There was no warning when Legolas was roused awake by the screaming of Enguina, both aloud and in his head so powerfully his ears were ringing. It was fast, furious—one moment she was in his arms, the next she had thrown him back, crying out loud, fumbling from bed and racing for the door in terror. She did not get further than two steps from the bed before Legolas lunged across the bed and raced behind her, catching her around the waist and holding onto her tight just before she crossed the threshold into the hallway. She fought back, desperate for relief from the images in her head.

"No, Enguina, no," he said trying to soothe her, even as she struggled with him. "It is I; he is not here, he cannot harm you! You are not running…"

Enguina thrashed once more, her breath gasping out as she struggled to get control over herself. She could hear his voice; she could feel him almost inside her head, as though his words were like feelings. Her eyes fluttered closed and when she focused, she could hear his heart beating in her head; her face was against his chest.

"No more running…" he told her gently and he felt her shudder in pain. He released his grip on her arms and instead ran his hands along her back, one hand stopping to hold her head against his chest, keeping her close. "I am here with you." She closed her eyes, listening to his words, his heartbeat, pressing the cloth of his tunic between her fingers. Minutes passed, and her knees grew weak in her despair.

"Legolas, we need to sit down," she muttered, trying to get her fingers to function enough to wipe the tears from her face. Her knees gave out and he caught her, scooping her carefully into his arms as he lifted her back to the bed, and sat down upon it, cuddling her against his chest and in his lap as he continued to hold her tight.

"Where were you running to?" he asked her, and she sighed.

"Anywhere..." she groaned. "Away…I was running away."

"You cannot run from me. Not anymore. I am going to share everything with you; we should share this as well. Depend on me."

"I keep reacting," she murmured, but her voice was muddy, still full of the memory of him. "Legolas, how are we…how are we going to survive this?"

"Just as we are, meleth," he whispered. "As long as it takes."

"How will we…how will we ever…"

He knew what she meant without her being specific. If she could not be beside him, if she could not have him above her, touch her, without thinking of Bragolaur, then how in the name of all things holy could she make love to him, let him make love to her?

"Sweetness," he said gently, honestly, "I do not know. I do not know, but Ilúvatar is with us, and he will heal you."

"You believe that?" she asked painfully, and he smoothed her hair, stroked her cheek with the edges of his fingertips.

"With all my heart." She said nothing in reply, and he knew what she was thinking; she was desperate to believe him, to have his faith. He was determined that he would figure this out, that Ilúvatar would grant him wisdom.

"What about something like this? Enguina is certain to like this," asked Éomer, holding up a beautiful dress. "I mean, she would look like the morning star in it, you know?"

Legolas smiled and touched it himself. It was made from a beautiful fabric, and Éomer was probably right that she would really enjoy it. Gimli leaned around him from the other side and eyed it.

"Aye, lad…that dress is a thing of beauty. Perhaps these shoes to go with it?"

"She would probably prefer to go without," he said softly and then frowned at the shoes. "Those are too large anyway."

Éomer sighed. "We have been wandering the streets for hours, Legolas. This is getting to be a bit ridiculous! You should have brought Éowyn; at least she enjoys finding gifts."

"Éomer, how long did it take for you to find a wedding present for Lothíriel?" he asked and Éomer rolled his eyes.

"Please, do not even journey there. And I needed to have the assistance of Éowyn and Faramir. It was awful." He laughed. "But she loved it, and now I have had to put up with it sleeping on our bedroom floor and—"

"You got her a dog?" chortled Gimli. "That is the most ridiculous—"

"It was the perfect gift for her, you rotten dwarf. She had never had a dog." He shoved Gimli and Legolas slipped between them.

"I thought you two agreed to like each other?"

"We do," insisted Gimli, pushing Legolas out of the way and shoving Éomer back. "I was only teasing him anyway. So, what's the plan, lad? What time are we supposed to be back? I mean, you did leave Enguina with Thranduil."

"She wanted me to," he said softly, lifting another dress.

"They should get to know each other," Éomer agreed. "It was a good idea on her part."

Legolas nodded absently. "I would like to buy her a dress," he said to himself, "but I do not know which one, what color..."

"She would love it," Éomer encouraged. "It would make her feel as though you wanted to see her in it; that you thought she would be beautiful." He smirked to himself. "Though she would probably look beautiful in just about anything…or nothing." Legolas hit him in the arm and Gimli laughed.

"Betraying the Evening Star, are we?"

"No," Éomer immediately denied. "I am simply proclaiming the truth. Arwen is still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I would never say anything contrary. Are you betraying the Morning? You think Enguina is pretty beautiful."

Gimli smirked. "With the exception of the Lady Galadriel, a woman needs more facial hair for me to think she's beautiful."

"Ugh," Legolas said.

"I agree!" cried Éomer. "The thought is simply…bizarre. I…do not think I have ever seen any dwarf women."

"Well, one day, there will be some in the Glittering Caves, and you'll have to come and meet them. Until then, don't talk to me about beautiful." He nudged Éomer. "And what of Lothíriel? Is Arwen more beautiful than her?"

"Just because I think Arwen is the most beautiful woman in all of Middle-Earth does not mean I am in love with her," Éomer complained. "I love Lothíriel with all my heart."

"Well, it sounded as though—"

Legolas rolled his eyes. "Why did I bring you two with me?"

"Because we are good fun," Éomer replied and he raised his eyebrows up and down as he tugged out a nightdress. "How about this?"

Legolas dropped his head in his hands. "Please, Éomer, I do not need the image of you imagining my new wife in that."

Gimli chortled again and Éomer grinned holding up his hands innocently. "I was trying to help you out, Legolas. She would be stunning in it."

"Yes, lad, you'd be breathless," Gimli said, as Legolas lifted his head.

"She could be wearing a riding outfit and I would be breathless at this point," he admitted. "Stop giving me advice, please. Just…follow me around."

"I've got an idea," suggested Gimli and Legolas sighed. "Why don't we head over to The Foaming Fiest, have a pint, and then come back out to find a gift? Give us some time to think."

"Honestly, Gimli," Legolas began to complain, but then Éomer threw his arm over Legolas's shoulder, grasped Gimli's shoulder, and steered the elf and dwarf toward the tavern on the second level.

"That, my friends, is an excellent idea."

Legolas rolled his eyes. "Perhaps I will just make her something instead."

Enguina held the mixed bouquet of flowers in her hand and took in their delightful scent. Pruned at the height of their freshness, their scent would fill the entire guesthouse. She had never seen anyone as diligent or as patient as Thranduil with flowers, or as careful. The way he maneuvered each stem and cut gently away at leaves surprised her.

"You must love this very much," she said softly, watching him. "You have so much patience."

"Only with flowers," he said with a smile.

"Legolas would have no patience for this at all," she added. "He can lie in the grass for hours and watch my face, but ask him to clip a few weeds and he would be done for. He would tear half the bush away." Thranduil looked over at her.

"Yes, Legolas has less patience than I do, but this is my desire; I have a talent with flowers, with making things grow the way I wish them to. Galadriel and I had that in common, though she was much better at it than I. She could grow such wondrous things," he said thoughtfully. "I will admit that Middle-Earth lost half of its beauty when she left it for the shores of Valinor."

Enguina grinned. "Were you in love with her as well? Gimli still is."

Thranduil smiled, handing her another flower. "At one time perhaps…long, long ago before you were even a thought, my dear. But it would not have mattered; Galadriel and I were too different. Though, I suppose Glosvana and I were as well, yet we somehow got along," he said wryly. He looked away and returned to pruning.

Glosvana…that was her name. "What a beautiful name," Enguina whispered.

"For a beautiful woman," he replied softly. "You remind me of her, at moments. Some of your facial expressions, though you look nothing alike."

"I am sorry."

He shook his head. "I was not telling you for you to be sorry." He was silent for a moment, and he knew she was aching to ask him, wanting to pry but knowing it would not be appropriate; she did not know him well enough. He changed the subject so she did not have to feel the awkwardness any longer. "I was worried about you last night. How are you feeling this morning?"

"It was a…long night," she answered honestly. "It is nice to be spending the day doing something peaceful. Arwen offered to take me to the shepherds today, but she had many visits to make. I think it is nice to be here with you; you are…steady."

He raised an eyebrow, but he was not looking at her so she did not see it. "Until I am angry, or feel that I or someone else has been wronged." His eyes darkened a bit. "I have much pride, Enguina, and I protect what I love with a fierce and jealous desire."

"You and Legolas wear your faults on your sleeve," she said softly and he looked at her. "Nearly everyone else tries to hide them. It is refreshing, I think."

"Do you?"

"Yes," she replied, and looked down at the flowers in her hands. "Thranduil, can I…can I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything, my dear."

"Something…awful happened to me in the past, and…again more recently," she whispered. "Your son has been the anchor in my life for the past months that we have known each other. Without him…I would not be here. In fact, I would not even exist." She looked at him, gaining courage as she continued to speak. "I never had a clue in the world what love was. I had never experienced it until I met Legolas. His strength, his compassion, his constant devotion…" Her eyes filled with tears. "His utter surety of faith, these things he could only have learned from his parents. I know I will never meet Glosvana, but I know he was encouraged and taught by the example in you. Thank you…I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have his love. I have never done anything to deserve it."

"If you had to do something to earn it, it would have meant nothing to begin with," he told her softly. "It would not even be love, do you understand?" She nodded, and reached up to wipe her eyes. "We all have demons in our past, Enguina…some more terrible than others. Some we can forget, and some will continue to haunt us." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Though we, as elves, never forget the tragedies in our lives, we can rise above them if we choose, if we desire to, if we work hard enough."

She looked at him. "Is that what you have done?"

He stared back at her a moment, lost in her question as he tried to come up with an answer. He set his arms behind his back and clasped his hands. "No…that is what Legolas has done." He smiled, choosing to ignore that he did not answer her question very well. "Legolas is a far better man than I could ever hope to be, and, though he does have his faults, I know that he will love you for the rest of your days. Legolas does nothing lightly, my dear, as I am sure that you know. His love for you will endure until the stars burn out. I have never seen him look upon another as I have seen him with you."

She laughed softly through her tears. "That is what he said."

He smiled. "And I thank you for your thoughtful words. One day you will see that the largest legacy that you can leave a child is their character." He bowed his head. "In that way, Ilúvatar has blest me very much indeed."

"I wish you could have met my parents," she said a bit wistfully. "I wish they could have known Legolas, that they had met the man I would marry. They always hoped for a good man for me…they probably never thought I would find the best. The one they thought I would choose…" She paled as her voice drifted off, and she could not believe she had even attempted to speak of Bragolaur to Thranduil. What had she been thinking? If he asked her…

Thranduil laughed, covering over her awkwardness. "Oh, do not let Legolas hear that too many times! It will all go to his head."

"I cannot tell him enough," she replied. "I cannot seem to stop telling him how wonderful he is, and yet, I do not exaggerate."

Thranduil looked at her carefully for a moment, wondering what had happened in her past and knowing very well he had no right to ask, and absolutely no need to know. Instead, he took a step closer to her and looked down into her eyes. "Enguina, I know that your parents are no longer in Middle-Earth. I…perhaps this is not appropriate, but…I would like to make you an offer." He looked down, hesitating, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew that what he was about to do was right.

"Yes?" she asked softly, having no idea what he was about to say.

"Might I…might I offer to give you away? I know that it is generally tradition for a woman to walk alone when her parents are not present, and I know that it would seem as though I am giving you to my own son, but—"

"You would do that?" she asked, the shock clear on her face. She was so stunned that she covered her open mouth, tears spilling over. He wanted to reach out and wipe her tears away, but he refrained.

"I would."

"I do not know what to say," she whispered, trying to find her voice.

"Then say yes," he told her, "and allow me to do it. I ask only one thing."

"Anything."

He smiled. "You must say nothing to Legolas. Let it be…a surprise."

"I promise I will not speak a word." The joy on her face was plain and she lunged forward, hugging him hard before she realized what she was doing and released him, stepping back and looking rather embarrassed. "I…forgive me."

"Fine, fine," he said. "I hope that we can greet one another with hugs in the future; we are to be family, you know." Giving her a kind smile, he lifted the short knife. "Now, would you like to do a bit more pruning, my dear, before the day is done?"

She smiled and nodded. "Please. I need to know how to care for my own garden someday."

"And so you shall."

"You are late."

Legolas stepped up to the front porch of the King's House as he had the night before and was surprised to find Aragorn seated there. The man was right of course; Éomer, Gimli, and himself had gotten a bit 'lost' and spent much longer out than they had originally planned. It was after dark now. Legolas crossed his arms.

"It does not appear you have been here long either."

Aragorn gave a long sighed. "No, that is true, and when I arrived, everyone was already gone. Arwen did leave me a note to let me know that Enguina and her are together. I thought Thranduil was with them, but I saw him in the gardens several moments ago. He spends a lot of time there."

"Yes," Legolas agreed, glancing in that direction before taking a seat beside Aragorn. "I think it soothes him. This is the first time I have seen him outside of the Greenwood in…well, since The Battle of the Five Armies near Dale."

"Yes, and seeing him in war does not count."

"No. He is less tight here; he can relax…though he has never done that very well."

"Annî likes him. I think she is drawn to him. Two nights ago she kept asking him to tell her stories. I think she knows he is very old."

Legolas laughed. "That he is." Legolas grew silent and still, and Aragorn said nothing to fill in the gap between their words. The elf suddenly sighed and looked over to him. "You always know when to wait me out, do you not?"

"You have something you want to ask or say. Please do."

"I did something completely asinine yesterday near the Anduin," he said honestly, leaning his elbows on his knees and staring at his hands.

"The herbs appear to be helping the healing of your face," Aragorn said. "The bruise should disappear in another day or so. That will be good before the wedding."

Legolas eyed him suspiciously. "How do you know it was connected to my face?"

"Enguina hit you. It does not require any clues aside from my knowing you and her and her history." His voice was gentle though. "You did something that brought back Bragolaur to her. Did you lose your head for a moment?"

"More than a moment," he said miserably. "Aragorn, I need to solve this before I make it worse. I…I do not know what to do. I know how much pain she is in, but I honestly cannot understand why she cannot let it go. He is gone; he can hurt her no more, yet he still haunts her dreams. I cannot understand, when I am right in front of her, that she somehow twists me into that evil son of Morgoth. What can I do? How do I reach her? How can I accept it, make myself understand it? I cannot seem to comprehend, to fathom, what she has lost. I know that her…innocence is important to her, but why can I almost pretend it never happened yet she cannot?" Aragorn could hear the guilt in his voice. "What am I not seeing, Aragorn?"

Aragorn sighed and leaned forward. "I have seen, in many ways, Legolas, more than you have, even though you are thousands of years older than I. I have experienced and seen, in my short life, so much war, so much pain, so much despair. As you would say, these past years have been but a blink in your eyes, in your life, but to me, fighting the shadow has been the only thing I have ever known since I met Arwen and started my journey in the Wilds nearly seventy years ago.

"You say that you feel that you cannot understand what she has lost. Perhaps that is because you have never shared yourself with a woman. You, yourself, are a virgin, which shows your honorable character, your restraint, your belief that one man belongs with one woman alone. Those who do not have this rule, this obligation, you have seen the result of only in Enguina. I have seen the devastation that is brought on a family who has a young woman mistreated by orcs or men, both in Rohan and in the North. I can tell you that it usually means that the woman will remain alone for the rest of her life, cared for only by her family until she dies. For Elves, it usually means a journey to the Havens…or death.

"Enguina is lucky for two reasons…Arwen and yourself. If Arwen had not been there to rescue her those many years to begin, Enguina would have fled to Valinor long ago, and if you had not fallen in love with her here, in Minas Tirith, she would have made the journey. This sort of act, Legolas, marks the soul, damages it. To give yourself to another is to give a piece of your soul, to almost…merge souls, if you will. I know. I had many opportunities, Legolas, as you well know, to find love in someone else's arms other than Arwen's, but I waited and hoped and Ilúvatar was good." He sighed softly and then continued, "When a woman is loose with herself and immoral, many men will have her, and for some reason, that is not generally a problem for most men. However, when a woman is taken against her will, no man will have anything to do with her unless he sees something in her, as you did with Enguina, though you did not know her history at the time. For you, knowing that about her would have changed nothing, and finding out did not, but as Enguina felt too well, that is not the truth with others. Women who have had their innocence taken from them, Legolas, are weak shadows of themselves, feeling unloved and beaten down by the weight of the world. The loss of innocence, the act of love-making, is a soul-shattering experience; it can be horrible…or the most blissful experience in the world.

"It is the first, the horror and fear-inducing experience, that Enguina has encountered, not the bliss that Arwen and I have shared. She is haunted by the event and fears it because she has been in pain and abused in ways that you saw, but have never experienced. You look forward to sharing yourself with Enguina, to touching her, to bringing her pleasure, to experience that pleasure yourself, and though a part of her desires you, another part is terrified of the fear and pain that has happened in the past. That is what she is feeling when you reach out, when you touch her in that way that makes her desire you. That is the struggle you see in her face, that you feel in her heart."

Legolas appeared embarrassed and did not say anything at first, but again, it was a time when Aragorn knew to wait as the elf absorbed everything he had just spoken. "Aragorn, though I know that what I will experience with Enguina will be wonderful and perfect, and it will be the one thing I share with no one else in the whole world, I, too…am terrified. I am not nervous about what to do or what to say, I am afraid she will see him…that she will see him instead of me." He rubbed his face, his eyes filling suddenly with tears even though he had told himself he would not cry. "If what you have said is true, and because all she sees in love-making is an act of pain, an act of violence, what in the world can I do? How can I reach her? How can I touch her and have her see me, feel me…and not him?

"What happened at the Anduin was a mistake; it was nothing, innocent. She and I were chasing each other and she caught me, falling half on-top of me on the ground. I thought things were getting a…bit out of either of our control, and so I rolled her over." His face grew hot and he buried his head in his hands. "It was innocent; I meant nothing by it. I was not even above her, but it all happened so fast and suddenly she was screaming and…she hit me, and then she threw me from her—I have the bruises to show for it.

"How can I fix this? How can I prevent her from seeing him instead of me? I want her to see me, to feel me! I am the one who loves her! He was just a bastard who hurt her…he is not me! How can I make her see that?" he begged. "What can I do?"

Aragorn could hear the despair that was plain in Legolas's voice. "Legolas, this will not be what you want to hear," he said gently, "but…there is no way to prevent her from seeing him. You can do everything you can to help her not to see him, but in the end, it may still happen. She holds so much fear and pain inside her, Legolas; you know this from her dreams."

"She had four last night. There was no warning for any of them; they were terrible," he moaned miserably. "Guin kept trying to run from the room, but I could not let her. If I let her go, I just had this awful thought she might never come back."

"You did the right thing," Aragorn said softly, grasping his shoulder. "To confront the dreams is something you are going to need to continue. It will continue to be difficult, but eventually they will come and go. They will become less frequent, but they may never go away."

He nodded. "That I know. Tell me, Aragorn…what are some things I can do to help her?"

"You must remember that Enguina is not choosing to see him. If she sees Bragolaur, or feels him, it is not because she wants to, and it is not because she is afraid of you. She sees him because she is afraid of him, her memories, and the memory of what he did to her. You are going to erase that, Legolas," he told him firmly. "You, with your act of love, will erase the violence, make her forget and focus on you, on your love for her. What you are doing is a celebration of love because you are coming together of your own free wills, of your own choosing. In that alone there is a huge difference.

"Secondly, forever is a very long time, and that is the amount of time you and Enguina will be together." He smiled. "You have all the time in the world," he said slowly, "if it takes you all night just to undress her, will it matter?"

Legolas choked back an embarrassed laugh. "No, I suppose not."

"You have had enough restraint up until this moment. You must not lose focus and you must go slowly, carefully. If you desire to please her, never rush." Legolas blushed even worse and Aragorn shook his head. "If you are this embarrassed with me, how are you going to figure this out with Enguina?"

Legolas laughed and rubbed his face. "Ilúvatar, Aragorn, as if I know! I assumed it would not be difficult, that we would learn together, that if I were to make a fool of myself it would be all right because I was with her, the only woman I have ever truly loved."

Aragorn smiled. "Then you should be fine. Arwen and I had much to worry about, and it was not easy. She was afraid, and so was I, but for different reasons. There are two cautions that I do want to share with you. Go slowly; take your time. A woman's first time can be difficult; even after what happened to Enguina, this is still her first time."

"I will be careful," Legolas agreed, "but you do not have to tell me to take my time. I want to draw it out as long as possible. I…want to know her, like you do Arwen. I want to know everything about her." He said this earnestly, honestly. "I love her so much, sometimes I cannot think about anything but her. She consumes my thoughts, my heart…I," he shook his head. "I should stop talking now. Go on."

He smiled, and then grew serious. "If Enguina should see Bragolaur, you have to be—"

"What should I do?" he asked, and Aragorn saw the worry written on his face.

"I cannot tell you, Legolas," he said. "It will depend on the moment, the situation."

"Is there no advice you can give that may help? Please, Aragorn…anything."

He sighed and sat back in the chair, thinking for a moment. "There are three things that may help. Mind you, Legolas, they may help, not that they will; you are fighting demons that no one but Enguina can see. First, do not let Enguina close her eyes. She will want to," he said firmly, "and she will have to fight the desire to do it. It requires no thought to have them closed, but without being able to see you, she may have an immediate memory of Bragolaur."

"That was what happened at the Anduin," Legolas said suddenly. "Her eyes were closed when I moved her, and when she opened them, she did not see me; they were full of fear."

"Good, so even if you must remind her to look at you, do it. It might be difficult at times," he admitted, "but it will be best for both of you. Remind her to look at you, to watch you so she clearly will see it is you and not him. All of this love-making should be done from a position not above her. In fact, avoiding being above her for any reason would be a good idea, especially when you come down to the final act, which will be long and drawn out because you are going to take your time. Trust me when I say that it is going to take you forever; you will not be able to stop touching her," he admitted softly. "When you are both finally ready, make certain that you are not above her."

Legolas stared at him, looking embarrassed again. "I might be very dull, Aragorn, but I—"

"I know," he said, sighing. "I know what you are thinking, but there are other ways of making love. You do not need to be there; give her time. Perhaps lying beside her would be the best at first," he suggested. "It would be slow and close." He nodded. "That would probably be best. Another thought I just had—light. Light some lanterns, candles, anything that will be bright enough not to cast your face in shadow. Remember, she should see you."

They heard distant laughter, and knew immediately that Arwen and Enguina were returning. "I will remember what you are saying," Legolas said, nodding. "Is there anything else?"

"There was one other thing: your connection with her. You and Enguina still share that connection, yes?"

"We do…I heard her screaming in my head last night."

"Have you mentioned it to her yet?"

"No," Legolas admitted. "I feel too strange about it."

"Tell her, even if it is the night of your wedding. This connection can only help her feel that it is you. Open yourself to her and she will feel you as well. She might surprise you; she may already know of it and be afraid to mention it to you. If you tell her, you can share with her your thoughts and emotions…it could unite you completely." He smiled. "It is quite a way to communicate."

"But how do I—"

"What are you both doing, sitting out here in the dark?" asked Enguina as the two of them bounded up the steps to the porch. "You could have at least lit a candle."

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Did you both run the whole way here?"

Arwen's eyes sparkled as she took a seat at Aragorn's feet. "We did, but by choice."

"Your knee must be feeling better," he murmured as Enguina crowded Legolas's space.

It must be from your glorious hands rubbing every inch of it. Aragorn smiled at her.

"We cannot be excited to see you both?" Enguina asked as she slipped between his arms and into his lap. "Hello," she said, and pressed her lips to his gently, sliding an arm around his neck.

Both his eyebrows were up now. "You are in a much better mood than this morning," he told her. "What have you been doing all day? I am completely intrigued."

Enguina smiled and poked him in the nose. "Would you not like to know? I spent the day with Thranduil, first in the gardens and then in the stables where he introduced me to Maltan. The two of us returned here for dinner where we had a quiet dinner with Arwen, as Aragorn missed dinner and Éowyn was not feeling well tonight. It was actually nice."

"You spent the entire day and the evening meal with my father? What in the world did you talk about?" he asked incredulously. Arwen laughed softly, resting her head against Aragorn's knee as Aragorn combed his fingers through her hair. "He has never been that interesting."

"How unkind!" she said, smacking him gently in the chest. "You know, your father is a wonderful man; I think all of the things you have said about him were simply made up. He told a great many stories about you at my request. They were wonderful stories of your childhood. He even told me about your escapades in some battle with orcs and dwarves and…" she shook her head, "whatever else, but you never told me about that."

"Ugh…I knew that was bound to happen at some point," he said, frowning. "Moreover, we have only known one another for a few months; we have not yet had time to talk about everything. I do not know everything about you yet. Though," he said waggling his eyebrows at her, "I will."

She blushed but laughed anyway. "You know, there are some stories that should remain untold forever. Have you ever felt that way about a story someone told about you?"

"Mmm…probably something that my father told you earlier." She rolled her eyes and he smiled. "Honestly, I really do not even want to know what he told you. Where were you both just now? We have been here for some time."

"Oh, taking a walk," replied Arwen lightly, and Legolas looked into Enguina's eyes with his narrowed, trying to discern any untruths. Aragorn tugged Arwen's hair, but said nothing to give her away. She laid her head back and looked up at him with a secretive little smile as he traced her cheek with his hand.

"Keep your secrets," Aragorn mouthed at her, and she took his palm in her hand and kissed it.

"Is that true?" Legolas said to Enguina, and she wrapped her other arm around his neck, rubbing her nose against his and giggling.

"Of course it is true! Arwen could not lie without both of you knowing. You were out later than planned as well," she said, rubbing noses with him again. "What were you doing?"

"Do not try and change the subject or distract me with affection," he murmured to her. "I know exactly what you were doing."

"You do?" she asked hesitantly. He gave her a wicked grin.

"Well, at least now I know you were up to something."

She gaped at him. "That was entirely mean."

"I know you were plotting. Two females together are always plotting."

"Really? And what does it mean when two men are together?"

"That they are drinking and talking about women," Aragorn interrupted, "of which we were doing one, not both; we shall let you use your powers of deduction to figure out which one it was."

"Well," Enguina said, leaning in towards Legolas's face, "as it seems there are no mugs out here, you must have been talking about women. But who?"

He leaned in closer to her and stared at her mouth, barely able to think of anything but pressing his lips to hers at this point. "I will give you one guess. If you are right, I will kiss you."

"Me."

Aragorn chuckled and Arwen watched the two of them kiss, feeling her heart soar. She was so happy the two of them were in love, that they were together, that even though everything that could have gone wrong had done so, their love was stronger than all of it. It made her rejoice inside.

"I feel like we are being watched," Enguina murmured.

"That is because we are being very obvious," Legolas replied, kissing her again, and then drawing back, holding his arms loosely around her.

Enguina looked over at Arwen, who still had her head back on Aragorn's knee, but was watching them and smiling. "Stop watching us, Arwen."

Arwen raised an eyebrow. "If you do not want to be seen, stop kissing where I can see you."

Enguina giggled, put her hand in front of Arwen's sight, turned Legolas's face towards her and then kissed him again. She felt Legolas's arms tighten around her back as he lost himself a bit in her kiss.

Arwen rolled her eyes and then closed them, reveling in the feel of Aragorn's hand in her hair. Legolas had never been worried about public displays of affection, and this clearly did not bother Enguina either. Sometimes, Arwen felt that she and Aragorn were on display too much, and that everything they did was subject to being talked about, so public displays were few and far between. They might hold hands or smile at each other, but they hardly ever kissed in front of other people. She felt Aragorn near her ear and she turned her head a bit so he would not brush it with his fingertips. Oh no you do not. You are not doing that to me out here!

She heard him chuckle and knew that he had heard her loud and clear. He leaned closer and whispered to her, "I think I need to brush your hair for you tonight and comb out these snarls."

Please do… "That is so kind of you," she whispered so that only he could hear. "But is that all you need, my Lord?" His breath on her ear nearly made her tremble, but she forced herself to remain still.

"Mmm…my shoulder is feeling better today."

"How much better?"

"Much, muchmuchmuchmuch better."

"What are you two murmuring about over there?" asked Enguina suddenly, and Aragorn lifted his head slowly to lean back in his chair again; Arwen did not move, but a smile came upon her face.

"Now who needs to pry?" she asked with a smirk.

Enguina rested her cheek on top of Legolas's head. "I was not prying."

"Yes, you were," Legolas reminded her. "Do not lie, dearest."

"Fine; I was prying."

"Oh, I nearly forgot," Aragorn said softly, looking over at Enguina and giving her a little smile. "Tomorrow night, Legolas is going to be stolen away by his friends for some celebrating and manly advice."

"Honestly?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "I have never seen you all drink so much."

Legolas laughed. "It has been some time since we have had reason to celebrate, and when Éomer and Gimli get together, well…"

"Oh, is that tomorrow?" asked Arwen. "Enguina, that means you are with us."

"Us?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Éowyn and myself," Arwen said, and then she cringed. "Oh, I do hope Éomer told her or she is going to be so angry."

"Wait, what does this have to do with me?"

"Ladies' night," Arwen said with a grin as she lifted her head. "You are not going to complain, are you?"

"Well, no…I suppose not if Legolas is busy."

"Trust me…he is busy," Aragorn added.

"We will have to find someone to watch Annî," Arwen said.

"Perhaps Thranduil would take her," Enguina offered, "or is he part of your ridiculous scheme?"

Legolas laughed. "It was Éomer's scheme, no one else's. What is more, and funnier, is that you seem to think my father a good choice for a nursemaid! He would just love to hear you say that."

"Well, she likes him at least. I think he would be a good choice, if Éowyn is all right with it that is." She stroked Legolas's face and he closed his eyes. "What does manly advice consist of?"

"You know," Legolas said, ignoring Enguina's question, "how come, Aragorn, when you were wed, we did not have a celebration for you?"

"Arwen did not know anyone," Aragorn said logically, "and to be honest, why, in all of Middle-Earth, would I want to spend the night before my wedding with the lot of you when I could have spent it with Arwen? To be honest, how does that require any thought?"

"That hurt," Legolas said, faking sadness, "but it is true."

"Excuse you," Enguina said, tweaking Legolas's ear.

"Ah!" he growled, yanking his head back. "Stop that! I hate it when you do that."

"I hate it when I am ignored," she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Ooo…they found something they hate about each other," Arwen teased quietly while the two of them went on.

"I hate it when you pretend you know more than I do."

"I hate it when you are grumpy and sound like a bear."

"Me? I am not grumpy! You are the one who is not a morning person!"

"Well, at least they found out before the wedding," Aragorn replied, talking over the two of them being bratty to each other. "Quick, contact the church, tell them to hold off on the rest of the decorating. I will contact the cooks in the Tower and tell them the celebration has been cancelled."

"What?" Legolas and Enguina asked together, both of their heads swiveling towards the pair.

"There will be no calling off this wedding!" continued Legolas. "It is already too far away."

"Oh, Legolas," laughed Enguina, "the wedding is in four days! That is so soon! I have my final dress fitting tomorrow—"

"How many times does that dress need to be fit?" Legolas complained. "This is almost ridiculous."

Aragorn laughed. "How many times did you try your dress on, Arwen?"

"Once," she said with a smile.

"Oh what does that matter?" Enguina said, shaking her head. "Your wedding was in one day!"

"When do I get to see this mystical dress?"

"Um…moments before I walk in the church?"

"Come on now," he whined, "not every tradition needs to be—"

"Yes," she stressed, poking him in the chest, "because I believe in tradition, remember?" Legolas blushed and Arwen rolled her eyes. "So, you will not see it before the ceremony."

"She has a point," Aragorn pointed out. "You are doing things properly, so…good for you. Try the dress on a thousand times, yes? For how long you will be in it, you might as well as not."

"Aragorn!" cried Enguina, blushing, and Legolas laughed along with Aragorn.

"That was not what I meant, but…" he shrugged, "take it that way if you must."

"What else needs to be done?" Arwen asked.

"Well, as there is no guest list, we do not have to worry about that," Legolas said with a smile. "Everyone is coming!"

"I suppose Erumar is not going to make it," Enguina murmured. "I wish she would come, but perhaps it is better this way. Perhaps it would not give her any peace to see me married."

"It would give her peace for you, but not heal her heart, you mean," Arwen said.

"No, it might hurt too much; the wedding…all of it."

"What else have we to do?" asked Legolas, and Enguina turned to look him in the eye.

"Just...final things. Decorations are settled; we need the fresh flowers, but they will be the morning of. And…um…I think everything else is settled."

"You have your rings?" Aragorn asked.

Legolas laughed as sheer panic flashed through Enguina's eyes. "Not quite," he said, fingering the sign of troth on Enguina's hand. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, definitely," she said, calming down at his easy tone.

He curled his fingers through hers and clasped her hands. "Would you like to take a walk with me tonight before we turn in?" She nodded and slipped from his lap and he rose, turning to Aragorn and Arwen. "I know it has been a long day for you, Aragorn, but would you and Arwen enjoy a walk with us?"

Aragorn shook his head, but smiled. "No, but we do thank you."

"I think Enguina and I did enough walking tonight," Arwen teased as her eyes sparkled. Enguina giggled and Legolas rolled his eyes.

"Elvish women. Fine, be on your own then. Sleep well."

"Good night," Enguina said as both Aragorn and Arwen got to their feet as well.

"Have a wonderful walk," Aragorn said, and he took Arwen's hand and opened the door as Legolas and Enguina moved off. He held the door open for her. "Do you think I may actually finish brushing your hair tonight?"

"You never began the other evening," she whispered as she slipped past him inside and he allowed the door to close behind them. "So if you even get through one stroke it will be better than that."

"Oh, that is right…you were brushing your hair…and I distracted you." She tugged him along towards the bath where her brush was, Aragorn putting out candles as he followed.

"Did you have dinner?"

"I do not need it," he murmured, watching her in the candlelight of their bedroom. He slowed and stopped, pulling her back to him and scooping her off her feet. "Hunger for food is not even a thought."

"Your shoulder is much better."

"Wait…" he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead, "wait and see."