A/N: Okay. I give up! I've asked 2 people to edit this for me since last september, and nobody has sent it back to me... so I've decided to torture you no longer. Welcome to chapter 27!
And Orli is currently unavailable at the moment because it is raining outside and he is currently dancing in it. More on that later...
Disclaimer: I'm sick of stealing Tolkien's characters for my personal uses in this story, so I'm giving them back for today. :) Fanya, however, is MINE!
Chapter 27 : Sweet Dreams
'I'm dreaming again...' Fanya thought blissfully. 'And what a good dream this is. My Legolas has returned to me.' She reached to wrap her arm around her Dream-Legolas, who felt so real to her, and kissed him deeply. What a happy dream this is, to have Legolas return to her. A bird sung outside of her room, the pleasant song filtering through the open balcony doors. This wasn't the first time she had dreamed this dream of his return.
No words passed between her and her Dream-Legolas, only sweet kisses. Somebody knocked at the door.
"Fanya? Are you up yet? It's getting late. I thought you were going to come help me organize the study this morning." It was Thranduil. Fanya ignored him, lost in her loving. The door opened. Fanya felt her cheeks tinge pink as Thranduil spotted her and Legolas on the bed.
Hold on... this was going a bit far for a dream. Fanya subtly pinched her leg. It hurt...
This wasn't a dream! Legolas really was here! And Thranduil really barged in on them kissing passionately on the bed. Her bed. Oh Valar...
She rolled off of Legolas and sat up in her bed. "Good morning, Thranduil," she said, straightening her hair with a few fingers, feeling very self conscious.
"Legolas?" Thranduil asked. Apparently he thought that Legolas wasn't real, either. Legolas stood up and walked to his father, embracing him tightly.
"I am home, Father," he said quietly. He looked back at Fanya, so incredibly happy that she had no hard feelings about their last partingin Lothlorien. He noticed she had his ring on a chain around her neck. That made his happiness surge.
Legolas knew what was in store for him, though. His father would require a fully detailed retelling of the Quest to destroy The Ring of Power, and then he would question him for hours on end. Thranduil was babbling already talking about preparations for a feast in honor of his return.
"Father, I know you want to know everything about my adventures right now," Legolas interrupted. Thranduil's face stated the obvious 'yes', "but that can wait for later. I would like to speak with Fanya, first."
"That girl over your own Father?" Thranduil scoffed. Then he burst out laughing at the look on Legolas' face. Thranduil was obviously back to normal after his initial shock. "Of course, Son! Just warn me not to come in next time you're going to make love," he turned to leave, laughing his head off.
"We weren't..." Fanya started to say, but realized that Thranduil wasn't listening. Legolas closed and locked her door. He sat beside Fanya and took her hand, entwining his fingers in hers. 'How warm her hands are,' he thought.
"Can I expect that kind of welcome every time I leave Mirkwood?" Legolas chuckled. Fanya blushed and smiled.
"I've missed you so much," she said, squeezing his hand.
"And I," Legolas said. His other hand trailed to the chain around her neck. Fanya took it off and handed it to him.
"It's yours," she said. Legolas folded it into her hands.
"I gave it to you as a promise," Legolas said sweetly. "A promise that one day I would be yours, and you would be mine. It is yours now." Fanya smiled and bent forward to kiss him again. Legolas, with a sparkle in his eye, fell on top of her and started tickling her.
Fanya writhed and squealed, trying to get away from Legolas' skilled fingers, but nothing worked. Finally she pulled his face down to hers and their lips met again. And again. And again.
A knock on the door interrupted them a few minutes later. Legolas sighed. "Why can't they leave us alone?" he pouted. The look on his face was so adorable, that Fanya giggled and kissed his lower lip. She trailed behind Legolas and he opened the door. It was Thranduil again.
"Father," he rolled his eyes. "Honestly, ten minutes alone is nothing!"
"I was in love too, once, you think I don't know that?" Thranduil laughed. Fanya noted that with his son back, he seemed to have gained a lot of humor. "There's someone... ah... demanding to see you."
"What? Who wants to see me?" Legolas asked, a frown creeping into his features. "It better not be that Isila girl, again... I told her I am not going to marry her," Legolas started to say.
"No, not Isila. She was a nice girl, why didn't you like her? The person I'm talking about is... well, the guards took him down to the dungeons... he hasn't shut up since," Thranduil explained. "It's a...ah... dwarf."
It was Legolas' turn to laugh, which he did loudly. "I understand, Father. Go find someone else to bother for now and I'll go sort out our dwarf problem," Legolas continued to laugh. Thranduil's forehead creased, wondering briefly whether the Ring had driven his son into madness like that Gollum creature... but the thought disappeared almost instantly. Seeing how much happier he was with Fanya doused his worries. Legolas actually smiled now, instead of the halfhearted attempt he used to show. He was so lonely before... and only Thranduil saw through his barrier. It was good that he had found a bride.
Legolas ducked into his room and threw on something to wear, and Fanya watched silently from her doorway. How long ago had it been since they had stood together in that heated spring in fair Lórien? The sight of his smooth chest and muscled back made her shiver in delight.
Legolas paused, wearing only his breeches, and walked over to her. Almost unconsciously, her fingers traced the lines of his stomach. Legolas smiled at her.
"Later, my love," he assured. "Now is not the time." Fanya realized what she was doing and flitted back into her room. She tossed on a deep red colored dress and brushed and plaited her hair. She met Legolas back in his room and they walked through the hallways together, their fingers entwined. Many people stopped to talk with Legolas, welcoming him home and congratulating him on his upcoming wedding. He thanked them all politely and they slowly made their way down into the dungeons.
There was an incessant and dissonant sound that teased their ears. As they descended it became earsplitting. Soon, it became apparent that it was Gimli the dwarf's continuous yells at the elves, presumably at the guards.
'My gosh, what a pair of lungs he has...' Fanya thought as they came to a doorway guarded by two elves, flinching at a new bout of yells.
They both bowed to Legolas and one of them opened the door. They immediately found Gimli's cell and Legolas started talking to the nearest guard.
Gimli must have heard Legolas' voice through the door, because he stopped yelling.
"Well it's about time you got here! What're you saying, you lunk of an Elf! You know I don't understand that blasted talk!" he roared. There was a single window in the wooden door and it was at an elf's face height.
"And this poor elf hasn't an idea of what you're yelling at him," Legolas called through the door to him. "So be a good dwarf and do our ears a bit of good by shutting up!"
Gimli grumbled darkly to himself in a language Fanya did not understand. Fanya laughed, hearing Legolas' and Gimli's battle of words.
"Oh, so you've got your girlfriend with you too. Have a good reunion night last night?" he asked in a teasing tone. Fanya swore she could see Legolas blush.
"Do be quiet," Legolas snapped as the guard warily gave him the key to the cell, "or I will leave you locked in there forever."
"So much for the hospitality of the Elves," Gimli grumbled as he emerged from the cell looking as grumpy and dwarvish as he always did. "You showed this much hospitality to my father and his friends too... now let me see your girl and give her a good looking at." Gimli glanced up and down Fanya's body, making her blush.
"Gimli!" Legolas snapped. "That's enough!"
"You're so twitchy, Elf. Calm down," Gimli chuckled. "All I wanna' do is tell you whether she's good enough for you or not."
Legolas sighed audibly. Fanya knew they had become friends in Lórien, but obviously there was a limit to Legolas' patience. They were ascending the stairs now. Once they had gotten up into the main hall, Legolas turned to Fanya.
He spoke in Elvish, so Gimli couldn't understand. "I'm sorry, Fanya, but I think Gimli and I will have to leave for a while in order to tell Father about our little expedition," Legolas apologized. He didn't want to leave her, but he had no choice.
"You're talking about me! I heard my name!" Gimli interrupted.
Legolas and Fanya both silenced Gimli with a single glare. "Legolas, you don't have to worry," Fanya said. "I've been preoccupying myself in this damned palace for months now, I think I can amuse myself for a few more hours," she said. She then stood on her toes and whispered into his ear, like a secret, "And imagine what fun we'll have later," At the same time, her tongue darted out and teased his ear tip. Legolas shuddered, but his face was smiling.
"Fanya, you think of everything!" Legolas said with a sly grin. "Why didn't I think of that?" he asked.
"Because you hardly slept last night and you can't think because I'm around to tease you," Fanya answered smoothly. She kissed his cheek and walked away from him, seductively swaying her hips. She threw a glance over her shoulder and saw Legolas staring at her with his mouth open, and she smiled to herself. She slipped into her room a few minutes later and sank into a chair. Her thoughts were moving too fast for her comfort.
"When did I start acting like this?" she said, trying to calm herself. Her actions toward Legolas felt so normal, as if she had always been around him and teased him and loved him... as if there had never been an uncomfortable tension between them; that there had always been love. Being in love was almost as scary as facing down those huge hairy spiders she knew were in the forest. It turned her into a different person. Not for the first time, her father's words echoed through her head. "Fanya, if there is anything that you must know about love, it is that once love has caught you, you do crazy things. You do not know what drives you. Something that you wouldn't normally do becomes a routine in your daily life. Always remember this. I loved your mother with all my heart, and she loved me. This was all I needed to know..."
Her love was the source of her actions... she smiled and absentmindedly walked over to her dresser picked up her brush to start brushing her hair, humming softly to herself. There was a loud knock on the door, and Lenwe burst in before Fanya could open the door.
"Is it true the Prince is back?" he demanded.
"Yes, Lenwe," Fanya said happily. Her thoughts were finally sorted out, and she felt a lot calmer... at least her father had acted like an idiot while he was in love, too. "He got back last night." She said this before she was able to stop herself... she knew she had said a little too much when Lenwe started to look sly and childish.
"Ooh, last night... and did you have a nice reunion?" he cackled, teasing her.
"Lenwe!" Fanya sighed. "I was already asleep when he got back," she said.
"And he didn't wake you up?" Lenwe asked. Fanya hated him when he started acting like this.
"No! And we didn't do anything this morning either, before you ask!" she added. Lenwe settled himself on Fanya's unmade bed.
"And what about tonight?" he asked slyly. Fanya blushed and turned away on the pretense of selecting the largest book she could find in order to throw it at him.
"None of your business," she said. She selected a book and sat down with her in a large squishy armchair, opening it and wishing Lenwe would stop teasing her... why did he always make her think dangerous thoughts?
"Ooh, none of my business, is it?" Lenwe said slyly. He walked over to her chair and sat on one of the arms. "You know, I have a wife... I know all about that business." Fanya buried her face in her book and sighed loudly, wishing that Lenwe would stop making her think such thoughts. She could even feel her ears tingeing pink.
"Lenwe... please go annoy someone else," she said, setting down the book she hadn't been reading in order to glare at him properly.
"I don't feel like it, and the book is upside down," he added. Then he uncharacteristically turned serious. He took the book and set it on a table, and then turned to face Fanya. "Fanya, the real reason I've come is that I wanted to talk with you, now that the Prince is back... and I know that you'll be married soon; possibly as soon as next month.
"I've watched you from the day you arrived in this forest; I've watched you turn from a human girl with pointed ears into a beautiful elf maiden. You didn't know anything about us except our language, and even then you were a little shoddy with it," he winked. "But you have flowered beautifully, and now you're not only getting married, you're becoming a princess," Lenwe smiled at her. "I wish I could explain to you the joy that I get from teaching you and being your friend."
"Thank you, Lenwe," Fanya beamed at him, not knowing exactly what to say to him.
"I've spent a fair amount of time around the Prince. He used to hang around the training field and watch me train the elves that would one day be under his command. He was always nice to me, but for my entire life he's always been so lonely. He used to take lovers for the night when he was younger for festivals or just for fun... but that all changed as he grew older. He stopped taking lovers and dancing at the festivals. He was terribly lonely, and I know that you'll make him happy." Fanya hugged Lenwe and he left. She was touched by his words. Sure, she'd heard a lot about Legolas' past, about how he could woo almost any maiden he wanted into his bed... was that why he loved her? She hadn't jumped right into his bed?
'Stop it, Fanya,' she chastised herself. 'You're thinking too much... just wait for him to come back to you, and you can have some fun.' She immediately squashed that last part of her thought, wishing she could stop thinking about sleeping with him. She couldn't help be anxious, though... she had never experienced it, but she had been approached by elves who wanted to sleep with her. Most of those instances had occurred during the seasonal festivals, and had been easily brushed aside. None of those elves had any sort of attachment to her... but that night when Legolas had asked her to, she had almost said yes... and that scared her.
There was another knock on the door. Fanya answered it, finding a young elf she thought was called Telerion.
"Hello," she said as she opened it.
"My lady, the King requests your presence immediately in his study," Telerion said, standing straight and stiff in his palace livery.
"Alright. Thank you, Telerion," she said. The elf looked shocked that she knew his name. He bowed and scurried off to most likely deliver another message. Fanya closed her door and walked the all-too-familiar path to Thranduil's study through the painting-laden hallways. She had just about reached the door when it opened, and Gimli walked out. He spotted her, and walked over to her.
"That was exhausting," he sighed. "I never knew how tiring it was to tell a story!" he grumbled. "Well anyway... have fun in there... I'm sure you'll brighten up that Elf a bit," he winked.
"Sorry to hear you're so tired," Fanya said. "Do you know where your room is? Do you need me to show you where it is?" she asked. Gimli shook his head.
"I'll find it fine by myself," he assured her.
"Good," Fanya said. "You should go rest, then. You look like you need it," she suggested. "At least get a little sleep before that feast Thranduil is sure to call for tonight."
"Something about you has changed since we last saw each other," Gimli said, ignoring her commend and turning a speculating eye on her. "You're acting all motherly and stuff... Legolas had better impregnate you soon... because he might die if you mother him too much." Gimli danced out of her way, and Fanya could hear him laughing even when she shut the door.
She was glad to see that Legolas was blushing too when she entered the study. Thranduil was chuckling. They had obviously both heard the words exchanged between Fanya and Gimli.
"Shut it, Thranduil," Fanya snapped. Thranduil stopped laughing, although there was a very evident twinkle in his eyes. Fanya sat by Legolas, who was sitting comfortably in a chair right opposite his father. Somehow their hands became intertwined underneath Thranduil's desk, and briefly they made eye contact.
"So, why am I wanted here?" Fanya asked. She really had no idea why she was needed.
"Wedding plans," Thranduil said cheerfully and predictably. Fanya sighed loudly and slumped back into her chair. She had been hoping that it would be something slightly more interesting. Like a family trip to Lórien, or an upcoming unexpected festival...
"Thranduil, can't you let Legolas breathe for a few days before you dump this on him?" Fanya asked, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, you haven't even let me breathe recently! At all!"
"Ah, but today is the fun part," Thranduil winked. "Today we choose a date." This made Fanya sit a little straighter. Finally! Even Legolas, who had not been a part of this so far, perked up a little. Obviously his rendition of the War of the Ring had tired him out, too.
"So what dates are we thinking about?" Fanya asked excitedly. Thranduil pulled out a list of dates and what looked like a calendar.
"I was looking at these dates," Thranduil pointed at three or so days within the next three months. "After this comes the winter... and winter is never fun to marry in – too much snow," Thranduil winked. Legolas nodded. He looked over at Fanya.
"How about tomorrow?" Legolas whispered to Fanya as Thranduil shuffled papers. Fanya giggled and inwardly swooned... how wonderful it was to hear his voice again!
"Sounds great," Fanya replied with a smile. Legolas took her hand in his and stood to get a better look at the papers on Thranduil's desk.
"The week of the Autumn Festival looks nice," Fanya said, pointing at one of the dates about a month from now."That would give us plenty of time to organize the invitations and the flowers and decorations."
Thranduil looked to Legolas, who had fallen silent again. Legolas nodded his approval. Obviously Legolas wanted to get out of the cluttered study and into the world again, Fanya noted. 'Or into his room again,' she added to her previous thought.
"Autumn Festival, it is!" Thranduil agreed. "I'll take care of the invitations, then. Tomorrow we'll have a feast in honor of your return, Legolas, and you can't skip it," Thranduil stared at him pointedly. Obviously Legolas had done so in the past, from the look that Thranduil was giving him. Fanya thought that was amusing. Legolas nodded, and glanced at Fanya. Fanya read his plea of help, and she stood up to leave. Fanya thanked Thranduil and started to turn toward the door.
"You two should go eat something. Or on second thought, I'll have some food sent to your room tonight," Thranduil said with a knowing smile. "Don't think I don't know what my own son thinks of."
"Father!" Legolas protested, glaring at Thranduil. "Honestly, I'm here for not even half a day and you start embarrassing me in front of my future wife." Legolas' face broke out in a true smile again. This new Legolas, the post-war Legolas was interesting, Fanya thought... quite unpredictable. First he is practically silent, and then he's arguing with his father right and left... or has he always been that way?
"We're going now," Fanya pulled on Legolas' arm, but Legolas leaned in to kiss her neck. She giggled and tried to run away from him, but he wouldn't let go. She finally tore from his grasp and dashed down the hallway, leaving the door ajar.
Thranduil heaved himself up from his desk and went to shut the door. He could still hear their giggles and squeals from down the hallway...
"Ah, young love," Thranduil chuckled.
A/N: And there you have it. Chapter 27! I hope it was successfully fluffy and enjoyable! I am just going to wrap this story up and have it done by the end of June! So look for updates from me SOON!
...I have joined Orli outside and he is very amusing.
Orli: SIIIIIIINGING IN THE RAIN... Just siiiiiiiiining in the RAIN!
Me: HEY WAIT FOR MEEE! runs and joins him DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!
