Many thanks to Michelle for editing this chapter for me.
Chapter 24: Hope remains while company is true.
Gimli shuffled along behind his companions, not wanting them to see how exhausted he truly was. They had traveled all morning, had dealt with problems in Rohan and a funeral ceremony during the day and then had attended a feast in honor of the King's son in the evening. Then Gandalf and the King had returned with two children who had informed them that wild men were burning the villages. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli had stayed to learn what would happen. Would they go to war or would they not?
Gimli gave a great sigh. "The day has been long. I look forward to reclining on my cot," he told his companions. "It may be a long time before I have such a comfort again."
Aragorn took a puff of his pipe and, turning, he nodded. While he was used to traveling from place to place, being a Ranger from the North, he sometimes forgot that his companions were not.
"There is no reason that you cannot have the bed Gimli," Legolas replied. "I have little use for it. I am not weary," The Elf told him.
Gimli shook his head and held up his gloved hands. "No. No. The cot will do just fine. I plan to move it to the darkest corner of the room and have a deep sleep."
Legolas smiled to himself. The Dwarf would have a deep sleep where he snored so loudly that no one else would receive any rest.
They reached the doorway and Aragorn opened it and allowed Gimli and Legolas to walk in first before he followed and closed it behind them.
The men relaxed a bit. Aragorn smoked his pipe by the window, Gimli pulled his cot into the corner and sat upon it and Legolas washed his face and hands in the small wash basin that had been provided.
"Someone should tell Kaitlyn what will happen tomorrow," Legolas suggested as he dried his face upon a clean cloth.
Aragorn puffed his pipe and released the smoke. "She is sure to be sleeping by now. She went to bed hours ago. There is no harm in her learning in the morning."
Legolas nodded slowly and watched as the Ranger sat upon his bed and gazed out the window. For once, Aragorn suddenly looked weary, and he did not try to hide it.
The Elf knew that the Ranger had much on his mind. His disappointment in King Theoden was obvious to Legolas, but there was nothing that he nor Aragorn could do. The King had made his decision.
Gimli gave a sigh and lay down. His eyes were heavy with sleep and they slipped closed. Moments later, he was snoring away.
Legolas remained in the center of the room, arms crossed over his chest, and his mind in another place. He did not know how much time had passed when Aragorn asked, "I gather that you have reconciled with Kaitlyn?"
Legolas turned to the Ranger and smiled. "Aye."
Aragorn held his pipe with his teeth as he drew one knee against his chest. He then removed the pipe from his mouth and held it in his hand. "You both forgive and forget rather quickly."
"We are able to talk and resolve matters with haste. I would have it no other way," Legolas replied.
Aragorn nodded and returned his gaze to the window.
Legolas sensed that the Ranger was melancholy, but he did not wish to offend his friend by asking what was wrong.
A short while later, Aragorn put out his pipe and laid it to rest on the small table beside his bed. He removed his boots and lay on the mattress in the hope that he would find sleep this night.
Legolas remained in the center of the room. He felt far too anxious to rest. He waited a short and when the anxiety did not leave him, he slipped quietly from the room. He did not know where he was going as he roamed the dim and quiet halls, but walking and thinking seemed to soothe him.
As he moved into one section of the hallway, he halted, sensing someone close by. He turned a corner and his eyes could see a figure standing by a window at the end of the hall. His eyes focused and standing barefoot dressed in a white gown with a gray cape was Kaitlyn.
Legolas was surprised to see her gazing out the window, her chin resting on her arms that were crossed on the sill. What was she doing up at this late hour roaming the halls?
She did not notice him, so Legolas watched her for a few moments before he stepped close and cleared his throat.
Kaitlyn jumped and pulled away from the window. She exhaled deeply when she saw Legolas. "Good grief. You scared the life out of me." She put a hand over her heart, and she could feel it racing.
"Goheno nin." Forgive me.
She nodded. "What are you doing roaming the halls?"
Legolas tilted his head. "The same could be asked of you."
She stepped toward him, pulling her cape around her. "I tried to sleep, but it didn't work. I'm unfamiliar with the room and it's too quiet." She lowered her head and then gazing into Legolas's eyes she said, bashfully, "I'm ashamed to admit that I'm used to Gimli's snoring. It lulls me to sleep." She frowned. "What are you doing awake at such a late hour?"
"I was not weary. I felt that perhaps a walk might clear my mind."
She smiled. "What have you been thinking about?"
"You," he whispered.
Kaitlyn felt her cheeks flush hotly.
Legolas smiled at her reaction. "I am pleased that you and I have reconciled."
She ducked her head unable to stand his intense gaze, but then she chanced it and met his eyes. "Me too."
"Have you heard the news?" he asked.
"What news?" she asked feeling a little more comfortable with the change of subject.
"King Theoden's decision. Aragorn does not agree with it."
"Oh, about tomorrow!" she exclaimed, suddenly understanding.
Legolas nodded.
"Yes. Eowyn told me about the King's decision when she came in for bed. She also told me about the children that the King and Gandalf found and all the attacks on the villages. She was very angry and upset."
"And rightly so. Saruman is killing and pillaging her people. Tomorrow we leave for Helm's Deep."
Kaitlyn sighed. "I was just starting to get comfortable here."
Legolas tilted his head and smirked. "Not too comfortable if you are roaming the halls alone at night."
She shrugged. "I just was a little restless, that's all. In a few days I would have settled just fine."
"Dartho ah ammen." Legolas offered. Stay with us. "I have a bed that I will not be sleeping in. It will be more comfortable than the cot you were laying on."
Kaitlyn shook her head, her long dark hair falling about her shoulder. "I don't want to be a burden Legolas."
"You will not be." He smiled. "I promise."
"Are Aragorn and Gimli going to mind me being there? I mean it's late," she reminded him.
"They are both sleeping. They will not mind. You should not have been separated from us to begin with," he added quietly.
Kaitlyn thought about what Aragorn had mentioned to her about bathing and she blushed fiercely.
Legolas tilted his head and gazed at her curiously, one eyebrow raised higher than the other.
She pretended to cough into the fist she had made with her hand. "Are you sure they won't mind?" she asked, attempting to take the attention away from herself.
Legolas grinned at her persistence. "I am sure. Tolo." Come. He offered a hand to her and she took it.
They walked only a short way when Legolas halted and gazed at her.
"What? Is something wrong?" she asked. She wondered if he had changed his mind about bringing her with him.
"Why are there no boots or stockings upon your feet? You are walking barefoot." He seemed alarmed by this.
She nodded and gazed down at her feet, moving a few of her toes. "Yeah, I know."
"But why?"
"It's a very bad habit of mine. I used to wake up in the middle of the night sometimes when I couldn't sleep. I would look out the window that faced north in my apartment. I was always too lazy to put my slippers on. When I left Eowyn's room, I guess that I didn't really stop to think about where I was. Wait here a sec and I'll be right back."
Legolas waited and watched as she jogged a short ways down the hall, the sound of her bare feet hitting the stone floor filled his ears. She entered a room and, a few moments later, she returned with stockings and shoes upon her feet.
"Better?" she asked when she had reached him.
He nodded, and they resumed their walking.
They entered his room slowly, and Legolas closed the door behind them. Gimli was sleeping on a cot in the corner of the room, snoring away. They had been able to hear him from several paces down the hall. Aragorn was reclining on his bed, his eyes closed.
Kaitlyn felt as if she was sneaking around. She had not been invited to stay in this room the first time and while Aragorn had presented an extremely logical reason why, she had still been hurt and a little afraid to be away from her companions.
Legolas led her to his bed and she sat upon it. She smiled at how much softer the feather mattress was in comparison to a pile of blankets on her canvas cot.
"Losto, Rodwen." Sleep. Legolas beckoned.
Kaitlyn looked down at the bed and then at him. "What about you?" she whispered.
"I will not sleep this night, even if I rest upon the bed," he whispered, knowing that it was the truth. He had been anxious much of the evening. His mind would not allow him to rest.
"What do you plan on doing? Standing around and watching everyone else sleep?"
"Aye," he nodded.
She shook her head and then stood up, arms crossed over her chest. "The bed is large enough. I'm only going to stay if you rest," she threatened. "This is your bed, and I don't want you to be without a place to sleep should you grow tired later."
Legolas opened his mouth to speak, but Kaitlyn silenced him with the serious expression on her face and the hands that she moved to rest on her hips.
Legolas grinned. She knew quite well that he wished for her to stay. She knew that in threatening him like she just had, he would be forced to agree. He shook his head and gave a soft laugh before saying, "Very well. If my resting comforts you then I shall."
She smiled and sat down on the mattress again.
Legolas removed his weapons and laid them directly beside the bed should there be trouble. He folded his cloak and placed it on a dark colored bureau and then sat on the right side of the bed. He leaned up against the wall and spread his long legs out before him, his legs crossed at the booted ankles. "Now I am resting," he informed her. "So, you shall remain."
She chuckled at him, removed her shoes and then lay down on her stomach beside him. She started off laying on the very edge so that there was a good deal of space between them. While she had lay with Legolas on the ground out in the wild before, sleeping on a bed together felt a bit more intimate.
Legolas smiled as he watched her eyes begin to grow heavy with sleep. "Losto. Berion le," Sleep, I will protect you. he told her.
She smiled and moved a bit closer. Moments later, her breathing evened and sleep claimed her.
Legolas watched her take in and release each breath. He could feel the heat of her body from where she lay and it comforted him to know that she was safe and near. He had not realized that being separated from her, even if for a short time, would cause him to miss her so much.
Her long dark hair was spread in waves over her shoulders, back and some of the bed. He reached out with one hand and began to run his long fingers through the strands.
He realized that touching her hair was becoming a habit. It was a habit that he had no intention of giving up.
He smiled as the scent of her drifted to his nose. She had bathed in lavender scented oils and it clung to her skin and hair. Legolas knew that she must be very happy to have bathed. Kaitlyn was strange for a mortal. She enjoyed bathing and keeping neat and tidy much like the Elves do and unlike humans. Legolas's smile widened as he remembered that she was not of his world and that was why she was most likely different.
His smile faded when he sensed a disconcerting emotion in the room. It did not radiate from Kaitlyn, nor himself, but from Aragorn who lay in his bed just a few feet away.
Legolas peered at the Ranger and realized that Aragorn was not sleeping, but was awake, his eyes focused on the Elf and Kaitlyn. Legolas's hand stopped moving, his fingers stilling in Kaitlyn's hair. He had the distinct feeling of being caught doing something that he clearly should not have been doing.
"I can feel your disapproval from here," Legolas informed his friend.
"Not disapproval. Surprise at seeing her here, perhaps." Aragorn paused. "You sought her." His last few words were a statement and not a question.
"Not intentionally," Legolas told him honestly. "I went for a walk to clear my mind and she was in the hall gazing out an open window. "
Aragorn sat up and gazed at Kaitlyn. She lay close to Legolas' body, her cheek pressed to the blankets on the bed and her long dark hair spread out around her like a dark cloak. Legolas's fingers were buried in the wavy length. Aragorn exhaled loudly and looked away.
A feeling of loss filled the air and suddenly Legolas understood. "You miss the Evenstar," he said softly.
Aragorn sighed and nodded very slowly. "Kaitlyn reminds me of her at times with her long dark hair though other than similar hair, she and Arwen share little else in common. Kaitlyn's presence occasionally reminds me of what I have lost."
Legolas's brows furrowed at Aragorn's remark. "You have lost nothing. The Evenstar waits in Imladris for you."
Aragorn shook his head. " Nay. I bid her to go to the Havens. I attempted to give her back the pendant."
"But you did not for it still hangs at your throat," Legolas told him and he glanced at the silver pendant that Aragorn was wearing.
Aragorn glanced down at it and reached for it, stroking the cool metal with his fingers. "She would not accept it."
"And you know the reason why she would not," Legolas replied softly so that he would not awaken Kaitlyn. "Do you truly believe that she will leave? You know how she feels about you. You were raised by Elves, Estel, you know that once we love we cannot simply stop. She will wait."
Aragorn looked up at Legolas. "How can you be so certain?"
"I have seen you two together," Legolas told him. "I have seen the love you hold for each other in your eyes." Legolas glanced down, his eyes falling for only a moment upon Kaitlyn. Then he glanced up at Aragorn again. "She will wait."
Aragorn sighed. His mind was in turmoil. He was distressed over the coming war and the fate of the ring and his companions. He was worried over his own future and if he would somehow fail the peoples of Middle Earth. And he was distressed about Arwen and their future. He turned over, his back to Legolas, and attempted to sleep without uttering another word.
Legolas watched as Aragorn hastily turned over. The Elf could feel many things radiate from Aragorn. Loss, pain, distress, fear and lastly, hope. Lord Elrond had nicknamed Aragorn well.
Legolas watched Kaitlyn sleep for a few hours. Gimli snored away and after some time Aragorn had managed to push his thoughts away and rest. Legolas could not remember the last time he had taken a deep rest. He sighed and thought that perhaps now would be as good a time as any. His thoughts had settled and with all his companions beside him, he felt at peace.
He felt his mind beginning to rest, his eyes lost focus and his breathing slowed.
Legolas was not resting more than a few moments when a loud pounding made him stir. His eyes immediately focused on his surroundings and he realized that someone was pounding with their fist on the door.
Aragorn was also awake and he moved quickly to the door to see what was so urgent. He swung the door open and there stood the Lady Eowyn, with a candle in one hand and her balled fist in mid-air ready to knock again.
"My lord," she greeted Aragorn. She was dressed in a long dark robe that covered whatever sleeping garments she wore beneath it.
Speaking quickly, Eowyn said, "I know that the hour is dreadfully late and that you were all probably sleeping, but I am terribly worried. I cannot find the Lady Kaitlyn. She and I spoke this evening while I readied for bed. She was upon her cot when I fell asleep but now she is gone. I have searched the side halls and feasting hall and-"
Aragorn held up one hand to silence her and Eowyn paused. "There is no need to be worried. Lady Kaitlyn is quite safe." He stepped aside so that Eowyn could gaze into the room.
Eowyn gazed in and, in the darkness, she could barely make out that Kaitlyn was sleeping beside the fair-haired the Elf.
Legolas gazed up at Eowyn and smiled gently.
"She is here," Eowyn breathed with relief.
"Aye," Aragorn replied. "Legolas found her in the hall gazing out a window and invited her here. She is safe and well. We appreciate your concern and I apologize for the trouble."
"It was no trouble. She is safe and that is what matters," Eowyn replied. She smiled at Aragorn.
"Aye," Aragorn agreed. The sight of the Lady of Rohan smiling at him was something that he could not deal with at the moment. "The hour is late and we all have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"You are quite right, my lord. Good night," Eowyn bid.
Aragorn nodded and closed the door as Eowyn began to walk away.
"I did not mean to worry Lady Eowyn," Legolas told Aragorn.
Aragorn sat on the edge of his bed and then gazed over at Legolas. "Istan." I know.
The Ranger gazed at Kaitlyn who was now curled up against Legolas's side. He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair.
"It is late. We should rest," Aragorn said wearily.
Legolas nodded and watched his friend lay down and attempt to sleep. After a short while of running his fingers through Kaitlyn's hair once again, the Elf fell into Elvish slumber, his eyes open in sleep and not closed.
Kaitlyn stretched and yawned. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so well. Opening her eyes, she smiled when she saw Legolas sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Good morning," she greeted.
He smiled warmly. "I was wondering when you were going to awaken."
Her smile widened. "I haven't slept that well in a long time."
Legolas nodded.
"I heard you and Aragorn talking last night," Kaitlyn admitted, her voice holding a hesitant but curious tone.
One of Legolas's brows rose. He had been certain that she was sleeping. "And what did you hear?"
Kaitlyn sat up and looked into Legolas's eyes. "Who is the Evenstar?"
Legolas smiled and raised a hand, brushing back Kaitlyn's hair. "She is the daughter of the lord of Rivendell and she is also in love with Aragorn and he with her."
Kaitlyn looked surprised, her eyebrows raised and her eyes wide. "And she's an Elf?"
"Aye."
"I didn't realize that Aragorn had a lover." Her brows lowered and furrowed. "He's never spoken of her."
Legolas gazed into Kaitlyn's green eyes. "There are a great many things that Aragorn speaks not of. He loves the Evenstar greatly, but he fears that she will sail west because he told her to.""And you think that she will stay?"
Legolas nodded and, realizing that his hand was still resting against her hair, he removed it. "I believe she will, but I do not have the gift of foresight."
"Have you ever been in love, Legolas?" Kaitlyn asked softly.
Legolas shook his head. "Nay, I have never been in love."
"Ever?" Kaitlyn asked in disbelief.
"Ever. I love my family and I love my friends, but I have never experienced the love that the great songs and tales talk of or that my friends and family have known," Legolas told her, sadness seeping into his tone.
"But you're nearly 3 millennia," Kaitlyn reminded him. She tilted her head and gazed at him, her mind still unable to fathom that he had never loved in all the years that he had lived.
"Aye, but that does not change things. I still have not loved a woman." Legolas took one of her hands into his and traced her fingers. "Love is a serious emotion to the Elves. We normally love but once. It is a sacred gift."
"Wow, only once? But what if things don't work out?" She brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin upon them.
"There are rare times when there is an ill choice made and each goes their separate way and each finds another but it is very rare. Elves are said to know when they have found their lifemate. There is a feeling that they cannot ignore. They know when they have found the one."
"How you find the one? Do you just look at an Elf and know?"
"Ellon and elleth court until they find the correct partner." male elves and elf maidens)
Kaitlyn shifted her weight on the bed and asked, "What's Elvish courting like?"
"After there is interest between two Elves, there is the introduction of each to the families," Legolas explained. "Then there are many long walks and talks. Often the male will ask the female to join him for one of the seasons' feasts or celebrations so that they may dance and he may show all others that he is courting her. It is a simple routine and it is echoed by all. If they fall in love they will marry and if they do not fall in love, they will go their separate ways and court until they find love."
"That's not too different from my people. Did you ever court anyone?" she asked with burning curiosity.
He nodded. "I courted two elleth many years ago. My King asked it of me, and I attempted, but it was in vain." Legolas grinned at the memory. "I was more interested in archery practice than in courting, " he laughed. Elvish maidens
Kaitlyn smiled. That somehow seemed like him. "So, what are Elvish marriages like? Do you have a ceremony?"
"So many questions," he teased lightly.
"I'm sorry. I'm just curious. I've been traveling with you for a few months now and I still don't know very much about your people."
He smiled. "In time you will learn, just as you have begun to learn one of our languages." He smiled broadly at that thought. It pleased him that she wished to learn about his people.
"Elvish marriages go in stages. There is the engagement, which normally lasts one year. Then there is the bonding, which is a private event between the two lovers. And then there is a marriage ceremony that family and friends may attend."
"Bonding? Is that when they exchange tokens of their love or make the last minute plans for the wedding?" Kaitlyn asked innocently.
Legolas felt his cheeks begin to grow warm. "That is one way of phrasing it." He turned over Kaitlyn's hand in his and absentmindedly began to stroke her palm, causing her to shiver.
"Bonding is a private marriage," Legolas said softly. "It is when the two lovers go off alone and join spiritually and… physically."
Kaitlyn flushed at the words and she suddenly realized that Legolas was doing the same. His usually pale complexion was rapidly turning red.
"Oh," she whispered.
"Aye…" Legolas said very softly. He gazed down, his fingers now moving in slow circles over her palm.
Kaitlyn suddenly realized that was why Legolas had asked her if she and Derrick were married. When she was recounting the tale of the night Derrick stabbed her she had mentioned Derrick's comments about sex. She had not thought anything about them at the time, figuring that Legolas being such a handsome Elf had had plenty of lovers in his time. But that was not the case. To her amazement, he had never loved anyone at all, and, apparently, since he had never loved, he had never been engaged. Therefore he certainly would have never made love to anyone before.
She swallowed hard at that last thought, her mind betraying her by imagining what he would look like in the dark with candlelight dancing over his nude body, his long blond hair loose and flowing down his shoulders. The room suddenly felt very warm and Legolas felt too close.
She looked up at Legolas, glad that he was still gazing down, watching his fingers stroke her hand and not watching her reactions.
Disappointment filled her as she watched him. If Legolas had never loved anyone in 3,000 years, it was highly unlikely that he would ever love her the way she assumed he might have just yesterday. While that put her in some ease, it also upset her.
Someday she would be ready to open her heart to a man again. The hurt and fear that Derrick had instilled in her would eventually fade. She realized that she would like to find someone similar to Legolas, in fact the idea of loving Legolas and him loving her was not the frightening concept it had been yesterday or the day before.
Legolas was everything she had wanted Derrick to be but never was, with the exception that Legolas had never loved. And if he had not loved in almost 3,000 years, what made her naïve enough to think that he would ever love her?
"I sense disappointment. And great sorrow. What troubles you?"
She jumped at the sound of his voice. She glanced at him to find that he was looking into her face and he was concerned.
She looked away. She wasn't about to tell him what was really on her mind. "I…I wish my people could be more like yours. Not much is sacred anymore," she covered smoothly. He looked at him and gave him a faint smile.
Legolas nodded, remembering her talk of how her people sometimes said they loved when they didn't. It was a sad situation, and Kaitlyn knew it first hand with what had happened with Derrick.
She stood and pulled away from him. His touch on her suddenly was too much. "I should get dressed and start packing."
Legolas nodded slowly and got to his feet. Was it his imagination or did she suddenly seem uneasy in his presence? He hoped that it was his imagination. "May I escort you to your room?" he asked.
Kaitlyn shook her head. "I think I can find my own way, besides I'm sure the others will want to speak to you," she rambled quickly. "I'll see you later?"
He nodded, feeling a little disappointment on his part. He watched her turn to go and a strange feeling that he could not explain settled over him.
Kaitlyn was about to walk out of the room, but she stood frozen in place for a few moments. Legolas watched her curiously, wondering why she remained when she had told him just moments ago that she was going to leave.
Unable to help herself, she turned and looked into Legolas's fair face.
He gazed back at her, his eyes boring into hers.
She realized that, while Legolas would never love her the way she might wish to be loved in the future, his close friendship was so much better than nothing at all. She was blessed to have him in her life, and she was not about to forget that any time soon.
She stepped up to him, smiling at his innocent, confused expression. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his cheek. She quickly lowered to her heels and, not waiting for his reaction, she proceeded to exit the room.
Legolas watched her leave, but he did not go to join his companions just yet. Instead he remained where he was standing. He raised one hand to his face and touched his cheek where she had kissed him. It had been a gentle and quick kiss, but it had made his heart pound as if it had been full of passion.
He glanced at the closed door, which she had just exited, and smiled. The day had started off well. He hoped that it would end equally as well.
To be to continued…
Many thanks to my reviewers for sending their comments. I always am eager to hear what you think of the story.