𝕰𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖆

Chapter Nineteen: The Golden Wood

Without my realizing it, Legolas' gaze had moved from the fire to me, and he watched me with a amused grin. I looked away, my lips in a thin worried line because of the question I knew I had to ask.

"Where do we stand, Legolas?" I didn't meet his eyes, but still felt the energy drain out of them.

"What do you mean?"

"For Varda's sake, Legolas, you know what I mean. We can't pursue this... But we can't ignore what's happened, as though it never did," I said.

"I'm not inclined to forget," he smirked, wrapping a sly arm around my waist and pulling me closer.

"Would you be serious about this?" I fought back a smile, as he turned my head to face him, and planted a quick kiss on my lips.

"What would you have us do?" he asked.

"I... I don't know," I threw my hands up in defeat.

We'd come too far, grown too close, to just ignore everything between us. And yet these feelings we shared couldn't be brought with us into Lorien. Couldn't follow us back to the Fellowship. Couldn't hang over us on our way to Mordor. So what were we to do?

"Do you want to know what I think?" he asked.

"What is that, elf-boy?"

"Well, princess, I think we waste more time and energy debating what we should do about this... Then we do actually pursuing it. It doesn't matter what we say or decide, these feelings won't go away. Those nights won't go away," he said softly in my ear, causing a shiver to crawl down my spine.

I didn't answer him. Truthfully, no answer came to mind. He was right. I'd spent more time dwelling on what we should do, wasted more energy trying to avoid him than I ever would just giving into our shared feelings towards each other.

"What's the matter? Nothing to say to that?" he chuckled, "Can't admit when you're wrong hmm?"

"Prove me wrong, then," I said slyly, "Show me why... This... Is worth pursuing."

His smile grew and grew as I spoke, and he pulled me over top of him, so that I straddled his waist. With a forcible jerk, he tugged me by the collar so that our lips connected, and I released a pleasurable sigh. Perhaps our relationship wasn't to last, perhaps it was doomed to end. But for now, while we were here, together, I wasn't going to stop.

✶

A shrieking cackle ripped through the night, tearing the peaceful quiet to shreds. I was jolted from my sleep and found Legolas already at alert beside me. I suddenly became painfully aware of our lack of weapons, having had them stolen from us at Orthanc. The distorted laughter seemed to grow louder, nearer, more numerous. Legolas stood and I followed his lead. We stood back to back, our eyes trailing cautiously over the dark mounds of earth and rock that flanked us on all side except to the east, where Lorien lie, now appearing so much further away. I searched the nearby area fruitlessly for this last threat Legolas and I stood to face before reaching our friends. Whatever this last obstacle, keen on keeping us separated, might be.

With an abrupt lurch, the mangled body of a goblin sauntered out of the shadows, his skin an eerie grey under the moon's critical light. Before we'd any time to react, more followed the first, stepping out from beneath the blanket of darkness that covered the bed of night. Legolas and I spun around, searching in vain for any sort of break in the circle of goblins that was quickly growing around us. None.

I frantically raked my eyes over the surrounding area for something-anything-that might be used as a weapon. My gaze fixated on the black charred pile of wood, still glowing a very dull orange. Without a moment's hesitation, I snatched it up, swinging it wildly at a smaller goblin, knocking him into another. The force sent them sprawling aside, opening up just enough space for Legolas and me to break free.