Hello! This is just another fluffy one shot about Haldir. Enjoy.

Prince Legolas stood with his parents, King Thranduil and Queen Indwen. Also with them were the lord and lady of Rivendell. They all waited for the same thing. The same person.

After years of rivalry and dispute, Mirkwood and Rivendell had signed a treaty guaranteeing friendship and help during hardships. During the arrangement of the treaty it had been suggested that Legolas marry a maiden of Rivendell. Not wanting to let down his country, the prince had agreed. As Lord Elrond's only daughter Arwen was less then a decade old, a different elleth had come forward. Legolas had been alarmed at first, afraid he would get stuck with one of the many elleth who were after him because of his title. Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian had calmed these fears and guaranteed him that they knew her personally and that she was not the title seeking type.

So now, he waited. He watched the road that came through the main street and his eyes saw a group of riders approaching, winding their way through the market. Soon, they arrived at the steps of the palace and all dismounted. There were three guards, and the elleth, cloaked and hooded. She moved toward them, and, sweeping the hood from her head, curtsied to them. As she straightened, Legolas examined her.

She had thick chocolate brown hair, similar to his mother's, fair skin, and light green eyes. She had a small build and delicate features. Overall, she was not unpleasant to look at. Considering her face once more, he noticed that she looked tired and drawn. He wrote it off as weariness from traveling.

"Welcome to Mirkwood, Lady Ceraline." King Thranduil said, stepping forward and smiling kindly at her. She returned the gesture with a half-hearted smile. He came to the same conclusion his son had and gestured for her to come inside with him. "Why don't we show you to your room so you can rest until dinner?"

She smiled, looking slightly relieved, "Thank you, My Lord."

--O--

"My lady, are you awake?" Legolas called through the door. It was time for dinner and he had come to take her to the dining hall.

There was silence from beyond the door and he was about to knock again but her voice stopped him. "Ah, yes. I'll be done in a moment. Please come in." He opened the door and walked into the outer chamber. He stood awkwardly for a moment. Quickly, he shook the feeling off. It was absurd, to feel uncomfortable in his own home.

"I'm sorry for making you wait." Ceraline said as she came out of the bed chamber. She wore a light blue gown that had gold embroidery. Her hair was down and a thin gold chain was around her neck, the end tucked into her bodice, she wore no other accessories. The effect was simple, but nice.

The two walked quietly towards the dining hall in which the four royal elves were waiting. Neither spoke and they arrived at the table without speaking. They took the seats left for them and dinner began. Polite chatter could be heard as the six dined, though Ceraline rarely joined in. Legolas noticed that she only spoke when spoken to and she still seemed extremely nervous.

Once they had eaten, they all moved to a smaller more comfortable room where they sat and continued to speak.

"Lord Elrond has told us very little about you, Ceraline." Lady Indwen began, hoping to draw the elleth back into the conversation. "What does you father do?"

Ceraline looked up for a moment. "He's a merchant in Rivendell." She responded softly.

"What does he sell?" Thranduil probed gently.

"Tapestries, blankets, and rugs mainly."

By the end of the night none of the royal elves had managed to get more then two sentences out of their guest at a time and all were sure something was up. While it was normal for elves to be rather cowed by the presence of their monarchs, they always opened up more as they spoke. Ceraline seemed to become more and more uncomfortable the more she spoke.

"Perhaps she is nervous about the engagement." Suggested King Thranduil. They were seated by the fire once more. Legolas had escorted Lady Ceraline to her chambers before retiring himself. The four royals were now talking about the young elleth who seemed so uncomfortable in their presence.

"Perhaps." Lord Elrond agreed, "but whenever I spoke to her in Rivendell she was always friendly and rather outgoing. It makes no sense that she has suddenly become shy now."

Tranduil sighed. "Let us put it from our minds for now. There is little we can do but watch and wait."

--O--

Two weeks passed in a rush. The days were spent showing Ceraline around Mirkwood and the evenings were spent trying to get her to open up. It didn't work. No matter who she spoke to, no matter where they were, no matter what they spoke of, she remained quiet and soft spoken.

In the last day and half, she had become even more agitated, if that were even possible. This had begun when she had heard about the arrival of the Lady of Light and her consort Lord Celeborn. They had come to the wedding celebrations as a sign of good will. Curious as to why that had such an effect in Ceraline, Legolas had invited her to have a picnic lunch with him in the gardens. The look on her face when he had suggested it made it quite clear that she was desperately trying to think of an excuse. Coming up with none, she was forced to agree.

They sat on a blanket, under the shade of a large weeping willow. The prince watched as Ceraline pushed the food around on her plate while eating nothing.

"You seem nervous." He observed needlessly. She made no response. "Should something be bothering you, please feel free to tell me." He added gently.

Her head snapped up and she stared at him looking alarmed, before looking quickly away. "Yes, prince." She said in a small voice, staring at a leaf over Legolas's left shoulder. "I-I must tell you something." He watched intently, wondering what he would learn. She took a deep breath, steeling herself to say what she had been bursting to say since she had been told of the engagement. She almost lost her will but the words spilled from her lips before she could rein them in. "I'msorrybutI'malreadyengaged."

Legolas stared at her. "I beg your pardon."

Ceraline gave him a look that clearly said, Please don't me say it again. But when his expression didn't change she sighed. Reaching up, she caught hold of the thin gold chain she wore. He had seen it when she had first arrived, but thought nothing of it, assuming it was a family crest or something of the sort.

She took the chain off and handed it to Legolas. On the end was an ornate silver ring. It was made of silver vines that twisted together to form a single, delicate band. It had always sat beneath the neckline of her dress, which explained why no one had seen it.

He looked up at her for a moment, trying to find something to say. Finally he managed "Please explain."

Clearly amazed that he didn't appear angry, Ceraline started her tale. "My father is, as I have said, a merchant in Rivendell. He and my mother have pushed me to learn all etiquette, manners, and all sorts of skills that ladies are expected to know in hopes I would marry into an influential family. I have managed for the last century to scare away all possible suitors before my parents can get wind of them but, because neither of Lord Elrond's sons are married, my parents have been pushing me toward them. That's how I know the lord and lady." She paused and bit her lip. "When the prospect of a bride was brought up, my parents heard and volunteered me. I finally told them that I didn't want to marry for a title and that night they put a sleeping powder in my drink. When I awoke I was already half way to Mirkwood."

Legolas was enraged that any parents would ever do something like that and, apparently, his rage was visible on his face for Ceraline suddenly shrank back. "What are you going to do?" she asked in a quiet, trembling voice.

"I am going to take you to my parents so you can explain this to them, then I will either arrange transportation for you to return to Rivendell," He paused as what little blood she had in her face drained away, "or, we'll make arrangements for you to remain here until the necessary year of engagement is up and you can marry your love." The look of shock on her face made him chuckle. "Everyone has the right to marry the one they love."

Ceraline blinked as the statement sunk in, then she smiled, a true smile. "Thank you, Prince Legolas."

Legolas couldn't help but smile. "I must admit I am curious about who managed to steal you away before I got to you." He watched in amusement as she turned red then white then red again. "Then tell me why your parents are against your engagement."

"Ah, they don't know about the engagement. By the time we met, my parents had the thought of a royal groom firmly in their heads and forbade me to see him."

"Clearly you didn't listen."

"At first I did, but, uh, he didn't." She flushed. "He was quite persistent."

Legolas grinned, "Let's talk to my parents."

-O-

"It's alright, young one." Thranduil murmured for what had to be the tenth time. "We don't blame you. I only wished you told us sooner."

Ceraline and Legolas had found the king and queen as well as their royal guests in the 'family' room. Legolas had encouraged Ceraline to explain but all she had been able to was stutter and apology. Taking pity on her, Legolas explained and to the surprise of Ceraline, Thranduil had thrown back his head and laughed.

"Is that why you've been acting like a mouse?" He asked between chuckles.

"I was not!" The indignation in her voice renewed the king's mirth and caused the other to join him.

"It is alright." The queen soothed Ceraline who was looking flustered. "We know that Lord Elrond would never have allowed you to come had he known. We do not hold you responsible. And marriage or no marriage, we still value the friendship Rivendell has offered."

"Really, I didn't know. I never would have agreed had I known you didn't want this." Elrond's voice was soft

"I know" Ceraline finally seemed to relax and she smiled.

"How long have you been engaged?" Legolas asked, curious.

"Nearly twelve months."

"Excellent, we'll plan the wedding." Thranduil, who had finally ceased laughing, smiled at her.

The horrified look on Ceraline's face earned another chuckle. "You can't! I-I mean I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense, many arrangements have already been made, it would be a waste to not use them." Indwen smiled at the younger, flustered elleth. As she began to shake her head, she added, "We insist."

Thranduil pulled Ceraline's hand into his, doing the same with Legolas's ,"I look forward to being around you when you aren't petrified." He grinned at her. "I believe you and Legolas could become close friends."

"You never did tell me who the mysterious ellion was. Is he here?" Ceraline had just enough time to turn red before the door burst open.

All those in the room turned and saw Haldir standing in the doorway, eyes locked on the hands Thranduil still held. Anger was clear in the set of his shoulders and the flash of his eyes.

Suddenly he stormed forward with a furious, "I object!" He grabbed Ceraline's hand, pulling it out of the king's, and pulled her behind him. His eyes fixed on Legolas with a murderous glint but he forced himself to remain calm.

"I apologize but there seems to have been a bit of confusion. Ceraline is engaged to me." His voice was cold, making the temper running just under it quite clear. He held himself stiff, obviously trying to be polite as he resisted the urge to yank Ceraline out of the room and out of Mirkwood.

"Apparently he is here." Legolas murmured dryly.

"I would have come sooner but I only recently learned who the prince was to marry. I-"

"It's all right Haldir, Ceraline just told us." Galladriel stepped forward to soothe her ruffled March Warden.

"Oh, I see. I apologize for my outburst."

Galladriel smiled, then turned to Legolas. "I believe that I would like to see your gardens, young prince." Smiling at the none-too-subtle hint, Legolas bowed and offered his arm. He led The Lady of Light out of the room and the others followed, all smiling.

Haldir watched the door closed before turning to Ceraline.

"It wasn't my fault." She burst, not giving him time to say anything. "They drugged my I-"

He silenced her with a firm kiss. She melted into him immediately, relaxing in the familiar arms. Pulling back, Haldir looked down at her, his anger fading. Still, he tried to look stern. "Don't ever try a stunt like that again." He ordered. "I have no intention of letting you go." She opened her mouth to object, but he pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "I'm gone for less then three months and you get yourself engaged to a prince. What ever am I to do with you?" By now Ceraline had caught the teasing in his voice and she smiled.

"You're going to marry me." The smugness in tone and the curl of her lips made Haldir chuckle.

He drew her back in and kissed her again. "That I am."

Hope you liked this. If you did I might suggest looking at my other Haldir one shot, Lady warden. That one has a lot more Haldir in it.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Ladytyrant