~A Dance of Blades~

He glowed in moonbeams where he stood at the center of the road. His hair fell loose down the back of his silvery grey tunic and the silver seemed to flow out into a sword held at his side.

Bright brown eyes watched her approach and with each step she discarded her cloak, her bow and her quiver until she too held only her sword. She did not notice the soldiers slowly gathering to watch, or her cousins wagering. It was only the silvery elf before her she saw.

"You know Glorfindel himself taught me to fight with the very sword I carry." Aerlaer said nonchalantly as she came to stand five meters from him.

"That is very well, but I myself have trained under the mighty and ruthless, Thranduil. His blood too runs in my veins." Legolas serenely pointed out.

"You don't say, Captain Obvious." Aerlaer said quietly but loud enough for him to hear. Legolas narrowed his eyes at her. Oh, this will be fun. Her heart had already begun to speed up in anticipation.

"I have information you wished for earlier in the day. I wonder how important that information is to you?" He asked in a bored yet slightly imperious tone. Definitely right about whose blood run's through his veins. She snickered to herself. Although like their knife battle, she really enjoyed the borderline playful, borderline dangerous, war of words they could pitch at one another.

She did wish to know what he was withholding but she too had secrets. Aerlaer shrugged. "Perhaps—" She made a point of examining her sword and running her fingers over the sharp blade, carefully so as not to cut herself. "Perhaps I have information you will wish to know? Information I am sure is more intriguing than what you withhold from me." Someone laughed, and her eyes flickered in their direction She smirked. It was Aragorn, and he knew exactly what she spoke of. She looked back to Legolas, purposely from behind her lashes. An action he did not miss for in the moonlight his eyes darkened. Yet his composure remained aloof.

"Humor me my dear; what information could you have to pique my interest so?" He asked indifferently and she made a point of thinking hard about it.

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps I have the answers to events you woke up with no memory of but the aftertaste." She said breezily and this time she recognized a few snorts of laughter from thirty feet away. She watched as Legolas paled slightly under the moonlight, but he held his poise.

Her counter strike had hit its mark and she had not even lifted her beloved blade yet, although, she had just increased the difficulty of beating her competition. Legolas looked calm, at least in exterior but she was sure he was furiously planning her demise.

"Very well. A fight for information." Legolas called to her. "Victor receives said withheld information and loser receives none." He smirked confidently.

"You're at a disadvantage oh Silvery One, for your blade is a new friend to you." Legolas frowned slightly at her before smirking.

"One would think but the curious thing is, this blade is wrought exactly as yours save for metal used. So, in a sense I have wielded it before for I have wielded its companion." Aerlaer was surprised by this. The blade from Elrohir was from Lothlórien and surely from her own grandmother then.

Why the same though? She looked at it in the moonlight; the patterns were similar if not the same. The only difference was size and colour for his was bright Silver, likely Mithril, whereas hers was a pale white-gold.

"Then this fight should hopefully be a little challenging for me." She replied with a grin and began to slowly circle him, carefully assessing the way he moved as he turned to face her.

"Is your plan to simply dizzy me?" He asked trying to entice her in, but she didn't take the bait. She wanted him to make the first move.

"Is your plan to simply stand there?" She quipped and a smirk played over his lips and deftly he began to swing the blade by his side as if testing it.

"Perhaps you are afraid to come closer?"

"Perhaps I am merely admiring you from a distance?" She replied with her own smirk.

"Am I admirable?" He asked almost curiously.

"Very." She grinned.

"Well then maybe I can rend surrender from you without as much as the touching of our blades." He said roguishly and began to stalk towards her.

"It will take more than words to charm me."

"I did not intend on the use of words." He said in a low voice and Aerlaer felt a thrill go through her.

"You could try but I will not surrender information by a whim of your charms." Aerlaer countered and stepped forward, blade raised to meet his. The melodious sound of elven steel rang in the still evening air.

Aerlaer could see his eyes darken, glittering dangerously. Disengaging her sword, she moved, sending an upper cut towards his shoulder which he swiftly blocked. She sent lightning quick jabs and cuts towards him, keeping fleet on her feet. He blocked each one, but it felt as if he were toying with her for there was not enough weight behind each of his blocks.

"Are you sure it was the mighty Elvenking who taught you and not a soft, court elleth?" She asked as she blocked an easy attack from him, leaping around and attacking his side to which he moved with her. He laughed and then blocked her using the force of his strength and she met it fiercely, gladdened he was now holding nothing back.

"Better?"

"Much." He turned and directed his attack to her left side, clearly trying to find a weakness and deftly she swapped sword hands and blocked his moves fluently, causing a ripple of murmurs from those who watched.

"Full of surprises." Legolas noted admirably. As he laid down a heavy assault of parries and thrusts to which Aerlaer blocked, now using her right hand again. This fight was going nowhere; she would have to up her game. It helped her opponent was tall.

Taking charge, she moved her attack swiftly to him and their blades were a blur of silver and gold. She deftly stepped in as she used her blade to catch his on the inside and as steel locked onto steel, she threw her weight into the blade, dropping and rolling between his legs.

The sudden pressure from her own blade relieved from his, sent him near stumbling forward and Aerlaer quickly swept up and towards him, sword swinging to rest against his neck but he managed to swing around and in a resounding ring, both their blades met high and sparks of silver and gold flew from where the metal touched, raining down on them.

For a moment they stood, just inches apart, locked blades separating them. Aerlaer's heart pounded in her chest and she was certain she could somehow feel the swift beating of the other elf's heart for they were so close.

Without lessening his pressure against her sword, he moved closer and ducking beneath their blades, kissed her fiercely. She kissed him back just as fierce but remained aware of the precarious situation she was in. If he wants to play it this way, then challenge accepted.

She stepped closer to him and murmured against his lips. "You are quite the charmer." He smirked against her as she predicted he would. Seizing his moment of cockiness, Aerlaer moved closer still, and using his own trick on him, deftly swept his right leg out from him and pushed him down to the ground. "But it will get you nowhere." She grinned as the movement freed her blade from his and she attacked.

...

Swiftly he deflected her blows, but she did not allow him to regain his feet. Her hair flowed in sparks of gold back down her shoulders and he was pleased she enjoyed this game as much as he. He had to beat her; this would not be a repeat of the knife fight, this he would win completely.

He knew something was off from the morning he had awoken in Edoras with barely any recollection of the eve before. He needed to know what happened. Clearly it involved Aerlaer, which worried him greatly. The fact it had been kept from him, worried him further.

He rolled to his side and while continuing to block her attacks, used his left arm to push himself from the ground and used the momentum to rush her, taking her half by surprise as he now attacked her in swift, dangerous movements. This blade from the Lady Galadriel is superb!

She blocked his advances easily and he kept keen watch for an opening in her defense, but she left none. Glorfindel did train her and Glorfindel had slayed a Balrog. But his father had trained him, and he knew none more lethal with a sword than his father. He'd seen orcs run from his father in sheer terror and tales of his fierce skill did not precede him, they were true. Yes, he would win this.

...

Beside Elladan, Elrohir watched the fight with a grin. Before them the two young hobbits chattered excitedly.

"Legolas suddenly looks a lot more determined." Aragorn commented beside him and Elrohir turned to the ranger to find him grinning.

"Do you know what she withholds from him?" He asked eagerly and Aragorn nodded as did Gimli with a smirk of his own.

"Tell us!" Elladan declared but Aragorn merely chuckled and shook his head.

"If Legolas wins the right to find out then I shall tell you." He said mysteriously which only made the twins more eager to know.

Elrohir watched on as the two elves, one who looked silver in the moonlight and the other who glowed gold, dodged and ducked and parried in what seemed to be a never ending, dangerous dance.

"They do look magical; don't you think Pip?" Merry said to which the other hobbit nodded.

"Aye, it is as if Legolas glows as the moon and Aerlaer as the sun." He replied.

"An interesting observation, master Took." Gandalf murmured from Elrohir's left. Pippin did have a point and they did look magical and as if they had forgotten they even had such a large audience watching. All of the Rangers and Rohirrim, and many of the Gondor men, including Prince Imrahil, who stood on Aragorn's other side, watched the fight.

Aerlaer spun and met Legolas's sword as he tried an upper cut, and again silver and gold sparks flew as they had before from the blades.

"I'd like to know how those blades do that." Gimli spoke Elrohir's own thoughts aloud."

"I do not know; I've never seen swords forged by elves which spark upon impact like that." He answered.

"It is only with some strikes they do." Gimli mused as they continued watching. Legolas suddenly maneuvered behind Aerlaer and swept his blade to her throat but she quickly brought hers up just in time to block it and for a long moment they stood, blades locked. Everyone abruptly hushed to try and hear as they spoke, but Elrohir imagined he was the only one to hear their conversation and grinned.

...

"Surrender yet?" Legolas whispered against her ear.

"No." Aerlaer replied and he put more pressure against her blade, acutely aware of the strength he used so as not to hurt her. He had her, he just wasn't exactly sure what to do with her, and he had to think quickly before she made her inevitable escape.

He'd already learnt getting her off her swift feet was still his best chance, or go even more against the rules as set by Elrond, and start slicing through dress material but somehow he was sure Aerlaer would kill him if he touched a single fine stitch on her.

By some miracle, she had not moved, and this gave Legolas confidence she had not figured out how to escape. Unless... unless she has and is waiting for me to make a move? Now he was not so sure. Suddenly her body twisted before him and her blade still unwavering against his, she came to face him, their bodies not even mere inches apart; a gap he dearly wanted to close. Instead he stayed alert, expecting a move from her.

"What are you thinking? For you have not made a move for many moments now, I thought I would check you were well or if your memory had lapsed and you had forgotten how to fight?" She asked innocently but a smile was on her lips. The cheek of her.

"I was simply thinking how to best you; it is quite hard." Legolas replied honestly and she gave a small nod.

"I begrudgingly admit I am unsure how to attempt to get myself out of this situation without you besting me." Legolas smirked at that; her words were nearly as good as besting her. She'd just admitted she might be unable to do something. "Don't think I won't try though." She added.

"I did not expect you to go down without a fight." He murmured with a quiet chuckle as he surveyed the large audience they had. "Bregon is watching."

"I know."

"He looks quite displeased."

"Good."

"You need to win this."

"What? Why?"

"We've established against these Gondor soldier's they would be fools to single handily take on an elf. Listen, you can hear their murmurs, they believe I will best you because I am a male and therefore stronger." He could feel the low growl of annoyance reverberating from her, but her eyes told him she too knew this. He was bigger and he was stronger, she too was strong, but speed was her best attribute in any fight.

"You wish me to humiliate you?" She asked in disbelief, still not understanding his intentions.

"I wish for you to convince the Gondor soldiers, no, everyone here, that you are capable of freeing yourself from and killing a highly skilled warrior elf." He replied. He was sure Elrohir could hear them by the expression on his face, but he did not mind, Elrohir would agree with this wholeheartedly.

"You won't be such a highly skilled warrior when word travels you were bested by an elleth." She smirked.

"A dagger to my pride I am willing to take for you."

"Very well, I hate cheating though."

"Think of it as a very elaborate prank that will let those who care for you breathe a little easier." He whispered with a smirk.

"And we do play brilliant pranks." Aerlaer smirked back.

"I shall fight you again at another time and I will not hold back, I promise." He reassured her. "I'm going to attempt to push my sword down against yours. Find a way to floor me, I won't resist." She gave another near unnoticeable nod and he forced his blade down on hers and dropped to the ground on her left hand, blade still raised against his and swept a foot to the side of his ankle and unbalanced him greatly by the unexpected force as she twisted her blade swiftly around his and knocked it from his hand.

Before it had even laid to rest, she further unbalanced him, and he fell feeling of instinctual alarm as he hit the ground enabled him to keep his spine supple and let it roll onto the earth. He had not aided her much at all in the end and his heart sped up erratically as he found the tip of her pale gold blade resting a horse whiskers hair away from the material of his silver-grey tunic. It was not the blade that caused his heart to race but the elleth who straddled his stomach triumphantly.

"Not so strong a cocky now are you?" She snickered deviously, letting her voice carry.

Legolas winked at her; he imagined this purposeful turn of events had the exact desired effect he wanted. "I suppose I owe you information now?" She grinned and leapt up, holding her hand out to him. He could here light cheering and laughter and the exchange of coins and the near crowing laughter of Elrohir.

"Don't forget Sinda, you lost, you owe the Lady something!" He called out and with a roguish smirk, he grabbed Aerlaer by the shoulders and swinging her low into his arms, kissed her firmly on the mouth, eliciting whistles from their companions. After a moment he broke away.

"That..." Aerlaer took a steadying breath. "That was worth fake winning for." She whispered with a pleased grin which he reflected, pleased he had practically rendered her incoherent. It was a nice change.

"Technically since I would have won, you in fact owe me certain information." He whispered before letting her go to retrieve his sword. "I must name my blade." He murmured as they walked slowly back towards the others. The entertainment over, most of the men had moved off to settle for the night.

"Name it for the moon for it was as if you wielded a moonbeam." Aerlaer said softly

"Ithilcrist." He declared automatically as the name came to him instantly.

"What does Ithilcrist mean?" Pippin asked him curiously.

"Honestly Pip, don't you listen to anything Bilbo told us, for starts Ithil means moon." Merry chastised the younger hobbit.

"It means Moonsword." Aerlaer explained with a cheery smile and both hobbits nodded enthusiastically.

"It was as if the moonlight glowed from you and the sunlight from Aerlaer!" Pippin gushed in awe and Legolas smiled as he gazed down at their small friends.

"Well named, my friend." Aragorn said as he and Taurorn and the twins joined them. "And well fought."

"Yes, it is fitting for Aerlaer's own blade is Anorlaer." Elladan chuckled lightly.

"Sunsong?" Merry asked and Legolas nodded as Gandalf strode towards them.

"It seems we bring the light of the moon and the sun to battle the dark forces." The wizard's eyes twinkled but before Legolas could ask what he meant, Elrohir cut in.

"Time to fess up!" He chortled deviously and Legolas smirked as he turned to Aerlaer.

"You first." He said lazily but he was a little worried about what she would say. It cannot have been too bad for if it were, he would have found out. He realised she was chewing on her bottom lip as she assessed him. Her eyes slid to Aragorn who was half grinning beside him and then back to his face.

"You kissed me on the eve of the victory celebration in Edoras." She said calmly. No, he must have heard her wrong, misunderstood her.

"Well yes, on the cheek." He replied carefully, aware his heart had quickened as a sense of dread began to well up inside him. Aerlaer shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"No, not on the cheek and hours after the fight." He heard Elrohir and Elladan burst into uncontrollable laughter. It wasn't funny. He didn't remember any of that!

"Oh Eru, what have I done?" He felt his face pale and he felt sick in the pit of his stomach, felt guilty.

"Legolas, it is no worry." Aerlaer said quietly.

"No, no it is, that should not have happened." He shook his head, trying and failing to recall what she spoke of. "Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded and she looked surprised by his words and again her eyes went to Aragorn.

"You knew?" He turned and asked the ranger incredulously.

"Yes." Aragorn replied calmly. "I convinced Aerlaer to never mention it if by some miracle you awoke with no memory of your actions."

"Why should I have not known about this?" He seethed. He was bewildered, upset and Aragorn had kept this from him. This of all things!

"Because how you're reacting now, it would have been ten times worse if you had found out then. Although in hindsight, if I had let you both argue it out by yourselves it would have likely saved you an extra couple weeks of tiptoeing around one another." Aragorn said still in a calm voice which infuriated him. This is not a calm topic, this, this is a disaster!

"I'm reacting accordingly to what I've done!" He snapped.

"Legolas, it does not matter, no one was hurt over it." Aerlaer laid a hand on his arm trying to reason with him. He turned from Aragorn to look her in the eyes.

"Did you kiss me back?" He asked flatly.

"Of course not, you were completely inebriated." She replied quickly.

"Then by that reasoning you were likely hurt over it." He conceded.

"Well yes, no! You, I wasn't expecting it, you confused me!" She replied in exasperation.

"In other words, I hurt you." He said dejectedly. He felt truly awful. My actions are no better than, than a man! Acting so while intoxicated. Aerlaer did not deserve to be subjected to such pathetic behavior. How in Arda did I forget something like that!

'Legolas stop being an idiot. It doesn't matter." She said again. Did she not get it? Did she not understand how terrible he felt? He'd hurt her, he didn't deserve to be in her presence.

"It does matter, and I am an idiot." He said, angry with himself and turned to storm off into the trees.

"Legolas, stop!" He heard Aerlaer call to him in annoyance.

"Leave him be Aerlaer." Aragorn said to her.

"No." She sounded furious.

"He's right, Tithinriel." That was Elladan's voice.

He blocked them all out but still Aerlaer's voice found its way to him.

"I wish I'd never mentioned it to him, I should have told him something else from that eve he doesn't remember." There was sadness in her voice now and guilt riddled him. What else had he done if kissing her while drunk was not all?" He found a large plane-tree and deftly scaled his way up into its canopy.

"Greetings, Telperion." The tree sighed in his mind.

"Why do you call me that?" He asked tiredly.

"Because you are the silver tree." The plane-tree replied almost matter-of-factly.

"So, I've been called before." He replied and the tree, sensing he was not in the most scintillating mood, let him be to rest and contemplate in its branches.

…

What in Arda was his problem? Aerlaer saw no problem—yes it was a problem and a hurtful one at that back in Edoras but now? It did not matter. Why could he not see that?

She waited until Aragorn was busy speaking with Imrahil, who had complimented hers and Legolas's display of the very lethal skill of the elves before addressing the ranger. Taurorn simply had looked at her, nodded and produced a small pouch of dice from his pocket and convinced the twins to a game of Bunco. The cousins distracted, Gandalf nowhere in sight and Gimli and the hobbits eating, she slipped away into the trees to deal with a certain idiot Sinda.

A hundred paces in, Aerlaer paused to rest her hand against an old poplar. "Did you see which way Legolas went?"

"Who is Legolas?" The tree asked in genuine confusion, confusing her.

"The silvery haired elf." She explained.

"Telperion, he did pass straight by, yes." The poplar replied.

Thanking the tree and feeling rather befuddled, se continued deeper into the copse. Before long a tall plane-tree came into view. He will certainly be up there. Hopefully the tree he rests in makes more sense.

Aerlaer silently approached, her bare feet not disturbing a single fallen twig or leaf before leaping up to catch a branch close to the trunk. Silent and lithe, she scaled the tree until she glimpsed a silvery silhouette partly obscured by leaves. He was facing away from her, legs hanging from the straight branch he sat unmoving upon.

Instead of climbing up to him, she continued up the trunk of the tree and stepped out onto a branch above, dropping down to land crouched beside him. The stealthy action caused a flinch from him.

"I would expect a little more awareness from one who is alone." She said as if she were commenting on the weather.

"How did you know I was up here?" He asked, sounding genuinely curious however he continued to gaze up at the stars.

"Please give me some credit, Legolas. Have we not been following each other across Middle Earth these past months?"

"I suppose." He replied. Aerlaer refrained from shaking her head in exasperation, or perhaps shaking him from his sulking.

"Besides, if I were upset by something, I too would seek out the tallest tree to climb; However, you have nothing to be upset about so I am a little unsure why you are up here?"

"You know why, I did a terrible thing."

"It was not terrible, actually it was quite nice, confusing yes and entirely badly timed but for someone so very intoxicated, you still kiss quite well really." She said serenely but with a touch of humor, hoping to dig him from his pit of loathing.

"It's not funny, Aerlaer, you know—wait, who are you comparing to?" He turned to her, frowning.

"You! Silaear's mane, you are an idiot sometimes and no, you are quite right, it is not funny." She said solemnly and he nodded. "It is hilarious." She finished with a light laugh causing him glare at her.

"I do not find it funny."

"You really should. You are hilarious when you are intoxicated, so confident of yourself." She grinned. "Do you want to hear the full story so perhaps you will, as Taurorn likes to say; get over it?"

"Fine, humor me." He said dryly and she held in another laugh and launched into the tale of Legolas's forgotten escapades from the beginning.

He listened patiently and silently and finally she came to the part he was upset over. "Then I told you I would take you to bed and you decided to tell me I was being quite forward-"

'Oh Manwë, please tell me I did not?" He groaned.

"You did." She grinned. Do not worry I've dealt with far worse than you in such a state. I then helped you up the stairs and then suddenly you were telling me I was beautiful and kissing me."

"Well you are, and you looked incredible that eve, ethereal." He murmured embarrassed, under his breath.

"You know you could have mentioned that before you became intoxicated."

"No, I really couldn't." He said awkwardly and Aerlaer looked at him strangely, a brow raised. "Finish this shameful tale and I shall explain." He said and with a confused look at him, she continued.

"You surprised me and at first I forgot where I was and then you pulled away and I was shocked, I felt like I'd been shocked and then I remembered you were drunk and horror was plain on your face. You apologized and fled to your door and I realised whatever had just occurred had been a terrible mistake on your part. That certainly hurt me." She confessed and Legolas sighed dejectedly.

"Then Aragorn came and dragged me aside while you were in your chamber and asked me what had happened, and I told him. He was not happy, but he seemed worried what you would do if you remembered and had me swear I would say nothing.

Then you called out to say you were not well and Aragorn accepted I was not leaving you in such a state for the eve and left me to deal with you. It was my fault really in part, I told Éomer how to get you drunk, and the riders were curious what you would be like in such a state." She admitted quietly waiting for his reaction.

"I was intent on drinking anyway; I figured Éomer was up to something that eve." He sighed.

"Why what was wrong?" She asked. Elves did not drink in such a manner unless they were deeply upset.

"Just continue." He brushed off her question and she held in a huff of exasperation.

"I helped you change for bed-"

"You what!" His head snapped towards her in concern.

"I found your garments and stepped out of the chamber." She explained and he visibly relaxed. Should I tell him about his shirt issue? Yes, I need to be completely honest with him.

"You did need help with your sleep shirt though." He looked at her warily. "You were most adamant you didn't need it."

"Eru, what happened?" He whispered.

"I told you to stop messing around and put it on and you did before acting like you were dying on your bed." He looked reassured by her words and so she continued. "You demanded I tell you a story and I did and ironically it was the tale of the masked dance when we met. You said you knew it which surprised me, but then fell asleep and when you woke again it was when Pip had procured the Palantir from Gandalf. Do you remember that?"

"Vaguely, I thought I would be sick, and you somehow made the feeling go away." He looked at her curiously. "After everything I had done that eve, why did you stay? You should have just left me."

"I think you know why." She replied softly. "What really annoyed me was when you took off for a ride with Aragorn and didn't bother to invite me too." She said, the memory causing slight annoyance to surface into her words. Legolas let out a hollow laugh.

"We didn't really go out for a ride. I may have run away."

"You what? From what?"

"From you."

"Why?" Aerlaer gazed at him, wide eyed.

"Helms Deep, what happened it made me realized I would die for you, it made me realize just how irrevocable my feelings were. I was starting to think I needed to somehow find out if you felt it too and then the rangers arrived and with them, Taurorn.

I'd never seen you so excited to see another and by the way you spoke so fondly to one another and from comments by the twins well I thought you both were..." Legolas trailed off as Aerlaer began to laugh so hard she began to shake the leaves about them.

"How in Arda did you come to such a conclusion? How did you not know he is a brother to me? You have spent more time amongst the rangers than I!" She chortled.

"Well, no one told me." He muttered darkly.

"Why did you not just ask?" She quirked her head towards him.

"It would have been obvious how I felt if I had asked, no one asks such a question for any other reason and I did not want to hear it from you, it would have broken me." He said quietly looking ahead again. "It's why I drank so much. It hurt so much to see you with him." His words hit her like ice. Why did he worry so over one drunken kiss when I unintentionally caused him this grief? She silently shuffled closer to him on the branch, their shoulders touching.

"I wanted to not feel it anymore and eventually I barely did. The next morning when I found your note, I wondered if I had been incorrect in my presumptions because you had stayed the entire night with me, not Taurorn and the way you'd signed off your letter and you were waiting for me—"

"I was waiting for you and you never showed." Aerlaer pointed out.

"I did find you; I lied that day. I heard you speaking with Taurorn. I thought you were confessing deeper feelings for him and I couldn't bear it, so I left. I took Arod and fled. I needed to get away but all I did was feel worse for it. I only hurt more for the miles I put between us.

"Oh Legolas, you idiot." Aerlaer exclaimed softly and rested a hand on his arm. "I was talking to Taurorn about you and trying to figure out why you kissed me. He said he and the twins thought you had feelings, but I didn't believe them and besides, Elrohir could have possibly been up to something. I know he indirectly instigated that knife fight."

"I knew it! That fight was absolute torture by the way although I did wonder why Taurorn didn't care what happened during it." He mused.

"How was it torture? I didn't even hurt you physically?"

"You're the kind of danger I want to get closer to." He turned and gave her a wry smile and she understood his meaning.

"Oh." She half giggled half laughed causing a brief, boyish grin from him which she had not seen in days and realised she had missed. "Then why did Aragorn go with you?" She asked curiously.

"He didn't. He somehow learnt I was gone and went after me to bring me back. I think I understand the strangeness of our conversation now. He must have thought I'd remembered the eve before. I was so angry; I've never spoken to him the way I did that day. I blamed him, he should have told me but then instead, he told me everything I thought was true was not." He turned back to her; eyes bright. "And you have no idea how relieved I was; how relieved I still am."

"You were going to tell me down at the stream in the Rohirrim's encampment, weren't you?" She whispered and he nodded.

"Yes, Aragorn and Gimli had been pressuring me to confess to you, but I was afraid you did not feel as I did after Elladan explained the reason you were in Lórien. Nothing made sense, I wanted to ask you, but he said I must not and then there was the sleeping arrangement incident. It only confused me further and I decided it was safer to keep my feelings to myself."

"Well is that not ironic for Rodwen and Taurorn both said they were sure you had them, but I had to wait until you actually confessed them.

"And even that I did wrong." Legolas turned back to the stars, laughing mirthlessly. Aerlaer reached over and turned his back face towards her.

"Do you truly think so?"

"I don't know, it seems I am rather good at messing these things up."

"I don't think that." She looked him in the eyes. "It was real and if you had not spoken those words, I would not have let my soul linger in my dying body." She said softly. "We have both been idiots, you a bigger idiot; it must be that Sinda blood." She nudged him playfully in the ribs.

"I am still not happy with what I did, you deserve better than such uncouth treatment." He said with self-detest. Aerlaer looked at him quizzically. Is he still dwelling on this?

"Well if I deserve better, I guess I shall have to find another ellon then. Pity, brown eyed elves are such a rarity." She sighed. "I suppose I could see if Orophin still finds me interesting." She glanced down to find her descent from the high branch to the earth was clear and from the corner of her eye saw horror register on the other elf's face.

"Well it is a long journey to Lórien, I best get moving." She said nonchalantly and let herself drop from the branch to land in a neat crouch alongside the trunk of the tree. No sooner had she stood, she found herself pinned by the shoulders against the wide, patterned trunk.

"Don't you dare." He breathed.

"Then get over it."

"I'm over it."

"Only because I mentioned, Orophin."

"Although I am admittedly an idiot, that ellon is a complete prat. If getting over it keeps you from the likes of him then I am well and truly over it."

"That is the most un-idiotic thing you have said in the past hour."

"Then you are definitely better off with me."

"Can you not see I already decided that a while ago."

"I did have my suspicions" He grinned before leaning in and kissed her slowly. Aerlaer automatically leant away from the tree and into him, running her hands across his shoulder-blades. He took a step in, until he had her pressed against the tree and she felt the warmth of his body against hers and then he'd gently tilted her head, and begun kissing her neck feather light, making her feel breathy and dizzy. He trailed back to her mouth and she tangled her hands up in his hair and kissed him hard, her body melded to his. The thought of their behavior being un-elflike flittered unwanted through her mind. And the idiot was worried about one drunken kiss... Quite suddenly he broke their heated kiss.

"Eru I do not understand this." He groaned in exasperation, his voice rough as his breath came out fast and shaky. She nodded, afraid to speak as she tried to let her own breathing settle. Her heart felt as if it were slamming against her ribcage and she could feel his racing too through his own ribs.

"We're not exactly acting as elves should, are we?" She asked and he slowly shook his head. Letting out a ragged sigh, Legolas tipped his head to the stars which were visible through the leafy canopy of the plane-tree.

"I asked Aragorn. He wonders if it is from all we have been through to get here but I do not think so. He also wondered if it is because our individual natures are alike."

"Proud and easily fired up?" Aerlaer asked and he nodded and rested his forehead against hers.

"And cannot refuse any challenge." She knew he referred to the eve before and laughed quietly. "Elves don't act like this, yet we are both elves and I don't want to stop acting like this." He whispered.

"I do not understand it either and I don't think it is something we can simply stop."

"I couldn't—"

"Neither could I." She breathed out, closing her eyes for a moment. "We should head back; reassure the others we have not killed one another."

"Were you not told not to follow me?"

"I might have stealthed away." She opened her eyes and gave him a wry smile.

"Hmm well we shall return and act elflike—well—as elflike as we can." Legolas grinned, releasing her and she stepped away from the tree and placed a hand on it to apologize for their behavior against its trunk.

"We expect no different from the elves of the light, for too long have you been apart." Its reassuring words shocked her, and she felt anything but reassured. The trees in these parts were strange.

"Are you well?" Legolas asked, watching her curiously.

"As well as hearing a tree encourage the behavior you are trying to apologies to it for, as one can be." She answered with a bewildered shake of her head.

"The trees have been speaking strangely to me, almost in riddles-"

"Calling us the elves of the light."

"Yes." He confirmed. "I do not understand it."

"A poplar referred to you as, Telperion, before." Aerlaer murmured.

"The trees of Mirkwood do but I thought it an endearment. These tree's call me the same. I can make no sense of it."

"Perhaps it is because you seem illuminated by the light of the moon." She paused, touching his hair.

"I do not know; I cannot see myself."

"Pity there is no stream here, you look wondrous."

"I think you are mistaken; you are the only wondrous one—"

"No, I'm really not." Aerlaer grabbed hold of his hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" He asked as she practically dragged him along at an easy lope.

"To prove you are."

…

There was a stream near where the horses were camped for the evening and this is where Aerlaer lead Legolas silently through the trees, unseen by any of the riders as they settled for the evening.

"Look you are the light of the moon itself." Aerlaer whispered beside him as he peered down into the slow running stream at his, or rather their reflections. What he saw brought wonder to him for Aerlaer was right, he seemed to shine in silver as if he wore the moon himself upon his brow, for his hair shimmered in its light. And Aerlaer, she glowed light gold, her hair sparking softly.

"And you are the light of the sun who has not yet fallen asleep." He teased and she laughed lightly at that.

"Why would the sun wish to sleep when she can stay up with the moon?" She countered with a grin and he turned towards her, clasping her hands in his.

"But sleep we must, you have run far today, and the journey will only become wearier for us all, the closer we come to the darkness." Legolas replied almost regretfully for to stay up all night would be nice. No, we must try to act as elves, he sighed internally as he recalled their earlier and enjoyable indiscretions to their race.

"Already it is affecting some of the men, have you seen the fear growing in their eyes?"

"Yes, especially the younger ones, but Aragorn is their hope."

"Estel." She said his elven name and Legolas nodded.

"Estel. He is the hope for us all now."

I did a bad thing, I started a Witcher fic! Eeeep! Don't kill me! Should I post up the start, or wait? I'm so bad! *covers eyes and makes whale noises.

mystarlight - Thank you! xx

zikashigaku - Me too, he's such an ass! :D Oooh, you'll have to keep reading on, my friend, to learn why! ;)

Aralinn - Hey! Thank you, and, psst, have you read The Nameless Ones? It might help your dying to know. Apologies in advance, it hasn't been re-edited! Also, from one LOTR fan to another who thinks Legolas is a cool elf, Y.O.U M.U.S.T W.A.T.C.H T.H.E W.I.T.C.H.E.R haha, no peer pressure or anything! :D

Katara Melody Cullen - Thank you! :)

ArwenUndmiel - Hey and thanks! Also, shhh you know too much, haha!

A xx