I apologize a million times for making you all wait so long for an update. I've just been so busy I haven't really had time to actually sit down and write anything decent. Please read the little note at the bottom. Thank you to those of you that you reviewed! Let me know what you think.

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

Chapter 43

Carita looked around at the tall thick trees of Mirkwood. The forest didn't seem as dark as it had been the night she had last been there. "What are you thinking?" Legolas asked when he noticed Carita's eyes scanning the trees. She smiled and looked at him.

"Just how the forest has seemed to have lightened since my last visit," she said quietly and once again looked around her. "With Sauron gone, the shadow is slowly lifting."

"It is," Legolas breathed before he took a deep slow breath as their horses came to a top of the hill.

"At the foot of this hill, is your home," Carita said and Legolas laughed.

"It is our home, now Carita," he said and Carita smiled to herself as she kept her eyes ahead. Yes, it was to be their home for a time, but the place that was to be their permanent home was many miles away and in the direction they had just came from.

As they entered the city, their party broke apart as the other elves moved off to their homes within the city. However, Thalion remained with Legolas and Carita has he lived within the Mirkwood palace. "Nothing has changed," Carita said choosing to speak in the Elvin tongue as she had learned that Thalion did not speak common. Legolas helped her down from Moonlight although she didn't need his help. She gave him a smile and he winked at her before they looked to Thalion as he laughed.

"You, my friend, are far too smitten," Thalion said as he looked at Legolas, who returned Thalion's smile before he looked back at Carita.

"I am," Legolas said before he laced Carita's arm with his and the trio made their way inside. Several elves greeted Legolas and Thalion as they walked towards the main hall; others looked at Carita with wide eyes before they whispered quietly between each other. Carita grew more nervous as they got closer to the hall, where Thranduil sat and as they approached the closed doors, Legolas addressed her nerves. "Do not be nervous," he whispered to her and she looked at him with a small smile. Thalion moved forward and opened the doors with Legolas and Carita following behind him.

Carita took a deep as Thalion moved to Legolas' side and she looked to the tall blonde ellon that sat upon his throne. Thranduil looked up and smiled when his eyes landed on Thalion and Legolas, however, at seeing Carita his smile slowly slipped from his face.

"I received your letter telling how you had found a mate, Legolas, but I did not expect her to be . . .," Thranduil trailed off before he cleared his throat. "I did not expect her to be so beautiful." Carita wanted to laugh, she truly did.

"Do you not mean that you did not expect her to be me?" Carita asked with a small smile and Thranduil stood from his throne and walked down the few steps. Carita let go of Legolas' arm and walked closer to the King. She bowed her head and Thranduil lifted her chin with his fingers and she turned her grey-blue eyes to him as she felt Thalion and Legolas stop behind her. "I do hope that you do not use my words from so long ago against me," she said and Thranduil shook his head as he lowered his hand from her face.

"I have changed since then, Lady Carita," he told her gently. "You are just as lovely as the day you had came into my hall with your fire." Carita laughed and shook her head.

"You flatter me, my lord," she said and Thranduil smiled at her.

"My words are not meant to flatter, for they are the truth," Thranduil said. "I should ask for your forgiveness. As protective I am of my people, I should not have spoken to you in such a way. Believe me when I say that after your party had left, my wife had showed me the error of my ways towards you," he said and Carita smiled. Thranduil took a deep breath. "Legolas," Thranduil said as he looked to his only child. Legolas stepped forward next to Carita and smiled at his father.

"Hello father," Legolas said. "How has the city held in my absence?" he asked and Thranduil sighed.

"Well enough, but since the Dark Lord's defeat, the shadow and dark creatures are slowly leaving our lands. Soon, we will leave in the beauty that once was our forest again and when that day comes that will be all the more reason to celebrate," Thranduil said. "So, when is the ceremony to be?" he asked and Carita laughed before she covered her mouth.

"As soon as possible," Legolas said making Carita choke slightly and look at Legolas with wide eyes.

"What?" she asked and he laughed.

"Have you no desire to be my wife any longer?" he asked with a teasing smile and Carita shook her head.

"I desire to be you wife, yes, but I how soon to you is 'as soon as possible'?" she asked with a smile and Legolas looked to his father with a raised eyebrow.

"A month?" Thranduil asked and Carita looked at him.

"A month?" Carita asked and Thranduil nodded before Carita looked to Legolas. "A month?" Carita asked him and Legolas laughed at the slightly bewildered expression on her face. "Oh sweet Valar," she said softly earning a loud laugh from the three ellons around her. "You leave me so little time to get things ready."

"Carita," Legolas said as he turned her in his arms and put his hands on her shoulders. "Settle your mind. You had yourself nervous about meeting father again, and now you have yourself a wreck over the ceremony. We have time, I promise you." He leaned in and kissed her softly stopping her from retorting that a month was hardly time to get a dress let alone arrange everything. He pulled his lips away, but as he had hoped, his kiss did not fully silence her.

"I will not have enough time for everything," she said and opened her mouth to continue when Thranduil broke in.

"There is only one thing you will have to worry about, Lady Carita," he said startling her. She had forgotten he was there for a moment. "And that will be your gown. We have very talented seamstresses within our city that will be more than happy to dress the Daughter of Varda."

"See, you have nothing to worry about, Lady Carita," Thalion chimed. "My brother will be more than happy to assist in arranging the musicians, if you like my lord," he said as he looked to Thranduil.

"Nothing to worry about," Legolas said as he put his hands on her face and smiled. "Come," he said and lowered his hands to hers and took them gently before he looked to his father. "Father, Carita would like to bathe and rest for the journey was long. Will it be alright for her to have the chamber across from mine?" he asked and Thranduil nodded.

"Of course, take her on a tour and I will ensure the maids bring in hot water for a bath," Thranduil said and Carita bowed her head.

"Thank you, my lord," she said and Thranduil smiled. Carita and Legolas started to walk away and were nearing the doors of the hall when Carita heard Thranduil speak to Thalion.

"It is good to see my son has some control of her," Thranduil said. "Valar knows that she is a wild spirit."

"My lord, I do not think he has control," Thalion said, "she merely relents when she has no will to argue. Had she wished it, she would have put on a strong argument." Carita smiled when she heard Thranduil's laugh as they left the hall and she looked at Legolas who was too smiling.

"Thalion is right, you know," Carita said and Legolas laughed as he nodded.

"That I know," he said quietly. Carita smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked arm in arm. The meeting with Thranduil had gone better than expected and the pure joy she felt emanating from Legolas was enough to make her giddy herself. "I told you father would not hold any hardship towards you."

"There was no reason for me to believe you," she said as she raised her head and looked at him. "Although, I will admit it was not the reunion I was expecting. I thought for certain that he would not be happy."

"You remind him of my mother," Legolas said as they turned a corner and Legolas frowned.

"How so?" she asked quietly and Legolas smiled.

"Your spirit," he said, "and the fact that he has been heard saying the only female that came close to my mother in beauty was you. I, however, know that you are much fairer," he said and Carita smiled.

"You place me over your mother, Legolas?" she asked.

"I love my mother dearly, but you are much fairer," he said before he leaned in and kissed her temple. Carita laughed and shook her head before she sighed quietly. "We're here," he said as they stopped outside a door that was open. They walked into the room just as two elleths came out of a second room within the large bedchamber.

"Prince Legolas, Lady Carita," one said with a curtsey as the second elleth curtsied as well. "Your bath is ready, my lady," the elleth said as she stood, "and your packs have been brought from the horses."

"Thank you, very much," Carita said with a smile and the blonde elleth smiled before she and the second left quietly. Carita looked around the chamber and sighed. The stone walls were draped with dark and light green tapestries, and the large bed was covered with white, dark green, light green, and black bed linens and pillows. The bed alone looked more than inviting and she found her pack sitting upon the chaise near a large carved window. "This room is lovely," she said as she slipped from Legolas and spun around the room. She laughed and looked at him as he stood next to the door. "What?" she asked at the smile on his face.

"Nothing," he said as he closed the distance between them. "Why were you so apprehensive about the binding ceremony being a month from now?" he asked.

"I was not apprehensive," she said as she moved over to him and took his hands before she pulled him further into the room and closer to the bed.

"No?" he asked his smile slowly growing at the smile on her face.

"No, I was not," she said. "I just did not expect the ceremony to be so soon because of everything that we must have in order for a ceremony to be even thought of."

"My father has been all but forcing a mate upon me these last few years," Legolas said as he pulled her close by wrapping his arms around her waist. "So, there is little doubt in my mind that by the end of the week the only thing that will be left to resolve will be, just as my father said, your dress." Carita laughed quietly and shook her head before she laid her head on his chest.

"Oh, Legolas," she said softly, closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. Legolas frowned and he hugged her just as tightly as she hugged him.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

"Never in my long life have I ever felt so happy," she said as she lifted her head and looked at him. "Not even when I was young do I remember feeling as free as I do when I am in your arms. How is it that you do that to me?" she asked and Legolas looked at her with a frown. As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. She hadn't expected them, but they still came.

"I do not know, but why does it make you weep?" he asked as he raised his right hand to her face. She smiled and shook her head before she leaned her cheek into his hand.

"I do not weep because I am sad," she said and Legolas' frown turned into a smile at her laugh. He leaned in and kissed her softly before Carita laughed again and pulled away from him, but keeping a hold of his hand. "Care for a bath?" she asked as she started to pull him towards the washroom and Legolas nodded with a smile and followed her into the washroom where the two were lost to the elves around them for the rest of the afternoon.

A/N: I had planned a major conflict, wrote out an outline forever ago for it, but I couldn't get myself to get into it like I wanted to. I think it's because of everything that is going on in "the real world" right now that has my brain on overdrive and sucking out my inspiration. I know this chapter probably sucks without it. Let me know what you think.