Author's note: Thanks to my reviewers! And again a special thanks to Partheon for editing!
Chapter 5 – Days in Lothlorien
The daylight was fading rapidly when King Thranduil and his escort reached the outskirts of Lothlorien. The king turned to his warriors and asked, "Do we rest here for the night, just within the borders of Lothlorien, or do we continue? I have no doubt the guards will contact us shortly. If we continue, it will mean a ride through the night. We would arrive early tomorrow morning."
He had hardly spoken these words, when a fair elven face appeared in a tree above. "King Thranduil, we have been expecting you. Welcome to Lothlorien. Your son is waiting for you." The Lorien guard dropped down from his branch, followed by two more guards.
"We heard your words. It would be easier to rest a little bit further on. A ride through the woods at night would be hard on the horses and one of your mounts has already injured her leg."
Thranduil nodded. "Thank you for your welcome. We will follow you, and then we will rest." Inwardly, Thranduil sighed. Personally, he would have very much like to have continued. He had not seen Legolas for two years and could not wait to see him again. There had been many years when he and Legolas had hardly talked, let alone shared anything in their lives. But somehow, over time, this had changed. When Legolas and Aragorn had broken up, a large bone of contention had been removed, although Thranduil never said to Legolas, 'I told you so'. The subsequent years had been hard for Legolas but had also brought father and son much closer together and now Thranduil felt very year he did not see his son. With shame and regret he remembered that there had been a time when he had hardly noted when Legolas had been away. And although Thranduil wished Legolas and Haldir all possible happiness, there was a small part of him that did not want his son to bind to someone from such a long distance away.
The party rode on and after a while, they crossed the river Nimrodel, of which the old legends spoke. Shortly afterwards, the leader of the guard, who introduced himself as Ceren, called a halt in a small glade in the woods. "We can rest here, we will be safe."
- - - -
After their evening meal, Haldir and Legolas separated. Haldir had gone to play cards with some of their friends. Usually, Legolas would also join in but Haldir had accepted a long time ago that there were times when Legolas needed time to himself. Tonight was one such occasion.
Legolas had taken a small path into the forest to a particular small glade. He had often come here at night; he felt comfortable amongst the trees and it was possible to lie in the grass and see the stars. He sat down against the trunk of a tree with his legs outstretched and his back supported by the tree. He let out his breath with a sigh.
Legolas knew that everyone, including Haldir, was nervous before their bonding. But somehow he had this feeling still that he did not deserve this, that he was not good enough to bond to Haldir. He knew of course in his mind that this was not true, Haldir was older than him and had had other lovers before him. Legolas did not mind this - he had known all along - but somehow he could not rid himself of the feeling that there must be something wrong with him that Aragorn had dropped him so suddenly.
And in some way, Aragorn's words spoken a couple of days ago had emphasised this feeling – if nothing had been wrong, what had made Aragorn turn away? Legolas had found Aragorn's answer unsatisfactory but meeting Aragorn had shown him something else.
Seeing his former partner again, Legolas had felt very little towards Aragorn. He had always feared that if they met again that either all the old hurt or other, stronger feelings would return. Neither had happened, but instead Legolas had remembered many good times that he had shared with Aragorn. He had realised that for his part, there was a real possibility of their friendship being renewed but he also knew with certainty that they would not be lovers again. This was over; this part of his life now belonged to Haldir, if he would have it.
Legolas smiled to himself as he thought of Haldir. Haldir was a considerate lover, too considerate at times. 'He has never pushed me,' thought Legolas, 'perhaps if he had, I would have realised how much I love him earlier. It would have saved him much hurt.' With slight sadness Legolas thought of the years he had held Haldir at bay emotionally and, up to a point, physically as well. And yet, at that time, he had not been able to behave differently. But this had been over for some time now and, since there was nothing that could be done to change the past, he would not dwell on it further.
The young elf leant back against the tree and focused on the stars above him. Slowly, his worries and doubts subsided. It was as if the stars told him that he was doing the right thing by bonding with Haldir. His mind lost focus and he wandered off into the land of elven dreams, different from sleep, but another form of rest. He did not notice when he was no longer alone.
- - - -
Lady Galadriel, too, had gone for an evening stroll. She often did, and unbeknownst to Legolas, she also had chosen the small glade amongst trees as her favourite spot. As chance wanted it, they had never met there. On this occasion, Galadriel was mildly surprised to find a lightly glowing form in what she considered 'her' favourite place. She approached the other elf, expecting him or her to greet her. When she recognised who it was, she smiled slightly. Legolas was so far away in his dreams that she did not want to disturb him but sat next to him for a while.
This young elf was in many ways a puzzle to her. Relationships with Thranduil had been cool for a long time. Galadriel knew that she had contributed to this by objecting to the marriage between Legolas' mother and Thranduil. But a marriage of a Sindarin elf to a simple wood elf was unheard of, and she had not approved. This had been a long time ago, and Galadriel knew that today she would have been wiser and more tolerant. But the damage had been done.
Then Legolas had had this ill-fated relationship with Elrond's mortal foster son. Galadriel had only seen Legolas once before he came to visit Haldir in Lothlorien, and at that time, he had been a young toddler hardly able to walk and not yet able to speak. That meeting with Thranduil had not gone well, either, and contact with Lasgalen had been minimal.
But when Haldir and Legolas' relationship developed, Thranduil and Galadriel had also met on a number of occasions, mainly when Thranduil came to visit his son, who, after a few years, lived with Haldir in Lothlorien. At first, the encounters between her and the king were frosty, but after a while they both recognised that they were older and wiser and that mistakes had been made. Although Galadriel would hesitate to call Thranduil a friend, their relationship had improved to the point where they at least mutually accepted each other and this was not in a small part due to the efforts of the young elf leaning against the tree next to her.
Galadriel regarded Legolas for a long time. His dark eyes were wide open and unfocused, his face and body relaxed. The laces at the top of his tunic were open, showing his smooth upper chest and part of his right shoulder where the tunic had slipped. His hair fell in a single, loose plait across his other shoulder. Galadriel had noticed that in the first few years, Legolas had always worn his hair Mirkwood warrior fashion, braided away from his face. But after some time he had begun to wear his hair in a plait or simple queue, as many Lorien warriors did when not on duty. Galadriel smiled at that observation, it was a sign that the young elf had settled in Lorien. At this moment, resting and with his tunic askew, he looked far too young to be wed.
'He is beautiful, more so than most of us', she thought, ' and I do not mean only his fair features. I hope he can find happiness and peace with Haldir.'
The Lady from Lothlorien knew that Legolas' youth had been difficult and when he first came to Lothlorien, the effects of the end of his relationship to Aragorn had been all too evident. To this day, Galadriel was appalled by the fact that her own granddaughter had been able to partake in actions that hurt another elf so badly, particularly someone who was considerably younger than herself. Quite apart from the fact that Galadriel did not appreciate the notion of a lasting relationship between Aragorn and Arwen. But that was another matter.
She focused again on the elf in front of her. She would conduct the bonding ceremony. She had partaken in many bondings and every single one had been special, regardless of whether they had been bondings between males and females, or two females or two males. They all were unique, special every time. There were only a few days left now before Legolas and Haldir's bonding, they were due to go out on a short patrol the day after tomorrow and after their return the bonding would take place. It would be another special occasion.
Legolas was still unaware of Galadriel's presence, and she decided not to disturb him. She left as quietly as she had come.
- - - -
The twins and Aragorn spent the evening playing cards with a group of Lorien warriors, which also included Haldir. Aragorn had feared that the evening might become awkward when Haldir joined, but the marchwarden had simply given his greetings and joined in the game. Since there were too many players, not everyone played all rounds, which gave Aragorn an opportunity to observe Haldir. He admitted to himself that he was very curious about this particular elf. What was it about him that had caught Legolas' attraction? From some of the remarks others made, he gathered that Haldir was highly respected and a natural leader. He came across as a competent warrior with a strong personality. And there was no denying that he was attractive, Aragorn could see that easily enough. 'Although,' he thought, 'he is not someone I would be attracted to.'
Aragorn's thoughts turned to the moment when he had seen Legolas and Haldir kissing. He had not been able to see Haldir's face but the way Legolas had closed his eyes and clearly enjoyed the moment ... it had hurt. 'I have no right to feel this way,' the young man scolded himself. 'I will not hurt Legolas again and I love Arwen.' There was a small nagging voice in his mind asking: 'Do I? Really? The way I used to love Legolas? ... ' Aragorn firmly pushed these thoughts aside, which was made easier by the fact that the round of cards had finished and it was his turn to play again.
- - - -
Much later, when the moon had risen and almost waned, Legolas awoke from his rest. He felt refreshed and clear minded, all doubts about the upcoming bonding had vanished. If he had not been certain before, he was now absolutely convinced that this bonding was right, that Haldir was the one elf amongst all who was meant to be his partner for life. In his dreams he had seen what he thought were glimpses of the future; much he did not understand, involving many battles and war scenes, but also many happy times with Haldir. Haldir would give him strength and comfort and above all, he loved him to the end of time. In return, Legolas would support Haldir, who at times would lean on him. And Legolas knew without any doubts that he, too, loved Haldir sufficiently to spend all coming ages with him.
Legolas got up and slowly made his way back to their flet. When he arrived, Haldir had lit a small lantern and left it on for him. There was also a glass of wine and a plate with bread and cheese, with a a brief note:
I know you will be hungry when you return.
Haldir
Legolas smiled – this was so typical of Haldir, to think of leaving something to eat for him. Legolas was indeed hungry but before eating he quickly peeked into their bedroom. Haldir was turned to his side, fast asleep. Legolas wondered yet again what he had done to bring out that softer, considerate side in Haldir. He knew very well that amongst the warriors Haldir had a reputation as stern and at times arrogant and that he could be a hard taskmaster. And yet, at home or when they were alone, it was almost as Haldir was a completely different person. Legolas wondered whether this was the case for all people, that they only showed their whole selves to those they truly loved.
After he had eaten, Legolas quickly undressed and washed, and slipped into bed besides Haldir. The older elf was disturbed slightly.
"Legolas?" he mumbled sleepily.
"Yes, Haldir, I am here. Thank you for the food. Now, go back to sleep." Legolas gave Haldir a chaste kiss on the forehead and both of them slept.
TBC. Please review .