They stripped off under a tree and left their clothing hanging from a low branch. Haldir noticed the almost pained slowness in Legolas' movements, as if taking stock of every awareness and normality before facing an unimaginable and unavoidable terror. His skin was unnaturally pale, as if never kissed by the sun.
"The best way to do this is to jump right in. You can swim?"
"I was taught how to swim in the indoor cave pools." Legolas almost bristled. "I will not drown."
Haldir took his hand, and before Legolas could say anything he pulled him into a run before jumping high in the air, shrieking like a small, excited elfling, and landing in the cold water. The suddenness caught Legolas off guard and he stumbled as he fell in the water. Immediately he tried to get out.
"Stay," Haldir ordered as his arms encircled Legolas' chest. "You are all right. Nothing will hurt you."
"You should have told me you were going to do that," Legolas yelled.
"You would have taken about half a day to get in if I had," Haldir chuckled.
"You think you are so clever!"
"No, I just wanted to show you that there is nothing to fear."
"BY TERRIFYING ME?"
Haldir looked around, aware that the elves further up the stream were watching them. "I apologise. I genuinely thought I was doing the right thing."
The river water was cool and the currents flowed around Legolas' body. He could see no danger, nor could he feel it. "It's actually not bad. Are there any biting fish in here?"
Haldir allowed himself a slight smile. "There are fish; we catch and eat them, but I have never been bitten and do not know anyone else who has."
"All right. I will stay in the water, but you had better not be lying to me."
Haldir watched as Legolas floated on the water before lazily flipping over to swim a few yards. How awful it must be not to be able to dive into the river on a whim. He had heard tales of the Enchanted River where elves never woke up after falling into it, but he thought the Forest River might be safe and it was a surprise to hear that unimaginably terrifying creatures lived in it, preying on the elves who had the misfortune to fall in the water. He would tell Lady Galadriel this snippet of information, although he was sure she already knew. Her mirror would have told her without a doubt, but it didn't hurt to let her know what he had been told.
In the end, the two elves ended up splashing one another and daring each other to dive to the bottom. Legolas even dunked Haldir under the water and laughed himself silly. Haldir reflected that if he had done the same thing Legolas wouldn't have been too happy, but he had every reason not to be. Of course, Haldir lived with uncertainty, especially when he was on patrol. Indeed the dangers were very real, his past experiences testified to that; however, he suspected that Legolas' reality was far more brutal and consistently more so than his own.
"I feel as though I have achieved something," Legolas said happily, before spitting a mouthful of water at Haldir.
"Legolas!" Haldir groaned. "That probably had your spit in it."
Legolas had a strange gleam in his eyes before diving below the water. Haldir looked uncertain and then surprised when Legolas shot up and took hold of his shoulders before planting a huge kiss on his forehead. "I meant to kiss your lips but misjudged."
"What was that for? I mean, I do not mind at all that you kissed me, I am just wondering why."
"Because I am so happy and you made it be that way." Legolas dived under the water again and swam through Haldir's legs reappearing behind him.
"You can try and kiss my lips this time, if you want."
Legolas shrugged his shoulders as he chuckled. "The moment is gone. It was a surprise but would hardly be so now you know about it."
"I didn't want one anyway." Haldir shrugged before diving under the water and emerging behind Legolas and spitting water at him as he turned around.
They played in the water for another hour before being called by Lady Galadriel to join them in a picnic. Her servants spread a red tablecloth over the grass and plates of sandwiches, pies, salads and cakes were set before them. As they emerged from the water, they were given large towels and a glass of sparkling wine.
"My Lady..." Haldir started.
"You may call me by my name today, and that goes for you too Legolas," Galadriel said graciously. Celeborn agreed that they should not use his title either.
"Thank you," Haldir said, feeling that it was a bit odd for them to say such a thing. He was so dumbfounded that when Galadriel asked what he was going to say he found himself without words and said he could not remember.
"I have been looking in my mirror," Galadriel said after finishing a mouthful of cucumber sandwich. "You should look at it because both of you were included in my vision."
"We can do that later or tomorrow, my dear," Celeborn said, his eyes twinkling. "There was nothing there that cannot wait."
Galadriel nodded happily. "So be it. We can look later on. "
Legolas sat bare-chested in the hot afternoon sun, eating a wedge of pork pie. He looked from Celeborn to Galadriel wondering what could wait until later on. Haldir seemed more at ease. The way Haldir ate his cucumber sandwiches, by picking out the sprigs of dill and throwing them on his plate, made Legolas smile. He imagined the raised eyebrows of Thranduil's court when he took him home. Where had that thought come from? Why did he think that? Legolas snapped out of his imaginings and came to the present. The ends of Haldir's hair curled slightly upwards when the heat of the sun dried them, reflecting gold in the light. It was no use, Legolas liked Haldir more than he cared to admit. He allowed himself a private grin, imagining his father's face if he introduced him as his lover, which would never happen.
‘He is looking at me and then looking away again’, Haldir thought to himself. ‘Every time I just about catch his eye he looks at something just past me or turns his head. He is fair though, but I have no chance with a prince’. Haldir sighed and Galadriel asked if everything was all right.
"Yes, My..."
"Galadriel."
Haldir gave an apologetic smile. "Everything is perfectly all right, thank you. I was merely sighing with happiness at the lovely time we are having today."
"It isn't that lovely," Celeborn said, his smile full of mischief. "All we are doing is having a picnic."
Galadriel laughed politely. "Celeborn, stop that."
Celeborn grinned, as if he had been caught out, like a naughty boy.
"I am perfectly happy," Legolas said brightly. "These cucumber sandwiches are very good and the tiny lemon syrup cakes are delicious." He looked at Haldir. "Haldir persuaded me to go swimming in the river and we had a lot of fun. I was wary at first, because I have seen some terrible things happen in the rivers where I live, but he assured me that there was nothing like that here. We have had a wonderful time."
"I was glad to help you realise new experiences," Haldir said graciously. "We did have a lot of fun, didn't we?"
Galadriel looked at them knowingly, saying nothing, whereas Celeborn chuckled before drinking some of his wine.
"I am so glad that you two have become friends," Galadriel said. "I see a future for harmonious relations between both realms, the seed of which is contained in your rapidly growing friendship." Both Legolas and Haldir interpreted her words as possibly coming from what she saw in the mirror.
"Perhaps we could go to the tavern and meet your friends after we finish here?" Legolas looked winningly at Haldir.
A huge smile lit up Haldir's face. "Only if we can go to the cake shop afterwards."
