Arwen heard the laughter on her front porch long before there came a knock on the door. There was a lantern lit in their window, so she knew that the lovers would know that someone, at least, was home in the King's House. Admitting to herself that she was moving rather slowly, she made her way to the door and opened it. She leaned her hip against the threshold, her dark hair pulled back in a simple knot to keep it from her face.

"Legolas and Enguina," she said softly, but she could not help smiling when she saw them laughing together. "It is a strange hour of evening to see you both on my porch."

Enguina raised her eyebrows. "It is a strange hour indeed when you arrive home after the supper hour! We were starving—"

"Along with the dwarf," added Legolas.

"—and so we had to walk all the way over to Éowyn's for dinner!"

"Oh," she said, faking sympathy, "you poor dears."

"What happened to 'the King's House will always be open?'" said Legolas with a knowing smile.

"Where have you been all day?" Enguina asked with a sudden frown. "We missed having dinner with you here."

She smiled. "Oh…out and about. Are you coming in?" Arwen stepped back from the door to accommodate them, and Enguina slipped through the doorway.

"Out and about?" quoted Enguina slyly, but Arwen ignored her, waiting by the door for Legolas to enter. When he reached the threshold, he paused, looking into her face.

"Is Aragorn not here?"

"He…thought it best to stop in at Ecthelion," Arwen admitted. "The Council was in session today, and…they had been expecting him."

"Ah yes," he replied, sighing, "Annî was complaining about Faramir missing dinner as he was taking Aragorn's place. Not to worry though; Éowyn was very forgiving." He gave her a teasing smile.

Arwen smiled back at him, though hers was a bit tired. "That is good of her, as always."

"I was looking to speak with him briefly, though. Perhaps I could do all of us a favor and head over to Ecthelion myself? They would excuse him if I were to interrupt."

She looked so relieved at his suggestion that he knew immediately he would go. "Would you, Legolas? I would be eternally grateful," she said with sincerity.

"I will go and claim him," he vowed, and reached around Arwen to tap up Enguina's chin with a finger. "Guin, would you mind staying here? I have something I wish to discuss with Aragorn, and I am sure Arwen would welcome the company. Then we shall finish our walk."

She smiled. "If your ears begin to ring, it is because I was speaking about you."

He laughed. "Oh, without a doubt I shall be the subject of a few moments' conversation at least! Enjoy yourselves at my expense, I beg you." He leaned over swiftly then and kissed her, releasing her chin as he turned back to Arwen. "I will not be long."

"Not with such a promise to return to," she agreed, and in a moment, she had closed the door behind him. Turning to Enguina, she raised her eyebrows. "Tea?"

"Please. Do you have some made, or can I help you?"

"The tea is made, but the cups are not ready. Would you mind? Then we can sit on the balcony; it is a beautiful evening."

It only took them a few moments before they were outside, seated and sipping their tea. It was a beautiful night, pleasantly cool after the unusually warm day both of them had enjoyed. They had been sitting in companionable silence for a few moments before Enguina decided to break it. Arwen looked out over the city, and she studied her before she made comment or asked question. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Arwen broke the silence first.

"How was your day, Enguina?" She turned to look at her, giving her a smile. "Were you and Legolas on the fourth level working today?"

Enguina nodded, grinning back. "Yes, with Gimli. We had an interesting time, as I spent much of it chasing around several children and Legolas spent part of the morning bickering with Gimli's kin. They are so stubborn! And then I made my way to the tailor's—"

Arwen gasped and looked abashed. "That is right! I forgot about your dress fitting! Ilúvatar, I am dull!"

Enguina laughed. "No, you are not! You were out all day."

"Well, how was it? Do you like the dress?"

Her eyes sparkled. "It is the most beautiful dress I have ever laid eyes on, and have ever put on my own body. It is absolutely wonderful; when Legolas sees it—"

"He will never, ever look at another woman ever again," Arwen laughed softly, shifting her weight towards her left side and trying not to look uncomfortable about it.

"After the dress fitting, I met him outside, even though he had begged me to come in, I told him no. I thought perhaps we would head out for a ride after that, but I was so tired by that point…last night did not afford me much sleep, so we headed back to the guesthouse for an afternoon nap and then—"

"The dream again," she said softly, frowning. Enguina frowned as well.

"They are…so frequent. Last night it was Dagnirhir, Calendur…" She shook her head. "If Legolas had not been there—"

"He was there?" she asked, and Enguina's eyes narrowed a bit.

"There is something in your tone…" Enguina began, but drifted off, watching Arwen's face.

"I am…I did not mean to sound surprised," she added rather quickly. "I only meant—"

"You are frowning on me," Enguina insisted, looking hurt. "It was not as though he slept in my bed, Arwen." She said the last a bit nastily and Arwen winced.

"Enguina, please, let me explain. I do not care if Legolas spends every single night by your bed if it helps you not to have another nightmare," she answered. "To be honest, I—"

"As long as he is not in my bed."

"That…was not what I was going to express at all—"

"You need not worry about it," Enguina said firmly as she rose from her chair, stuttering out the last few words. "I would be…I would be too afraid anyway." Arwen immediately reached out and caught her hand.

"Dear Heavens, Enguina…do not be so defensive. I know you!" Arwen insisted. "I would never question you in such a way, with such a thing! Why would you…why would you think that?" Enguina hesitated, and when Arwen knew she was not going to answer, she continued. "In fact, I was about to say that I did not think you were particularly happy at one point with sharing those dreams with Legolas. I was surprised because I did not think you would allow him to be there when they took place."

Enguina sighed. "Forgive me…I leapt at your throat for no reason. I simply…Legolas made a comment this morning about others judging us because he was coming from the guesthouse at an unreasonable time, and I just…I thought 'now you, too?' I am sorry I was upset."

"Enguina, you know that I would never—"

"I do," she replied. "And you were right about the dreams; I did not want him to know…but I dreamed on the return journey when Legolas came to rescue me and he…easily found out about them." She shrugged, embarrassed. "There was nothing I could do to hide from him out there in the middle of nowhere with no one around, and when, most of the evenings, I was sleeping in his arms already. Right or wrong, he held me…and I needed it." She sighed. "After spending nearly a week in them, it was quite difficult to return to…what should I call it? Normal life?"

Arwen gave her a little smile. "Come sit down with me again, and do not be so easily flustered. No one is judging you; most certainly not me. We have known each other too long." She hesitated and then frowned. "Would you like to sit out here on your own? I would not wish to hinder you at all from any rest you might take—"

"This is good enough," she said, shaking her head. "I am enjoying your company. You have been gone all day! Will you say nothing of it?"

Arwen looked into Enguina's sincere face. What could she say of it? "Asfaloth has been begging me for ages to ride, and…it was time. Aragorn and I rode today all along the Anduin and enjoyed every moment we spent together. It has been some time since we took a day just for ourselves."

"It was a beautiful day," she agreed. "As I said earlier, I would have been out as well if I had not been so tired this afternoon." She sighed and watched Arwen shift her body weight for the umpteenth time and she gave her a little smirk and began to tease her. "You seem to be struggling a bit yourself," she added, grinning at her. "Having trouble sitting down?"

Arwen blushed furiously, and Enguina's surprise did not even have time to show before the younger elf then cringed. "To be honest…yes, I am quite uncomfortable, and if you would be a dear and hand me that pillow on the other side of you, I would be very grateful."

Enguina stared at her a moment, but she had enough presence of mind to reach behind her and hand Arwen the pillow in another moment. Arwen slipped the pillow directly beneath herself and leaned back in the chair again, only looking slightly more comfortable. Enguina grinned widely and raised an eyebrow. "What is this? The great rider, the one who used to ride for hours is saddle-sore?" she laughed. "This is too much!"

"I am—" Arwen began to reply hotly, but bit her lower lip to keep from snapping at her friend and then suddenly brought her hand to her mouth.

"Did you just…" Enguina asked, leaning forward and staring. "You did! You split your lip! How in the world—" She giggled. "Oh Eru, tell me you fell! That would be simply ridiculous!"

"I did not fall!" Arwen replied, gritting her teeth but then sucking the blood off her lip. "And I am not saddle-sore and I did bite down on my lip… several times today in fact." As she continued to speak, the blush on her cheeks grew darker. "And you…should probably not ask foolish questions you really do not want to hear the answer to."

"Oh no, I want to hear," she teased, grinning and pulling her leg up to her chest, resting her chin on her knee. "You are terribly embarrassed, which means there is a great story in this day somewhere!"

"Enguina, I really do not think—"

"I need to know. You have to tell me…I am your second oldest friend, and there is no one here but us. You simply must tell me. What did you do?"

"Enguina…" she groaned in reply.

"I will not tell anyone! It is only between us two! Why are you so embarrassed? Why are you so uncomfortable?"

"All right," Arwen sighed, closing her eyes, "Aragorn and I spent the…entire day…down on the banks of the Anduin."

"And…so you are sore from the riverbank? You are the worst liar!" Enguina was nearly chortling now. "You are unbelievable. You actually think I am going to hear that story and believe it?"

This time, Arwen really groaned aloud, opening her eyes and giving an exasperated sigh. "How specific must I be with you? We spent the day in each other's arms…I am sore because…from…I am sore from lying with him after not having done so in so long. Therefore…I am uncomfortable and require the use of this pillow."

Enguina's eyes were fixed on her nearly a full five seconds before she could even come up with a response, and even then it was not very intelligible. "What…you…oh, Ilúvatar…I thought you meant…" Her face blushed crimson and she turned her face away. "Forgive me! That was so inappropriate!"

Arwen wanted to laugh at Enguina, but she felt a bit sorry for her. "I tried to warn you that there were some questions you really did not want to know the answer to…that you really should not know the answers to. At least," she added, looking down at her mug, "not right now. Two months before your own wedding…"

Enguina looked back at her. "Why are you…sore?"

"This…is really not something we should be discussing right now; not quite appropriate for your ears—"

"I am older than you," Enguina pointed out, crossing her arms. "And I could probably guess if I wanted."

"Guess away," she replied softly, "I need not answer."

"That is cruel."

"Cruel has nothing to do with it. There are things you should know, Enguina…but only when the time is right." She shook her head. "Stop asking me questions like that."

Enguina hesitated. "Arwen…answer me seriously. Are you in pain?"

"At the moment, no…but this chair is not helping," she admitted, sighing, "and I am tired. I have no idea how Aragorn is surviving with the Council. He must be asleep at the table right now." She gave a wry smile. "Neither one of us have the stamina we had before I…became ill."

But Enguina's mind was trapped on her other words. "Aragorn…physically hurt you?" she asked, looking horrified.

"Enguina—"

"Unforgivable," Enguina muttered and stood, reaching towards the door.

"Where exactly are you going?" Arwen asked as she caught her arm. Enguina whirled on her, eyes narrowing. "Enguina, what is the matter?"

"The matter? The matter is with you! No man, not even your husband, has the right to be so rough and—" She made a disgusted sound in her throat. "How dare he use you in such a way!"

"Enguina, stop this," Arwen sighed. "That is not what happened; you are overreacting."

"But you said—"

"Yes, but not because…Enguina, dear Ilúvatar, I should not be discussing this with you…not right now. I cannot even think about what I am saying I am so tired," she said, shaking her head. "Please, just calm down…and sit down. Aragorn does not use." She was horrified at the word. "I do not ever want to hear you say that again."

"Are you going to explain?" Enguina asked, sitting back down on the very edge of the chair and looking up into Arwen's face.

"Not as much as you probably would like," she admitted, but watched Enguina twist her hands back and forth in her lap. "Why are you fretting? I am fine; wonderful even…clearly I am fine."

"Tell me why you hurt, and perhaps I will stop worrying," she muttered.

Arwen took her hands. "This is going to be a far more uncomfortable conversation for you than for me, and I am not going into detail. Let me explain this: when a man and a woman lie with each other," she said softly, "it can often be…uncomfortable in the beginning…or after a long time when you have not been together."

Enguina flinched and then blushed. "So…he did not mean to hurt you."

"No, of course not," she continued. "Aragorn is…" She swallowed as she thought of his hands on her that afternoon and wondered if Enguina could hear her pounding heart. "He is the best of men."

"You keep saying that…yet, I still continue to try to find ill with him," she sighed, "even after learning firsthand how good of a man he is. You will have to forgive my…overreaction."

Arwen leaned forward suddenly and kissed her hands. "You were worried for me. I understand that, but Aragorn and I love each other and…we are fine. In fact, I would not hesitate to say that we are better than ever." Arwen smiled at her, released her hands back into her lap, and turned to lean her hip against the balcony, staring out into the evening sky.

"You seem…so content," Enguina said softly, "as though all the troubles of the world were made right because of today."

"Not everything," Arwen replied, looking down at her hands resting on the rail, thinking briefly of the child she was missing, "but I find that spending a day with Aragorn and Ilúvatar helps me center myself…even if I am exhausted afterwards."

"I want that peace."

Arwen glanced at her and gave her a mischievous smile. "You will have it…a few short weeks is all you must wait."

"Arwen…when you are around Aragorn, do you feel…strange?"

"Strange?" Arwen asked, puzzled. "How do you mean?"

"Strange…odd…off…"

She shook her head. "No, if anything, I feel as though there is more balance when Aragorn is with me, beside me. Why do you ask such a thing?"

"So you feel…balanced?" Enguina asked, looking a bit nervous.

"Enguina, talking to you is so…so frustrating sometimes!" Arwen laughed. "Speak your mind! If I cannot answer your question appropriately, I will tell you so."

"When I am with Legolas I feel as though I cannot keep my feet beneath me…as though I am in danger of being swept away by…by…" she stumbled over her words, trying to figure out what exactly the feeling was. "I do not know what it is! I am more in love with him every moment we spend together." She looked at her guiltily. "How can I explain? I feel odd…I do not want to be without him. I want him at my side; yes, even at night when I…when I should not. Eru in Heaven, I am so confused! I do not know what this is…this…this growing need to be beside him…"

She looked up at Arwen. "And you say that what you feel around Aragorn is peace…and what I feel when I am near Legolas anymore is…is…turmoil. I feel awkward, as though I hold onto his hand longer than I should, or keep my arms around his neck and not want to let go. I feel like I am blushing all over; his touch anymore is like a lightning current. Our…" she blushed crimson and had to look away to her twisting fingers, "kisses are getting…longer…more…"

Arwen reached between her hands, effectively stilling them as she gingerly sat beside her again. "Intimate?"

Enguina blushed more furiously, unable to respond.

"Let me…explain something to you," Arwen said gently. "What you are feeling is confusing. What you are feeling is desire."

"No," she said, shaking her head immediately. "No, I…cannot be. I do not—I will not think of Legolas like that!" She stood up, yanking her hands away and crossing her arms, turning her back to Arwen. "It is…wrong."

"It is not wrong."

Enguina whirled around. "How can you say that when you know where desire landed me, Arwen? He kept telling me that…how much he desired me, that he wanted me. If it was not for his irrational desire, I would not be having these dreams!" Tears formed in her eyes as she flung up her hands. "I would not feel this way! I would not feel so afraid."

"Enguina, desire is not wrong," she said softly, even to the other elf's raised voice. "Desire is natural. Let me explain…let me help you."

"How?" she asked, gritting her teeth. "How can you help me?"

"I felt the same desire you feel, but for Aragorn. I felt…warm…almost feverish when I was with him. Sometimes, I still feel that way. After we became engaged, I only saw him very seldom, for he traveled in the hope of stamping out as much evil as is possible for one man. But when we were together, Enguina…when we were together I worshipped him, adored him. There were moments when I wanted to share everything with him—"

"But you did share everything with him," Enguina insisted. "You knew each other and you were in love—"

"But that was not enough," she admitted. "I remember there were days when just the touch of his fingertips against my skin made me feel as though I was entirely on fire." She gave Enguina a rueful smile. "Yes, Enguina, I have felt desire as you do. I know what you are feeling."

"And it is not…wrong?"

"No…but, it is a struggle to handle in an appropriate way. We have been taught, Enguina, that our bodies are sacred; that they should be treated with reverence and…that a woman should give herself to one man, the man she would spend her life with, after bound to him in Ilúvatar's eyes. You, who are engaged to be married to Legolas, simply need to accept that you do desire him…and there is nothing wrong with that desire, or you, for that matter. We may be elves, but our passions run deep."

"I…have never felt this way before."

"You have never been in love," Arwen admitted. "You are feeling the desire to be near him always, to never be apart, to have him beside you…and yes, even to share yourself physically with him."

Enguina swallowed hard. "I never thought I would ever want that…to be with someone like that…not after…" her voice drifted off and she chewed on her lip. "If what you say is true, and I do desire Legolas…then how do I wrestle with the other feelings?"

"Other feelings?"

"I may desire him…but…" she hesitated, blushed, and then forced her words out, "I am absolutely terrified of him."

"What?"

She sighed, frustrated. "Well not…of him, exactly…but of lying with him…yes, I am terrified." She felt Arwen take her hands again. "I often think forward to that wedding night that is not so far off and I see myself…freezing in terror…and then having to explain myself, which would be awful and completely ridiculous, and then not being able to—"

"Enguina, Enguina," Arwen said, squeezing her hands again, "will you…permit me to give you some more truth?"

She looked into Arwen's serious face and made her decision. "I suppose so."

"First, I was terrified, too. No, I did not come from a situation such as yours," she added softly, "but even though I desired Aragorn, I was afraid. Fear of the unknown is as natural as desire." She sighed and Enguina noticed her preparing herself.

"What? What is it? Just say it."

"To avoid the…fear that you are worried you will face on your wedding night…you…somewhere between now and the wedding, you need to tell Legolas the truth."

"The—? No, I cannot."

"Enguina," she said, forcing Enguina's hands to remain in hers, "Legolas adores you, loves you. If you just told him, he would understand. His love is not going to stop because of that truth." She looked into her face, speaking softly, but sincerely, "You were taken against your will, Enguina."

"I…I know…" She did know. She had accepted that over the past three months of living in Minas Tirith. But… "Arwen…that does not change the facts. When you gave yourself to Aragorn, when you wed him, you were whole and pure and…when I give myself to Legolas…I…I…will not be. It is not the same."

"Yes, you will," she told her gently. "You will because for the first time in your life, you will be giving yourself to the man of your choice in the sight of Ilúvatar alone…and with his blessing. That matters."

Enguina looked up and met her eyes, tears in hers again. "I want so badly to believe that."

"Let me…let me pray for you?" Enguina fell silent and turned her head away, and Arwen bowed her head low over Enguina's hands, pressing her forehead to them. "Father," she whispered, "I seek your face. You know my heart, and you see what is in dear Enguina's. She has cried out to you, as I have so many times, to take away this pain she feels, this grief and burden that she carries. She needs you to help her; she needs you to guide her thoughts away from the one who did this to her and focus on the one who cares for her more than anything in the world. You have given her Legolas to have life and joy, and to celebrate abundantly, rejoicing in you.

"Enguina needs you to guide her, and to give her strength and words. Help her to understand that the man she loves is understanding and faithful. Help her to understand that she can trust you to take care of her, to give you her pain. Help her to understand that what she will experience with Legolas, what you have blessed, will be more than she ever imagined. Help her to rejoice in what she has, rather than in the past, as you have shown me today. I bless your name."

Both were silent for a moment and Enguina reached up to wipe her eyes. "Eru showed you to rejoice in what you have today?" she asked softly, and Arwen gave her a smile; she knew out of everything else she had said in her prayer that Enguina would ask about the one thing that would take the focus from her.

"Ilúvatar has been reminding me of that more and more recently," Arwen admitted as Enguina met her eyes. "I…have wasted too much of the last two months, Enguina. I have been living, but I am still living in the shadow of loss; it…is difficult, sometimes, to focus on something other than that loss. My love for Aragorn is a beacon in that shadow. Days like today make me…they bring me hope."

She smiled. "The best of men."

Arwen returned it and then pointed behind Enguina and said frankly, "Can I have that other pillow behind you, dear?"

Enguina burst out laughing, but as she handed Arwen the pillow she noticed the younger elf did not even blush. She was in a better mood already.

Legolas walked right up the front steps of Ecthelion, crossed the White Hall, and began climbing the stairs to the first conference chamber. He knew where to find his friend, and though he was eager to speak with him, he was just as eager to return to Enguina and finish their walk. He smiled to himself, fixed her face before him, and entered the council chamber.

"Prince Legolas!" laughed Dintîr, waving a hand and leaning back in his chair. "To what do we owe the honor?"

Legolas smiled at him and bowed his head as the majority of men turned to look at him. Most of the councilmen appeared to be in good humor at the moment; after the incident with Gildion in late January, they favored him. "My Lords, I have come to claim the King for the rest of the evening. I think he has been out late enough."

Some of the men chuckled, but it was, once again Dintîr who responded. "He only just arrived!"

Aragorn laughed and stood. "I believe the elf is correct. I will see you all in the morning; we have been here late enough."

Legolas was a bit surprised at the ease in which everyone accepted that the King was leaving and that it was time to call it an evening. He found himself then, not five minutes later, walking down the front steps of Ecthelion with Aragorn. The man immediately turned to Legolas as soon as they hit the flat stones and caught the elf's arm—everyone else was still inside.

"Is everything all right?"

"Of course," he replied soothingly. "I simply wanted to speak with you, and I thought rescuing you was a nice touch. It also creates good standing with your wife…and I will probably need it after tomorrow."

"After tomorrow?" Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "I think you have a bit of explaining to do."

"I will try to be short. First," he said, steering him toward the garden, "your day. Arwen looked exhausted, as do you." He gave the man a smile. "But for the first time in weeks, there was no tension in her face, and the muscles in your shoulders are loose. That is a good sign." He clapped Aragorn on the shoulder and the man ducked under the light blow.

"As much as there is no tension," Aragorn chided him, nearly shoving him into the hedgerow, "there are marks from a day like today that need not be prodded. I thank you for the congratulations, but, please…do not touch me."

Legolas held up his hands and laughed. "Fair enough, though I think there is a story to be had at some point."

"You shall understand on your own well enough without my help," he replied, shaking his head. "If you truly want to know, ask Faramir; I am not one to discuss such…delicate subjects. Some things are meant to be private, yes?"

"Indeed," he said, laughing again, "and I think such tales would definitely be better coming from you than from Faramir. He may not know what to stop telling!" He smiled at Aragorn. "But I am very glad that you and Arwen are once again at peace."

He nodded. "I…should not have let it go on so long. I shall know better next time."

"There will never be a next time." Aragorn said nothing to it, but nodded again. Legolas decided to let it go. "So…I know that Enguina has spent a few evenings at your House recently."

"Yes," he replied, "though that is no secret, considering you have been at the House in the morning after several of those occasions."

"I have been…thinking. These nightmares she is having are becoming progressively more frequent. I have been present when she has had two over the course of one night." He shook his head. "I have known her since December, and have barely spent enough time in her company, yet I can see this."

Aragorn thought a moment and nodded. "I agree."

"They are also becoming progressively worse. She is…going to you more than she has been coming to me," he said simply. "She goes to you when she does not know where else to turn." He looked away from Aragorn's face. "When she thinks I cannot handle it; when she thinks I cannot care for her."

Aragorn laid a hand on Legolas's shoulder. "No," he said softly, "she knows that you will care for her, protect her…but she cannot face you with this." Legolas looked at him, confused. "You need to give her more time."

"I…I would give her forever, but it hurts me to see her in pain. I…am to be her husband. Should she not trust me?"

"Legolas, you know that there are things in my past that have happened either to me or to others I have known, things I would never describe to Arwen…ever. Does this mean I do not trust her? Of course not; it simply means that there are some things that she should never know."

"So…you are trying to say that Enguina is seeking to protect me?" Legolas asked.

"That may be part of it; another part of it may be that she does not know how to talk to you about it; another part may be that she is afraid. I do not know, but I do know that you need to continue to have patience for it…and for her."

"I love her. I will wait forever for her to tell me if necessary." Aragorn tried to smile but to Legolas it seemed a bit grim.

"You may have to."

The elf sighed, and Aragorn could hear the frustration in his tone. "Why is it that—forget it. I suppose I should tell you the reason I brought up Enguina's nightmares."

"Because you are worried."

"Yes," he admitted, "but aside from that, the wedding moves closer every day. I think that perhaps the reason she is not resting well is that she is under a lot of stress."

"What do you propose?"

"A break. Not to postpone the wedding either," he insisted, "but to stop her planning of it for a little while. We have a little less than two months left; I think it should not be any more stress to finish it later. So, I suggest we take a little time, head to Ithilien, and begin scouting out a place to live."

"How long?" asked Aragorn, surprised to hear his words. "How long will you be gone?"

"No more than a month, but I assume less than that. A nice little trip in the middle of wedding plans should be soothing…not stressful. It will give her time to think, time to collect herself, to breathe…to spend more time alone with me." He added the last with a chuckle and saw Aragorn smile.

"Perhaps you are right," he replied as they turned out of the garden's rows and began making their way back toward the King's House. "The dreams are…"

"Getting worse," Legolas interrupted, frowning. "She needs this, as much as I want to take her."

"Will you be going alone?"

Legolas hesitated, glancing at the man's face. "Do you have a suggestion?"

"I was thinking perhaps you could take Faramir with you," he said. "I doubt Éowyn would let him go alone, and I am not certain it is a good idea for her to be journeying at this stage of her pregnancy, but they would provide some…" Aragorn seemed to be searching for the word, and Legolas smiled.

"Supervision?"

Aragorn stopped at the bottom of the steps to the King's House and looked at him seriously. "If I thought you needed supervision, I would tell you not to make such a journey in the first place."

Legolas looked a bit guilty and sighed. "It is getting more and more difficult to let her go at night, to return home to the house with Gimli. But I know my place."

"Of course you do, Legolas. No one would ever think otherwise." He moved forward. "You will be safe, I am sure, and Ithilien will be beautiful this time of year. Were you…seeking my advice?"

Legolas shrugged very slowly. "Part advice, part blessing, I suppose. I was hoping you were not going to tell me I was mad for thinking this might help."

"No, not mad…and you very well may be right. Perhaps it is just what she needs." He smiled suddenly. "And I do very much thank you for rescuing me. I am exhausted, just as you said."

"Let us go inside then, and I will claim Enguina so that the two of you might rest." The two of them headed inside where they found Arwen and Enguina in the kitchen, both with their heads resting on their arms, half-full mugs of tea near them. Legolas laughed, shaking his head. "I suppose we took too long."

"I am not asleep," Enguina muttered, yawning and then sitting up. Arwen did not move.

"I am," she whispered, and Aragorn went to her side, reaching down to stroke her hair and face.

"That is all right," he said with a smile. "Legolas has come to walk Enguina home, so neither one of you needs to entertain anymore."

"We were not succeeding in doing that anyway," Enguina said, stretching and then rising to take Legolas's hand, even as she looked to Aragorn. "Arwen said you had a nice ride today; I am sorry we missed the beautiful weather ourselves."

"I am sure there will be more opportunities," he said, glancing down at Arwen who still had not moved. "Are you not going to say goodnight, beloved?" There was total silence in response.

Enguina smiled. "Take her to bed, Aragorn. She is exhausted."

"Good night, both of you," Legolas said gently. "We shall see you in the morning."

"Good night," he replied, and the two elves headed out the front door before he moved to slowly scoop Arwen into his arms. She groaned softly into his chest as her head lolled against his shoulder and she wrapped an arm up and around his neck.

"I am usually the one with all the energy," she murmured. "How is it that you can carry me at all? You must be as worn out as I am."

He smiled. "I am, but you are very light. How do you feel aside from tired?"

"Oh…I think sorer than I expected," she admitted, opening her eyes to watch his face.

"I…did try to warn you."

"We did let loose a little bit," she muttered, blushing as he smiled. "We had several months to account for."

"This is a beautiful look on you as I carry you to our bed."

"Dear Ilúvatar, Aragorn…I will be dead in an hour if—"

"I only tease," he whispered, lying her down on their bed. "Are you that uncomfortable? Can I get you something…anything? Were you drinking herbs in that tea to relieve some of your pain?"

She laughed softy as she looked into his face. "I had to ask Enguina to give me some pillows to sit on. We had a…brief, but interestingly uncomfortable conversation."

"For you?" he said with a chuckle.

"No, for her."

"Mmm…embarrassing for both of you, I am sure."

"Not as bad as I expected, though she did ask a few questions that I am not sure I was prepared to answer." She felt his hands on the front of her dress. "Beloved, are you undressing me?"

"Stop that," he said, laughing. "You need to get out of these clothes, and you are being awfully lazy about doing it yourself." He listened to her sigh loudly, smiling to himself. "If you are going to change, then I will leave you to it."

"No…I am fine with allowing you to remove my clothes. It allows me to lie here and to be near you at the same time." She watched him as he undid her dress; there was no hurry in his movements. He took his time and slipped it from her. She had to sit up for him to slip the nightgown over her head, and by the time she had reached over to pull down the covers, he was changed and enfolding her into his arms. Cuddling back into him, she moaned softly, dragging her fingers lazily back and into his hair tangling and untangling her fingers in it.

What is it?" he asked, and she could feel his love for her pour through their bond.

"Can my every waking moment be full of this much bliss?" she murmured. "I have so much peace because of you. Everything is all right because I am in your arms again." She covered his hands with her own as her eyes closed, feeling his breath on her skin. "God, I would make love to you again right now, this moment, no matter how sore I am."

He lowered his lips against her neck. "Then you would be the death of me, beloved."

"How are your shoulders?" she asked softly.

"Tolerable," he whispered, and it was her turn to laugh.

"Oh, we are a pair, are we not?"

"I love the way you hold on to me," he told her, "the way you lose yourself for those few moments, unable to catch your breath, the way you tremble against me as I hold you so tight…the way you give yourself to me completely."

"As you do to me," she whispered back as he pressed his cheek to hers. She was silent for so long that he thought perhaps she had fallen asleep like that. "Aragorn, before I collapse from exhaustion, I do need to ask you something." Her voice was a murmur, but the question sounded as though she was focused on it for a reason.

"Yes, love?"

"There were questions in Enguina's eyes tonight," she whispered, "past sorrows…past hurts. You know what our wedding night was like—"

"Perfect," he said in her ear, kissing it gently. She smiled.

"Yes, but…there are some things that I think could have been made easier if we had only known about them; if someone had told me what might happen or…if my Father could have spoken to me…if my Mother had prepared me…" He felt her face grow warm against his cheek. "It was a difficult time for me, for us. Enguina already has…enough difficulties to overcome…and I thought…well…I thought…"

"You have my blessing," he whispered, tugging her more closely against him.

"There are many things, Aragorn, that are ours…only ours…and they will always stay that way. But I think there are some things I could tell her that might help her prepare or help her be more at ease with Legolas."

"That we had to discover on our own," he agreed, and she heard the sheepishness in his voice. She knew, that even in all his journeying, he had been as unprepared for that first time as she had.

"We did all right that first night," she replied softly, "after we rose above our fears and…all those supposed expectations." She shook her head. "Ilúvatar, if I had only known how wonderful it would be…if I only knew then what I know now…" She felt his hands tighten around her and she smiled. "How I love you," she said gently. "If I had only trusted you with myself in those first moments, so much fear could have been tossed aside; even desiring those moments, desiring you, had not prepared me for loving you."

"Mmmm," he murmured. "Tell her what you need to. I would not begrudge her anything if it would help her, ease her."

"You…need to tell Legolas," she whispered back, her fingers stroking against his face. He could feel the heat of her beneath his cheek again; even if it embarrassed her, she would do anything to help her dearest friend. "You need to tell him about—"

"I will…gently," he said softly, "and without great detail. Though, Legolas may already know more than I think; we have never…had reason to discuss anything of the kind. And you, beloved, should feel no shame."

"I know…" she replied, sighing, "and I know it may make this easier on both of them." There was a bit of silence then. They were both tired.

"To sleep?" he whispered then and she nodded, settling even closer against his chest as he dragged the sheet over both of them.

Legolas walked slowly along the path towards the guesthouse with Enguina's arm in his. She held on to him and smiled out into the night; he knew she was tired, so even though he wanted to talk with her for a little while longer, he was taking the shortest way to her home. She was still in a good mood, though a bit more subdued than she had been when he had left her at the House. He wondered how she would accept that he wanted to take her away from here for a few weeks. Looking down into her face, even as tired as she was, she was still so beautiful. He sighed.

She looked up at him. "What is it?" she asked. He gave her a little smile.

"I want to do something for you," he told her honestly, covering her hand with his own. "I want to take away these nightmares you are having."

Enguina looked away from his eyes. She was ashamed of them; she always had been, and she always would be. "No one can do that, Legolas," she said softly, shaking her head as her hand tightened on his arm. "Not even Ilúvatar has seen fit to do that."

He hesitated, and then plowed onward, as was his way. "If I could force them, even for a short time, would you do it? Would you let me do it?"

She lifted her head and eyed him suspiciously. "Not if it required a sacrifice on your part."

"No sacrifice," he said. "In fact, it would be something I would tremendously enjoy doing."

She gave him a smirk at the sound of his words. "Is this going to end up being something such as, you shall rub my shoulders every night before bed? Because you know very well that is not going to work out well for either one of us."

He grinned at her teasing, even as he blushed. "No, this is a much more practical idea. I think that your dreams are because of your stress. I think the wedding is applying pressure in ways we never intended or expected…and so the dreams are becoming more frequent and lasting longer." Her eyes grew haunted, even as he spoke, and he knew immediately that he was doing the right thing for them both.

"What…what do you want to do?" she asked, and she appeared a bit stunned, as though she had not expected him to notice they were worse or longer. "You do not mean…you cannot mean to cancel the wedding." As the words left her mouth, she looked even more horrified.

"Dear Ilúvatar, no! No, no! I want to marry you more than I want anything else in the world, Guin," he told her earnestly. "I simply think we need to do something that involves no stress."

"You must have something in mind then."

"As a matter of fact…I do. I think we should take a short trip…perhaps two, maybe even three weeks, into Ithilien. We are going hunting for our new home," he offered.

Immediately, her mind flashed with a hundred thoughts! Two weeks! Two weeks of travel at least…when they had a wedding to plan and design and make in less than two months? Two weeks of traveling in the wilderness with Legolas when anything could happen? Two weeks of searching for a place that would be perfect for them to plan a home, a place where they could raise their children, and have his kindred…and live in peace?

"When is your father due to arrive?" she asked suddenly. Already, in her head, she could see herself lying in Legolas's arms beneath the stars of Ithilien, listening to the sound of the crickets and the horses' breathing, feeling the touch of the grass beneath her. They were nearly to the guesthouse.

"He is not expected until mid-May, and we will be back long before then," he answered. "I think that two weeks away from this madness, two weeks to get back to the peace of where we belong, might be just what you need."

They stopped at the bottom of the steps and she looked up into his face. "You do not think it will only place more stress on us at the end, to rush and have everything ready?"

"I think," he said, reaching a hand up to stroke her cheek, "that we will be more relaxed. Both of us will because you will be having fewer nightmares."

"You are very worried about me."

"Terribly, as a matter of fact," he replied sincerely.

"That is…nice of you to worry," she said softly, and though he knew she was teasing him, in a very real way he knew that she appreciated the fact that he cared for her so much.

"So…what do you think of the idea?"

"I hope that your thoughts on my dreams are right," she replied. "I hope they are only stress-induced and not…something else." She hesitated and then continued. "I love the idea of traveling with you again; taking our time, enjoying ourselves…searching for a home. It sounds so nice. When do we leave?"

He laughed, swinging her hand from his arm and up to his lips to kiss it. "Tomorrow, if you like!"

"Perhaps Monday?" she said. "A day for our friends to get used to the idea."

He smiled. "Would you prefer it be only us, or shall we invite Faramir and Éowyn? They shall be building in Ithilien as well. Perhaps we could invite them."

"I am…perfectly content with having company," she added, raising one eyebrow, "as long as we enjoy some time alone in the moonlight as well."

Legolas grinned at her. "Your every desire is my order, moina."

"Gimli!" she said suddenly, her fingers tightening on his. "Gimli should come as well. Invite him to join us," she urged. "He is such a joy as a traveling companion."

Legolas smiled as he thought about the trip…it was just as much for them as it would be a last bit of fun for the dwarf and himself before he was permanently joined with Enguina. It was perfect. He sighed, glancing at the stars. "I suppose it is time for you to sleep…and time for me to find the dwarf from wherever he is hiding tonight with his fellows."

Enguina looked down at their joined hands…and found herself unable to release them, unable to lean upward and kiss him goodnight…unable to even say goodnight. When she did not respond, he murmured her name, gently…with an unspoken question at the end.

"Will you…stay?" she asked softly, her eyes still fixed on their hands. "If…if only for a little while. Even just a few moments…"

He reached out and tilted her chin up. "You need not ask, love," he told her gently. "I will stay at least until you are sleeping peacefully." He stroked her face and smiled. "Why do we not go inside and you can get some rest? I know it has been a long day."

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice still soft. "Gimli—"

"He will be fine," he sighed. "I was…simply trying to be reasonable; finding myself something to do instead of standing at your front doorstep until morning."

She laughed aloud, and then tugged his hand as she climbed the steps.