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Something fishy was going on, Elrond was sure of it. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. All throughout dinner, Aragorn and Legolas had been exchanging these intense looks when they thought no one else was watching. When Elrond had inquired as to how the two had met because he couldn’t recall them being acquainted, there had been more staring across the table, and Haldir had cleared his throat and replied that they had met in the Golden Willow Grove on the journey west from Mirkwood.
Elrond didn’t see how that could have been such a tough question to answer, nor why Aragorn’s face had suddenly taken on a bit of a reddish hue.
Also, for some strange reason, Arwen kept shooting pointed looks at Haldir over her wine glass, darting her eyes over to her kin and her brother, as she tenderly referred to him, and then back to Haldir, like she was trying to have a conversation with him through eye contact alone.
What was even stranger, though, was that Haldir looked rather uncomfortable as he returned her looks, but also resigned at the same time.
And at some point towards the end of dinner, Elrond was almost certain that someone had lost a moccasin under the table and was trying to put it back on using both feet because there was a shuffling sound coming from under the tablecloth and Legolas had a really concentrated look on his face while he listened to Arwen bring Aragorn up-to-date on the goings-on in Imladris.
Shortly thereafter, Leoglas must have gotten his moccasin on again, but it would appear he had accidentally kicked Aragorn in the process because the Man jerked back in his seat suddenly and glared at Legolas for a moment, his eyes narrowing in reproach. Legolas appeared unrepentant. Maybe he was suffering the effects of a mild Human illness or something because that reddish hue was back. It seemed to come and go at will.
Dessert was a strange affair as well. Aragorn disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the sweet bread Legolas had brought with him for Lord Elrond and Arwen. The Silvan Elf had gone to see what was keeping the Dúnedan. When the sound of pots and pans being knocked to the floor amidst muffled laughter and other noises reached the dining table and Legolas failed to return, Arwen excused herself to go get them both, but not before rolling her eyes in Haldir’s direction, this time more conspiratorially than before.
Elrond figured this would be the perfect time to ask Haldir just what in Middle-earth was going on here and why everyone was acting so strangely.
The March Warden, usually so straight-forward when answering questions, would only tell him that Aragorn and Legolas bore good news and that it wasn’t his place to say more, whatever that meant.
So when Arwen finally re-appeared with the sweet bread, Aragorn closely trailing Legolas, Elrond promptly asked them what good news they had brought with them, an expectant smile on his face.
Aragorn’s condition re-appeared all of a sudden, Legolas stopped in his tracks, causing Aragorn to bump into him, and Arwen couldn’t hide a snicker as she set the plate down on the table. She took her seat, and helped herself, smiling mischievously as if she already knew.
Legolas seemed to recover from whatever shock Elrond’s question had apparently produced and glared at Haldir, who didn’t look as chagrined as Elrond had expected, which led him to believe that Haldir disapproved of this delay in relaying their supposedly good news. Or something like that.
Now he was really intrigued.
Then a curious thing happened. Aragorn’s condition paled and he looked over at Arwen for support judging from the uneasy look on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, Elrond saw her smile and nod her head slightly in encouragement. This seemed to be what Aragorn needed to see because he cleared his throat, stood tall, and stepped forward to clasp Legolas’ hand in his. He brought it up to his lips, his eyes locked on Legolas' as he kissed the back of his hand almost reverently, then lowered their joint hands to settle around Legolas' slightly protruding stomach- how had Elrond missed that earlier?!- and turned to smile proudly at his adoptive father, letting his actions speak for him.
Legolas smiled back at Aragorn, a smile Elrond recognized well.
The smile of an Elf in love.
Everything clicked into place in that moment and Elrond did something that startled everyone in the room, even the Elf Lord himself a little bit.
He laughed.
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