This is the final chapter of FTTT, at least for the foreseeable future. I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations and I can only apologise for the long delay in posting this. Maybe one day I'll get round to writing the rest of Legolas's history. Thanks must always go to Khazar for her betaing, Keek for her nagging and especially to Thuriniel for her guidance and patience.
Enjoy,
Emma
Everything On The Up
By the time she reached the steps of Legolas' talan for the second time that day, Eldirn was positively terrified. She remembered little of her walk through the forest. All she could think of was a jumble of the possible scenes that could occur during the evening, which whipped her into such a state that she had to pause at the bottom of Legolas' steps just to catch her breath and steady herself a little. She could not arrive a complete gibbering wreck, after all.
Slowly she began to ascend the stair, all the time conscious of exactly what she was doing. She knew at that moment all her mother's plans for dining this evening had been set aside, and she was visiting her circle of friends to tell them how her little girl was dining with the Prince. As she had helped her daughter dress earlier, Rodwen had taken great pains to make Eldirn comprehend just how important it was.
"Throughout all your time away Eldirn, there was not one sniff of a rumour of Legolas and anyone else. Well, except for the ones started by those insipid ellith who seem to follow him everywhere. He was almost never at the festivals and apparently the only elves he used to dine with were his family and his guards. Then you are back a few weeks and suddenly you are having dinner with him after seeing him once!
Rodwen had been foraging in Eldirn's wardrobe while she spoke, but she turned round and fixed her gaze on her daughter.
"Eldirn, sellen my daughter, you do understand what everyone will think of this, do you not?"
"Aye, Nana, I do," Eldirn sighed. "But really, no one will have much of idea if you and Meliel do not tell anyone, or is it already too late for that?"
Rodwen and Meliel sounded like naughty elflings as they muttered the names of the ellith they had spoken to. Eldirn was amazed that they had found the time, but said nothing, only sighing resignedly.
Now as she walked upwards her mother's words came back to her. Had she really spoken the truth, that there had not even been rumour of another elleth? Eldirn paused for a moment as the butterflies flipped in her stomach. Could there still be a hope that he would care for her as much as she did for him?
She was not allowed another moment of thought. As soon as she reached the top of the steps the doors opened and Eldirn found herself inside Legolas' talan once more. She was shown into the same room that Legolas had been resting in earlier, but found it changed. The furniture had been moved and the room was lit simply with candlelight. There was a pleasing scent as well that filled her lungs. It reminded her of the smell in the Wood after a summer storm, a fresh smell that spoke to her of home.
"You came," said Legolas, somewhat surprised. He had spent the last hour wondering if Eldirn would arrive at all. She had appeared so scared when he had asked her.
"Of course I came, Legolas, it would have been impolite not to." She saw his face drop and quickly hurried to correct her mistake. "Not that I am here just out of politeness, of course."
His face broke into a wide smiled and he gestured for her to sit down.
"I would get up and show you around, but it is against my healer's orders. She's very fierce. I dare not risk her anger."
"Quite right too," Eldirn agreed, giggling. Legolas was sitting at a small, circular dining table and she sat down opposite. Without waiting to ask Legolas poured her a glass of wine.
"It is a bottle of Adar's finest, he sent it over especially. Try it, it is quite excellent Dorwinion."
Eldirn picked up the goblet, but her hand shook so much she quickly had to put it down again without taking a sip. "I am sorry," was all she could say, embarrassed that her feelings had been so easily given away. Her fingers still rested around the base of the stem and Legolas wrapped them in his.
"Why are you nervous?" he asked gently. Eldirn shook her head. "You know there is no need to be, Eldirn. I would never want that." He gave her an encouraging smile and she managed to return a slightly wavering one. "Good. The food should be here soon, I hope you like it."
"I am sure I will." There was a knock at the door.
"Tolo Come!" Legolas commanded without taking his eyes of Eldirn, or his hands off hers.
Several servants bustled in with plates of food, forcing Legolas relinquish his touch. As quickly as they had arrived they left again and once more the two were alone. Eldirn was not sure where to look or what to do. Her heart had quickened at Legolas' simple, reassuring touch and it had had quite the opposite effect from the one intended. Now she felt even more self-conscious; but she was also strangely thrilled by it.
"Shall we see what there is?" Legolas asked and began lifting the lids on the various dishes. Eldirn followed suit. She could not believe there was so much to eat for just the two of them. In each bowl was a different treat for them to try. She and Legolas both reached for the same cover at the same time and their hands brushed. Eldirn blushed at the sudden contact and pulled her hand away.
"You are still so beautiful when you blush, Eldirn," Legolas commented, his voice low and laced with hidden emotions. "I am glad to see that that, at least, has not changed."
"Am I so changed?" she asked, mastering her feelings.
"I cannot say, I have not had enough time to observe you. Ask me again another time. Help yourself to whatever you like, Eldirn," he finished, motioning to the feast before them.
Eldirn smiled appreciatively and began to fill her plate.
"I do not think I have seen so much food in one place since I left Rivendell. There was a big feast before I left which lasted for hours. It was almost like being back in the Lant Silivren for a festival here." Eldirn was grateful to steer the conversation in a direction she knew she could happily talk on.
"You must be missing Rivendell a great deal," Legolas observed.
"Not as much as I expected. It was never really my home, just a place I was a guest for a long period of time. I miss the friends I made there though - Arwen and her brothers, the cousins and other relations I have never known except from letters to my mother."
"How did you like Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir?" he asked, recollecting his time with them.
"I like them very much. Arwen was so kind to me on my arrival and throughout my stay. And her brothers…" Eldirn paused to think of quite the correct words, a smile on her face "… kept me amused, always."
"Yes I imagine they did that very well," Legolas laughed.
"They remembered you very fondly too. I think you should always be welcome in Rivendell if you wished to go there."
"That is kind, very kind, of them, but my place is here, at least for the foreseeable future."
"What is your place, Legolas?"
"I am a perthirith in my father's guard," he replied proudly. "I spend most of my time in the middle of the Wood learning about the terrain, meeting the people there."
"It sounds like an ideal job for you," Eldirn remarked, feeling so pleased for him for his obvious happiness in his situation.
"I do not think I could be employed in anything that would make me happier."
"Does it not keep you far from your family and friends though?"
"I miss my family, of course, but they are in my heart wherever I go and my friends are my fellow guardsmen. It is a camaraderie that cannot be explained easily. The ellyn I trained with… it is so hard to explain Eldirn." He paused and thought how best to describe it. "They have seen you at your best, but your worst as well. From them, there is no secret part of your personality that you can keep hidden. They know all your weaknesses and there is an implicit trust that they will never use them against you, unless of course they are supposed to."
"It sounds wonderful, Legolas. I am truly happy for you." Eldirn smiled genuinely and Legolas returned it, but as she had noticed earlier he held something back. There was a sadness that ran deep, hidden almost all of the time, and it tarnished her joy.
"Tell me about your brother," he said quickly changing the subject. He knew Eldirn would see straight through the front he put up to the rest of the Wood, but he did not want to dwell on it.
"Gaeron? Well we are still getting to know each other. I love him dearly though. Actually he reminds me a lot of you when you were young," she said cheekily.
"How so?" he asked, suspiciously.
"Mischievous, stubborn, utterly without sense."
"I had some sense," Legolas protested.
"And you are still just as stubborn," she teased. Legolas laughed. "My mother is so worried for him, but I am not."
"Why?" he asked seriously.
"Well, look at you, you turned out fairly well."
"Only fairly?"
"Maybe a bit more than fairly then." Eldirn blushed much to Legolas' delight.
"Eldirn Star-Watcher, is that a compliment?"
"Perhaps," she said, coyly.
"I shall take that as a yes." Legolas was triumphant.
"And I shall only hope Gaeron does not grow up to be quite so arrogant."
They both laughed at themselves. They were still giggling when the servants came back to remove the dishes and leave them with fruit for dessert.
"It is a bit early in the year for all these is it not?" Eldirn asked.
"They are not from here. Adar has started trading with the Galadhrim in the south of the Wood and in Lothlórien."
"I thought he did not like the Lady Galadriel."
"He does not, but that does not stop him needing to further our links with the elves outside the realm. It is an excellent idea. Master Elrond first suggested it to Adar quite some years ago and it did take a while to persuade him that it was the right thing to do. If he could, I sometimes think Adar would isolate this place from the rest of Arda, especially when relations with Rivendell are fraught. He has come close to outright war on more than one occasion."
"Master Elrond used to muse for days on how best to express himself in the official letters to your father. He values greatly the alliance between Imladris and the Greenwood," Eldirn added quietly. She was impressed by Legolas' intelligent assessment. He had certainly changed in the course of forty years. "Does your father not think to send you perhaps to Lórien?" she asked without thinking.
"No, I think that given the disaster of the last diplomatic mission I was sent on Adar would never agree."
"Oh… yes…" Eldirn mumbled. "Sorry."
"It is not your fault," Legolas said lightly. He looked at Eldirn and realised something. "Arwen told you the whole story of my stay in Rivendell, did she not?"
"Yes, on my last night there."
"I am sure she had a reason for telling you it."
"I believe so," Eldirn said thoughtfully. She sat for a moment, then smiled. "I think she wanted to show me that the words we say in the heat of the moment, no matter how hurtful, can always be forgiven."
"By 'we' you mean you and I, do you not?" he almost whispered. Eldirn nodded, unable to speak. "I said a lot to you that I should not have said and did not mean, Eldirn. I do not look on the day of our goodbye with any happiness at all. It was unforgivable."
"It would only be unforgivable if you had not received such a treatment in return. I cannot think of that day without shame and regret, Legolas."
They looked at each other in silence. A single tear escaped her eye and ran down her face. It wavered on her chin as if debating whether to give into the inevitable and fall onto the pristine tablecloth. Legolas reached across the table and wiped it away with his finger.
"There, there, Eldirn," Legolas said kindly, "do not upset yourself anymore. It was a long time ago and we will not speak of it again. Look at all this food we have not started! Less talk, more eat, as Adar was fond of saying when Thalion and I used to argue at dinner. Try this."
He scooped up some fruit with a spoon and then dipped the end in some cream. Leaning over again he fed it to a very self-conscious elleth. She reddened under his gaze as he watched her eat. Once she had swallowed he asked,
"What do you think of the foreign imports? As good as our own?"
"They are delicious," she replied.
"Yes, you look like you enjoyed them," Legolas said before he wiped a triangle of cream from the corner of her lips with his finger, which he then put in his mouth without further thought. "I think I would like to try some now," he stated matter-of-factly and held out the spoon to her.
They fed each other dessert until their mouths were smeared with juice and cream, laughing at the mess they had made. Suddenly they realised that all the food was gone and they had eaten the lot. Eldirn wiped her lips carefully with her napkin, but Legolas realised his had fallen on the floor. Without thinking, Eldirn was on her feet.
"Here, let me." She bent down to retrieve the linen.
She stood over Legolas as she diligently cleaned him up. Her eyes were caught by his. For a moment she stood there. Everything else in the world ceased to exist except the two of them. Eldirn blinked and the spell was broken. She wiped Legolas playfully on the end of the nose with the napkin, noticing that he was still looking at her with the same intensity.
"I think that you should move back to the couch Legolas to rest your ankle some more. It will not have done it any good being in that sock either," she said pointing to his foot.
It was Legolas' turn to blink a return to the world as it was, not what it could be. He carefully raised himself to his feet and allowed Eldirn to help him hop over to a soft seat. She saw he was positioned comfortably and sat down to take one quick glance at his ankle. The swelling had decreased since the afternoon; he had been following her instructions at least.
She stood up again.
"Sit down, Eldirn. Please?" Legolas asked.
"Another hunt is due back early in the morning. I must be on hand in case someone is injured, thrown off their horse even." She tried to keep the conversation light and Legolas smiled despite his disappointment. "Will someone come and help you to bed?"
"Yes, Thalion said he would."
"That is good. Please give your brother my regards and congratulations on the birth of his son, even if it is rather belated."
"I will," Legolas said.
Eldirn stood there not knowing what to do next. She did not really want to leave, but she needed her rest before the morning. Legolas held out his hand to her and she offered hers in return. He took it and brought her fingers to his lips in a gentle kiss. Reluctantly he let go, but in one last gesture, Eldirn stroked his chin softly before she turned and left.
A few days later, Meliel had stayed late into the evening at the Adab Nestad to finish a draught she had been working on. She caught sight of Eldirn's cloak, accidentally left behind. Meliel tutted, smiling to herself. Eldirn had most definitely been out of sorts since her dinner with Legolas a couple of nights before, but that was not necessarily a terrible thing.
Eldirn had been singing while she worked, dancing from place to place instead of the usual walking; and she had been exhibiting an alarming level of absentmindedness. She would forget about pots of water she had put on to boil until they had turned dry and the room smelt of tarnished metal; she would lose her place in potions and have to throw it away and start again because she did not know which ingredients she had thrown in; and, most seriously of all, she would utterly forget about the elf she was treating and let her mind wander in a land of its own choosing.
Suddenly the door burst open. Two very drunk and riotous ellyn staggered in. It did not take her long to realise that one was Prince Legolas and the other Lord Sadron. Legolas seemed to be bleeding profusely from his right temple.
"My Lords!" Meliel cried more out of shock at their inebriation at such an early hour than at the blood. "Sit yourself down, your Highness," she called as she rushed to help them.
"Meliel," Legolas slurred, grinning lop-sidedly at his healer. "Where is Eldirn, is she not here? Eldirn! Eldirn!" he shouted to an empty room.
"She went home a while ago I am afraid, you will have to make do with me. What happened?"
The ellyn collapsed with laughter and Legolas almost fell off his stool.
"We have been celebrating," said Sadron extravagantly.
"I mean, what happened to your head?"
"I was up in a tree…" he trailed off. "And then all of a sudden I was on the ground." The laughter happened again.
"Then it was a miracle that you were not more seriously hurt. You have not damaged your ankle again, have you?"
"No, I am fine," Legolas reassured her.
Meliel began to tend to the wound on his head. It had stopped bleeding, but needed quite a bit of cleaning up. "What were you celebrating?"
"My promotion," Legolas said proudly. "I am now an arathirith and I out-rank my brother."
He tried to stand to salute Meliel, but between her and Sadron they managed to keep him seated so she could finish examining him properly. Meliel reassured herself that there was nothing seriously wrong with him that a good night's rest would not cure.
"Well if you want my advice, then you will both go home now before you do yourselves any lasting damage."
"Oh no, we cannot do that," Sadron said as if Meliel had just has the most ridiculous idea in history. "There will soon be a feast and then music and dancing. The merrymaking has only just begun!"
Meliel made a noise of disapproval that she had perfected over the years seeing her husband come home in similar states to theirs. "Stay here."
She returned with a large jug of water, two glasses and a packet of ground herbs. Mixing the dried leaves with the water she then looked at the two ellyn and said very firmly,
"You are not leaving this room until all of that water is gone. I cannot, in good conscience, let you go back out there in this condition."
"Yes, my lady," they both mumbled, suitably chastised.
Meliel kept on a hard and disapproving face while they both drank glass after glass of the bitter water, but behind the façade her mind was whirring. She had never actually seen Legolas and Eldirn's last dance together, but she had heard rumour of it. Maybe given the chance to recreate the moment things would hurry themselves along a little? She almost let out a cheeky smile at the thought, but quickly schooled her features back to their adamant demi-glare.
When the water was finally gone she turned to the ellyn and said,
"You may go back to the merrymaking now, but I am leaving the Adab Nestad. There will be no one here until morning now, so do not think you can send your friends here when they do some equally stupid things. Goodbye." She ushered them both out of the door. With one glance back at her half-finished potion she decided it was not quite so urgent after all, grabbed Eldirn's cloak and soon followed them out.
It was Rodwen who opened the door of her home to Meliel and welcomed her inside.
"I have come to return Eldirn's cloak. She left it behind today."
"She is in her bedroom, although I do not know if you will get any sense out of her. All she seems to do is smile and say 'yes' to whatever she is asked."
"Those were the days, Rodwen, those were the days," Meliel said with a smile.
"We could never have been this bad, Meliel, could we?" Rodwen replied incredulously. The younger elleth laughed.
"I do not know, but Eldirn does have forty years to make up for! I want to take her merrymaking tonight. The guards are celebrating - a certain young Prince has been promoted."
"Oh! Then I think it is a wonderful idea. You two have not been out since she came back from Rivendell, and it is such a lovely night. Do you want me to call her for you?"
"No, I will go to her room. That way I am closer to her wardrobe!"
Meliel knocked before she turned the handle to enter. There was a soft cry of shock from inside the room.
"Oh Meliel, you startled me," Eldirn apologised, blushing.
"I am not intruding, am I?" she asked.
"No not at all. I was just… thinking," Eldirn said coyly.
"I see," Meliel replied knowingly. "I came to bring your cloak back, which you left behind again, you forgetful girl! And I am glad you are not busy, because I want us to go merrymaking tonight."
"Yes, I would enjoy that," Eldirn replied. Meliel had to sit down.
"You have never agreed to it that quickly before."
"Well, it is a long time since I went and it might be good fun. I think I will wear the dress Arwen made for me before I left Rivendell."
Meliel thought she was going to faint.
"Very well," she said shakily, getting to her feet again. "I will go home and change and call back here for you."
Meliel left the room in something of a daze.
"Are you ill?" Rodwen asked, concerned as she saw her pale face.
"No, but I think Eldirn may be. She said yes without any persuading and then decided on a dress without me even having to mention it."
"Ah, it is definitely a sickness," Rodwen said sagely. "Perhaps tonight will put an end to it. Hurry back before she has a chance to recover her usual senses!"
Soon the ellith were on their way. Eldirn was still a most voluntary participant in the evening; she even had a smile on her face and seemed almost excited. The noise from the celebration was incredible. They needed no directions to find the gathering of elves. It was as if half the Wood had already turned out and the rest was swiftly arriving.
Night had not yet fully encircled the clearings, but already the great fires had been lit. Many of those had long spits stretched across them, roasting whole wild pigs. Wine flowed freely from barrels and everywhere was music and laughter. Meliel and Eldirn helped themselves to a couple of glasses of the wine and began to walk around to see if they could meet anyone they knew. Suddenly Aegas accosted them, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Meliel, my beautiful wife!" he cried. "I was planning to come home soon and fetch you down here myself, but now you are here and we can have a dance. You do not mind if I take my wife away for a little while, do you Eldirn?"
"No, not at all," Eldirn said happily. "I will sit and listen to the singing instead."
"Excellent!" He took Meliel's glass from her hand and gave it to Eldirn then led his wife off at quite a gallop that was entirely out of keeping with the music.
"What are you doing?" she whispered to him.
"Hush, Meliel. We are doing Eldirn a favour."
He came to a sudden stop in front of a group of elves seated on the floor. Meliel recognised a couple of them as very high-ranked officers of the guard. Keeping hold of his wife's hand, he tapped one of them on the shoulder and whispered,
"Your Highness, might I have a quick word?"
The ellon had his back to Meliel, so she could not identify him, but as soon as he stood up and turned around all of her husband's plan became clear to her.
"Yes, Aegas, what is it? Oh Lady Meliel, how lovely to see you. Again," he added somewhat embarrassed. He had clearly sobered up since Meliel had seen him last. She giggled a little and curtseyed.
"It is a rather delicate matter, your Highness. Perhaps I presume too much, but I think, maybe, there is an elleth you might like to see sitting under an oak tree on the other side of the fire wearing a rather fetching green dress." Aegas and Meliel smirked. Legolas was so overjoyed at the news that he did not even stop to thank them, but walked purposely off in search of his elleth.
Meliel and Aegas watched him disappear into the twilight.
"Did you seen the grin on his face?" Aegas could not believe it.
"I did not know you were such a romantic," Meliel mused.
"I try and keep it hidden otherwise you would come to expect it of me and that would never do."
"Could we have a proper dance now?"
"Only if you give me a proper kiss first," he demanded, eyes twinkling.
"Very well then," she replied.
It was not difficult for Legolas to find Eldirn. The silver in her dress shone in the light of the fire. She sat with her eyes closed, concentrating on the melodies that threaded through the branches of the trees weaving a musical blanket around all the revellers.
"Would you care for a dance?" he asked, without even saying hello.
Her eyes flickered open and she smiled.
"How is your ankle? I could not bear to be responsible for causing any further damage." She mocked him, but he knew it hid deep-rooted concern.
"Perfect and back to normal. A demonstration, perhaps?"
In answer, she held out her arm for him to help her to her feet.
"I think we should move that way a bit," Legolas said pointing away from the fire. "My brother and Meliel are lurking over on the other side of the fire."
"A very wise idea," Eldirn agreed wholeheartedly. "What happened to your head?" she asked noticing the bandage.
"I drank a lot rather too quickly and fell out a tree," he answered sheepishly.
Eldirn tried to hold back her laugher, but she could not. "Oh Legolas, you are having an accident-prone few days. You did see a proper healer did you not? I know some of your guards are trained in the basic arts, but you should really see someone who knows more. You could be seriously hurt." The hilarity was replaced by concern.
"Do not fret, it was seen to properly. I was thoroughly examined and then chastised for being so drunk at such an early hour."
"It was Meliel who saw you," Eldirn stated angrily, suddenly realising.
"Yes it was. Why do you look so cross?"
"She has been meddling."
"Ah. So that would explain why Aegas and she were so keen to tell me you were here." Legolas was amused rather than cross. He took it as a good sign that her friends were so keen for them to spend time together.
"I am going to find her right now and give her a severe talking to!" Eldirn cried and turned back. Legolas caught her by the waist and spun her around, back in the direction he wished to take her.
"No you are absolutely not going to do that. I forbid it. Right now, you and I are going to find a spot to have a nice quiet dance. And then, when I am satisfied with that, maybe we can consider how to exact revenge."
"Who put you in charge?" she retorted.
"My father, actually. He made me an arathirith today."
"Oh Legolas, that is wonderful news. I am so pleased for you. Is that what everyone is celebrating?"
"Well some people are celebrating it. Others are just using it as an excuse to go merrymaking," he said wryly.
"And you only found out today?"
"Just this afternoon. Do you remember that I told you when you came to look at my ankle that I had missed an important meeting with the King?" Eldirn nodded. "Well apparently that is what the meeting was about."
"And to mark the occasion you drank too much and fell out of a tree. Slightly more dramatic that falling off your horse, Legolas. Well done," she teased.
"I think here is a good place," he said, ignoring her comment.
"For what?"
"For dancing, Eldirn. Give me your hands now."
She held out her arms and Legolas took them pulling her close to him. For a long while they moved in harmony to the music and silence. Only soft smiles and little glances were exchanged.
Once Legolas plucked up his courage. "That is a lovely necklace you are wearing," as he looked at the seven-pointed star pendant sitting on her chest.
"This old thing?" she joked, touching the gift he had given her on a similar night many years ago. "Arwen thought it went very well with this dress and I am inclined to believe her."
"I think I have more to be grateful to Arwen for than you are letting on, Eldirn."
"No," she said quickly, but decided that should tell him the truth. "I think talking to her helped lessen my fear of my first meeting with you, if one should have occurred."
"But you looked so scared when you were in my talan?"
"Scared, no. Nervous, yes."
"Oh really, because you looked pretty terrified to me," he joked.
"Oh very well, I was scared out of my wits, and seeing your father there did not help." Legolas laughed. "What is so funny?" she demanded.
"I was just thinking about the way you look when you are frightened. It is quite endearing."
"Oh be quiet you silly elf," she protested, blushing.
"Rather like when you blush," he added huskily.
Eldirn opened her mouth to remonstrate some more, but Legolas shushed her, pulling her even closer to him so their bodies were flush against each other. One of his hands shifted from her hip to her back and it began to sear the skin underneath, marking her as his. He held her to him possessively. She was all his and there was no turning back.
They danced cheek to cheek virtually on the spot. Both of them had their eyes closed. If Legolas had thought the emotions he had felt when they had first danced this way were intense, then he was completely unprepared for his feelings at that moment. It was as if the hope he had always felt that one day she would return and they could be together again had opened up an entirely new level of elation. There were no other thoughts in his head as he felt every curve of her body pressed against him. He loved her; there was no question of that now.
The music around them changed to that of a popular traditional Silvan song. Legolas started singing along in Eldirn's ear, only he changed the words to the slightly naughtier version the guards used to sing around their campfires. Eldirn giggled and gasped at the bawdy words he was using.
"Really, Legolas, there are ladies present," she scolded him gently.
"I know for a fact that you are well acquainted with every word in that song."
"Only because you made your brother teach it to you and then you sang it to me. I cannot help it if I pick up lyrics easily."
Legolas' ears pricked up. He could hear his name being called from somewhere close by.
"Quick!" He whispered urgently. "Someone is looking for me. Shall we go for a walk?"
"But it might be important," Eldirn said innocently.
"No it will be silly, drunken antics. Come on," he urged.
Legolas was leading Eldirn off into the trees when they were caught by a group of dishevelled ellyn.
"Legolas! There you are!" cried one of them.
"Come on! We want your opinion on something."
"Not right now, go away," Legolas replied rather bluntly. They did not appear to have noticed Eldirn, whose hand was firmly encased in his.
"You are coming with us," they decided for him, pulling him in the direction of the main fires. Legolas could not help but let go of Eldirn's hand. Looking back over his shoulder he saw her standing there, forlorn and lost.
"Stay exactly where you are," he called back. "I shall not be long!"
For a while she did wait, but when it became clear that Legolas had become embroiled in some scheme or other she started to walk around the small clearing they had been in. She was so unsettled by what she had been feeling all evening! It was so different from anything she had ever experienced before. For the past few days she had felt like singing aloud all the time, like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. For long moments everything finally seemed to make sense. But then, sometimes, old doubts crept into her mind and she was afraid of her own emotions. Why was she afraid of what seemed so right?
She found herself hitching her skirt up and climbing a tree, carefully vaulting from branch to branch. High up in a great branches she arranged herself comfortably against the trunk and sat staring at the stars. She must have been lost in her thoughts for quite some time because she was shocked when a familiar voice said,
"Eldirn Star-Watcher, watching the stars. How appropriate."
"My mother always knew I would find the most peace looking at Elbereth's creations. Somehow their vastness always helps put things into place for me. Are you sure it is safe for you to be up here?" she mocked lightly, looking down at where Legolas was settled on one of the tree's limbs.
"Not a drop of wine was past my lips since I left you, I promise." Eldirn laughed. "I am sorry I was gone for so long. I would explain, but I do not think I can quite find the words…" he trailed off, looking off into the distance, bemused.
"Maybe you would like to walk me home and try and tell me about it," she offered shyly.
Legolas looked up at her and even in the pale moonlight she could tell he was smiling brightly. He helped her down from the tree and they found each other's hand as they started on their walk through the forest. Very carefully, Legolas tried to relate the series of bizarre instances that had occurred while he had left her, but in the end they were both laughing too much and he gave up.
"I had a lovely time tonight," Legolas said as they approached her home.
"Yes, me too," she agreed quietly. Her stomach fluttered as if it knew what was going to happen next and was trying to tell her head. She carried on walking but Legolas did not.
"Eldirn, wait," he told her and took a step towards her, turning to face her. One of his hands rested lightly on her hip while the other stroked the hair around her face. He turned the full force of his gaze on Eldirn, seeking for something in her face to give him a sign.
Eldirn's lips trembled. Her head finally realised what was going to happen next. She stepped back out of his reach and instinctively looked in the direction of home, her sanctuary.
"No, Eldirn. Please do not run, not this time," he pleaded. His face showed his distress, but his eyes had lost none of their intensity. He looked down at the ground and then seemed to change the topic of conversation. "Eldirn, I have yet to thank you for setting me on my path. Without you making me realise that I could not live just a life of luxury tonight would not have happened. I know we said we would never speak of that conversation again, but I cannot let tonight end without telling you that you were right and I am so grateful that you were."
"I was unforgivably rude, Legolas. I could have been more diplomatic," Eldirn interrupted, but Legolas ploughed on.
"I worked so hard, Eldirn, while you were away. I wanted for you to come back and see what I had done with my life. I wanted to make my family proud, but more importantly I wanted to make you proud, Eldirn. When things were bad - when I was tired, dirty, alone - I thought of this moment. Of taking you in my arms and thanking you properly, of kissing those wondrous lips of yours and hearing you tell me you felt the same. Forty years I have thought about this, for forty years it has both tormented me and spurred me on. Do you not burn inside like I do? Does the fire not rise up so that it is all you can think or feel?" Legolas closed the gap between himself and Eldirn once more. He tucked his hand under the chin, cupping her jaw and stroking her lower lip with his thumb. "Do you not pine for just one kiss?"
Eldirn was fixed to the spot. She could scarcely breathe. The emotions raged within her, consuming everything. Her eyes were wide and frightened, but she never once let her gaze leave Legolas' eyes. The connection between them could have set the air ablaze. He was challenging her, she knew that, challenging her to decide once and for all exactly what she felt. But how could she answer?
Closing her eyes, Eldirn thought she could sever the link between them and give herself time to think. His face may have been gone from her vision, but the picture of Legolas' intense eyes, darkened with what she could only read as desire, was burned into her mind. He was etched inside her. Then, the decision was made.
Slowly and tentatively, her eyes still firmly shut so Legolas could not scare away her resolve, Eldirn raised her left hand to cover his right, which now caressed her cheekbone. Screwing up her eyes even more tightly she turned her face slightly and placed a soft kiss on the pad of his hand, just below his thumb. She moved her face into his hand further, planting a second kiss, this time, more secure, in the centre of his palm. Legolas gasped quietly and Eldirn's eyes flew open. His face now wavered only a few inches from hers. Subconsciously, Legolas licked his lips and Eldirn was mesmerised by the moonlight dancing on the moisture. She finally allowed her eyes to meet his once more and saw the utter rapture in them. She could only blush under such tender praise.
Legolas had panicked when he saw Eldirn close her eyes. But when she raised her hand to his, lips quavering, curling her warm fingers around his own, and kissing them, he could not believe it. But then he felt it again - the soft press of her lips, firmer, more determined, onto the palm of his hand. And now she was looking at him, so innocent, so perfect, so completely his in that one single moment. Legolas felt the tears of joy well up inside him.
Eldirn trailed her fingertips down his face, leaving behind a line of sparks that ignited his skin. Legolas moved even closer to Eldirn and she closed her eyes once more. She felt him smile crookedly against her mouth and she sighed gently, her breath caressing his skin. He started to tease her, prolonging the moment even more, by rubbing his nose against hers and planting almost imperceptible kisses on the corners of her mouth.
Eldirn moved her hand around to the back of his head and toyed with one of his braids, coiling it about her finger. Her hand found the top of his neck and pulled his lips down onto hers, bridging the last gap between them.
She felt warm beneath him. Legolas moved his arm down her back, resting finally on the crook of her hip. His other hand rested on the back of her neck and he too played with the wisps of hair there. Eldirn moaned against him. Her hands swept up his chest and then locked behind his head. Legolas' tongue traced the outline of her lips and he nibbled gently at them. She sighed again and instinctively he took the opportunity to gently snake his tongue into her mouth. He felt Eldirn stiffen at the unaccustomed intrusion, but Legolas reassured her in the only way he could think how: he gently stroked her tongue with his and silently encouraged her to do the same. His hand caressed the small of her back; Eldirn could not help but moan once more. Slowly she relaxed and, emboldened, began her own exploration of Legolas; her fingers, her lips, her tongue all doing things they had never done before.
Eventually, she put her hands on Legolas' chest, not pushing him away; but he knew it was time to end that beautiful moment. Giving her one last kiss and then another, it was his turn to give a groan of satisfaction. He drew back slightly and saw Eldirn looking at him from beneath her lashes with a faint smile gracing her red and swollen lips. She raised her fingers to them feeling the strange sensation that coursed through them and the rest of her body. Legolas returned her smile broadly and hers widened. A giggle bubbled up at him through her lips and Legolas positively beamed. She laughed again and he could not help joining in. Eldirn flung her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, swinging them both in circles as they laughed and cried
Finally when they were both dizzy, Legolas set Eldirn back on the ground. She stroked his brow and kissed tantalisingly close to his ear whispering,
"Ai, melethen, mach pân olthon ned Oh my love, you are all I dream of!"
"Maer Good," he murmered in return.