Chapter Five

Legolas stroked Haehithien's hand, ran his fingers through her hair, and caressed her face as he prayed to Ilúvatar and the Valar that she would awaken and be healthy. Gandalf was right, he realized that now. He did love her and that was a dangerous emotion, he didn't know what he should do about it. It was at that moment, however, that Ilúvatar placed a melody in his heart and words in his head, and quietly, Legolas began to sing to her. Here is his song:

Amin cælnæ nowa saien' lle
Amin naa ikotane ereb sinome avæne lle, utune
Umil lembamin no' amin ereb
Amin næ estela lle ume yanwyassen amin
Tanya lyeume na eina, tanya lle næ mela amin, utune
Umil lembamin no' amin ereb
Manka lle tuln'alaquel sinome, aminuma sanmali en' lle
Amin saimela lle lavlye umil onde utune
Umil lembamin no' amin ereb
Amin tait kaima telwa sii' ten' amin cælnæ nallaa
Aminume quen amin naa tereva nan' aminume na risaa, utune
Umil lembamin no' amin ereb
Utune umil lembamin ilya ereb
Amin cælæ nowa saien' lle
Amin naa ikotane ereb sinome avæne lle, utune
Umil lembamin no' amin ereb

As he finished singing, Haehithien stirred and opened her eyes. He was so relieved, he couldn't speak. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand gently. "I heard you singing, it was beautiful," she whispered. "I don't know how, I have never heard your language that I can remember, but I understood you. Legolas, do you really feel that way about me?" she asked quietly and he noted that her voice caught.

Legolas swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat and nodded. He stood up and leaned closer to her. "Yes," he whispered huskily as he raised his arm and brushed her cheek softly with the back of his hand. He leaned forward slightly and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "How are you feeling?" he asked his voice quiet and shaking, and searched her eyes, afraid of what her answer might be.

"I'm tired, but I feel ok," she answered. "I no longer feel like my head is going to explode from an overload; and my headache is gone."

Legolas wanted to jump for joy. Ilúvatar, I'm sorry I ever doubted you, he thought. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. He laid it back on the blanket, and reached up to caress her face as he whispered, "I'll let you rest then, try to get some sleep."

As he turned to go to his own chamber, Haehithien reached out and grasped his hand. "Wait," she said. He turned and looked down at her quizzically. "Please – stay with me." Her request surprised him. He had grown up with hardly any contact with females, be they mortals or Elves. His father had not allowed it, though he didn't know why. Arwen was the only female his father had allowed him to associate with. She had become one of his best friends. Though he did not let it show, he was shocked that Lord Elrond had appointed him Haehithien's caretaker.

He was unsure how to respond to her request, but finally nodded slowly. He went to her bedside and sat down in the chair once more. "Haehithien, I am sorry. I couldn't do anything for you when Lord Elrond was harming you. I tried to make them stop, but Gandalf said if they did, you would be in danger. I was afraid you wouldn't survive," he said taking her hand once more. "I was afraid… I was afraid that I would loose you," he swallowed hard as his voice cracked. "I wished to protect you from harm but I led you right into it, from Lord Elrond himself," Legolas nearly cried in anguish. Disgusted with himself, he didn't feel he could look her in the eye any longer, so he bowed his head. "I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly.

Haehithien sat up slightly and reached over to Legolas. She placed her fingers beneath his chin and raised his face so that he looked at her again. "It's not your fault," she said quietly, and noticed that his eyes shimmered with tears. She smiled at him; he couldn't stand it when she did that. "You did what had to be done for me to join you on the quest."

Legolas sat at attention when he suddenly remembered something important. "The quest!" he said urgently. He noticed that his serious tone scared her. "Haehithien, the last thing I want to do is scare you, but I must ask you to do something for me. Please, stay close to Aragorn and Gandalf while we are travelling if I cannot be with you," he said and she looked at him with a puzzled expression. He took her hand gently as he looked in her eyes and said quietly, "Please – please, be aware of Boromir. Gandalf has informed me that he might pose a threat to you." After he said this, she still looked puzzled but nodded.

Haehithien sighed and lay back, trying to get comfortable. It was no use; she had been there far too long. "Legolas?" she asked looking at the way he was bent over in the chair beside her bed. "Are you comfortable like that?"

He smiled at her and for the first time, she noticed that he lit up. "Not really," he said, and nearly laughed at her odd question as he shifted uncomfortably. "Why?" She huffed in aggravation as she lay there in the bed and Legolas could not help but laugh. She looked over at him with a glare, but found she was soon laughing as well, because his face was aglow just looking at her.

"What time is it?" she asked when she could finally stop laughing and caught her breath as she tried to sit up. Legolas stopped laughing suddenly and worry strained his beautiful face.

He rose from the chair quickly, worried that she would hurt herself, he put his hands gently around her upper arms and slowly pushed her back so that she was lying down again. "It is early, but still dark outside, why?"

She sighed again as she lay there. "I'm restless, that's all. It's dreadfully uncomfortable having to lie here for so long. I want to go for a walk, even if it's just out on the veranda," she said as she rose again.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Legolas asked and his voice was filled with concern. Haehithien nodded and he reluctantly helped her up since she continued to insist on stretching her legs. "Where do you want to go?"

She paused, sitting on the edge of the bed, as thought creased her brow. "I'd like to walk in the gardens again before we leave," she said with a smile and stood. "They were so beautiful."

Haehithien's room had been dark except for the light from the low hanging moon. Legolas had turned down the lanterns not long after Gandalf and the others had left, he had not expected her to wake so soon. Now, the only light was moonlight that filtered into the room from the carved pane-less windows. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her in the dapple light and he rose to stand next to her. When he could breathe once more, he said huskily, "Yes, the gardens of Rivendell are very beautiful." He swallowed hard to force down the lump that was constricting his throat. "But I fear they are a pale comparison to the beauty I see before me."

Haehithien gazed up at him and he couldn't remember seeing anything more beautiful. The light that filtered into the room made her appear translucent and he wondered if he had strayed into a dream while he had been sitting at her bedside. Looking into those deep blue eyes, he knew he had to find out. He sighed soft and took her hand as he said, "Haehithien, I don't know anything about you, yet I find myself drawn to you. Over this past month, I've cared for you and in doing so, I find that I desire to protect you from all evil and pain. I don't even know your real name, and yet your beauty and kindness bind me to you. I fought it for a time, only to discover that I was a fool to do so."

He paused for her reaction, but she seemed more intent on his face. He leaned closer to her and raised his hands to cradle her face. "Gandalf knew my feelings even before I did. I could not hide them from him, even if I knew what they were; he has known me too long. Nor can I fight them any longer. I know it is dangerous for me to have these feelings for you, for reasons I cannot say; however, I cannot hide them from you either. Haehithien," he said breathlessly as he caressed her cheeks with his fingers and looked imploringly into her eyes. "You are my beautiful flower," he whispered. "I love you." He had done it; he had truly told her how he felt. He didn't know why, but he had just given her his heart, and that was a dangerous thing to do. He waited anxiously, in fear of rejection for her reply. What she did next, he had hoped for but did not expect.

He watched her intently as she reached up and removed his hands from her face. "Legolas," she said softly, as she held his hands lightly. "You have been exceedingly kind to me. I wish more than anything to tell you about myself, but I can't tell you what I do not know. It seems, however, that though I do not know anything about my life before you found me, and though my heart is unsure of its past, it still knows how to love." Legolas looked at her in disbelief, not daring to hope that she meant what it sounded like she was saying. She stepped closer, and though she did not look up at him, he distinctly heard her continue. "I love you, too, Legolas."

She looked up as she said his name, and he knew that she spoke the truth. His heart leapt with joy. He reached down and pulled her into his arms. Haehithien wrapped her arms about his waist, and he spun around with her as they laughed happily. They remained in their embrace when they stopped, and he caressed her cheek as she gazed up into his eyes. He noticed once again that her lips parted ever so slightly when she exhaled. He longed to taste those lips; they looked just as sweet and inviting as they had the afternoon before. His breath caught as he slowly traced a finger down the length of her jaw.

Time seemed to stand still and neither moved for long moments as they both tried to breathe. Then, as though driven by some unseen force he had no control over, nor wanted to fight, Legolas slowly lowered his mouth to hers. He felt her tense for a moment as she inhaled sharply, her arms about his waist, moved up his back as if of their own accord. Her grip was surprisingly strong as she pulled him closer to her.

Oh! Ilúvatar, he thought. Her lips are so sweet! She was intoxicating. His head was spinning and his heart began to race. He wanted more! Never had he felt this way about anyone. He knew he should stop, that he shouldn't have allowed this to happen. His father would be angry when he found out. Apparently, Gandalf had forgotten that his father had already promised him to another. He knew that he had to tell Haehithien about the arrangement, but he didn't know if he could stand to do it.

The woman he was promised to was the daughter of a High Elf, one of the oldest, most influential Elves of all. She was called Eletharanna. She had her own strength and influence among the Elves; she was a seer who also had telepathic abilities. Legolas had not seen her in three thousand years. He had never liked her and seriously doubted that she'd changed in that time. He had never been able to hold a conversation with her because she always knew what he was going to say. He had been glad to leave Valinor for Middle Earth when the chance had arisen. However, he had sworn to his father that he would return to the Undying Lands and fulfil his father's promise.

Still, he didn't understand how his father could hold him to a promise he didn't make. The idea of marrying Eletharanna had not been his. His father had proposed the match to Eletharanna's father in hope of making their bloodlines stronger. How could he marry someone he had not seen since he arrived in Middle Earth, let alone didn't like, when he had such a beauty in front of him?

Legolas made his decision right then and there. He no longer cared about his father, his people, or his promise to marry Eletharanna. Nor did he care about the danger that faced Middle Earth or the danger they were in from his father. All that mattered was the woman he now held in his arms, the woman whose lips tasted so sweet. The wonderful, intoxicating woman who made him feel like no other…all that mattered was Haehithien.

To his great surprise and delight, she brought him back to the here and now by parting her lips to him. It was an offer he couldn't pass up. He deepened their kiss tentatively, seeking entrance to her mouth with his tongue. His breath caught at the sensations that coursed through his body. His world was spinning wildly out of control. He knew that if he didn't end this kiss, he would loose himself. He tried to stop, to break the kiss, but each time he came close, he was drawn back again. She was like a drug to him and he wanted more. He wanted her, wanted to be inside her – if that was even possible. He doubted it, but what he did know was that he wanted to be with her…forever. Forever? The thought brought him back to reality hard, and it scared him. How could he be with her, even without Eletharanna in the picture? He was immortal, and she was not.

Finally, after great difficulty, he was able to regain his control and slowly broke the kiss. Lowering his head, he whispered, "I'm sorry, my lady. I shouldn't have done that. I never wished to force myself on you. It's just that – Oh, never mind. It's too hard to explain," he paused and sighed heavily before looking at her again. "I just meant that I didn't want to force you into doing something you may not have want-" Haehithien quieted him as she put a finger to his lips. "-ed," he finished, feeling dumb as she withdrew her finger from his lips. Legolas bowed his head in embarrassment as they walked out of the room and down into the gardens.

Haehithien watched him curiously as they walked down by the stream and sat beneath the weeping willows. "Legolas?" she asked tentatively, but he didn't raise his head. She leaned over to him and placed her fingers under his chin to get him to look at her once more, but he grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. As he did so, she noticed that he was trembling.