Deana; Thanks:-) Yup; poor Legolas!
Mornflower; -greedily grabs cookie and hand over chapter- There's the chapter, do I get my brownie-cookie hybrid now! Thanks for reviewing by the way... –gobbles cookie- Mmmm... cookie...
Chichiri's Wanderer; Lol! Nope, there's absolutely nothing better than a nice bit of angst! I'll see what I can do...
Stoneage Woman; Thanks! Ooh... enjoy studying... –grins evilly-
leggylover03; I think Estel is ok... I can't make any promises though... aye, what WILL Elrond say! –remembers what she typed- He he he... –double evil grin-
Mellaithwen; Well, the beetch has been put in her place, so you and Jo need not worry... and anyway, I'm in a SERIOUSLY good mood now anyway as I'M ALL LURVED UP... an extremely cute boy called Charlie... I'll keep you informed as things progress... lol! Skittles; I have to be in the right mood for them... rainbows are nice enough but they sure are filling! Yup, Tiliath's back! I had to bring him back; I was missing him too! Ah, the Lothlorien cousins story... -grins- I love it too! I'll post it soon!
Dha-Gal; Poor Tiliath... no wonder he's paranoid of you now! Lol! I've still got that picture that you drew of him... mind if I put it up on my website under Fanfic Fanart? It'd be the first piece up there, lol! -glares- You promised you'd drop the eyebrow thing... grrrrr! I FIXED THAT TYPO! -cries-
Terreis; Lol! You really do like the couples/potential couples, don't you? Ecara and Tiliath, Hal and Tebridë... lol! Actually, now that you mention it, I was wandering through Middle-Earth the other day and an inn in Bree had a poster on the door saying; WANTED FOR FANFICTION DAMAGE and five pictures of four certain Elves and a Ranger... strange, huh? Yup, there'll be a part in this chapter JUST FOR YOU, seeing as you like Tebridë and Hal so much... also, I've drawn a bit of fanart for you of the two of them together, I'll let you know when I've posted it on my site! ;-) Ah, Writer's Block... the bane of every writer... I hope it passes soon!
Faerlain; Thanks! ;-)
varda101; Ok! Lol!
shadowfox8; Thanks! Well, regarding Hal... you're free to use him as you like; I just have a few small rules over him, and these rules go for ANYBODY who wishes to borrow him – 1) Give me credit for him, which I know you've already done! ;-) 2) No supernatural powers; foresight aye, as some Elves do have that, but nothing like shooting lasers from his eyes... lol! 3) Keep him somewhat in character. If the way he's written is nothing like the way I write him, then it's like a completely different character which has been given the name I made up myself, though I'm sure you wouldn't do that Shadow... and finally 4) Feel free to kill him off if you like, just mention that that is a story plot of your own and not mine. ;-) That's about it! So have fun with him and be sure to show me the results!
Lost-Elf; Oh, thank you! It's always lovely to find that someone's been reading, and thanks for saying to me, I love getting new reviewers! Lol, well, like I said earlier, what's a good story (with the exception of humour) without angst? Lol! Thank you very much for reviewing, I hope you do so again soon!
Sila ninque; Wow! Well, let me just say that I'm both grateful and extremely flattered:-D It really makes me smile when I find out that someone's taken the time to read over my series like that! So thanks for brightening up my day! I hope you enjoy the rest of series as it comes...
ashlyns; With pleasure:-) Thanks for the review!
SageWriting; Lol! Well, I'll take the stalking me remark as a compliment... ;-) I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Lol!
LATMC; Oh thank you! I'm really glad to hear that! Wow, it's surprising me the number of people who are first time reviewers of the series this time round, it's great! Well, let's just say that I now have over 40 stories planned for the series, so I'm sure there'll be plenty more for you to read, lol! It goes right up to the War of the Ring and beyond actually. What happened to Garvorg? Well, let's just say that if a villain doesn't suffer a gruesome death at the end of one of my stories, the chances are, they're going to come back bigger and badder than last time! Let's just say, I know what happens to Garvorg... Aragorn, Legolas, and all you wonderful readers on the other hand, DON'T... –evil grin- At the moment, he fell from the cliff and ran, but don't forget what was said:
Stumbling out of the riverbed, Garvorg laughed to himself. He had found it! He, Garvorg, had found the living place of the Elves. And he would be back, one day; he would return with an army, and he would fulfill his plans once and for all.
He stalked away into the darkness of the forest, limping and dripping water as he left. The trees shuddered when he grew close, and they knew in their hearts that many years after this day, he would keep his word. He would come back...
- Red Sun Rising, Chapter Seven
Ooh, spooky... that was at chapter 7 too! Woah...
Sarah; Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter too.
TO EVERYONE READING: I've had some people asking whether they can do fanart based on my stories or write fanfics based on my characters. All I can say is go right ahead! Make sure to upload it onto your comp and the internet (if you have a Council of Elrond account it'll be easy!), leave the link to the picture in a review and I'll take a look and pop it onto my site! ; )
.: Chapter Seven :.
Tiliath planted a kiss on Ecara's cheek before seeing past her. The first person he happened to see was Legolas.
"Valar, Legolas; what are you doing here!" asked the Ranger, bewildered. His mind immediately began to sound an alarm; it seemed that the only times he'd ever bumped into the young Elf Prince when either the Elf or himself were in deep trouble...
Legolas allowed his bandaged arm to come into Tiliath's view. "The same reason as last time my friend. I shall soon have to find a new excuse; 'injury' is wearing rather thin, don't you think?"
Tiliath rolled his eyes. Entering the small house, he sat on the countertop of the small kitchen area that was adjoined to the main sitting room (which also happened to house a bed.) "Well, at least you're fully awake and coherent this time. Not like with those other injuries you had, remember? The frozen lake?"
"Other injuries?" thought Hallataulë, eavesdropping in on their conversation. There were other incidents, involving a frozen lake? He'd heard nothing of this. And now he discovered that Legolas had relationships with more humans than just Estel. The young human boy he could deal with, but more of them? Just how far was Legolas getting himself involved with mortals? He'd had so many warnings...
Just how much was Legolas hiding from him?
Hallataulë mulled all of these new revelations in his head darkly as he sat in his fire lit corner. He would have to have a very long chat with Legolas when all of this was over...
----
All in all...
When all was said and done...
Elladan could only conclude that this day had been a long one, and at that point, he could see no end in sight. He and Elrohir had taken four hours to explain themselves and their situation; four hours of frustration, anger, tears, questions, answers, and confusion and desperation. Now he was so tired... he simply wanted to crawl to his bed. Yet, with no end in sight, as was already decided, Elladan knew that his conscience simply wouldn't allow him to rest until he knew where Estel, Legolas and Hallataulë were.
"Speaking of those three," his mind told him, "Is it not ironic that they are the subject of Ada's current question?"
Elrond had only felt stress like this a few rare times before... strangely enough; they all seemed to involve the twins, Estel, or one or more of their friends. "Do you know what happened to them?" he asked.
"We... we lost them Ada..." confessed Elrohir.
"You... you lost them!" Elrond shook his head numbly. "How!"
"The water Ada..." whispered Elladan, lowering his head. "It swept them away from us."
"It feels as though I'm unable to trust any of you to come home without injury!" cried Elrond, exasperated. He rubbed his temples with his fingers and sighed. When he spoke next, his tone was softer.
"Do you know what happened to them?" he repeated. He needed to know if the twins had seen anything else, apart from their brother and friends being carried away by the water.
The twins shook their heads. Elrond thought deeply. What would he tell Thranduil and Sólia? That he had allowed both of their children to be swept away by a freak and unforeseen flood? Before the five younger beings' friendship, the relationship between Mirkwood and Rivendell had been tentative at best; only in recent years had things become far easier. What would happen if the two princes had not survived?
"Ai Valar... why do you torment me thus?" he thought desperately.
----
"I see you've brought company this time," remarked Tiliath to Legolas matter-of-factly. He motioned to the Elf sitting in the corner and the teen lying on the bed. "Am I to be introduced?"
Legolas nodded. "Aye. My friend Estel is taking up the space in your bed I'm afraid, and the grumpy one in the corner is my brother." He grinned as Hallataulë scowled at him.
Tiliath inclined his head in respect. "A pleasure to meet you."
Hallataulë returned the gesture. "The same for me. You seem to know my brother quite well; I'd say that anyone who knows of his accidental nature must do..."
The Ranger laughed heartily. "Aye well... let's just say that fate conspired one day to give me the streak of bad luck to meet him." He laughed once again, and Hallataulë found himself joining in.
"And you Master Elf?" asked Tiliath, smiling slightly. "Did you come through the storm without injury or does proneness to accidents run in your family?"
Hallataulë laughed quietly. "I am fine, truly. Thank you for your concern."
Legolas stared at him, his eyes glowering. "Liar," he mouthed, smirking. Hallataulë simply raised one eyebrow at him, never letting his gaze off of his younger sibling.
Perhaps these new humans were not so bad. Hallataulë was more than surprised at himself; he was actually conversing rather well with them. Perhaps Estel had softened his views? He still had the memories of those first humans he'd met locked in his heart and in his mind; locked away in a place that he could never find a key for to release them; but it dawned on him that Estel's presence had calmed the memories – they were not as bad as they once were. Perhaps Legolas was right. Perhaps humans with such a cruel streak in them really were rare. Perhaps, after all, there was some merit in the human race, something which marked them out and made them different.
Then again, Legolas had never been one to stick to conventional views... Hallataulë remembered how much trouble Legolas would get into with the other Elflings of his age in the past. Maybe he should be concerned that he was beginning to think like his younger brother...
Perhaps both were correct. He would just have to find out.
A groan from the bed alerted the attention of all in the room...
----
Elrond had sent out a fairly large search party to find his missing son and the princes. Elladan and Elrohir he had packed off to bed with no small amount of force, adamant that they would not go out and help with this particular search party.
After treating Elrohir's hands and then checking him for any further injuries from the fall, Elrond finally gave him an almost clean bill of health. It was this statement however, that had made the twins all the more adamant to go. Despite their best efforts to be allowed to help, the twins found themselves being sent to their rooms to get some rest after what was understatedly being called a 'very stressful day'.
Elrond found himself collapsing into a large overstuffed chair and put a hand to his forehead. Elrohir's words had struck him, causing a knot to tighten up inside of him. Lost them?
"How do you explain that you simply lost three people?" he thought. He was still trying to figure out how to tell the King and Queen. And not only that, but he had lost Estel as well...
"Ai, Estel..." Somehow, he felt that this was to be a herald of things to come. It seemed that whenever Estel and Legolas were in each other's company, things were bound to go awry.
For now though, Elrond of Rivendell would simply have to sit and wonder at the state of things, how things had become like this, and how things would be...
----
Estel blinked and opened his eyes wearily. His head felt sore and heavy, throbbing as though he'd had one of the twins slam it in a door. His eyes closed again and he groaned.
"Welcome back!" said a cheerful sounding voice. Estel's eyes snapped open again and he found himself staring at the face of a dripping wet, rugged looking man. Intense brown eyes looked back at him. His breath caught in his throat in fear before a second far more familiar voice also spoke.
"It's alright Estel, we're safe."
The teenager turned his head on the pillow to see his best friend smiling at him from a comfy looking chair beside the fire. "Legolas?"
"Who else?" grinned the Elf.
"How's your arm?" asked Estel quietly.
"Fine," said Legolas, still grinning. "Although it's a bit sore. What about you?"
Estel self-assessed himself again. No. He was still the same as when he woke. "I feel like I've been sat on by an Oliphaunt..."
Everyone else in the room laughed lightly at his comment. Estel frowned. "I'm being serious!"
"We know Estel, we know," said Hallataulë. "It's good to see that you're alright though. Now, when do you think you'd feel up to trying to get home?"
Estel propped himself up on his elbows quickly, a look of defiant determination on his face. "Now! I'm absolutely fi-" He was cut off mid-sentence however when his head suddenly felt light and his world span. He gulped and lay back down.
"Looks like your body isn't quite as well as your ego yet..." remarked Legolas dryly.
"I'd give it a couple of hours yet," advised Tiliath. "That'll give you a chance for your head to clear a little."
Estel nodded. "Alright..." He then looked pointedly at the two Elves. "And then we go home!"
Hallataulë sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes Estel... then we go home..."
----
It was about three hours later when Tiliath, Legolas and Hallataulë finally decided that Estel might well enough to head home. As they debated the pros and cons of the matter, the teenager in question had sat on the bed and sulked.
"I'm more than capable of looking after myself..." he'd thought, annoyed.
It seemed that the two Elves agreed with that, promising Tiliath that they would head straight home with the human. Although the Ranger had been reluctant, Legolas had assured him that Estel would be far better off at home under the care of Lord Elrond, and so he relented.
And so it was, as Legolas and Hallataulë were gathering the group's belongings, Estel chanced upon a talk with Tiliath...
Estel sat on the bed, pulling his boots on. The action caused his shoulder to hurt badly and he hissed.
"Here, let me help you with that."
Estel looked up to see Tiliath crouch down before him.
"I'm fine, really," said the teenager, somewhat embarrassed that he might need help at his age.
Tiliath gave him a wry grin. "Hmmm, you've got pride in yourself. That's a good trait usually, but for now, just let your pride go and accept help, ok?"
Estel blushed with embarrassment. Tiliath laughed a little.
"I don't know why..." said the Ranger quietly as he helped the boy. "But you remind me very much of someone I knew a long time ago."
"Really?" said Estel. "Who?"
"A Ranger, like myself," explained Tiliath. "He was a good man; an exceptional leader and a great friend. It surprises me; you look very like him as well."
Estel was curious. "Really?"
Tiliath was studying the boy closely. "Yes." He paused for a moment. "May I ask how old you are Estel?"
"Sixteen," replied the boy. "I'll be seventeen next March the first."
Tiliath was stunned. Now he knew why this boy reminded him of his friend...
Lightning forked the sky and the rain came down so hard that it almost felt that it was throwing itself at the earth. Tiliath rounded a corner, avoiding the burning buildings in the next street of the village. The Orcs had known all too well where to strike; this village in Eriador was where almost all of the Rangers lived.
"Arathorn!" he yelled, over the screams of the people, looking around desperately. There was fire everywhere. Dead bodies lay littered across the ground, staring with blank glazed looks that would haunt every survivor of this massacre for the rest of their lives.
Tiliath ran down the street. He needed to find Arathorn, the leader of the Rangers. This was swiftly turning into a disaster; they needed to get the women and children as far away as possible. Too many innocents had already been slaughtered. He knew that Arathorn would be with the elven twins. They had always had strong links with the Rangers and were in the area when the village had been attacked.
And then it happened. Tiliath ran out into the large clearing in the centre of the village, the main area of the fighting. He'd just spotted Arathorn, riding furiously through the hordes of Orcs that surrounded him, Elladan and Elrohir, cutting them down as they stood in his path. They were winning... this nightmare would be over soon! Already the rain was beginning to douse the fires; they would rebuild their homes... their lives.
A lone Orc stood atop a tree trunk and took aim. Arathorn's heroics were about to be cut brutally short. The arrow flew, slicing through the air like a knife. Arathorn heard the whistling sound and turned; a fatal error.
Tiliath watched in utter disbelief as the arrow struck Arathorn in the eye, throwing him from his horse. In his mind, Tiliath already knew his friend was dead, but his heart could not believe it. He fell to his knees in the mud as the evil Orcs pounced upon his fallen comrade's body...
"ARATHORN!"
----
It was many hours later that all of the Orcs were finally killed. Elladan, Elrohir and Tiliath had rescued Arathorn's corpse from the brutal hands of the Orcs and bore the Chieftain's body back in dignity to his home and his wife Gilraen.
Gilraen wept uncontrollably, clutching Elladan's coat in her hands and leaning heavily on him. All the Elf could do was stand there and allow her to let out her grief. Tiliath could do nothing. He simply stood in the doorway, watching the heartbreaking scene. Elrohir was looking after Arathorn and Gilraen's young child who was sat in the corner.
"Elladan..." sobbed the young woman. "I... I..."
Elladan pulled her back slightly and looked in her eyes. "Yes Gilraen?"
The woman looked back with red stinging eyes; eyes in which hope had died and there seemed to be no future.
"I want you and Elrohir to... to take Aragorn."
Elladan's eyes widened. "What! Gilraen... we, we can't-"
"Please Elladan!" she pleaded. "I... I'm begging you. He's not safe here! I... I want him to go back with you to Rivendell... please..."
Elladan looked over to Elrohir, a look of confusion on his face. His whole expression asked 'what should I do?'
Elrohir rose from the floor where he'd been with the small two year old who was the subject of this debate.
"I think..." he said slowly, "that bringing Aragorn with us would be for the best."
Elladan sighed. "Are you sure Gilraen?"
The young woman nodded. The utter inconsolable grief etched on her face over the prospect of having to send away her only child was almost unbearable.
Elrohir quickly chipped in. "You know Gilraen, that if you ever want to see him, you come, alright? You're always welcome."
Gilraen nodded and dropped her gaze to the floor.
Tiliath had watched the entire exchange. It made sense. Now Aragorn, a small toddler, was the Heir of Isildur. There were many people in the world who would want to kill the youngster. Sending him to Rivendell would probably be his best chance of survival.
"Tiliath," said Gilraen quietly. "You live near Rivendell, do you not?"
"Yes," said Tiliath. Gilraen thought quietly for a moment.
"If you ever encounter my son," she said slowly. "Do not mention his father, or me, or anything about tonight. I want Lord Elrond to tell him the truth only when he is old enough. Until then..." She choked back a sob. "Until then, we were both killed, Arathorn and I, and Aragorn is no special thing to the world. When I come, I'll see him, aye, but from a distance. Are we all agreed?"
Elrohir thought that this was wrong. Surely if the boy grew up thinking he was an orphan, the revelation of his mother being alive would have a bad effect on him? He opened his mouth to protest, but Elladan stopped him.
"Mother's wishes Ro," he said softly. "Alright?"
Elrohir scowled, but did not make his thoughts known. The effects of tonight would be felt by all present, one day, but until that day, it was now the twins' duty to care for Aragorn...
"Tiliath?" asked Estel. "Is something wrong?" The Ranger had fallen quiet and solemn for a moment.
Tiliath shook himself from his memories and gave a weak smile. "No, nothing."
An awkward silence fell between them for a moment.
"So... you're a Ranger?" asked Estel.
Tiliath nodded. Estel pondered this carefully.
"I'd like to be a Ranger one day..." he said finally.
Tiliath grinned. "You would? Well..." He leaned forward close to the teenager and whispered. "The day that you decide the time is right, you come to me. I'll take you to Eriador."
Estel's face lit up. "Really!"
"Yes!" said Tiliath. "You know... I believe you'd make a fine Ranger."
Seeing the smile on Estel's face was enough. Before the teen could reply though, Legolas called for him from beside the door. "Time to go Estel!"
Estel jumped down from the bed and flashed a grin at Tiliath before running to his friend. Tiliath smiled softly as he watched the boy leave.
"After all..." he thought. "It's in your blood..."
----
The sun was back. It shone brightly through the leaves, casting a faint green light on the travellers below. Estel, Legolas and Hallataulë wanted nothing more than to finally get to Rivendell and rest properly...
A cracking noise from the bushes put the trio on sudden high alert. Pulling out his bow, Hallataulë readied an arrow.
The bush rustled and they all stood, watching it intently. They didn't know what might spring from it...
A faint whimper was heard, and from the bush emerged a small grey baby wolf.
Hallataulë lowered his bow thankfully and the younger two breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come on," said Estel. "Let's get going."
He and Hallataulë turned to leave but Legolas stayed, watching the wolf.
"Come on Legolas!"
"No..." said the younger prince. "It's alone out here..." The trees told him that much. "It has no mother."
Realisation dawned on them as they remembered the fight with the she-wolf the day before.
"That must have been why the she attacked," said Hallataulë. "She thought we were a threat - she was simply protecting her young one."
"I feel really quite guilty right now," said Legolas quietly. The small wolf pup ran to him, stopping at his feet and looking at him expectantly. The Elf knelt down and patted the pup gently. "So... what do we do with him?"
"Keep him," said Estel bluntly. Hallataulë shook his head.
"No! What on Arda would Ada and Ama say if we came home with a baby wolf!"
Legolas looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Oh come on Hal..." He picked the small furry bundle up in his arms, where it snuggled down. "Look at him..."
Hallataulë groaned and rolled his eyes. "You know Legolas, I've just figured out how you constantly manage to get your own way... it's that face you pull. Unfortunately nobody can resist it..." He sighed. "Fine. We'll keep him-"
Legolas grinned at this.
"-BUT," continued the older Elf, folding his arms. "He's your responsibility, not mine!"
Legolas nodded. "Done!"
----
It was another four hours before they'd finally got back to the comfort of Rivendell. The sun was beginning to set in the sky when the gates had opened and the inhabitants of the city breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Elrond stood on the steps up to the healing ward, one eyebrow raised and giving them a look of mixed relief and exasperation.
All he said was a simple and much heard: "Let's take a look at you all then."
Despite their protests that Ecara had already taken care of them, the glare of Elrond quickly shut them up and they silently followed him to the ward. Estel suddenly felt like he could breathe again; a gentle cooling breeze blew through the large windows along the corridor. He was home...
Five minutes later, Elrond was convinced that the two Elves would be fine with some much needed rest and relaxation. However, he was concerned about Estel's shoulder and wanted to check it himself; after all, he had had a branch spiked through it. He dismissed the two Elves, telling them in no uncertain terms to "go and get some sleep, or else I will ensure myself that you are both unable to wake for a week!" After all, Elrond's 'herbal tea' was a threat to be feared throughout Imladris...
The key scraped in the lock and the door swung open. Legolas was surprised that his older brother hadn't lost the key in the water. Like at home, here in Rivendell they shared their room. They could have had separate rooms had they wanted them; the sharing was purely because they'd always done so since they were young and it had grown to the point where they didn't feel right if they didn't.
The room was large and spacious. Two beds sat at opposite ends of the room, the large picturesque window between them. An oak wardrobe sat majestically in the corner while tapestries hung on the walls.
Legolas was barely able to walk over to his bed before collapsing onto it tiredly. He sank into the soft pillows and sighed contentedly.
"Legolas," said Hallataulë. He folded his arms.
Legolas sat up. He couldn't help but notice that his older brother looked somewhat... hurt? Or saddened? He couldn't tell... there was an underlying current of anger there, or perhaps frustration, mixed with something else. The younger Elf suddenly had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach... now where would this conversation lead? Hallataulë sat on the bed.
"Right Legolas. We're both alone, and I want you to be honest with me. Don't worry, none of this will go back to Ada and Ama, alright?"
Legolas nodded blankly, wondering what was going on.
Hallataulë sighed. "What have you been up to? What's all this 'he saved my life before' and the 'frozen lake', hmmm? What's that all about? And why have I only just found out about it now!"
Legolas was silent and he looked at his older brother with a sorrowful look in his eyes.
"Are you angry?"
Hallataulë snorted derisively. "Angry? I'm furious!" Legolas dropped his gaze.
"But not with you," continued the elder prince. "With myself. Why didn't you tell me Legolas? I'm your brother for goodness' sake! Why did you try to hide all of this from me! Is there something that's stopping you from coming to me? Have I done something wrong?"
Legolas searched for the right words, but he couldn't find them. He knew exactly why he couldn't tell Hallataulë, but he didn't know how to tell him without hurting his brother's feelings. So he stayed silent.
Hallataulë sighed. "Alright then. But I want you to promise me something, alright? From now on, no more secrets, ok?"
Legolas nodded quietly. "Ok..."
Hallataulë pushed his younger brother back down onto the bed. "I'll be back soon; I need a drink. And now you, get some sleep!"
Legolas allowed a laugh to escape his lips, before he settled down and his mind sped away into dreams...
----
The oldest Mirkwood prince sat down at the kitchen table and sighed. He still knew that Legolas was hiding something from him. He slouched over the table, leaning on his arm, and watched the water in his glass bend the light and cast it in ripples on the table.
Hallataulë straightened quickly as he felt something warm and heavy drape onto him. Turning, he was somewhat surprised to see Tebridë holding a thick green blanket in her hands.
"You looked tired," she commented simply. She handed him the blanket, smiling serenely as she did so.
Hallataulë wrapped the offering around his shoulders stiffly. "Hannon lle," he said. Thank you
Tebridë moved around the bench and sat down next to him. "You realise you had the whole of Rivendell worried sick?" she said. Her eyes seemed to shine with unshed tears, yet she smiled happily. Hallataulë merely grinned lopsidedly. The look was not lost on him of course, but he put it down simply to the moonlight.
They sat like that for a moment, simply staring at each other, before Hallataulë coughed falsely, breaking the moment.
He leaned forward and, brushing her back gently, gave her a small kiss. After a second he drew back. Tebridë was staring at him wide-eyed, her mouth open slightly.
Hallataulë suddenly regretted the move. His mind quickly tried to think of an excuse quickly; the moonlight was addling his senses? He was tired; he didn't know what he was doing? That he couldn't help himself; she was just... beautiful...
Then she laughed. And suddenly...
The world seemed so much brighter.
----
It was late afternoon of the next day. The sun was shining again, and as Estel looked out of the glassless window at the far end of the hall he felt a sense of security and gladness, before it was replaced by a slight sadness.
The bags were packed with clothing and provisions, and the final day together was drawing to a gradual close. Legolas and Hallataulë were leaving to return home tomorrow.
For now however, Estel had resolved to enjoy the time with his friend. Goodbyes were tomorrow, and besides, he was sure that they'd see each other again very soon. At that moment they sat on the stairway of the main hall, discussing something of great importance.
"So, what are you going to call him?" asked the teen, resting back and lying on the large step with his arms behind his head.
Legolas pondered this for a moment. "I'm not sure... I'm trying to think of something appropriate."
The small pup rose up on its back legs and placed its front paws on Legolas' knees, looking at him expectantly.
"You're wanting me to hurry, aren't you?" said Legolas, smiling. "Very well. I shall call you Louvel." He scratched behind the pup's ears lovingly, and Louvel wagged his tail.
"Louvel?" repeated Estel. "'Little Wolf'? Legolas... he's going to get bigger..."
Legolas rolled his eyes. "I know that..."
Well, I hoped you enjoyed that! Sorry about the lack of action... next chapter is the last one... -sniffle- So, I hope to see you all there! ;-) I'll also include the preview of the next story!
P.S: That bit with Hal and Tebridë? That was especially for Terreis... hope you liked it! ;-)