. And I will meet you here tomorrow night."

Gwenneth nodded in agreement. "That will be fine. And I will talk to Eowyn and see if she would be willing to help us," she added. Then suddenly worry filled her thoughts. "Do you really think we can do this, Legolas? Is this really the best way?"

His hands gently cupped her cheeks. "It is the only way, my love. Do not worry, as long as we are together nothing will go wrong…I promise you," he explained. "It is getting late. I think we should be heading back."

Gwenneth sighed. "I know….but I do not want to leave you."

"It is only for a short while. Soon we will be together always."