The Prince's Visions

Chapter fourteen

Legolas

        The day of our departure for Gondor came quickly. I awoke early this morning-not that I actually got much sleep. I have been restless these past few days. Within the few hours that I am able to sleep, I have a vision, but when I wake up, my mind is too befuddled with thoughts of Eilonwy to fall back to sleep.

        I knew that I was in danger of going too far with her when we were practicing a few days ago, but I could not bring myself to leave her side. So, I brought her to the waterfall. When I was small and first found the waterfall, I remember thinking to myself that one day I would bring the elleth that I love to see it. I never showed it to anyone else. It was, and still is to this day, a special place to me. It is where I would go to escape from the duties of being a prince whenever my family would visit Lothlorien. I felt free when I was there, away from the prying eyes of others.

        I had to show it to Eilonwy.

        I honestly thought that I had great self control. I figured that waiting for her to fall in love with me would be easy, all I would have to do is sit back and wait. My heart had other plans. Seeing Eilonwy standing in front of me with her hair soaked and sticking to her skin and her eyes tracing over me like a tempting touch, I lost a bit of the self control I thought that I possessed. When I was standing so close to her, I could almost feel the warmth of her skin that I know so well from my visions of her. I wanted to confess everything that I feel for her, and I did just that. It hurt worse than I thought it would when she did not understand me. That was the point of speaking in Elvish, of course, because it is too soon to confess, but in my heart, I was hoping that she would somehow understand.

        When I was finally able to get a hold of my emotions, I immediately stepped away from her, no matter how much I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to take her into my arms and learn every part of her. In a way, my visions can be torturous. Everything in them feels so real, but when I wake up and realize that Eilonwy is not lying by my side, the pain in my heart is almost unbearable. The same feeling plagued me that day.

        I have been avoiding her these past few days. It is cowardly, I know, but I cannot risk losing control again. If I confess to her now, I might lose her forever. As Galadriel always says, the future is not set in stone. There is no possible way that Eilonwy loves me yet. We have only known each other for a week. Professing my love to her now would only scare her away.

        A knock at my door startles me from my thoughts.

        “Legolas, we are soon to depart,” Lady Galadriel’s soft voice floats through the door as I finish packing my things.

        “I am ready to leave. I will be down soon,” I reply.

        She hesitates at my door for a few moments, and I hear her intake of breath as if she is about to say something. She decides against it, I guess, because I then hear her departing footsteps. I know that she is worried for Eilonwy and for me. Her eyes watch us sadly as we sit in the dining hall everyday. She has tried to speak to me, but I have been avoiding her, too. There is nothing she can do to help.

        My behavior has been childish. That is why I have decided to not avoid Eilonwy, nor Galadriel, any longer. Today I will pretend as if nothing has happened. I can do nothing more than this anyway. The truth is, I cannot keep myself from Eilonwy any longer. Seeing the pain and confusion in her eyes is like a knife to my heart. I want to make her smile again. I want to see her eyes shine when she laughs. So, I am going to do just that.

        I grab my travel bags from my bed and leave my guest room with determination in my heart. Once I am outside, I see the guards who will be accompanying us, Lady Galadriel, and Celeborn standing out by the stables readying the horses. I search for Eilonwy and find her standing beside a large gray horse, talking animatedly to one of the guards.