Chapter Forty

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This is the day that the Lord has made, so let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24

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Eilonwy


Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn arrived yesterday and were just as happy for us as everyone else. Galadriel hugged me so tightly, I was afraid that she might break me, but it was pleasant and loving all the same. Lord Celeborn hugged me, also, which surprised me because we are not that close, and Legolas laughed at my shocked expression.

Today, Lord Elrond decided that we all eat in the private dining room reserved for his family and special guests, and as we are all sitting down and eating our breakfast, a servant comes in and bows. "My Lord Elrond, King Elessar and his family have arrived."

I glance at Legolas, excitement shooting through my veins, and I hear his mother gasp slightly. The next few moments are a blur as everyone bursts into chatter, rising from their seats and rushing to the door. Legolas grabs my hand, laughing as he pulls me out of the dining room. We follow the others out into the courtyard, and a wide grin pulls at my lips when I see Aragorn lifting Estrith off a horse.

"Aragorn!" I exclaim, rushing forward as he sets her on her feet, and I practically jump on him, hugging him tightly.

He laughs joyfully, embracing me in his warm, fatherly arms. "Eilonwy, we came as soon as we got your letter," he says as I pull away, "I am sorry to have kept you waiting."

Legolas stops beside me, grinning at him. "Eilonwy might be willing to accept your apology, but I am not."

Aragorn releases me from his hold, smirking at Legolas as the others around us laugh, and Arwen reunites with her parents quietly, all smiling and talking animatedly.

"Lady Eilonwy!" Estrith exclaims, throwing herself into my arms, and I pick her up, hugging her to me tightly.

"My dear Estrith, how I have missed you!" I say with a laugh, kissing her nose.

She giggles, pulling away to look at me with her beautiful, round eyes. "I missed you, too!" she says before glancing at Legolas who is watching us with an amused smile, "I was so happy when daddy told me you are marrying Legolas! I told him we had to leave immediately."

Legolas leans in, kissing her cheek, and she giggles again, her eyes shining in excitement. "You are incredible," he says to her, and I hand her over to him, watching as she places her hands on his cheeks seriously.

"Legolas, I am allowing this marriage to happen only because I would not part with you with anyone less worthy than Eilonwy," she says like an adult, staring at him with pursed lips and a raised brow.

Legolas laughs brightly as everyone around us erupts into laughter, and I look at Aragorn to see him shaking his head. "Well, I thank you so very much, Estrith," he says, feigning seriousness, and then he glances over at me with his handsome smirk, "I do not know what we would do without your approval."

Estrith grins, patting his cheek cutely. "You would never marry and end up old and alone," she says simply, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

Gwilithon bursts into laughter along with Elrohir, and Legolas kisses her cheek again, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Alright, alright, that is enough, Estrith," Aragorn says, chuckling lowly as Legolas sets her on her feet.

Arwen approaches me gracefully, pulling me into a warm embrace. "I was not surprised at all when Aragorn told me the news," she says with her bell-like laugh, "Though, it filled my heart with warmth to hear of your wedding. If there is anything you need help with, I am more than willing to do it, but Naneth says the wedding preparations are almost finished."

"Thank you, Arwen," I respond gratefully, smiling at the beautiful and delicate queen, "Where is Feyrith?"

"He is here," Galadriel says, walking over to me with the baby tucked carefully in her arms. She hands him over to me with a smile, and I pull him close to me, looking down at his sweet face.

"He has grown so much!" I exclaim in surprise, causing everyone to laugh.

"Yes, that is what happens with time, Eilonwy," Elrohir says sarcastically, and I glare at him jokingly.

Feyrith gurgles, looking up at me with his bright silver eyes. He pumps his little arms in the air, a smile pulling at his small lips as he looks up at me. I laugh, leaning down to kiss his soft cheek, and he gurgles again, looking up at me with trust and innocence shining in his eyes.

"He is so beautiful," I say, looking up at Arwen, and she smiles and thanks me.

Aragorn places his hand on my shoulder, looking at Legolas with a grin. "Is it alright if I steal her away for a moment?"

Legolas nods distractedly as Estrith pulls on his hand, trying to get his attention. "Yes."

I carefully place Feyrith back in his mother's arms, and Aragorn leads me through the crowd of friends who are all talking loudly and laughing. We walk into Lord Elrond's home and through several hallways before Aragorn opens the door to a small tea room, and we sit down in the comfortable seats.

"How are you? There have been no dangers or threats?" he asks seriously, leaning forward to place his arms on his knees.

I shake my head. "Nothing, just as I told you in my letter. Nothing unusual has happened."

He nods, running his hand down the side of his face in thought. "That is very strange. In all my years I have never seen someone act like this. I am worried for you," he says, "In my opinion, I think you and Legolas are doing the right thing. Marriage is such a blissful event, and it may just give you some peace and something good to think on."

I smile, looking down for a moment. "I cannot believe that I will be married tomorrow. At times, I worry that I am not quite ready to take on the responsibilities that will come with being Legolas's wife."

Aragorn moves to sit in the chair beside mine, taking my hand in his comfortingly. "You are more than ready, Eilonwy. It is fear that holds you back. I know because I have experienced it. I ran from my duty of taking my rightful place as king for so long, and it was simply because of fear. I was scared of ruling, of being king. I did not know a single thing about leading a kingdom, but I eventually did it. I have not regretted becoming king, either. It has given me my beautiful and loving wife, my children, and the promise of a good life for each and every one of them once I pass on."

I nod understandingly. "I know that I will not regret it," I say quietly, wanting to tell him just how nervous I am but not knowing how to do so.

Aragorn smiles softly and squeezes my hand. "Do not look like that, Eilonwy. Everything will go smoothly, you will see."

I furrow my eyebrows, embarrassed when I feel tears come to my eyes. I wipe harshly at my eyes. "I am so silly. I do not know why I am crying!"

Aragorn wraps his arm around my shoulders. "You can tell me of your worries. You need not be embarrassed," he says lowly, rubbing my arm.

"It is hard for me to know that I will be getting married tomorrow, and my parents will not be there," I say quietly, leaning my head against his shoulder, "I never knew them, but my heart feels as if there is a hole in it where they belong. It feels all wrong for some reason. I dreamt of my wedding day since I was a little girl, and I never once thought that I would not have my parents there. I, of course, had different parents on earth, and I feel guilty for never thinking of them. But it is worse knowing that I do not have my real parents here, either,"

"There is nothing that you can do about that, Eilonwy, and I know it is hard to cope with. I have lost my parents, as well, but I know in my heart that they are watching over me," he says quietly, looking down at me sadly.

"I am grateful to have you here," I tell him, feeling my eyes tear up once again, "You do not know how much it means to me to have you walk me down the aisle. You are the closest thing I have to a father, and I love you as such."

Aragorn tries to hide it, but I see his eyes become misty as he speaks. "And I love you as a daughter. Nothing could have prevented me from traveling here."

I fall silent for a moment before looking up at him shyly. "I am extremely nervous," I admit finally.

He chuckles deeply. "I was wondering when you would tell me that. I can see it in your eyes," he says, "I assume the others have been teasing you?"

I nod, laughing. "Yes. When Legolas's parents arrived, his ada decided to give me some very embarrassing advice for our wedding night. I almost died of mortification, but he was just trying to be helpful. It was still awkward, the king of Mirkwood giving me details about something so private."

Aragorn laughs loudly. "You know, that does not surprise me. Has anyone else tried to ease your nerves?"

I shake my head. "No, I keep expecting them to, though. Legolas made me feel much better sometime ago when I told him my fears, but I do not think he is as nervous as I am, despite what he says."

He shakes his head. "Do not let him fool you. Legolas is excellent at hiding his true feelings, a trait he shares with his father, but he cannot hide anything from me. He is nervous, possibly more so than you," he says with a smirk.

"And how do you know this?" I ask disbelievingly, raising my eyebrows at him.

Aragorn chuckles. "Legolas is my oldest, greatest friend. I know him like the back of my hand. He cannot hide anything from me," he says amusedly, "Plus, as a married man, I know how he feels. I was a man who had lived in the wild for so many years, rugged and free, and I was marrying the daughter of Lord Elrond who was the most beautiful elleth I had ever had the blessing of gazing upon. I always wondered- and still do to this day- why she chose me as the one she loved. She had plenty of other suitors who looked much better than me since they were elves, but she did not care for a single one of them. So, I was absolutely terrified on our wedding night because I did not know what I was doing, and I felt horribly insecure. But four children later, I can tell you that the nerves you feel are going to disappear quickly, and you are going to wonder why you were ever afraid to begin with."

I nod, enjoying the way his eyes light up when he speaks of Arwen, and I secretly hope that is how Legolas's eyes will look years from now when he speaks of me. "I believe you," I say with a smile, "And your words are a great comfort to me. Thank you."

He nods, squeezing my shoulders once before standing. He offers me his hand, and I take it, standing up and following him to the door. "We should get you back to Legolas now. I am sure he is anxious as to why I have kept you away so long."

We make our way outside, and we find everyone in the back of the house. The children, including the overgrown children: Elrohir and Gwilithon and, of course, my husband-to-be, are running around in the lush grass, laughing and shouting. Legolas, Gwilithon, and Elrohir run from Aragorn's children as they chase them. I watch, my heart feeling warm and light, as Legolas runs slowly in order for Estrith to catch him, and when she does, he scoops her up into his arms as she shrieks with laughter.

Aragorn and I approach the adults who are sitting under the shade of the awning, conversing happily and watching the ellyn play with the children. Arwen spots us and smiles. "Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder where you had gotten off to," she says as Aragorn takes the seat beside her, and he leans in to kiss her head tenderly, then Feyrith's.

I leave them to walk over to Legolas, and when he spots me, he grins. "There she is!" he exclaims as he sets Estrith down, "Get her!"

My eyes widen in surprise as the girls bolt toward me along with Legolas and the other two. "No!" I protest, and I turn to run.

I laugh loudly as I attempt to run from them, but they catch up to me quickly. Legolas grabs me by the waist, twirling me around as the girls laugh brightly. He sets me back down on my feet, and I turn around to look at him with a huge smile. "Was that really necessary?" I ask him with a laugh.

"Entirely," he answers with a smirk.

"Lady Eilonwy," Estrith asks as she tugs on the end of my dress, looking up at me with a smile, "When you and Legolas get married, are you going to have a baby like Feyrith?"

Gwilithon chokes on his laughter, and I look down at the innocent child as a blush spreads across my skin. I glance up at Legolas when he laughs along with Elrohir, and he is grinning widely. He wraps his arm around me, looking down at me with shining eyes. "Oh, yes, Estrith. Eilonwy and I are going to have many, many children for you to be friends with," he says, smirking down at me.

"Ah! Thranduil, we are going to have many grandchildren," Legolas's naneth exclaims, and everyone laughs at her overjoyed, teasing exclamation.

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That night as I am brushing my hair, a knock sounds at my door.

"Enter."

I turn to see Legolas entering my room, and he shuts the door quietly. "Legolas, I did not know you were coming to see me," I tell him in surprise.

He wraps his arms around my waist. "I had to come and speak to you," he says lowly, resting his forehead against mine, "How are you feeling?"

My heart picks up speed in my chest as he trails his fingers down my neck, staring at me with his intense gaze. "I am nervous," I admit, "But our conversation from a few days ago helped a bit, and Aragorn spoke to me today."

Legolas smiles softly. "I knew he would. He loves you very much. He spoke to me, also."

"He did?" I question.

He nods, kissing me softly.

"Are you nervous?" I ask him breathlessly when he pulls away, "Aragorn told me you were."

He chuckles deeply. "And how did Aragorn know such a thing?" he asks, his eyes crinkling at their corners, "Yes, I am quite nervous." His statement is low in tone, and he tightens his arms around my waist.

"I am glad you told me. I was beginning to think I was the only one," I say as he kisses my jaw, "I cannot believe that we will be married tomorrow."

"Nor I. 'Tis like a dream," he murmurs, trailing kisses down my neck.

My breath catches as he kisses the hollow of my throat, and I feel my cheeks turning hot. He has kissed my neck before, but never so low. "Legolas," I breathe, "You should not..."

His warm breath caresses my skin as his nose brushes against my skin, traveling up my neck and stopping at my ear. "Forgive me," he says quietly, his voice low and husky.

"I love you," I tell him, the blush still clinging to my skin, and I can feel my blood rushing through my veins quickly.

He gazes into my eyes deeply. "I love you."

He kisses me, and I know in my heart that tomorrow will be the best day of my life. I will finally be his wife, and he will finally be my husband.

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A/N: Freaking out right now because I FINALLY get to write their wedding! Keep in mind that I want the next chapter to be as awesome as possible so it may take a while to write, but I will try to get it written and posted asap!! I love y'all and all of your lovely comments! Please keep them coming! <3 God bless each and every one of you!

Love,

Josie

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