Infinity Ring (Legolas Love Story)

Bonus: The Crowns of Mortals (One Shot)

I walked towards the deserted library of Rivendell and deliberately lost myself in the narrow aisles of the high book shelves. I went on and on until I reached the section of the ancient books, all written in Quenya.

Everything in this world was so much different than my previous life–all except a few little details, like the smell of the old, musty books. I guess, that one thing never changed, no matter which world one found themselves in. I breathed in the smell, willing it to ease the raging in my heart. But what it did was remind me of my previous home and of what I used to be.

I brought my hand to my lips as tears began to blur my sight. I cried silently as the face of what used to be a young, playful hobbit came into mind, and I was unable to correlate my memory to the aging image of the same hobbit that I met just seconds ago.

I had been living so long amongst the immortal elves that I failed to notice how time had passed by before my eyes. My life had been sheltered, preserved from the withering of time. Not a single strand of my hair turned grey; not a single wrinkle appeared on my skin–yet the ones I loved were withering away with time.

The mischief and goofiness in Pippin's smile and eyes was still there. But the rest of him…

I cried soundlessly, a trait I have developed since I started living in Mirkwood as an unconscious caution from elven superior hearing. Not that I wasn’t happy–I was. Truly. Being married to Legolas was the greatest joy that I would forever cherish.

Yet a happy, forever life I had with Legolas came with a price–one by one, I must watch my loved ones being taken into the arms of old age while I remain young and unchanging.

Frozen.

Was this always what the elves had to endure? How did they survive?

My arm pressed against a dark wooden shelf as I slid down to sit on the floor of the library; my delicate blue sky dress pooled around me like melted glacier, and I only felt slightly guilty for possibly ruining Thranduil's seamstress’ creation. I laid my head on the books, wondering how I would be able to face Pippin again tonight at dinner and kept a straight face…

From my peripheral vision I caught a glimpse of a white, silky fabric being waved gently at my face. I quickly straightened, and wiped my tears, before turning to see the kind soul who offered me their handkerchief.

My eyes met a pair of eyes so blue as they regarding me with both sympathy and a familiar pain that I couldn’t decipher at first. The tall elf with the broad shoulders smiled comfortingly as he insisted on giving away his handkerchief. Embarrassed that the elf had to see me cry, I forced myself to return his smile and took the soft fabric out of his hand with a thank you.

I thought I was getting really good at not putting my heart on my sleeves, yet his unexpected words broke me.

“The crown of mortals are the greying of their hairs.”

Another sob wracked my shoulders, and no matter how much I tried to not feel and not let it show in front of this beautiful stranger, my heart and my body did the exact opposite.

The handsome elf with the dazzling, glorious golden hair just sat there across from me, watching with sympathy as I ruined his handkerchief with my snot.

“Goheno nin (I’m sorry),” I croaked lamely at him, apologizing for his handkerchief and for crying. Oh god I hope he didn’t know Legolas and told him what happened here. It would make him feel bad for leaving me behind in Imladris as he went to Lorien with the twins.

“Don’t be. You do not have to act tough all the time just because you bore the title of the princess of Mirkwood.”

I felt slightly annoyed by his comment–what do you know anyway?