Title: Aloneness as Destiny By: Brilaglar Rated:PG Feedback: SillySamwiseG@aol.com ********************************************* Chapter 4 A Voice In The Air Legolas walked away from where he was sitting and Gweth waited till his faint steps on the grass were gone. She then stood still and listened to the sounds of nature, petting Aminya's face. She sighed softly and was ready to return to Galadriel's house. She felt so weak from the lack of sleep that she feared she might fall over immediately. As she began to walk, the wind began to blow through her hair. Strange was the wind, for it brought her comfort and was warm. "Nengwethel…" came the most slight whisper. "Nengwethel…" it came again. It only slightly caught her ears. She gasped and she stood still. The voice was so calm that her horse hardly noticed, or maybe she was the only one who could hear it. "Who, who are you?" she stammered loudly. The voice became a little louder. "Why are you frightened? It is me, you're long-lost lover, Romilion." She knew it was his voice, but she was hoping that it was some trick. She had almost forgotten how his voice sounded and it was a sweet sound. Still, she was frightened. "Why did you leave me?" she heard the words come from her mouth unintentionally. There was a laugh, not at all mean, but soft and caring. Loving. "I could not run away from war, for it was something I had to go to. I still love you, but now I am at a better place. You have hardened your heart to all that love you and have changed. You must move on…" his voice began to fade. "Don't go!" she called out. "You must move on…" "HOW?" she called back into the wind, desperate. "You must never forget me, Nengwethel, but you also must keep your eyes open for the person for you." "But…you are the person for me…and now you are gone!" she answered. Her voice was pleading and desperate, just to get him to be there longer in the wind. She could not see anything, but leaves moving when he spoke, but then a faint figure stepped from behind the trees—through the trees. It was a fair face, wrapped in white cloth, but she could hardly see it, even with her sharp eyes. "If you would have told me that many years ago, I would have agreed, but now I see that I am not the one for you, or I would be still here with you or you would be with me. I have grown very wise now, wiser than anyone on the earth and I see that I'm not the one for you. I see your future. You must keep your eyes open for someone who will care for you as I would have. It will make me joyful when the time comes when I see you…and him…together on earth," he said. "No!" she answered. "This is not a bad thing. Please. I love you and I would do anything to have you happy with someone." She understood and argued no more. His lovely face disappeared and she stood for a moment. "I will do as you say, waiting and looking, but hope that my heart will be soft!" "It will…" his voice murmured. "It will not be, but it will feel like a spell on you." Gweth awoke in a warm golden and white bed. She yawned. No, it had not been a dream, not at all. She had run back to Galadriel's house, leaving her horse behind and then she sought to receive counsel from Galadriel. "My child," Galadriel laughed. "Do as Romilion asks, for he is wiser than all of us now and is knowledgeable alike the others he now dwells with." With that, Gweth went to sleep. When she awoke, she didn't think of her thirst or hunger. He had too many things on her mind. She slipped on a golden dress now that glimmered like her golden long hair. It was in her old closet in the room she had not used in years. She had once lived in the house of Galadriel in her much happier days. She felt a smile spread on her face. She felt so much at home and she felt such a great peace. She had so long dwelt on her own, away from merry faces and delightful houses. She dipped her legs in a stream that flowed from her river. A small stream from her own river led to Galadriel's house, which made her glad. The water bubbled and music came from its waters. It had done that as long as she could remember, for it was a magic river, as old as Galadriel. She hummed and splashed the cool water on her face. All of the sudden, two little hobbits came beside her. They were Merry and Pippin. "What are you doing?" Merry asked, looking over her shoulder. "Splashing water on my body," she answered. "Oh," Pippin said. "It's magic," exclaimed Gweth. "Me and my sister have magic streams. You might have heard of my sister, Nimrodel?" "You're her sister?" Merry gasped. "We have swum in her river, we have, indeed!" Pippin announced. They began to turn red. "That was alright, wasn't it?" Merry asked, hoping that he had not done wrong. Gweth laughed a very merry laugh. "Of course! She has long ago gone and I'm sure that she would welcome you to it even if she were still there!" Merry and Pippin did not dare to ask what had happened to her. Still, Gweth smiled happily. They comforted her—everyone's faces comforted her. She loved being with people now and she found that she had missed it. "You may dip your feet in my water. It will help you to rest well," Gweth told them. They rolled their pants up above their knees and dipped their feet in with no hesitation. "Ahhh…" murmured Pippin. "It feels good." When they were done, they waved her goodbye and left her to be alone again. It wasn't long when Legolas came and stood above her. She smiled up at him. "You're not angry towards me?" he asked hopefully. "Should I be aloud to be here and talk with you?" "Yes, you are by my permission and I find no reason to be angry with you. You have done me no wrong. I feel better now that I have slept." He smiled. "Then may I sit…?" "Yes, you may." They sat there for a moment in silence. "Has your journey been hard?" she asked, breaking the silence. He shrugged. "Sometimes it is hard and sometimes we only have to walk with one worry: that we may fall with weariness…but still, even that is sometimes hard." "I'm sorry," she said. "Why is that?" he asked. "You have to carry a heavy burden. Your road ahead is dangerous, and even the ones who do not know your future see it." "Well, that's then and this is now. All I want to think of is…now." She felt herself shiver. 'Now is with me,' She thought. "I feel something strange when I am with you…something familiar," he said. He searched her eyes as if trying to read her mind, though he couldn't. "My sister is what you have felt once. You have swam in the stream…" "Nimrodel!" he announced, but he appeared surprised and he knew where he felt a presence like hers before. "You are the sister of Nimrodel!" "Yes." He gaped at her in wonder. He loved the story of Nimrodel and till now it seemed more like a fairy tale than anything. "Then she must be beautiful as stories tell if she looked like you…" Gweth laughed carelessly. "Thank you, but your wrong. Sweet and merry, but wrong." "But I tell the truth! You are as beautiful as any elf!" he said. "And am I sweet and merry as you said?" She felt herself blushing. She had never let anyone say something to her like that except Romilion, but it felt actually comfortable. She was feeling so happy around everyone. She sat tall and smiled at him. "You are, but still, you are very wrong." He laughed. "If I am wrong than you are wrong." She laughed too, but she stopped when she saw the strange gleam in his eyes. He stared at her strangely. It looked too much like Romilion's when he looked at her so lovingly. "Please do not stare at me like that," she said, more in an ordering voice than a request. "I'm sorry," he said. "But I do not know how I am looking at you or how to look at you, other than what I feel." That made her more uncomfortable and he noticed. He then put on a straight face with great effort and looked out into the stream. "That's better, for now." She laughed, hoping to make him see that she was not completely uncomfortable. Suddenly the thought came to her, 'who was Romilion talking about when he said I would find someone?' She looked at Legolas. 'No,' she thought. 'That would be outlandish…it wouldn't happen' She shook her head, clearing the unwanted thought. 'No, of course not.' *************************** Chapter 5 Swim Gweth looked at her reflection in the stream. She sighed. Her dress was soaked to the knees and hair was falling from her bun. She let the hair go loose and it fell down and dipped the water. She noticed that Legolas still had that funny glint in his eyes and that smile. "Why do you look at me like that?" "Like what?" Legolas looked into the stream. "I do not see that I am looking at you strangely." She shrugged. "It must be me, then." He looked back at her. His eyes glimmered at her mischievously and his smile was nearing laughter. His white-blond hair was kind of glowing and it danced whenever he moved. His eyes were so blue they seemed to pierce her soul. He was so beautiful that she shivered. She smiled back at him shyly. "Are you cold?" he asked. Certainly the air was warm, but he couldn't think of another reason why she'd be shivering. She shook her head and her cheeks were rosy with embarrassment that he might know what she was shivering for. "It's a nice day for a swim, huh?" he said, looking out at the sky. There wasn't a cloud to be seen. She didn't expect that he meant swimming with her. After all, no one had wanted to even be in her presence since she had 'changed' and certainly never swimming with her. She shrugged. "Yes, I'm sure the hobbits would love to join you for a swim. If you go farther up stream, there is a pool with the water of my river flowing in. You may go there. The water clears minds and refreshes the body." "If I didn't want to go with you than I surely would need to clear my mind, wouldn't I?" he said with a silly grin on his face. She paused. "You want to go with me?" "Just you," he answered. "After all, I would want to get to know you better and I hope that you will forgive me of the song I sang. I understand more now." She smiled. "It is forgotten. I will never hold it against you." "That song will surely change one day, I'm sure," said Legolas. Gweth looked at him suspiciously, but he had only guessed. He knew nothing of what Romilion had said, nor was he thinking that he would one day marry Gweth like she thought he meant. Gweth did not know that he was only guessing and she wondered. Maybe it was another sign that Romilion had told the truth… Legolas felt the water give him new strength. He dipped under the water and came back up to the surface. He felt the same peace as he had in the river of Nimrodel, but better. Everything was perfect and calm. "Ahhh…" he said. "I don't think I could ever get used to this." "And no one can," said Gweth as she too dipped into the water. She looked very relaxed. Legolas soaked in the feeling, watching Gweth. Her eyes were the same color of the water: crystal blue. Her golden hair was spread out around her. Her smile was wide and it was a beautiful smile, soft and pink were her lips. 'Like roses,' he thought. He soaked it all in and it was a memory. 'She's beautiful' Legolas wondered how she had seemed to change (in a good way) so quickly. Early that morning she was weeping and sobbing, turning away from him, but now, nothing could tarnish her happiness and her wide smile. He was beginning to like her, and felt that he could never grow accustomed to her lovely face. It seemed newer and more beautiful every time he looked. Legolas wondered if Gweth was looking at him strangely. He looked deeply at her and her eyes were glowing towards him… blissful. He wondered if it was a look of love. 'That is nonsense! Of course not! And why would I be glad of it if it were?' he thought. Then he felt something move in him, deep in him. He knew what it was, though he never had felt it that way. Love. It was so strange that he wanted to touch her right then and there and kiss those lips. "Legolas?" she asked, staring at him oddly. "Are you alright? Is there something wrong?" He then noticed that he was staring at her, so deep in thought about that face. "No, just tired," he answered, pretending to be sleepy and yawned to emphasize his point. "Well, if you want to, I can lead you back…" "No!" he exclaimed. Now she really looked at him peculiarly. "I mean, no, I'm fine. I just want to be with you." He tried his best to sound as nice as he could…and cute, of course as wasn't hard. "Legolas," Gweth said. "Uh huh?" he said, still distracted. "I get the feeling that you don't feel like swimming." "I do!" he said. (Obviously that was not true. He wanted to kiss her and swimming was suddenly not that fun.) "Come on." He held his hand out of the water and she grabbed it. He pulled her nearer to him, through the water, till he had her against the right side of his chest and wrapped up in one arm. If he couldn't' kiss her, he would at least have some fun. "What are you doing?" she asked (her voice shaky), trying to sound playfully and not scared like she felt. This was strange to her. He let her go. "Will you get on my back?" he asked. She hesitated. "What are we doing?" "I don't know, but I'm taking you somewhere," he answered. His smile was so warm that she could not say no. She held onto his back and she felt her body touching his. She shivered again, but only slightly. He swam down stream and they began laughing while they went downwards at a rapid speed. "Whoo hoo!" howled Legolas as the cool water splashed his face. He closed his eyes and the water splashed over on Gweth. She laughed and they rolled down and tumbled in the water, not holding onto each other any longer. They rolled sometimes and other times it was peaceful enough to swim. It was like a slide down the stream. Finally, they slid one more time and landed on the banks of the stream where it became very thin and hardly any water flowed at all. "We're back at the palace," she whispered. "That was fun." "It's not over!" He announced. He grabbed her hand and began leading her back to the beginning of the 'water slide'. "It's just the beginning!" (And it was only the beginning! They swam all afternoon till late evening!) Legolas smiled at Gweth across the dining table at dinner and she gave a little wave back to him. It was late now and they were all dressed up. It seemed so funny that they had only met the night before where they danced. They seemed to know each other so well. The thing is, they never really knew how long it had been, for in Lothlorien there is no time. Days roll and none there know how many as long as they are in there. At the thought about the night when they danced, Legolas even smiled more. "You look beautiful," he whispered. Though she could not hear him, she knew what he had said by his lips. She winked. "Thank you." After they ate, there was no dancing or anything special. The Fellowship only wanted to sleep…except Legolas. He sat outside in the grass with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed, resting and thinking of the day ahead. It had been one special day and he couldn't wait for the next. He found himself drifting to sleep where he lay… Legolas awoke. The dawn had just begun by now. "Uhhh…" he groaned and stretched his arms out above him. He then heard a giggle…a girl's giggle. "Where I wonder is the pretty maiden now?" he said aloud to Gweth as he got up. "Hmm…"he mused, looking for her. He found her laying against a tree reading a book. "What are you doing out here so early?" he asked. "I came out here last night after your disappearance and I never knew you were just over there till I heard you wake up!" she said. "No, really? Why did you sneak on me?" She gasped playfully. "I did not do such a thing!" She laughed. "Oh really?" He pretended not to believe. "I didn't!" "We'll I believe you!" he finally said, sliding down next to her. "What are you reading?" he asked, looking over her shoulder. She hid the book. "It's a little personal." "Oh," he said shortly. She shrugged and with great effort she pulled out the book that was actually an old journal someone had written of the love between Beren and Luthin Tinuviel. It was a hand-written copy of their story that Gweth had found in a room of documents on different things. "It-It's my favorite story," she stammered. "Don't be embarrassed! It's mine too. It's a real adventure!" Legolas said. She grinned weakly. "Yes, it is," she agreed. They then sat in the silence for a moment, not sure what to say next, which usually didn't happen between them. "You remember yesterday…?" he began. "Oh, how could I forget!" she interrupted. He smiled and drew close to her. "Well that was one of the most memorable moments of my life." His face was so close to her that Gweth could feel his breath on her face. Even then he drew closer, just wanting to be next to her, but she didn't feel comfortable so she moved away a little. He thought for a moment, frowning when she moved away. "Do you like me?" he asked finally. She looked at him quickly and her eyes held a question. "Do you like me the way I like you?" he went on. "How do you like me?" she asked, feeling quite unsure of herself. "For you ask a question that I do not completely understand." "Well, I'm beginning to like you and I want to love you. It might take time, but I want to know if you long for what I long." "What do you long?" she wheedled. "I long for you to love me…I know I cant say that I love you, because we just met, but I want to get to know you more." This was a big step for her. She had just met Legolas and a faint memory of Romilion flashed in her mind. If this had happened three days ago, she would have run away. "I'll think about it. It is something that I would not have agreed to several days ago. You know what I'm going through now and it's too hard to say…" "I understand." He was just about to kiss her forehead and leave, but then held back. If he understood, he would not kiss her forehead, but let her decide without any touching. "I'm famished so I will leave you to be by yourself again." He looked at her and smiled. He seemed to be doing a lot of smiling lately, especially when he was around her. ***************************** Chapter 6 Unpleasant Farewell Many days went by and there was not a day that Legolas didn't spend time with Gweth. Every moment he could, he spent it being next to her or looking for her, unless she was asleep. He loved her and she never told him her choice. She never told him if she loved him or not. So every day he waited patiently for an answer, but she never said the words, nor the opposite ones. The day came when he would have to go. He was given a wonderful bow with a string of elf hair on it, but he hardly cared. He would have to leave when presents were all given to the Fellowship. He cursed the morning he had to leave and cursed the sun for rising at all. He stood at the bottom of Gweth's closed window. She hadn't looked outside of it all day, nor did she step out, and she knew Legolas would be leaving. He could hardly believe that she would not come down. He felt rejected. Totally rejected. 'She doesn't love me and she doesn't want to hurt my feelings because she knows if she comes out I'd want her to say it,' he thought. 'And she would never lie about it.' The truth was she could hardly stand looking at him, for she didn't want him to leave. Tears welled up in her eyes the night before when she had seen him. "Nengwethal! Nengwethal, elf Angel of Lorien," he called out to her closed window. "Come down to me, please!" he begged. This only made her cry harder. She knew he loved her and no one had loved her like that for a long time. Since Romilion. She began hitting her fists on the bed in frustration, but not very loud. He could not hear her inside. When she regained her wits and calmed down, she hurried to get a nice dress on. She couldn't bear letting him leave without hearing him say that he loved her one more time…'goodbye' would do also. "Please!" he begged one more time. He heard no answer. He stomped one foot on the ground, which sent a cloud of dirt in the air. He kicked several more times in anger as he heard Aragorn call to him. He had to leave Lothlorien, the wonderful golden wood even if Gweth would not come out. He hated to, but he forced himself to walk away. Boromir came running after him. "Wait for me!" he called to the Fellowship. Legolas sighed sadly and Boromir looked just as upset. Legolas had heard that Boromir had met a beautiful elf, but Legolas was usually too occupied to see for himself. They walked farther and farther from Galadriel's house and closer and closer to the their horrible destination…Mordor. … "Legolas!" every member of the company heard a voice from down the road. They had only gone several minutes when Gweth was spotted in the distance, riding on her horse as fast as she could urge her. The company kept on walking, except for Legolas. "I'll catch up," said Legolas. When he gave a sigh of relief Gweth was close by now. She gracefully hopped off her horse and ran into his arms and fell into them limply. She began to cry like that and he held her against his chest tightly. "I love you Legolas," she whispered. "I'll always love you." A silent tear fell from his eye and he kissed the top of her head. "I love you too." She looked up at his face. "You're crying!" "Yes, I am," he admitted. "I've never seen you cry," she said. She wiped the tear with her finger from under his eye. "I'm crying because, what if I never see you again?" he said. His voice was shaky and scared. "Oh, Legolas," she said in a gentle voice that reminded him again of an angel. "We will meet again. I've known that we are meant to be and if I am right then I will see you again." He sighed and his eyes were doubtful. "No!" she said sharply. "Don't look at me that way. Don't be doubtful of my words. I love you. I will travel a million years if it takes me that long to find you." He nodded. "And I would do the same." "Promise?" she asked. She laid back against him. "I do not know where my road will go, but stay here for me. I will return." "I will," she said. Her heart was hardly in it. "Unless I am told to find you." "No, you must wait for me!" he held onto her tightly, wishing that he could hold her like that forever. "But what if I know where you are and what if Galadriel tells me to go and find you or we'll never meet again?" Gweth argued. "Then come to me." They were silent for a moment and he stroked her long hair and played with it in between his fingers. "Legolas!" they heard Pippin yell. "I must go now," he said, looking deep into her eyes. She then kissed his lips softly and he felt as if in a dream. He did not let go of her so fast, no matter how loud his friend yelled. They were too far around a corner for Legolas to see, but he could sure hear them. He kissed her lips deeply till she opened his mouth to him. "Legolas!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Aragorn. Then Legolas could hear Aragorn's footsteps coming around the corner. Legolas ripped his mouth from hers. He knew that he had to go now. "Farewell," Legolas said, giving her a squeeze. He took off towards Aragorn, but glanced at Gweth once more. "And until we meet again!" "Farewell!" Gweth called back.