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Chapter Eight: Love

Midsummer's Day TA 3019

Legolas

The Dark Lord has been defeated and now I sit witness to the merrymaking of Aragorn's and Arwen's wedding. My children are here, as well as Elena. They arrived with Arwen and the rest of her escort. Now I watch as my children dance with Elladan and Elrohir. Elena is now dancing with one of the rangers from the north.

"What are your thoughts Master Elf?" Gimli interrupted my thoughts in his usual gruff manner.

"I have none." I told him not wishing to engage in another conversation concerning Elena.

"Just go ask her to dance, if anything to spare me your misery for being such a fool. Anyone here can see you adore her." Gimli then said with a slight smirk. I spared him a glance then and nodded, not wishing for this conversation to continue.

The dance had ended and now Elena was watching Nenwen and Naurwen dance yet again with the other twins. Her thought were probably of the same as mine a few moments ago concerning them all. I approached her then with a small smile.

"It is good to see you well." I told her and she smiled back at me.

"I have to say the same for you. Have you noticed our daughters tonight?" She asked still watching them on the dance floor.

"How could I miss them they look lovely, but if you are asking about the time being spent with Elrond's sons, Aye I noticed that too." I told her. I decided there was no other I wished for them to be with tonight. Elrond's sons where respectable and noble elves. "They told me of your meeting with my father." I told her deciding to wait for the next song to dance.

Elena laughed, "Aye, for a fortnight that father of yours said and did everything he could to irritate me. He should seriously consider appointing someone to an office with the soul purpose of arguing with him."

"Aye that is my duty when I am there. But I will bring up the suggestion in the next I see him." I told her with a laugh of my own.

"I have to admit though it was rather fun." Elena said and I nodded in agreement. I was happy that she seen that side of my father. He always enjoyed a good argument and few would give him one.

" May I have a dance, my lady?" I asked her then as a new tune began to play. She nodded and I led her to the floor. It was a moment I was loath to end. I enjoyed having her this close to me. It had been so long since the last I had seen her. We danced in silence. I knew in that moment that all the feeling I had for her were more than those of friendship and adoration. Those, that where true not long ago, were more now. In that moment I let the love I had for her take root. I admitted to myself that indeed I loved her and it was a little terrifying.

As the song ended I escorted her off the floor and made a hasty retreat. I needed to come to terms with my realization. I was outside now looking over the fields and city below. I felt the approach of another elf. When I turned Glorfindel was approaching. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"You came to a realization I assume?" he asked me.

"It is hard for me to believe I am so readable, alas it must be so." I told him gazing up to the stars above me.

"It is not so much that Legolas, as it is the number of times I have witnessed it. She feels the same, it is clear on her face to all but the one she desires." I looked then to the warrior before me, he continued, "As of yet she has not admitted it to herself either. I fear though now she is going to make a bad decision."

I looked at him questioningly and after a moment he continued, "Galuon was appointed by Elessar to command some of the Gondor forces. He is the man Elena was dancing with earlier. Apparently he fancies her and plans to court her. I fear she may take to him Legolas, she does not think herself good enough for you."

"And how do you know of all this?" I asked him. I was being to get a little angry and jealousy swelled in me.

"Because Galuon spoke to me of it, I tell you this now Legolas for you to decided, but I tell you do not wait long." Glorfindel said and then retreated back to the celebrations.

I stood out under the stars for quite sometime. I noticed that the celebration had slowly grown quieter as guest began to depart. Now that I had all of this information I was not sure what to do with it. I knew Elena felt out of place among the Eldar, but I believed in my heart that she would feel even more so among men.

A Month Later…

They were wed now and it was all my fault. They were leaving the White city for Ithilien, Galuon's new post. I could not bring myself to speak to Elena after the wedding of Elessar and Arwen. She seemed happy with her decision though and I did not want to intrude. One part of me thought that since she was immortal now, and her husband was not, that she should not even wed with him. I told her such and it only ended in a rather heated argument. She told me she rather not dwell on that and enjoy the time she did have with him.

I now sit in my home in Eryn Lasgalen. I am organizing a group of my kin to go to Ithilien on Elessar's behalf. Even though Elena had been wed for near five years I still held her in my thoughts. Even though our last words were spoken in anger, she was ever dear to me. I missed her terribly.

"Son speak with me." My father said as he entered the study. It was in one of his tones that would tolerate no argument. I obediently fallowed him to his private chambers.

"Something is troubling you and I will not pretend any longer to not notice. Speak to me." He said handing me a glass of wine. I sat and absentmindedly pondered the wine in my glass. My father sat their in silence for sometime until I finally looked to him. He was observing me.

"It was a decision I made a few years past, and I regret it." I told him. He only arched an eyebrow at me waiting for me to continue. "Ada, you remember Elena?" I told him. A small smile played on his face as some small realization hit him. "She wed five years ago and I regretted the last things I said to her." I told him, I started staring into the goblet again.

"Son, I think I see were this is going, you have feelings for her and you regret not speaking them before she was wed. Am I correct?" My father said I only smiled a nodded at him. "She is wed to a ranger from the north?" I nodded again. "Tell me have you forgot that one day he will perish and she will not?" I shook my head. "Then son what is the trouble?"

"I miss her." I told him.

"She is residing where you are to be soon?" My father asked and again I nodded. "Then you shall see her soon, and one day you will be able to confess things to her. I have no doubt of her feelings for you. Take comfort that you both have forever to work this problem out." It was then I smiled.

"Ada, I have thought of all of this, it is my regret that I had a chance once to speak and did not, costing me the last five years of being with her." I told him.

"Son look to the future and not the past in this, I have hope it will all be resolved. At least you should take comfort I am not forbidding you in such." I laughed

"I am curious as to that." I confessed to him

"I like her much son, that is why." My father said and I smiled. I now felt better than I had in years. At least my father liked her.

Five Years Later…

The battle was over. It was one of several that had happened since the fall of the Dark Lord. There was always resistance to Elessar to be found throughout Arda, this was the latest. Aragorn had summoned several of his troupes to the southernmost part of Ithilien, some Haradrim were terrorizing the villages there. The battle only lasted a day or so we thought.

Late in the night hours we were set upon by a force larger than the one we battled earlier in the day. It took many of us by surprise and I blamed myself. I could not get the warning out in time to save many lives. By dawn the battle had ended and we were now taking count of the dead.

I saw Aragorn in the distance standing over someone and approached. When I saw it was Galuon I looked to Aragorn. He knew that I had promised Elena I would look over him to the best of m ability.

"This is not your burden Legolas." Aragorn hastened to say putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. I could only look to him. It was my fault. I could not deny it. "Legolas, heed my words this could not have been prevented. The force was to large, it would not have mattered if you were right here or not, you could be in the halls of Mandros yourself." Aragorn kept speaking and it was all lost on me.

I was the one to watch over him, to make sure he returned safely to Elena. Now that we were speaking again and I saw the love shared between them I would not allow my feelings for her to be seen. I was gazing now to Galuon while the healers where looking over him. He was still breathing but would pass soon. He mumbled my name.

"Legolas, Aragorn is right, this is nor your burden, please watch over Elena for me, Legolas." Galuon said. I nodded at him. With his last breath he spoke again, "Tell her I love her and always will." Then he passed. I saw the life leave him and felt my silent tears fall.

"Be at peace Galuon." I whispered and went to look for my horse. I heard Aragorn call to me and I turned, "I go now, she must know!" I told him and hastened away.

It was a day later when I approached Elena's home. My heart was heavy. I did not know what to say and hoped it would come to me in the moment I spoke. My heart was breaking for her now that I was approaching. I did not want to see the look on her face. I did not want to tell her. That and the feelings of my own love for her and the desire not to see her hurt in anyway, ever, made me hesitant to knock on the door. But it had to be done…