Only Time

Ch. 2 ~ Rising Dark

Coming back to Lorien after meeting Legolas and Tauriel changed my whole prospective on things. Haldir on the other hand, was quite grumpy. I went back to Rivendell shortly after that. As I rode Sunset through the plains and fields of Middle Earth, heaviness I have never felt before rose up in my chest. It was as if there was a rising dark somewhere far beyond the safety of home. As I arrived before the gates of Rivendell and they opened for me, I slowly trudged Sunset up to the caregivers before dismounting him, stroking his mane, and walking to my quarters.

Well, you can say I have a whole wing in the main house not just quarters but I am not one to overstate anything. It had been a long day and the sun had just started to set in Rivendell as well. I took a nice long bath and then walked to my clothing boudoir. I opened it deciding perhaps on a flowy midnight blue gown. My wardrobe was a lot like Arwen's; which mostly consisted of flowy gowns and robes of different colors. While she preferred purples, greens, and reds; I personally loved rich blues, burgundies, silvers, and golds. The latter two were mostly for formal engagements. All elves required some battle training and lots of horse training. You could say it was in our blood. But unlike Arwen, I also had a battle outfit. It was black, head to toe. Mostly suede and leather; the leather was for the straps and the suede was the gown-like top. I never carried bows and arrows with me as I would probably harm mine own before ever shooting at the enemy. I did however have plenty of strapped daggers and my main sword Altherial.

Every royal family member had their own jewelry that provided mystical power or were of mystical origin. Arwen possessed the Evenstar pendant that she wore always; it carried her immortality. It looked a lot like a fairy with wings made of precious gold and crystals. I too had family jewelry that was passed down from my parents; a necklace and bracelet of a sun and moon intertwined together. Both were made of crystal. I wore them knowing that someday I would give one or the other to the man that would become my mate.

As I decided upon the sapphire blue gown for that evening and let my long hair completely go unbraided, I wondered if I had not just met him. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see were those piercing blue eyes, that golden blonde hair, and that smile. How would I ever forget just seeing his face? I finished putting myself together with a final brush of my long locks and walked out of my sitting room. I walked across the long hallways around the bend until I was in Arwen's wing and softly knocked on her door.

"Come in." I heard her say softly. I entered and closed the door behind me. She was wearing a gown similar to mine only a rich dark purple. We smiled at each other as she hooked her arm through mine and we walked onto her balcony. We were high above the land and the water. The moon was shining and the stars were out at the same time as the sun was almost done setting. Then she said without looking at me:

"You have felt it too, have you not?" I knew what she was referring to, I nodded.

"I have never felt anything like it. What do you suppose is happening?"

"Nothing good. Ada has been frowning a lot. But he refuses to tell me what is going on. To be perfectly honest, I am unsure he knows as of yet." She said looking at me.

"Do you think every elf can feel this? I mean it was.....I cannot even explain the feeling. It was so dark and evil. Something is coming. I just do not know what." I said shuddering lightly.

"I am unsure about every elf feeling it; I know not how that works."

Just as we stood there watching the night in silence, we heard voices from far below us. When we looked down we were surprised to see uncle Elrond, aunt Galadriel, and two males that were familiar to all elves everywhere. Both were wizards; one was Saruman the White and the other Gandalf the Grey or Mithrandir as most elves called him. The latter two were sitting around a round wooden table as they were discussing something we could not hear. They did not know we were watching but what we did see was at some point aunt Galadriel who was also telepathic made eye contact with Gandalf and he produced a sword he was hiding.

The other three were quite concerned by this new find although Saruman kept playing down the severity of the situation. I do not know why but I never liked him. My intuition was telling me that he was not what he appeared to be. We tried to peak more at the sword and both of us gasped when we got a good look at it. That dark and evil feeling came back. What did all this mean? I knew that if I stayed on that balcony any longer, I would probably become ill and Arwen must have felt the same because she walked back inside right after me.

I hoped they could figure out what was going on so that way we could deal with it and move on. Meanwhile, I decided to get my mind off the scary thoughts and briefly closed my eyes. I got that image in my head of the wonderful male elf I had met earlier that day. When I opened my eyes, I found Arwen watching me with a small smile on her face.

"What?" I said blushing slightly.

"You have that face. The one you said I had when I came back after my meeting with Aragorn."

"What face? I do not have the slightest idea as to what you are talking about." I said looking away.

"Oh come come now. I know that expression all too well. Who is he? I know you met someone." She said smiling broadly now as I sat down on her chase lounge chair and she sat next to me. I knew she would not let me get away with this especially not after the third degree I gave her about Aragorn.

"Oh alright. Yes, I met someone. Haldir and I were riding around and ended up near Mirkwood. I did not even know the place existed until Haldir explained. We met Legolas the prince of Mirkwood and a female named Tauriel."

"Legolas? That is Thranduil's son, is he not?" She asked.

"Yes he is; how did you know?" I asked surprised.

"My father has told me the history of all the elven lands when I was a little girl. I know that Legolas is without a mate at the moment, so you have an advantage." She said with a wink.

I then proceeded to tell her about the whole meeting with Sunset running off and Legolas kissing my hand just before Haldir and I left. She was listening with a big smile but I also told her about Tauriel's and Haldir's reaction to the exchange. I had a feeling that Tauriel and Legolas had feelings for each other. Though I did not know how deep they ran and what Haldir's issues were. That is when as if reading my mind, Arwen said:

"You do realize Haldir is in love with you?" I stared at her with my eyes as wide as saucers.

"What are you talking about? He is like a brother to me. An annoying older brother with a good heart." I said totally confused.

"That may be the way you see it but it is not the way he sees it and it is obvious to everyone but you." Arwen clucked with her tongue.

"You must be mistaken. There is absolutely no way he is in love with me. I think he barely tolerates me as is. I must be an awful bother to him." I said almost under my breath, totally blown away by this piece of information.

"Silly cousin mine. You have no idea how he looks at you especially when you leave the room. The man practically worships the ground you walk on." She said wisely.

"Looks at me? Is that before or after he rolls his eyes? I swear if he rolls his eyes anymore, they would disappear into his head." I giggled and so did she but she shook her head.

"Trust me dearest cousin; that man will tell you soon enough about his feelings though I venture now with Legolas, he will have an awful let down."

"I just met Legolas once though I must admit; I cannot stop thinking about him. And even if I had not met him, I do not have those types of feelings for Haldir. I really hope you are wrong. I do not want to hurt him." I sighed.

"I know you do not. But when he does finally get the courage to tell you, you have to let him know immediately. Do not lead him on; it is not fair to either of you."

"Oh I fully intend to. I do not want him to get the wrong impression. As for Legolas; it is all wishful thinking as of right now."

"Oh dear cousin, wishful thinking becomes reality. Besides, I bet you already have thought of what your first kiss would be like." She teased.

I blushed and lunged at her and she squealed as she tried to get away from me and we just chased each other around her wing laughing and giggling like little girls as we thought about the men we had met and what that would mean for our future. We had all but forgotten about the unpleasant meeting going on below. Little did we know how much of an impact that meeting would have on all of Middle Earth and how much all of our lives would soon change.