Elrond smiled as Amaruil entered the room he had adopted as his study, gazing at her over his finger tips as they lightly rested together. His normally serene air, which people who knew him less well might mistake for severity, was tinged with an air of painful sadness even as he motioned for Amaruil to sit down beside him and make herself comfortable. “I am very happy for you Amaruil,” he said by way of greeting, leaning back in his chair and eyeing her. “Legolas is a great man and I am sure that you will be happy together; I do not believe that discharging any other duty laid on me by the departure of your parents could bring me greater joy, as I am sure it does you.”
“He has brought me much happiness, especially in the dark times which we have now left behind us,” she replied as Elrond looked out of the window, towards where once the dark cloud which hung over Mordor had obscured the sky and thrown the land into shadow.
“And your fair share of worry, I am sure,” he said with a knowing smirk. “He has done much for Middle Earth and all people here are indebted to the Fellowship, as will they be for all eternity. There is no one more worthy of you and your love Amaruil and it would give me great pleasure to represent your parents at your betrothal ceremony; I have had the rings made for you and they will be ready shortly; it can happen whenever you wish.”
Amaruil rested her hand against her lips in surprise and pleasure, rendered speechless by Elrond’s care for her; after a while she managed to say, “And Thranduil? Has he or Legolas mentioned what he will do?”
“He cannot travel here for the betrothal and the public meeting of our houses but he desires that it go ahead anyway; all you need is to set a date and it will be done,” he said as another large smile broke out across Amaruil’s face.
“Le hannon Elrond!” she exclaimed as he waved her away, an expression of resigned happiness on his face as he shut the door behind her and heard her tripping footsteps dance down the hall as Amaruil hurried off to find Legolas and tell him the good news.
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Arwen’s nimble fingers made light work of the laces running up the back of Amaruil’s dress as she chattered on merrily, her joy and excitement spilling out of her with every word as she flitted about the room. When Amaruil was dressed and her hair was finished Arwen placed her hands on her back and all but pushed her out of the room and down the halls towards where the ceremony was being held. At the large double doors which led into it, Arwen kissed her on the cheek, wrapped her in a fleeting hug and hurried along another hall, slipping through a side door to join Aragorn in the crowd inside. Once she had left them Elrond smiled and took Amaruil’s hand in his; the doors swung open and he led her inside, past the assembled friends who smiled even wider as she passed them; from the other side of the room she saw Legolas approaching with Aragorn and they met in front of the small group of friends which had gathered to see their betrothal – though it was custom for a betrothal to be announced at a meeting of their two houses, neither Amaruil nor Legolas had much family remaining and so their friends, joined to them by bonds of love, filled the places required of their estranged parents.
Legolas beamed at Amaruil and took her hand in his, pressing a light kiss on her cheek and murmuring something to Aragorn. Elrond greeted Legolas with a half smile before moving to recite the traditional speeches which the Eldar made, addressing the Valar and the various Ainur which were believed to be watching over them, appealing to them and trusting to them to protect the pair of elves which stood before him, their final choice made. Once his speech was finished Amaruil was stunned out of her reverie by Legolas taking her hand in his. She had been thinking about the time which stretched out before them, not empty but infinite, as if she were standing on the shore and looking out over a calm sea; now that the War of the Ring was over their lives would hopefully be filled with as little tumultuousness as the gently rocking boats of Lothlórien, which bobbed in the water which lapped at the river’s edge and Amaruil was looking forward to the return of the tranquillity which had ruled her life up until the previous year but a tranquillity which was all the more anticipated now that she knew Legolas would be by her side.
He smiled happily at her as he produced the elegant silver ring which marked her as his betrothed and slipped it on her finger; Amaruil returned the gesture with an even wider smile, her eyes shining with joy as it settled on his hand, and Legolas brushed the corner of her lips with his before turning to face their assembled friends who congratulated and embraced them as they moved through the crowd. For the first time in a year Amaruil felt truly and completely secure, as if the band around her finger was protecting her love and linking Legolas to her permanently and she knew now that they were both perfectly safe from harm; Amaruil stroked it, running her fingers over it as she felt its weight on her hand, the symbol of the peace which now ruled over Middle Earth and showed them that they had finally made it, had actually survived everything and defeated Sauron.
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The haunting music of the elves drifted through the air towards them, its tendrils winding through the halls and reminding Legolas and Amaruil of the celebrations which were still going not far away. They, however, were wrapped up in their happiness and had stolen away for a few moments of solitude in an attempt to straighten out their minds and have some time to themselves. Amaruil ran her hand along the smooth, cold stone of the balcony and smiled as the first blush of the sunrise shimmered on the horizon, dawning over the calm city and infusing it with a tint which settled somewhere between orange and pink, bringing its cold white walls to life.
“It fills me with great joy to be able to share this with you,” Legolas murmured from beside her, his long fingers resting lightly on her hand and causing a tingling warmth which began there to emanate through her body.
“And I you Legolas,” she replied with a smile. “I cannot believe that we are here after all this time. It feels like a dream.”
“Perhaps it is that which makes this all the sweeter,” he suggested as he brushed her hand with his lips, “but at least we know that the veil of this dream will not be torn away by a rude awakening.”
“That is true,” Amaruil whispered, shutting her eyes as the first ray of sun blossomed across the horizon, glowing brightly like burnished metal and blinding her; it illuminated her suddenly, shooting fiery gold through her hair and morphing it into a gleaming halo, diffusing over her face and suffusing it with a light as bright and as beautiful as that of Laurelin, the golden Tree of Valinor. Once again Legolas was struck by just how stunning Amaruil was, the realisation hitting him like a sword-blow to the gut as his heart constricted painfully and he was overtaken by a surge of love for her which burned through his veins, both excruciatingly painful and thrilling at the same time. The thought of having her by his side for the rest of his life caused pure ecstasy to erupt in his heart and he absentmindedly wondered whether everyone who married felt this way or whether it was special to him. “Come on Amaruil,” he sighed as his thumb rubbed a small circle on the back of her hand, “we ought to return to our celebrations before they miss us.”
Amaruil let out a slow breath as more rays saturated the sky before turning away from all the morning glory and heading inside with Legolas, linked hands hanging between them.
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Hi I know I have said this so many times over the past month or so but I'm so sorry about not updating, my life has been so hectic I don't know how I even survived! Hopefully there are still people hanging on and reading this though...! I don't know how much I will be able to write after this week because Oxbridge stuff starts in earnest and A Levels (eeshk!) so I will try to churn out as much as possible in the next couple of days... If you are still here with me... well thanks. I know how frustrating it is.
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Into the West (A Lord of the Rings Fan Fic)
फैनफिक्शनThe Eldar say that those who marry late have strange fates and love certainly came late for Amaruil Celebrindal, a noble Sindar, friend of Arwen Undomiel and the love left behind in Rivendell as the Fellowship left to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn w...
