For Disclaimer please view Chapter 1
Author's note: Here's another quick chapter for you who cannot wait. Hope you like. Read and Enjoy. Love, Kersi
Chapter 35: I have always known
"These walks bring back old memories, do they not?" asked Rumil as he walked along old paths in the forest.
Aurel nodded her head and smiled. "Sad ones too." She had her arm looped around his.
"I do not care to remember those, just the ones that bring joy to my heart."
"But the sad ones are to be remembered as well, they are what remind us why it is that we are happy." She let go of Rumil's arm. "Ah, here it is, almost unrecognisable…" She reached out to touch the trunk of a beautifully blossomed tree. "My, how it has changed, and for the better." She pressed her face against the bark and breathed in its sweet perfume.
Rumil frowned. "It is the same between you and I."
"What do you mean?" She asked, stepping away from the tree.
"You still do not love me."
Aurel wanted to look away from him. "I have always loved you Rumil…just not in the way that you have wanted me to. You have saved my life, more than once."
"Is that why you care for me? Because I have saved your life?"
Aurel shook her head. "And were we not friends before, when we were young and free? Of course that is not the basis for why I love you. It is not as simple as you try and make it seem. I do not mean to hurt you."
He came closer to her. "Tell me why you left Lothlorien all those years ago without saying goodbye."
"But you know me, and you know why."
He stood even closer. "This I do not know."
"It was becoming too much Rumil, I could not reciprocate the feelings you had for me and every day that I spent in Lothlorien only fuelled your hope of us uniting."
"You could have at least have said goodbye." He reached up to caress her face, but she turned her head.
"There would have been no goodbye, with the way you were, you would have followed me to the ends of this earth. I did what I was best at then, I ran away." Aurel felt very guilty for causing the pain she was feeling from him, she slowly turned to look at him. "Is there anything I can do to help ease your pain?"
"Heh." Rumil looked away for a moment and then back at her. "No, this pain is self-inflicted. I held on to a non-existent hope. No one has hurt me but myself…. although... there may be something you could do…" Rumil gave her a smirk.
"Hide those thoughts you keep in your mind, that look you just gave is not one shared amongst friends, rather lovers." She blushed.
"You did ask if there was anything you could do to ease my pain."
"It was an innocent offer Rumil."
At first it looked as if Rumil was to cry, but instead he burst out in laughter, and it became contagious as Aurel joined him. Something very serious had suddenly been resolved.
"Then, can we still be friends?" asked Aurel in between her laughter.
At first he hesitated, but seeing the look of concern in her eyes prompeted a response "Always, you will always have me to walk with in these woods." Responded Rumil. "Unless you prefer that prince to walk you about, you did not tell me of your meetings with him." He tried tolessen the seriousness of what they had been speaking about.
"Have you been following me?"
"No. The guards I had posted to watch over you informed me." Rumil turned and walked around the tree that Aurel had been standing near by, he placed his hands behind his back, concentrating, holding back his feelings of rejection.
"And here I thought they were just sitting there watching me for the mere pleasure of it! I can assure you that Lasneth and I are only just getting acquainted with one another. He is curious about how his brother fares, and I am curious to know about him. Legolas never really speaks of his family." She said while turning around to see what Rumil was doing.
Rumil was circling her now. "Well there will be a chance for them to reunite fairly soon. We have sent careful word to him of your whereabouts, and if Legolas is anything like Lasneth, he will be here with the most haste."
Aurel's face lit with joy. "Oh sweet Elebereth!" she exclaimed in happiness, "Why did you not tell me he was to be here sooner?"
A sadness took over Rumil, noting how happy Aurel had become at the news that Legolas was to be arriving soon. He tried his best to hide it. "Gandalf just informed me this morn…I knew only but a few hours sooner than yourself."
"And you should have said right then!" She turned to the tree she had admired before and embraced it.
Rumil stopped his circling. "Have you lost your wits? You have your arms wrapped around a tree!"
"Yes, I have lost my wits!" replied Aurel closing her eyes and thinking of Legolas. She slowly then opened them to Rumil standing right beside her.
He placed a lose strand of her hair behind her pointed ear and smiled sadly.
The gesture made Aurel uneasy.
"If only it were me that could cause such happiness within you, even a tree seems to be my better." He said to her.
Aurel frowned and slowly wrapped her arms around Rumil, holding him tightly. "You are my friend, your sadness fills me with woe. Be happy friend, try to be happy." She let go of him and walked past him, speaking before leaving him by that beautiful tree, "You will find what you are looking for."
Days before, Gandalf had sent news to Aragorn of Aurel's whereabouts, and Aragorn immediately told Legolas.
"Now you are sure that you are capable of riding all the way there?" asked Aragorn.
Legolas absentmindedly nodded his head as he mounted the horse he was set to ride on. "Gimli?"
"Yes yes, I'm coming." Gimli picked up his pace, noting the exasperated look on Legolas's face.
"I have set for two guards to go along to trail you." Said Aragorn.
"There is no need for that Aragorn, we can take care of ourselves." Said Gimli.
"It is for my own state of mind, friends."
Legolas nodded his head in approval as he mounted his horse and pulled Gimli up along with him. "Thank you for all that you have done Aragorn. We will send word when we have arrived." Legolas did not even wait for a response as he nudged the horse to gallop ahead.
And Aragorn could not help but smile.
"Lasneth!" cried Aurel as she quickly ran towards him, gleaming with happiness. He had been speaking to others, and Aurel was interrupting them. "I am sorry to interrupt your affairs, but I have urgent news for you."
Lasneth was put off by her carelessness and lack of manners. "And I am in the middle of a conversation, urgent your news may be, but it will have to wait."
"Hmm?" Aurel was surprised by his attitude. "Oh." she looked over to the other elves that stood with Lasneth. "Then I apologize to you as well my lords, and lady, I did not mean to intrude. I only thought perhaps Lasneth would like to know that his brother was on his way to the Golden Wood. Good day to you." She bowed her head and walked away.
Lasneth having heard what she had said excused himself from his conversation and went running after Aurel. "Wait!"
Aurel smirked andkept walking.
"Wait Aurel, did you say that Legolas was coming here?"
"I am afraid that there are people waiting for you to finish your conversation. This urgent news will have to wait."
All Lasneth could see was the back of her head and he grew impatient. "Alright, I am sorry if I was rude, but this is not the first time you have interrupted me."
She kept walking.
"Please stop! Just tell me if Legolas is on his way here or not."
"But you said the urgent news could wait."
"I have learnt my lesson!"
Aurel stopped walking. She turned around and smiled. "I suppose you have."
It gave Lasneth enough time to catch up with her. He put his hands on her shoulders, "Now tell me that what I heard is true." Hope glittered in his eyes.
"What you heard is true. Your brother is on his way here."
"When is he to arrive? How did this come about?"
"I do not know…I have just learnt of this myself. I know nothing else."
Lasneth embraced Aurel and spun her around in the air. "My heart feels as if it is going to explode with joy! I have not seen my brother for over a year!"
Aurel could do nothing but nod in excitement.
"What's this now?" said a voice.
Aurel and Lasneth ended their embrace at the sound of the voice, looking from where it had come from.
"I expected to find you recovering, but not in the arms of my younger brother." Said Legolas looking at Aurel, he blue eyes seemed to be looking into her sould, and then they looked over to Lasneth.
Lasneth and Aurel stood there, frozen, not knowing what to say, not believing the sight in front of them. Aurel began to cry, and Lasneth went towards his brother. "Legolas." He clasped his hand and pulled him forward.
Legolas smiled tenderly, returning the feeling of happiness at seeing his younger brother after a year of separation. Lasneth let him go, feeling Legolas's anticipation of wanting to be near Aurel.
"I will leave you two alone." Said Lasneth smiling, and walking away from the pair.
Aurel still stood where she was and Legolas walked towards her. "I felt your spirit go. How is this possible?" He asked her as he reached out to touch her face. "I do not want to look away in fear that this might be a dream."
She leaned her face into his caress, "It is no dream." Tears streamed down her face.
"No, no, it could not be, could it? My memories and dreams do not do you justice." He slowly wrapped his arms around her, taking in her smell, and the feel of her long dark hair that hung loosely over her shoulders and back. "I have been lost without you."
She pressed into him a bit harder, "My soul has been yearning for yours."
There they stood once again, holding onto one another, as they had done before.
"Legolas?" whispered Aurel.
"Yes Melethril?"
"You need to let me go now, my wounds are still new and I cannot breathe."
He immediately let her go making sure that she was all right. She let out a big sigh of relief and she put her hand up to her chest.
"I am sorry, have I hurt you?"
She grabbed his hands. "Of course you have not! You are here now. I can feel myself healing faster already! I just did not want to collapse in your arms once more. What would others think if the only times they have seen us together is when one or both of us are injured?" Her tone was one of jest, and she began to laugh quietly at the serious look on Legolas's face. "Come now, do not be so serious."
He pulled her towards him gently, and leaned into her face, tenderly kissing her. At first she was surprised, this was not at all the type of kiss they shared up in that tree in Mirkwood all those years ago, no, this was completely different, a different passion, a different love shared between the two very different people that they had become. Aurel was the one who broke the kiss, too overwhelmed with emotions.
"What is wrong?" asked Legolas, noticing she was shedding tears once again.
Aurel shook her head and looked towards the ground. "I am so loved by you…why could I not see it before?"
"Because you were in pain, because of many reasons that life brings to a person. Most of all because you are stubborn, as am I. We have both been fools at one time or another, but I love you Aurel, I really love you."
Aurel looked up and smiled. "I know… I have always known." This time it was she that came back to him and slowly wrapping her arms around his neck pressed her lips into his.
