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"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." -Psalm 37:7

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Arahaelon

"What do you wish to know?" she asks me, glancing down at her hand in mind.

"Tell me about you. What do you enjoy doing?" I ask, not able to take my eyes off of her. She looks like a vision sitting on the white bench with the flowers surrounding her. She looks even better than I had imagined she would, like an ethereal being from a blissful dream.

"Reading," she replies simply, stopping to think about it for a moment, "But my favorite thing to do is to take walks in the forest. I have never seen such beauty before."

"Nor I," I say lowly, taking in the sight of her fiery curls falling down her small shoulders and all the golden flecks in her green eyes. She blushes deeply when she realizes that I was talking about her and looks away.

"What do you like to do?" she asks me quietly, reaching out to touch a small flower beside her.

"To read and take long walks in the forest," I say, and she rolls her eyes slightly, laughing.

"No, really, what types of things do you enjoy?" she asks, turning to me curiously.

"I was being perfectly serious," I complain, smirking a bit, "I do love reading and the forest, but I guess my favorite thing to do is draw."

"You draw?" she questions, her eyes widening with interest, and I find myself smiling. "I have always longed to, but I draw so poorly."

"I can teach you," I offer, and she looks at me with such an adorable expression of excitement, causing me to chuckle deeply.

"You would do that?" she asks incredulously.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

She smiles radiantly, lowering her gaze and turning to look out across the gardens. "My mother would have loved this place," she whispers, her eyes turning sad, and she shakes her head, "She passed away many years ago, but the pain... it is still fresh inside of me."

I frown slightly, not knowing that she had lost her mother. "What was her name?" I prod gently.

"Lilaluth," she breathes, her chest rising and falling in a deep sigh, "Ada called her Lily as a sweet endearment. She was everything that I wanted to grow up to be. Faraine looks exactly like her and mostly shares her same personality traits. I was always so envious of that. I felt cursed to have red hair. People always made such a fuss about it when I was a child, and I guess that is why I have a hard time opening up to others because I was always put down. I felt ugly."

I look at her, wondering how she could ever dislike herself. She is gorgeous and delicate, like a rose among thorns compared to all the other ladies I have ever seen. "You should never feel that way," I tell her, squeezing her hand softly, and she turns her round eyes to look at me in wonder, "You are beautiful."

Her cheeks flush a violent shade of red, and she stands, turning from me and taking her hand away from mine. "Y-you should not say such things," she whispers, and I stand, too, carefully wrapping my fingers around her arm and turning her around to face me.

"Why? Do you not believe me?" I ask her softly, watching the way her cheeks stain with the loveliest shade of pink I have ever seen. She does not look at me, but instead at her feet, her long eyelashes fluttering like the butterflies around us.

"You are the Crown Prince."

I laugh. "Yes, I am. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything!" she exclaims, her eyes flashing up to meet mine. "I am not worthy to even be here in this garden with you. You so casually overlook that."

I reach out to touch one of her crimson curls that rests over her collarbone, my other hand still holding her arm to prevent her from fleeing. "'Tis I that is not worthy to be here with you," I tell her truthfully, quietly, searching her eyes.

Her lips part as she stares at me in surprise.

"Please, sit back down with me, Annalee," I ask her, taking her small hands in mine, "I do not wish for you to be upset with me."

"I am not upset," she says as we sit down. "I am very flattered, actually. No one has ever told me such a thing."

"It is true."

Her skin is still rosy as she glances up at me. "Thank you," she says quietly and looks down at her hands in her lap.

We are silent for a moment, and I allow her to collect her thoughts. She turns to me after a moment, curiosity in her green eyes once again. "Do you ever worry about being king someday?"

I am thrown off guard by her question, but I do not let it show on my face. "Sometimes," I answer vaguely, though it is not the truth. Worry eats away at me everyday, wondering when my father will call me into his study and tell me that he wants to give up his crown. I am terrified of making the wrong decisions for the kingdom, even though I have been preparing my entire life to be a great king. I think too much, and I am slow to act, a trait that my father and brothers do not share with me.

"It must be an awful lot of stress," she remarks distractedly, staring off into the distance, "I have read and listened to stories of royalty my entire life and have always been fascinated by such tales of the nobility, but being here at the palace and observing you and your family... well, you seem so ordinary."

I chuckle amusedly at her words, and her eyes widen.

"I did not mean any offense!" she corrects herself, laughing in embarrassment,"I only meant that you all remind me of my family before my mother died. I am not quite sure what I expected, but the atmosphere, the reality, is so very different than what I imagined."

"My family is quite ordinary, but Tadion is one in a million," I reply, and she laughs.

"I must agree," she says, giggling softly, "Was his story of you true?"

I clear my throat, refusing to blush in front of her. "I was just a child."

"I felt bad for laughing, but the story was so unexpected," she says, still laughing, and she covers her lips with her hand.

"That is Tadion for you," I mumble, silently vowing to get him back for it later.

"Do not worry, I will not hold it against you. Faraine has plenty of embarrassing stories about me. I would be so upset if she were to tell anyone, so I will not laugh at you any longer."

We turn when we hear voices floating through the garden, and I glower at Legolas when he appears through the rows of flowers, Tadion by his side.

"Brother, how unexpected to see you here," Tadion says innocently, and Legolas laughs, "We were just taking a stroll through the gardens. Oh, and look, it is the lovely Annalee by his side."

"What do you want, Tadion?" I ask him annoyedly as he stops in front of us. He wedges himself between us, wiggling to make room, and Annalee laughs along with Legolas.

"Legolas, join us!" he exclaims, howling with laughter, and Legolas shakes his head, grinning.

"Tadion, would you please get off?" I groan, trying to push him away, but he puts all of his weight on me.

"If I leave, 'twill make Annalee sad, and we do not want that," he says, and she laughs melodically.

"Tadion, I am not quite sure if this bench fits three people," she says.

"You know, you are quite right. Arahaelon, would you please get up? You are taking up all the room."

Legolas sits down at our feet, looking up at Annalee with a mirthful grin as she laughs beautifully.

"What in Middle Earth is going on here?" Naneth asks, appearing from around the corner, and I groan internally. "Tadion, get up! Do not hurt poor Annalee!" she scolds as she approaches us.

He wraps his arm around her shoulders in a brotherly fashion. "I am not hurting her. See, Annalee likes me," he says, chuckling deeply before standing up.

Naneth rolls her eyes. "I came to say that supper is ready, and I find you torturing our guest. How typical." She reaches a hand out for Annalee to take, "Come, my dear. I apologize for his behavior."

Annalee places her hand in my mother's, smiling good-naturedly. "There is no need. Tadion is very funny."

My brother smirks, reaching out his hand to me with a bow, and I slap it away, standing up. "Let us go."

Naneth intertwines her arm with Annalee's, and they walk toward the castle, leaving us to trail behind them as they converse and laugh. Annalee is very reserved and shy, but she is kind, talking and laughing with my mother in her usual soft voice. Naneth adores her, that much is obvious, and her approval, along with the rest of my family's, makes me incredibly happy. Even Ada has taken a liking to her, no matter how hard he may try to hide it.

When we arrive at the private dining room, everyone else is already seated and waiting for us. Naneth takes her seat next to Ada where he sits at the head of the table. Annalee sits beside Faraine, and Tadion slides into the seat next to her, smirking at me. I clench my jaw, very aware of the eyes of my father watching my every move, so I silently take the seat beside Legolas on the other side of the table.

Servants immediately begin to lay food out on the table and fill our goblets, and casual conversations sparks up between my family members and our guests quickly.

"Annalee, you will have to see the library soon," Almarëa says with a radiant smile, "Your sister says that you always have your nose stuck in a book, so you will find plenty of stories to interest you, I am sure of it."

"I would love that. Thank you," she replies, glancing at her sister, "Faraine is entirely correct. I cannot pull myself away from a great story when I find one."

"Well, did you like the gardens?" Lossenel questions, grabbing a biscuit from the plate Naneth passes her.

"Very much, indeed," Annalee says, turning to look at my mother, "You did an incredible job, my Queen. Being in the gardens is like being in a magical dream. I think I could spend a lifetime there and never grow tired of it."

Naneth smiles, definitely pleased by her praise. "Why, thank you, but there is no need for formalities. Please, just call me Alarya."

"You sound just like Arahaelon," Annalee says with a shy smile, glancing at me.

Ada raises his eyebrows at me from the head of the table, trying to hide his smirk by sipping at his wine.

"'Lee, guess what!" Nym exclaims, standing up in his chair and leaning over the table to see her.

"What?" she asks, smiling widely at the elfling.

"King Thranduil said that we can come back whenever we want!"

Shock crosses Annalee's features, but she tries to hide it quickly. "Oh, that is very kind," she says, not looking at my father whose gaze is fixed on her.

Itylra forces her son to sit back down, laughing lightly. "We do not need to impose on the king and his family, little one," she says, grabbing some grapes and placing them on his plate.

"You would not be intruding at all. We would love to have you back whenever you wish," Naneth says genuinely, smiling at Nym who blushes and looks away.

"Naneth is right. Annalee, you said you would teach me to sew," Lossenel reminds her, and I fight to hide my smile when she sends me a pointed look. "Plus, I am sure Arahaelon would love to bring you to the gardens again. It is his favorite place to be, after all."

Annalee blushes, not meeting her gaze. "Of course."

Faraine looks down at her plate in an attempt to hide her smile.

"Nana, I want some more grapes," Nym pouts, and from where I am sitting all I can see due to the table being so large is the top of his head and his large gray eyes staring intently at the bowl of grapes in the center of it.

Everyone laughs at his innocence, and he shifts, smiling adorably.

"Nym, did you have fun today?" I ask him, and his eyes turn to look at me.

"Oh, yes!" he exclaims, standing up in his chair once again to the amusement of Alwin, and his mother sighs and shakes her head. "We talked about you and Annalee!"

Everyone seems to freeze awkwardly, and I raise my eyebrow at my parents. Ada is the only one not fazed. His shoulders shake with silent laughter, and he closes his eyes in amusement, bringing his goblet to his lips once again.

"Really?" I ask him, and he nods enthusiastically.

"Yes! I know why you asked Annalee to the gardens now," he says, grinning widely and bouncing up and down on the chair, "You married her!"

Legolas, Tadion, and the twins howl with laughter, along with the others at the table, and I glance at Annalee to see her laughing, a hand placed over her lips. Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and her gaze meets mine for a moment, swimming with shyness and embarrassment.

"I married her?" I question him, laughing openly, "Just now?"

"Yes!" Nym nods, leaning over the table once again to look at Annalee. "And you kissed Ar in the garden, 'Lee!"

Annalee's eyes widen, and her sister bursts into laughter. "I most certainly did not, Nym! Where did you hear a thing like that?"

"Tadion said that is why Arahaelon asked you to the gardens, so he could kiss you!"

Annalee turns to glare at Tadion who is slightly red in the face from laughing so hard. He holds his hands up in defense. "I-," he begins, choking on laughter, "That was great, Nym. Tell them what the others said."

"They said that you got married," Nym says, reaching out to pluck a grape from the bowl, "Did you really marry her, Ar?

"No, no, that is not what they said, Nym. You misheard," Tadion says with a smirk, "Allow me to clarify. Naneth said that she hopes Ar and Annalee will marry, and everyone else agreed. Even Ada said so."

Nym looks at me with sad eyes. "You and 'Lee are not married?" he asks, eyes round and heart-melting, "But I want a baby to play with."

His statement causes laughter to erupt around the table again, and Annalee places her head in her hands. "Oh, Nym," she groans, and Tadion places his hand on her shoulder.

"I want a baby, too," he teases, mimicking Nym's expression, and Annalee swats his hand away, laughing softly.

"No," I say to the elfling, trying to contain my laughter, "There was no marriage, and there will be no baby."

He looks at his mother with wide eyes, tears filling them. "Nana, I want a baby!" he cries.

She pulls him to her, placing him in her lap and rocking him. "I am so sorry, my darling," she says, chuckling, "Do not cry."

"Alright, alright," Naneth says, calming down the laughter that echoes around the room. "I think we have teased Annalee and Arahaelon quite enough." She laughs slightly, looking at me with shining eyes.

The rest of the meal consists of light conversation and a few more teasing remarks every now and then, despite Naneth's words.

When supper is over, my family bids farewell to our guests outside of the palace.

Naneth takes Annalee's hands in her own, the two standing away from the rest of us, but I can hear their conversation. "I have thoroughly enjoyed your company today. Please come back and see us soon, whenever you feel like it. You are always welcome in our home, Annalee."

"Thank you so much," she replies, "This is the most fun I have had in quite sometime. My sister and my friends would agree. Ada will love hearing about our day."

Naneth smiles happily. "I am so glad to hear it. Next time, bring your father," she says, picking up on the fact that she did not mention her mother, and she lowers her voice, "I am sorry if our teasing hurt your feelings. We just love Arahaelon very much and find it adorable to see him so smitten with you."

Annalee blushes deeply. "Oh, no, I doubt he feels any such sentiment for me."

"You can believe what you wish, but we all can see the way he looks at you," she says, smiling knowingly, "Please come back to see us soon, Annalee."

"I will," she promises.

Naneth leads her back over to where we all are standing, everyone split up in different conversations.

Tadion takes Annalee's hand and kisses it. "It was nice meeting you," he says seriously, smiling at her.

"Same to you. I do not think I have laughed this much in my entire life," she says with a shy laugh, and Tadion grins.

"Well, if you come and see us again, I have plenty more stories to tell you of Ar," he says with a wink.

Annalee glances at me with a smile. "I would love to hear them."

Nym walks over to her, rubbing his eyes, and he then reaches up to her. She lifts him into her arms, and he rests his head in the crook of her neck, sighing tiredly. She laughs quietly. "I think Nym is all tired out."

I reach out to run my fingers through his hobbit-like hair, and I hear a faint giggle leave his lips, muffled by Annalee's skin.

The others walk our way, and Lossie and Almarëa both give Annalee a side hug so as to not disturb Nym.

Lossie smiles brightly. "I loved meeting you, Annalee."
"Please come and see us again as soon as possible," Almarëa adds kindly, squeezing her hand.

"I will, thank you," Annalee replies with a brilliant smile.

Ada walks toward her slowly, now finished saying goodbye to everyone but her, and everyone parts to let him pass. He stops in front of Annalee, an analytic look in his unreadable eyes. He opens his mouth to speak.

"I do not say this a lot," he begins, and everyone holds their breath in anticipation, "But I have thoroughly enjoyed your company, Lady Annalee. You have brought happiness and laughter to my family, but most importantly, you have brought a light to my son's eyes that I have never seen before. You and your family are welcome in my home anytime."

Annalee's lips break into a wide smile at his words. "Thank you, my King," she says, her voice barely a whisper.

"Come," Naneth says to my family, and they disappear back into the palace after saying one last 'farewell,' leaving us alone.

Alwin kisses his wife goodbye, as they part with tears in both their eyes, and he kisses Nym's head as the child sleeps in Annalee's arms.

"Goodbye, 'Lee," he whispers, "All of you, come back soon. I will miss you terribly."

Faraine embraces him. "We will."

"I love you all very much," he says with a sad smile, stroking his wife's cheek as she returns the smile.

"We love you, too, Alwin, and we will be back as soon as we can. I am sure we have plenty of work waiting for us at the shop tomorrow," Itylra says, kissing him one last time, and then Alwin turns to enter the palace.

There is a moment of silence.

"Here, let me take him," Itylra says to Annalee, taking Nym from her. She then turns to me with a smile. "Thank you for today, Arahaelon. Nym is not going to stop talking about it for ages."

"I am glad you all had fun."

Her eyes turn mischievous as she looks between Annalee and I. "Do you mind walking Annalee home? Faraine is staying with me late tonight to finish up a few dress orders, so she needs someone to get her home safely."

"Of course. I have Guard duty tonight anyway, so it will not be a problem," I reply, secretly delighted to get to spend more time with her.

"Thank you. Goodnight!" Itylra says, taking Faraine by the arm and practically dragging her away from the palace steps.

"I love you, 'Lee! Be safe and tell Ada all about today. He will love to hear it," Faraine says over her shoulder as her friend continues to lead her away.

"I will! I love you!" Annalee calls after her with a laugh.

She turns to me. "You do not need to walk me home, Arahaelon. I walk through the forest at night all of the time. I will be perfectly fine," she says, smiling softly to try to ease my fear of leaving her to walk alone.

"'Tis no trouble. If you will, please follow me back inside. I need to get my bow," I tell her, taking her arm gently and leading her back inside.

She walks by my side all the way to my room, and I quickly sling my quiver of arrows over my shoulder and grab my bow. I then strap my twin daggers and sword around my waist before stepping back out into the hallway where she stands and waits patiently.

As we walk, I notice her gazing at my bow clutched in my hand, and I small smile tugs at my lips. "Have you ever used a bow before?" I ask her softly as we step out into the cool night air.

She looks up at me, smiling guiltily for getting caught. "I have not. Ada rarely ever carries weapons with him, and he has never offered to teach me how to use any. I have always been fascinated by them, though. Archers move so gracefully and quickly, and I find it mesmerizing, almost as if they are dancing. I used to sneak out of the house in the afternoons and hide in the trees surrounding the practice fields. I was so content to just sit and watch the elves shooting arrows and sparring," she says, wrapping her arms around herself as a chilly breeze floats by us.

I pull off my thick robes without a second thought, wrapping them around her shoulders. As elves, we do not get cold, but it is not unheard of for some elves to not be so tolerant of the cold. Since Annalee is so small and dainty, it does not surprise me that she is one of these few elves.

"Oh, thank you," she says quietly, pulling them tightly around her.

"I had a toy bow that I carried around with me everywhere when I was an elfling. I was so attached to that thing," I mumble, shaking my head and laughing at the memories that resurface, "I wanted to be just like Ada. I begged him constantly to teach me how to shoot an arrow."

"So you were much the same as Nym," she observes with a fond smile.

"I was very much like him. I guess that is why I am so attached to him," I say, grinning as I remember all of his innocent questions at supper.

"Your father seemed to like Nym very much."

"He loved all of you. Ada just... he does not show his love and affection for others easily," I attempt to explain, "He is complicated."

Annalee looks at me with her enchanting green eyes. "He loves you very much. I hope you know that."

I stare at her for a moment, taken by surprise.

"The way he looks at you, at all of you, is so beautiful a thing," she whispers as we walk the deserted streets of Woodhurst. "I mean, King Thranduil is so very intimidating and stoic, but his eyes are what give him away. When he looks at you, his eyes shine with pride and love, but his expression betrays none of it. It is only with your family, though. I had no idea how he felt about me, so I was relieved by what he told me when we were leaving. Actually, if I am being truthful, his eyes are a bit easier to read than yours."

"Mine?"

She shrugs slightly, and I smile, amused by how my robes seem to swallow her tiny figure. "I can rarely ever tell what you are thinking. Your family members' eyes are so open and easy to read, but yours are closed off. This morning, when you came to escort us to the palace, is the only time I have ever seen your eyes look the same way as theirs."

"You are very observant," I tell her, secretly pleased that she pays such close attention to the little things I do.

A light in the distance alerts me to the fact that we are getting closer to her house, and disappointment weighs heavily on my chest.

"Ada is still awake," she mumbles, shaking her head. "He should be in bed."

"Should I come inside?" I ask her, and she turns to look at me with a surprised expression.

"If you want to. Ada would be elated to actually meet you instead of just hearing more stories of you," she says with a smile.

I smirk slightly. "So you speak oft of me?"

I can just barely make out the darkening of her cheeks. "Faraine speaks to him about you," she says quietly, and I decide to not tease her.

When we reach her house, she stops on the porch and turns to me. "Actually, I think it would be best for you to meet my ada on another day. He may be in his night clothes, which would embarrass him terribly," she says, laughing, and I chuckle deeply.

"You are right."

There is a moment of silence, neither of us wanting to say goodbye.

"I had a great time today," I say, shifting my weight from foot to foot, "Will you come back tomorrow? I can show you the library."

Annalee smiles beautifully, the candlelight from inside the house shining in her eyes. "I would love that."

"May I pick you up in the morning?"

She nods. "I will be here."

I take her small, smooth hand, kissing her knuckles softly. "Farewell, Annalee."

"Until tomorrow," she replies, watching me as I step off of her porch and begin my trek to the borders.

I turn back to look at her when I hear her open the door, and our eyes meet as she looks back at me. The light from inside washes over her hair and her figure, and she smiles sheepishly, one last time. I do not remind her that she still has my robes wrapped around her shoulders, hoping secretly that when she is lonely, she will hold them close to her and remember me.

And as I turn to walk away, my heart already aches with longing to see her again.

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A/N: Hope y'all enjoy! This chapter was surprisingly hard to write! I wanted it to be just right before posting. Thanks so much to everyone who commented such sweet things! I love y'all very much! God bless! <3

Love,

Josie