Chapter 8

A/N And now I took even longer. So sorry. Bad author. I got kinda sidetracked in the story, so hopefully now that I got my thoughts in better order, these chapters won't take so long in the making..

It was mid-afternoon. Feryn was in the stable grooming his horse while other servants moved around him caring for the other horses. He ran the brush slowly through his horses' mane. He found this task very relaxing.

"Legolas!"

Feryn heard a voice cry out amidst the stables and turned around.

"Oh, my apologies," it was Estel, the mortal from Rivendell. "I have confused you for Legolas, Feryn. You weren't facing my way and you both have the same hair. How are you today?"

Feryn stopped his task and turned to Estel.

"I am well. Did you need Legolas? I'm afraid he still hasn't left his room."

Estel hid a smile by looking towards the ground.

"No, I only wanted to take a short ride before dinner. We were leaving tonight but Thranduil has convinced us to stay for dinner. He says Legolas told him he would be there. So we will leave in the morning instead."

"And how did Legolas tell his father that? The chambermaids say he hasn't left the room."

"He went out the window."

Feryn thought on this a moment.

"If he is trying to escape his room so often then I imagine he is not participating in the tradition," he said with a twinge of disappointment.

"So often? When else?"

"The maids told me he tried to walk out last night also."

"Yes, he came back to our party and we had a conversation," Estel's mind thought back on the previous night. "Feryn, did you threaten the girl with exile from Mirkwood if she did not agree?"

"That is the punishment."

Estel remained quiet.

"You wouldn't understand," Feryn continued, "you are not an Elf."

"Do not get angry at me. I was just curious."

"No one has ever refused before. The old traditions are fading. Legolas doesn't even want to participate in this. He keeps sneaking out of his room. The maids have told me that it seems nothing is going on in there at all!"

"Why is this so important to you?"

Feryn flinched. "You wouldn't understand." He walked out of the stables leaving the brush in the corner and a very confused Estel behind him.

Legolas and Elenya now sat in different chairs, fifteen feet apart, not facing each other. Elenya was busily looking out the window while Legolas was staring into the room. It was quiet. Neither dared speak after the day's activities.

Legolas thought about dinnertime. He had told his father he would be there, but he did not want to leave the room. His heart told him he could not leave things with Elenya as they were now. His body kindly reminded him of Arwen's girt in the dresser. And the fact that Elenya had not changed out of the robe and hot not talked about going home. It was giving Legolas all sorts of thoughts. Did she want to stay? Perhaps just one more night? Did she like him at all? He had become very frustrated and was trying to keep an appearance of calm for Elenya.

She on the other hand could easily notice that Legolas was tense. But after that incredible experience he had on this very chair, she thought. She had felt the world spin. And the mental imagine of Legolas between her legs was enough to drive her to a mad blush. She looked out the window desperate to focus on anything to keep her mind off it. But she did not want to leave yet.

Slowly she looked over at Legolas and spoke.

"Legolas," he looked her way, surprised that she had broken the silence. "Perhaps I could stay until after dinner?"

He nodded. He could see father tomorrow. If this beautiful Elf wanted to remain in his bedroom he was not going to refuse. Surely his father wouldn't miss him all that much.

Thranduil sat at in his personal dinner table with a small group of guests. Elrond had left in the morning, as had the Lothlorien elves. The table consisted of Thranduil, Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen, Estel, Feryn, and Gandalf. There was one seat by the king's side that was notably empty.

They were almost done with their dinner after having waited a half-hour for Legolas.

"I must apologize for keeping my Rivendell friends here with promises of Legolas," the king said.

"Perhaps we'll see him tomorrow," said Gandalf. "It's my own fault if I did not see him. I arrived the day after his birthday party."

"I guess Legolas is having more fun than he thought," Elladan said in an amused tone.

The whole table slightly chuckled, although Gandalf noticed that Feryn was silent.

"Don't worry yourself, Thranduil," Arwen started, "we will see him some other time. Unfortunately we must be heading back to Rivendell tomorrow and no later."

"I will go with you," Gandalf spoke, "My new friend Estel and I have a lot to talk about I think."

Estel nodded in acknowledgment.

"So Feryn, how is your mother?" Gandalf threw the question at him. Feryn hadn't spoken more than greeting pleasantries since dinner had begun.

"She is well, as is my father."

"Yes," Gandalf responded in a low thoughtful manner. "I can see that."

Thranduil interrupted, "I believe it is almost time for desert. Would anyone disagree to have it in the balcony? The night air fresh and the stars are bright."

Legolas laughed as Elenya told him about a small incident a few years back when a new seamstress in training got lost in the fabric room.

"You see the shelves are almost ten feet high. It was like a maze. She was in there for four hours before we realized she was missing," Elenya concluded.

Legolas continued laughing. Elenya picked at some remaining cake off her plate. The dinner the maid had brought in was gone and all that remained were a few cakes for dessert.

The maid had made a point to look at Elenya's attire and did not hide her stare, but left the room without uttering a word.

Legolas' eyes glowed as he looked at Elenya. He was having a wonderful time simply talking to her. She had a lot of stories for such a young Elf, and they all made him laugh.

She in turn looked at him closely. With his eyes shining so full of mirth he suddenly resembled his mother. Or at least, the images that had remained of the Queen in her mind.

"Do you miss your mother much?" she asked then quickly backtracked. "I mean, of course you do, but you heard the call of the sea yet and long to be with her?"

Legolas' smile faded and Elenya felt guilty for having brought it up. His mother had left to the Blessed Realms along with her childhood friend, Celebrian, Elrond's wife.

"Yes I miss her, but I understand." Legolas stood and walked towards his dresser. He had a small portrait of her there. "She did not want her dear friend to travel alone. Especially after all shCelebrian went through, the poor Elf.'

He gave the small portrait to Elenya who studied it closely. "As beautiful as I remember her," she said absently.

"I have not yet been tempted to leave Middle Earth though I fear darkness lies ahead. Celebrain's kidnapping has shown us how the winds were turning. And now the Nazgul return to Dol Guldur, Gandalf says Sauron is revealed."

Elenya's face was solemn. She hadn't meant them to stray to such torment.

"Please stop, Legolas, this whole week is a celebration of your life. I did not mean for your thoughts to turn to these dark times." She stood up next to him and tried to soothe him with her hand on his shoulder.

"I know, but I've been thinking about it from time to time. Arwen is right. We may think ourselves immortal but we're not. This age is about to end and"

Elenya silenced him with a kiss on his lips.

She pulled back. "I said you shouldn't be thinking of these things."

He stayed quiet.

Elenya felt comfortable with him. Their situation of a forced intimacy had made them develop a true intimacy between them. She felt comfortable with him as he did with her.

She felt a sudden nervousness as thought strolled in through her mind.

"Would you like me to spend the night," she asked timidly while staring at a spot somewhere in space.

His brow crinkled. "I think it depends on how you mean?"

"What you said about Arwen being right. We might never have this chance again. If Sauron rises.."

Legolas looked close to appalled. "Do not throw yourself at me because you fear death."

Elenya felt stricken and went to return the portrait of Legolas' mother to the nightstand in order to get away from him. He noticed her dejected disposition and felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, Elenya. But I know you wanted to wait until you were married as all elves do. Or at least, as we thought they did. Have you really changed your mind?"

"I suppose not. I know you also want to wait until marriage. And I do not wish to be bedded and then forgotten the next day."

"I would never." He trailed off.

"And there's always the small but still present chance that I'd become pregnant."

"No you don't have to," he said before he could stop himself.

"What do you mean?"

Legolas paused but decided to go ahead and tell her.

"Arwen gave me the contraceptive liquid for you. It's in that drawer right next to you."

She opened it and pulled out a vial amidst the clothes.

"You didn't tell me."

"Didn't want you to get the wrong idea. You take it an hour beforehand and then the effects last a month long."

"Are you encouraging me?"

"No, I only meant" he began but she quickly opened the lid and drank it.

"Promise that you'll meet me after all this like you said."

"I promise," he looked at her in wonder.

"When?" she smiled as she confused.

"Next Friday," he quickly answered. "Lunch and a walk?'

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you." She fidgeted in place a bit. "Alright I'm obviously nervous, but I do want to spend the night with you."

Legolas closed his eyes. Her words sent a shiver through him. He opened his lust filled eyes and looked at her.

"Why all of a sudden?"

"I don't think it's all of a sudden. I mean what I did for you in the bathtub" she stopped fidgeting and seemed lost in the memory, "I must have known then that I did want this."

"It's not just fear of these dark times? We weren't even alive when Mirkwood was Greenwood."

"Legolas you are making this harder on me. I don't want to think about all that. What I do want to think about is this moment," she traced her hand over the sheets of the bed then looked up at him and spoke in a whisper "I want you. Do you want me?"

"I want you," he responded quickly bringing a sigh of relief from Elenya.

"So now we have an hour to wait."

"Wait?" he said walking towards her. "I can think of things I want to do to you that would make the hour go by faster."

A/N Cliffhanger? Oh, no very bad author here. I just wanted to get something out for making everyone wait so long.

Thanks for the tips on The Two Towers video game Anyone have any on passing Orthanc? Even my boyfriend can't get past level 17. But then again, we don't play as often. We're stuck and we've let it be for awhile.