Chapter 5

Estel was still brushing his hair when there was a knock on the door, and Elrohir entered the room.

"Not yet finished, little brother?"

"Almost. I just need to do something with my hair." Estel sighed. As long as he remembered, he had had to battle with his hair. It was long and naturally wavy, and tangled more than that of his brothers.

"Come, I'll do it for you." Elrohir sat down next to his brother and quickly separated the tousled strands. He then plaited two small side braids and combined them in the nape of the neck to a more substantial braid, leaving the remainder of Estel's dark hair falling over his shoulders and down his back.

"Estel, turn around. Let me look at you..." Obediently the young man turned to face his brother, who took a step back, and regarded him.

"You look very presentable ... almost good enough to kiss! May be you find yourself someone tonight..." Elrohir's eyes sparkled mischievously.

Estel blushed. His brother's comment made him uncomfortable. The young human wore dark leggings and a mid-length grey robe, with a light blue under-tunic. The clothes emphasised Estel's lean body and his silvery grey eyes.

Estel also observed his brother. Elrohir wore tight-fitting dark leggings and a short, festive tunic made out of a shiny material. Estel knew that unless the evening run a very unusual course, Elrohir would find himself a willing maid before the night ended. And, when they left, Elrohir would leave behind one or several very happy elf-maidens, there would be no tears and broken hearts. Briefly Estel marvelled at his brother's ability to find pleasure without emotional entanglements. Elladan was very different in this regard; Estel could not remember the older twin ever having a lover, at least not in his own lifetime.

Elrohir startled the young man out of his thought. "Come, let us find Elladan and go to the meal. I am sure the others are already waiting."

-o-o-o-

As Legolas had predicted, the meal had been set up outside. King Thranduil, his son and Elrond were already seated when the three brothers arrived. After another formal greeting, they were led to their seats – Elrond sat already in the place of honour on the king's right, and Elladan as his eldest son was given the place next to him. Legolas was seated on Thranduil's left, facing Elladan. Elrohir was placed next to his twin brother, and Estel opposite from him next to Legolas. This gave the young man a good opportunity to observe the young prince next to him. Legolas wore a simply cut but formal robe made of a shiny, silvery material. 'He is so beautiful, I have never seen an elf who looks like him,' Estel thought again.

Estel suddenly had an odd feeling in his stomach, as if someone had squeezed it together. 'What is wrong with me?' Legolas' expression had not changed when the guests arrived at the table, but as Estel sat down, Legolas gave him the briefest smile. Estel was sure that no one else would have seen that, and again his stomach tightened.

The food was excellent, and somewhat to his surprise, Elrond allowed Estel a glass of the heavy red wine that was being served. That was rare, normally Estel was not allowed any wine. Later Elrond told Estel that the Dorwinion wine they had been given had been very rare and he had wanted to give him the chance to try it. Estel was grateful for the wine, the atmosphere was tense, and the drink helped him to relax somewhat. He could not help watching Legolas. The prince did not eat much, and, like himself, only drank a small quantity of wine. Legolas did not say much, and throughout the entire meal his face was guarded, giving away nothing.

However, Thranduil's decision to serve a rather heavy wine did have the advantage that, as the meal progressed, both host and guests relaxed, and some of the formality was dropped. Finally the signal for the end of the meal was given. Tables and chairs were moved away and the musicians took their place. The dancing and merrymaking began.

It was a beautiful, mild summer evening, and this far north the twilight lingered long into the night. The air was heavy with the scent of woodland flowers, and some of the brighter stars could already be seen. It was told that the wood elves possessed a special magic, and on that evening, the first one he ever spent in Lasgalen, Estel believed that saying to be true.

Estel had chosen a place on the edge of the clearing they were celebrating in, and he watched with fascination the turning and twisting figures of the elves as they danced under the clear moon and stars. Both of his brothers and his fathers had received eager offers for partners, and even Thranduil had not remained on his seat.

Estel himself had been asked to dance several times but had turned all offers down, he was too afraid to be embarrassed by his human clumsiness. He was content to watch the others, and he found himself more and more looking out for Legolas. The young prince was one of the very few elves who did not appear to enjoy himself very much. He danced with a number of partners, mostly female, but it was obvious that he was not close to any of his partners.

Estel became mesmerised by the dancing figures and was startled by a gentle tap on his shoulder. "May I ask you for a dance, Estel Elrondion?" Estel looked up at the prince who stood facing him. He really did not want to dance, but this was an offer he could not possibly turn down.

With an inward sigh, the young man got up. "It would be my pleasure."

Together they went to the dancing area. By chance or by design, Estel noted, Legolas had chosen well. The upcoming dance was a traditional elvish tune, with a set of steps that Estel knew well. As the dance began, he felt Legolas' arm and hand around his waist and his other hand on his shoulder. The young elf's hands were cool and his touch light. Estel moved himself into the required position, with both of his hands on Legolas' shoulders. As the dance progressed, Estel's concerns about making a fool of himself diminished. Legolas was a good, surefooted dancer and he led well. Estel was only too happy to follow the elf's moves.

As the dance progressed, Estel became gradually aware that he very much enjoyed the feel of Legolas' hands on his body and holding the prince himself. Legolas was so slender and graceful! Suddenly Estel felt the insane desire to run his hands through Legolas shiny blond hair, and to close the gap between them and hold Legolas close.

'What is wrong with me?' the young man thought, 'I have never felt like this before ...' He then also realised that dancing with Legolas had a rather unwanted physical effect on him. At this point, Estel began to wish fervently the dance would come to an end, and that Legolas would not move any closer.

-o-o-o-

Prince Legolas Thranduilion found himself in a similar predicament. Dancing during feasts never held much attraction for him, most of the dances were given to she-elves whom he did not particularly like, daughters of nobles or young elf-maidens whom his father considered as potential matches. Legolas had resigned himself quite some time ago to the fact that as soon as he was old enough to marry, in another half century or so, his father would arrange a suitable alliance for him. He hoped that he would be able to at least respect and like his potential wife, but he had long given up the hope of being married to someone he loved. For that matter, the young prince had never been in love and was not even certain whether he preferred males or females.

When he asked Estel for a dance, it was partly out of a feeling of duty towards his guest and charge, but also in part to show his father that he wanted to chose his own dancing partners occasionally. Not that the king had noticed – he was deeply engrossed in a conversation with Elrond.

Estel's hand on his shoulders and the close movements of his body felt surprisingly good. Legolas did not like close physical contact, and avoided it if he could. But for some reason, which he could not explain even to himself, he did not mind dancing with Estel. On the contrary – he enjoyed the clean, herbal smell of Estel's freshly washed hair and the feeling of strong hands on his shoulders. And suddenly he realised that he was enjoying this dance a bit too much, and hoped very much that Estel would not notice. Legolas was suddenly acutely ware of the fact that the leggings and robe he wore were tight, and would not hide what was happening to him.

After a while, the tune came to an end. For a moment, Estel and Legolas stood facing each other, their eyes locked. "Thank you, Legolas." "It was my pleasure."

"Estel?" There was hesitancy in Legolas' voice.

"Yes?"

"I would like to get away from all of this a bit, to enjoy the night skies. Would you like to come with me?" Legolas was surprised at himself. He did not really know why he had made this offer to Estel. After all, they had only just met and knew very little of each other.

"I would like that very much." Legolas could not quite read the expression in Estel's grey eyes.

Legolas led Estel away from the celebration to a small space between some ancient, beautifully grown trees. Their branches stretched into the starry sky and between them, the moon had risen and provided a soft light between the shadows.

Estel stood still for a moment, simply enjoying the serenity of his surroundings. He then glanced at Legolas, who had sat down in the soft forest grass and was looking up at the night sky. His entire body was glowing slightly, and the moon gave his face an ethereal beauty that took Estel's breath away for a moment.

Suddenly feeling uncertain, Estel shifted. Legolas looked up at the standing human. "Come Estel, sit down with me and tell me what life is like in Imladris. I have not been away much from Lasgalen, I would like to know what life is like somewhere else."

Estel sat down next to the elf, and after some initial hesitation, plunged into a description of his life in Rivendell. At first, he did not know what Legolas would find interesting, but then he decided to simply tell everything that came to his mind. And without even being aware of it, he painted a vivid picture of his life, his friends and family, his thoughts, dreams and fears for Legolas.

Time passed quickly, and after a while he stopped. "Now it is your turn, Legolas. Tell me what the life of a prince is like." Legolas, too, hesitated at first, but then told Estel about his upbringing at court, his training, his duties and responsibilities. But suddenly Estel realised that there was something missing – either Legolas was deliberately not mentioning some parts of his life, or perhaps ...

"Legolas? Do you ever spend any time with friends?"

That question brought down the shutters on Legolas' face. The animation was gone, left was the aloof, unmoving mask that Estel began too know only to well.

"I do not think that is any of your business, Estel Elrondion." With that comment, Legolas got up and walked away.

Estel looked after him and decided that unwittingly he had just made a major blunder.

But there was something about the young prince that he really liked and he was not going to be brushed off that easily. The young man got up and quickly followed the prince. With a few steps he had caught up, and gently took Legolas' hand.

"Legolas, I am sorry. I have intruded where I should not have done. Please do not walk away. I am enjoying your company and do not wish to return to the feast."

Legolas looked at him and sighed. His usually proud shoulders slumped and the arrogance left his face, leaving a vulnerability that touched Estel deeply.

"I am the one who should apologise, Estel. I behaved very rudely towards you. I ... you touched on a difficult area in my life..." Legolas lifted his dark eyes and Estel could see the pain in them.

Estel gently squeezed Legolas' hand that he still held. Reading the situation correctly, he said: "If you do not mind that I am mortal and from Rivendell, I would like to be your friend."

At that comment, Legolas smiled. A small sweet smile that remained engraved in Estel's memory for the rest of his life.

"Thank you. I would like to be friends with you as well."

By unspoken agreement, they returned to the small glade they had been sitting in. They sat down again, next to each other, and in contented silence watched the stars. Estel thought that this trip was working out much better than he had anticipated, he had not expected to find a new friend here.

After a while, he became drowsy – the long ride, the heavy meal and the strong wine were taking their toll. He stretched out on the grass next to Legolas, who also lay down. In companionable silence they watched the stars until Estel's eyes closed, and his breathing evened out.

Legolas could not help but feeling slightly alarmed at seeing Estel's eyelids close. He knew that mortals slept with their eyes closed but he had never seen it, and for him closed eyelids had a strong connection to death. He felt the overwhelming need to touch Estel, to make sure he was alive and breathing, so he very gently stroked his cheek. Estel moved slightly at the touch, and somewhat to Legolas' amusement, into it.

Relieved to know that everything was as it should be, Legolas, too, stretched out and relaxed. But there was something inside him that made him find and hold Estel's hand before dropping off to sleep himself.

-o-o-o-

The hours passed. After a while, Elladan began to wonder where Estel was. He had seen him with the prince, but later both of them seemed to have disappeared. Elrohir had found himself a dark-haired, dark-eyed woodelven maid, and Elladan did not think that he would see his brother before they broke fast the next morning. Elrond and Thranduil were busy talking and planning, so Elladan decided to look for Estel and find out what he had got up to.

Firstly he searched the site of the feast and dancing, but there was no sign of him or prince Legolas. He then walked down between the trees, in different directions, trying to find Estel. Curiosity about his whereabouts turned into concern. Where could the young man be? Elladan turned into another path that led to an opening in the trees, when he saw the faint glowing of a prone elven body. Elladan advanced quietly, not wanting to intrude, should this be an intimate moment. But what he saw surprised him even more.

Prince Legolas and his brother lay in the grass, both fast asleep. Estel's eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and regular. The prince's eyes were glazed over with sleep, and he, too, was breathing regularly. Relaxed in sleep, both looked impossibly young, the prince perhaps even more so than his mortal companion. But what really surprised Elladan was that Legolas was holding Estel's hand.

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