"Nanny's philosophy of life was to do
what seemed like a good idea at the time,
and do it as hard as possible.
It had never let her down."

― Terry Pratchett, Maskerade

53. Of White Trees and Dates

A small crowd had already gathered outside the citadel when Kat and Nellas arrived; fine folk that Kat didn't know. She had no idea what would happen, for King Elessar, as Aragorn now was called, had been very secretive when he summoned them that afternoon and he had not yet arrived.

Nellas disappeared into the crowd and reappeared beside Boromir in the center of the courtyard by the dead tree.

Kat scanned the people for the others of the Fellowship and found them lined up by the wall overlooking the city. As usual her eyes were drawn to Legolas.

She had planned to deliver Námo's message to him today. It would be her first opportunity since the coronation, for they had been staying in different houses; he resided with the male Fellowship members here at the top circle while Kat shared a room with Nellas near the Houses of Healing.

Nellas had spent most of the past days with Denethor, singing to him and taking him on walks in the garden, and Kat was too intimidated by the city people to go visit the others alone. They didn't do anything, but they stared in a way that she hated.

Instead she had joined Nellas, relaxing in the beautiful environment, eating well and listening to the inspiring sounds of the city being rebuilt after the war, and acting as a chaperon whenever Boromir came to visit them – which was often.

None of the others had come, but Kat had tried not to mind, telling herself they were probably busy resting, eating and settling in as well, but at the same time she worried Legolas was keeping himself away to protect his heart.

Vairë had said Námo's words would help Legolas decide if he hesitated, so now she joined him at the wall, gathering her courage to convey the message.

To her surprise Legolas greeted her with a warm smile and looked at her with a gaze that didn't waver. There was something different in his countenance; the awkwardness and embarrassment from before seemed gone.

"There you are at last. I missed you." His eyes had still not left hers.

Kat's stomach filled with butterflies. Why would he say that? And if he had missed her so much, then why hadn't he visited her?

Shyly she turned her gaze down, but instantly regretted it as she felt the usual weightless lurch in her stomach at the sheer drop. She took a quick step backwards. "Aah... I hate high places."

"I know." He took her hand and put it on his arm, pulling her closer in the act. "Yet, at Mount Doom you defied your fear; that must have taken courage. I admire your fortitude."

"Says he who do not like darkness and walked into a mountain full of ghosts," she countered.

"Ach, don't mention that again, my lass!" Gimli wiped his brow. "It was horrible, I tell you, even for a dwarf."

"It was." Legolas lowered his voice so only Kat could hear the last part. "At the time, I wished you were there."

Kat found no words.

"Are you free later?" His voice was still subdued. "I need to talk to you."

ʕ(O _ O)ʔ

Aragorn and Gandalf soon arrived, carrying something in a box.

"This tree was left dead until the king would return." Gandalf indicated the withered branches. "But now I tell you: verily the king has returned, and upon the slopes of Mindolluin he found a sapling of the line of Nimloth the fair, descendant of Telperion, eldest of trees."

Aragorn took a plant from the box and held it up. "This tree shall bear blossom and fruit in the years to come, and be a symbol of Gondor and the House of Elendil. Behold the fourth tree of Gondor!"

"The fourth tree!" cheered the crowd, and then: "Elessar! Elessar! Long live the king!"

"It is adorable." Legolas regarded it with fondness.

A ceremony followed, where the old tree was uprooted and reverently taken away to be preserved, and the new one being planted in its stead.

Meanwhile, Legolas murmured to Kat the history of the previous white trees. The first one was a seedling from a tree that had stood in the lost kingdom of Númenor, where Aragorn's forefathers had lived, and the following two were planted from seeds of that one. They were said to die when the king died, and that new saplings would be found and begin to bloom only when there was a new king.

Kat had a hard time paying attention to Legolas' tale and the ceremony before her. All she could think of was how close he stood, and how his breath tickled her ear, and how pleasant his voice was, and what it could be he wanted to talk to her about.

When the tiny tree had been duly planted, Boromir went to stand beside Aragorn. "I will take this opportunity to announce something as well. As Steward of Gondor, I have sworn loyalty to King Elessar, and my descendants shall continue to serve him when I am gone. Today I will take a step to ensure that succession." He indicated Nellas. "This elf-maid here is Nellas, the new Lady of Emyn Arnen." He gave Aragorn a grateful glance. "As I have been granted the princedom of North Ithilien, it is my wish to unite these realms, and I therefore announce my intentions to take this lady to be my wife. Our wedding shall be held in two months' time, on the same day my brother Faramir weds Lady Éowyn of Rohan."

The gathered people cheered loudly at this, but Nellas gave him a stern look and said something in Sindarin.

Legolas snorted. "She says he ought to ask her first," he whispered.

Boromir blushed and then laughed heartily. Taking Nellas' hand, he fell on one knee. Kat didn't understand what he said next, but she didn't have to; this was as obvious a proposal as they came.

She peeked at Legolas and found him looking back at her with a tiny smile on his lips. A new swarm of butterflies rushed through her body.

"She said yes," he told her needlessly.

The assembled began to disperse soon afterwards, but Kat lingered, reluctant to leave Legolas and also unsure where to go. Nellas had disappeared into the citadel together with her new fiancé, presumably to celebrate their betrothal. Should Kat join them? Or return home alone?

"Coming, lad?" asked Gimli. "The hobbits have invited me to a pipe in the garden, but I could take a drink with you instead if you prefer."

"Go with them; I will escort Kat home. She should not walk alone."

"I dare say you don't want me to join you, then." He winked.

"Nay, that will not be necessary." Legolas' face betrayed nothing.

Legolas and Kat walked down the winding street in silence. Her heart beat fast in anticipation of what he would say. It had almost seemed as if... But no. Best not speculate and get disappointed.

Instead she pondered whether to deliver Námo's message to him as she had planned, but somehow it felt awkward to bring it up before she knew what he was going to say.

They had entered the sixth circle of Minas Tirith now, and instead of going to Kat's house Legolas led her into the garden Nellas was so fond of.

A seagull cried in the distance. He squinted at the sky, shading his eyes against the setting sun with a hand. "I wonder if it is the same one that followed me from Pelargir?" he mused.

Kat's chest grew tight and the fluttery anticipation immediately disappeared. Was this about his sea-longing again? Had he planned to tell her he had changed his mind and would sail soon after all?

"What is it like – the place elves go to?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant and hide her worry.

He must have sensed it anyway, for he pulled her closer on his arm. "I am not leaving yet," he assured her. "But to answer your question... Aman, as it is called, is said to be a very beautiful and secluded island. Only elves dwell there, and given our long lives, they have had time to build the most astonishing cities and plant the loveliest forests. It is a place to live the rest of one's life in peace."

"So... A bit like... Uh." Kat pointed upwards. "I do not know the word, but I talked with you about it before."

"Aye, and I sensed your meaning then, though there are no words for it in my language. You point at the sky, but that is not where it is, am I right?"

Kat nodded.

"I think you mean the place where human fëar travel after death."

She nodded again, remembering that Ronald had used the word fëa for a person's soul.

"It is what we call 'the Gift of Men'," Legolas continued. "It is truly a gift, for if what you said then was true, there will be no sorrow there; no heartache; no death."

"Can you die in Aman then?"

"Sadly, you can. When elves die we get reborn there, and if we die again we get reborn again. There is no way for us to leave this world – not until the end of time." He sighed.

"But you will meet your mother. That is good, yes?"

"Maybe. But I never knew her, and as for my father..." He shrugged. "Adar and I are very different." He sat down on the grass, leaning back on one elbow to gaze at the gull again. "I wish I also could go to a place where there is no sorrow and no death. And... I envy you another thing."

"What?" Kat sat down beside him, tucking her legs under her.

He looked at her wistfully. "Forgiveness."

Kat thought she knew what he meant. She recalled how worried he had been a long time ago when they talked about whether orcs had souls, and that was before the war. He must have killed countless more orcs by now, and perhaps human warriors too.

"It was not your fault."

He looked away, his jaw tensing. "I know."

Aching with sympathy, she moved a fraction closer. Would he push her away if she gave him a hug? He looked like he badly needed one.

But before she had gathered the courage to touch him he sat up, shrugging off his sadness. "I did not bring you here to speak of bleak things. There is something I want to ask you."

She swallowed. "Oh."

"I have been thinking about the future, and my plans to found a settlement in Ithilien. Human cities are dirty and smelly, and the people seem biased against you regarding your looks. Therefore I would like to invite you to live with the elves later – if you want to?"

"Yes, I want." Kat nodded eagerly.

"Good, that is settled then." He smiled, but soon turned serious again. "I am glad you accepted. I enjoy being with you. Like just now... I can talk to you about anything, and you never fail to comfort me."

"But I do not say much."

"You do not have to. Your presence comforts me."

Her throat constricted and she longed even more to hug him.

"Do you remember that time when you thought I was falling in love with Nellas?" he suddenly said.

"I did not think you was." Her face grew hot.

His eyes strayed back to the gull, and now Kat noticed his cheeks were turning slightly pink too. He wasn't as calm as he pretended to be.

"And do you remember I said then that I would never marry anyone?"

Kat stopped breathing.

"My people say that an elf who chooses not to marry will have a 'strange fate'. To me, that always sounded alluring. I did not want to be tied down with a wife and children, and thus I taught myself to guard my feelings and never get close to females. But lately... The past few days I have pondered a lot over this and come to the conclusion that adventure is not for me, after all. I just want peace. Settling down." His color deepened. "Do you remember when we parted in Rohan?"

Thankfully he didn't seem to expect a reply, for Kat was unable to speak at the moment.

"You told me something then. And I was wondering..." He hesitated, looking at her almost shyly. "I wondered whether what you said then is still true?"

"Yes," she managed.

He gazed into the sky again. "Then, I considered you my best friend, but I obviously had no, uh, deeper feelings for cat-you."

"Of course, and I... Eh, I never expi– expe..."

"I know. You did not expect me to." He smiled faintly. "But what you did not know then was that ever since the Mirror, uh, incident, I had been thinking about, uh... the real you. But in a shameful way. Nay, don't shake your head, it was shameful. I still had no intentions to marry anyone at that time, and I only used such thoughts to..." He didn't fill in the rest, for which Kat was grateful. "Then you returned as yourself, and I was painfully reminded of what I had done, but you said thinking was not wrong so... in my weakness I allowed myself to think more about you. And this was when I began to reevaluate my previous decisions. I asked myself why I was so set on remaining unwed when I no longer wished for adventure, and in addition clearly longed for... uh... intimacy. Yet, marriage is a big step, and an irreversible one. The thought frightens me."

This was easily becoming the most embarrassing moment of Kat's life, but also the most thrilling. Had he just implied what she thought he had?

But he was right. Marriage was a big step, and though she knew Legolas well as a friend, what was to say they would work as a couple?

"Why must it be so serious?" she asked. "Why 'to marry, or not marry'? In my world we do this... thing. We call it dating. It is when two persons want to know if they are good together. So they test it."

Legolas' forehead furrowed as he tried to understand. "Test it? How can you test marriage without marrying?"

"Well, you are together a lot and talk. And you can maybe hold his hand, and hug, and..." Her eyes fell on his lips.

"It would be highly inappropriate." He seemed to be looking at her lips as well. "Besides, elves are not like that. They know their heart; if they fall in love, they marry. This dating would never work for if an elf had committed his heart he would be forever alone afterwards."

"Why do you think elves are so different? The more I know you, the more I feel... how like we are."

"Alike," he corrected absentmindedly.

"How are you sure an elf can not love one, and then another?"

He didn't reply at first. Then he chuckled unexpectedly. "Nellas has tried to tell me we can. She loved a human man a long time ago, but after he died she got over it and fell in love with Boromir instead." He glanced at her. "If an elf loves a human, that is a drawback. Death."

Now. It was time.

"About that... I have a message to you by Lord Námo."

"A message to me? From the Valar?" Legolas sat bolt upright.

The message was in Sindarin, but Kat had learned it by heart and knew the meaning of it. Hoping she didn't butcher his native tongue too badly, she recited:

Thy valiant deeds,
Thy loyalty and courage,
Neither passed unseen.
When thine heart is heavy
Thy future bleak
Remember Lúthien's Gift
For that same Gift,
is also offered thee.

For a long time Legolas was silent, staring unseeingly into the air. "The Gift..." he murmured at last. "I get the Gift? A mortal life, a mortal death..."

"Only if you want. It means you would die. Maybe you–"

"I do. Of course I do!" He suddenly grinned widely. "Did you not listen before? The Gift means no sorrow... no death... forgiveness! Redemption! Aye, I want this."

Warmth flooded Kat's chest; it was wonderful to see him so happy. She should have conveyed the message sooner.

They sat together in silence for a while, both thinking about this new reality and what it meant.

Legolas – a mortal. Like her. Sharing the human fate in life and death, and joining them in Heaven afterwards.

Then something struck her. "But you will not be an elf anymore."

"I would still look like one." He smirked.

"Good. I like your look." She smirked back. "But I meant not that. I meant, you are not an elf, so then you can be dating someone."

"Dating." His gaze locked with hers. "And this someone... would be you?"

"It could." For the second time that evening Kat stopped breathing.

"People would scorn us. They would say I am dishonoring you, and that you are an immoral... harlot." His lips twitched.

"Look at me." She indicated her brown skin. "They do not like me anyway."

He looked. "I cannot see why."

"Also, we can be together when people do not see."

"Being discreet, you mean..."

Kat nodded eagerly. Was he really considering this?

"Well then." He took her hand. "I accept your offer. Will you date me?"

His serious tone would have made her laugh if she was not so excited and terrified and thrilled at the same time.

"I will." She crept closer and did what she had longed to do all evening. Slipping her arms around his waist, she hugged him, and when she rested her head against his chest she heard his heart beating fast.

"I missed having you in my arms." He drew her closer. "Adanig nín."

Kat couldn't reply. She was overwhelmed by his scent, his warmth, his strong arms around her, and the surreal feeling that this was too fantastic to be true.

He stroked her hair gently. "Softer than a cat," he muttered, and after a while added: "You mentioned talking and hugging. What else do people do when they are dating?"

"Oh. Other... things." She turned her head up.

"Other things sound good to me." Smiling, he bent down and kissed her on the lips.

A/N:

In the next chapter we shall have the long awaited RETURN OF THE CUDDLES! Stay tuned. :)

Image Credits:

Screenshot from The Lord of the Rings movies.