Disclaimer: This again! I do not own the Lord of the Rings or any other part of the Tolkien Estate for that matter. I own only my own creations: the few, the proud, the strong.

Author's Note: By now I am sure you have become accustomed to this apology loyal readers and I am sorry to have to subject you to it again. My reasons for the long delay this time are my first semester of graduate school and writer's block. We are coming to the close of this story and I want to end it right. Bear with me and know I have learned from this. My next stories will be written in advance of posting (and I have already begun them). Happy New Year and enjoy!

Chapter 41-It's Time to Party

Since Minas Tirith had not been razed to the ground despite coming perilously close the city was one giant party, hence we made it out of the palace complex relatively easily. The first tavern we stopped at was called The Laughing Lady. We did not stay very long as much of the lesser nobility was there and it was almost as stuffy as the party we had ditched. Polishing off our first round, Almira and I decided to head to the lower levels. Such a move was not really proper as that area had a reputation for being a rather rough and tumble place. But seeing as I had kicked ass and left a footprint during the War I wasn't so worried. The fourth level was where we ended up and our first stop was the Fat Baron pub. There was a good mix of people here, all solidly middle class. As neither Almira nor I had grown up fabulously wealthy we felt pretty comfortable there. Although we did get some odd looks given our clothing which made us stand out. Luckily, most people shrugged it off and got back to the important stuff, like partying. We had tossed back a few rounds when I spotted a familiar face. "Amrothos!" I cried, waving frantically. Miraculously he heard me over the drunken din of the pub's populace.

He weaved his way through the crowd and joined us at our table. Once there he introduced us to the men he was celebrating with, all soldiers of his. "This is the last place I expected to meet the two of you again. Should you not be celebrating at a much more respectable affair?" he asked in mock solemnity.

"Shouldn't you?" I challenged with a quirk of one brow.

Amrothos smile widened. "Fair enough. Is it safe to assume you find such affairs as stifling and boring as I do?"

"To say the least," Almira said.

"Then shall we join forces? It would be a great honor to have two members of the Fellowship join our humble drinking party," he invited. We nodded enthusiastically. Laughing, he ordered another round and before I knew it I had passed through several pubs and lost count of how many drinks I had. It was in some tavern on the third level that I was approached by a boisterous young man who introduced himself as Geir. Now, I was fairly drunk but not completely wasted, thank you Elvish tolerance. I had seen him eyeing me, but had tried to ignore him as much as possible. Unfortunately he cornered me after a dance I had shared with Amrothos.

"What is a beautiful woman like you doing in a tavern like this?" he asked.

I blinked several times. Who would have thought pick-up lines existed in Middle Earth? Shaking my head at the novelty, I replied, "Just celebrating with a few friends who are probably missing me at the moment so I best return to them."

"Surely they would not begrudge you one dance?" he said smoothly with a confident smile.

"No they would not, but seeing as I cannot dance it is really a moot point." This was not a complete lie as most of the reels and jigs of Gondor were a far cry from the waltzes and what not I had picked up in Imladris. And I could forget about the dancing you'd whip out at a club in the States.

"Hmmm," he murmured a look of faux confusion on his face. "I could have sworn I saw you on the dance floor but a few moments ago."

Oops, I thought, I must be drunker than I realized. "Right...well that happened to be the one dance I knew. What a crying shame you didn't run into me before. Now if you'll excuse me." Not too shabby, I said to myself.

"Perhaps another time," Geir said looking hopeful. I walked away with a slight feeling of guilt, which quickly disappeared after my next pint when I managed to assure myself I would never see him again. It's not like we ran in the same circles, literally and figuratively speaking.

It was sometime shortly after dawn when we were sneaking back into the palace. I heard an "oomph" from above me as Almira hoisted herself over the wall into the room we had managed to escape the previous evening. The party area was completely deserted and we tiptoed across the room, trying not to giggle too loudly. We peeked out the door then entered the hall supporting each other because we were completely hosed. "Are we almost there?" she asked in a fake British accent.

"Shhhhh!" I hushed her but ruined the effect by giggling loudly before taking another swig out of the wine bottle I had commandeered from our final pub. "We wouldn't want to be caught," I replied in an accent that was possibly French.

"Too late," a dry voice said.

"Uh oh," Almira intoned in a singsong voice as we stared at Legolas, trying to look guiltier than we felt. Legolas' father and Gimli were standing next to him, both looking highly amused.

"Where have you been?"

"Uhhhhhhhh..."

"Ummmmm..."

"Uhhhhhhhh..."

"Take your time," Legolas stated sarcastically.

Becoming annoyed at his high and mighty manner, I replied defiantly, "We went for a walk like we said."

"For eight hours?" Legolas burst and I swear I saw a vein in his forehead throb.

"We were kidnapped by aliens and met Elvis Presley!" Almira blurted suddenly and there was a moment of stunned silence that was ruined when I began laughing raucously. Almira followed suit. Legolas looked even less pleased than before but I could not help it. It was so absurd yet awesome. We collapsed onto the ground we were laughing so hard.

Sending his laughing father a mild glare, Legolas approached us and helped first Almira to her feet, then me. I sagged heavily against him because of the alcohol. Yeah, that was it, the alcohol.

"I think this is my cue to leave," Almira said, mirth limning her voice. She gave an awkward wave and began weaving her way down the hallway.

"Guest quarters are the other way," Legolas suggested dryly. She turned abruptly and barely managed to retain her balance by wind milling her arms wildly.

"Allow me to escort you milady," Gimli said stepping past me and taking her by the arm.

As he led her away I turned my attention back to Legolas, who for a moment had looked torn between bemusement and annoyance before annoyance won out completely. "Why do you wear such a smug smile?"

"Am I smiling? I can't feel my face," I admitted pressing my nose and scrunching up my face. "Nope, nothing."

This time his lips definitely twitched. "You had me extremely worried you know. Where were you?" he demanded again.

"Oh here and there," I stated rather reluctantly waving my hand dismissively.

Legolas raised an eyebrow and looked down at me imperiously. "And just where was here and there?" he pressed.

I shifted uncomfortably. "I don't quite remember. We went on a pub crawl."

"Why that sounds eerily familiar," Thranduil said with a pointed glance at Legolas.

"Wot's he mean?" I slurred, squinting my eyes to try and bring his father into focus.

"Absolutely nothing," Legolas growled, glaring at his father.

"Did you sneak out too?" I whispered in astonishment.

"Absolutely not," he said with a sniff.

"This time," I thought I heard his father say. Legolas' glare increased.

"Are you jealous?" I asked.

"Probably," Thranduil stated.

"That is enough out of you," Legolas said to his father before turning to me again. "Come, time for bed," he stated, throwing one of my arms over his shoulder and wrapping one of his around my waist. This put rather pleasant ideas into my head and I smiled suggestively. "Alone," he clarified.

"You're no fun," I said with a pout. Legolas sent his father a withering stare since he was not even trying to suppress his laughter.

"Good luck, my son," Thranduil said, clapping his son on the shoulder then took off for his rooms, chuckling to himself.

"I like him," I said, laying my head on Legolas' shoulder as we slowly proceeded down the hallway.

"I rather thought you would."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

About halfway back I passed out. The next thing I knew I was being tucked into my bed. My brow furrowed in confusion before I realized Legolas was taking care of me. Bombarded by too many emotions I grabbed his hand as he turned to leave. "Stay," I mumbled.

"Kate-"

"Please…I do not want to be alone."

That seemed to catch his attention. No doubt he was surprised I woke up at all. Cocking his head with an unreadable look on his face, he looked down at me. "Why?"

I shrugged, unable to meet his gaze. "I feel nervous. Any moment I could be whisked off to make my choice. And I am sad. I mean, I know that this is partly due to the alcohol, ok a lot due to the alcohol, but still…"

Legolas sat on the edge of my bed next to me and smoothed the hair back from my face. "People will talk."

I snorted rudely. "Like they don't already."

He sighed at the truth in the statement. I had my eyes screwed shut. I really wanted him to stay. But I understood why he might not. We were no longer in the wild facing death. Social dictates could not be ignored so easily.

I opened my eyes when he pulled away his hand. "Legolas?" I queried tremulously. Cracking one eye open tentatively, I saw he was removing his outer tunic and his boots.

"Move over."

I just stared at him incredulously until he rolled his eyes before climbing over me. Pulling me to him he tucked me under his shoulder. "Thank you," I whispered extremely moved. He simply squeezed my hand in response. Safe and secure I quickly settled into sleep.

I woke the next morning with a pounding headache. Groaning, I went to bury my head in my pillow only to realize it was moving. I froze as the thought 'pillows don't move' reverberated through my mind. Slowly I lifted my head and stared into the smug face of Legolas. "Oh fuck," I said without thinking.

"Actually no," Legolas deadpanned.

"We didn't…?"

He smiled gently, shook his head and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. I dropped my forehead to his chest. "Thank god," I muttered and felt him stiffen in response. Horrified, I quickly stuttered, "I did not mean that I don't want to sleep with you, I do." He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, that's probably too forward, I-"

He placed a finger on my lips, halting my speech. "You would not want to bind while inebriated. I understand. I stiffened because I heard footsteps outside your door and thought it might be your maid. But then I remembered I locked your door last night," Legolas finished with a smirk.

I sighed then groaned as my hangover reasserted itself and once again buried my face in his chest. "Oh lord, I feel like death warmed over." Realizing I did not really remember the majority of the previous night, I was suddenly filled with a sense of dread. "Did I do anything heinously embarrassing last night?"

"Aside from collapsing drunk in the hallway in front of my father, passing out, and then waking up early in the morning and vomiting for the rest of it?" He supplied and I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, aside from that," I said gloomily, vague memories of my stunning stomach pyrotechnics flitting through my mind.

"No."

"Oh good, I would hate to have done something really embarrassing."

"Indeed. Now as it is nearly the breakfast hour, I must away. It would not do to appear in the same clothes I was wearing last night."

"Good call." I moved off him and stood up. I stumbled a few steps then slumped against a wall. "Oh god," I groaned. "My head is killing me." Without thinking, I opened the drapes on the windows. The blinding light had me crying out and making a quick dive for my bed to burrow under the covers.

But Legolas was quicker. "Oh no, it is time to rise and greet the day." He grabbed me before I made it to the bed and propelled me towards the bathroom.

"Since when did you become such a sunshine fascist?" I growled, leaning over the sink and glaring at him through the mirror.

"Since I had to put up with your snoring this morning," he returned.

"I do not snore," I cried indignantly, whirling to face him and instantly regretting it when the room kept spinning while I did not.

"My poor ears care to disagree," he said with a smirk.

"Out," I said pointing to my door. "Whoever said parting is such sweet sorrow lied."

Laughing at my ire, he suddenly pulled me into a bone-crushing embrace. "Good morning, love," he murmured softly into my hair.

Feeling any and all annoyance seep out of my body, I pressed a soft kiss to his exposed collarbone and smiled when he shuddered in response. "Good morning," I replied just as softly. "I could get used to this, minus the splitting headache and vertigo."

Legolas gently kissed my temple. "As could I. And as much as it pains me to leave, leave I must. I hope you appreciate the lengths I go to for you. Sneaking out of the city is hardly dignified for an elf of my years."

"Yet ever so much fun, as most inappropriate things are. Besides age is just a number."

"Whoever said that must have been young."

"Somebody's grumpy. I thought elves were generally morning people?"

"It is easier to be a morning person when your slumber is not disrupted by intoxicated, cavorting humans," he grumbled.

I laughed, squeezing him once before drawing away and following him out of the bathroom. "Go my old man, or we will never make it to breakfast. And I can't be having that."

Smiling, he pressed one last kiss to my cheek then slipped out onto the balcony and over the side without a sound. Watching how quickly he moved had my stomach roiling. "Must invent aspirin," I groaned as I re-entered the bathroom. I got ready in record time and was shortly on my way to breakfast. My head was pounding, my eyes were watering and I had a fine pout going. I made a mental note to invent sunglasses too.

"Milady, I had hoped to see you again. If possible, you look even more lovely this morn than when I last saw you."

The voice startled me. Looking up, I squinted at the lanky, young man in front of me. There was no way he was talking about me with my bleary eyes and pasty complexion. I ignored him and kept walking. "Milady?" The stranger said again, an uncertain yet amused smile on his face. I looked behind me. No one there. I turned back to the familiar stranger in front of me. He nodded when I pointed to myself, an amused half-smile on his face. "You're joking," I said with a disbelieving snort.

"Nay, milady," the young man said earnestly, shaking his head emphatically. "Beauty such as yours cannot be dimmed."

"Sweet baby Jesus," I murmured, swiping a hand across my forehead. "Do I know you?"

"Sir Geir at your service, milady," he said with a bow. Sir Geir, Sir Geir, I repeated it over and over in my mind. Where did I meet him? I asked myself desperately. Seeing my confusion, he supplied, "We met at The Elusive Elf."

"Irony at its finest," I muttered. "Well, what a coincidence! I hope this morning was better for you than it was for me. Have a good one," I said dismissively, making to step around him.

"Actually milady," Geir said, laying a hand on my arm. I looked down at it, then back at him with one eyebrow raised. "I was hoping to escort you to breakfast."

Blast, I thought. "That is very kind of you," I said stiffly. Legolas was going to kill me. The walk to the Dining Hall was awkward as we made small talk.

"You have come very far, have you not?" Geir asked.

"You don't know the half of it," I grumbled lowly. "Yes, I did," I said shortly at his expectant look.

"Are you enjoying our city?" he asked.

"Indeed." His smile dimmed just a bit at my continued curtness. I felt a little guilty. I didn't mean to be rude, but I did not want to give this guy false hope.

"How long will you grace Minas Tirith with your presence?" he said with a smile I supposed was meant to be charming though it looked strained at this point.

"I am not sure, though I imagine I will be leaving before too long," I replied, sighing inwardly in relief as we had reached the Dining Hall.

"Well, hopefully there will be another opportunity for me to enjoy your company before that dark day." I made a very noncommittal noise as he bowed low over my hand, just barely brushing my knuckles with his lips. The man had a death wish, I thought, as I espied Legolas' hard expression out of the corner of my eye. Walking away as quickly as possible, I slid into my seat at the table.

"Who was that?" Glorfindel asked, a slight hint of disapproval in his voice.

"Sir Geir, apparently," I said, avoiding his gaze.

"You did not do yourself any favors sneaking out last night," Eruanna said as gently as possible. "Although, I cannot say I blame you."

"Admittedly, it was an awful idea and I am sure I will probably have cause to regret it, if I do not already," I said.

"You must be more conscious of your actions," Glorfindel admonished gently. "You cannot carry on exactly as before. Many will be watching you. They will have little praise for your virtues and even less forgiveness for your vices."

Really feeling like dirt, I nodded, mutely communicating my understanding. I ducked my head and tucked into my food quietly. "Yet oddly enough, despite your indiscretion, and the disapproval of your more vocal naysayers, many of Eryn Lasgalen's citizens found your antics amusing and oddly complimentary to their Prince's," Eruanna divulged.

"Say what?" I squawked, my head snapping up.

"Apparently, Legolas was known to mysteriously disappear from select gatherings as well. I think many of the nobility enjoyed seeing him get a taste of his own medicine," Eruanna informed me. "Not to mention, many feel it has been far too long since he has worn the smile he does whenever he catches sight of you."

A fuzzy memory surfaced from the previous night. I had a dim recollection of Legolas' father implying something similar. "You don't say," I murmured, eyeing Legolas' father speculatively. I had an inkling I knew the source of the favorable rumblings.

"Yes, but it would not do to push your luck. So I will be keeping a sharp eye on you from now on. No more disappearing acts," Glorfindel said sternly.

"Done deal," I agreed, eating with more gusto. The rest of breakfast passed without incident. Afterwards, Almira and I decided to enjoy the unexpectedly cool weather and recuperate outdoors. We sat in one of the many gardens in the City and spent the morning intermittently dozing and talking until the lunch bell rang out.

Standing and stretching, we shared a smile. "As wiped out as I am, last night was totally worth it."

"Totally," Almira agreed as we shuffled out of the garden.

We walked in companionable silence until reaching the Dining Hall. "I really don't want to do this," Almira said. "I just want to vege out for the rest of the day."

"You're not the only one. I don't know how much more fun I can take." Almira snorted in agreement.

Thankfully, lunch was uneventful. Almira and I ducked out as soon as was acceptable and headed to the training grounds. We had started feeling better and decided to try sweating out whatever was left in our systems. It seemed that no matter where I went that day, Sir Geir was there. Understandably, I was a tad peeved. So I began concocting an escape plan.

"Your not-so-secret admirer is back," Almira said to me as we took our places in the sparring ring.

"You have got to be kidding me," I grumbled half-heartedly returning Geir's wave. "This is getting ridiculous...which is why I am thinking of sneaking out of the city tonight after the Ball. You in?"

"Absolutely. These human customs are so stifling." A surprised look suffused her countenance. "Did I just...?"

"Refer to yourself as non-human? Yep. Weird, huh? I noticed that I have been doing it lately too. I do not know when I made the decision, but I know I no longer consider myself human. To be fair, I am not sure I consider myself truly elven." Shaking my head, I emitted a rueful laugh. "Where does that leave us?"

"I kind of like your idea of the humano-elven hybrid. It seems to sum it up nicely."

"I can't say I ever thought I would be a subspecies, not seriously. After all, I saw Spiderman and one wonders. Having spidey senses is kind of handy."

"I certainly don't miss the common cold or being clumsy."

I laughed. "Hear hear. En garde?"

"Indeed." Conversation petered out after that as our session intensified. Applause startled the both of us when we stopped for a break.

Amongst the crowd, I noticed Thranduil. Bracing myself, I headed in his direction, heeding not Almira's whispered "Good luck." Hopefully I wouldn't need it. "Your majesty," I greeted lowly, dropping into a curtsy. He waved away such formality and motioned for me to walk with him. "You are quite good, especially considering you had little time to learn."

"Necessity is the mother of invention," I said dryly without thinking. Flushing slightly, at Thranduil's raised eyebrow, I added, "I had excellent teachers."

"And became one, if Almira's skill is any indication, which it is."

I nearly sighed, but managed to repress it. Apparently, Legolas had once again been extolling my virtues. I needed to tell him to cut it out or his family would never want to see me again, let alone hear about me. "Your majesty is too kind."

"I was told you were humble too."

"Big surprise," I grumbled, trying not to flush with embarrassment. "Do I also cause the sun to shine and the birds to sing?" I asked sarcastically before I could stop myself.

I jumped when Thranduil laughed. "That I have not heard...yet." He gave me another of those appraising looks he did so well. "I take it that you, as well, find Legolas a bit - shall we say earnest? - in his desire to unite the people he cares about."

I smiled wryly. Thranduil's honesty was something I was really growing to appreciate. "to say the least. I know he means well, that he just wants us to get along, and I do too. But it is going to take time," I said with a sigh, unsure how much of that I would actually have.

"Perhaps not as much as you think. At least, not with most of us. His grandmother...well, she is demanding. Ever has she doted on my son. He reminds her of my father in many ways, although their differences are just as numerous. She loves very fiercely. Unfortunately for you, that will pit her against you to begin with."

"Fabulous," I muttered.

"She wants to see him settled and happy, as do we all, and if that is what you truly wish then I am sure familial harmony will be achieved in the end. For the time being, stay out of trouble, smile and maybe even simper a bit."

I snorted a laugh at that before looking at him speculatively. "Why are you telling me all this?"

Thranduil sighed. "As you are aware, the time of the elves is ending. Yet there are many who are not ready to quit these shores. Men's dominion will change this world and usher in a bittersweet period of transition. It will be up to my son to negotiate these uncertain waters with and for our people so that they prosper. I would not have him do it alone," he finished softly. "Besides," he continued in a stronger voice, "you seem to possess all the qualities that one seeks in a partner and ruler: intelligence, courage, independence, compassion and perhaps even a bit of willfulness." He eyed me good-naturedly as I had the grace to flush. "And it is a happy coincidence that in this new age my people will have rulers who can understand both the human and the elven."

"Coincidence, chance, fate...I still don't know what to make of any of it. Certainty, now that is a word I would like to hear more often."

A loud caw caught my attention. Glancing up sharply, I winced at the direct sunlight. As my eyes adjusted I caught sight of a familiar shape wheeling lazily through the sky. I stopped dead in my tracks as the blood drained from my face.

"Rodwen? Are you well?"

I did not answer Thranduil's query. I could not take my eyes off the raven far above my head. It couldn't be...and yet... "It's about damn time," I murmured.

"Time for what?" Thranduil asked softly.

I returned my gaze to his face. "Certainty." Pasting a smile on my face, I asked, "Shall we head back inside? I would not want us to be late for dinner."

Thranduil continued to stare at me for a few long moments after my abrupt request. I met his gaze in steadfast silence. "Indeed," he said. "We must both change. Showing up as you are would not endear you to my mother," he finished lightly.

I looked down at my war-torn garb and sweat-drenched body. "And few others I daresay." We both gave a small chuckle but the tension resulting from my strange behavior had not dissipated entirely. As we turned to head back to the guest quarters, I cast one last glance at the seemingly unconcerned raven far above me. If Thranduil noticed, he was kind enough not to press me. As it was, he would find out soon enough what a portentous omen it was. We all would.