Hope - A Lord Of The Rings Chronicle

Do you love me?

The feast was beginning to end, so Legolas offered to escort Raina back to her quarters. Well, he was more forced  to escort her back to her quarters. Raina had told everyone that she was going to sleep for the night, and Cadhron had nudged and pushed him forward so that he almost fell into her.

"I'll go with you." Legolas said, shooting daggers at his friend who merely smirked. Raina nodded, glad to spend more time with Legolas, particularly because they would be alone.

As the couple walked back to Raina's sleeping quarters, Cahdron sighed in fondness, them excused him and his sister from the fellowship's company.
"Its time we be returning home."

They were left with many pleasant 'Goodnights' from the fellowship and Pendor, and Cadhron led himself and Gwil home. She had been quiet all evenening, which was exceptionally unusual for her. He couldn't quite place it, but realised it might be due to 'that time of the month' and decided to not ask Gwil about it.

The party and music still thrummed in the distance, the purple, green and blue latners flickering, sending their hues up into the night sky. Cadhron clambered up the steps a few at a time, while Gwil stepped over them, one a time. She hadn't stopped thinking about Raina since she left, and every time she tried to forget her and Legolas, that image of the way he looked at her when she arrived never left her mind.

"Coming Gwil?" Cadhron called from the door. She had stopped at the landing, consumed by her thoughts, her hand digging into the wooden railing
"Sorry Cad." She followed him inside.

As soon as the door shut Lostariel pounced on them with questions. Lindethiel followed behind with a limping Haeronwen.
"What was everyone wearing? Was Luthriel there? What about Legolas? What did he wear?"
"Was Raina there?" Lindethial added
"And the hobbits?!" Haeronwen grinned excitedly

"Alright alright." Cadhron took off his boots "let me sit down first. Then you can ask me all the questions you want."
He removed his jacket and checked the time. It was just gone midnight.
"By the way, I thought I told you to go to bed at nine o'clock Haeronwen."
She looked away guiltily.
"Hmm.."
Gwil removed her shoes and placed the kettle on the fire in the kitchen. She needed some tea to calm her nerves after today. Whilst she stood waiting for the water to boil, their conversation in the other room floated past her ears.
"So did you meet Raina?" Lostariel asked from the couch.
"Yes."
"What's she like?"
"I don't know her well, but she seems nice."
"Told you!" Haeronwen cried at her. Gwil could tell she was sticking out her tongue. Then Lostariel would role her eyes.

She was correct.
Lostariel did in fact role her eyes and leaned her head on her twin's shoulder lazily.
"Can we meet her?" Haeronwen asked
"You already have, remember? You fell in the river" Lostariel teased.
Haeronwen scowled at her older sister. She could be mean if she wanted to.
Lindethiel rolled her eyes discreetly at Lostariel, and a smile crept onto Haeronwen's face.
"I'm sure you will meet her eventually, Haeronwen." Cadhron wraps an arm around her, "She's quite close to Legolas."
"Close?" Lostariel blinked, a smirk forming on her face. Cadhron gulped. His sister could be quite a gossip if she wanted to. Before he could even blink all of Lorien would know of Legolas' feelings for Raina.
"They are good friends." He lied. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. They were good friends, it's just he could tell they wanted to be something more.

'Heh' Gwil sneered.

Legolas and Raina were anything but friends. She poured hot water into her cup, and added some tea, followed by sugar and milk, then picked up the cup and waited for the tea to cool, using the heat to warm her hands.

All her life she had never expected anyone to show any interest in her, and she had never wanted to. But as soon as Legolas returned, she felt hope, felt the bursting excitement one got at the prospect of being loved unconditionally. She had often wondered where Legolas had ended up after he stopped visiting Lorien in the summers. His father said he was gowing up, and that it was time for him to learn the ways of his kingdom, and Gwil understood. Or at least pretended to. She knew that when he was a child he had had a crush on her, or at least her mother had said that to her with a knowing smirk before she had passed. She remembered being disgusted with the idea of love. But that, it seemed was a thing of past. She had changed, and now wanted it more than anything. Legolas had also grown up, and grown out of his crush. She was nothing more than the sister of his best-friend, and that's all she ever would be.