Foolish and Blind - Legolas x reader fluff oneshot
Summary: Legolas is captivated by the fierce yet gentle reader, and struggles to confess his feelings while yearning from afar
In an instant the group were surrounded by knights on horses, each adorned with the same silver armour. Y/N examined each of them closely, they didn't seem to be immediate threats, but she could not sense any intentions of friendship from them yet. Aragorn conversed with them, but she hadn't listened until one dismounted his horse and walked up to Gimli.
"I would cut off your head dwarf... if it stood but a little higher above the ground" Eomer spoke with disdain.
"You would die before your stroke fell" Y/N spat, quickly drawing her arrow and nocking it so the head pointed straight at the unfamiliar man's neck.
"I'm surprised a lady can stand in the face of a lance without feeling faint" he sniggered, earning a laugh from his men.
"This lady will not flinch when your blood spills upon my blade" Y/N said, spitting at his feet in disgust.
Legolas couldn't help the little smirk that formed at her brazenness, it was behaviour that would have given his father or frankly anyone at home a heart attack.
"Do not test her, I assure you she has danced the battle before" Aragorn warned, but forcefully lowered Y/N's bow nonetheless. She followed his movement reluctantly but did not erase her harsh glare, even when his army lowered their spears.
"Have you ever seen a woman like that?" Legolas asked his companion, eyes wide with shock.
"There wasn't even a hint of hesitation, she simply recalled her spirit of fire as soon as she required its services" he said in awe, barely paying attention while wandering through the grasslands.
"How on earth am I to win the heart of a woman like that?" He lamented.
"Can't ya use some of your fancy elvish ways" Gimli asked absentmindedly.
"Surely no elvish courting rituals would impress her. Our traditions are hair braiding and weaving flower crowns, they are far too tame for a warrior" he spoke, making Gimli burst out into laughter.
"When we dwarf men want to curl the beard of a dwarven lady, we challenge other dwarves to a drinking game, and the winner is deemed the strongest and hardiest of the dwarves, and thus eligible to be the lady's suitor" he said proudly.
"So your advice on how to draw Y/N's attention is to drink absurd amounts of wine?" Legolas replied bemusedly.
"Not wine, ale ya pointy eared twang" he scoffed but Legolas simply shook his head.
"I need something bold, perhaps I should score an animal for supper, and pierce it right in front of her" he suggested unsurely.
"Nothing like a bloodied display to win the heart of a lovely lady" Gimli joked, patting the elf's cloak fondly.
Later they moved quietly through Fangorn forest, each step moving with the whispers of the trees. They moved softly but swiftly, save Gimli loudly stepping on a twig here and there, until Y/N suddenly gasped. The men whipped around, Aragorn's hand flying to the hilt of his sword as Legolas's fingers stroked an arrow.
She bent down and fiddled with something on the ground, before cooing.
"He hurt his leg" she said sadly, lifting her cupped palms up to show the others. A little bird, with grey feathers and a green beak sat contentedly in her hands, tweeting when it saw them. It hobbled and hopped in place, emphasising its one weirdly bent leg that it refused to stand on.
"Y/N do you really expect us to stop for a bird?" Aragorn questioned although he didn't stop her.
Conversely, Legolas bent down next to her, cradling her hands in his own. He studied the little creature with a small, while Y/N looked between him and the bird with hopeful eyes. Wordlessly he got up, and began searching around for something. Y/N followed him as fast as she could while making sure the bird in her hands stayed stable.
After a minute or two Legolas paused, holding a leaf and a tiny twig, he gestured Y/N over. "We need to make a splint" he explained, swapping the foliage for the feathered animal. He spoke some words in elvish to it as Y/N carefully crafted a splint, it must've been made of something special because the bird magically calmed down, and sat docile in his palm. She finished with a flourish and the elf let it hop down onto the floor. It tested its leg gingerly, taking a few tentative steps. It chirped happily, fluttering its wings before waddling away into the forest.
"Thanks Legolas" she said as they each jostled to their feet.
"The pleasure is mine meleth nîn" he said, before traipsing toward Gimli to continue walking.
"What does meleth nîn mean" she asked curiously. Aragorn chuckled.
"It means my love in Sindarin" he answered her, making Y/N's eyebrows furrow.
"But why would Legolas call me that?" She wondered but Aragorn only rolled his eyes.
"If you have to ask, you are even more foolish and blind than he" he said, leaving Y/N frozen on the forest floor.
"She really is beinel, beautiful I mean" He told Gimli who only grumbled boredly in response.
"Of course, her beauty is only a reflection of the inside, if that, if anything even her outward appearance fails to capture the purity of her heart... Well I say purity and yet she can slice the head off an orc without batting an eye, and even mo-"
The dwarf cut him off by groaning dramatically.
"Slice my head off would yeh, anything's better than listening to you go on and on about her" he said.
"But Gimli what else am I to do? I can't possibly keep this all inside me" he said, with a heartsick look in Y/N's direction.
"Here's an idea, why don't you tell the lass how you feel?" He said pointedly as he chopped a large log into a piece that was firewood sized.
"What if she doesn't return my affections?" He asked worriedly.
"Would ya rather endlessly pine after her for the rest of your long life?" Gimli replied with a knowing look. Legolas only looked longingly at the girl who was helping Aragorn start a fire, the painfully yearning expression all too evident were Y/N to turn his way.
"Who knows, maybe she returns your feelings" Gimli commented.
"You wouldn't last a minute with a dwarven woman but you're charming enough... you got the hair I guess" he added refusing to make eye contact with his blonde haired friend.
"Was that a compliment?" The elf asked incredulously and Gimli regretted it as soon as Legolas replied.
"Don't go getting all soft on me now laddie" he grumbled.
The blonde haired elf exhaled resolutely.
"If you can give me a compliment, I can certainly confess my true affections to Y/N" he said swallowing thickly.
Fire burning, releasing spirals of smoke into the darkening sky. They each sat around the fire, Aragorn sharpening his dagger, Y/N staring vacantly into the flames, Legolas sitting stiffly, eyes flitting toward Y/N every three seconds, as Gimli nudged him pointedly. A loud cough brought her out of her daze, and Gimli looked at her apologetically.
"Sorry lass, didn't mean to distur-"
"Y/N! Would you like to join me for a walk to see the moon" Legolas yelled awkwardly, interrupting Gimli. All three of them looked at him with odd expressions but Y/N agreed regardless. She followed Legolas through the trees, to a small cliff where they could clearly see the moon. He sat down on the edge, patting the spot beside him. They sat in silence for a while, admiring the moon's gentle glow, as it dimly lit the land, highlighting the shadows in the trees and mountains.
Legolas held his breath, as he was sure she could already hear his heartbeat.
"The moon is beautiful isn't it" Y/N said, breaking the silence.
"There is a story they told us as young ellons, they said that in ancient times, the moon was crafted from the last flower of Telperion, the Elder Tree of Valinor. The flower was so precious the elves considered the moon too to be sacred to the Elves that remembered the Trees" he said softly.
"Wow" she murmured looking up at the sky.
"I used to think that was the most precious thing in all middle earth... although now I am not so sure..." he trailed off.
"Oh?" She urged him to continue.
"I have found something even more precious, something so gentle I am sure even the moon is jealous of her beauty. And yet fiercer than the best warrior of all the elven guard" he spoke as assuredly as he could despite his mouth feeling as dry as the rock they were perched upon.
"She must be a lovely elf" Y/N mumbled quietly, looking away from him dejectedly.
"Are you excited to see her when you go back home?" She replied, her slumped shoulders emphasising the melancholy her voice belied.
"You are mistaken meleth nîn, she is not waiting for me back home" he said pointedly.
"It's not Gimli is it?" She asked with a smirk, earning an unexpected laugh from the blonde haired elf.
"No it is not him" he murmured, wrapping his fingers around hers. She looked down at it slowly and then looked up, the realisation dawning on her.
"I know it seems a little unlikely and it's not what an elven prince is supposed to do but Y/N you have captured my attention from the moment I met you. You are gentle and kind and as fierce as a dragon. I have admired you from afar and slightly closer for too long and I need you to know how much you mean to me. Even if you do not return my affections I hope I can still enjoy your presence. Friend or more, I love spending time with you" he finished, leaving Y/N's jaw on the floor.
Her eyes were wide with shock and she almost seemed frozen for what felt like an hour but was probably a little over a minute.
"Y/N please say something, you are beginning to worry me" he said softly, rubbing his thumb over her hand. Her mouth closed and she didn't say anything, but flung herself forward to him, crashing into him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The impact almost knocked him to the ground but he caught her just in time, looking down at her head smushed against his chest, he felt a fluttering sensation rise from everywhere she touched. Her fingers on his back sent a rush of heat all the way through his arms, making him hold her a little tighter.
"Does this mean your feelings are akin to mine?" He questioned with a smirk, and Y/N raised her head to look at him.
""If you have to ask, you are even more foolish and blind than I have been" she echoed Aragorn's words with a big grin, burying tighter into him.
