A Warm Winter's Eve

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Name: Eudoria
Race: Elf
Age: Mortally 17
Relation to Legolas: Lover
Appearance: Blonde straight long hair, blue eyes
Scenario: anything but pls make it lovey dovey warm and fuzzy :]

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Legolas sighed heavily as he stared through his bedchamber window. Snow slowly covered the Greenwood in thick blanket of snow. He hated winter. It was more like "Brownwood," really, now that all the leaves had fallen. The palace wasn't as well hidden behind the foliage, which cast a pall over the inhabitants, who all hoped that the peace of the forest would hold until spring. Thranduil, at the first sign of snow, ordered that all of his Elves return to the safety of the palace and underground tunnels. No one wanted to disobey, not out of fear for their King, but because the snow was terrible and it was better to be warm and safe than in the winter woods.

This included Legolas, which he was sure his father was grateful for. This young Elf, who hadn't reached adulthood quite yet, created a lot of problems for a King trying to set a good example for his constituents. The Greenwood could be dangerous, but of course, the young Elves liked to try to find the boundaries of their safety out in it. When led by their Prince, why wouldn't they all go?

But now they were all stuck inside, and it was boring; dreadfully, terribly boring and dull. Going outside wouldn't even make it better.

So, Legolas lifted himself from his window seat and began wandering the halls of a palace he'd memorized decades ago. Most every room had a fire in the fireplace and Elves gathered around. Some of them sang songs, some were gathered around a storyteller, and some were just sitting quietly, enjoying the warmth and company. Legolas couldn't exactly have that. He was the prince, his father was King, they couldn't just insert themselves into intimate moments like these. People would try to defer to them and be all proper and it would ruin the mood.

And then Legolas came across a chamber he knew better than most. This was Eudoria's family. She was curled up at her mother's side, listening to her father and brothers sing a gentle quartet. Their words made the winter sound magical, rather than bleak. Slowly, Legolas slipped in through the archway, moving to sit cross-legged next to Eudoria. Her family didn't stop, or sit up straighter, or rush to pull a special cushion over for him. The men kept singing, weaving their beautiful melodies. Eudoria shifted her weight to lean against Legolas, her head tucking into the crook of his neck.

"Pardon my intrusion," he whispered to her. She brought out the manners in him. "I... was feeling bleak. I wanted to be somewhere warm."

Eudoria pressed a kiss to his cheek, smiling and pulling a blanket from the little floor nest of comforts. She wrapped it around them both, and tucked even closer, forcing Legolas to uncross his legs to tangle with hers.

"You're always welcome, your highness," Eudoria teased, whispering back. She held his hand and tangled their fingers together, too. "Too bad we can't frolic in the woods. But the fireside is nice, too, I think."

Legolas brushed the fingers of his free hand through her loose, golden hair. He hummed, watching the firelight glint off of it. The warmth of the fire and the blanket soothed the itching under his skin, the song eased an ache in his chest, and the weight of Eudoria against him settled everything else, allowing him to relax and bask in the bits of warmth winter could offer. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then her lips, and thankfully no one stopped them.

"I always struggle to find warmth, this time of year," Legolas admitted.

Though snow and cold didn't affect Elves the way it incapacitated most other creatures, it was still unpleasant, especially for creatures meant to frolic among leaves and bushes and happy forest animals. But winter made those things possible, bringing new life every spring. It made fireside moments necessary and cherished, strengthening the bonds of friends and family so that, come spring, the sun was celebrated and new life and meaning could pour from every kind of creature in the Greenwood.

Legolas smiled and tucked Eudoria even closer to him, rubbing her back and combing through her hair. The men began another song, and Legolas ducked his head to share another soft kiss with his dearest. "I think I've found it, though."



A/N: Dec. 2, 2023. Been a long time since I've written anything for this book of one-shots (which I started in 2015, holy shit). I know people are still reading it, but I'm always super flattered when someone leaves a bunch of comments, and it's even more exciting when I get a request. It gives me a chance to return to a world I haven't visited in a while. So, thank you for leaving a request! I hope you like this. I think it's fun when I get to just jump back in after a while. Maybe this will all exist as a little time capsule of how my writing has progressed and, hopefully, improved.


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