Of Futures Past (Legolas)

42

As the day drew on, despite the looming war, all Alana could think about was that moment with Legolas. Just thinking about it brought a flush to her cheeks, and whenever she wasn't thinking about that, she began thinking about the words that had started the whole thing.

"I would marry you this very instant if you would let me."

Where before Alana's image of a wedding was a grand party with some faceless man and the most beautiful dress, under the trees of Lothlorien with huge crowds of her people cheering her on, now all Alana could imagine was herself and Legolas, hand in hand, just each other and nothing else. There was no party, no beautiful scenery, just her and Legolas, and the image of futures waking up next to each other every morning without worrying about decency. She thought often of what their future would look like. Travelling together, visiting friends, living under the restored Greenwood.

Eventually, her mind remembered that vision she'd had before Helm's Deep. A young girl with pointed ears, laughing at something no one knew. Her golden hair matched Alana's perfectly and she had the same pretty, delicate lips and soft jawline, but her eyes were the real deal. Her smile made them light up with that spark she saw whenever Legolas smiled, and the girl looked nearly identical to him in that moment. At any other moment, you would say she looked like her mother, but her smile was Legolas's through and through. To Alana, that smile was her very favourite thing, and the image of it on her child made her unbearably happy.

"What are you so happy about?" Eowyn's voice echoed in the room.

Alana looked over at her, the gentle smile remaining on her lips. "The future."

Eowyn frowned awkwardly. "You mean, after the war?"

Alana's smile turned slightly sad at the reminder of the war and the people she could lose. "Yes."

"Lady Alana... you do realize..." Eowyn started, unsure of how to remind her of the improbability of her dreams.

Determination shone through Alana's eyes as she turned to Eowyn. "We will win. I won't accept anything less than the future I've seen, I won't allow it."

"Should you not focus on the present?" Eowyn asked, her tone serious.

The wide smile that spread across Alana's face shocked the shieldmaiden. "Perhaps, but I find the future infinitely more beautiful."

Eowyn seemed skeptical, but did not voice her displeasure. Alana did not mind the reaction at all, nothing could phase the dreamy mood she was in.

Well, nothing, until she risked checking the future again in the hopes of seeing her daughter again. Instead of the glimpse of a smile she'd hoped for, she saw the gates of Meduseld and a cloudy sky. Speaking with the gate wardens was a man covered in dirt so much as to be almost unrecognizable, but it was a face Alana could never forget.

Her smile softened to one of relief, and her eyes focused on the present once more. "Boromir is near." She whispered to herself. "Excuse me, Eowyn, I must find my companions."

Without another word, she stood and hurried out of the room, running through the hallways in search of any of her companions. Turning a corner, she ran right into Legolas's chest. 

"Legolas!" Alana said in a rushed voice, grabbing his hand. "Boromir is arriving today! I've just seen it!"

Legolas's face was closed off, but Alana could see the confusion and hope in his eyes. She squeezed his hand, smiling reassuringly, though she could feel a piece of guilt stab her heart for not having thought of her companion much since her kidnapping. "I told you, I saved him. It worked. What you saw was just an illusion. Come with me to the gates, we must greet him!"

Though he still looked worried and unconvinced, Legolas nodded and followed behind her as she ran through the city to the gates. Alana bounced on her feet awkwardly, waiting for the gates to open and for Boromir to come through. Her fingers pulled on each other, her eyes strained to the man approach. Each second that passed, Alana's eyebrows furrowed more, and she wondered if, perhaps, she had the timing wrong.

"He should be here soon. He must. I saw it." Alana insisted when she noticed the resigned look in Legolas's eyes, though her own faith begged to falter.

"Alana..." Legolas started in a low voice, rubbing a hand up and down her arm soothingly. "Your abilities haven't fully returned yet, maybe you shouldn't get your hopes up."

Alana felt her heart stop for a moment. "No. It worked. I saved him. It was worth it. I did it to save him." But the doubt had started to wiggle its way in, and as she looked into Legolas's piercing blue eyes, she missed the spark they had when he smiled and she was reminded of that other vision she'd had. If this vision was wrong, the other one might not be true either, and Alana refused to let either of them be wrong. Her gaze hardened, despite Legolas's concerned expression, and her voice left no room for debate. "It's going to happen. It must. I refuse to let it be otherwise." 

Legolas had no idea of the secondary vision she was referring to, he only knew she had supposedly saved Boromir, and assumed that's the only reason she was so determined. "You suffered greatly for him, meleth nin, and no matter where he is, Boromir will know that and be grateful." He said in a steady voice. Though she didn't believe him, the tone soothed the tortured part of her mind that still showed her flashes of that moment, th violation, and she leant into him, resting her head comfortably against his chest. His arms naturally wrapped around her shoulders and he gazed down at her lovingly, though the moment was bittersweet.

Alana sighed against his chest. "It is the first time in my life that I have only been shown good memories, and the thought that it may be my powers malfunctioning is something I refuse to accept. The futures I've seen will come to pass, I'll make it so, no matter what."

Legolas did not ask what futures she'd seen, though his curiosity was evident in the intensity of his eyes, instead he just continued to hold her, appreciating the warmth of the moment and her arms around his waist. All that mattered was that these futures made her happy, and so Legolas refused to be the one to take the smile from her face.