Legolas gestured to a guard near the stables as we passed, and a groom came, leading Eärlin and Arod with no halter or lead.

"Hey," I said softly, as Eärlin nudged me insistently with his velvet muzzle, most likely trying to find a treat that would justify his leaving the stables. "Are we going somewhere?" I asked, turning to Legolas.

"No, I thought we would just stare at the horses and them put them back," he said airily, catching me by surprise with his evident sarcasm.

"Well," I muttered, raising my eyebrows.

The prince smiled roguishly and mounted Arod. I followed, and we and rode off into the trees, Eärlin following closely behind him.

Legolas slowed after not fifteen minutes, looking around into the trees. "Gianna, I want you to see this," he called back to me.

Curious, I slid off Eärlin and walked up to where he was standing. We looked upon a scene that was so like a professional photograph in National Geographic that I had to stop myself from asking if it was real.

Carpets of moss curled delicately around dark grey stones which glistened with water droplets. The air was thick and cool, dew hanging off the ferns like glass décor. The water whispered and rushed in a graceful tumult, a beautiful paradox between strength and grace. The air itself seemed to shimmer. 

"What is this place?" I asked, stupidly. Anyone could see it was a waterfall in the middle of the forest.

"It is one of the great falls of the Taurduin, the Forest River," Legolas said thoughtfully. "It is rumored that Yavanna herself frequents this place. It has never died or withered, even when most of the forest was in ruin during the War of the Ring."

"An understandable assumption," I agreed, taking in the supremely photogenic shrubs and grasses which flanked the water.

"Gianna..." He turned to me suddenly, his voice serious.

Interestingly, Arod nudged Eärlin, and the two horses casually meandered farther away, as if they were worried about eavesdropping.

Suddenly nervous, I faced him.

"Gianna, when you leave, I do not ever want you to doubt how much I--that I--" --he hesitated.

I had always seen him so eloquent, so impenetrably steadfast, and seeing him unable to finish his sentence was more than a little unnerving.

"Gianna, I care for you more than words can express," he said finally. "My heart has been, and will be always, solely yours."

"A dangerous commitment," I said quietly. "Given the present situation."

"It is not dangerous to me to admit that I love you," said Legolas, his voice softening as he looked at me.

I turned to him. "Do not pledge yourself to a fleeting wind," I begged him. "A star may come which will burn forever."

"You are my star," he said simply. "Others may come and go, but no maiden elf, dwarf, or man could ever steal my heart as you have done."  In that moment, I did not doubt his words in the slightest.

"What will you do?" I murmured, leaning against his strong shoulder.

"I will not stay in Middle-earth for long," he said, looking out into the mist above the waterfall. "I have felt the sea calling, calling me to its farthest shores. The only one that could stop me... will leave me forever."

"I do not have to," I said, my heart aching.

"No," he said. "But you will. Nothing is worth giving up your impact on your world or the people in it. That is why I brought you here."

He turned to me, an odd gleam in his eyes. From a velvet pouch he held (that he had been holding for some time), he drew out a small object, which he turned over and over in his hands until he finally turned towards me.

A soft smile curved over his lips as he held it out. It was a ring, made of gold and silver braided together in a delicate circlet. Somehow, thin vines of pure white stone--diamond, I realised-- curled through the intricate design, fragile and everlasting.

"That is... stunning," I said, looking up at Legolas.

"My mother gave it to me when I was young," Legolas replied. "She told me to keep it well, for one day I would know who to give it to. I have known for a while that you would be the one to have it."

"Truly?" I asked, meeting his gaze.

"Truly," he said gently, looking at me with eyes as blue as the sea. "There is no one else, Gianna. No one but you."

I wordlessly took the ring from his outstretched hand and tried it on a few of my fingers until I found that it fit perfectly on my second finger.

"Elbereth, Legolas, this is the most beautiful--" I tried, with just those words, to convey to him just how much this gesture meant to me, how much love I felt when I looked at him, but I fell short and trailed off.

I wrapped my arm around his waist and pulled myself against his chest, where his arms encircled me.

"Valar, Legolas, I never want to let you go," I said in a miserable whisper.

He said nothing, but held me ever tighter.

***********

"I looked for you this morning," I said accusingly, as Faewyn walked towards Legolas and I outside the palace gates.

"I went to see my parents, they were most interested in what had transpired," Faewyn said, shrugging off a light coat which she had assumably been wearing earlier. As the afternoon wore on, it had gotten significantly warmer.

"What did they say?" I asked, interestedly. I had not seen Tawariel or Calathir for a long time.

"They asked after you, of course," Faewyn said, her smile reminiscent of the past days we had shared. "I told them you were well, but they still wish to see you."

"Sometime after supper, perhaps?" I said, looking up at Legolas. "I'm sure they would love for Legolas to come as well." 

He smiled in response, I realised I was leaning against him again and could feel a small laugh reverberate through his chest.

"I would hope so, I have not seen Calathir in many a month and desire nothing more than to fill friendly hours with both their company," Legolas replied.

"As I'm sure they feel about you, Legolas," Faewyn said, her eyes sparkling.

The three of us walked through the palace gates, met with bows from the guards, and made our way through the courtyard.

"Did you inform your parents of your new position?" Legolas asked Faewyn as we continued up the path.

"It was the first thing I spoke of," Faewyn laughed. "I am ever grateful for you and the King's trust in me and my abilities."

"You have proven most adept indeed," Legolas assured her. "Shall we?" He gestured towards the door of an intricately arched garden-house, in which were a number of comfortable looking seats and low tables. The floor was liberally spread with fine carpets.

"What is this place?" I asked, not for the first time that day.

"One of the many royal places of rest and enjoyment scattered around the palace," Legolas said dryly. "But I figured it would be a good place for a few hours of light leisure."

There were bowls of various foods on the tables, mostly nuts and dried fruits, which we all occasionally took from among our conversations. At some point, Maldor greeted us and came to sit next to Faewyn; he too joined in on our conversations. It was such bliss, really, just being able to speak to my closest friends freely, one last time.

I had two days left-- actually, less than two days, as this one was already half over.

With a start, I realized that Legolas had stood up suddenly and was speaking to a messenger who had arrived at the entrance to the garden-house.

"If they wish it," Legolas said, looking back at us momentarily. "I am needed elsewhere for now, but I promise you, I will be there for supper; the King will have us."

He nodded to Maldor and Faewyn and gave me a long look before following behind the other elf. As soon he was out of earshot (which admittedly took a rather long time), Faewyn whirled on me.

"He gave you a ring?" she said incredulously.

I had a sudden image of a deer caught in headlights.

"Yes," I said, after recovering from the force of her question.

"Valar, Gianna, it's beautiful," she said wistfully. Her eyes met mine solemnly. "There is no greater show of devotion."

"I had no idea," offered Maldor, who was looking thoughtfully at a handful of almonds. He looked up, his olive eyes catching the sunlight. "The Prince is very clandestine when he wishes to be."

"Well, that is news to me," I said, "There is no end to his flattery or charm when he and I are alone."

"Elbereth, he really has lost it," Faewyn said wonderingly, sounding so like a typical best friend back home that I almost forgot where I was.

I laughed, the ring in question reflecting the afternoon sun like a flame in the dark.

*******

I was determined to forget about the swiftly vanishing sand in my figurative hourglass, so I enjoyed everything even more than usual, making special effort to remember strange and insignificant details about everything as I headed to supper, such as the fact that Faewyn was wearing a dress, which was not her customary attire.

"I wished to look presentable," she answered, in response to my look of surprise.

That was a bit of a stretch-- Faewyn could have worn a flour sack and she still would have looked presentable.

"You always look presentable," I snorted. "But I do like the dress, it's lovely."

"Thank you," she smiled. "Yours as well."

Legolas has bullied me into wearing the blue dress I had worn in Gondor-- I had carried it back with me.

"It's just supper," I had said, trying to be annoyed at the Prince's insistent cajoling. "I will be terribly overdressed."

"You certainly won't be," Legolas had replied, "And aside from that, I have not seen you in a dress for an unfortunately long time."

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You should," he replied, "A tunic does not quite do you justice." 

Good God. 

"Elbereth, Legolas, what is with this un-princely behaviour?" I said, not quite yet used to his uncharacteristically flattering comments towards me. 

"Perhaps you bring out the best in me," he said smoothly, stopping at the door. "Wear the dress, Gianna." 

So I stood in the hall now, unused to the feeling of the thick satin swirling around my legs as I moved. I made to open the thick oak doors in front of us, but stopped myself and turned to Faewyn instead. 

"Why," I began, "are things always more awkward in a dress?"

"I cannot fathom what you mean," said Maldor, who had appeared around the corner. 

"You wouldn't," said Faewyn loftily. "Gianna, I suppose it is simply because we look better than everyone else and nobody quite knows what to do with that information." 

"This I can vouch for," Maldor said, smiling at us both. "Aren't you going to go in?"

We had been loitering at the doors to the dining room anxiously; even Faewyn had lost her customary fearlessness. 

"We were waiting for Legolas," I quipped, in response. 

"You couldn't have been," Maldor said, "As he is already there. That makes you late, does it not?" 

I cringed inwardly at my mistake, cursing myself for insisting on hovering around the door instead of just marching in as I usually did. 

"Maldor," Faewyn said, "Stop trying to make us feel bad."

He laughed lightly and pushed open the doors into the dining room. 

The graceful lanterns which adorned the great hall shone down brightly, the long table in the middle was laden with food, and I was surprised to see a larger amount of people than I had expected sitting around it. 

Well, that was my fault-- I had assumed that based on breakfast, which was a quiet affair, the rest would be the same, although, reflecting on that, it was a ridiculous assumption to make since I was well aware that Thranduil was fond of dinner parties and aside from that was the King of Greenwood. 

A few eyes flickered towards us as we entered, but it was Legolas who I was looking for, and he met my gaze as he looked up from a word with his father. His smile made me blush more than anything he had said that day; I hoped fervently that the other elves had not noticed, although in theory, weren't the court nobles were above such gossip?

"Stop looking at Legolas, there will be gossip flying with the birds tomorrow," Faewyn whispered, unintentionally answering my unspoken question. 

Embarrassed, I looked away, and she pulled me over to the table. 

"Welcome, Faewyn Calathiriel and Maldor Imarenion, whose deeds aided in a significant part of history these past months. Welcome also to Gianna Davidiel, on whose shoulders this quest nobly sat, blessed and guided by Eru Ilúvatar." Thranduil's clear voice rang out upon seeing us enter. I tried to be calm and collected, as Faewyn nodded and smiled at those who spoke to her as she sat down. Legolas caught my eye and motioned to the seat beside him, which still stood empty. 

This was a thousand times more conspicuous than Legolas' inviting me to sit at his side in Ithilien; this was his home and his kingdom, and his people watched as I took my place beside him. 

Well, Faewyn, if the gossip wasn't already flying with the birds, it is now, I thought dryly, as stares and whispers sparked around the table like stars in the dark. Legolas ignored them and looked at me, a satisfied smile playing around his lips. 

Thranduil raised an eyebrow but did not comment, instead raising his wine goblet to commence the feast.

Much fewer people showed interest in speaking to us about our previous entanglements with the Remnants, it seemed that as long as there was no threat to them, they felt as if it did not matter. 

"They have always been like that, the other distinguished nobles," Legolas said, very softly. "Another reason I hated the idea of being prince." 

"They cannot all be bad." 

"They are," Legolas said seriously. "Though not of noble lineage-- they are mostly Silvan-- they hold themselves in very high regard. Perhaps it is their insecurities of their supposedly lesser origins which spurs them to greed and selfishness, but in Greenwood there has never been a problem between the Silvan and the Sindar elves."

"But are there not very few Sinda?" 

"That is probably why there are no problems," Legolas said, laughing. He took a sip from his goblet. 

"Speaking of lineage, is your father ever going to share with the relevant fact that I am not, in fact, an elf?" 

"Is it relevant?" Legolas asked. "It does not matter to me, or to him either, apparently."

I pondered this for a moment. "But that makes me an equal." 

"Exactly, melin nin." My love.