"Kari, do not hold back," Legolas requested as they prepared to fight. He did want their new relationship to inhibit her performance. Emotions should not be part of battle.
"I never do," she replied confidently, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Legolas smirked, but it quickly left his lips when she kissed him briefly. After the kiss that was all too short in Legolas' opinion, Kari pushed away from him and attacked with a stroke of her short sword. He easily blocked it and attacked her.
"Good, very good," Legolas said as he defended against the onslaught of her attacks. They had spent five days away from the practice field. They had both decided that they deserved to take a small break and enjoy this new relationship.
Although Kari had initiated their first love making, that did not mean she knew what she was doing. Though she had learned about the mechanics of the actions and heard whispered stories in the Healer's Hall from other female healers, she was still incredibly nervous during the event. Would it hurt? Would she enjoy it? Would he enjoy it? Would he like what he saw when she was undressed?
When she admitted these insecurities to him as he hovered naked over her in bed, he had admitted that he was nervous too. For some reason, that gave Kari comfort. He reassured her that her naked form was very lovely to look at, which caused her to laugh. She told him she liked seeing him naked as well, making him actually blush a bit. Their first time together was a mixture of whispered humor, awkward transitions, cherishing caresses, and passionate kisses. For Kari, did hurt – a lot - but it was a good hurt, if that made any sense. Despite the pain, she had enjoyed the experience. Legolas, after apologizing profusely for hurting her, told her he had enjoyed it too, which made Kari enjoy the experience even more. He had promised that the love making would get better with more occurrences, and he was quite right. The awkwardness lessened greatly but not the passionate and reverent feelings they shared with each other.
And so they had spent five days in idleness. Kari only left Legolas' presence to work in the Healer's Hall, but even then he sometimes accompanied her to watch her tend to her patients, teach the new apprentices, and make medicines. He liked watching her do what she loved – helping people. She had such alertness in her eyes when she spoke to her patients, and it was wonderful to watch.
They spent the much of the time in bed, or eating, or taking walks in the gardens. Kari got such a thrill from just holding Legolas' hand as they roamed through the flowers. She chided herself for getting giddy over such small things, but she could not help it. Everything they did now had an underlying current of love and contentment and passion.
Even now, as they fought, Kari could feel tingles shoot through her arms as she blocked Legolas' attacks. She now knew the controlled power he possessed, and she had seen him lose that control completely when they made love. She was grateful that they did not have a crowd watching them that day. Their fighting seemed more intimate now, something that she did not want other people watching.
They fought for a long time, the exertion causing Kari to sweat heavily. After blocking, lunging, spinning, tumbling, and attacking repetitively, Kari somehow managed to get inside Legolas' defenses and she held the sword against his throat, a shocked look on her face. He was surprised as well.
"Did I just win?" she asked, amazed.
"I...I think so," Legolas replied admirably. She had long been his equal in archery and now seemed to be as good as he was with the swords.
She smiled. "I never imagined that happening."
"I did."
"Truly?"
"Absolutely. It was only a matter of time before you beat me," Legolas admitted.
"You anticipated this? Do I get a reward?" she asked, putting the swords back in the sheaths behind her back.
Legolas' eyes darkened as he stepped a bit closer to her. "What do you want?" he whispered against her neck. He knew his breath on her neck led to her undoing. They had been together for just a few days, but he already knew what drove her over the edge.
She tried to stay in control. "I think you know," she replied quietly, her voice becoming husky.
He kissed her swiftly, catching her off guard. They became quite involved on the field until they heard someone clearing his throat.
They broke apart and looked to see Lord Elrond standing there, looking very grave.
"Lord Elrond," Kari greeted, slightly breathless and completely mortified. She had not thought of how Lord Elrond would view their relationship.
"Hello, Kari. Legolas, I must speak with you," he said, directing attention to the prince.
"Of course," Legolas replied. He gave a backward glance to Kari and followed Lord Elrond into his study, certain that he would have a talk regarding his relationship with Kari.
Once they arrived at Lord Elrond's study, Lord Elrond spoke. "A darkness had befallen Middle Earth."
This was not the topic Legolas had expected, but quickly recovered from the initial surprise. "I have sensed a disconnect, but I do not know what it means," Legolas said.
"The One Ring has been found," Lord Elrond said, getting straight to the point.
Legolas' eyes widened with surprise. "What?"
"We believe that it has been found in the hands of a hobbit. Aragorn left last night to meet the hobbit in Bree and escort him back to Rivendell. Gandalf was supposed to accompany him as well, but I do not know what happened. He has fallen out of my sight. A council of all the races will be formed here to discuss the fate of the Ring in a month's time. Your father asks that you represent the Woodland Realm at this council," Lord Elrond explained.
"I understand and I will be present," Legolas said, still trying to assess what was happening.
"He also asks for your presence briefly in Mirkwood. You are to escort some of the court here," Lord Elrond added.
Legolas frowned, knowing that the trip would take him nearly a month in total. That would be a month away from Kari and their new fledgling relationship, but he also knew he had duties. He nodded in acceptance.
"Good." Lord Elrond paced slowly before asking protectively, "Legolas, what is your relationship with Kari?"
"My Lord, I love her. And she loves me," Legolas replied.
Lord Elrond did not seem surprised. "One day, even if it is far in the future in terms of men, she will fall. And where will you be?" Lord Elrond warned.
"I would be happy that I spent the years that I did with her," Legolas replied.
"A noble, but naïve answer. You will outlive her, Legolas," Lord Elrond said.
"Not necessarily," he replied.
"Do you mean to tell me that you are willing to suffer the bitterness of a mortal life?" Elrond asked.
"It is a consideration," Legolas replied. And it was. These past few days he had meditated on this issue often, but still did not reach a decision.
"You know nothing of what it is like to be a mortal, all the pain and grittiness," Elrond warned Legolas sternly.
"My Lord, this is not a decision I take lightly. But I love her and I will be with her. Living life without her is no longer an option. It was no longer an option when I first came here."
Lord Elrond pursed his lips but said nothing.
Legolas decided to redirect the conversation. "But with this council that comes, I think there will be bigger things that affect us all that will delay my decision. I believe they will lead to war," he reasoned.
Lord Elrond pressed his lips firmly together, deciding not to discuss their relationship any longer for now. "You are not mistaken."
She did not think she would ever tire of feeling Legolas' weight on top of hers. Although she had imagined it many times, the reality was quite different. It was solid. In her mind she always thought she would feel protected and wanted and cherished, but the reality of actually feeling all those things was so much more powerful.
She looked up at Legolas' hovering face and grinned. She knew she must be beaming idiotically, but she honestly did not care.
"Satisfied?" he asked boldly.
"Momentarily," she replied, equally bold.
Legolas chuckled as he moved to lie next to her. Kari did not like the loss of his weight, and quickly turned to face him. He extended his arm and drew her close to him.
His breath, which had been ragged during and right after their lovemaking was once again calm. Kari wiped some sweat away from his hot forehead.
"I take great pride in finally finding a way to make you sweat," she said.
Legolas smiled languidly. "It is the only thing that makes elves sweat," he replied.
"Ah, no wonder you were always reluctant to tell me when I was younger," she teased.
"It did not seem appropriate for a fifteen year old to know," Legolas said, defending himself.
"You do know I had learned about sexual intercourse when I was twelve and studying for my apprenticeship," Kari replied.
"It is different to hear it from me than it is from in a book," Legolas noted.
"True, I probably would have blushed like mad had you explained it to me." Kari admitted.
"I like it when you blush," Legolas said, lifting up the sheet and looking at Kari's entirely nude body admiringly.
Kari blushed under his scrutiny, and she knew it was his intention. "You are quite manipulative. I never knew," Kari said.
"I was looking at you just a few moments ago," Legolas defended, still admiring her body.
"True, but it is different when all you are doing is looking. You can be more critical now that your hands are no longer preoccupied," Kari replied jokingly. She did not hide from him, but she was shaking a bit. She always felt awkward under scrutiny.
"Critical of what? Your endless beauty?" Legolas replied charmingly.
Kari rolled her eyes. "You already have me right here, Legolas. There is no need to charm me with such words," she replied.
"You are right. There is no need, except for the fact that they are true. And never doubt that," he said firmly. He wondered if she would ever she herself like he saw her. It seemed unlikely, which meant that he would have to spend the rest of her life telling her how he saw her. He could think of worse ways to spend the time.
Kari believed him when he spoke so fervently. She nodded.
"Lord Elrond spoke with me today," Legolas said, changing topics.
"Oh goodness! I had almost forgotten! How embarrassing it was!" Kari exclaimed. "Was he talking to you about our relationship?"
"That among other things. He does not disapprove of our relationship, but he does not approve either."
"I am not truly surprised. He only regretfully accepts that his daughter is bound to a mortal," Kari said. Thought she respected Lord Elrond's views, she knew she could not seek him approval here. Her happiness with Legolas exceeded her desire for Lord Elrond's approval.
"I did not tell him we are bound together," Legolas said.
Kari frowned. "What did you tell him?" she asked carefully.
"That we love each other."
Kari said nothing in response.
"Would you have preferred that I told him? I did not know if you wanted to have that knowledge only between us or if you wanted people to know. We did not talk about it," Legolas said.
"I am not sure," Kari admitted. But she could not deny the pang of worry over the idea that Legolas may be ashamed of their relationship. She knew this was not true, and she hated herself for thinking this at all, but she could not help it.
"I shall get up right now and tell him if you'd like. I shall wake up all of Rivendell to tell everyone," Legolas added, smiling mischievously.
Though completely ridiculous, Kari took great pleasure in hearing him say that. "That shall turn out well. Arrive at Lord Elrond's chambers stark naked and tell him we are bound," Kari jested. She and Legolas laughed for a while over the thought. "I suspect he will guess we are bound eventually. He is too astute to not see how we only want each other. The idea of keeping that knowledge to ourselves is quite romantic," Kari commented.
Legolas smiled. "But so it the idea of a true wedding ceremony. With everyone we care about there," he said.
Kari had to admit that she liked that idea as well. "True," she admitted. She let out a small laugh at the thought of a wedding.
"What is so funny?" Legolas asked, pinching her side affectionately.
"We are discussing a wedding when just a week ago we were only friends," Kari said with a grin. "How things have changed so quickly."
"Quickly? I think this has happened relatively slowly," Legolas responded, thinking about all the time he had felt physically attracted to Kari and suppressed those thoughts.
All that wasted time, and now the future was so unforeseeable.
"Says the elf who has lived for nearly three thousand years," Kari jested.
Legolas smiled weakly, but his thoughts were still focused on the other parts of his conversation with Lord Elrond. He needed to tell Kari.
"Lord Elrond also wanted to tell me that the One Ring has been found," Legolas said, abruptly changing topics and the mood of the conversation.
Kari was shocked. "What? How can that be?" She had learned about the War of the Last Alliance and Isildur in her early studies but never imagined something that mythological being found.
"I do not know how."
"What is to happen?" she asked urgently.
"The Ring will be brought here. There will be a council meeting here in Rivendell in a month's time. All the races of Middle Earth shall be present to discuss the fate of the Ring," Legolas said casually. He did not want her to worry about this unknown future.
"The implications of this council will be enormous. How can people of different races unite under one cause? Can you imagine elves and dwarves working together? It would be disastrous."
"Regardless, the fates of everyone are tied to the future of the Ring. I am to go to Mirkwood to escort some of the elves of the court back here for the council," Legolas said. He prepared himself for the possible argument he would get from Kari about his departure.
Kari frowned. "How long will you be gone?"
"About a month."
"When do you leave?"
"The sooner I leave the faster I may return."
"Which is how you delicately put that you are leaving tomorrow," Kari ascertained.
Legolas chuckled. "I should not try to hide my intentions from you, all attempts are futile."
"Indeed," Kari said. She was upset that Legolas had to leave so quickly into their new relationship, but she also knew that some things were bigger than their love. This was simply one of those things that had to take precedence. "I do not like the idea of your departure, but I understand."
Legolas kissed her softly. "The feeling is mutual."
He enjoyed the idea that she did not fight him on leaving, showing a level of maturity that he knew someone like Virania would have lacked. But it was foolish to compare Kari with Virania. There was no comparison as to who would win. Then again, there was never even a competition for his heart between the two of them. Kari possessed it in ways no other female ever did or ever would again.
"I suppose we must make up for all the time you will not be here," Kari said flirtingly, drawing Legolas out of his thoughts.
He smiled. "My hands do need some more preoccupation right now," he flirted back as his hands began to make swirl-like patterns on her stomach.
Kari giggled. She had been doing that a lot more recently. But soon her giggles were suppressed with kisses.
"It has been a long time since you had been in Mirkwood," Kari commented uneasily as she watched him ready his horse the next morning in the stable.
She had been thinking, perhaps a bit too much, in the early morning as she lay in bed, physically exhausted but mentally alert. Her mind tried to grasp the implications of the presence of the One Ring reappearing. When she realized she would need more than just a few hours to think about the Ring, she began thinking about Legolas' departure. It had only been a couple months ago that Virania had been in Rivendell. And now Legolas was going back to Mirkwood, to where Virania was. Kari couldn't help but be worried even though she knew she had nothing to worry about.
Legolas reflected upon her statement a bit, noting the uncertainty in her voice.
"Yes. It is hard to believe it has been that long," Legolas commented absently.
Kari became confused. "Fourteen years in the life of an elf is only an instant," she said.
Legolas gave her a bemused smirk. "Perhaps, but it feels longer. So much has happened," he said as he stroked a lock of her hair, watching it glisten in the sun.
Kari smiled uneasily, and Legolas sensed this.
"What is it?" he asked.
She shook her head and looked down. It was stupid, really.
"Kari, come now…what is it?" he whispered to her, bringing his lips to her ear as he held her gently. She could feel his breath on her neck.
"Virania is in Mirkwood," Kari said.
Legolas held her tighter. "You think I would go to her?" he asked, somewhat hurt by the implication.
Kari shook her head again. "But she will come to you, I can promise you that."
"If she does it will not matter. She knows I do not love her. I think she knew how I felt for you before I fully realized it. I think you and I acted as lovers would long before we actually revealed how we feel for each other. Jeopardizing what we have is not even an option to me," Legolas explained.
Kari smiled as she leaned against Legolas' chest. She knew he would say this, but hearing him say it was so reassuring. "Forgive me for my insecurities," she said.
"My past actions caused you to have them. There is nothing to forgive," he said.
A comfortable silence followed where Kari just leant against Legolas and he had his arms around her. It was refreshing to have such moments candidly now. Before, both would have felt so much tension with each other.
Some elves had begun to notice the shift in Kari and Legolas' relationship. It was more openly affectionate and peaceful. But Kari and Legolas had decided the night before to keep their relationship private. They would only kiss when they thought no one was watching. They would not say overly flirtatious things to each other when in public.
"Mirkwood is your home, Legolas. Would you not want to stay?" she asked.
"I cannot stay. The council is here in Rivendell."
Kari noticed that Legolas didn't contradict what she had said about Mirkwood being his home. She didn't know how she felt about that.
"Yes, but if you had a choice, would you want to stay in Mirkwood?" she asked.
"Would you come with me?" he asked.
Kari smiled slightly. "I do not belong there, living in trees…"
Legolas chuckled softly, "Then neither do I."
"This is not something to laugh about," Kari said sternly.
"I belong with you, and if you do not belong there, then neither do I," Legolas explained easily.
"You are the Prince of Mirkwood," Kari said, still unable to grasp the depth of the words she spoke. She never really knew him at the Prince, but as her teacher and her friend and her lover. She supposed Legolas liked it that way, because Kari didn't treat him like royalty, which he has told her he found suffocating.
"True…"
"How can you relinquish that so easily? Would you not become King someday?" Kari asked.
"It is a title. It will always be a part of me, but it does not control my choices. I do not want to be king," Legolas admitted.
"Why?"
"My father is a very capable king and enjoys being king. I have no desire to be king and would much prefer living wherever you are living."
"But what about after?" Kari asked.
"After what?"
"After I die," Kari replied simply.
Legolas clenched his jaw tightly and closed his eyes. He had lost mortal friends to death in his thousand years of existence, which was inevitable. But to lose Kari, he tried to avoid thinking of that. He thought back to his conversation with Lord Elrond about mortality, but he hadn't thought about it again after the talk; news of the Ring reappearing pushed it out of his mind.
"Let us not talk about that," Legolas said, a trace of pleading in his voice.
"Okay," Kari said softly. But she knew they would have to confront that situation eventually.
"I need to go," Legolas said, rubbing his hands soothingly down her arms.
Kari kissed him softly. "Be safe," Kari urged as she moved away from him so he could get onto the horse.
Legolas smiled. "Always," he replied cheekily.
Kari looked at him seriously.
"I will," he said, his tone matching her expression.
She nodded, and as she was walking away from him, he pulled her quickly towards him again to kiss her passionately.
He pulled away abruptly with a hint of sadness in his eyes. This would be the longest they would be separated since he arrived here those fourteen years ago.
"See you soon, meleth-nin," Legolas whispered as he quickly mounted his horse and urged it to move towards Rivendell's gate.
She smiled encouragingly to him as she watched him leave out of the gate and disappear around the corner of the walls. She inhaled deeply and walked back to the Healing Hall. There were medicines that needed to be made and patients to see. She would think about how much she missed Legolas when she had the time. It was best to keep busy then.
Author's Note: Meleth-nin is Sindarin for "my love." There are words for "lover" but I thought "my love" sounded sweeter. Thanks for all the support for the last chapter! Most people felt a relief in finally seeing our heroes get together, and I'm so happy that you have welcomed the idea of their relationship. This too, is a longer chapter because there was no good place to cut it. Next chapter brings in more fellowship characters! Please review and let me know what you think!