Evening Star
Chapter 1 Surprise!
The child was wrapped in white silk, sleeping in a fold of a large green leaf by the river bank. The rushing of the river below hardly made the child stir at all. Legolas Greenleaf, prince of Mirkwood, arrived at the riverbank wanting to find somewhere to relax after all of the comotion at the house of his father, Thranduil. He heard a soft gurgling noise from behind the tree that stood in the middle of the bank on the eastern side of the river, and went to inspect it. What he saw amazed him...a baby elf lay whimpering and shivering from the wind that blew heavy that day.
"What are you doing here, young one?" Legolas asked quietly, lifting the child into his arms. Immediately it began wailing, startling the prince. "It's all right...it's all right." he promised, sitting down in an indian- style position. "I will not harm you." he gazed around, wondering if he could sight the child's parents. The child had an amazing amount of hair for its age. "Shhhh." Legolas whispered, rocking the child to calm it. Immediately the child opened its eyes and caught sight of the adult elf.
"Dada!" it said, immediately breaking into giggles. Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Oh no." he muttered.
"I'm not your Dada. I don't know where your real father is."
"Dada!"
"Shhhh!" The child watched him curiously as he carried her back to his home in one of the mightiest trees of the forest. He was met by Celon (Kelon, not Selon), the young male elvan squire, who stood at the bottom of the tree trunk. "What have you found there?" he asked.
"I found an abandoned child by the river bank. Unfortunatley, I think it thinks I'm its father..."
"Daa!" the child giggled, causing Celon to smile. "I will bring it up to father, and we will decide what to do with it."
"Very well then. I will sound the horn to tell him you have returned." Legolas ascended to the bough of the tree once the horn had been blown and answered.
"Legolas. I wondered where you had gone." the elvan king said to his youngest son with a smile. Then he noticed the giggling child in his arms. "I say...what is that?"
"I found it by the river bank. It is an infant elf...I am not sure where the parents go to."
"Is it a female or a male?" Legolas paled at Celon's question (he had ascended with Legolas).
"Err..I haven't figured that one out yet."
"Unwrap it and see." Thranduil said.
"You do it." Legolas handed the baby to Celon. "You're the one who's so interested in finding out!"
"You're the one who found it!"
"We'll both unrwap it then." Legolas replied, and they did so.
"It's a girl," said Celon, his lips breaking into a magnificent smile. "She is beautiful...very fair she will turn out to be."
"Not necessarily. Look at the amount of dark hair on that little head of hers."
"Both of you, enough," broke in Thranduil.
"What shall we do with her? I do not wish to leave her out in the wild."
"We will not do that." Thranduil replied. "We shall keep her and raise her."
"Who will act as her father?" asked Celon, looking rather nervous. Only 900 years old, Celon had a difficult time understanding the antics of the child elf. Legolas nodded.
"I shall...I found her."
Thranduil placed a hand on his youngest son's shoulder. "That will do, my son. But get her into a better garment than the one you brought her to me with."
Legolas brought the child to his bed chamber and dressed her in a tiny lace nightgown.
She giggled as he tied the neck of the nightgown tight enough so it wouldn't become loose, and he smiled, lifting her up high. "You are a lovely child, are you not?" he asked, as she let out a few raspberries. "What shall I call you?" she stared at him, her dark brown eyes wide. "Let me see." he thought about the female elves in his father's kingdome, wondering which of their names he liked best. "Ireal...Ira..." he cradled her as he paced back and forth across his chamber floor. "Irene...that's perfect for you. (Ear-en-ay as in s-ay) Irene Greenleaf. She let out another string of raspberries at that point, causing him to shake his head. "You are going to be something, aren't you?"
"Dada!" she squealed clapping her chubby little hands.
Chapter 1 Surprise!
The child was wrapped in white silk, sleeping in a fold of a large green leaf by the river bank. The rushing of the river below hardly made the child stir at all. Legolas Greenleaf, prince of Mirkwood, arrived at the riverbank wanting to find somewhere to relax after all of the comotion at the house of his father, Thranduil. He heard a soft gurgling noise from behind the tree that stood in the middle of the bank on the eastern side of the river, and went to inspect it. What he saw amazed him...a baby elf lay whimpering and shivering from the wind that blew heavy that day.
"What are you doing here, young one?" Legolas asked quietly, lifting the child into his arms. Immediately it began wailing, startling the prince. "It's all right...it's all right." he promised, sitting down in an indian- style position. "I will not harm you." he gazed around, wondering if he could sight the child's parents. The child had an amazing amount of hair for its age. "Shhhh." Legolas whispered, rocking the child to calm it. Immediately the child opened its eyes and caught sight of the adult elf.
"Dada!" it said, immediately breaking into giggles. Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Oh no." he muttered.
"I'm not your Dada. I don't know where your real father is."
"Dada!"
"Shhhh!" The child watched him curiously as he carried her back to his home in one of the mightiest trees of the forest. He was met by Celon (Kelon, not Selon), the young male elvan squire, who stood at the bottom of the tree trunk. "What have you found there?" he asked.
"I found an abandoned child by the river bank. Unfortunatley, I think it thinks I'm its father..."
"Daa!" the child giggled, causing Celon to smile. "I will bring it up to father, and we will decide what to do with it."
"Very well then. I will sound the horn to tell him you have returned." Legolas ascended to the bough of the tree once the horn had been blown and answered.
"Legolas. I wondered where you had gone." the elvan king said to his youngest son with a smile. Then he noticed the giggling child in his arms. "I say...what is that?"
"I found it by the river bank. It is an infant elf...I am not sure where the parents go to."
"Is it a female or a male?" Legolas paled at Celon's question (he had ascended with Legolas).
"Err..I haven't figured that one out yet."
"Unwrap it and see." Thranduil said.
"You do it." Legolas handed the baby to Celon. "You're the one who's so interested in finding out!"
"You're the one who found it!"
"We'll both unrwap it then." Legolas replied, and they did so.
"It's a girl," said Celon, his lips breaking into a magnificent smile. "She is beautiful...very fair she will turn out to be."
"Not necessarily. Look at the amount of dark hair on that little head of hers."
"Both of you, enough," broke in Thranduil.
"What shall we do with her? I do not wish to leave her out in the wild."
"We will not do that." Thranduil replied. "We shall keep her and raise her."
"Who will act as her father?" asked Celon, looking rather nervous. Only 900 years old, Celon had a difficult time understanding the antics of the child elf. Legolas nodded.
"I shall...I found her."
Thranduil placed a hand on his youngest son's shoulder. "That will do, my son. But get her into a better garment than the one you brought her to me with."
Legolas brought the child to his bed chamber and dressed her in a tiny lace nightgown.
She giggled as he tied the neck of the nightgown tight enough so it wouldn't become loose, and he smiled, lifting her up high. "You are a lovely child, are you not?" he asked, as she let out a few raspberries. "What shall I call you?" she stared at him, her dark brown eyes wide. "Let me see." he thought about the female elves in his father's kingdome, wondering which of their names he liked best. "Ireal...Ira..." he cradled her as he paced back and forth across his chamber floor. "Irene...that's perfect for you. (Ear-en-ay as in s-ay) Irene Greenleaf. She let out another string of raspberries at that point, causing him to shake his head. "You are going to be something, aren't you?"
"Dada!" she squealed clapping her chubby little hands.