Arariel snuggled into Legolas' back, breathing in his scent. He smelled of the trees and a woodsy smell that she had never even noticed before. She circled her arms around his waist and sighed. She felt him stirring slightly, until she realized he was awake.
"Good morning..." she whispered in his ear.
He rolled over to face her.
"Good morning Mela en' coiamin" he replied. (Love of my life)
She smiled, reaching up to kiss him.
"What are your plans for today, melamin?" he asked, when they broke apart. (my love)
"I have no plans for today..." she smiled suspiciously, "Why?"
"No reason in particular..."
"You are up to something Legolas Greenleaf! What is it?" she laughed.
"I just wanted to spend some time with my wife, that is all"
"It's not official yet..." Arariel said, frowning.
"Well we had better make it official then"
"Today?"
"Why not?" he asked.
"Okay then. Let's do it today, but..."
"What?"
"You need to leave"
"Why?"
"It is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." Her eyes widened, "GO!" she cried, pushing him out the bed.
"Whoa, slow down, I need to get dressed!"
"The sheet is enough...." She tore the sheet off the bed and handed it to him.
Legolas raised his eyebrows.
"What?" she asked, laughingly, "Quit stalling and GO!"
Legolas shook his head at her words, making his way to the door.
"Legolas..."
"Yes?"
"I will get Aragorn to inform you of when it will take place," she said, making her way past him into the bathroom.
Legolas smiled to himself as he waked out the door.
"Legolas!" came a voice, "What are you doing?"
Legolas turned to see who it was.
"Arwen..."
"What has happened now? Sometimes my sister can be so headstrong. Really, Legolas she doesn't mean it...."
"Arwen, calm down." He said still clutching the bed sheet, aware that he was still naked underneath it, "She is not angry at me, far from it I would say"
"What is going on then? Why are you standing outside her door with only a bed sheet?" she surveyed him silently, "And how did you get back into the city last night? I did not hear you come in"
"We snuck back in through Arariel's balcony. She is getting ready for the wedding"
"The wedding?"
"Yes, we were planning to make it official today"
"Today?" Arwen asked, her eyes widening, "So why are you out here, in a bed sheet?"
"Apparently it is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding" Legolas said smiling.
"That is just an old wives tale! She is so superstitious!"
"Still, it gives me the day to find someone to make it official and find somewhere to hold it"
"Well, you can hold it in the courtyard if you wish and I will get Aragorn to summon the priest that married us"
"That should be fine, thank you Arwen"
"I will go and speak with Arariel. Is she dressed?"
"I do not know Arwen, she was going into the bathroom when I left her"
"I will knock first, I think" she smiled, "Tenna' telwan" (until later)
Arwen turned and knocked on the door, when Legolas walked off, making his way to his chambers.
"Arariel?"
"Yes? I'm in the bathroom"
Arwen made her way inside, closing the door behind her.
"I have just spoken with Legolas..."
"Yes?"
"He has told me of your plans. I told him you could use the courtyard outside the great hall for your wedding and I will have Aragorn summon the priest that married us if you like"
"Thank you Arwen. That would mean the world to us" Arariel said, coming out of the bathroom fully dressed. She hugged her sister. But drew back suddenly.
"What is it?" Arwen asked.
"The babe. It is stirring"
"I cannot feel it"
"Because you are no longer elvish, you cannot feel it."
"Of course... I was so used to being able to hear and feel things others could not, that I do not even notice that it is gone"
"I also sense, that this child will be more elvish than you know, dearest sister."
Arwen broke into a huge smile.
"We'd better find you a gown then. I know just the one!" exclaimed Arwen "Come with me"
Arariel followed Arwen out of her rooms and into Arwen's chambers where Aragorn was sleeping soundly.
"He is still asleep?" whispered Arariel.
"Yes, I think he cannot take my tossing and turning in the night. He cannot sleep with my restlessness" Arwen giggled quietly, "He's got a whole nine or so more months to go!"
"Here it is..." Arwen had stopped in front of an old looking chest engraved with elvish. Arariel gasped when she realized it had her name on it. She knelt down next to Arwen and touched her shoulder.
"Arwen... What is it?" she breathed.
"It is the dress Father had made for your wedding. Well, it is inside.Father gave it to me before he set sail for Valinor. He had it made for you when you first ventured to Mirkwood when you were a child. He saw in grandmother's mirror what would come to pass..."
"Father knew I would meet Legolas?"
"He knew. So he had a dress made for you, for you to wear on your wedding day to him." Arwen went to her dresser and got a small key from her jewelery box. She came back to Arariel and opened the chest.
A strong smell of trees and a woodsy smell, the same she smelt on Legolas that morning, wafted out of the chest. She reached inside, her fingers hit soft material. She grasped it and pulled. It was a white silk dress. She stood up and held it against her. The material felt lightweight and soft. The dress was low cut with sleeves that were cut so that they almost touched the floor. It was woven with green sparkly thread in the shape of leaves and flowers across the bodice. The dress fell to the floor and had a long train at the back. Arariel looked at her sister with tears in her eyes.
"There is more..." said Arwen, taking the dress from her, "Have a look"
Inside the chest was a silver circlet that had a single emerald in the centre and a single bracelet that had a little leaf on it. Lines twisted and turned across the circlet coming to meet in a point in the centre. The emerald was placed in the middle, so it would be in the middle of her forehead. Lastly, she picked up the bracelet and turned the leaf over. There was an inscription. 'tinu, ten' vera atar' (daughter, on your wedding, father).
"Thankyou father..." she whispered.
She looked at Arwen, tears streaming down her face.
"I miss him..." she sobbed. Arwen hugged her sister.
"He loves you sister. He would be here if he could" she pulled away, "Come on. Lets get you dressed. I will wake Aragorn" she rolled her eyes, "That is a feat in itself"
"Good morning..." she whispered in his ear.
He rolled over to face her.
"Good morning Mela en' coiamin" he replied. (Love of my life)
She smiled, reaching up to kiss him.
"What are your plans for today, melamin?" he asked, when they broke apart. (my love)
"I have no plans for today..." she smiled suspiciously, "Why?"
"No reason in particular..."
"You are up to something Legolas Greenleaf! What is it?" she laughed.
"I just wanted to spend some time with my wife, that is all"
"It's not official yet..." Arariel said, frowning.
"Well we had better make it official then"
"Today?"
"Why not?" he asked.
"Okay then. Let's do it today, but..."
"What?"
"You need to leave"
"Why?"
"It is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." Her eyes widened, "GO!" she cried, pushing him out the bed.
"Whoa, slow down, I need to get dressed!"
"The sheet is enough...." She tore the sheet off the bed and handed it to him.
Legolas raised his eyebrows.
"What?" she asked, laughingly, "Quit stalling and GO!"
Legolas shook his head at her words, making his way to the door.
"Legolas..."
"Yes?"
"I will get Aragorn to inform you of when it will take place," she said, making her way past him into the bathroom.
Legolas smiled to himself as he waked out the door.
"Legolas!" came a voice, "What are you doing?"
Legolas turned to see who it was.
"Arwen..."
"What has happened now? Sometimes my sister can be so headstrong. Really, Legolas she doesn't mean it...."
"Arwen, calm down." He said still clutching the bed sheet, aware that he was still naked underneath it, "She is not angry at me, far from it I would say"
"What is going on then? Why are you standing outside her door with only a bed sheet?" she surveyed him silently, "And how did you get back into the city last night? I did not hear you come in"
"We snuck back in through Arariel's balcony. She is getting ready for the wedding"
"The wedding?"
"Yes, we were planning to make it official today"
"Today?" Arwen asked, her eyes widening, "So why are you out here, in a bed sheet?"
"Apparently it is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding" Legolas said smiling.
"That is just an old wives tale! She is so superstitious!"
"Still, it gives me the day to find someone to make it official and find somewhere to hold it"
"Well, you can hold it in the courtyard if you wish and I will get Aragorn to summon the priest that married us"
"That should be fine, thank you Arwen"
"I will go and speak with Arariel. Is she dressed?"
"I do not know Arwen, she was going into the bathroom when I left her"
"I will knock first, I think" she smiled, "Tenna' telwan" (until later)
Arwen turned and knocked on the door, when Legolas walked off, making his way to his chambers.
"Arariel?"
"Yes? I'm in the bathroom"
Arwen made her way inside, closing the door behind her.
"I have just spoken with Legolas..."
"Yes?"
"He has told me of your plans. I told him you could use the courtyard outside the great hall for your wedding and I will have Aragorn summon the priest that married us if you like"
"Thank you Arwen. That would mean the world to us" Arariel said, coming out of the bathroom fully dressed. She hugged her sister. But drew back suddenly.
"What is it?" Arwen asked.
"The babe. It is stirring"
"I cannot feel it"
"Because you are no longer elvish, you cannot feel it."
"Of course... I was so used to being able to hear and feel things others could not, that I do not even notice that it is gone"
"I also sense, that this child will be more elvish than you know, dearest sister."
Arwen broke into a huge smile.
"We'd better find you a gown then. I know just the one!" exclaimed Arwen "Come with me"
Arariel followed Arwen out of her rooms and into Arwen's chambers where Aragorn was sleeping soundly.
"He is still asleep?" whispered Arariel.
"Yes, I think he cannot take my tossing and turning in the night. He cannot sleep with my restlessness" Arwen giggled quietly, "He's got a whole nine or so more months to go!"
"Here it is..." Arwen had stopped in front of an old looking chest engraved with elvish. Arariel gasped when she realized it had her name on it. She knelt down next to Arwen and touched her shoulder.
"Arwen... What is it?" she breathed.
"It is the dress Father had made for your wedding. Well, it is inside.Father gave it to me before he set sail for Valinor. He had it made for you when you first ventured to Mirkwood when you were a child. He saw in grandmother's mirror what would come to pass..."
"Father knew I would meet Legolas?"
"He knew. So he had a dress made for you, for you to wear on your wedding day to him." Arwen went to her dresser and got a small key from her jewelery box. She came back to Arariel and opened the chest.
A strong smell of trees and a woodsy smell, the same she smelt on Legolas that morning, wafted out of the chest. She reached inside, her fingers hit soft material. She grasped it and pulled. It was a white silk dress. She stood up and held it against her. The material felt lightweight and soft. The dress was low cut with sleeves that were cut so that they almost touched the floor. It was woven with green sparkly thread in the shape of leaves and flowers across the bodice. The dress fell to the floor and had a long train at the back. Arariel looked at her sister with tears in her eyes.
"There is more..." said Arwen, taking the dress from her, "Have a look"
Inside the chest was a silver circlet that had a single emerald in the centre and a single bracelet that had a little leaf on it. Lines twisted and turned across the circlet coming to meet in a point in the centre. The emerald was placed in the middle, so it would be in the middle of her forehead. Lastly, she picked up the bracelet and turned the leaf over. There was an inscription. 'tinu, ten' vera atar' (daughter, on your wedding, father).
"Thankyou father..." she whispered.
She looked at Arwen, tears streaming down her face.
"I miss him..." she sobbed. Arwen hugged her sister.
"He loves you sister. He would be here if he could" she pulled away, "Come on. Lets get you dressed. I will wake Aragorn" she rolled her eyes, "That is a feat in itself"
