Green Cloaks || Legolas

Forty two

But the time they had arrived back at Rohan, the people were already home. It was just arching into evening and they arrived to celebration. The fellowship were all shown to their rooms bathe and change clothes. They had been offered clean clothes and the had washed quickly before changing and rejoining the men of Rohan back in the hall. Luin had been given a grey pair of trousers and a long sleeved dark blue tunic with a v neck tied with lacings that was slightly too big for him. He rolled up the sleeves and tied a belt around his waist. Legolas had been given brown trousers and a pale green tunic with a high collar. Luin helped him comb out his long hair, leaving it down to air dry. His own hair dried surprisingly quickly now. Legolas tucked the strands behind his ear before looping their arms together.

They joined the back fo the hall. The hall big full of men and women as Theoden raised his pint to the air. The king in his royal garb of a deep red tunic with deep rich stitching. As he raised his pint, the people stood up. "Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country. Hail the victorious dead".

"Hail!" Luin called out with the others. Then he tipped his pint back and drank deeply. His golden core burning off the alcohol as soon as it hit his bloodstream.

After that, the hall dissolved into a party as the night drew on. The people drinking and chatting. Laughter and music being played in a corner. Food and wine, beer and brandy. They were celebrating surviving and celebrating the lives that had been sacrificed for them to live. Luin had been roped into a dance by a group of children. Girls and boys under the age of ten all clamouring around him, entranced by the wizard. They oohed and ahhed at the little sparks of blue magic in Luin's hands. The fire dancing on his fingertips and the wind catching at their clothes. Luin let their innocent giggles wash the grime of battle off him. He let them tug on his clothes and cheer for him to do more. "Can you dance?" One of the girls shouted. The others all parroted the question, bouncing excitedly around him.

"I don't know", Luin pretended to think. "My limbs might be too long for me". He waved his arms and the children giggled. "What do you think?"

"Yes! Yes!" They chanted. About twenty young faces looked up at him expectantly. Head of blonde and light brown. Green, hazel and blue eyes. Rosy cheeks and gap toothed grins. How could he say no?

"Alright. Alright", he laughed. "What dance shall I do?"

"Pretty dance!" One of the boys called. "Like you". Luin bit his lip as not to coo.

"Okay. But you need to give me some room". In their corner, the band had started playing a slower song. He ushered the children back so that there was a circle of floor space. Then he drew out his fan and smiled at them. The children all shuffled as he turned his back to them then spun his arms out in a wide slow circle. The dancing he was doing was not overly complicated. It relied on graceful control and was something he could do easily. He wasn't actually a great dancer, fast dances always left him behind no matter how much he had practised. This dance was more of a elvish style, rather than one the people of Rohan would be familiar with.

He spun his arms out then turned, flicking open his fan and holding it over his face. He winked at the children over the material and they giggled. Then he raised his arms and sank to his knees, flipping the fan closed then unfolding it slowly and drawing it down over his face to his chest. Then he got to his feet, pivoted on one leg and whirled the fan around his head in a arc of colour. The Qi in the material leaving a blue trail through the air like a firework as the fan moved. The children clapped as he began slinging his arms and twisting his chest effortlessly. Then he spun round and turned back to them, fanning himself slowly before flipping the fan shut.