To Live Again {Lord of the Rings/ThranduilXOC Fanfiction}

27. Unified

The return trip home was a sneaky affair which we executed quite well. None of us were caught and everyone managed to keep the contents of their stomachs down.

Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to Thranduil. I had made the stupid suggestion that I should be prepared for the wedding at Gilron's home. Now I sort of regret that decision, because there is nothing I want more than to curl up with him and have a nice long sleep. I also miss Legolas... to the point that I actually started trying to rearrange my arrangements. Thranduil laughed at me and kissed me and told me to enjoy the peace and quiet. Both he and Legolas would be waiting for me when the sun sets, in a place that has been kept secret from both of us. Oropher has been very busy overseeing the preparations of the actual wedding feast with Ollie. Even now Ollie will not utter a word to me.

So I return with Ollie to her homestead, and am mercifully allowed a few hours to nap. When I awaken, I am fed a lot of Miruvor, which greatly improves my condition and allows me to eat a hearty brunch. The silly talk and bravado of the night before falls away, and a more regal and well-mannered attitude is evoked by all the ellith in the house. After all, I am being presented to the nobility of the elven world. As the bride of a Sindarin Prince nonetheless. This is a serious occasion, and according to Oliel, I must be perfect.

So I am scrubbed and polished to an inch of my life, using the most expensive and exquisitely scented salts and oils. My skin is slathered in buttery creams that make it smooth and silky to the touch, and my hair is treated to pretty much the same routine. It would seem the process of getting ready for the wedding feast is a stage by stage affair, and at no point do I attend to these personal tasks myself. Ferel and Ollie attend to the pampering and primping of my outward appearance and it is a pleasant time. We chat merrily amongst ourselves and I get to smell and try all the wonderful products before I am covered in them. We take breaks of course, to nibble on snacks that Gilron sends to us, and to allow both my friends to attend to their own dressing. Eventually, I am deemed ready and Gilron enters with the one dress I have kept a secret.

The gown that Gilron has made, along with the King and Thranduil's input, is the gown I will wear tomorrow morning when I am crowned. Oropher knows this but Thranduil does not, he just assumes this is my wedding gown, but it isn't. I know mortal customs from my world don't translate to elvish culture, but I wanted to keep this little bit alive, I wanted my appearance to be a surprise. So, working late nights with Gilron. we designed this dress, and I must say it is one of my best creations. I did not think it would be possible, but with Gilron's superior craftsmanship, anything can be brought to life.

Gilron shoos Ollie and Ferel out of the room and smiles warmly at me as she unfolds the material. I don't look and let her dress me, enjoying the very familiar almost maternal nature of this moment. Gilron has become like a mother to me, and the dressing of a bride before her wedding has always been completed by the elleth's mother. When I asked Gilron to do this for me, both she and I wept and embraced for a very long time. She told me I would always be a daughter to her, and that I would always have a family and a place to come to escape the daily demands of this world. Now actually having Gilron dress me, I feel very emotional, and have to restrain the renegade tears that threaten to slip through on numerous occasions. I am so incredibly joyous, that I feel like my heart is swelling to twice the size it should be. I could never in my wildest dreams imagine the day that I would find such love, there will never be enough words to express my gratitude.

"There," Gilron smiles through tear rimmed eyes and cups my face in her hands. "You are ready."

Slowly, she turns me to face the mirror, and comes to stand behind me as she clasps my shoulders in her hands. I don't instantly recognise the elf before me; she seems to glow with a radiant light that is not the work of lamp light or fancy skin powders. I can barely believe it is me, but I recognize my wide grey eyes as they sparkle with anticipation and happy tears.