Decisions

This revelation done, the elf fell silent, and intended to stay so until she gave him a hint of what she wanted him to do. He had laid his heart bare before her, and now waited without haste that she declared her mind to him. However, he did not expect the trembling that started to rake her body, and he suddenly was afraid she would catch death on this windy hill.

"What is wrong?" he cried out.

Then he saw that her cheeks were even redder than before, and that tears glistened across them like pearls of silver under the pale morning sun. Before he could express his distress, his eyes searched for hers.

For Frances, the world ended in this instant. Blue, they were so blue, even in the night his eyes were deeper than any sea. Nothing had ever prepared her to watch into his soul. Her breath came short, her chest aching from the surge of emotions.

Legolas loved her, and in the endless infinity of his soul he offered her everything he was in a promise that would last to eternity. Drowning into his eyes, Frances did not realise that her vision was blurry, and that tears were falling freely across her cheeks. She loved him so much that she thought she would stop breathing.

He too was lost into her gaze, and she smiled at him, her expression awed at the sight of him.

"You are the most beautiful being I was ever given to know, Legolas. Body and soul"

Now he was the one speechless.

"You are, in every way, the best person I have come across in my whole life. And the handsomeness of your face only reflects the beauty of your heart. I fear that I am not worthy of you."

At this, Frances lowered her gaze to the ground. The shock of this statement caught Legolas unaware, and he did not know how to tell her how mislead she was. So without thinking he caressed her cheek with his hand to wash the tears from her skin, and the world melted away as she lifted her face anew to him. He bent down and his silken hair fell all around Frances' face as she breathed in his sweet scent. His lips finally came across hers, and he gently pressed them together, catching hers slowly. The kiss was soft, like the caress of a feather over her skin.

With his height he was towering over Frances' small frame, and he slid an arm behind her waist to hold her against him, their bodies fully touching now. This time, he could linger to enjoy the kiss. The sensation of the young lady melting against him was as sweet as life itself.

When they broke apart, both of them were surprised by the bliss that washed over them at being so closely entwined. Legolas contemplated her awed features as she gazed at him with adoration. And then she was the one to initiate it again, her arms sliding along his chest to get across his shoulders in an attempt to melt totally.

This time her lips engulfed his, and she expertly caressed them with her tongue, very slowly. Stunned at the new sensations that shot across his body, the elf's hand got into her hair, and he crushed her to him with strength as he slid his own tongue into her mouth. He never wanted to pull back, his body fuelled with fire as Frances roamed her lips over his. Wherever she touched him, his body tingled happily, asking for more, begging for more. He could not get enough of her, and he eventually pulled back when he felt that he would lose control totally.

Panting, Legolas buried his face into her hair, and he pressed her against him while trying to calm down his racing heart. He deposited one very chaste kiss on her forehead, and kept his cheek at the top of her head, his hand resting at her nape for what seemed like eternity. Frances was in paradise, and thus she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of his hair across her face as she breathed in his presence. Legolas felt strong and caring against her, and his warmth spread into her as his glow intensified under the moonlight. She had never felt so happy, but soon enough their situation caught up with her and she started shivering.

"Are you cold?" he asked, his face concerned again.

"Nay Legolas, for you have warmed me up to the core."

Her posture had shifted, her eyes sending him a sad look. Legolas swallowed nervously, letting his hands travel along the length of her arms to gather her hands into his.

"What is wrong, meleth?"

The young lady sighed, and it broke her heart to say so but she knew that elves committed for life, and she could not be allowed to get his love since she would never be eternal.

"I cannot be yours Legolas, as much as I wish to be. There are so many things that will stand in the way."

Legolas's heart suddenly plummeted in his chest.

"What can you mean, meleth? I love you, surely nothing can be stronger than this."

'Unless you don't love me back,' he thought, and dread seized his heart. Frances squeezed his hands tightly, her whole body trembling now.

"You are an elf, and I a maiden… If I survive this war, I will not exist for long, such a short time to your years… And, as you probably know, my world will call me back."

A glimmer of hope cut through the haze of his mind.

"Is that all?"

"Isn't that enough?" she retorted. "Everything keeps us apart. My origins and yours, your responsibilities, my world!"

Legolas shook his head, a glimmer of determination in his eyes.

"No. It does not matter what awaits ahead now, for I know where my heart lies and nothing could ever change this. I love you, for eternity and beyond."

Frances' tears were falling anew, the emotion too overwhelming to be kept in check.

"How I love you Legolas, I have loved you from the first day I met you on the bridge of Rivendell. But I cannot accept to condemn you to fade. It rips my heart to think of your death."

Legolas's eyes closed in relief. She loved him ! He was so caught up in this revelation that he let her slip from his grasp.

Intend on bringing him to reason, Frances was deep in thought. No matter how much she wanted to be with him, she could not accept the suffering she would cause. There was not much of her resistance left when her resolution came to show him the truth, but she let the angry part of her take the reins in a desperate plea:

"Why would you love me Legolas? I am but a human who will never be as bright or as strong as one of your kin. I am a mortal and cannot ever match elven beauty or grace. I am prone to thickness and age. I am not worthy of a being like you."

Shocked by this rejection, Legolas could only stare at her, totally dumbfounded that she could not see everything that she was in her full glory. His answer came from the heart as he watched her tears fall.

"You are freedom Frances. I love your will and your determination. In your smile I see love, and in your eyes linger so many emotions that I cannot fathom. You are whole and intense, living every second as if it were the last one. I love you because you are your own master, because when you are here, I can dare anything … you allow no one to rule you, and do not bend to any authority. You are free, and by being so you had me taste the sweetness of it."

Frances shook her head violently. What he loved in her was just a result of her own upbringing.

"Legolas … there is no glory in being free. I was born and raised this way. I wasn't caged in court with expectations from a King's life. There is nothing extraordinary about me. In my world, we are all…"

She stopped there, no daring to say the word "alike" that would mark her first lie to him. No, she was nothing close of usual in her world either, because everybody was so different, and her even more because of her experiences of life, death and friendship. How could she make him understand that her apparent freedom was gained by inheritance as much as a trait of her character?

This world was so different that it clouded his judgement. Back on earth nobody would have praised her for this, well not that much anyway. Here it seemed that her frank character had elevated her to the rank of a goddess to the eyes of a being so perfect she hardly dared speaking to him.

"There are so many things about you that are fascinating meleth nín. You have taught me how to live after so many years of wandering. For this alone I owe you many thanks."

"Legolas, you are of elven kind, the deadliest archer of your people, and the most beautiful and bright being I have ever met. You deserve a stunning Elleth at your arm that will sail with you to the undying lands… You deserve somebody that will love you for eternity. Will you not search for your match?"

The compliment touched his heart with more strength than he thought possible. She had never voiced those thoughts, even though he had been able to read in her eyes much more than she had ever dared saying. From the beginning Aragorn had pointed him to this, that she was intimidated by him, but never had he realised the extend of her admiration. But as well as she asked him not to worship her for her inherited freedom, he found that there was nothing extraordinary with him since he was born an elf.

His voice raised in despair, attempting to get her to accept their fate.

"Do you not see? You are my match! The air I breathe is fresher because you're here, and there is nowhere I would love to be if you're not by my side… When you look at me I feel whole, like I have been missing a part of myself for so long. In every expression of your face emotions threaten to cast me like a giant wave. You are life, and beside you I feel like a newborn."

"Legolas…"

Frances shook her head, but the elf would not be deterred. Gathering her hand in his, he knelt before her.

"Meleth nín, I beg you to accept me beside you, never have I felt so alive, please, do not reject me!"

His eyes were so stunningly blue as he gazed into hers, the stars dancing inside them. She would have wanted nothing more than jump in his arms and love him for eternity, and her heart was so swollen with grief and anguish that she felt like it would jump out of her chest. Seeing him kneel before her was heresy, but for a while Frances could not find the strength to react, and she instead stared helplessly into his stunningly beautiful eyes. And then she dropped clumsily beside him. His arms circled her, steady her on the rocky ground and she shook her head.

Frances was angry at herself. She loved him like the sun loved the moon, and feared that he could not find happiness. She knew that when the time came she would have to leave. And in the end, even if she sent all rules to hell and decided to stay in middle earth, which she would never even consider given her responsibilities, friends and families waiting for her on the other side, she would die a mortal and leave her ever young and flawless husband to grieve and die from a broken heart. She could not condemn him to this while his life was meant to be eternally happy in the presence of his beloved. There was no escape from this.

His arms supported her as she cried, his affection overwhelming. He held her so fiercely, and she heard his melodic voice nearly singing.

"Allow me to love you like the princess you are."

"But this would be only temporary Legolas do you not see? So short in the life of an elven prince?"

Anguish constricted her throat and she bent forward, one hand coming up to her heart. Her chest was aching from the choice she had to make.

"I will accept temporary," he said, hoping to soothe her. "I am already ready to lose you since you are mortal. I have tarried too long over this, from Dunarrow to the waters of the Anduin, I have pondered all those possibilities. And now my decision is made."

"But what if it were in a few weeks? A few days? I will be called back to my world and you will be left alone."

At this moment, Legolas lifted her chin with his soft hands, plunging his eyes into hers. Helpless, she was at the mercy of his soul.

"Frances, I am ready to lose you tomorrow in battle. Time does not matter anymore."

A frown came to her face at the truth of his words. For what they knew the war was desperately close, and only a miracle would allow them to be victorious. She would most likely die there, and by his side she wanted to do so.

"But you are immortal."

It was but a whisper coming from her mouth. Frances knew that her soul had surrendered to his, and her heart jumped in delight at the perspective while her reason wept for him.

"I can be killed in battle."

Frances mustered whatever strength of mind she had left in a plea.

"Legolas. I could not live to know you have died from a broken heart on my account… I cannot allow this!"

"What If I promised to live on? If you wish me to, I will sail to the undying lands and spend my days there until my time has passed."

Suddenly, hope exploded in her chest.

"Could you? Could you do this?"

His face was so close to her as they spoke, still kneeling on the cold stone but not daring to move, and his sweet breath brushed her cheek as he reassured her.

"I have been living for many a year on my own, and I think that I can still find joy in life if I know that we have shared everything we could. Gimli will be there and Aragorn and Arwen for a while. If we survive this battle then I will linger there until they are gone, and then sail to the undying lands."

Her hazel eyes searched his, and he could not refrain from finding them stunning as her features shone with resolve.

"Make this a promise."

"I promise that I shall live on in middle earth or sail to the west."

Releasing a breath she had been holding, Frances collapsed into the elf's arms and hugged him tight, fearing that if she let go he would disappear. They had come to an understanding, and this was the best she could do to protect him from this fate. Being miserable during the little time they had left would not change anything to the situation. It was too late to save him and her heart.

Maybe in time, Frances could forgive herself for loving him so much since her presence had been his doom. However, the wildly beating heart of her elven lover taught her that although little time was left, much happiness could be taken from it.

Legolas held her tight for a while, and then he slowly rose to his feet, dragging the young woman with him as if she were a bag of feathers. His arms securely fastened around her waist and shoulder, he could not help but brush the tears away with his hand, his fingers lingering a bit longer on her delicate cheek.

"Amin mela lle," he murmured to her before kissing her softly.

Frances knees buckled from under her at the sudden display of affection, but it did not matter since he supported all of her weight. Engulfed in his scent and warmth, the young woman melt into his touch and slid her arms behind his shoulders, seizing his nape. Nothing more existed as the cold wind disappeared along with all the noises and lights of the moon and stars.

Lost in his arms, Frances could only surrender to him and kiss him back, fervently assuring him of her undying love and admiration. The embrace got more fervent, and Legolas could not accept for it to end as he came back again and again, brushing her lips one moment and literally kissing her soundly the next.

Eventually, the lovers pulled back, and they stood motionless for a while, she with her head on his chest, and him pulling her close to him, as if he was afraid that she might disappear in a flash of blinding light. It was time to get back to the city, seeing how the wind passed through the young lady's cloak. Lifting her up in a swift motion, he carried her to the bottom of the hill and onto the horse.

Frances was exhausted, the strong emotions having strained her as much as the cold. In the prince arms she felt safe, and when he pulled his own cloak around her she snuggled against his body.

Smiling, Legolas kissed the top of her head and started to sing softly. Soon enough, the young woman was asleep in his arms, and he made his way back to the citadel with slow measured steps as the object of his happiness slept soundly against him, trusting him with her life.

It was a very unusual sight that greeted Aragorn as he went through the city in search of the elf. Giving an absent look to the fields of Pelennor before getting back to his tent, his keen eyes caught a hint of a glowing form on a white horse. The inner light of the elf was so bright that it reminded him of Arwen the first time he came upon her in the woods.

The glow of the moon itself was shadowed by the elf. When finally Legolas met him near the second gate, the young woman sound asleep in his arms, Aragorn could not help but smile. The prince's face was like a jewel, flawless and peaceful, and happier than he had ever seen him.

"We roamed the hills of Pelennor, he whispered, casting a longing look to the red head. She is exhausted."

"I am happy for you, mellon nín" simply said the King with a bright smile.

And then he turned away, and Legolas took Frances to her chambers, and laid her down. When he pulled the covers over her, little fingers grabbed his wrist. Her features were laden with sleep.

"Stay with me, please?"

The elf nodded.

"Forever," he murmured in her ear.

As Frances drifted back to a dreamless sleep, Legolas laid down beside her and engulfed her frail body with his arms, swearing that he would protect the young woman for as long as she drew breath. And then he watched her, getting some bits of elvish rest during the night as his mind wandered through the fields of happiness.