Legolas

        I walk down the hallways, wringing my hands nervously. What am I going to say to her? Is it strange for me to just show up at her door without an invitation? I want to see her, and I am almost there. I cannot just back out now, despite how much I am tempted to do so. I do not want to embarrass myself by stuttering or saying anything stupid, but I want to see her so badly. After the vision I had last night, I cannot think of anything else but her.

        I stop in front of her door and just stare at it for a moment. What if she is still sleeping? Guilt courses through my veins. I cannot wake her! That would be rude and inconsiderate; after all, I have nothing important to say to her. I do not even know what I am going to say when she opens the door.

        I sigh and raise my hand, hesitantly knocking on her door. If she does not answer then she is still asleep, and I will just come back later.

        "Just a moment," comes her soft voice floating through the door.

        My heart picks up speed as I hear her footsteps approaching the door. My mouth feels dry, and I can barely swallow down my nervousness. I breathe deeply, trying to calm myself down. Do not do anything stupid. You are a prince. Act like it.

        The door opens, and I swallow thickly, trying not to let my gaze wander in an ungentlemanly fashion. Eilonwy smiles tiredly at me. Her hair is draped loosely over her right shoulder in tousled, fiery waves. Her eyes are a darker green than they usually are, the way that they look in my visions when she is tired. What draws my attention, though, is the white nightgown that adorns her body. The nightgown is short, stopping a little bit above the middle of her thighs. It's straps are small, smaller than the reins on my horse which is something I have never seen an elleth wear in my entire life. I have never seen a lady wearing such little clothing. Well, I have seen in my visions Eilonwy wearing a lot less than this, but never in reality. Reality proves to be much more overwhelming.

        I cough awkwardly and turn my back on her immediately, feeling heat enter my cheeks.

        "Legolas," she says from behind me, "What is wrong?"

        I close my eyes, trying to control my thoughts that are running wild in my cluttered mind. "I think it would be best if you put on your night robe."

        "What do you mean?" she asks in alarm.

        "Just, please, do as I ask," I tell her quietly, trying to get the image of her slender legs out of my mind.     

        "Oh," she says hesitantly, "Well, I will just change quickly. You can wait in here if you want."

        I shake my head vigorously. "I will wait here," I state firmly, wanting nothing more than to flee before I do something that I will regret. I feel guilty thinking of her in an ungentlemanly way, but I cannot help it. She is so tempting!

        "Okay," she replies, and I hear her walk back into her room.

        I sigh in relief, feeling a bit better now that I cannot feel her hovering behind me. I wait outside of her door for a few minutes, and when she appears at her door once again dressed in a tunic and pants instead of a dress, I am composed once again.

        "I am sorry," I tell her immediately as she leads me into her room, "It is very improper in Middle Earth to see a lady dressed in such little clothing unless you are married to her."

        "Ah," Eilonwy says as she sits down on her bed and I sit down in a chair in front of her, "I did not know." She looks down, her cheeks darkening in mortification.

        "It is perfectly alright," I tell her, trying to lessen her embarrassment, "I was just a bit... surprised."

        She nods silently, still not looking at me.

     I am silent for a moment, as well, searching for something to say. "Are your bruises gone now?"

    Eilonwy looks up at me in surprise then looks down at her wrists. "Not yet, but they are becoming lighter in color."

    I hold out my hand to her and pull my chair up to where it is right beside her bed. "May I see them?"

    She nods and places her hand lightly in my own. I turn her hand over, inspecting the dark bruises on her wrist that are formed in the shape of the man's fingers. Anger pulses through me as I look at the marks he left on my Eilonwy's delicate, soft skin. I brush my fingers lightly over her wrist.

    "I will never let this happen again," I promise her, looking up into her brilliant green eyes. Her face is dangerously close to mine, but my resolve does not waver. I want to touch the soft skin of her cheeks and feel her lips against my own, but I stay where I am sitting, holding her hand in my own and staring into her innocent eyes.

    She looks down after a moment and says, "I did not tell anyone, but the man left bruises on my waist and my hips. His grip on me was strong and painful. Lady Galadriel knew because she read my mind. That is why she asked Lord Elrond to give me the entire jar of cream, but I forgot to put some on my bruises last night before going to bed."

    I look at her in shock. "Why did you not tell anyone? Are you in pain?" I ask her frantically.

    She laughs lightly. "I am fine, Legolas. They are only bruises," she says with a soft smile.

    I hesitate to ask her my next question, but my concern for her overrides any sense of propriety. "Stand up for a moment, please," I tell her, taking her hand and pulling her up with me. She stands close to me, considering there is barely any room between the bed and my chair. "You do not mind if I check your bruises do you?"

    She blushes immediately. "W-What? Wouldn't that be improper?"

    I grin at her shyness. "Believe me, I do not have ungentlemanly intentions with you, Eilonwy. I just want to make sure you are alright."

    She stares at me in bewilderment for a long while before she sighs. "Fine," she mumbles.

    I take the bottom of her silky tunic in my fingers and lift it slowly until the bruises come into view. The situation causes flashes of some of my visions to come to mind, and I do not dare to look at her expression. Her skin is unbearably soft underneath my fingertips, and I fight for control of my thoughts and emotions. Eilonwy's shaky breath fans across the side of my face as I look at the bruises in horror. "Eilonwy! Why did you not tell anyone of this?" I ask her sternly, my ungentlemanly thoughts fleeing from my mind for a moment.

    I look at the bruises once again. They are much darker than the ones on her wrists and the shape of fingers is more prominent. I push the hem of her pants down slightly, just enough to see the marks on her hips. I look back up at her and meet her gaze.

    "Where is the medicinal cream?" I ask her quietly as she continues to stare into my eyes. My face is mere inches from hers, and the way she is looking at me does not help me to contain my urge to take her into my arms and kiss her.

    She finally looks away, over to her nightstand. "It is over there," she says simply.

    I reluctantly release her shirt, letting the fabric fall back down over her porcelain skin. My chest constricts the farther I move away from her as I walk over to her nightstand and pick up the glass of cream. I move toward her once again and ask her to lift her shirt a bit, and she does so hesitantly. I open the glass container, swiping some of the cream onto my fingers before gently rubbing it on her bruises. She flinches slightly, and I immediately pull away from her, not wanting to cause her any pain.

    "It is fine. Continue," she says after a moment, "My skin feels very tender, is all."

    I nod warily and begin to apply it once again. I carefully apply the cool cream to every inch of bruised skin, taking care to not hurt her again. Once I finish, I place the container back on her nightstand.

    "Thank you, Legolas. You did not have to do that," she says to me when I turn around to face her, walking toward her once again.

    "'Tis no problem at all. I will always help you whenever I have the opportunity."

    Her lips form into a gorgeous smile, and she punches my shoulder lightly. "Must you always have the perfect answer to everything?"

    I stop in front of her and grin. "I only speak what I truly believe," I state honestly.

    "An honorable trait, indeed," she says teasingly, a beautiful laugh escaping her lips. The soft, tender look in her eyes calls to my very soul, and my heart stirs within my chest.

    "If I ask you a question, will you promise to tell me the answer?" I ask her hesitantly.

    She smiles. "Of course."

    I sigh, becoming nervous to ask my next question. "How do you feel about me?" I ask her, looking deeply into her green eyes.

    She looks at me with shock evident in her gaze. "Legolas," is all she says, her tone quiet, merely a whisper.

    I step closer to her, feeling the heat radiating from her skin and her breath fanning across my skin. "Tell me how you feel about me," I quietly beg her, "I know that we have not known each other for long, but I see a light in your eyes when you are with me. Is it just my imagination, or do you possibly care for me?"

    She watches me steadily for a long moment before answering me. "I care for you, Legolas," she says, and I can barely believe what she is saying, "But I am afraid of these feelings. I do not understand them. I have never felt this way for someone before, and I am confused."

    I am so relieved to hear her say those words in reality and not in my visions that, for a moment, I am almost positive I might cry. "You do not understand how happy I am to hear you say these words," I say, my voice quivering at the end of my sentence.

    Eilonwy shakes her head, her distressed expression hurting me. "We cannot be together, no matter how we feel for one another. You are a prince. I am no one. I know little of my parents, but I do know that neither of them had titles of importance."

    I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "We are equals, you and I," I tell her.

    Her smile drops. "Equals? We are far from equals," she says exasperatedly.

    I reach up, taking the crown from my head and setting it on the chair behind me. Her eyes widen as she watches me turn back to look at her. "If my title is your concern, then I will give it up," I state seriously.

    "You cannot," she breathes out in utter shock.

    "Tell me what I can do to make you accept me," I say, "I would willingly give up my crown if it meant having even the slightest chance of receiving your affection."

    "Then I will not ask it of you," she says, "I think it would be best if you leave my room, Legolas." Her eyes are stormy, raging with unspoken emotions as she looks at me, and her voice is merely a weak whisper.

    I finally bring myself to touch her. I lift my hand, brushing the smooth skin of her cheek with my fingers. I barely touch her, afraid that this is all just a dream and that she will disappear. "I do not think that you truly want me to leave," I answer.

    "I do not, but I know that it would be best," she says.

    I trace her cheekbone and jaw with my fingers, wanting to imprint every detail of her face in my mind. I step closer to her, leaving no room between our bodies. I take her face into my hands, resting my forehead against hers. Our breath mingles together as I rub my thumb delicately across her jaw. I have waited as long as I can. Now there is no going back.

    I lean in, our lips brushing ever so slightly, and heat spreads throughout my body. Her lips are warm and soft against my own as I press them to hers with a bit more pressure. My lips move against hers slowly as we learn the wondrous art of kissing for the very first time together. My hands move from her neck, down her silky arms, and finally rest against her ribs. As I kiss her, I am careful not to touch her waist or hips, afraid of ruining the best moment of my life by hurting the elleth that I love. I want more than anything to become lost in her touch, to whisper to her how much I love and adore her, but I know that now is not the time to do so. It is still much too early to confess my love to her, but admitting that I have feelings for her seems to have been a good decision on my part. I remembered from the moment she looked tenderly at me and said, "An honorable trait, indeed," that I was finally living one of the visions I have had of her. I remembered her gaze and her soft grin. That is how I knew to confess that I have feelings for her because this is exactly what happened in my vision, only experiencing this in reality is much better.

    Eilonwy kisses me back with equal warmth and emotion, placing her hands on my chest. Her fingers grip my tunic as I kiss her mouth passionately, savoring every touch, feeling, and breath we share together. She pulls away for a moment in order for us both to breathe before I claim her lips as my own once again. She is addicting. Her touch is like fire, and my skin is like ice, melting against her every caress. Her fingers brush against my jaw, pulling me even closer as my body molds against hers.

    Our kisses become even slower until we reach our last. I open my eyes, anxious to see her reaction. She stares into my eyes deeply as we both catch our breath. Her fingers fall from their place on my jaw, brushing down my skin until they come to a rest on my neck. Neither of us speak for long minutes, only staring at one another in wonder and awe and holding each other with tenderness and care. I find myself wanting nothing more than to kiss her once again, never ceasing for the rest of eternity. I want to stay in this moment for all of time.

    I wrap my arms around her fully, brushing my lips against hers once again.

    "Legolas," she says, my name rolling from her lips as a mere breath, and my body feels weak with desire for her.

    "Hmm?" Our noses brush lightly.

    "You really should leave," she whispers against my lips, "This is dangerous to us both."

    "I am not leaving," I reply as I tighten my arms around her a bit, "I want to kiss you again."

    She laughs breathily, and I press my lips to hers. Her arms slowly wrap around my shoulders, and I sigh against her lips. She is perfect, absolutely perfect, and I never want to let her go. As I kiss her, nothing else matters. My insecurities, worries, and doubts melt away under the pressure of her sweet lips, and I indulge myself in this moment, thinking only of how much I love her.

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A/N: The long awaited kiss. :D I hope this met your expectations! Please comment and tell me what ya think! See y'all next chapter!

Love,

Josie <3