At the End of All Things [LotR / Legolas] Book 3

XXX-2

XXX - Epilogue part II

Legolas smiled in content as he looked down at the small dragon on his chest, it was lighter in color than it had been before - its skin glittering almost like Ára's did in her dragon form.

    "I'm starting to worry you like that mark more than you actually like me, Leaf-boy." Ára's lips tugged up into a smirk as he looked up from his chest and to the door which she had entered through.

    "I like the mark," he said with a smile - reaching out a hand towards Ára as he waited for her to grasp it. Once she did he pulled her into his chest, his free arm wrapping around her waist to pull her even closer as his lips brushed along her ear; "you, I love."

He was gratified with her soft laugh.

    "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

    "For the ceremony?" She asked, looking up to see him nodding; "yes," she said. "though I'm a little nervous about how many people are coming."

    "Don't worry about them," Legolas said, kissing her forehead softly - "think about all of those you want to be there and forget about all the other people my father invited."

    "As long as you're there, I figure I will be fine," she chuckled - "it's not like I'm scared of the crowds, this is just something I view as a bit of an intimate affair I guess."

    "It is just a ceremony - Ára," Legolas smiled softly as he cupped her face with one hand, "I am yours and you are mine - we already know this, whatever else comes along is just a celebration of the fact."

She smiled up at him, eyes soft and filled with the same emotion he felt whenever he looked at her. "You are quite a smooth-talker, aren't you?"

He chuckled, "did it work?"

    "Yeah," she admitted.

*        *        *

    "I need to borrow Ára for a second," Gimli came into the throne room where Thranduíl and Dwalin were throwing their latest changes at Ára, as well as going through how things were going down tomorrow. Legolas had guard duties to attend to so she had been stuck here with the two bickering men for most of the afternoon.

Her wide eyes flashed up towards Gimli the moment he spoke up, and she was rising from her chair before he had even finished speaking - mouthing a 'thank you' in his direction.

In her hurry to get out of the room she missed the way the three males shared a look, and only when they had gotten outside the keep and Gimli held up a piece of cloth, did she understand something was up.

    "Gimli?" Her eyebrows rose slightly.

    "Tie this around your head so that you cannot see." He ordered, "no peeking, lass."

Once done, she could feel him guiding her along the forest, her senses making her able to distinguish the direction they were going but other than the sounds of the forest around them all was silent.

Gimli stopped her suddenly, and she could feel someone else step up to her.

    "Can I take my blindfold off now?"

    "Keep it on a little while longer, lass." Gimli sounded like he was further away now, and she could sense other people around her as well, making her furrow her eyebrows underneath her blindfold. She was even more confused when she could feel that Legolas was not that far away - had they walked to the border of the forest? It didn't seem that far.

Without a warning she could feel someone untying the blindfold and she blinked rapidly to clear her eyes before she looked around, eyes widening at the sight in front of her.