I am trying to make these chapters longer I swear, but I just can't come up with anything but little thoughts for each one! I promise they will get longer, but you have to bear with me for now! I hope you enjoy this, even if it is brief!

Chapter Three

As I lay in bed that night, or morning, I thought about the dark haired beauty who I had danced with. I had never met an elleth with such vivacious charm. She truly had not been offended even though the situation had been very inappropriate.

When I awoke late the next afternoon I went groggily to have lunch. "You do not look well, brother," Calanon laughed when he saw me.

"I feel worse," I responded. It was only the group of young men from the night before who were still having their lunch. The light was painful to my already sensitive eyes and I sat down and ate a few pieces of sweet bread.

"Calanon, would you please join Elrond and me?" My father came into the room and surveyed the sorry lot before him.

"Of course, Ada," Calanon replied and he followed my father out of the door. We all laughed at his misfortune when he left. After a while the rest of us dispersed, the twins to cause mischief as usual, Estel to find Arwen, and I went out into the shady gardens to get some respite from the sun.

"I hear that I missed a good barrel of wine last night," someone said behind me.

I looked up and shaded my eyes to see Vanmoriel standing behind the bench I sat on. I scooted over so she might join me.

"I fear if you would have partaken you would be just as miserable as the rest of us," I laughed quietly. She sat next to me and laughed.

"You do look quite miserable."

I looked over at her. She was beautiful, sitting tall and proud, the sun reflecting off of her ebony hair. Her sparkling eyes were glittering with amusement as she surveyed my sorry state.

"I did enjoy myself before the wine was poured, dancing with you," I said.

"I had quite a good time as well. You dance very well."

We sat in silence. We hardly knew each other and it was a little awkward.

"Vanmoriel," I finally mused. "It means 'dark beauty,' no?" I looked at her.

She laughed lightly and it was the most delightful sound, like a narrow stream falling over a few rocks. "Yes it does. My parents named me such for my dark hair."

"They were right in naming you such," I said shyly. I had never been bashful around women so I was confused at my sudden change. I knew Vanmoriel was different.

-ooooOoooo-

A few days later I was wandering aimlessly through the halls of the Last Homely House. My brother had abandoned me, the twins were nowhere to be found, and I was sure I did not want to know where Arwen and Estel were.

"Legolas, I was looking for you!" Vanmoriel's low voice reached my ears.

"You were looking for me?" I asked as I turned around.

She nodded and smiled. "I wanted to go on a horseback ride, but I cannot find Arwen."

"So I was the second choice?" I grinned.

Her rippling laugh came from her chest. "I am afraid so."

"Do not worry I am not offended. I would love to go with you." I offered her my arm and we made our way to the stables. Vanmoriel saddled her own brown mare and I was pleasantly surprised that she did not ask one of the stable hands to do it for her. I listened to her whisper soothing Elvish words to her horse.

We set off and I followed her through the wooded, colorful paths of Imladris. There was a small clear stream that ran next to us and it was nearly musical. We wound our way deeper and deeper into the woods of Imladris.

Finally, Vanmoriel stopped her horse and slid out of the saddle. "This is another of my favorite pools," she said with a grin.

I slipped off of my horse and laughed. Vanmoriel continued to surprise me. I watched as she pulled her dark purple dress over head, leaving her in only her slip. The water hardly moved at all as she dove into the deep water. Her head popped up a few seconds later and her long black hair was clinging to her back.

I stood at the edge of the pool and watched her swim around. "Are you not going to join me?" She asked after a moment, looking at me curiously.

Uncertainly, I pulled my tunic over my head and my boots off my feet and dove into the water as well. It was cool to my skin and felt amazingly refreshing. Instantly, the terrible feeling induced by the night before went away and I popped above the water with a grin.

"Much better," she said as she swam around me.

After a while we got out of the pool and lay in a sunny spot in the grass, letting our clothes dry before we returned.

"You know I think you deserved a kiss after your chivalrous attempt at making up for yesterday's earlier happenings," she said quietly. "I wanted to last night, but there were too many people around."

Before I knew it she was leaning over me, her damp hair like a curtain. She pressed her lips to mine and my eyes widened in shock. Her lips were gentle, a complete contrast to the bold move that she was making. Her pale hand was on my bare chest and I covered it with my own. Vanmoriel lay back down in the grass as though nothing had happened. Her fingers, though, intertwined with mine on the ground between us.

When our clothes had dried we redressed and headed back. It was a slow, silent trip. I was busy trying to puzzle out what had just happened and Vanmoriel was either doing the same thing or was sensitive enough to leave me alone with my thoughts.

We unsaddled our horses and made our way back into the home of Elrond. We stopped at a T in the corridors, both needing to go a different way.

"I enjoyed our afternoon together," I said quietly.

"As did I," she returned.

I took her hand and lightly brushed my lips across the back of it as I stared into her sparkling eyes. "I hope we can do it again," I said as I straightened up.

"I would like that very much, Legolas." She gave a smile before walking down the corridor.

I stood alone watching her walk away. Her hair reflected the sunlight every time she passed by a window and I could not manage to look away.

My father came up and stood beside me. "Who is she?" He asked quietly.

"Her name is Vanmoriel," I replied, not looking up at him even as she became smaller down the corridor.

My father seemed to be watching me. He was silent for a moment and we both watched as Vanmoriel turned and disappeared.

"You know I fell in love with your mother the first moment I saw her," he said with a smile.

I was, again, shocked. My father hardly ever spoke of my mother. Even after centuries it was still hard for him.

Nostariel had been a Lorien elf and had moved to Mirkwood shortly after she met my father. They were married and lived together for many happy years, producing two healthy sons, Calanon and myself. Nothing had gone wrong in their marriage or her life in general, but like all things in life, the call of the sea was unpredictable. She had left just after I was considered an adult. The pain for everyone was acute. A huge part of our lives was all of the sudden gone. I remember, above everything else, her standing at the bow of the ship waving to us all. Calanon and I stayed on the shore, but my father could not. He waded out into the waves and stayed there until the sun fell and the moon rose overhead. Calanon and I could only stand and watch him; all three of us were completely unmoving for many long hours.

"I knew I could not live another day without her by my side," he continued. "Love is a very strange thing, my son."

I hope you enjoyed this even though it was short! I do apologize profusely for that. Let me know what you think!

Happy reading,

Avonmora