Disclaimer: Not written for profit, and I certainly own nothing except for original characters.

Summary: Aragorn declares Arwen the sole reason for his happiness and his little son takes him too seriously. Eldarion thinks that poor Uncle Legolas will be miserable unless he finds a wife as well, and thus decides that something must be done.

The Little Prince

It was night and as far as six-year-old Eldarion was concerned, all was well with the world. He had no idea that warriors in Far Harad were rumoured to be gathering, plotting some kind of raid on the borderlands between themselves and the reunited kingdom. Neither had he the slightest inkling that a foul giant spider named Shelob had recovered sufficiently from her wounds to attack the elves and men of Ithilien. Both his parents had decided that the heir to the throne was going to have as much of a childhood as possible. Aragorn in particular, had been adamant about that. He still remembered being bundled up on a horse, clutched in his fearful mother's arms and knowing somehow, that she might not be able to save them both. The day a child learnt his life was in danger was the day he began ceasing to be one. Hence, they both made a pact that Eldarion, and his future siblings, were not to be troubled by matters of the kingdom as far as it could be helped.

"Adar, carry on," the boy mumbled, tugging softly on his father's shirt. He was sleepy, but not so sleepy enough to miss his favourite part of the song. "Beren's about to see Luthien for the first time." A low rich chuckle rumbled in his father's chest and a gentle hand was laid on his head. "Nay, I am not sleepy," Eldarion spoke first, thus continuing a tradition that had begun scarcely a year ago. He would be on the brink of sleep, and then realize that his father had stopped the story or song. He would then insist he was as bright as a button and his father would indulge him until the next thing he knew, he was waking up to the soft crooning of his mother and the soft morning sunshine.

"You know this song well enough to sing it yourself."

"S'not the same." Eldarion smothered a wide yawn with the back of his hand and burrowed further into the warmth of his father's chest. "When you do it, it seems more real."

His child's words touched a deep chord within the king. "Aye, I'll sing it then." He opened his mouth but was interrupted by a question.

"Did she really look like Naneth?"

Luthien Tinuviel was the Morning Star, the pinnacle of Elvish beauty at its greatest glory. Arwen Undomiel was the Evenstar, a reflection of the former. Logically, Aragorn knew Luthien was fairer than his wife but it defied imagination to conceive of another more beautiful than she. Besides, the loyalty and love he bore her would not permit him to believe or say otherwise. "That she did, to my eyes at least. In that moment I understood how Beren felt."

He paused and looked down at his son. His eyes were almost closed, the long dark lashes lying almost against his cheek. He was his mother's son and would have been pretty except for the strong jawline and cleft chin inherited from his father. That and his dark hair, just a shade or two lighter than his mother's. "The light curled in her hair, and no shadow touched her. She glowed even under Rivendell's sun. It was a dream, one rare and lovely enough to make a man forget himself and hope for something he had no right to desire."

In spite of his eyelids that were getting heavier by the second, Eldarion managed to scoff. "Naneth chose you Adar. That makes you good enough. Besides, you are the King of Gondor and Arnor."

Aragorn bit back a grin. Arwen had coached her son well. "I was not king back then."

"But you were already on your way to being so."

His son was proving to be as ardent a supporter as Arwen. "Well your mother's support was crucial to this. I could not have done it without her love."

Eldarion's young ears pricked up at that. This was the first time he was hearing such a declaration from his father about his mother. "What about Lord Gimli and Uncle Legolas? Not to mention Misters Pippin, Merry, Sam and Frodo? And the great Wizard Gandalf? And Lord Boromir?"

Aragorn thought for a second. He couldn't very well tell Eldarion that his grandsire, whom the boy had never seen before, had expressly forbidden any union until the crown was set firmly on Aragorn's head. Only then would he be good enough for Arwen, barely. "Of course I needed their help too. But your Naneth's faith in me was what started me down that path with hope. It was a task I had to undertake but she made me believe it was possible, although the road was fraught with darkness and I could not see the way at times."

"Is Naneth the best thing to happen to you Adar?"

"Aye, and you are the second best thing. I can only hope that every man is as blessed in his choice of a wife and the child given him by Eru."

"A good wife is the key to happiness and success, Adar?"

Aragorn blinked. He was somewhat startled by the leap that Eldarion's mind had made but there was some truth to what the child was saying and Aragorn did not want to start a debate which would end with him being tired and Eldarion wide awake. "I suppose you could say that, yes."

"How come Uncle Legolas hasn't got a wife yet?"

That one certainly came out of the blue. Elessar Telcontar, renowned for his wisdom, close confidante of the lords of the realm, elf-friend, chieftain of the Dunedain, opened his mouth, closed his mouth, opened and then closed it again. This one needed to be carefully worded. "Why do you ask that?"

"Isn't Uncle Legolas three thousand years old?"

"Another fifty years and he will be. Again, what are you really saying with that question?"

Eldarion quickly weighed whether he ought to tell his father the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He decided to settle for the partial truth and see if he could get away with that. If it had been Naneth, all hope would have been lost. With Adar, especially at this hour, and stretched out comfortably in the great chair as he was, there was a very slim chance that he could get away with it. "Uncle Legolas is not as fortunate as you. You are much younger and found Naneth in a shorter time. He has had two thousand, nine hundred and fifty years and he still hasn't managed to find himself a good wife. He must be miserable."

Aragorn was going to protest but the words melted into laughter at his son's next sentence.

"No wonder he always goes around with Lord Gimli. No elleth or woman wants him." Eldarion sighed compassionately, pondering his honorary uncle's sad fate. "Why have you not helped him Adar? And why are you laughing? Surely you want Uncle Legolas to be as happy and successful as you."

With supreme effort, the King of Gondor mastered himself. He would share this with Arwen later and they could laugh together then. "There are some things a man must do by himself, my son. And your Uncle Legolas is determined to find a wife without any assistance." In actuality, the Prince of Eryn Lasgalen and the Ithilien Elves was perfectly content with his bachelor ways. Legolas, who would not run from Orcs unless there was no other choice, turned tail and fled the moment he realized he was in the presence of overly eager elleths. Aragorn doubted that his friend would be settling down anytime in the present Age.

"But sometimes, a man must admit that he needs some help and not be too proud to accept it. After nearly three thousand years, I think Uncle Legolas must confess he cannot do this on his own."

Biting the inside of his cheek to stifle his laughter, Aragorn nodded gravely and muttered an "Aye."

See, even Adar agrees that Uncle Legolas needs help. Eldarion felt a great sense of satisfaction and conviction settle in his chest upon receiving his father's agreement. Adar was never wrong unless Naneth said so, and since Naneth was not here to say so, it was understood that he had his father's support in this matter.

"You were at the part where Beren sees Luthien, Adar," Eldarion reminded his father. Fortunately, his father did as he expected; he began singing softly again and the matter of Uncle Legolas' woeful bachelorhood was forgotten. For once though, Eldarion's mind was not on the beauty of Tinuviel, or the enchantment she wove upon Beren.

The little boy was hatching a plan to deliver his beloved uncle from a miserable lifetime of singlehood into the blissful state that was wedded life. Even Eru and the Valar were on his side, for Uncle Legolas was arriving in two days for an extended visit. By the time he left, Eldarion decided, he would be married.