DISCLAIMER: All of this belongs to the wondrous and ingenious J.R.R. Tolkien except for Aldaya, Silruin and Ëarel

AUTHOR'S NOTE: PLEASE do NOT READ THIS if you haven't yet read, "To Love A Mortal" (my other story with these characters) because the first word of the first paragraph gives away SO MUCH in spoiler. So Please pretty Please go read To Love A Mortal before you read The Last Elf Child. Thank you! Elrond Muse and I really appreciate it!!  

The Last Elf-Child

Chapter One

Expecting Arrivals

Aldaya laid a gentle hand on her swollen belly and looked out over the stormy gray sea, watching the cool cloud of rain pass over them and leave things damp in its wake. Her hair, allowed to grow long, flapped and twirled in the breeze like a dragon in the air. Her features, so unusual for the Fair Folk, were nevertheless quite elven. Her dark chocolate eyes peered out from under auburn eyelashes, the same shade as her hair. Her features were not as pale as most elves, and she was not as tall—but still, she was an elf, immortal in the minds of men and dwarves.

"Is it very far?" she asked Glorfindel as he stepped up beside her.

"No," he replied, and his lovely blue eyes were clearly alight with excitement. "No, we are very close."

Aldaya smiled a demure smile. "You look positively elfish, Glorfindel." When the elf-lord gave her an ironic look, she grinned, a most un-elvish expression. "Positively gleeful."

"I knew I should have waited for the next boat out," Glorfindel mourned, shaking his head. "I forgot I'd be traveling with a human."

Aldaya's grin widened. It was quite true that while she may have the same abilities and same body-type as an elf, her behavior was characteristically human, much to the shock (and in some cases, horror) of her elven companions.

"Come now," she teased, switching to the more formal dialect the elves use, "surely, Lord Glorfindel, you can truthfully say to me that you have learned much on the subject of humans and their customs from me?"

"Too much," Glorfindel quipped, and she laughed. It was cold out on the prow of the ship, and she was beginner to shiver from the cool air. Noticing immediately, Glorfindel slipped off his heavy velvet coat and put it around her shoulders. She reached up with deceptively delicate fingers and fastened the clasp, smiling and nodding in thanks. "Ah, hantale," she said, remembering the Quenya word for thanks. Glorfindel just smiled, putting his hand over hers.

The two of them stood and watched the shower curtain of dew part, and Aldaya caught her breath at the beautiful site. Rolling green hills, blue sky, lakes, and streams clear as diamonds as far as the eye could see, and far, far in the distance on what seemed to be another island, a single peak piercing the sky. Glorfindel squeezed her hand once and then disappeared, springing lightly across the deck as he helped the other sailors prepare to dock.

Aldaya turned as Elrohir moved up to her, affectionately stroking her face. Her smile widened and she looked back over to Eressea. "I do not think I will miss Middle-Earth over much after all," she said, and Elrohir smiled. "And Father will be here, soon."

Elrohir nodded, stepping closer and putting his arm around her shoulders. Silruin had chosen to stay in Middle-Earth for a short time longer, though he had promised he would be along on the next boat out. "There are a few things I need to take care of," he's said when asked. "I promised an old friend of mine that I'd meet him at the Gray Havens, and I don't want to break that promise."

Aldaya leaned against Elrohir, narrowing her eyes slightly as the spray from the ocean sea stung her face. "I cannot wait to meet your mother," she said.

"You will like her," Elrohir promised, squeezing her gently. "I am much like her, or so I'm told."

"Then I will indeed like her," Aldaya said with a smile, and began humming softly under her breath.

The sailors expertly put into the dock, and Aldaya scanned the crowd for Elrond and Celebrían, whom she'd heard so much about. She found them pushing they're way to the front; Celebrían was indeed very beautiful, and similar in face to Galadriel, who was walking behind the couple. She had very long silver hair—bright, shimmering silver, not gray.

Elrohir's face lit up, and Aldaya gave him a gentle nudge, allowing him to run down the planks, effectively clearing the way to his parents for Aldaya, who was coming slower and escorted by Glorfindel.

Elrohir was positively glowing as he introduced Aldaya to Celebrían. The two women -miled at each other, and Aldaya found herself struck that Celebrian's eyes were not the normal blue or twilight-gray that the eyes of elves usually were; they were silver, as silver as her hair, and as piercing as her husband's.

Aldaya wracked her memory for the phrase to greet a lord and a lady, and finally stuck to the traditional greeting. "Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo,* Lady Celebrían, Lord Elrond," she said, smiling. Aldaya decided she didn't want to risk a curtsy in her present state, and inclined her head instead. Celebrían smiled and bowed her head as well. Elrond embraced Aldaya, much to her surprise and delight. She had become quite fond of the elf-lord from her time in Rivendell.

"Welcome to Tol Eressëa*!" Celebrían said with a smile. She hugged Elrohir tightly, and Elladan as well. Glorfindel and Elrond clasped forearms in greeting. Aldaya allowed her eyes to wander over the beautiful buildings set a little farther inland; the delicate, clearly elven style of architecture fascinated her. The style was somewhat different from what she knew in Rivendell, being much older and less influenced by other species, but she could see the resemblance nevertheless. The arches decorated with vines, the perfectly level floors and straight halls—few races besides the dwarves could match such delicate perfection.

"Well," Aldaya said as Elrohir came up to her, smiling broadly, "who's up for dinner?" Oh, hell, she thought. I did it again. What kind of elf says 'who's up for'? Argh!

But to her surprise, the elves were obviously charmed by her blunt, very human personality. Elrohir had once told it was one of the things he loved most about her.

"You don't circle a question," he'd once said. "You don't give half-truths, or twist words to your own use. You're one of the most candid and honest people I've ever met."

"Dinner sounds wonderful," said Elrond.

*     *     *     *

With her baby due in the next week or so, Aldaya was not at all unhappy about sharing a house with Elrond and Celebrían until Elrohir could work out where they would live. She spent most of her time reading, talking to Celebrían, or taking short walks down to the dock and talking to the sailors. To everyone's surprise, she had become quite fascinated with sailing and was bugging all of the sailors on the tips and tricks of sailing, and one sailor in particular, Ëarel*, had become good friends with Aldaya. "I'm thinking of taking up sailing as a hobby, when the baby is born," Aldaya said to Elrohir one night over dinner.

Elrohir swallowed and paused, the beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips as he lifted the fork to his mouth. "It sounds like a wonderful hobby," he said, chewing thoughtfully.

It was exactly a week after she arrived at Eressëa that Aldaya awoke one night from the light dream-resting that elves call sleep to find that she was having cramps, and her back hurt. Since she had not had a period in a year, it could only signify one thing.

"Elrohir!" she shouted, and since she was lying right by him she accidentally said it into one of his extremely sensitive and leaf-shaped ears.

"Noro-ed, gódhellim o sîr-imlad!*" Elrohir cried, falling out of bed. He stuck his head back up, and said calmly, "Yes, glî*?"

"It's happening," Aldaya said, breathing the way Celebrían had shown her and trying to stay calm as sweat broke out on her face. She whimpered.

"It is? It has? You are?" Elrohir gasped, hauling himself up.

"Get a healer," Aldaya answered, her face white.

"I'll get Father—no! Can't have Father!"

"Why not? He's the best healer in all of Middle-Earth—"

"He's my Father," Elrohir retorted, as if that explained everything. "I'll get Galadriel—wait—she's on the other side of the Isle."

"Get your mother!"

"She's not here, either!" Elrohir cried, tugging on his hair in distress.

The cramp passed and Aldaya breathed easier. "I'll get father and send for mother," Elrohir decided, and disappeared before she could respond.

Aldaya managed a weak chuckle, and pushed herself up to lean against the pillows.

*     *     *     *

Elrohir paced nervously outside of the door, his brother watching him move back and forth. "Really, Elrohir, relax. You're wearing holes in the floor."

"Relax? Relax! In a dangerous situation like this? You want me to relax? When my lend-ind* is in pain? How could you be so insensitive?" Elrohir swung around and glared at his twin brother, who in response sent calming thoughts through their rapport. Elrohir growled loudly and spun around, stomping up and down the hallway and grumbling.

After about a half an hour, Elrond came out, drying his hands off on a towel and smiling reassuringly to his son, who nearly bowled him over in an effort to get information. "How is she? Is she going to be alright? How's the baby? Can I see her?"

"Relax, Elrohir—she's fine. I—"

"What did you do, then, for all that time?" he demanded.

Elrond raised an eyebrow at his son's venom, tempering Elrohir's anger. "I had to examine her, to make sure the baby wasn't twisted awkwardly. You can go see her, but, Elrohir—" Elrond caught Elrohir's arm to make him pause. "Don't upset her, Elrohir. Birth is a natural process, more so in elves than humans. She's fine and in perfect health, and the baby is fine as well. She's nervous enough as it is. Breathe." Elrohir disappeared into the room without responding.

Elrond shook his head and came to sit next to Elladan out in the hall on the bench, pushing back his long dark hair from his eyes. "So how long before…" Elladan began, letting his voice fade off.

"Before the baby is born? Probably fifteen to sixteen hours, maybe less." As Elladan's jaw dropped, Elrond smiled. "So by mid-morning the baby should be securely on the way."

"But that's a long time!"

"Of course it is. Celebrían was in labor for sixteen and a half hours with you two. Think how I felt. I never said this would be easy, either on Aldaya or Elrohir. If it was, it wouldn't be called labor."

*?*?*?*?*?*

* Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo=A star shines upon the hour of our meeting. Quenya

* Tol Eressëa=The Isle (or island) of Eressëa (pronounced Er-es-EE-a, with the "a" as in d"a"y)

* Ëarel=Sea-star. Pronounced "AIR-il." Quenya

* Noro-ed, gódhellim o sîr-imlad=Ride forth, elves of Rivendell (literally, river-valley). Sindarin

* glî=honey. Sindarin

* lend-ind=sweetheart. Sindarin

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you're wondering why just lately I've been using those strange little dots and dashes over words such as Ě, Ĩ, etc, it's because I just figured out how to use them (like on Celebrían's name, and so forth). =)