"Legolas!"
"Hmm?"
Legolas looked up and saw Gimli standing before him. Nightfall had come swiftly once again. They were camped out next to the mountains where the Rohirrim were to gather by order of King Theoden. Legolas and Gimli shared a tent along with Aragorn, who had been recently called to Theoden's quarters. Legolas and Gimli stayed behind and the dwarf finally could not hold his tongue if he had to watch his elf companion sulk quietly any longer.
"Are your elf ears malfunctioning laddie? I've been calling yeh for ages now."
"Sorry, Gimli. What is it?"
"Let's find some food." The dwarf muttered, gesturing for Legolas to follow him out of the tent. Legolas shook his head.
"I ate Lembas earlier. I am full."
"Oh cease this madness won't ya? Spit out whatever goblin mess is pestering your mind!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You look more aloof than a love sick girl. Tell me. What is her name?"
Legolas turned his head to the side indifferently. He did not want to discuss anything, especially with Gimli.
"There's no one."
"No use denying it. I hear you muttering her name at night." At this revelation, the elf prince's eyes widened and he looked slightly mortified. The dwarf was enjoying this immensely. He was going to milk this for as long as possible.
"Irdes, was it?" Gimli grinned. He plopped heavily next to Legolas, who was looking grimmer by the second. "Where does this lucky girl reside?"
To Gimli's surprise, Legolas relented and answered back.
"Lothlorien. But I met her in Rivendell."
"Lothlorien? But that is where we saw the Lady Galadriel. Were you able to see Irdes before we left?"
Legolas shook his head. He felt extremely uncomfortable talking upon this subject as he noticed his hands were playing mindlessly with the edge of his bow hanging from his hand. He cursed her ability to make him suffer mentally, even as there were leagues apart from each other.
"I had just missed her. She departed with most of my kin to the Undying Lands."
"Aye…I see." Gimli replied quietly.
Silence fell between them, the crackling of the fire the only thing resonating in the air. Legolas set his bow down on the floor beside him and watched the fire flicker before him. At the beginning of their journey, Gimli despised elves and placed that judgment quickly onto Legolas when they had met. But now as he watched the same elf-now his friend-gaze somberly into the fire, he felt the need to comfort him. Gimli let out a heaving sigh and rested his feet upon a nearby stool.
"Tell me about her, laddie."
Rivendell, Third Age
"Tell me more about your travels." She urged the elf prince. She knew near to nothing of other lands and wished to hear from him his experiences.
"I've traveled to most places in Middle-Earth. My last endeavor was in Erebor."
"Erebor? With the dwarves?"
"Ai. My father and I fought in the Battle of the Five Armies. We fought legions or orcs led by Azog the Defiler. I am sure you have heard tales?"
"You fought Azog the Defiler?"
Irdes heard of the many stories of battles and wars from her father but Legolas seemed to be on the younger side. To have already been a part of such important events in their world was fascinating to her. Legolas found her curiosity to be endearing.
"That was Thorin Oakenshield's opponent, actually. His son Borg was more of my enemy."
Irdes scrunched her nose.
"Orcs bear children? That imagery isn't comforting."
It had been three days since Arwen's birthday. Lord Elrond had extended his hospitality to his guests from distant lands for as long as they wished. Legolas was pleased his father decided to stay for a few days before departing back to Mirkwood. Irdes and her father were also doing the same.
He had spent most of his time with Irdes. Currently, they were near the borders of Rivendell, where blue rivers ran beautifully under the rays of sunlight. Together they sat at the edge of the water, admiring the scene together.
Legolas learned that Irdes was a good thousand years younger than him. She was young, slightly naïve and beautiful…and she knew she was beautiful. The way she taunted him with alluring stares and mischievous glances proved that she knew how to seduce elves and probably men alike. Despite this, her father said she had turned down countless of suitors, because her main aspiration was in healing.
She was almost one with nature. It was amusing, yet quite attractive to see her in the finest of dresses but sitting quite comfortable in the grass and dirt, not a care in the world. Her black waves of hair were slightly in disarray from the wind, but it enhanced the raw sensuality she embodied so well. His eyes fell to her well filled figure and breasts, that heaved up and down as she heartily laughed, stirring a primitive longing within him that he worked hard to suppress.
An idea sprang into his mind.
"Come with me. And bring a bow."
They had spent the rest of the day practicing archery. Irdes never felt more foolish in her life. She felt like she was disgracing all of her kind by not excelling with a bow and arrow. Legolas found her amusing as he helped correct her form, pushing her elbows up with his hand slightly.
"This is the ideal position. Now you must practice your aim."
He spent another hour teaching her what took him near a millennium to master and came to the conclusion that she was a swift learner. By the end of their session, she had made ten shots within the target range, and one good shot dead in the middle. She jumped up and down in excitement and told her father of her grand feat at dinner that evening.
"I don't advise you to grow too fond of her, Legolas."
The elf prince looked up at his father startled. His gaze went toward the direction of Irdes and her father farther down the banquet table to make sure she did not hear. When it was certain she was preoccupied, Legolas looked back at his father nonchalantly.
"She is a friend, Ada. Nothing more."
"I would hope for such. She is to be engaged to Haldir before our kin depart for the West."
Legolas reacted to the news with a slight twitch of his hand, but instead sent a reassuring smile to his father.
"I shall make note of that."
Present Day
"Haldir!" Gimli exclaimed. "The elf general who aided us at Helm's Deep,"
Legolas nodded.
"Indeed. They were married shortly after we had departed Rivendell for our journey."
"You let that snob of an elf take her away! I mean…may the Valar bless his soul—" Gimli had just remembered Haldir had fallen in the battle he was not even required to be a part of, "—surely you could've been the one to marry her. You're the prince of Mirkwood!"
Legolas smiled, something he hadn't done genuinely in a long while.
"Just because I am royalty, doesn't mean I always get what I want." Legolas smirked. "He was better for her," Legolas felt his jaw clench as he uttered those words, "They were meant to depart for the west together. When he turned up leading the reinforcements at Helm's Deep, I was surprised. But it also showed what great honor he withheld."
Gimli snorted and Legolas gave him a reprimanding look.
"Haldir was honorable. More honorable than how I treated her before we departed." Legolas felt a dull ache in his chest. How he detested the feeling. He closed his eyes and thought of her laughter and her golden eyes and the pain subsided slowly.
"But as any love tale goes…I'm going to make an educated guess," Gimli spat into the fire before looking the elf straight in the eye.
"Despite everything…the one she loved was you."
Legolas remained quiet. Gimli grunted in approval and took the silence as a confirmation of his words.
"It matters not Gimli. Our world is in peril…she cannot stay here."
"That's a load of orc shat, and you know it."
Before Legolas could retort back, they were interrupted by a Rohan soldier, who lifted the entrance of the tent and peered his head inside.
"Lord Legolas, Lord Gimli. Aragorn is packing his equipment…where is he going? It is the eve of battle!"
Legolas and Gimli exchanged looks and they both had a sneaking suspicion Aragorn was about to attempt to leave them behind.
"Come, Gimli! We must catch up to him!"
They quickly gathered their possessions and rushed out of the tent into the night.