A Silver Lining (Lord of the Rings) [Legolas]

XV. One Obstacle after the Next

XV. One Obstacle after the Next

Nikita did not have to put a wedge between Legolas and I, the kiss had done that for her. Even days after the situation, I still could not process it. It came out of nowhere, the kiss. It almost took me an entire day to get over the shock of it. Days after overcoming the initial shock, my mind was back to working properly.

After I settled down and thought it through, there was only one logical explanation for it, but it did not make sense to me. Why would Legolas do that if he was engaged to Nikita? Surely he could not be having second thoughts, not when the wedding was nearing. I knew I could always ask about it, but that meant having to confront him. I was not too sure how well I would hold myself in front of the Elf who was with his beloved and kissed another without her knowing.

As I kept telling myself my conclusion, it made me discover something about myself. I had let that happen, I had let Legolas get away with that. I had never felt close to someone in such a short amount of time. In a way, Thalias’ strange behavior that night in the woods was his way of telling me that I was oblivious to the obvious. Even he knew of the air surrounding us. I could not deny that Thalias was a very gifted stallion who had an incredible sixth sense.

They say that love takes a while, and others may disagree and protest that love can happen almost instantly. That was not our case, the latter. Somehow, I had managed to make the Prince of Greenwood fall in love with me. It was the last thing I had anticipated or wanted to happen. Legolas had a stable love life as it was; all I did was unexpectedly complicate things for him.

Why did Arwen have us meet in Gondor after I recovered? Why did I have to agree? Why did I open up and let Legolas in, not knowing what consequences would come of it? It felt like I was only creating more trouble. It seemed that no matter where I settled, I caused friction somehow.

I had not told Nikita about what had happened. Why would I? It would only confirm her envious suspicion that I was trying to destroy her soon-to-be-marriage. I technically was not intending to steal her beloved from her; this situation had decided to come out of nowhere. This was my problem, and I had to fix it before Nikita somehow found out. If she did, everything would be shattered.

After I had come back from my morning bath, Halian met with me and insisted that she did my hair and outfit. I had laughed at her but did comply. I could not find it in me to disappoint her by telling her no. That was what we were doing now, in my room. I was fully dressed and on the bed while Halian sat behind me, on her knees, combing through my hair, humming an unfamiliar tune under her breath.

I clenched and unclenched my hands on my knees. The usual thoughts were coming around: I needed to confront Legolas and tell him that no matter what he thought, he was to marry Nikita. Whatever I had led him to believe would never happen. It was not right of him to go behind Nikita’s back.

“You seem tense,” Halian noticed. “What is wrong? Did you have a bad dream?”

“No. I have just had a lot on my mind recently.” I wrung my hands together.

“I do not see why, unless it is about the wedding. Is Nikita driving you mad with her stress?”

“No, I have not seen her since we got here. She has been busy with preparations; I have explored and enjoyed the serenity.”

“You and Nikita seem to be friends, unless I am wrong?”

“We are more like acquaintances, we tolerate each other.”

“Is it because of the prince?”

“What do you mean?” I tried to turn my head but Halian pushed it forward.