Chapter 13 ended with:

Phoebe dropped her gun and literally threw herself in his arms, giving him kisses on the cheeks.

"Thank you, Grandpa!" she shouted in his ear.

He winced, regretting his promise already. It had taken him about ten seconds.

Chapter 14 – Haldir's regrets

Valerie was petting her mare after a long ride with her new best friends, Cadworon and Brethilon. The warriors were at the other end of the stables, taking care of their own horses, while keeping an eye on her. As if she could be attacked within the vicinity of the fortress!

"Lady Valerie?" a musical and enchanting voice said behind her. Not recognizing the angel voice, having met too many ellith in the past week, Valerie turned around and saw Arwen, the daughter of Elrond, standing in front of her.

"Lady Arwen! How do you do?" Valerie asked politely to the absolutely stunning elleth. Legolas had told her that Arwen was considered by most people the epitome of elven beauty. Valerie, with her flashy red hair and bulging stomach, felt self-conscious in front of the dark beauty, in other words, absolutely out of Arwen's league. It did not help that Thranduil, ever the upsetting father-in-law, had casually mentioned he had always wished Legolas would marry Elrond's daughter, a true princess in every sense of the word.

"I am doing very well, thank you for asking. Did you have a nice ride?"

"Yes, I did. This mare is very docile, which is why my mate gave her to me. But one day, I will ride one of those," Valerie said, pointing at the stallions that belonged to Legolas and his father, two strong beasts that looked almost dangerous. They seemed like a challenge, one Valerie was dreaming of.

"You are an unusual elleth," Arwen responded. "Are you not scared that the stallion will not obey you, or gallop too fast?"

"I like speed," Valerie sighed. "But in my condition," she said, caressing her stomach, "it is probably for the best that I ride a quiet mare. And I think... one scandal at a time is all Greenwood can endure."

Valerie was referring to the fact that she had been seen riding astride instead of aside like a lady. It had caused quite a bit of stir in the Greenwood population. But she would not change her riding style to please people. She just... would have liked to be able to act as she wished without causing a scandal every second day. She was tired of Thranduil's scornful gaze, and of the way people were stopping to talk each time she entered a room. She was a stranger here, and felt like one every second of the day. At least, Legolas was supporting her every decision... in public. In private... their relationship was strained since that argument they had had about her short trip to Lake-town.

They had not made love or even kissed in the past three days. She had never imagined that Legolas would be a sulky husband. But with Thranduil as father, what did she expect? A stubborn and proud wife never made a good combination with a sulky husband. But.. if he still did not talk to her tonight... then... she would go to him and apologize. She was unused to having to ask someone's opinion or permission before making decisions. That's what she would blame it on... if he did not talk to her first. And she needed to speak to him tonight, since she was leaving for Lake-town at dawn the next day. Better not let the situation fester for an entire week.

"Lady Valerie?" Valerie's gaze turned back to Elrond's daughter. "You were lost in your thoughts."

"Yes, I am sorry. Is there something I can do for you, Lady Arwen?"

"In fact, yes. I would like to discuss your trip to Lake-town."

Valerie immediately froze. Another person who would try to convince her not to go. What was wrong with these people? "I understand your concerns, Lady Arwen, but I want to assure you that my escort will be watching over me. Cadworon and Brethilon are experienced warriors and they have selected other warriors to be part of my escort, and I am quite confident that -"

"You are mistaken, Lady Valerie," Arwen finally said when Valerie paused for a second to breathe. "I am here as the representative of my family, to kindly request your permission to join your party when you leave for Lake-town. You see, I might have lived thousands of years, but I never visited Lake-town. I have spent my entire life traveling between Imladris and Lothlorien, and never actually visited a human town... I am... quite curious to see how they live, and see... their society."

Valerie had heard the rumor that Lord Elrond's daughter was in love with a mortal. That as half-elven, Lord Elrond's children had to make the choice between their elven heritage and their human heritage. None of his children had officially made the choice yet, and Lord Elrond was deeply concerned by this fact. Should his daughter choose to marry this man, she would become mortal and lose the right to sail to Valinor with her father and grandparents. Why would someone choose mortality when being offered to live a long and happy life in the elven paradise? Valerie could tell her – there was nothing special about being a mortal. Was a man worth your immortality? Valerie, her children and her sister had become half-elven and had automatically made the choice of becoming immortal when they crossed the portal. Thank the Valar, Legolas and her would never worry that their children would chose to become mortal again!

"I would need to speak to my husband. Our escort might require to be increased in number if you come with us. You see, they have decided there would be three warriors for each of us. My son, my sister, Lady Ninaelil and myself will be going with twelve warriors."

"Lady Ninaelil is joining you?"

"Yes. She has not gone to Lake-town in almost half a century, and she is one of the few who speaks Westron. She will be my translator until I learn Westron. But this will have to wait until I master the written Sindarin. This is more complicated than I had imagined!"

"Sindarin is not easy to read and write, I will give you that! If I may... add information that might help your decision about me joining your party... my brothers and Glorfindel would join us. They could be... my three warriors. And Lord Haldir, the Marchwarden of Lothlorien, also asked for the honor of being one of the warriors protecting us."

"Really? All these people want to go to Lake-town with you?"

"With us. You might have noticed... that Glorfindel and your sister are... becoming quite close."

That was a polite way of describing what was happening between Allison and the Imladris Captain. For days, Valerie had had to listen to "Glorfindel this..." and "Glorfindel that..." from a smitten sister who had fallen head over heals overnight, and who was disregarding the advices she had given to Valerie a few months before. And if Valerie had heard correctly last night, Glorfindel had spent the night in Allison's room. She had realized that the keen elven hearing of everyone in the royal aisle had probably also allowed everyone to hear her own lovemaking with Legolas in the past weeks. Not that they had heard anything in the past three days... Valerie sighed. She really needed to apologize to Legolas.

"If you are bringing warriors with you, then I see no reason why my husband would not be agreeable to the addition to our party. I would be glad to get to know you, Lady Arwen. Would you want to ride beside me?"

"I would be honored. If you will excuse me, I will tell the good news to everyone and we will start our own preparations. I will see you tonight at dinner and at the evening that the king organized in the royal family rooms. Your son promised me that he would play for me... a Chopin concerto?"

The royal family rooms were common chambers that only the royal family could access if they wished to spend time alone as a family. These rooms had barely been used in the past centuries, but since Valerie's arrival, they had been reopened and were used almost every day. Sean's piano had been installed in one of these rooms, and they liked to spend their evenings in there while listening to him practicing his piano. Even Thranduil had started to join them, which had surprised Valerie greatly. He had avoided her children in the past. But Phoebe had been telling her that she had played with Thranduil many times in his office, but she would only believe it when she saw it.

"I am looking forward to this evening. My son will be honored to play for your family."

They curtsied to each other and went their separate ways. Valerie went to her suite, where she was surprised to find her husband. Legolas was spending most of his time with Hadron, one of his lieutenant, to discuss the defense plans for the next few months. He was rarely in their suite so early before dinner.

"You had a nice day?" she politely asked.

"Yes," was his curt reply. He kept reading a map, but she could tell he was watching her. He was not indifferent, she could sense the turmoil in his mind through their bond.

She removed her riding dress, only keeping her light chemise, and sat down in front of her vanity, sighing with relief. She started rubbing her stomach, feeling the babies' movements under her hand. They were quite active little elflings, and the riding was not helping them to remain calm!

She was surprised when she felt Legolas' hands on her shoulders.

"Vanima..." he whispered.

She slowly put her hand on one of his and watched him in the polished surface that served as a mirror.

"Legolas... I am still planning to go to Lake-town tomorrow... but I want to.. apologize for antagonizing you on the subject. I want you to know that I understand your concerns..."

"And I appreciate your desire to see something else than the fortress. I... never really went anywhere else than Greenwood and Lake-town. My father has not left our realm in centuries either... It is difficult for us to understand that you want to travel. I am sorry that Greenwood and our home does not meet your approval, and if there is anything I can do -"

"Legolas, I did not mean to diminish the fortress or the realm! It is very different from what I expected, but... I am getting used to it. It is very comfortable albeit humid and cold... But it is your home, our home, and I do not wish to leave. I just want to go to Lake-town... to buy a few things."

"You want to go shopping?"

Valerie nodded.

"You want to go shopping?" Legolas asked again, disbelieving. And then, to Valerie's surprise, he burst into laughter. "Only you, my love, only you would take such risks to go shopping!" Legolas' hands went from her shoulders to her stomach where they remained to touch her skin. The babies immediately jerked, responding to their father's touch as they usually did. They immediately calmed down, and Valerie realized they had been agitated for the past few days because Legolas had not made his fëa contact with them during this time.

"Speaking of shopping, could you please give me some money for my purchases?"

"You do not need money."

"There is no money in Middle Earth?" she repeated, surprised.

"Yes, there definitely is money. But you will not need any in Lake-town. The people there give us everything for free. It is part of the agreement they signed with us centuries ago. We protect the forest road and indirectly, their town and in return, they supply us with some goods."

"This is why Ninaelil wants to join! She said she wanted to speak in person to the merchants who supply Greenwood with products. I never knew it was free, though. I was planning to bargain very hard! I am disappointed!"

Legolas laughed, and his hands slowly made their way up from her stomach to her breasts while his mouth found its way to the nape of her neck. He caressed her with more passion, his breathing picking up while she was relaxing under his talented hands.

"I missed you," he whispered. "I have been watching you for these three long days, wanting to be with you, wanting to be in you..." She put her hand behind his neck, trying to bring his face closer to hers so they could share a passionate kiss.

"Legolas," she whispered before she forgot to tell him in the heat of the action, "Lady Arwen will be joining us tomorrow. She will bring her brothers and Glorfindel..."

"Is that so?" he said, trailing kissed behind her ear while his hands were now baring her shoulders, pushing down the chemise very low on her breast. "Elrond's twin sons and their captain are well known for the superiority of their sword fighting. I am glad to hear they will join your escort."

"She also wants to bring the Marchwarden..."

Legolas immediately froze. "Can you please repeat that?"

"The Marchwarden is coming too."

Legolas stood abruptly, putting pressure on her bare shoulders with his hands. "I swear by the Valar that this ellon will not be going with you to Lake-town!"

He left the room, leaving behind a shocked Valerie, who wondered what was wrong with the Lothlorien Marchwarden and if Legolas was still mad at her despite her apology. She started to nervously brush her hair, feeling tired and knowing a strong headache was coming. She would have preferred to go to bed than to entertain guests tonight, but she would do her duty without complaint. She just hoped Legolas would be in a better mood tonight after the soiree organized by Thranduil!

OoOoO

Haldir had tried to go in the royal aisle a few days before, after debating for a long time with his own conscience about his need to get to know Lady Valerie, just to see what he had missed by not taking Legolas' place when he went to her world. He was intrigued by her, by her strange way of thinking, her strong character and her physical appearance. It was obvious to him that she would struggle to adapt in the Greenwood realm, between an austere king and savage Silvan warriors. Even her mate had difficulties with her unconventionality, if the rumors he had heard about them not being in speaking terms had been true. What was he looking to accomplish by meeting in private with her? Only the Valar knew. She was now married, mated to Prince Legolas, there was no getting around that. But was it a true elven bond? That he was not sure about, having not seen Legolas and Valerie alone together. If it was not a true elven bond, did he have a chance? He had stopped that train of thought immediately. Lord Celeborn would rather kill him than see him bring back Lady Valerie to Lothlorien in such a shameful manner.

So he had been wandering near the royal aisle, letting his feet direct him as his mind was absolutely blank. He had been stopped by a Greenwood warrior that had been standing at the entrance of the hallway leading to the private suites of the royal family.

"Good day, Marchwarden. May I inquire as to whom you are visiting today?"

"I merely wanted to visit the royal aisle. I have heard it has some beautiful rooms with a view outside."

"Some rooms have quite a breathtaking view on the garden, on the forest and on the training grounds. But I am sorry, this area of the fortress is private. No visitors are allowed unless they have been invited by a member of the royal family."

"I would like to see the princess, Lady Valerie."

"Did she invite you, my Lord? She did not tell me she was expecting your visit."

"No, I am afraid not. But I wish to speak to her nevertheless."

"I will inform Lady Valerie of your request for an audience with her. I will send you a message should she agree to your request. In the meantime, I recommend that you go back to the guest aisle or in other areas of the fortress."

"You are not being very hospitable and respectful, warrior! I am the Marchwarden of Lothlorien! I shall report this to your captain!"

"Please do so, my Lord, please do so. My name is Cadworon, should you wish to report this to Prince Legolas." The warrior had known that the prince would probably congratulate him for his decision not to allow Haldir in the royal aisle. Prince Legolas had been adamant that in no way, shape or form should Haldir be left alone with his wife. Cadworon and his brother had not been informed of the reason behind this singular command, but they both had ears to hear and eyes to see. Haldir had been the second possible ellon of the prophecy, and now that the princess was in Middle Earth, he was regretting his decision to turn down the opportunity. Prince Legolas' reluctance at leaving his wife alone with Haldir had seemed strange originally, since ellyn were absolutely and unconditionally respectful of bonds and would never approach a mated elleth without the purest of intentions. But this conversation with Haldir had enlightened Cadworon. Haldir was ready to do the unthinkable and try to steal the princess from Prince Legolas like the lowest of mortal man would do. He had stood in front of Haldir, his hands caressing the hilts of the twin blades he was wearing at his waist.

Haldir had turned around, perfectly understanding the unspoken words. Cadworon was there to ensure he would never be alone with Lady Valerie. But the opportunity was finally presenting itself to him, in the form of two invitations. For one, he would go to a gathering in the royal aisle that very night, where Lady Valerie would without a doubt be, even if her mate would also be there. But he would at least be able to speak to her, even if it was not in private.

The second opportunity had come from Lady Arwen, who had desired to visit Lake-town with Lady Valerie. Deeply concerned, Lady Galadriel had asked her Marchwarden to join her grandsons to guard the four ladies and one elfling who would be going to the human town. There, Haldir was confident that he would be able to speak to Lady Valerie in private, despite the presence of her two guards.

He was getting ready for the evening, wearing the best tunic he had brought to Greenwood, and making sure he looked his best for that important evening. Instinctively, he wanted to make an impression on her. He followed Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel to the royal aisle, hoping the Lady of Light would be too busy to read his mind and his intentions by the same token. He entered the living room where Lord Elrond and his children were already waiting for the arrival of the royal family. Glorfindel was with them.

Haldir sat in a comfortable chair near the fire, and started watching his environment. There was a big window with a view on the forest, and the fresh breeze was enchanting, both because of the forest scents it was carrying, but also because fresh air was welcome when one was living in caves for a long time. In a corner of the room was the massive musical instrument that the minstrel elfling liked to play daily. Even in the middle of the caves, you could hear him play if he keep open the door of this room. The door opened and he stood, hopeful. But it was only Allison. The elleth greeted everyone, and went to sit beside Glorfindel. It looked like things were progressing nicely between these two. Allison started talking about some healing related topic, and Haldir stopped listening. Healers were boring to him, unless they were healing one of his battle wounds.

The door opened again, this time with many people entering in the living room. They all stood to greet the now extensive Greenwood royal family. Lady Valerie looked tired, and Prince Legolas led her to a chair near the fire, without sparing Haldir a glance. Her children sat near her while Prince Legolas went to sit beside his father, who had chosen a seat near Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.

Lady Valerie was listening to the chatter of her children in that strange language of theirs until she asked them in Sindarin to stop using English. The children immediately and very easily switched to Sindarin, and everyone understood that the female elfling was asking if she could bring her toys, that the conversations of the adults were boring. Everyone looked at the king to see if he would react to her declaration, but the king smiled and went back to his conversation. Her mother told her she could go to her room and get toys that were not too noisy.

The little elleth left the room, and Lady Valerie looked at her sons. Not once had she looked at Haldir, as if he was of no interest. She really was keeping all her attention on her children. He would have to change his strategy. He settled for observing her for a while, before he made a decision about his next move.

Valerie was trying to be a good hostess, despite her tiredness and a massive headache. Legolas had been cold to her when he got ready for the evening, and when she inquired if he was still angry with her, he had told her he was not, but that he was very stressed and needed some time. Partially relieved, she had been able to face their guests, but she was hoping the evening would not last too long.

She participated in the conversation between Elrond and Allison on modern healing techniques, making sure that Liam got to share some of his knowledge. She suggested that he went in his room to get the medical encyclopedias he had brought, and that he showed them to the Imladris lord. Knowing that Liam was going to have a great evening after this, she turned to Sean, who was sitting near her, lost in his thoughts.

"Do you want to play the piano, sweetheart?"

Sean looked stricken. "In front of everybody?" he whispered.

"You promised to play a Chopin concerto," Lady Arwen gently reminded the elfling. "I have been looking forward to it all day. I cannot wait to describe it to our minstrel in Imladris!"

He stared at her with frightened eyes. "Sean," Legolas said from the other side of the room, "everyone in the fortress has heard you play at least once, whether you were playing the piano or the violin. Do not be shy, my son, and show us how talented you are."

Sean walked to the seat of the piano as a condemned person going to its execution. Lady Arwen exchanged a glance with Valerie, and Valerie read the silent question in her eyes. She nodded, knowing that if Arwen spoke to Sean, he would forget about everyone else in the room. Arwen stood gracefully and walked slowly to the piano. She pulled another chair and sat beside him.

"Do you know the songs by heart?" she asked, her voice very gentle and light. Sean showed her one of his piano scores. "This is very similar to what Lindir uses! Do you need help turning the pages?"

Sean nodded, still looking at the magnificent lady sitting beside him. She was so nice to him, and he completely forgot everyone else and started to talk to her exclusively.

"I can start with a bit of Chopin, but if you want, I could play some more modern music. It is called jazz," he said, hopeful that she would accept to listen to both styles of music.

"Of course, sweet child! And maybe you could show me how to play after?"

"But... it took me many years to play like this. You should not expect to play perfectly before you leave Greenwood," he told seriously, concerned that she would be disappointed with herself should she not be a great player within a few weeks.

Arwen smiled. "I am sure you will do your best, but I am not a very good musician. I simply wish to feel what playing the piano is like, so I can tell Lindir. And maybe, one day, you can invite him and he could learn to play the piano."

"You will have to ask my mother. I cannot invite people over without her permission."

"I will ask her for you. When you are older, close to being of age, we will talk about it again. Now, are we going to play?"

Sean nodded, got his score ready, and took a little pause to concentrate before he started playing.

His music soon filled the room, and the conversation died slowly, everyone paying attention to the talented child. Phoebe chose this exact moment to come back to the living room with her bag of toys, and she dropped it right beside Thranduil. She opened the bag and gave him a toy, keeping a similar one for herself.

"Play with me, Grandpa!" she insisted.

Valerie watched the scene with interest. Could it be real?

"I am busy talking with our guests, aure nin – my sunlight."

Valerie almost choked on her water, and how she remained straight-faced must have been a miracle of the Valar. She looked at Legolas, whose usual cold demeanor in front of strangers remained unchanged. But through their bond, she could feel his hilarity and amazement.

"Please, Grandpa!" she pouted. "Just a little bit!" She didn't wait for his answer and ran to hide behind the sofa where the twins were seated. Elladan had been watching the little elleth ever since she had walked in the room, and now was his chance to observe her more closely than ever before. He saw her face as she spied on the king, who was distractedly watching her from the corner of his eye.

Phoebe took her toy and pointed it in the direction of the king while still trying to hide behind the sofa. Suddenly, the king pointed his own toy in her direction and a tiny object was projected on the elfling, who screamed in delight, making everyone jump in the room. Even Sean made a false note while he played.

Phoebe moved to another hiding place to find a better spot and now, everyone was following her moves. She hid behind her mother and using her toy, projected the same tiny object in the direction of the king, who barely dodged it before shooting again in her direction.

"Is this... a toy weapon?" Elrohir asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Valerie replied.

"And what it is?" Lord Celeborn asked.

Legolas and Valerie explained the concept of guns to those who were interested, mainly everyone but Sean, Lady Arwen and Phoebe, who was disappointed that her grandfather was no longer playing with her. She removed the toy gun from his lap and gave it to Legolas. Too busy with his explanations, her father did not pay attention to her silent request to play with her.

Phoebe looked spiritless for a short time, before she caught the eyes of a black-haired ellon. He was sitting beside another ellon that was almost identical. But there was something in the eyes of the first one that immediately told her that... they could be good friends... great friends, even.

"I can play with you," he offered gently, testing how she would react to his proposal. He knew not that you never asked Phoebe in vain to play with her. She immediately gave him the toy and summarily explained how it worked, only to disappear behind another sofa. After exchanging a few bullets from his seat, Elladan decided to really play with the child he knew was his fëa-mate, and started hiding behind furniture as well.

After a while, the room was full of bullets and Valerie asked her daughter to pick them all up and stop playing.

"Can we go play in another room?" she asked eagerly. It had been a while that she had found such a willing and playful companion, even of it was an adult.

"Sure, as long as you do not play in our suite, sweetheart," Valerie said, attempting to soothe her headache with her cold hand on her forehead.

Legolas and Thranduil exchanged a glance, but the king imperceptibly nodded to his son that it was alright. Whatever was happening in the head of Elrond's son, the king knew Phoebe was in no danger.

Phoebe took Elladan by the hand and pulled him out of the room. "Come! I will get my bigger guns, but before, we need to changes the batteries in your gun. My mother says I need to be careful not to overuse them, because she only brought a two years supply of batteries..."

The people were still discussing how dangerous these weapons were, and how killing from afar made the gesture of killing less tangible.

"I see no difference between killing with an arrow and killing with a gun," Valerie said, adding her grain of salt to the conversation. "They both are done from afar."

"You have to admit that a bullet can reach a target much further away than an arrow!" Legolas said, agreeing with everyone around him.

"If your world is more or less what will become of Middle Earth in a few centuries, we are safe to believe that mortals will eventually invent these guns here. Maybe they should never hear about the concept or ever see Phoebe's toys," Thranduil said.

"You are just jealous that it is mortals who will invent guns," Valerie commented in bad faith.

"If elves existed in your world, they would have been the ones inventing guns."

Valerie rolled her eyes in answer. "You are so chauvinistic!"

"I think Thranduil is right. The later the mortals imagine the concept, the better for all of us," Celeborn said in support to his Greenwood counterpart. "We should avoid showing them these toys. Massive killing is not something we can tolerate."

"Then I imagine it is time for me to admit that I brought real guns from my world, right?" Valerie asked. "But rest assured that I am not planning to parade with them in Lake-town, if that was your concern."

Everyone frowned at Valerie, both from her cheeky response and the news that she had brought dangerous new weapons in Middle Earth. Under their stares, she started to panic. She could have bit her tongue. Why did she have to antagonize people that didn't share her opinions?

Legolas stood and walked behind her chair in a very welcome show of support. He put his hands on her shoulders, something he noticed made the Marchwarden cringe. He made the gesture even more obvious by tenderly caressing her arms, just for the pleasure of seeing the Marchwarden's disappointed face from the corner of his eye.

"Valerie and I have discussed the pros and cons of bringing guns in Middle Earth. It was not a light decision we have taken. I have safely hidden the weapons in the fortress, to ensure no one would ever use them."

"Then why did you bring them in the first place?" Elrond asked.

"Because we are planning to use them if the security of our children is at stake," he replied. "Or in case of an invasion. Some weapons would be quite useful under these circumstances."

"Can we just agree that Legolas and I will determine when to use these weapons, and that our first rule will be to only use them in the most dangerous and desperate situations?" Valerie asked.

"Can I see these weapons?" Haldir asked, interested. Anything that could help him in the defense of Lothlorien would be welcome.

"No," Legolas replied curtly. "My wife was just scornfully looked at by all of you because she mentioned bringing these weapons here. We promise not to use them lightly. This is the end of the discussion."

There was a long silence after that, in which the people of Imladris and Lothlorien discovered two things. One: Prince Legolas could be as rude as his father when he felt threatened or disrespected. Two: the prince and his wife shared a strong bond despite the fact that she was only half-elven. The way he held her shoulders, tall and protective behind her, the glances they had exchanged during the discussion, the connection they obviously shared when he defended her... They could feel it, almost see it, strong as it was.

"Lady Galadriel, is there anything you would like me to get you in Lake-town?" Valerie asked lightly, changing the subject and immediately making the tension drop in the room. "I am so excited to go visit the town!"

"Well, I must admit I have been longing for some honey sweets that are made by a merchant on the main street. It has been at least five years since I had some." Many people started describing the various sweets produced by the people of Lake-town, and asking Valerie to try them all and bring some if it was possible.

Thranduil remained expressionless, but was deeply moved to see his son and his wife standing their ground in front of their guests who had always thought the Greenwood elves, mostly of Silvan ascendance, were inferior to the Noldor and Sindar elves. He was also glad that his daughter-in-law had changed the subject, albeit to a light one, but at least, everyone was trying hard to participate in order to forget the tense exchange about weapons.

After another hour, Elrond declared that the travelers needed to go to bed since they would leave the fortress at dawn the next day. They looked for Elladan and Phoebe everywhere in the royal aisle, until a servant informed them that the lord and the princess were eating blueberry pie in the kitchens. Legolas went to retrieve his daughter while everyone else said goodbye.

Somehow, a dejected Haldir had remained alone in the living room. He was now sitting in a dark corner, his thoughts as dark as the room. He now knew he had no chance with Lady Valerie because of the bond she shared with her mate. Despite his hopes, it was a true elven bond. And he was also certain that Prince Legolas knew about his earlier intentions. The way he had possessively caressed his wife's shoulders while watching him was very enlightening.

He remained in the living room for a long time, until he heard the soft noise of the door opening. He watched Lady Valerie as she walked to the window to look at the forest under the moonlight. She was only wearing a dressing gown that fit tightly to her upper body with a plunging neckline that showed her sculptural breasts. Haldir swallowed. Should he signal his presence or wait for her to leave? She certainly would be mortified to know he had seen her in such a state, and he decided to remain silent in the dark, waiting for her to go back to her bedroom.

To his growing horror, the door opened again and the prince himself entered the living room, only wearing a dressing robe in a matching fabric and color. Now whatever Haldir did, the prince would think he was spying on his wife. He had no choice but to remain absolutely immobile and silent. If he were lucky, they would leave the room soon without realizing he was sitting in the dark corner.

The prince walked up to his wife and encircled her in his arms from behind. She leaned against him, sighing in contentment.

"Did you put Phoebe to bed?"

"Yes. They ate a whole pie together. If Phoebe is sick during the night, we will blame Elrond's son."

Valerie chuckled. "Or your father! Do you know he let her have pie for breakfast the other day?"

"Are you certain? I am absolutely convinced that my father would never allow an elfling to eat pie for breakfast! Please tell me, why are you not in bed? You could not sleep?"

"I was waiting for you. I wanted to make sure... that everything is alright between us... after what happened earlier in our room. You left in such a hurry, without telling me what was wrong..."

"I am sorry, Vanima. I will be in a position to explain my reaction to you... later. Perhaps when our guests are gone. I am growing weary of their presence. They have been here many weeks now, they had enough time to see you and the children. I wish they would go back to their realm and let us live our lives in private."

"I want to be alone with you too. But until then, we will have to settle for this," Valerie whispered, slowly turning in his arms. She put her hands on his chest, and opening his dress robe to have access to his skin, she slowly stroked his pectoral muscles and his shoulders. She stood on tiptoe and leaned towards him, initiating a passionate kiss that quickly left them breathless. Legolas gently pushed her against the frame of the bay window and opened her own dressing gown. From his chair, Haldir could barely see her body but he saw exactly the kind of caresses the prince was bestowing upon to his wife. The Marchwarden knew they would make love right there, in the living room, while they thought they were alone. There was nothing he could do to prevent it, and to be honest, he could not even remove his eyes from the scene. He was a voyeur, he discovered to his absolute dismay. No better than a depraved mortal.

They murmured tender words to each other, until Valerie started trailing down kisses on Legolas' neck while she completely removed his dressing robe. The prince had many markings on his torso and his back, as per the long-established Silvan traditions. Haldir distractedly noticed that the marks described his rank and the impressive number of enemies he had killed. But the one thing that did surprise him was that the prince already had new markings outlining that he was the mate of Valerie Thompson. Said wife went down on her knees in front of him and he supported his weight by putting his hands against the window frame. Haldir's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Would she...? Yes, she was! Valerie took Legolas' length in her mouth and he moaned weakly. She licked his penis, carefully making sure to cover every inch of skin, all the while making eye contact with the prince who was observing her feverishly.

"Please..." he begged. She smiled wickedly, and started to move her mouth skillfully while the prince's groans started to fill the room. "Oh my love, you are so good at this... Of Valar, yes! Like that!"

But soon enough, he was asking her to stop her ministrations. "It has been so long... I will not last much longer..."

Valerie released him and slowly stood between his arms. Legolas removed her gown and it fell on the floor with a silky sound. Valerie's body was now fully exposed under the moonlight.

Haldir barely contained the moan of desire that the sight gave him. He was like a thirsty man in the eastern desert, seeing another ellon gulping a full glass of fresh water. The princess was tall, this he had known, but her legs were long and muscular. Her breasts were high and firm despite the fact that they were fuller than the average elleth's. Her bulging stomach was not too big, and the effect was still very graceful and balanced. Her skin was perfect, her neck long, Valar, even her hair was a temptation! Valerie's body was exactly made to his taste. Gods, how he wanted her! He wanted her underneath him, he wanted her to smell her skin, taste her mouth, enjoy everything he ever wanted with all his senses. But unfortunately, it seemed Valerie was also everything Prince Legolas wanted.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured to his wife. "I want you... I want you so much! Here, now!"

"Then take me! What are you waiting for? You want me to send you a text message?" she teased. Her chuckles were cut when he lifted her left leg, placed it around his waist and took her in one sure movement.

"Is that what you wanted?" he asked, teasing her in return.

"Less talking, more action!"

He started thrusting into her relentlessly, to both their delights. They were moaning and murmuring sweat nothings to each other, while the prince was swiftly bringing them on the verge of release.

Haldir moved slightly in his chair, his erection painful in his leggings. The prince suddenly froze and turned his head in his direction. Haldir immediately knew he had been caught. The prince's eyes were searching for the source of the noise in the dark and easily found him. His gaze immediately turned from curious to enraged. His blue eyes almost became black. He changed the angle of their bodies slightly to ensure that Haldir couldn't see Valerie's curves anymore, but only Legolas' back and backside.

"Legolas, keep going!" his wife requested, unaware that they had a witness. "Please! Why did you stop?"

The prince seemed to think for an instant, wondering if he should let his wife know that Haldir was sitting in a corner of the room, watching them. How would she react to that? Legolas looked at Haldir quickly, and pointed at the door with a movement of his head. But Haldir was frozen on the spot. That was it? He would be allowed to leave the room without the absolute disgrace of being caught in that desperate position by Valerie? Being caught by the prince was humiliating enough, but to be caught by his wife... nothing could be worst.

Legolas' features turned cold when he saw that Haldir was incapable of moving. The ellon had to leave now, without Valerie's awareness. He resumed his thrusting movements, and Valerie started being more vocal about her pleasure.

"Oh gods, yes! Legolas! Harder!"

"Do you love me, Vanima?" he asked.

"Yes, I do!" she whispered through ragged breaths. "You know I do... I have never... loved... anyone like... I love you."

"And you are my life... My mate... my wife..." He turned his head back towards Haldir and the Marchwarden saw him clearly mouth "Mine!" while his face was absolutely enraged. The prince must have this expression when he was on the battlefield. There was a murderous look on his face, and Haldir suddenly knew that kin slaying might take place if he didn't shake himself up and escape at this very moment.

As silently and promptly as he could, he stood and walked to the door.

"Legolas? There was a noise behind us..." he heard the princess say.

"No, Vanima, that was just the fire dying in the hearth."

Haldir stood outside of the room, in the hallway. He remained there until the couple was reaching its release in almost perfect synchronicity, his heart tearing in his chest. He had no idea what would happen to him after tonight, what kind of retaliation would the prince exert against him. But he knew it would be bad.

Legolas led Valerie back to their bed and tenderly stroked her hair while she was falling asleep in his arms. Once her breathing became slow and constant, and that he was sure that she would not wake up, he slowly got out of bed and went to the corner of the room where he usually locked his weapons. He opened the case and slowly caressed the hilts of his twin blades, fighting with all his might the irresistible desire to take his blades, go to the Marchwarden's room and execute the bastard. Haldir had seen Valerie in all her naked glory, he had watched them in their most intimate moment, lust and shame clearly displayed on his face. Haldir coveted his mate, as his father had guessed, and had been stalking her, probably hoping to get her into his bed. The image of Valerie in the arms of the Lothlorien captain was unbearable to visualize.

Legolas looked back at his wife, his fëa-mate, his only true love. She was sleeping peacefully, expecting to wake up in his arms and leave for Lake-town on an exciting expedition with her sister and Liam. She did not envision to spend the rest of her life with a jealous husband with elven blood on his hands. He could not taint their passion with a murder. But he could not let Haldir avoid any form of punishment. The Marchwarden would understand that Valerie was out of his reach, for eternity. Legolas went back to bed, gathering Valerie in his arms while planning how he would make the Marchwarden pay for his unacceptable behavior without spilling his blood.

In the next chapter, Valerie goes to Lake-town. Her trip will not be the nice and quiet little journey she had expected. She will face the dangers of Middle-Earth and discover the kind of world she now lives in...

World-classgeek: I really do like writing the interactions between Thranduil and Phoebe. I think only a sweet little girl like her can unfreeze his heart...

Paperlanterns86: There will be more of Allison and Glorfindel in the next chapter...

Legolas Fan: Valerie is about 20 weeks pregnant at the end of the chapter. Thank you for your comment about Thranduil and Phoebe!

ShueYun: Sorry if it takes me a long time between my chapters, I write them, reread and improve them a few times before I submit it to my beta-reader... I hope you find them worth the wait!

Aureleis: Phoebe found a new friend to play with her guns – did you like it?

Faye50free: the blueberry pie for breakfast will not make her too mad – she will make sure it stops though...

danger-in-design: thank you for your first review, I really like hearing from new readers. I really like writing the scenes between Phoebe and Thranduil, it is a nice break from the more action-oriented scenes...

Angel: Valerie and Haldir didn't quite meet like you hoped... They will speak together... eventually. For sure things are not going the way Haldir would have liked, but he made his choice, even if he regrets it now...

Fi: I am sorry that you had to wait so long for the last two chapters – I will try to improve, but I have been very busy lately...

carmynsorena: yes, Valerie is standing her ground, but she will have to realize that she is in a different world and adapt to the customs of Greenwood. It will take some time, but she will be an important person in Greenwood very soon...

Manwathiel-Nanethiel: you will see Thranduil's reaction to the playground very soon – can you guess where it is located?

TheQueenof ErynLagasryn: The interactions of Thranduil and Phoebe are what I imagine between a loving grandfather and his absolutely irresistible granddaughter. He cannot resist... and this is how the family will gain his heart.

KurandRobgirl: what we have seen so far from Thranduil in the movie shows us very little, but my feeling is that he is both tormented with the security of his people and cold with people that are not close to him... It will allow me to slowly show how the family will change him.

Dorothea Blackmoor: thank you for your comment. I sometimes wonder if I describe too many characters and their thoughts and behaviors, but it allows for so much more actions...

Aralinn: sorry for the wait, I hope you liked the chapter as much as the previous one!

EllethofMirkwood: I hope you like this chapter as well. Stay tuned for a lot more action in the next chapter!

Peridot Eyez: Valerie will confront Elladan in a short while, and it will not go very well... Did Haldir's mistake met your expectations? He will be forgiven, eventually... He will find his happiness to, in a few years...

Ranawe217: There will be more of Allison and Glorfindel in the next chapter. Thank you for your compliment, The Prophecy was my first story, and with this one, I am really working hard to improve my style. I am glad to hear I am successful in that!