Chapter Three:

Current mood: Uneasy

Current music: 32 Flavours- Ani Defranco

We're just about to dock in Lorien. I'm feeling a little anxious about seeing Ameron again. What will we say when we meet? What will we do? It feels as if I'm meeting him again for the first time, except that this time my parents aren't here to reassure me. I wish they were…I miss my family. It's been a long time since I've visited, really visited. Maybe Ammë can help me sort out what's going on.

"Mirien," Doran interrupted her writing as he opened the door to her cabin. She looked up in surprise. "We're nearly ready to dock," he said. She nodded and got up, closing her book and locking it in her cabinet before following her friend out the door.

The whole ship was alive with noise and clambour as they approached the tree lined inlet before hem. The sight of the soft golden rays of sunlight filtering through the green mallorn leaves to the water nearly took her breath away. Immediately, nervousness replaced the wonder in her heart.

'Ameron is in that forest…' she thought to herself.

"Captain!" She turned to see Tamar looking at her quizzically. "We're ready to drop the anchor," he said. She looked ahead to the dock coming closer and closer. Finally when they were at the proper distance she turned back to him and nodded.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant." He turned and ran off, shouting orders to the others. Secconds later she hear a splash as first one, then the other anchor was dropped in the water. Suddenly Doran was beside her and he took her arm.

"Captain, there's a problem."

"Problem?"

"Someone on the shore is denying us the dock."

"What? Who?" She looked past him, trying to see who was there. Doran shrugged and she sighed as she brushed past him to see what was going on.

Mirien came to the railing on the port side and saw a group of elves on the shore waiting for her. One in front of the m, presumably the leader, stood with his hands on his hips, looking at her critically.

"Are you in charge?"

"I am. What is the problem?"

"You can't dock here." Mirien sighed.

"Why not?"

"This is a reserved dock." Mirien narrowed her eyes at him.

"I've not seen you here before, are you new?" she asked. "I've always docked here."

"New?" he said the word as if it were the most absurd thing she could have said. "I am Haldir, Captain of the Galadhrim!"

"Well," she said with an equal amount of disdain. "I am Mirien, captain of this ship. This is our dock- it's reserved for me." On the shore, Haldir turned as another elf came from the trees. They spoke softly for several moments before the other elf left. Haldir turned back to her, his expression quite changed.

"I apologise," he said in a much softer tone, then left the shore. Mirien shook her head with an amused grunt before going about the rest of the docking.

Later that day Mirien left the ship in Doran's care. She instructed the crew to stock up on supplies and then to take some time for themselves. Then, with the same trepidation she'd had earlier, she set out to find Ameron. The first place she went was their home.

Unlike the scouts and guards of Lorien, most elves lived in houses built among the boughs of the tall mallorns. Mirien and Ameron's house was small, but was perfect for them. Just big enough for two to be comfortable.

She set her things down in their room, touching all the familiar things they shared, but sighed when she found the house empty.

She decided to go out and see her friends, hoping she'd find him in the process. She received the usual 'it's good to see you's and 'we missed you's from everyone she met. She politely greeted everyone with the usual small talk and kind words before she saw him. There was Ameron, standing among a group of young scouts.

She approached him cautiously, almost stealthily. His back was to her and he was explaining some sort of strategy to the younger elves. One by one the others saw her and looked, until he finally caught their gaze and turned. She stopped dead in her tracks as his eyes found hers. They widened in what at first she'd thought was shock, but found later was pleasant surprise. And then a smile. A truly, happy smile.

"Ameron," she said, but it came out as a whisper. Behind him, the other elves seemed to have gotten the hint and dispersed, some whispering to each other and looking back at her as they left. Ameron still stared at her, as if for the first time; his eyes tracing her body as if her were appraising a precious gem. She suddenly felt self conscious, looking down at her travelling clothes and wishing she'd dressed up a bit. When she looked up again Ameron had crossed the space between them and lifted her head up with his finger. Their eyes locked for what seemed like hours, until finally he brought his lips to hers in a sweet, tender kiss.

"I missed you," he whispered, his warm breath caressing her lips. She looked into his eyes and saw them burning with a desire she hadn't seen in them for a long time. She felt her heart quicken, but more out of fear of the intensity she saw there than out of her own lust. She managed to respond, however, in an equally passionate voice.

"I missed you too."

They went back home and sat together on their bed, each waiting for the other to speak. Mirien toyed with a button on her sleeve as she thought, and then looked up.

"Were they your scouts?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "they're new. I'm in charge of their training." She nodded and looked back at her sleeve. "So," he said, "how have you been?" She looked up.

"Good. I'm….good." She looked down again. "Ameron…" She was cut off as his finger touched her lips. She fell silent and stared. His eyes again smouldered with desire.

"Mirien," he whispered softly, "I've missed you, Mirien." His hand moved to cup her face as he brought his lips to hers. She gasped and returned the kiss, but he became more insistent. His tongue danced lightly over her lips, and she parted them allowing him to deepen their kiss. Before she knew it she was on her back, and he was kissing her cheek, jaw, neck, as his hands began to explore other parts of her.


She felt excited, but not aroused. She couldn't explain it even to herself, but his touch did not hold the same thrill as it once did. She enjoyed the attention he gave her, and moaned and gasped in all the right places as he made love to her, but she didn't feel it, as if her body was numb, immune to his efforts.

With a final gasp of pleasure he fell on top of her. She kissed his forehead, stroking his damp hair as sleep took him, wondering how she could coax her body into feeling something more. She knew her heart loved him, but the excitement was gone. She'd lost it somewhere and now she could not even remember what it felt like. She sighed and, with one last kiss in his hair, closed her eyes and allowed sleep to claim her too.