Chapter Eight

I watch the dawn approach with pleased eyes, though the beautiful sight cannot seem to reach my heart, and lean back against the willow tree that became my bed on the night previous. I wasn't awarded with any sleep but that meant naught to me. I was far too upset to rest, anyway, so I stayed alert for the entirety of it and listened to the sounds of nature. Haldir spent the time with me, offering his friendship all throughout the night, which I will be eternally grateful for. His presence alone brought me a semblance of peace, at least for the time being.

I turn to my companion, seeing him watching the sunrise as well with a calm expression gracing his features. I cannot help but wish I were able to feel the peace that is radiating off of him, wish I could take pleasure in the beautiful morning like I once did. Wishing would be for naught, however, and I know this. I might as well accustom myself to how things are to be from now on.

I rise to my feet without a mere sound but Haldir still tilts his head in my direction, watching me carefully. I smile to the best of my ability, the feeling foreign on my face, and hold out my hand to him. He takes it after a moment and gracefully lifts himself up to stand beside me. With my eyes I express my gratitude for what he has done for me and he responds in kind, along with a nod of his head.

"Will you be returning to the Fellowship, Mellon-nin?" Haldir inquires softly, soft blue eyes imploring me.

"Yes, 'tis time that I rejoin them. I wish not to worry them and I yearn to see the Halflings again, they should be rising by now." I respond as I brush off fallen leaves and dirt from my leggings.

"Are the Halflings the only beings you wish to see this morn?" He questions knowingly, looking upon me with something akin to sympathy and pity.

I do not appreciate these expressions for I need no pity from anyone, nor do I want it. I realize the situation I have found myself in is dire but that does not necessarily mean I am unhappy. I have brought all of this upon myself, knowing ahead of time what the consequences would be, and I will not have anyone's pity. I am sure I do not deserve it, anyway.

I shall never regret my feelings for the ranger, not even death can evoke such a feeling within me. He may never feel the same in return but I will always love him. I love him for the man he is and is yet to become, not a day will go by when my love will not be with him. Even if I am not around in body my love shall go on long after I am gone. Love is perpetual; it will not die along with me.

My inner most thoughts and feelings must be displayed upon my face for Haldir is staring at me in silent lucidity. I turn my head to evade his eyes and quietly tell him that I must return to the Fellowship now.

"I shall keep you in my thoughts Mellon-nin." Haldir whispers, a hand placed on my shoulder. "I will pray that your ranger returns your love before 'tis too late."

I am not quite sure how to respond to this so I merely nod my head, small smile lifting my lips, and then I turn away, expertly making my way through the beautiful forest. Haldir does not follow me and I find myself relieved. I am forever in his debt for what he gave me last night, but I need a little time away from his understanding to collect and steel myself if I am to see Aragorn again.

Once I reach the Fellowship I find them awake, as I had expected, and they are already satisfying their hunger. The hobbits greet me with welcoming smiles and their usual chatter; instantly I feel at ease. It still amazes me how easily my mind is put to rest when in their company, they simply have a way of making all troubles disappear for the time being. I have to wonder, however, how long that will last.

I take a seat beside Pippin and thank him when he passes my breakfast to me. I am not feeling all too hungry this morning but I force myself to eat nonetheless, aware of the fact that I need to keep up my strength at least for my companions' sake. There are times when I regret taking on this quest, it is doing naught for my health, but one look at the hobbits reminds me of the reason I am here. They need me here and I will not let them down, I refuse to allow that to be a possibility.

I lift my head when I feel someone's stare upon my lowered head and am met with a pair of piercing eyes. I frown in confusion, silently questioning Boromir. He merely lowers his eyes and returns to his breakfast. His posture is tense, however, and hostility emits off him in waves. I could be wrong, he could just be upset. I have a strong feeling that he is not pleased with me, but I cannot begin to understand why. I have done naught to him; in fact, I thought we were becoming friends. I must have been wrong, though.

I do my best to avoid him, unsure about what has so suddenly turned his mood towards me sour, and silently finish my breakfast.

:0Ж0:

I make my escape as soon as the opportunity arises, disappearing once more into the forest. I felt strangely uncomfortable in Boromir's presence and could not bear it a moment longer. I still do not know what I did to anger him and I am not eager to find out, so I found it best to leave and let him be. I have a feeling it has something to do with Aragorn, but I made it very clear that I am no threat to him so I cannot begin to understand why he was looking at me in such a way.

I need to put Boromir in the farthest recesses of my mind and worry about it at a later time. Right now I seek solace and relaxation. A bath sounds appealing, I have not had the pleasure since we left Rivendell and I am beginning to feel less like an elf and more like an orc. I shudder at the thought and force my feet to move just a bit faster, eager to reach the crisp water I hear in the distance.

Stepping out of the trees and bushes I take in the sight of the pool, water sparkling in the early morning sun. Breath hitches in my throat, however, when my eyes land on Aragorn. He is standing in the shallow end, water reaching up to his waist. His chest glistens under the sunlight, appearance that akin to a God, with his hair sticking to his skin as though attracted. He looks far more beautiful than a human has any right to.

His eyes open a moment later, like I feared they would, and he startles when his gaze falls on me. Crimson floods my cheeks and I look everywhere but directly at him, scolding myself for being caught staring. I can only imagine the thoughts fleeting through his mind, must not appreciate my presence. I should have left the moment I realized the pool was occupied, and I would have had it been anyone else, but seeing Aragorn in such a state froze me where I stood.

"I do apologize, Estel, I did not know you were already bathing." I say softly, lowering my gaze to the earth beneath my feet. "I shall leave at once and return when you are finished."

"Don't be silly Legolas." Aragorn laughs merrily and I relish the sound, having never brought such a sound from the man before. "There be plenty of room for the two of us, you need not leave."

I hesitate, unsure if this is a good idea, and I am sure my feelings are expressed upon my face. I fear I may offend him, though, if I refuse to bath with him. I do not wish for that, but can I share the pool with him when we are in such a state of undress? I suppose I am about to find out, for I cannot walk away now. I may never get this chance again and I am not about to let it pass me by. Doesn't matter that our sharing a bath is platonic, my desire is to spend time with him. I do enjoy our conversations, as rare as they are.

I nod my head to indicate that I am accepting his offer and wait till he is turned around to disrobe. I have never been self-conscious; nudity is a beautiful thing to elves, but the thought of Aragorn seeing me bare causes butterflies to flutter around in my stomach. I try not to think about the fact that any minute now we will be naked together, with only the water to cover us. I do not need my lower regions to become interested, I would never get over the shame.

Once I am completely bare, I make my way into the cool water and inform Aragorn that it is okay to turn around. He does so almost immediately and I raise an eyebrow at his movement. Why such eagerness? I silently question and then scold myself instantly. I must be searching too far into his actions, I am sure there is nothing for him to be eager about.

"The water is delightful, isn't it?" Aragorn makes conversation as he takes a handful of water and cleanses his chest.

I try not to watch the movement; lest I give myself away, and simply tilt my head back to wet my hair. "I am thoroughly enjoying this opportunity, mellon-nin. " I respond as I wash my hair quickly.

"Even I am enjoying the chance to bathe, and you should appreciate it while you can, we can not know when the next chance will come."

I shake my head, smiling in amusement, as I say, "I cannot begin to imagine how man can go so long without cleansing oneself."

"I almost forgot how prissy you elves tend to be." Aragorn teases lightly, smile lighting up his face.

Gaping openly, surprised by how comfortable he seems to tease me thusly, and I am unsure whether to laugh or exact revenge for his words. In the end I decide the latter would be more pleasing, as I lightly splash water in his direction; hitting him in the chest.

It would appear that it is his turn to gape, mouth hanging open as he stares at me, and I snicker behind my hand. My light laughter dies when a wave of water crashes over me and I sputter ungracefully. Aragorn is smiling smugly by the time I can breathe properly and right then the war is on. It can be said that one should not mess with an elf, especially one from Mirkwood.

With a childish glee, I send water flying at Aragorn and he responds in kind. He manages to hit me in the face each time but I don't mind, I get my revenge by grabbing hold of his shoulders and pushing him beneath the crisp water. He resurfaces once I release my hold, wiping his eyes and smiling widely. I smirk in triumph and cross my arms over my chest.

It hasn't occurred to me until now that we are standing face to face, only an inch between us, and instantly I am frozen where I stand. Aragorn is now staring at me, eyes searching with a soft expression alighting them and his face. My entire being wants to blush under the scrutiny but I steel myself, masking my emotions and thoughts.

"I never knew you were playful, Legolas." Aragorn whispers, warm breath caressing my face and I have to fight not to close my eyes contentedly.

"There is much about me you don't know Estel." I respond bashfully, looking up at him through my lashes.

The expression on his face is soft as he regards me openly. "I suppose you're right, I never took the time to get to know you… I am sorry mellon-nin."

"You need not apologize Estel, 'tis unfounded and unnecessary." I respond firmly; meaning every word.

"'Tis founded, Legolas, trust me. I wasn't very nice to you before, that was very wrong of me and I'm sorry. I see how amazing you are now, however, and I am asking to be given a second chance; I want to get to know you better."

I lose my breath from the sincerity I detect in his voice, he truly regrets how he treated me all these years and wants the chance to get to know me now. I do not quite know how to handle this information; it was unexpected and certainly unimaginable, till now.

"Can you accept my apology, little elf?" He asks softly, and I feel my heart beat accelerate when he takes a step closer to me; nearly skin to skin.

I begin to panic, which is uncharacteristic of me, when I see his eyes drop down to my mouth. When he begins to lean in I quickly stumble away, wide eyes fixed on him. He seems to come out of some kind of daze he had fallen into and stares back at me, apologetic eyes watching my every move. I continue to back away from him, admittedly afraid of what was happening between us.

"You are forgiven Aragorn, do not worry yourself. I have to go right now, though, I… erm, I shall see you when I return to the Fellowship." I quickly say, unable to give him an excuse for my abrupt departure.

I give him no time to respond as I rush out of the water, too eager to get away from him to care about my bare body. I gather my clothes quickly and take off into the solace of the trees. I re-clothe myself once I am at a safe distance away and lean against the nearest tree trunk, tears filling my eyes.

Why is he trying to confuse me thusly? Is it all some sort of game to him? I question miserably, knowing I shall receive no answer. My heart cannot bear all this strain and pain; he is not making it any easier.

TBC…

Elven Translations:

Mellon-nin... My Friend