An Acceptance

Outside the Hall was still and silent. All the women, besides Raina, and children had all gone to their houses and bed awhile ago. The cool, crisp air cleared Raina’s mind slightly, but for once, she didn’t want it to be so. She didn’t want to have to remember the cries of the dying children around her, or the panic in the Men’s eyes. She didn’t want to have to remember that all her loved ones lives could all be cut short too early.

She leaned against the outer wall of the Hall, facing Legolas. Her head hit the stone with a soft thump.

“Why?” she asked softly, a small tear trailing down her cheek. “Why must the world be so cruel?”

Legolas stepped forward, wiping the tear off her face. She could feel his warm breath on her skin as she continued.

“I thought… before the battle,” she said, hiccupping on her tears. “That I would never see anyone again. That I was going to die. That we would never see each other again…”

The words tumbled out of her mouth quickly, and she took a breath afterwards, which sounded more like a sniffle than anything.

Legolas reached out for her face, and lifted her head so she was staring into his eyes. Although physical contact was common between them, this time it seemed so much more intimate, causing Raina to take a little gasp of air.

“But here we are,” he said softly, his face very, very close to Raina’s. “We all made it through that night. And we’re gong to make it through the rest of this war, together.”

Raina stared into Legolas’s grey eyes with her own wide brown ones. His flickered between love, hesitance, and lust. Raina’s breathing picked up in the long moment before Legolas’s head bent down, his lips barely brushing hers.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, slowly pulling him in closer. He blinked, almost in a surprised way, with his eyelashes tickling her skin, but she kept her eyes closed. A shuddering breath escaped her opened lips before Legolas leaned in and really kissed her.

It was soft at first, and tentative, but something didn’t feel right. Raina, desperate for this to work, pulled at his blonde hair to bring him closer. A gasp escaped her lips when she felt his tongue brush against hers, but she didn’t hesitate to let him in.

He pulled back, staring into her eyes with regret. She looked up at him in confusion.

“I’m sorry,” he said worriedly dropping his hands from her face. “I’ve been too forward. I shouldn’t have done that...”

Raina grabbed his shirt and pulled him in, refusing to let him go yet. Legolas took this as it wasn’t time for unwanted apologies.

Both their hearts beating faster than ever now, Legolas pushed her against the wall, and let go of her face with one hand to wrap it around her leg, bringing it up around his waist. Raina pulled herself up from there, squeezing his hips with her legs to keep herself up between the wall and his body.

Their tongues moved violently and hungrily, trying to get as much face in the little time they had. Legolas’s other hand started to wander around her waist for a moment before stopping, almost embarrassed. Raina, who was now frantic to feel something- anything- towards the Elf, brought his hand with her own back to her body. Legolas didn’t hesitate to rub along her upper body this time.

But still, Raina didn’t feel anything besides the rush of adrenaline. She begged her body to feel the lust she had seen in his eyes a few moments before, because this was how it was supposed to be. Everyone knew that. It was supposed to be her and him, because they would be able to live here forever together with each other.

In one last-ditch attempt to make herself fall in love, when they broke apart for a short gasp of air, she threw herself back at his face, one hand running though and pulling his hair and the other trying to pull off his shirt. Her lips kissed down his neck, her legs slipping lower and lower until she was on the ground again.

But nothing happened. In frustration, Raina untangled herself from the Elf and slumped against the wall with a frustrated growl.

Legolas stood, looking down at her in confusion, before sliding down the wall to sit next to her. Neither of them looked at each other.

Legolas was the first to speak. “Did you… feel anything?” he asked softly, hesitation in his voice.

Raina looked up at him sadly as an answer.

“I didn’t either.”

Raina sighed in frustration. “Then… I guess it’s just not meant to be,” she said with regret in her voice. Legolas nodded slowly.

“This whole time… I thought I was in love with you,” he said slowly. “But I guess not.”

Raina shook her head slowly before looking up at the full moon reflecting down on them. Legolas followed her gaze and stared up at the glowing planet in the sky as well.