Hello one and all I hope everyone is having a great week! For some reason I'm in a good mood, probably because I finished this chapter! Anyway, I usually like to respond to everyone's reviews, but the e-mail alerts have been down and I'm just too lazy to do it the long way by sending everyone messages. However, I will say this THANK YOU VERY MUCH! They mean the world! I hope you all like this chapter and I shall do my very best to update soon. Thanks again and let me know what you think!

Note: Dialouge in bold is spoken in Elvish.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Lord of the Rings.

Chapter 12

Carita quietly walked up the steps towards Galadriel's talan. The elleth had called to her and asked for her to join her for the evening meal. Carita's day had gone much better than it had began. She and Legolas had parted soon after their moment in her talan and when another dress, light blue this time, was brought to her she changed into it and joined the others at the camp. Merry and Pippin had kept her entertained for most of the day. When she reached Galadriel and Celeborn's talan she was suddenly greeted by a golden haired elleth.

"Good evening, my lady," the elleth said quietly. "Lady Galadriel wished for me to escort you to the dinning room." Carita nodded and followed the elleth up a small flight of stairs where she opened double doors and stepped aside so Carita could enter. Carita smiled at her as she passed and then turned her eyes ahead to see Celeborn and Galadriel already sitting at the table.

"Come in Carita," Celeborn said and Carita smoothed out her dress as she walked forward. Celeborn stood and helped Carita too her seat before he moved back to his and sat down.

"Have you found the rest here you have so desired?" Galadriel asked quietly as a maidservant poured Carita a goblet of wine. Carita nodded her thanks at the elleth before she looked at Galadriel.

"Some, yes," Carita told them honestly. "The city has not changed and it has been many years since I last laid my eyes upon it." Galadriel smiled before she took a drink of her wine.

"Since Gandalf's passing," Celeborn said and Carita felt her stomach tighten, "who is to lead your party?"

"Aragorn," Carita said with no hesitation and no doubt. "The man knows the land better than any and his leadership can move mountains."

"You know the land just as well, you could easily lead the fellowship along to Mordor," Celeborn said and Carita shook her head.

"You know as well as I that there is not one better to lead the fellowship," Carita told him as she picked up her goblet and took a drink. "He will lead us."

"You intend to continue?" Galadriel asked and Carita nodded.

"I do. I will not abandon my friends to face this alone. Besides, there is much I much I need to do yet and going back will not get it done." Galadriel smiled again and nodded her head. Their meal was brought in and no more was spoken accept for of the happy times they shared of the past.

Carita sighed as she slowly walked through the forest. Despite the slight tension that had filled the first part of their meal, the rest of it went well, and all Carita wanted to do was return to her talan and find the sleep that she did not get the night before. "Carita," a soft voice said from behind her and she turned around, her hair going over her shoulder as she did so and smiled tiredly at Legolas. "The others told me that you dined with the Lord and Lady."

"You chose to speak common now?" she asked and Legolas grinned.

"Only because fewer know the language of men in this realm," he said and walked over to her. Carita nodded and met his gaze. "Did you dine with them?"

"Yes," Carita answered and he nodded. "Is everything alright?" she asked when he seemed to get lost in thought. Legolas looked at her once again and smiled.

"Aye, all is well, I was just curious as to if Merry and Pippin were right," he said.

"I'm retiring for the night, would you care to walk with me?" she asked and Legolas nodded before he held out his arm. Carita smiled and linked her arm with his before she let him start to lead her down the path. They walked and as they walked Carita felt her heart race as thought it was about to burst from her chest. When she realized what it was she was starting to feel for the elf, she tried to get herself to stop and to remember the last time she had let herself feel that way. However, Legolas was different than Annatar in many many ways. As they neared her talan, she heard Legolas sight quietly.

"This is the first time I have actually felt at piece in many days," he said gently and Carita looked at him. "Before I had left for Rivendell, my people were in charge of watching the creature Gollum, and when we were given that assignment my days were full of unrest. Now, I feel as though time is standing still and all that matters is that most of us are safe and sound within these boarders."

"That is true," Carita said and she looked ahead, but Legolas glanced at her. The moonlight that filtered in through the trees was already casting a glow upon her and he enjoyed looking at her during the night when the moon shined upon her. He looked ahead quickly when he realized he was staring at her yet again. "However, the time shall come when we leave this land and set out on our journey once again."

"Yes, but I can enjoy the peace for as long as possible," Legolas said as they came to a stop at the stairs that led to her talan. Carita slowly unlaced her arm from his and smiled at him before she found herself raising her hand to his cheek and resting her finger tips upon his cheek. Legolas held her gaze when she leaned into him and kissed his cheek. Legolas' eyes fluttered close as Carita's lips rested on his cheek and he felt his breath hitch slightly. She pulled away and he opened his eyes as she smiled up at him.

"Rest now," she told him softly all the while a blush creeping its way across her cheeks. She pulled her hand away and stepped onto the first step. Legolas looked at her curiously but she just gave him another small smile. It was obvious that not only was he confused by what she had just done but she was as well. "Good night," she whispered before she quickly and silently made her way up the steps and into her talan. Carita took a deep breath and leaned against the wooden door her blush heating her face even more. She did not know what had possessed her kiss his cheek, and she just hoped that he didn't think ill of her once more.

Legolas did not move from his spot until he heard the soft click of her door being shut and he shook his head before he looked away from the spot she had vacated. He turned his eyes to the path ahead and as he began to walk away, he was surprised to find that his heart raced in his chest and he put his hand over it to try and calm it. He had never felt such a surge of emotions before as he did when Carita had kissed his cheek. It was nothing more than his elleth companions had done in the past, but yet not one of them had ever made him feel as she did. He knew what love was for he felt it for his mother, father, and friends, but with Carita the feeling he had for her was different and he knew not how to explain it, but he had a thought on what it was and remembered a conversation he had held with Aragorn while in the mines.

"What is troubling you Legolas?" Aragorn asked quietly and Legolas turned his eyes to the ranger that he could easily make out in the dark. Only moments ago, his eyes rested on Carita as he watched her closely.

"Nothing," Legolas said and Aragorn frowned before he glanced at Carita and looked at Legolas.

"Be careful, my friend," Aragorn said and it was Legolas' turn to frown. "Now is not the time for matters of the heart."

"There are no matters of the heart to tend to," Legolas said and Aragorn gave him a small sadness filled smile.

"I see in your eyes when you look upon her, the same that I saw in myself upon my meeting the Evenstar. All I say is be careful." The ranger walked away and Legolas frowned before he looked at the ground and then once again at Carita who laughed silently as Pippin whispered enthusiastically telling a tale.

Legolas shook his head as he walked to his own talan. Perhaps Aragorn was right. He knew that his thoughts, when not focused on a task at hand drew to the daughter of Varda. He enjoyed hearing her laugh, he felt lighter when he would see her smile or grin come to her face, and there was more to her than a beautiful face. There was such a deep complexity about her that he felt even more drawn to her, to learn all of her secrets. He already knew her darkest, but he wanted to know everything about her. That thought both frightened and thrilled him to the core of his very being.
The next days passed slowly for the fellowship and all enjoyed the peace they found within the city. Their grief for Gandalf slowly healed, but the wound was still there. Carita was once again dressed in a borrowed dress, and she was once again sitting on the bank of the river but this time she was not going to go into the water. She sat upon the same tree root, but instead of looking out at the water, her eyes scanned the pages of a book she had borrowed from Galadriel's immense library.

"How did I know that I would find you here," Legolas said as he walked over to where she sat. Carita smiled as she looked at him and felt her stomach knot as he stopped next to her. She had not seen him since the evening he left her at her talan because he was enjoying the company of the Lothlorien archers and taking in any advice they had to give.

"Perhaps I am simpler than I appear," she said as she placed her marker in her book and closed the worn leather binding.

"I'm afraid that is not the case in the least," Legolas said as he leaned against the tree so he hovered above her right shoulder. Carita looked at him with a smile before she looked at the book in her lap and smoothed the dark blue material of her dress. They sat in silence for a moment and Carita grew nervous under his gaze.

Legolas had done his best to avoid her completely the last week, only because he wanted to be sure what it was that he held in his heart and he had found that he did not enjoy the time he spent speaking with the archers and guards as much as he would have if she had been at his side. That morning he had come to a decision to see just where her heart laid.

"Carita," Legolas said as he covered her hands with his when she placed them both on top of the book. Her heart pounded hard and she slowly turned her eyes to him and looked up at him. He said nothing else and she frowned.

"What is it?" she asked softly suddenly afraid of what he was about to say. He looked at her with a deep concentration before he took a slow deep breath. "Leg-," she began but was silenced when his lips came down upon hers. Surprised by his move, she stiffened but only for a fraction of a second, and soon she returned his kiss. Legolas held onto her hands as he wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her from the root, sending her book to the forest floor and placing her on suddenly unsteady feet.

He let go of her hands and wrapped his other arm around her while her hands moved up his chest to rest at his neck as his lips claimed hers heatedly. She sighed against his lips and let her heart race at the feel of his fingers running along her back. For one so lithe, she would never had imagined the strength in his arms. Then just as her joy and happiness of his lips on hers was overflowing through her body, she stopped and pulled away from him, stumbling and falling against the root she had been sitting on. Her eyes were closed and downcast while Legolas looked at her with a frown.

"Carita?" Legolas asked, breathless and barely able to speak. She shook her head and looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"We cannot," she whispered and Legolas' frown deepened.

"What?" he asked and she shook her head again as she picked up her book and held it tightly to her chest. She looked at him again.

"We cannot, Legolas," she said again. "As much as I wish to explore what is in my heart, I cannot."

"Why?" he demanded softly as he closed the distance between them. She let her tears fall then. "Why can we not?"

"Now is not the time," she said with a pause and Legolas frowned as he words echoed Aragorn's. She gave him a long look that clearly showed him her distress at her own words, but she was right. Carita took a deep breath and pushed past him and that time she used her speed to take her far away from the Elvin prince and the two hearts she had just torn and thrown to the ground.