The Prince's Visions

Chapter Thirty Seven

"Oh, really? He is a very lucky ellon to have you," he says, wrapping his arms around my waist tightly, and he buries his face in the crook of my neck, "But I must admit that I am eaten alive with jealousy."

"'Tis actually from Aragorn," I say with a laugh, finally caving, "He seems lonely."

"Aragorn?" Legolas asks, pulling his head away from my neck in surprise, "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes. He was just asking me to send a letter and tell him how things are going here," I answer, turning in his arms to look up at him.

I meet his eyes, drowning in their icy blue depths, and I am reminded of the sea on a warm summer's day. "Are you going to reply to him now? I can leave if you wish," he offers, leaning forward and kissing the corner of my mouth. His actions contradict his words, showing me just how much he wishes to stay in my company, and I laugh softly, wrapping my arms around his neck and allowing the letter to fall from my hands and flutter to the floor.

"I can write a response later," I say, placing my head on his chest.

I hear laughter rumble in his warm chest as he runs his hands up and down my back.

"I miss them," I whisper sadly.

"As do I," he replies, "We can travel back soon, if it is your wish, but we have to wait until you are safe."

I nod, reaching up to touch his face tenderly. "When will I be able to see your home? I cannot deny that I long to see Mirkwood."

His eyes become serious at my words, staring down at me with intense emotions swimming inside of them. "Whenever you wish to."

"What is wrong?" I ask him worriedly, sensing the shift in his mood.

"I-," he mumbles, pulling away from me and running a hand through his hair, "I do not know how to do this, honestly."

I stare at him in confusion as he sighs nervously. He meets my gaze, inhaling shakily. "Eilonwy," he says my name breathlessly, reaching down to take something from a pocket on his tunic, "I love you, as you already know. A-and I want nothing more than for you to come to Mirkwood with me."

I shake my head, laughing slightly. "Legolas, you do not have to be so nervous. I want to come with you. I have no doubts or hesitations," I tell him, trying to give him a comforting smile.

He stares at me for a moment, before his lips twitch into a smile. I watch him as he slowly bends down onto one knee, and I gasp when it finally dawns on me. He is trying to propose! And I was cutting him off like an idiot!

"Eilonwy, I wish to make Mirkwood your home. I want to make it our home. I fell deeply in love with you years before ever meeting you, and I know that there is no one else in Middle Earth who could make me feel the way that you do. You meaneverything to me. When you are not by my side, I find myself longing for your presence. Mere minutes without you feel like torturous centuries. I have been agonizingly lonely my entire life, and now I have you. I will only ever be complete if I have you as my wife," he says lowly, his eyes watering and voice quivering with emotion as I stare down at him, tears streaming down my cheeks, "I know that asking you to be my wife is also asking you to be a princess of Mirkwood, and one day queen, but will you put those fears away and take me as I am? I love you. I love you. Those words do not even describe the feelings I have for you. My soul longs for you in ways I never knew existed. You are my soul mate- my other half- and I cannot imagine a life without you. Please, Eilonwy, will you marry me?"

By the end of his proposal, he is crying along with me, staring up at me with his beautiful blue eyes, and my heart is racing in my chest. I have been longing for this moment, and now it is happening so suddenly. His words are so genuine and loving that I find myself wondering if I am dreaming. My head feels light and airy like I might pass out, reminding me of how I felt when I first met him and the first time he kissed me. Suddenly, all those bittersweet moments are flashing in front of my eyes, choking me up. I remember the first moment I saw him and how handsome he was in the low light of Galadriel's library. I remember swordfighting with him and swimming in the hot spring the time he confessed his love for me in Elvish where I could not understand him. Another tear slips down my cheek when I hear his voice saving me from the vile man that attacked me in Gondor. "Unhand my wife."