In the Middle of Middle-Earth

In the Middle of Middle-Earth

Chapter 5

Author: Frosty the Glo-Worm
Rated: NC-17
Codes: Legolas, Boromir, Aragorn, Faramir, Elrond, Eowyn, Elros, Haldir, OC, AU, N/C
Summary: Has evil come to the elves of Lorien? Can Legolas get control over his sister? Is Boromir not the coolest thing ever?!? R&R!
Author's Notes: Taking extreme creative license here: Aragorn and Arwen are married. Faramir and Eowyn are not together. Boromir is alive. Haldir is alive. All the hobbits are alive and well. Takes place after the defeat of Sauron. More notes as I think of them.
Disclaimer: LOTR is not mine! Who knew?!

*

Valawen awoke early the next day, tired but feeling less anxious. Legolas had finally explained to her what was going on, and he seemed to have left the Aragorn incident in the past. She was grateful for that.

After showering and dressing, she left her room to make her way down to breakfast, but was stopped by a voice behind her. "Valawen." She turno seo see Elrond standing in the doorframe to his quarters. He looked as tired as she felt, but she was relieved to see him at all.

"Good morning," she said, moving towards him. She couldn't help but look over his face, noticing the minor but substantial differences between him and Elros. It was amazing how two people who look so alike could be so different.

"Would you join me for a moment?" he asked, gesturing into his room. Valawen nodded and entered, hovering near the wall. She wasn't sure what Elrond wanted, and she really hoped she wasn't about to get chastised for being out late last night. She was sure he would have heard about that by now.

"Have a seat," he said, and she sat in one of the chairs in the middle of the room. He sat next to her, and looked off to the side, like he was contemplating how to begin. Valawen waited patiently. "I've been watching you," he began, "and I want you to know that...that I care for you. I want you to be safe."

Valawen's eyes were wide with surprise. "I...Thank you, Elrond. I don't know what to say." She wasn't sure why he had told her this, but she couldn't say that it was an unpleasant thing to hear.

"I have reason to fear," he said, taking her hand in his, "that my brother may try to...intimidate you." He shook his head when her face became questioning, "It's more than I want to get into right now, but I just need you to know that he is dangeroValaValawen, and I ask that you please do not go into the grounds without an escort. As a favour to me."

She didn't like the idea of being guarded, but Elrond made it sound like this was very important. She licked her lips and looked down at his hand which was slowly petting hers. "Alright," she said, "I'll make sure someone is with me."

Elrond smiled, and she returned it. His gaze on her intensified, and she looked downwagaiagain, feeling a familiar fluttering in her stomach when his eyes grazed over her. She felt a hand on her face and looked up. Elrond seemed lost in thought, watching his hand as it ran along her cheek and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"So beautiful," he murmured, then met her eyes again. She held his gaze this time, and inhaled sharply when he leaned in. He was going to kiss her. Swallowing heavily as his lips touched hers, she closed her eyes and matched his gentle pressure.

The kiss was soft and chaste, but it left her trembling as he pulled away. He ran his fingers through her hair and watched her, his eyes uncertain. Dropping his gaze, he spoke, but his voice was much deeper than it had been before, "Perhaps you should go now," he said, then got up and made his way to the door.

Valawen sat still for a few seconds before making a move to follow. She went to leave without looking back, but Elrond stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. "Please remember my request," he said, and squeezed her shoulder gently before allowing her to leave and closing the door behind her.

She stood in the hallway, leaning against a wall, and held a hand to her stomach to try to ease the anxiety. Elrond has kissed her...and then threw her out! All men are alike, she thought, but her frown slowly turned into a smile as she touched her lips. It had been a good kiss. And he had called her beautiful.

And he cared.

She sighed and made her way to the dining hall.

*

She spent most of the morning in the company of her brother. He had small errands to run all over Rivendell, so if there was any portion of the city she hadn't seen yet, that wasn't the case any longer.

They hadn't run into any of the mysterious elves from Lothlorien, and while she knew this was a good thing, she couldn't help but be curious. And she was especially interested in Elros. She wondered what he and Elrond's relationship was like, and why Elrond was so intent on keeping her safe.

She smiled lightly as she thought back to that morning. Even if he had thrown her out, it had been a great kiss. Better, even, than Aragorn...

"What are you thinking about?" asked Legolas, staring at her spacey expression. Valawen snapped out of it quickly, and felt her cheeks bl


"Nothing," she said, taking some of her brother's load. "Just thinking."

He raised an eyebrow in her direction but didn't pursue it. Valawen kept a smile on her face all the way back to the meeting hall.

When they arrived, Faramir asked to speak with Legolas, leaving Valawen alone with Eowyn. "Are you capable of being my guard?" the elf asked jokingly.

Eowyn smirked. "Yes, I heard about you needing an escort. Do you know why Elrond insisted on it?"

She shook her head. "No, he didn't say. Not really, anyways."

Eowyn watched her intently and nodded. "Maybe he just thinks you're really special," she said, and at Valawen's surprised expression she laughed, "I was only kidding."

"Oh," replied Valawen, "I'm sorry." She mentally slapped herself for reacting so conspicuous.

Eowyn looked her over and then asked, "Would you like to go for a walk?" She motioned down the garden path. "We could talk, if you like."

Valawen hesitated, but conceded. "Okay," she replied, and crossing her arms she set out along the path. Once or twice she looked at Eowyn, wanting to say something, wanting to talk to someone, anyone, about what happened earlier, but she didn't know the human that well. She knew she'd feel uncomfortable talking about it.

Eowyn broke her train of thought. "Something is on your mind, I can tell," she smiled, "Anything you need to talk about?"

She felt hopeful, but then shook her head, "No, it's alright."

Eowyn sighed and clasped her hands in front of her. "I know we don't know each other that well, Valawen, and I'm sorry I didn't make a very good first impression," she smiled shyly, "But I know you don't have anyone else here, besides Legolas. I'd like to be your friend. If you would care to be mine."

Valawen stopped and smiled. "I could use someone to talk to," she said, then continued walking again, "Something happened this morning that...bothered me. But in a good way." She looked up at Eowyn, her eyes bright. "You can't tell anyone, okay?"

She grinned and nodded, so Valawen took a deep breath and continued, "This morning...Elrond kissed me."

Eowyn stopped abruptly, stunned. "What?" she hissed, leaning in, "Are you sure?"

Valawen frowned. "Of course I'm sure.\e woe wondered if she had made a mistake in sharing her secret. But soon, to her relief, a grin spread across Eowyn's features.

"Well," she said, shaking her head, "That's certainly not what I was expecting."

Valawen looked up. "What were you expecting?"

Eowyn looked embarrassed. "Honestly, I thought it would have something to do with Aragorn."

The elf snorted, and Eowyn laughed. "Aragorn," said Valawen, "No, that's over and done with. I'm sorry I didn't take your advice."

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. He gets what he wants. He's good at that." She sighed and quickly changed the subject. "So, Elrond," she laughed, "I had no idea."

Valawen smiled. "Neither did I. I mean, it's definitely not a bad thing, but I was...surprised."

The human nudged her. "Was it good?"

This time it was Valawen's turn to laugh. "Yeah, yeah it was," she paused, then added, "But he threw me out afterwards. Almost like he regretted it."

"Mmmm," said Eowyn, "Yeah, well, he was probably a little worried. He has a lot of pressure on him right now. But now I understand why you have a guard." She winked and laughed.

"Yeah," said Valawen, but she found herself wondering what Elros had to do with it. Certainly Elros wouldn't care if she existed, would he? Sighing, she decided not to share that with Eowyn. Not yet, anyways. "He's not bad looking, is he?" she smirked.

Eowyn licked her lips. "No, not at all bad looking," she grinned.

They were giggling when they met up with Boromir. He didn't look happy. "You two shouldn't be out here alone," he said, stopping in front of them.

Eowyn rolled her eyes. "We're not alone, we have each other." She smirked when he glowered at her.

"You know what I mean," he said, "And the princess here is supposed to have a guard."

Valawen crossed her arms. "Eowyn is my guard." Att, Et, Eowyn stood up taller and grinned.

"Of course she is," he grumbled, looking around, "Why am I always the one stumbling across the lost women?"

"We're not lost, we know perfectly well where we are." Eowyn smiled and tried to pass by Boromir, but he held out his arm and pulled her back.

"We're going back," he said, turning them both around and shoving them forward, "Where you're safe."

Valawen shook her head and rolled her eyes at Eowyn, but didn't bother fighting back against Boromir. They both walked in silence, laughing and exchanging looks, while Boromir walked behind them. Valawen could feel his glare.

When they arrived back at the hall, both Legolas and Faramir looked annoyed. "Let's go, Valawen," said her brother, not even bothering to nag her about her leaving, "I have to go see Elrond."

Eowyn grinned at Valawen as she left to follow Legolas. She couldn't help but laugh lightly. "Why do you have to see Elrond?" she asked when she caught up.

"I don't know. He just asked me to meet him in his room." Valawen nodded, feeling a little anxious. She wasn't sure how she would feel seeing him again.

They arrived at the room and Legolas knocked on the door, and they heard a response almost immediately. He opened the doors and entered, Valawen right behind him. The first thing she saw was a group of elves sitting at a table. The next thing she saw was Elrond, looking very surprised and very afraid.

"Legolas," he said, standing immediately, "You should not have brought her here."

She looked from Legolas' confused face to Elrond's worried one, but quickly realized what the problem was when another voice came from the table. "Is that young Valawen?" he asked, and she knew right away that it was Elros who had spoken.

Legolas looked at Elros as he got up from the table. Her brother was obviously perplexed, but his face also showed signs of anger. Elrond must not have told him that Elros was the reason she was to have a guard. "Do not speak to my sister," he said, his eyes shining.

Elrond cast a glance in Valawen's direction before turning to Legolas. "Take her out of here," he said, "Find someone to leave her with, and then come back."

Valawen felt irritation creep up, even though she knew Elrond was only trying to keep her safe. But she didn't know why she was in danger, and she didn't want to be kept locked up. "Why can't I stay?" she asked, and they both looked at her, "Legolas is here."

Her eyes pleaded, and Elrond looked momentarily like he was going to allow her to stay, but by then Elros had moved to their group. He stood staring at her, smiling, and Legolas glared at him, grasping the knife in his belt. "Yes, Elrond, why can't she stay?" he asked, and Valawen crossed her arms and looked away, "I'm not going to hurt her, if that's what you think. I would never hurt someone so lovely."

Valawen flushed as Legolas stepped between her and Elros. She felt Elrond's hand on her shoulder and looked up, but his eyes were on his brother's. "She is none of your concern, Elros," he said sternly, "And she does not belong here." He looked at Legolas when he said this, and the blonde elf gave Elros a parting glare before turning back to Elrond.

"I'll take her to Boromir," he said, turning her away from the group. Elrond's hand left her shoulder, but when she tried to catch his eye, she found that Legolas made even more of an effort to get her out the door.

The last thing she heard before it closed was Elros' voice, "I can see why you like her..."

*

"Talks aren't going well," grouched Legolas as he picked at his dinner, "They're just playing with us."

Legolas had returned an hour after leaving her with Boromir, and he hadn't been in good mood. They all sat together in the dining hall, each face wearing a mask of despair. Aragorn and Arwen sat at the far ef thf the table, a good distance from she and her brother. Valawen didn't mind.

"What did Elrond say?" asked Eowyn, "Is there no progress at all?"

Legolas shook his head, "Nothing. I don't even know why they are here." He looked up, anger brimming his eyes, "We should kill them now."

Valawen frowned, but Boromir's eyes twinkled. "I've been saying that since they got here," he smirked, "But somehow I don't think our leader would appreciate that."

"Youer ker know," said Legolas almost absently, "He wasn't very happy when I left him." Valawen wanted to ask about him, but she knew better than to bring it up now.

"No matter," said Faramir, "Whatever happens, we are stronger. We'll defeat them easily." He looked at Aragorn, "They're probably here just to extend their lives a little longer."

Valawen stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes at the battle talk. She never liked hearing about death. "Elrond will know what to do," replied Aragorn quietly. Legolas shot him a distasteful look. "And when he's ready, he'll tell us."

Boromir snorted under his breath. "Well, we'll all just wait on him then, I guess." Valawen cast him an evil glare, but she didn't think he even noticed.

They continued to complain for nearly half and hour more when Valawen decided she had had enough. "Would one of you like to escort me to my room?" she asked, standing up, "Or would you like to take bets on how far I get on my own?"

Legolas sighed and stood, telling everyone goodnight (except Aragorn), and then left with his sister. She waited several moments before speaking, "I'm sure everything will turn out alright," she said quietly, "Elrond will do the right thing."

He pursed his lips at the elder elf's name, but then put his arm around Valawen's shoulder. "Yes, he will," he smiled, "I don't want you to worry, either."

"uld uld never worry with you here," she said, poking him in the stomach.

He pulled her closer as they turned a corner in the gardens. The last thing she remembered seeing was the blooming jasmine.

*

TBC