A/N Mellonanim is elvish for 'my friend'

The wind whips through my hair, sending it fluttering around me like flames. Night is drawing in as I stand upon the little outcrop of rock, waiting for the stars to appear. It's my favourite place to watch them from; in the distance across from me I see the lonely mountain pierce the darkening sky. To my other side the forest grows denser, shielding our kingdom from the rest of the world. I mainly like coming here for some peace, not many others bother to walk this far out of the forest for no good reason; except to me peace alone is a good enough reason. Watching the beauty of the land and of the sky is an extra bonus. The only other person who comes here is Legolas, and only since I showed him its whereabouts.

I sense him coming before I hear his footfalls; soft and unnoticeable to anyone other than an elf. He runs with that grace that all elves do, quick paced but without seeming rushed. Of course, we appear to be at ease in everything we do. It makes me laugh, the perfection our race seems to display. No wonder the other races are not fond of us, we must seem showy and splendiferous to them and no one enjoys being outshone.

"Good evening mellonanim," Legolas's voice sounds from behind me and he walks over the rock to join me. His hand slips into mine like it always does and I squeeze it gently. I turn to look at him, his blonde hair looks silver in the moonlight and his eyes twinkle slightly. He has on my favourite crooked half smile; to me it is the joy seeping through the cracks in his royal facade. Mostly it is my favourite because he saves it just for me.

"My father wishes you to join us for the feast," he speaks quietly to me as he turns his face upward to gaze upon the first of the stars that have appeared; dotted on the black sky.

"I do not believe that," I raise an eyebrow at my friend, "I feel he has begun to resent me, he no longer treats me as he once did," It is true that the King has grown colder toward me of late, but he is a cold man in general, perhaps I am looking too deep into his mannerisms.

"Tauriel," Legolas reprimands me, "he has treated you as one of his own for many years." I open my mouth to apologise but I see his smile appear again before I have the chance. Of course, Legolas knows better than anyone the hard heart of his father and learnt long ago that it is better to joke about it than to suffer it.

"In truth, I wanted you to join us for the feast!" He admits as he starts to lead me back to the borders of our forest. "You have been stolen away with your duties of late, I never see you anymore!"

"As have you, my prince!" I retort, but he is right. What with my being newly appointed Captain of the Guard I haven't left much time for my friend. I make a mental note to amend this. It doesn't take long for us to reach the kingdom, we are both young and fast runners, but when we arrive a guard reprimands us for being out late.

"The King wishes for a tighter curfew to be set in place. I fear the days are growing darker." He notices our intertwined hands and coughs slightly. I pull my hand away sharply, not wanting him to wrongly imagine what Legolas and I were doing alone together, but his mind has already been made. He looks unsure of what to do with himself and simply says "Well, Good Evening."

Legolas and I have only ever been friends but I'm sure that to many of our people it must look otherwise. Before I was appointed my new post we were practically inseparable, and the way our hands always find each other may rouse suspicion too. But it is for comfort and friendship that we behave so, not for love. I am a young elf still and while Legolas is as charming a man as any, and a fair one too, I am simply not ready to find love just yet.