The Last Othellan

A Tentative Trust

The next day dawned far too soon. It felt like no time at all before a voice was calling my name, pulling me out of a blissful, dreamless sleep. I was unbelievably comfortable lying in the arms wrapped tightly around me, and blankets covered me from head to toe. I grumbled sleepily and frowned as I woke, burying myself deeper into bed and keeping my eyes closed.

I felt rather than heard a chuckle from a person very close to me, and, as I mentally shook myself out of slumber, I remembered the events of the previous night.

 My forehead was still leaning against Legolas' chest, and his chin was resting on top of my head. His long arms clutched me tightly to his body. His legs were stretched out and I reached mine down too, brushing his feet with mine. I ducked my head even further under the blankets as my cheeks turned bright red. Evidently Legolas noticed and I felt his quiet laugh resonate through his chest again.

Deciding that I couldn't stay hidden forever, although I had to admit I wouldn't mind staying here with him for hours, I lifted my head cautiously. "Morning" I muttered quietly, trying in vain to stop my cheeks from turning red again. Legolas smiled his greetings.

"How did you sleep?" he asked. His arms were still wrapped securely around me, but I felt no desire to move away.

"Better than I have done in weeks" I answered honestly, smiling a little.

"Then you don't regret this?" he raised his eyebrows, eyes travelling down to look at the shape we made, tangled in our blankets. I couldn't resist grinning.

"Not in the least"

Legolas grinned contentedly back. "Good". He pulled back the blankets and I curled up tighter, trying to pull them back around me with a groan as he stood and cold air whirled around me. "Not a morning person?" he queried, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

I shook my head, but couldn't keep a slight smile from crossing my face as Legolas chuckled.

There was to be a council that morning discussing what Pippin had seen in the Palantír, so I changed back into my normal clothes and left Eowyn's dress folded neatly on her bed. I returned to the room we had slept in to find Pippin grinning mischievously up at me, seemingly none the worse for his ordeal the previous night.

"Morning" he said nonchalantly. I raised my eyebrows confusedly at him for a second, then I remembered that Merry and Pippin hadn't known that Legolas and I were together. Until now, that is. Pippin tilted his head back slightly to where Legolas was standing, deep in conversation with Gimli, and winked humorously. I felt my cheeks rouge for the second time that morning but I managed to recover myself with a roguish smirk.

"Mind your own business, Took". Pippin sniggered appreciatively and we made our way to the Golden hall to await the king.

***

We stood around a small fire in the middle of the Golden Hall, with Merry and Pippin slightly to the side. Merry stood by his cousin's chair, wearing a tense expression, while Pippin merely looked bemused. I stood next to Gimli, near the king, who had listened carefully to our account of the events of the previous night and now seemed to be far away, thinking deeply.

"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes", Gandalf was saying solemnly. "A fool, but an honest fool, he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the ring". Beside me, Gimli, who had miraculously slept through the entirety of the previous night's events, let out a quiet sigh of relief.

I doubted Pippin knew the extent of the danger he was in now that the Dark Lord knew of his existence. If he did, he would not have been so light-hearted earlier that morning. I wondered for a second whether I should have warned the hobbit of this danger, but I decided that, even if I had thought of it, I wouldn't have had the heart to make him afraid.