The Mereth Aderthad stretched on through the night, its laughter and music echoing around the Pools of Ivrin. The stars above twinkled in the clear sky, but for Anórien, there was only the quiet, warm presence of Galadriel beside him. They stood together, leaning against the edge of the pool, watching the reflection of the stars shimmer in the water. It felt as though time had stopped around them, as if the world was holding its breath.
The feast had begun to wind down, and the Elves were beginning to gather their things, preparing to return to their realms. The fires had burned low, the music softened, and the excitement of the evening seemed to dim into a peaceful, comfortable silence. Anórien's heart felt full, a strange mixture of contentment and longing. He was here, with her, for now—but soon, he would have to leave.
"Do you ever wonder," Galadriel asked softly, breaking the silence, "how fleeting moments like this are? How little time we have, despite the years stretching endlessly before us?"
Anórien turned to look at her, the moonlight catching in her golden hair, giving her an almost otherworldly glow. Her eyes were distant for a moment, as though she were gazing far beyond the realm of Middle-earth, seeing something he couldn't.
"I think about that often," he said, his voice low. "How moments like these feel so precious, yet they're so easily gone. But being here, with you, tonight... it feels like we've made something real. Even if it's just for this moment."
Galadriel smiled, but it was a smile tinged with sadness. She turned to face him fully, taking a step closer, her presence commanding yet gentle.
"You've always been someone I could rely on," she said softly. "Even when we were apart, I knew that you carried a piece of me with you, as I did of you." She paused, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "But you have your kingdom, your people. Your duty calls you back."
Anórien nodded, his chest tight with the weight of the truth. "And you, Galadriel, you have your own path to follow, don't you? I know that." He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face, his fingers lingering for a moment longer than necessary. "I'll go back to my realm. To my people. But you... you have to stay with your family. Your duties here."
There was a brief silence as Galadriel looked at him, her gaze searching his face as if trying to find a way to speak the words that had been left unspoken for so long. Then, she finally whispered, "I will always carry you in my heart, Anórien. No matter where we go, no matter what paths we walk."
Anórien's heart soared at her words, and he stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his. "And I you, Galadriel. Always."
They stood there for a long moment, holding each other's gaze, neither one of them willing to break the connection, to acknowledge the inevitable truth that they had to part again. But the world couldn't wait for them forever. The time was slipping through their fingers like water.
The faintest whisper of wind stirred the leaves around them, and Galadriel's eyes shone in the soft light, full of an emotion that was both tender and bittersweet. "I wish... I wish things were different," she said, her voice thick with longing. "But I know that this, us, is not the right time. Not yet."
Anórien swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. He pulled her close, his heart aching with every beat. For a long moment, they held each other, the weight of all that had been said and all that remained unspoken pressing down on them. And then, with a quiet, almost imperceptible sigh, Anórien cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to kiss her.
It was a kiss that spoke of love, of longing, and of the promise that, no matter how far apart they were, their hearts would remain bound. Galadriel kissed him back, her lips soft and warm, her arms wrapping around him as if trying to hold onto this moment for as long as they could.
But eventually, they pulled away, breathless, both knowing that it was time. The peace of the night was now broken by the sound of their parting. Galadriel stepped back, her expression a mix of sorrow and acceptance.
"You must go," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the soft rustle of the trees. "And I must stay."
Anórien nodded, his heart heavy in his chest. "I will wait for you, Galadriel. I don't know how long it will be, but I will wait. You are the love of my life. Nothing can change that."
Galadriel gave him one last smile, a small, tender curve of her lips. "And I will always remember you, Anórien. Until the day we can be together again."
With that, he turned and began to walk away, each step taking him further from her, but with the knowledge that their bond was unbroken. And though the world around him seemed full of promise and possibility, it was her that he carried in his heart as he left Doriath, his kingdom awaiting him, but a part of him forever here, with Galadriel.
The night continued to fall, the stars above glimmering as he disappeared into the distance, carrying the memory of her kiss with him, until the day when their paths would cross again.