A cold, still silence echoed through the wood. An occasional bird would open it’s beak and unleash a pure, perfect note, and then the silence ruled once more. Aeleth stood and stared at the ground. There at her feet was where, over 9 years ago she had buried her beloved Bellon. She closed her eyes and went back to the day.
The arrow, silent and deadly had sped through the air, and it caught him right in the heart. She had just turned around and saw him fall. And that was when she stopped living. Aeleth had seen him fall ever so slowly. Bellon,her heart had screamed that day. Now she knelt on the ground and reached up to her neck, from which hung a pendant which shone brighter than any star in the night sky.
“I will avenge you. I will make Legolas pay for what he has done.” and with that she jerked on the cord that held the pendant. It fell to the ground.
“No more shall Legolas Greenleaf torment my soul.” She got up and left the clearing.

*

At Minas Tirith a grand celebration was being held to celebrate the 12th birthday of Eldarion, only son of Aragorn and Arwen. Many people stood around talking and Eldarion could be seen playing with his younger sister, Nethien. And standing in an alcove, his face shadowed was an elf. At one point Aragorn excused himself from conversation, and walked over to the elf.
“Legolas,” he said. Legolas didn’t look up.
“You have said no more than is needed. What’s wrong?” Aragorn asked.
“I can’t forgive myself Aragorn, i just can’t. And mainly I can’t forget her expression when I-” he broke off and turned to face Aragorn at last.
His face was twisted in sadness and guilt. Aragorn put a hand on his shoulder.
“It has been 9 years. You must forget the past my friend. Forget her, she didn’t deserve your love.”
“Nine years is like a hour to me Aragorn, and I still love her.”
Aragorn shook his head. He looked into the elf’s eye’s and saw a sorrow so terrible it made him want to cry. He looked over to where his children played.
“Then I will leave you with your memories my friend.”
Legolas left soon after. He rode to the River Running and sat there in silence. Nine years ago, while visiting Lorien he encountered a young elf named Aeleth. She had long black hair, blacker than night, as were her eyes. He had loved her at once. And at a time, she had loved him as well. He had wanted to marry her. But alas she could not…

“Legolas, I cannot be someone’s wife and stay in one place all the time,” she said, turning away from him. Legolas reached for her hand. “I am nobody’s pet, I can take care of myself. I want to love, but I want to live as well. I could not possibly do these things if I were married.” she turned to him and glanced at him.
“Can you understand that?”
“Yes,” he whispered and bent forward to kiss her. After a moment she pulled away. She walked a few steps away from him, her head down.
“I know you are suffering. Please don’t. I hate this but I have to think for myself.”
“I know,” he whispered. She began to cry softly and sank to the ground. He bent down to comfort her. But he could tell that something wasn’t right.
“Aeleth,” he began. She looked up at him.
“I couldn’t bear to tell you, so I lied. I don’t want to hurt you, but I-I, I have been promised to Bellon from Rivendell. I want to marry you, but I cannot.”
Legolas looked at her and knew that he had begun to fight a losing battle.

*

Aeleth walked through the tall, dark trees of Mirkwood and cursed herself for ever loving Legolas. Part of her missed him, if he had just waited, she would have found a way…
But no, she shook her head. The only way she could have loved him was if he hadn’t killed Bellon. The past was the past. She walked with her head high and tried to forget those last fatal days…

Aeleth walked into her room, feeling more alone than ever. Engaged to a man she did not love and her true love having to watch it all. She sat down on her bed and stared out the window, towards the river. She was tired of being argued over, like some possession. Just then the door opened and a servant said “Lord Bellon to see you.”
She groaned inwardly and got up. The door was fully opened to reveal a tall handsome elf, with long brown hair and deep green eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and she could only stare. He walked forward and took her hand.
“Lady Aeleth, it is an honor to finally meet you.” he said.
“The honor is mine sir, to have someone as noble as yourself to be interested in someone such as me.”
“Why would someone not be interested?” he asked curiously.
And so this back-and-forth conversation continued, each one falling more in love with the other. Over the next several days Bellon and Aeleth spent all their time together. But in the back of Aeleth’s head she felt awful, for she still loved Legolas, who’d returned to Mirkwood. Her hand went to the pendant that he had given her before he left. It was shaped like a drop of water and glimmered brightly in her hand. Oh, how she wished she didn’t have to choose. But she did.
That night she was planning to run away and be with Legolas. After two days she’d arranged to have a letter delivered to Bellon, begging him not to look for her and telling him that she would be truly happy.
Unfortunately something went wrong and Bellon never received the letter. He heard from the servants of Legolas, Aeleth’s other “true love’ and grew very angry. He left that very night and soon caught up with Aeleth and Legolas. When he approached the clearing he saw Aeleth, dressed not in a gown, but as a boy and at her side was a sword. And with her was Legolas. He stepped forth and challenged Legolas for Aeleth.
“She is mine!” roared Bellon drawing his sword.
“She is no one’s,” said Legolas. Aeleth stepped forward.
“Bellon, I sent you a letter explaining why I could not be with you. Why are you doing this?”
“Why would I believe this trickery about a letter?” he snarled. And then he charged forward, ready to stab Legolas. An arrow from Legolas’s bow sped silently through the air. Bellon fell.
“No!” screamed Aeleth, running to her fallen friend. She picked up his head and whispered “Bellon, Bellon,”
he turned to her and smiled.
“You can be with him now, but I will always love you.” then he exhaled and fell still.
“No!” she cried. She sat there for several minutes, crying. The came the rage. She sprung up and blade in hand, charged at Legolas.
“Why did you kill him? This wasn’t supposed to happen!”
“It was an accident,” said Legolas.
“An accident?!?!?! He’s dead! You never seemed the type to kill in cold blood.” she moved forward as if to strike him, but he caught her arm.
“The only reason that I killed him was because I thought that he was going after you.”
She was silent then jerked her hand away. She sank to the ground, between Legolas and Bellon.
“Leave.” she whispered. Legolas took a step forward, then turned around and left.

For 9 years Aeleth had dreamed of nothing but revenge. And now was her chance. She could see Legolas walking through the trees. She pulled out her sword and moved forward. Her foot broke a twig and he turned. His sword was out as well. She continued to move forward and their swords met.
“How long have you been following me, Aeleth?” he hissed. She glared at him and shoved forward with all her might. Legolas’s sword fell.
“Only two days. But I’ve been waiting for 9 years.”
“For what?”
“To kill you.”
She kicked him hard and he fell back. Her sword was at his throat, her eyes were blazing but she didn’t move.
As she looked at him, she saw the Legolas that she’d loved. She couldn’t kill him. Never.
She stood back and Legolas stood up.
“Why didn’t you kill me.”
“You’re a better warrior than me, I would have been defeated.” she whispered. He walked closer to her.
“You and I both know that you’re lying.” he said. “I think that you still love me.”
“Maybe I do,” she said drawing back from him. “But we can’t ever go back to what we had. I’ve spent to long dwelling on revenge. Every day since you killed him I’ve dreamed of nothing but revenge.”
“Then don’t love me,” he said. “Stay with me as a friend and a companion.”
She glanced at her sword, then let it fall limply to the ground.
“All right.” she said. “I won’t be able to forgive all that easily.”
“I know,” he said. And so they walked out of the woods not in love, not friends, just two Elves.