A sweet, golden light was shining upon the soft hills of Tol Eressea. The sky was coloured blue, with pink, yellow and orange clouds floating ethereally upon it, beyond which the stars were starting to be already visible, much bigger and brighter than seen on Earth. The hills were covered in soft, green grass, with majestic trees and small flowers. Here and there, habitations were seen, some smaller, some larger, all designed though with great taste and beauty, betraying even more than in Middle-Earth the other-worldly feel of the race of elves. There, on one of the soft hills, a singular elven habitation was placed, surrounded by beautiful gardens and, a little further away, by a small portion of woodland.
It was a fairly large house, elegantly designed, with white walls, tall windows and massive wooden furniture. Inside, a beautiful elleth with bright red hair was placing garlands of leaves and berries inside a room, trying to fix them now to the upper corner of the window. A few pots of flowers were around her, making the room come alive. Tauriel looked just like a noble elven lady, dressed in a heavy velvet dress, a delicate bracelet falling around her wrist and her long hair elegantly tied in three thin braids to the back.
A lot had changed, not only in Tauriel's appearance but her heart also, which was now settled and happy, though her fire would always burn bright and mischievous within. Watching her while lounging on a silk couch was Thranduil, a glass of wine in his hand, his eyes also beaming with his inner fire. He was wearing a long, elegant, silk robe of dark grey, loose to the chest, his silver hair falling straight as ever upon his shoulders, no crown upon his head.
He watched her with a little smile in the corner of his lips. Thranduil's heart had also changed. He had never believed that leaving Middle-Earth and his beloved Greenwood would bring so much positive change in his life but it had. He finally felt like a burden had fallen off his shoulders. He had believed that the horrors and all of his memories would haunt him forever yet he had not dreamt of them since they arrived in Valinor. He felt free, light and cleansed, as if Valinor itself had cleansed his soul. Also, strangely enough, for once in his life he found that he enjoyed not wearing a crown.
'I think they look good that way.', he said with a velvety, casual voice.
'Just a little more and I'm done.', Tauriel said, turning her gaze quickly towards him with a smile and then placing the garland a little higher.
She then went to the table and placed some more flower decorations that looked like she had crafted them herself as they were very similar to the seasonal decorations inside the Woodland Realm.
'There, I finished.', she said slightly proud of herself.
She came towards the couch where Thranduil was lounging and took the glass of wine from his hand, placing it upon the nearby wooden stand. He watched her silently, as she squeezed herself next to him.
'Is my King satisfied now?', she asked with a playful smile on her lips.
'Yes.', he replied with a deep voice. 'And I am not a King anymore, Tauriel, as I keep on reminding everyone.'
'Old habits die hard.', she said, looking closely at him now with her golden-green eyes and touching his cheek with her fingers. 'I suppose now you are just mine. Nobody else to share you with.'
He smiled, pulling her more into his lap and whispering next to her lips:
'Finally.'
Their house was fairly isolated from the other elven settlements and this is how Thranduil had intended. They were surrounded by green hills and a small woodland reminding them of their kingdom in Middle-Earth. A beautiful garden was around it where Thranduil would often go to enjoy a cup of tea or wine, read old books about the history of Arda, magic and healing, that he never found the time to properly enjoy before, or write down his thoughts which often turned into small poems.
On a wall inside their house, his swords and Tauriel's swords were hung up and they would sometimes take them out for playful fights, testing each other's agility in the garden and laughing as Thranduil would still outsmart her and trap her with his swords in awkward positions for long moments before letting her go. Old habits died hard indeed. However, they found that neither of them had a real desire to pick up their weapons since they arrived in the Blessed Land, as if somehow that part of them had stayed behind. Tauriel's old daggers and her bow were locked inside a wooden cupboard, untouched. Peace and quiet is what they found they both wanted from their new life.
A bit further away, beyond the soft, green hills and closer to the seashore, there was Legolas' house. It was a much smaller house that he had built himself, made of wood, placed at the edge of white shores. Very close to his place, Gimli had his house, also made of wood but built and decorated much more in the style of dwarves - narrower, smaller, with fewer windows and more rock. On the same shore, close by, there were other elven establishments, of which some where his old comrades now resided in, such as Feren, Maldir and some of their old soldiers that chose to follow them West.
Farther away, towards the green hills and valleys, Galadriel and Celeborn lived, in a house similar to Thranduil's, and near them Gandalf and Frodo resided. Elrond had sailed further into Aqualonde where his wife Celebrian awaited for him, now healed by Galadriel's mother, Eärwen, and the Teleri elves. They enjoyed life by the sea and were sometimes travelling into Tol Eressea to meet with old friends.
On the same coast where Legolas lived, there also lived many different kinds of elves, some of whom had never set foot in Middle-Earth or had returned to Valinor right after their awakening and never left. Not too far from Legolas' dwelling, there was such an elleth, of Noldorin descent, that lived with her family who had returned right after the awakening. She had been born in Valinor and chose to settle in Eressea with her brother and younger sister.
Legolas had met her while riding across the seashore, going hunting and fishing, something he would do out of generosity for his friend Gimli as well. He was struck by her ethereal, haunting beauty, while she was walking alone upon the white land, glancing at the vast sea and collecting sea shells. She had straight, black hair and clear green eyes and, even though there was a noble grace about her, he could also perceive a fierceness within, as her green eyes would first gaze with cool detachment to then send fiery glances towards him that, he felt, pierced through his soul.
He found out her name was Eliniel. She invited him to her place and they found each other spending more and more time together since their houses were not too far away. Legolas even went hunting with her brother and he became friends with him also. As he talked with Eliniel, he found out even more about life on the island of Eressea and beyond, about the lives of the elves that had never seen the war against Sauron and he found that she, in return, was fascinated to hear more about his life and adventures in Middle-Earth.
'So your father was King?', she asked with a clear voice, her green eyes studying him with intensity as they walked upon the shore. 'You are a prince then?!'
'Not anymore.', Legolas replied with a smile, amused by her curious questions.
'Did your father sail also?'
'Yes, eventually. He is now living in a house on the green hills of this island with his partner.', Legolas said and found himself pausing and looking towards the white sand, forgetting what else he wanted to say.
Even though he had made peace with the idea of Tauriel being with Thranduil, he still did not know exactly how he felt mentioning her or his father. He had visited their house twice since they settled in Tol Eressea and he had even helped arrange their new home to feel a bit like the Woodland Realm and gave them advice about living on the island. They had a good time together and he rejoiced being reunited with them on the blessed land. But thoughts of Tauriel and the past were perhaps still lingering somewhere to the back of his mind.
'Do you see them?', he heard Eliniel ask.
'Sometimes. But not too often as they like their privacy, just as I like mine.'
He smiled and they walked in silence for a few moments.
'And your mother, the Queen?', Eliniel asked cautiously. 'What happened to her?'
'She was killed. In a fortress of Sauron's. Killed by a morgul blade, her spirit destroyed.'
Eliniel looked shocked at Legolas, but not frightened.
'I can't believe how much death you have seen while I have seen none here.', she spoke. 'Our kin suffered so much in Middle-Earth, we had no idea just how much until now.'
'Many died, yes.', Legolas replied with a calm voice. 'I am glad you have not seen such horrors, Eliniel.'
'I have seen many elves returning here over the centuries, in need of physical or spiritual healing, some to the point of fading. Now I understand why. I learned the art of healing to help these elves while I was living in Tirion.'
Legolas looked at her with an intrigued smile.
'You are full of surprises.'
Eliniel smiled though without any nervousness.
'Not as many as you.', she said in return teasingly. 'Tell me more, what happened after you joined the Fellowship?'
Legolas told her again in detail of his journey as they walked long along the seaside. In Tol Eressea, time passed differently, and it seemed like they had talked for an eternity and they had yet an eternity ahead. The stars were motionless and veiled as the sky was gently lit, its colours changing in the twilight, clouds passing upon it like water, fluidly and beautifully.
As he talked to Eliniel for hours, something in his heart was becoming alive again, something long-dormant that he had not felt for a long time. There was a fire burning inside his chest and, although cautious, he rejoiced in feeling it. He had numbed his heart for too long and had dedicated his life to fighting. Could he really connect with his heart again now?
They stopped near the sea, looking at each other quietly. Legolas' silver-blond tresses were gently flying in the breeze. Eliniel looked at him with intensity, then touched one of his tresses with her fingers, brushing it away from his face. And then, Legolas knew it was right. It was right to lean in and kiss her there and then. And he did.
Her lips awaited him as he gently touched them with his, sensually and lovingly. After a few long moments, their faces parted a little and she smiled.
'You have a surprising gentleness for being such a fierce soldier.', she said softly, her eyes still locked to his lips.
Before he could say anything, she kissed him again, gently, lingering her lips onto his before parting.
He came back on foot, reaching his house, still thinking of the kiss and feeling as if he was falling in love, his heart fluttering at the thought of Eliniel. He had not felt such a feeling in his heart for so long. Even when his feelings had grown for Tauriel, it had never felt like this since Tauriel had never returned his romantic feelings and he always had to tame his heart and his feelings. But this... This felt free and liberating. As if he could allow himself to love for the very first time without restriction or guilt, knowing his love would be returned.
He found Gimli sitting on the steps of his home, enjoying the peace of the garden and smoking calmly from his pipe.
The dwarf looked at him, raising one eyebrow, then asked:
'So have you seen your pretty lass again?'
Legolas smiled, sitting down next to him and looking towards the sea in the distance.
'Perhaps.', he answered mysteriously.
'Ohh. You clearly have more to tell than you wish to.', Gimli concluded, puffing some smoke from his pipe. 'So when will I meet her?'
'Do you wish to meet her?', Legolas asked, turning his head a little amused.
'Of course. Which of your friends can give you better romantic advice than I?'
'I can think of a few!'
They looked at each other, Gimli growling something in protest but then Legolas' smile made him laugh. They both turned their heads quietly towards the seashore again, breathing in the salty air.
'Let's go visit Gandalf tomorrow. See Frodo as well.', Legolas said.
'Yes. Too bad Bilbo Baggins has left us. I was quite fond of that hobbit, in the short time I met him in Middle-Earth.', Gimli spoke with his rusty voice. 'Aging might be slowed here, but we are still mortal.'
'Yes. I hear Mr. Frodo is getting older by the day, he may not have much time left. I have a feeling in my heart.'
Legolas' eyes stood still gazing at the sea in the distance, a wave of familiar sadness and knowing passing over them. Gimli studied him for a few moments, then said:
'It's settled then. We go there tomorrow at first light.'
Legolas nodded.
'Well then, better get in and prepare the table for dinner. We're dining in my house tonight, don't forget. I have cooked the fish you caught and I had delivered earlier some delicious cheese, tarts and local fruits. I always said, one of the greatest things about this place is the food!'
'I didn't forget about dining at yours tonight.', Legolas replied. 'I'll be with you in a moment - I just need a moment alone. '
Gimli muttered something in slight disapproval then went inside and loud sounds of pots and cutlery were heard, as he prepared the table.
The sea was now slightly restless. Legolas gazed upon it, his blue eyes lost on the horizon, dreaming of the future he wanted to build, of the kiss he had shared earlier by the beach and, most of all, thinking of when he would see Eliniel again.
Hey guys, hope you like the first chapter, leave your votes and comments as it encourages me to find more time to write and update sooner :)