With the Dawn of a New Age

Summary: After the war the sons of the rulers of two elven realms are finally able to meet in peace � but not everything goes as smoothly as one might hope.

Author's Note: |*| � |*| denotes mind-speech.

Not much angst in this, sorry. I thought of continuing this with a more �angsty� part, but it didn�t work out. I hope you can still enjoy it.

~~~

It was a hot, breathless summer night. The stars were shining clearly in the dark firmament, looking down on the wide plains around the Anduin and the rock upon which the white city of Minas Tirith had been built.

A lonely figure on one of the upper terraces was leaning against the stone balustrade, looking up at the night sky while his mind wandered back to the events which finally let him come to this place � and to those who had managed to attract his attention to an uncommon degree.

The first time Legolas had seen the twin sons of Elrond had been after that fateful council in Imladris where it was decided to destroy the One Ring, but he had seen them only for a short time and from far away. It seemed they had been running errands constantly at that time, and there was hardly a moment to make contact before the fellowship started the journey.

It had only been his second visit to Imladris, since the relations between Mirkwood and the valley realm had never been very good, and the first time the twins hadn�t been at home as well. After that, there was rarely a messenger traveling between the two locations.

Though it seemed harmful continuing with this hostile behaviour, he couldn�t fault his father and his advisors completely, since the Noldor had always looked down upon the Silvans as lesser elves � one needed only to read their history books or reports about his people.

Even an Elf lord as wise and kind as Elrond was no exception, though he probably didn�t do it consciously. There were enough admiring remarks that had shown him to be perceptive of some skills of the woodland folk, yet his perspective remained that of his Noldorin upbringing: kind but slightly superior.

It seemed a miracle that he would choose Legolas to be the one representing the elves in the fellowship, but besides the fact that the Noldor would probably leave soon for Aman, no matter the outcome of the war, while Sindar and Silvan would stay a bit longer, it was as well the fact that the enemy knew little about the young prince of the Greenwood or so the lord had reasoned to Erestor, and so he wouldn�t attract as much attention.

Then there was the fact that he had been Mithrandir's recommendation �otherwise he still might not have been chosen, despite having many talents for such a secret mission.

Legolas had happened to overhear them and nearly regretted his offer, but then scolded himself not to be so childish. It didn�t really matter what the Noldor thought, it mattered that he could contribute his skills to this quest � and those had never been disputed.

He left his irritation when the journey started.

He hadn�t expected to see someone from Elrond�s realm besides Aragorn before the quest was over, but then he met Elrond�s sons again in Rohan, when they came with the Grey Company to help their foster brother, Aragorn.

They had ridden with the Dunedain, their colours and outfit similar, but had stood out nonetheless. There was too much elven blood flowing in their veins to pass as normal mortals. Their features were beautiful, but grim � this was the most important and equally most difficult task they would ever do and, similar to the usual Rangers and Noldor warriors, they remained in a dark, forbidding mood � much different from woodelves, who tried to keep their behaviour joyful and light-hearted, no matter how dark the times were.

True, the Paths of the dead were dreadful enough to not let even Legolas sing except to calm Arod, but their demeanour didn�t change after they had passed through this mood dampening area.

Nevertheless he had rejoiced for Aragorn to have his brothers close, since he had become a dear friend to him, and it had seemed that the twins had noticed that close relationship and eyed him now and again. He wasn�t sure whether to be glad or uncomfortable about this.

Later he had seen them in battle, wielding their swords with deadly precision, but only for short moments, as he was too busy himself to indulge in idle observation. But he could see that their reputation as unforgiving orc-slayers was justified. Though there was no place to show off complicated moves or elegant patterns, their style was still graceful and frighteningly effective.

He himself had slain more of these dark creatures on this journey than in the last three years together probably.

Legolas never thought about how his own skills would look like. This was not the time for idle thoughts. But later, when everything was over, there were some admiring remarks coming from the army of men. And he silently cursed himself for wondering what the twins would think.

Still, at that time he felt himself somehow closer to Aragorn and his other mortal fellows than the twins despite their elven blood. After all, their journey had forged a very strong bond between the members of the fellowship.

At least this time there were no spiders around like in Mirkwood � those creatures were usually more sneaky and intelligent than orcs, but what the orcs lacked in wit they made up with their sheer numbers.

There had been many desperate and cruel moments, the earth stained dark with blood, but they had seen it through.

After the battles came the healing where the only thing he could do himself, was giving first aid and singing some hope into the wounded and dying, while Elladan and Elrohir had helped Aragorn again as best they could � much to Legolas� admiration. Well, it was to be expected that the sons of the best healer in middle earth were somewhat proficient in this field.

It was impossible not to see the twins as one unit. All their movements and actions were perfectly tuned to each other.

It was common knowledge among the elves that they shared a soul. Whether they shared their bodies as well was not known, but among the elves it was suspected to be so. It was wise not to speak of such things or show them openly since men tended to be opposed to such a notion.

Standing on the high terrace overlooking the lower rings of Minas Tirith, Legolas, third prince of the Greenwood, now named Eryn Lasgalen, looked up at the starry sky and sighed as he thought about the many days of the dangerous journey and the aftermath of the great battles.

A journey which had led his admired friend Aragorn to the fulfillment of his dreams: the united kingdom of Arnor and Gondor was his, and Arwen was his wife from this very day on. With the ending of this war had come the dawn of a new age.

It had been a joyous celebration despite the sadness which Elrond, Lord of Imladris, tried to hide at the separation of his daughter from elfkind and the woodelf had admired his bearing.

In fact, there was much he admired about the kind and wise elflord, but the more it hurt him that Elrond didn�t seem able to see the Silvans equal to the other elven races of Vanyar, Noldor and Sindar � not that he made the distinction clearly, it seemed to be a subconscious thing, those remarks and behaviour.

Maybe he was not to blame, since he had always been surrounded by a Noldorin environment, though it had become mixed with Sindarin with the time, even some Silvans were there, but not enough to make a difference.

Legolas dreaded the time for sailing to Aman. If even Elrond could not give them equal regard, how much more would those in Valinor look down upon him? The Silvans were the ones who never wanted to make that journey, and the names they had been given for this were not nice.

He sighed.

But he had no choice in this matter. The day would come when he had to go � and he would bear those trials as he had always done: with the pride of the Sindar and the patience of the Silvan.

Looking back into the great hall he could faintly hear the music and see the light of the lamps and candles reflecting from flashy jewels and clothes.

When the time for the festivities had come, Legolas had been a bit at a loss what to do with his clothing, since he didn�t have a chance to send for some ceremonial robes from his home � his father and people were too busy clearing and healing the Greenwood and it had seemed somehow wrong to him to put on a display of richness in a city ravaged and deprived from war.

But that hadn�t disturbed the nobles of this city who had seemingly out of the nothing managed to create robes of flashing colour and expensive materials and Aragorn, perceptive as ever, had come to his rescue, and so he was wearing a tunic of dark green silk with a high collar and wide sleeves closing around his wrists, embroidered with light green leaves, over tight black leggings tucked neatly into soft black boots.

It was not outstanding, but elegant, and Legolas didn�t wish for more. The shining attire some of the elves from Imladris and Lothlorien were wearing would have made him uncomfortable � he was used to let others be the center of attention, like his father or brothers for example.

This evening, the one catching the most admiring glances was the new Queen, Arwen Undomiel, and no wonder since she was so very beautiful.

Elladan and Elrohir, too though, had certainly had their admirers, clad as they were matching outfits of dark grey leggings, white silk shirts and dark blue brocade tunics, studded with gems, their shining sable locks braided with diamonds and silver beads.

If not for Aragorn himself being more understatedly attired, Legolas would probably have felt out of place, wearing no jewellery at all, but it really didn�t seem to matter. Everyone wanted to celebrate the downfall of the Dark Lord and the return of the king.

He had been completely unaware of the fact that he was a very attractive elf himself, no matter what clothing he wore, and never recognized the attention he was getting from others during the feast. His quiet and modest nature made him retreat in the background as much as possible, though, as a hero of the war, he couldn�t completely escape being fawned over.

After some time the Greenwood elf had felt too suffocated and enclosed, despite the huge measures of the hall and escaped onto the terrace to breathe the clean, fresh night air. It was a good place and time to let those days pass in front of his inner eye, as he hadn�t had much time to do so before. Looking over the wide plains to the Anduin, he continued his musings.

He was so lost in thought that he didn�t notice others moving out onto the terrace. It was a wide area, so it was not astonishing to overlook someone there. He turned his head when he heard voices and soon recognized Elladan and Elrohir.

�It will be hard on Adar to leave here, but he cannot stay long.�

�Aye, with the power of Vilya gone, he has lost most of his strength.�

�It is not only the ring, but also that he has fulfilled his purpose here. Everything has come to a conclusion and so, despite the fact that he would like to see Arwen and Aragorn in their marriage, he has to go on. Besides, mother will be waiting for him.�

�Indeed. And he won�t need to worry about Arwen, since we will be looking out for her.�

�True, but instead he will worry about us, since we will stay here, too. You know that he fears we will choose likewise.�

A long silence, then a sigh.

�I truly don�t know what to do. I�m simply not ready for this decision despite all the time we had already.�

�Me neither. But we will have to as soon as he sails.�

Legolas felt deeply for Elrond in this moment. How much had this wise and kind elf already lost in his long life? He hadn�t known that his sons hadn�t chosen their fate yet.

Not wanting to eavesdrop on the twins� deepest thoughts, though his being there was, he turned and was on his way back when a voice stopped him.

�Ho, there is Legolas of the Nine Walkers.�

They had noticed his movement, it seemed. Legolas silently cursed under his breath when both closed in on him, Elladan to his right Elrohir to his left.

�How does it feel to be so famous?�

The grins on the older twin�s face couldn�t be called malicious, but to the woodelf it seemed to be too playful to be completely innocent. Were they mad at him, because he had heard them? They were still coming closer and he felt cornered.

�You were making quite a stunning appearance in there and turning many a maiden�s head, heh?�

Elrohir whispered in his ear.

With the stunning twins so close to him, Legolas felt his breath catch for a moment, but he was not willing to play games and managed to quickly compose himself.

�Don�t be ridiculous,� he answered coolly,

�Among all those flashy and shining nobles and elves, I am probably the first to be overlooked, and that�s fine by me.�

He meant it.

But it seemed the twins didn�t believe him. Elladan moved in front of him, his face but inches away from his own.

�Ha, so you felt neglected and came out here to sulk? That we cannot leave this way. Let us remedy the situation, fair Mirkwood archer.�

And then he felt arms wrap around him from behind while the face of the older twin moved even closer. Feeling those powerful bodies close and radiating heat, his heart started to race, but his anger was rising as well.

Tensing up, Legolas finally acted, pushing both twins away and retreating to the hall, while saying scornfully over his shoulder,

�A toy to play with, that is all I�m good for you? I�m disappointed. I had thought better of you.�

Looking after the retreating figure, Elrohir asked his brother,

�What was that? Doesn�t he have a sense of humour?�

�I don�t know. It seems we have unintentionally managed to insult him.�

�Well, there is nothing we can do about it at the moment, but come morning I intend to find out what this is about � and apologize if necessary. He really is someone I would like to get to know better. Very attractive, a good warrior � and he has a certain aura that fascinates me. Maybe it is even more than attraction, you know.�

Elladan nodded.

�I felt it, too. But I honestly didn�t expect such a thing to happen.�

�Me neither. But it will be very important to get his goodwill back, before we can explore this feeling.�

�Agreed. But let us get back inside now, father will need us.�

And soon the terrace was empty once more.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Entering his chamber, Legolas closed the door and lit some candles, before removing his attire. He trembled slightly when he felt the silk tunic slide over the skin of his upper body, imagining it to be dark hair and strong but sensitive hands.

Cursing his thoughts and feelings for going in that direction, he sat down on the bed.

Had the twins had really such a strong impact on him, that he desired them despite their Noldorin attitude? He didn�t want it to be true, but he wasn�t one to deceive himself either. They were handsome and usually very kind, though at some moments one could see a wilder streak shining through which attracted him even more. But he couldn�t simply put his pride aside and let them have their way, could he?

He sighed and lay down � it didn�t matter. There was no need to ever show them these feelings, especially since his time here in Middle Earth was drawing to an end. He would sail soon, when his mortal friends would be gone from this world, and try to forget about them.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The next morning, Legolas was up early and, after collecting something to eat and drink, he headed out to the stables. He wanted to be in nature for his breakfast � the stones of the city weren�t speaking to him like to his dwarf-friend Gimli.

He saddled Arod and soon they were out of the city, heading toward a tributary of the Anduin which was far enough from the former battlefield with no bloody memories. There, in the cool shade of some trees he unpacked his meal and, listening to the soft murmur of the water and the chirping of the crickets, he enjoyed the freshness of the morning. The heat would come soon enough during the day.

Yet though he tried to, he couldn�t keep his thoughts wandering back to the previous evening and the moment on the terrace when for the first time in his life, he had been this close to Elrond�s sons. It had affected him strongly: his heart had been beating so wildly that he had thought they would hear it.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

In Minas Tirith, the twins had had their breakfast in the great hall. They were among the first, but though they continued looking out for the Greenwood prince, they didn�t see him. When they finally ran out of patience and couldn�t find him in his assigned rooms either, they went to Aragorn�s study, knowing that despite it being his own wedding the new king wouldn�t rest too long.

They found him there together with their sister, taking their meal in privacy.

�Good morning, Estel, Arwen.�

Elladan moved closer to the table while Elrohir closed the door.

�We are sorry to intrude and won�t stay for long, but we have a question for you.�

Arwen�s eyes sparkled while Aragorn could hardly suppress his grin.

�I doubt you are sorry, and we will see how long you will stay, since we have some nice cinnamon buns here,� the king answered with as straight as face as he could manage.

True enough, the twins� eyes widened, and after a short look at each other seated themselves at the table. Aragorn let them have their first bites before he picked up the conversation.

�Now, what was your question?�

�Well, we couldn�t find Legolas this morning. We were quite early in the hall, but he didn�t show up, and he wasn�t in his rooms either when we checked. Do you know were we can find him?�

The twins were looking for his woodelf friend? Aragorn cocked his head to the side, glancing at his brothers.

�Hmm, if he isn�t there, I guess he is either on the training fields for archery, though that doesn�t happen very often, or visiting Arod in the stables � that is, if he is still in Minas Tirith. He could heave gone out for a ride, since he doesn�t like it here too much � there are not enough trees here in this city of stone for his liking.�

The twins sighed.

�Why do you look for him?�

Arwen�s eyes were blinking with curiosity.

That was a question Aragorn had deliberately avoided since he knew the twins too well � if they had chosen to give someone their attention, they could hardly be persuaded to let it be. He had noticed their growing interest in the prince since the Path of the Dead, and yesterday evening he had seen them watching the fair archer more than once.

He wasn�t sure though, if that interest was mutual. Legolas was very good at concealing his thoughts and feelings, and he didn�t want to put any pressure on his friend to reveal this to him, though they had become very close during their journey. He had gotten to know probably more about him than even some of the Mirkwood, no, Greenwood it was now, elves did.

�Well, we are interested in him,� Elrohir revealed.

As expected, thought the king.

�But it seems we have unintentionally managed to insult him somehow, so we wanted to make amends.�

Aragorn let the bread he was about to eat drop back on his plate.

This wasn�t good, and he was dismayed. He loved his brothers, but sometimes they managed to put other people off, though most of the times when this happened, it was deliberately.

�How did this come about?�

�Well, we met on the terrace yesterday evening and just tried to make some conversation, but it seems he got us wrong when we tried to be funny ��

King and Queen looked at each other and sighed. Sometimes the jokes of the twins could get out of hand.

�Please tell me as exactly as possible what you said.�

This was no problem for the brothers � they had a very good memory. After hearing their words, Aragorn sighed again.

�Elladan, Elrohir, please do me a favour and be more careful. I know you meant no harm, but it is very important to me that you have a good relationship with Legolas � not only because he is a good friend of mine and you are dear brothers to me, but also because he will get to live here in Ithilien with some of the woodelves to help the land there to recover � so it wouldn�t be good to have a diplomatic incident, though you were speaking to him as a private person. But he is representing the Silvans here and you, Imladris, so try to be a bit more considerate with what you are doing.�

The twins exchanged an astonished look � they hadn�t known about this. A new elven realm within the realm of men? An intriguing thought.

�You know very well that relations between the former Mirkwood and Imladris have never been very good, and it took me a lot of effort and Mithrandir�s help to gain king Thranduil�s trust. Not only because I�m a mortal or worse, Isildur�s heir, but also, because I was raised in Imladris.�

�What?!� Elladan interrupted him.

�Is that king really so stubborn to keep old grudges even till such a time and against such a generation? You are not really that closely related to Adar that the loss of Oropher at the battle of Dagorlad could be laid on your shoulders.�

�You are mistaken, Elladan, when you think it was Oropher�s death alone that has caused this trouble.�

Now all three siblings were looking at Aragorn with big eyes.

�I�ve journeyed several times through Mirkwood and have gotten close enough to Legolas during the quest to notice some things which are usually overlooked by the elves of Imladris. The Silvans are normally a very joyful and light-hearted folk, but that is on the surface � they have a lot of pride as well and justifiably so. In the past, when the Noldor came from Valinor to Middle Earth, they looked down on the Silvans ��

�But that is an even older story,� Elrohir couldn�t believe what he heard.

�We have long overcome these prejudices. Besides, we have Sindarin ancestors as well.�

�Sindarin, yes, Silvan, no. But that is not the point. The traditions in Imladris are the traditions your father has grown up with, and those are mostly Noldorin, and accordingly the prejudices are the same.�

Aragorn raised his hand to stop the siblings from interrupting him again.

�And there are prejudices, make no mistake. They may not be as obvious as the former ones, but they are still there. Legolas has told me that he used the time in Imladris until the journey of the fellowship started to read in our library there, and the perspective of the reports on events and meetings which include the Silvans haven�t changed much in all those millennia. It may be that there are no open insults anymore, but the tenor is such that the Silvans are still regarded as �lesser elves�. Even our father seems to still have this prejudice, though it is unconsciously so.�

�Really?�

Arwen looked dismayed.

�I cannot imagine Adar being so cruel � he is such a kind soul and has usually no prejudice against any race of the free people.�

�No, but he grew up among such prejudices and has been influenced by them in a way, that the reports hardly ever mention the achievements of the woodelves, but mostly those of the Noldor. Even the history of men and dwarves is more objectively recorded with both, successes and failures equally, than the one of the woodelves � what is mentioned there is mostly their struggling and their losses, but hardly their victories. The death of Oropher and many Silvans at Dagorlad is only one example � they may have never had such a big and well prepared army as their Noldorin allies, but they won several smaller battles in that war which were never recorded. Do you know about them?�

An uneasy silence followed.

�The Silvans may be partly to blame for this lack of knowledge since they usually don�t write such records themselves, but just use song and story-telling to keep those memories alive.

Legolas is one of the more open-minded ones and acknowledges this, but that doesn�t excuse the fact that the achievements and skills of the Silvans are often left out in those observations and accordingly many of our friends in Imladris are still looking down upon their cousins as lesser beings. It should not come as a surprise then that the Silvans don�t like being around the Noldorin descendants much. They have their pride.�

After another meaningful silence, Elladan sighed.

�Now we have lived much longer than you and still had no idea that these prejudices still existed, and that Thranduil has a good reason to resent us.�

�I don�t think it is resentment, but such a superior attitude is hurtful for him and his people. He may be Sindarin himself, but he completely identifies himself with his Silvan population.

Legolas has already achieved much in his life and I�ve come to love him like a brother during our dangerous journey, but this is a painful spot for him as well, so he usually conceals his thoughts and feelings even from me. I�ve managed only rarely to get him to talk about those things, but it was enough to know how careful I need to be with my words and behaviour when being around him. Now think about your attitude last night on this background � and it will seem to be more than a little disrespectful.�

Elrohir bowed his head and put one hand over his eyes.

�And we only meant to be a bit funny � But that was surely the wrong way to approach him.�

Elladan sighed again.

�There is nothing to be done, but find him and clarify things as well as apologize. Estel, should you come across him before we do, could you tell him that we would like to speak with him? We cannot be sure to find him, if he doesn�t want to be found, no matter our tracking skills. He is a woodelf after all � and that is meant as a compliment.�

Aragorn smiled.

�If you speak to him that way, it will go much better, I think. But you should go now, if you want to find him soon � and let us have some of those cinnamon buns for ourselves.�

Laughing, the twins got up and left, heading for the stables.

�I think I should talk to Adar about this, too. I don�t believe he has noticed this already or he would have done something to rectify the situation,� Arwen said.

�Probably. But it is not easy to rectify in any case. You cannot change what you have said and done in the past, nor can you change your ways so easily.

But I agree that he should know about this, especially since he will be sailing soon and will start anew in Valinor. If he could make friends among the Silvans there, it would be a good thing, I think."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

After a visit to the stables, which established that Arod was missing, the twins had managed to find a guard who had seen Legolas heading out of the city and to the North. They had wasted no time and with some small preparations were riding out as well, trying to follow the track. The horse was their only chance, as they knew very well that a woodelf would leave no other trace. They were glad that the archer had made no attempt to conceal the hoof prints as well. The wind blowing in their hair they galloped over the wide plain leaving the dust blowing behind them.

Soon, Elladan and Elrohir could see the white horse grazing under some trees and the golden hair of the archer glittering when the wind moved the branches of the tree he was sitting beneath, allowing the sun to shine through. They were relieved that the prince didn�t make any effort to hide himself.

Legolas had noticed their horses coming over the plain quite early � even among elves he was known to have an extraordinary sight. He had mixed feelings about this. He wanted to be close to the twins but feared it at the same time, his stomach tightening into a knot from the tension rising in him.

The sun let their glossy black hair shine, and the elegant and graceful movements of their bodies, when they descended from their horses, made his heart beat faster again and his throat dry. Silently cursing himself for being so affected by their closeness, he managed to maintain a calm mask nonetheless.

�Well met, prince Legolas. Would you mind us joining you here? It is a nice spot you have picked,� Elladan started the conversation. He couldn�t figure out what the archer was thinking, but he wasn�t the type of person to be easily discouraged.

�We have brought some provisions as well,� Elrohir continued,

�We had hoped to find you and share a glass of wine with you. Aragorn has given us one of his best � not that it can compare to a Dorwinion, but it is still quite tasty.�

Legolas wasn�t sure what to make of this, but he could hardly refuse. They were very polite and had given him no reason yet to oppose them. Still he was wary of them, but he nodded his agreement � after all they were Aragorn�s foster brothers. It wouldn�t do to antagonize them needlessly.

�Of course, my Lords. I have some berry tarts left, if you want to share them.�

�Sounds really good to me.�

�Me too.�

They seated themselves close to him, but not so close that Legolas felt cornered again. It seemed their mood had changed since the last evening � they were more serious. Had he made too much of last night�s incident? He wasn�t so sure anymore that his reaction had been the right thing.

After silently sharing a first glass of wine, while all of them watched the river flowing, the twins turned their attention back to him. He prepared himself for another unpleasant remark, but what Elladan said instead was totally unexpected.

�Legolas, we want to apologize for last night. We intended to be funny, but our remarks were clearly out of line and our behaviour as well.�

�We really meant no disrespect to you, though it can be easily seen that way. But the truth is that we admire you and your skills greatly,� Elrohir continued.

�This admiration had led us to feel attracted to you, so we wanted to approach you last evening, but we know that this isn�t an excuse for the way we did it. Please forgive us and let us make amends, if we can. We don�t want to stay on bad terms with you.�

Their complete honesty and directness surprised Thranduil�s son, so he wasn�t able to answer for a moment. Feeling those deep storm-grey eyes resting hopefully on him made his breath catch again for a moment. Making up his mind, he decided that he would answer them with complete honesty as well.

�I accept your apology. And I want to apologize as well, since I have the feeling I may have gone a bit far in my assumptions. But I want you to know that you are not the only ones to have approached me, and some of them were clearly thinking of me as a toy or someone easy to play with. I don�t know why they would think this way, but they do. Your remarks were so similar to those and I felt cornered, so I lashed out without too much thinking.�

He didn�t want to bring up the usual Noldorin attitude, especially since the twins didn�t behave like this at the moment.

Elladan leaned closer to him, looking at him seriously with those mesmerizing eyes.

�Legolas, our behaviour last night was too rash and playful, indeed, though we meant not to belittle you. You don�t need to apologize. We know your skills from the battlefield very well and have heard a lot about your loyalty and steadfastness to your comrades from the fellowship members. We know you are a very dear friend to Aragorn which makes us as his brothers all the more grateful. So, we really wouldn�t want you to think that all we want is to use you.�

�We still feel attracted to you, but we won�t act upon it anymore � except if you wouldn�t mind us to. We will leave that to you.�

The younger twin stretched out on his side, leaning on one elbow. With his dark locks falling to the ground, the long legs stretched out, he made a breathtaking sight.

Legolas� mind was a whirl of thoughts.

The twins were attracted to him? But seriously, not just for fun?

He could feel it, their honesty. And he was sure they would restrain themselves from making any further moves, but that was not what he wanted. He wouldn�t lie to himself, this attraction was mutual.

What should he do now? After his reaction last evening, could he really now opt for the opposite? But, being so close to these two, it was even harder to suppress his desires.

�I � I must admit that this feeling is mutual. I just didn�t want to be a mere entertainment ��

He stopped. But it seemed it wasn�t necessary to elaborate � the eyes of Elrond�s sons were lit with joy.

�Really?�

�Would you let us explore our feelings a bit more? Or would that make you uncomfortable?�

Well, they wasted no time, it seemed. Their wilder streak was blinking through again, though it was still somewhat restrained. His heart beating wildly, Legolas licked his dry lips which seemed to make the twins gaze even more intense.

�I think � I would like � to explore some, as well.�

As soon as those words were out of his mouth, the twins started closing in on him � but this time he didn�t feel cornered, only very excited. Elladan moved behind him, encircling his waist and encouraging him to lean back, while Elrohir came from the front, leaning closer and closer till their lips touched.

It was a soft, tender kiss at first, and Legolas sighed, relaxing somewhat. This gave the younger twin the opportunity to gently push his lips apart with his tongue and explore his mouth. The longer the kiss lasted, the more intense and hot it became, till Legolas� heart was racing again, his breath becoming erratic and short. He couldn�t stifle a moan anymore, especially since Elladan�s lips were occupied with his left ear.

Then a pair of hands was sliding under his tunic and up his front, caressing his skin and smoothing the planes of his torso, till the fingers reached his nipples and started to tease and twist them, eliciting an even louder moan from him.

Finally, Elrohir broke his kiss, both participants breathing heavily. Stormy grey eyes met dark blue with a smouldering gaze, the passion flaring high between them. It surprised the twins that Legolas reaction was so intense.

|*| He is more passionate than we thought, brother. |*|

|*| Aye, he hides this part of himself well. But I like it. Let�s move on. |*|

The twins removed the light summer tunic from the archer�s body, before baring themselves as well. Soon they were all skin on skin and hands and lips were caressing everywhere. Golden hair was mixing with black, the moans and sighs filling the air under the trees.

To Legolas, this experience was beyond everything he had ever imagined. Not only had he never been with two lovers at once before, but those he had allowed to approach him had not been half as passionate and wild as the twins were.

Giving himself fully over to these feelings he hardly noticed when his leggings were removed until a hand enclosed his already hard and hot member. Bucking wildly during the first stroke he could see through his half closed eyes the twins keenly observing him while they manipulated his body with expertise, but he didn�t care that he was on display. The tightening in his loins with the speeding strokes took too much of his attention; he arched his body and, thrashing his head wildly, he finally let go and came with a cry.

|*| I never imagined that he would trust us so much so quickly, brother. |*|

Elladan was astonished and grateful.

|*| Me neither, but he is wonderful in his passion. |*|

Elrohir kissed Legolas again, but only shortly to let the prince regain his breath somewhat.

�You are very beautiful, my prince.�

�Would you let us take this even a step further?�

Legolas mind was still in a dizzy state, but after some calming breaths, he managed to nod.

�Definitely. But I think I would like to have a dip in the river first.�

�Good idea. Let�s go.�

With the help of the twins the archer was able to get up, and all three went into the cooling water.

Floating and looking at the sky, Legolas relaxed.

Then, a gull was sailing overhead. Those birds didn�t come this far from the Anduin very often, and that was one of the reasons Legolas liked this place. But he had no such luck this day and a sharp pain lodged itself in his chest. He sighed and went quickly beneath the surface, but the image wouldn�t leave his mind.

Concerned, the sons of Elrond looked at each other. For a short moment they had seen something in the prince�s eyes that had escaped their attention so far.

|*| Can it be? |*|

|*| It seems so. How didn�t we notice it before? |*|

|*| He is very good at concealing things. But it must have happened recently, or he would have left Mirkwood earlier. |*|

|*| I don�t like it. For how long will he be able to resist the call? |*|

|*| No one can say. It depends very much on the strong will to stay. Those who don�t have that will have to sail immediately or they will fade. |*|

|*| Then I hope very much that we can give him one more reason for staying. |*|

When Legolas was surfacing again, the twins were right next to him, but instead of a passionate expression their gazes were concerned.

�You�ve caught the sea longing, don�t you?�

Elladan came right to the point.

He should have expected that the sons of the best healer in Middle Earth would notice his problem. Legolas sighed again.

�Yes. And unfortunately it is already very strong. I won�t be able to stay for long, but I hope to at least see the lives of my mortal friends fulfilled before I sail.�

�I guess this is another reason why you want to stay in Gondor?�

Elrohir was quite sure of it, and as expected the archer nodded.

�Yes, though Ithilien really needs the healing environment of elves.�

�And other parts of Gondor probably as well. You couldn�t do a greater favour for our foster brother. But will you be able to manage?�

Elladan was worried.

�I can only try my best.�

�If we can help you in any way, please let us know. We know that much depends on the will to stay. Your bond with the members of the fellowship is strong and will certainly help you resist the call. My brother suggests that you create another bond with us to strengthen you further � if you think you are amenable to it.�

Legolas could only look at them with big eyes. Was he really that important to them?

To see someone suffer from sea longing was hard on other elves, and the twins were already in a difficult position: their father would sail very soon, their sister and foster brother would die in the close future and they had yet to decide their own fate.

�Are you sure? It would be a great help, certainly, but I don�t want to put any strain on you.�

Coming even closer, both twins embraced him, kissing him tenderly one after another.

�We are sure.�

�You are important to us ��

�� more important than you can imagine.�

Legolas� mind was racing. Were they alluding to some even deeper relationship than he had imagined? But he had no time to dwell on these thoughts, as their hands and lips began to distract him again. After only a short time all three were breathless and aroused again.

The archer hardly noticed that they were leaving the water, sinking down on the grass of the riverbank.

While Legolas was lying on top of Elladan in a passionate embrace, Elrohir went back to their packs to fetch two items. The first was easy to find � he and Elladan usually kept some oil or salve at hand. They didn�t have always a place or the time to share their bodies, but when it came to this, they wanted to be prepared.

It took the younger twin some time to find the other. How had the Hithlain-rope managed to get to the bottom of the pack? It was usually on top.

Elrohir didn�t take the time to dwell on it, but took his knife and returned to the riverside.

It took three times clearing his throat to get the attention of the lovers, but when they finally looked up, Elladan caught his gaze in understanding while Legolas sucked in his breath at seeing the oil. Then his expression changed to one of confusion when he noticed the rope. Elrohir squatted down next to him.

�This is for a ritual which isn�t often performed � it is for strengthening the bond between two or more people without an actual binding between f�as. It is usually only known to healers and used to help elves who are fading or have fallen to the sea longing to stay a bit longer. It doesn�t cure them, so in the end they will sail or fade nonetheless, but it gives them a longer time span. We want to give you our strength, so you can manage to stay long enough with us and our foster brother.�

�Would it put some kind of strain upon you?�

�It does,� Elladan answered,

�But we have an unusually strong f�a, and when we both do the ritual, it won�t be as strenuous as for one alone.�

�Besides we really want to do this for you.�

Legolas was deeply touched. Taking a calming breath he agreed.

�If you are sure about this, then I will gladly let you help me. What must I do?�

�It is similar to a real bonding where hands are cut and pressed together to seal the union. Here we cut our hands and let some blood drop on the rope. Afterwards we bind our hands together with it for some moments. We can remove it as soon as we feel our souls respond to each other.�

Cutting a certain length from the rope, Elrohir used his knife then to cut his right palm and handed the sharp weapon over to his twin who did the same to his left hand.

Then it was Legolas� turn.

�Which hand should I use?�

�It doesn�t matter.�

When all three of them had spilled a few drops of blood on the rope, Elrohir bound the cut hands together with a certain pattern. Almost immediately something changed in the air around them. Their souls were reaching out to each other, and soon the twins could feel the sea longing which drowned Legolas� soul like the rolling weaves of the ocean.

The prince could feel their f�a like two strong pillars of light, pulling him to the surface and anchoring him in the here and now. Without much thought he leaned closer and kissed first Elladan and then Elrohir, and almost forgetting about the rope still binding them together, they sank to the ground again.

|*| Brother, what should I do about the rope? Shall I cut it off? |*|

|*| No, it would be too distracting. And it promises to get interesting, having only one hand free each. Could you pass me the oil? |*|

The twins interrupted their ministrations simultaneously. Elrohir managed to grab the small bottle and pull the cork out with his teeth, then he poured some into his brother�s open palm. Legolas was still out of breath from the kiss, but looked at them curiously.

|*| Let�s put our bound hands over the head, then they are out of the way. And keep him occupied while I prepare him, brother. |*|

The twins slowly stretched their bound hands up, pulling Legolas� with them, and the younger twin carefully placed the bottle on the ground.

Then he started stroking Legolas� quickly hardening member and kissing his neck line from ear to collarbone which the prince freely offered him, while Elladan started to push his slippery fingers in the opening between the two firm globes, first one, then two, noticing that it took the prince some time to adjust. But he stretched him gently and Elrohir kept the woodelf well distracted, so there was no hesitation when he finally oiled his own shaft and slowly entered the archer�s behind.

Compared to his experience before, Legolas didn�t know how much he could take of this double assault. His eyes widened, when he saw Elladan pass the oil to the younger twin who quickly prepared himself. Elladan then turned on his back with the prince on top of him. Legolas was facing Elrohir who started lowering himself on the archer�s waiting shaft.

Holding his breath, Legolas hoped not to pass out from the overloading of his senses. When the twins started to move, he just gave himself over to their guidance, struggling not to come immediately. While Elladan nibbled on one of his ear tips and teased his nipples with his right hand, Elrohir took his mouth in a hot kiss and used his free hand to caress his other ear, their bound hands intertwining above their heads.

Legolas soon had no sense of up and down anymore, his head spinning, the tension in his body mounting. When the rhythm got quicker, the breathing became harsher and more erratic, so they had to leave their mouths unoccupied. The three bodies were glistening in the hot summer sun. Legolas started thrashing his head again, grabbing Elrohir�s member with his free hand � and soon the younger twin was coming, his clenching muscles pulling Legolas over the edge with him, and Elladan soon followed. Collapsing into one pile of limbs, their chests were heaving while they tried to catch their breath.

�Do us a favour, brother, and cut the rope.�

Elladan gasped.

�I can�t. My arm isn�t able to move.�

Elrohir�s head was hidden at Legolas neck, so his voice slightly muffled.

�Legolas, are you able to grab the knife?�

No answer.

Elrohir raised his head.

�Oh no, it seems he passed out cold, brother!�

�Did he now? The more important it is to cut the rope, so we can revive him with some water from the river.�

With some effort, the younger twin grabbed the knife and managed to cut the rope.

�I�m not sure about this, brother, but I think you were right that this might be more than attraction and friendship. If that is the case, we will need to consider it for our choice.�

�I know.�

Untangling their bodies, they dragged the prince the short distance to the river and let him slide into the water with them.

As expected the cool water brought Legolas soon back to consciousness, looking into the storm grey eyes of Elrond�s sons who regarded him tenderly and slightly amused.

�Was it that intense?� Elladan wanted to know.

�That�s an understatement,� Legolas muttered.

Soon all three were laughing.

�Well, I think you will have some more opportunities to cope with this.�

�After all, this age has only just begun.�

The End