Meleth-nin

Disclaimer: Not mine but J.R.R. Tolkien’s.
A/N: Aww, sweeties, thanks for the reviews. :) You’re being too kind. One of you said that she doesn’t want this fic to end; to be perfectly honest with you guys, I don’t want that, either! I have had so much fun writing this story and I can only hope that you have enjoyed this as well. :)

thoughts


Chapter twenty-three

Imladris, a week later


Glorfindel and Elrond were alone in the library; Elrond sitting on a sofa and his seneschal seated on his lap. They were very comfortable like this, talking about several subjects, when suddenly Elrond said he wanted them to have a bonding ceremony before Yule. Glorfindel looked at his lover with an astonished expression.

“A bonding ceremony? Don’t you think that is a bit rushed?”

“Not at all, my dearest Glorfindel”, the Lord of Imladris said, running his fingers through the golden hair of his lover. “We have found each other after centuries of loneliness. In you I have found my true mate, the one I want to share my life with. I thought you felt the same, Glorfindel, but I can clearly see that you’re reluctant to bind yourself to me. Do you not want it?” He asked, worry lacing his words.

“Elrond, don’t be silly”, Glorfindel chastised gently. “I have loved you for several centuries and it is my fondest wish to bind myself to you. However, we have been lovers but only a few weeks, and I don’t want you to make any rushed decisions. I would like to take things slowly and enjoy what we have.”

“You are right, mellon”, Elrond finally admitted, gathering his seneschal close to his heart. “But promise me that we will have a ceremony within a year. I don’t want to wait any longer than that.”

“I promise”, Glorfindel said laughingly and squealed as his Lord and lover drew him into a passionate kiss that took his breath away. “I love you, my Lord”, he softly confessed as soon as he had regained his breath.

“And I you, my own Glorfindel”, Elrond said tenderly. “Now, Legolas will be here soon; he asked me on the breakfast table if we could meet and discuss in private.” There was a knock on the door. “That must be him. Do you mind leaving the two of us alone for a moment?”

Glorfindel shook his head ‘no’ and Elrond bid Legolas to enter. “Good morning, Prince Legolas”, Glorfindel greeted, smiling at the young Elf. “I will leave you to your privacy.”

“Good morning to you also, Lord Glorfindel”, Legolas replied, taking in the blushed and dishevelled appearance of the older Elf. He subtly raised an eyebrow; it seemed that he had interrupted a make-out session. The Prince couldn’t help smiling at the thought. Elrond and Glorfindel indeed deserved happiness together; they were a perfect couple.

Glorfindel exited the library leaving his Lord and the Prince alone. Elrond asked Legolas to sit down and the Prince obliged. “Now, Legolas, what is it that you have in mind?”
Legolas sighed deeply. “I just talked with your sons, or rather, argued with them and I’m quite upset. They still see me as an Elfling who cannot make his own decisions! They practically told me to stay away from Randír. That is infuriating! I refuse to be treated like a child and I told them that; and then we parted ways.”

“They see you as their little brother, Legolas, and only want to protect you”, Elrond said gently. “They don’t want you to get hurt and I don’t want to see that happen, either. However, I agree that it is not for them to decide who you can meet and who not, and you had every right to tell them that. But there is more to this than just an argument with the twins, isn’t there?”

Legolas bit his lip and nodded reluctantly. “Aye… it is about Aragorn. I guess I thought that he would come after me to take me back; and it hurts so much that he hasn’t. The high and mighty King Elessar hasn’t probably even noticed that I have left him”, he said bitterly. “And I hate myself for loving him and missing him when it’s quite obvious that I mean nothing to him. He hasn’t even sent a letter, at least not that I know of. I take it that you have not heard of him either?”

Elrond shook his head. “I am sorry but no. I am very surprised that we haven’t heard of him. When we left Minas Tirith I left him a letter telling him that you have left with me. I also said that if he wants you back he should come after us as soon as possible. It seems that he doesn’t care. I’m sorry Legolas, I know how much it hurts to hear this but you deserve to know the truth.”

Legolas heart broke and he could only nod numbly. “I see. Thank you for telling me this. Now I indeed realise that I have been foolish. There is no hope for Aragorn and myself whatsoever.” Tears filled his blue eyes and he let out a strangled sob. “I was a fool to believe that he would come for me… That he would love me the way I love him! Oh Elrond, it hurts so…”

“Dearest Greenleaf”, Elrond said and hugged the young Elf close. Sobs wracked the Prince’s frame and he laid his head on the Lord’s shoulder, his tears making the fabric damp. Elrond spoke to him soothingly, “You will get over this, I promise. You are going to have a beautiful son, and he will need you to be strong for him. You are not alone, Legolas. We all love you, and we will all be there for you. In time, these wounds will heal.”

Legolas wept in silence for a long time.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile elsewhere in Imladris


Randír was at the stables discussing with his warriors who were just about to leave to the Northern border when another one of his warriors arrived in haste. Randír knew at once that something was amiss; the patrol wasn’t supposed to return until a fortnight. He excused himself from the others and quickly approached the rider.

“Captain! We saw someone approaching Imladris”, Terrwyn – that was his name - exclaimed. It was his duty to inform his captain of the man they had seen earlier.

“Do you know who it is? Is he alone?” The captain queried, frowning slightly. Imladris was a very peaceful place nowadays and strangers were few to arrive; most Elves from the other two realms had left for Valinor and Men kept mostly to themselves. And Dwarves… Well, Dwarves still didn’t really like Elves, despite the friendship that had developed between Gimli, son of Gloin, and Legolas Thranduilion.

“It is a man, from what we could see”, Terrwyn answered. “And yes, he rides alone, and in haste. There’s something familiar about him, almost like…” He didn’t finish his sentence but shook his head dismissively. “No, it couldn’t be him. It must be my imagination.”

“Who do you think he is? Tell me at once”, Randír commanded. He had a sinking feeling that he knew who the rider was but he hoped dearly that he was wrong. Please, don’t let it be him, he thought.

“He greatly resembles Lord Elrond’s foster-son, Aragorn Arathornion. But surely it cannot be him, he is the King of Gondor nowadays”, the warrior said hesitantly. His captain looked furious and Terrwyn didn’t want to be in the receiving end of his wrath.

Randír felt like cursing. Of course it had to be him of all people! He knew that the Man wouldn’t give up so easily; he would be a fool to do so. I will not let him take Legolas from me; he belongs to me now. That Human had his chance and he blew it. Legolas is meant to be my spouse and I will make sure that by the end of the day he’s mine for good!

“Thank you for informing me, Terrwyn. You can now return to the border. And keep him there as long as you can when he arrives; I will make sure that if he indeed is the King of Gondor he will receive a Royal welcome”, Randír said. In reality he wanted to buy time for himself and his plan. He hadn’t intended to do this so soon but obviously there was no other choice.

Terrwyn dismissed himself and Randír quickly went to look for Legolas. He could only hope that by the time the King arrived the Prince would already be out of his reach.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“You told me you wanted to talk about something important”, Legolas said curiously. Randír had found him alone in the library and asked him to come with him, telling that he wanted to speak with him, alone, undisturbed. The couple had ventured into one of the many gardens in Imladris. Yet when they were alone, the older Elf merely sat on the ground quietly, deeply in thoughts.

That really piqued Legolas’ interest. After the picnic and the kisses they had shared their relationship had changed. Legolas was more reserved in Randír’s company, even if he liked the other Elf and enjoyed being with him. Randír, however, acted as attentively and as lovably as he always had.

“Yes, I did”, Randír replied, wondering where to begin. “I haven’t told you a lot about myself… Some things have happened in my past that I’m not proud of. I really think you deserve to know more about me, if we are to become more than friends.”

Legolas nodded, wondering briefly what Randír meant. Did he mean a romantic relationship? The Prince wasn’t sure if he was ready for that, yet, but he knew that he liked the other Elf well enough. And it’s not like I am are not free to enter any relationship I wish; it is highly unlikely that I will ever see Aragorn again, Legolas thought and the cruelty of that thought broke his heart once again. Would it really be so wrong for me to find love wherever I can? Elladan and Elrohir seem to think so. But what do they know?

“Not many know of this, but I was in love with a Human once. I wasn’t very experienced in love then, in fact, he was my first lover”, Randír began. He hadn’t thought about Helfarc in a long time, for the memories were too painful. He forced himself to continue, for he knew that he didn’t any time to waste. “He was everything I wanted for a mate; loving, caring and tender. I fell madly in love, despite my family’s warnings. They were certain that nothing good would come out of loving a man; I wanted to prove them wrong.”

“I gave my heart to him. I loved him with all that I was. But it wasn’t enough, never enough”, Randír replied and couldn’t keep bitterness out of his voice. “He promised to love me forever, to be my partner in life. He promised me everything; and yet only ten years later he left me for another.”

Legolas enunciated a comforting sound and stroked the captain’s dark hair. He could feel the other Elf’s pain.

“I thought I would die. His betrayal hurt so much; I only wanted to fade and enter the Halls of Mandos. I blamed myself for not being good enough for him. It took some time to understand that it wasn’t about me but about him. Men’s hearts are fickle, Legolas. They don’t know what real love is; they fancy themselves in love but are ready to leave their mates for someone new, someone ‘better’.”

Legolas tried not to show it but the other Elf’s words stung. Wasn’t that what had happened to Aragorn and himself? He hated to admit it but what Randír said was true; men could not be trusted in the matters of the heart. Despite what they said and promised they did not believe in forever.

“I took several lovers, toying with their hearts but never giving my heart to any of them. I was hurting and bitter. Love had only brought me pain and I swore to myself that I would never love another again”, Randír said, seeking Legolas’ eyes with his own. “For five hundred years I have only wanted someone to slake my lust on; I have not been looking for a mate or even a friend. That is what I wanted from you, also, when I first saw you. A night of pleasure and nothing more.” It was a hard thing to say, but he wanted to be totally honest with Legolas.

“Is that what you want from me now?” Legolas asked softly. If he was shocked by Randír’s confession, he didn’t let it show. He did wonder, however, if the captain had changed his mind about him. Legolas knew in his heart that he was very attracted to the handsome captain and it would hurt him if the older Elf only saw him as a pretty plaything.

“No, by the Valar, no, Legolas!” Randír cried fiercely. “That is not what I want from you; I could never treat you with so little respect. I didn’t know you then and only saw a beautiful face and a desirable body. But now that I know you it is your spirit that attracts me the most. You are so beautiful from the inside, so beautiful and pure. And for the first time in five centuries I don’t feel bitterness and resentment, but joy and contentment instead.”

“I’m honoured that you hold me in such a high regard”, Legolas said warmly and reached to take Randír’s hand in his. “I feel the same way about you, mellon-nin.”

Randír was very nervous now; he was about to ask the most important question of his life. But there were some things he needed to say first. “During these weeks I have witnessed many changes within myself. I no longer seek pleasure from the bodies of others, wanting to avenge my own heartbreak. I have found peace; and I have found love. Legolas”, he said and gathered his courage, “you have claimed my heart. I love you; and I love the child that you carry. If you will have me, I will love him and raise him as my own son; and I will love, cherish and protect you for all eternity. Legolas, will you marry me?”

The question came totally out of the blue and the Prince gasped in shocked surprise, his breath catching in his throat. Love… marriage… Where did that come from? His blue eyes met the green ones of the captain, trying to decide if he was jesting or speaking the truth. Legolas saw love in Randír’s eyes, along with anxiety and hope. His heartbeat escalated almost violently when he understood that the older Elf had meant what he said, every single word. What was he supposed to answer? Finally he regained his ability to speak.

“I don’t know what to say”, he said slowly. “I… I will have to think about this; I cannot answer right away, I hope you can understand that.”

Randír looked disappointed but nodded nevertheless. “Of course I do understand. You have all the time you want to think about the matter, I will not pressure you in any way. I merely want you to know that I love you deeply, and I will never cause you pain intentionally.” It would have been better if he answered me right away… That way he would have been my betrothed by the time his former husband arrived. The man will be here any minute now and I must have Legolas’ consent before that; there is no way I’m going to let Legolas return to him! Randír thought.

“Thank you”, Legolas replied. “If it was only myself who was involved I could answer you right away; but I have a child who I have to think of. Come to me in an hour, and you shall have my answer then.”

“I will. And I pray to Iluvatar himself that you can find it in your heart to love me”, the handsome captain said and kissed Legolas’ lips gently.

They didn’t know that they were not alone; someone else had entered the garden a little while ago and listened to their discussion in growing jealousy and anxiety. Randír kissing Legolas was the final straw.

“Legolas will not marry you; not if I have a say in it”, Aragorn growled, taking a step closer to the pair. “And take your hands off my mate!”

Aragorn had finally arrived.


TBC…

A/N: Oooh, a cliffie! Am I evil or what? Please review. :)