Thank you, all for your kind reviews.. Here's another chapter… Hope you enjoy it! This is one of my favourites from all those I have written so far… Keep the reviews coming – AllieScic :)

Chapter 5- The Beauty of Lorién

Merry mounted Andaloth. He knew perfectly well how to ride a horse and was proud at the fact that Aragorn had chosen him, not Pippin to ride Evanwyn's horse. As the night was approaching, Aragorn decided that Pippin was too tired to ride a horse all by himself so the hobbit mounted Aragorn's horse and circled the man's waist with his short arms .Pippin soon fell asleep his face resting peacefully against Aragorn's back. Evanwyn after a lot of protests mounted Legolas' horse and rode behind him. Aragorn smiled.. the elven maiden was fairly stubborn.

As the time was pressing by and every single minute was precious, the riders skipped their nightly rest and rode on hastily towards Lothlorien and the Golden Woods. Evanwyn after sometime fell asleep, her long hair gracefully covering most of Legolas's back. The companions rode on in the darkness of the night and in silence. At the break of dawn, Evanwyn woke up and the company decided to stop for an hour. As they halted near the banks of Anduin, Aragorn took a look at its surroundings and calculated that they would reach Lothlorien by nightfall, so there was plenty of time for the friends to eat and rest. Gimli and Pippin, who had woken up, went looking for food while Merry waited with the elven princess. Evanwyn enjoyed the hobbit's company and Merry felt himself blushing when the princess started asking him about the Shire. Soon afterwards, Gimli and Pippin joined them.

Aragorn and Legolas left them for a while to make sure of the surroundings and when they returned, they joined the others in food and conversation. At noon they started the journey once again. This time, Evanwyn rode her own horse and Pippin rode behind her, feeling kind of honored of the fact that he was chosen to ride with the fair princess. At dusk, the companions reached the limits of the forest. As they entered the forest, they felt the magical air circling them and their mind filled with memories of their previous visit particularly Legolas and Evanwyn who had often visited the enchanted forest. Two tall elves were waiting for them and they took them to Galadriel's palace chief hall. There standing tall and lean beside the King and Queen stood Gandalf, dressed in white. The hobbits rushed to the wizard and he let out a hearty laugh as they both embraced and nearly knocked him over.

After a warm welcome speech from the striking Queen, during which the dwarf listened attentively, Gandalf took the party to a large room where several cozy looking couches were waiting for them. The hobbits jumped on one of them and laid there for some time looking at the top of the room, which was magically synchronized to display the outside sky. Legolas, Evanwyn Aragorn and Gimli entered soon afterwards. The room was beautifully set as if it was positioned in a huge tree trunk. Both elves felt immediately at home. On the other hand, Gimli was doubtful about the whole surroundings and kept searching the room with his beady eyes to determine where the dim white radiance was coming from.

"Get ready, as soon as possible," Gandalf told them after a while." You are invited to a formal dinner with the Queen and the King. I'm going to leave you for a while. I'll see you there". And with those words he darted out of the room.

The princess was beckoned to another room where a few personal maidens of Queen Galadriel assisted her to prepare for the feast. Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli washed themselves and tried to look as smart as possible. They removed their armory and Legolas looked pretty handsome in his elvish grey tunic.

The beautiful Queen stood up and motioned them to follow her. Gimli followed her promptly, still amazed by her splendor and the others followed suit. They went in a huge room, made up of wide, coloured marble pillars. At the center of the room, there was a long table laden with food. The Queen and King sat on the huge chairs in the middle of the table and the others did the same. Gimli sat beside the Queen and beside Celeborn, sat Gandalf. Legolas and Aragorn chose to sit beside their excited dwarf friend while Evanwyn and the hobbits sat beside the wizard on the other side.

Legolas looked at the princess, sitting opposite of him and chatting happily to the hobbits. He smiled to himself as he watched the hobbits on either side of her listening to her stories intently.

Memories flooded into his mind, and an image amongst all memories stood out from the others. The first time, he had met her. She always possessed the natural beauty she was displaying now and was loved by all inhabitants of Eldorien. Dressed in a flowing lilac dress, her long hair spread all over her shoulders and back, Evanwyn giggled at the hobbits' frolics.

Dinner commenced, smooth music filled the huge room and glances between Legolas and Evanwyn became frequent. The companions felt themselves abnormally blissful and content and Gimli stood on every word Queen Galadriel said. Suddenly, a loud noise shattered the serene surroundings and everyone stared at the huge magnificent doors which stood mighty opposite the table. Gandalf, Celeborn and his wife seemed indifferent to the whole situation as if they knew what was outside those doors. However, the hobbits looked at each other with a frightening look and Evanwyn looked at the others for reassurance. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were on their feet. Aragorn took out Anduril, his sword from its sheath, Legolas was already fingering his bow and Gimli grabbed his axe.

At that particular moment, the doors flung open and someone fell in a heap on the floor. A scream from Evanwyn, made the others look bewildered at the princess who was now running towards the figure.

"Arwen, are you all right?" she almost shouted. The others ran towards the princess and Aragorn swiftly picked up, the weak body of his lover while Celeborn hurriedly showed him a perfect room where she could rest. The feast had abruptly ended with this unexpected visit and everyone retired to their rooms. As Legolas, followed Gimli and the hobbits into their room, he noticed that Evanwyn was nowhere to be seen.

"Gimli, stay here with Merry and Pippin. I'm going to find out where Evanwyn is" And with those words he scurried out of the room.

"Are you all right? What exactly were you trying to do?" Aragorn told her as he knelt beside her. Arwen shifted in her bed and looked at Aragorn's worried eyes.

"My father told me, that all hope is lost but he is wrong, Aragorn. I couldn't stay in Elrond not knowing where you are, if you're even all right. So, I left Rivendell and here I am", she told him weakly. Aragorn shook his head, then bending over , he kissed her.

"Now catch some sleep, you need it," he said. Arwen smiled at him. He stood up and went to sit near the window, looking at her. When he made sure, she was sleeping, he planted a kiss on her smooth forehead and hurried out of the room. On the way out, he bumped into Legolas.

"Have you seen Evanwyn?" he asked him out of breath. Aragorn shook his head and the elf departed without a single word.

The guards were on the battlements watching intently for any nearing trouble. King Celeborn had no other choice but to assign them. Nowhere in Middle-Earth was completely safe. However, except for these guards, no signs of war were displayed in the Golden Woods and everyone who resided there would forget any traces of warfare instantly, despite the Queen and King's troubled minds, for the War involved all Middle-Earth, even the enchanted elven Kingdoms.

Inside, at the foot of the battlements, a small rivulet surged and everywhere was circled with magical silver trees. The banks of the rivulet lead to a little cave which was situated behind a huge waterfall. This cave, in turn led to a larger embankment where the rivulet met the famous elven river, Nimrodel.

Evanwyn was staring at the battlements with a heavy heart. All thoughts of the horrible war were erased from her mind when with the others she had entered Lothlorien but the sight of the guards and her friend's weak body, brought back dreaded memories. A tear trickled down her cheek as she recalled her older brothers' handsome faces and angry, she grabbed an arrow from the quiver, and aimed at a bough protruding out of the fortifications.

She remained at that posture for numerous seconds until, a voice calling her name made her jump and she let go of the aim, with the result that the arrow landed amidst the silent guards. Legolas, the owner of the voice grabbed her hand and lead her to the cavern behind the waterfall. After a few breathless seconds, the two elves broke out into a laugh, picturing the commotion which was taking place on the battlements.

"It was your entire fault. You scared me," Evanwyn accused him playfully.

"With all the suitable respect, young lady, I was not the one with the bow and arrow in my hands," he replied with a laugh and an amateur curtsy. The princess carried on laughing and pushed him playfully.

"Were you crying? " Legolas asked her suddenly worried, seeing her tear-stained cheeks with the help of the moon's radiance that shone through the curtain of water, serving as a doorway to the cave they were standing in.

"I'm okay, "she said forcing a smile and placing a hand on his chest," I ..I just remembered some of the moments I passed with my brothers and mother. Just be careful, Legolas when in battle" The Prince felt pity for his friend and with his thumb, he brushed away a tear that once again trickled down her cheek, at the memory of her brothers and beloved mother "I will.. I will, I promise" he told her and just then he felt a strong desire to take her in his arms and hold her forever near his heart.

The princess beamed at him, and taking his hand, she directed him out of the cave, out on the large embankment where the rivulet met Nimrodel. They remained there for a while, both laughing and recalling the moments they shared at the Woodland Realm, which often resulted in them landing themselves in trouble. One time, they had wandered far from their homelands, ended up outside the vast Mirkwood Forest and didn't return home till the next day. They both laughed at the thought. Lord Eolder scolded his daughter but her mother had defended Evanwyn, moreover when she discovered that she was with Prince Legolas all the time.

"Mother always had a particular fondness for you.", Evanwyn told him lightheartedly. The princess had adopted her lively nature once again and Legolas was pleased; he couldn't stand seeing her crying.

"Wow, Legolas this is beautiful," she told him as she ran to the banks of the river and let her hand touch the water's surface. She stood up and looked at him. "Isn't it?" she asked him. Legolas approached her and faced her. "Yes it is," he whispered with a smile. Evanwyn gazed at his eyes. She could see that he was about to tell her something so she waited, with a smile on her face. Legolas took a deep breath; she was looking exceptionally beautiful and he felt his heart urging him to let it all out.

"Evanwyn.., I love you, I've loved you from the first moment, I laid my eyes on you," he told her as he looked in her beautiful eyes intently and placed a hand on her slender waist. Evanwyn was taken aback by his declaration and couldn't figure out what to say. She looked downwards and blushed fervently.

"I…don't.. know.. what..to.. say..," she stammered although inside she felt the familiar warmth, she often feels when Legolas is beside her. Legolas' eyes which were full of love during the confession were cast downwards and he turned away from her. The elf gazed at his reflection in the river. Many thoughts skimmed through his mind. She was about to marry his cousin. What was he thinking?

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I understand." He told her quietly as sadness washed over him. He couldn't bring himself to look at her attractive face.

"No, Legolas," she told him softly as she grabbed his hand and made him look at her. His sad and forlorn vision made her warm up inside. She had made up her mind; this was what she really wanted

"No, Legolas," she repeated. "I love you too" At those words, Legolas' face lit up like a young star and he took in her stunning appearance. Placing, one strong hand against her silky smooth cheek, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. Evanwyn felt a hot flush rise into her face and looked downwards. However, Legolas promptly tilted her face up. He smiled at her and she replied with one of hers. Then, he kissed her with an intensity he never felt before.