A/N: Okay, you all probably expected me to take a longer time to start this sequel, but the plot bunny attacked with a vengeance to equal that of Mount Doom. Anyway, I give you the prologue to the new tale!

WARNING: If images of childbirth bother you, then do not read this. However, it is not graphic. Some may not like Haldir being sappy, but fatherhood changes a few things...

Prologue

Year 2981 of the Third Age

Indilisse had been going in and out of sleep for hours now, trying to find some rest from the ripping pains going through her body. The midwife, Linwë, had told her repeatedly to rest her eyes, and that everything would be better if Indilisse could just get a few hours of rest in to rejuvenate her body. Linwë had said when the time came for the child to be birthed, Indilisse would need all the energy she could muster, and not even the ever-present life, light and energy of the elves could withstand such a demanding task on the body. But Indilisse begged to know how such a feat of resting could be accomplished with waves of discomfort shooting across every muscle of her body, with the want for the whole process to be over so she could see her child, and with the unquenchable need to see her husband's eyes and feel his hands hold hers ever present in her waking mind.

"Indilisse, mellon, you must rest for the child." Narië spoke soothingly, wiping away the hair stuck to her sweaty forehead with a cool washcloth.

"I thought elves were not meant to experience pain." Indilisse grimaced as it felt like someone took a vice-like hold and her abdomen and squeezed tighter.

Narië chuckled, "You expected no pain when birthing a child, Indilisse? Anything that size that comes from a place that small should have been evidence enough to you that you would indeed experience a level of pain, even if you are a child of Iluvatar."

"Thank you for finding this situation humorous, Narië." She fumed through her pain.

"Oh it is, but I expect you shall be saying that you warned me about this when Rúmil and I decide to have children." Narië smiled softly, and resumed the patting of the cool cloth on Indilisse's neck and chest. "And if it gives you any relief, after the first child it is said that birthing is quite a bit easier."

Indilisse swallowed hard and tried to smile, "After this birth, I do not know if I want to find out if it is true."

Narië laughed again, "There is the Indilisse I know."

"Where is Haldir?" Indilisse asked. It had seemed like it had been forever since she had first realized she was in labor, and still Haldir had not made it back into the city.

"Do not worry, mellon." Narië said, "He will be here. I sent the hawk with a note for him only a few hours ago. No one is faster than the bird."

With a small amount of ease washing over her, Indilisse rested her head further back into the pillow. That was before her entire body contracted again and she lifted slightly from the bed out of pain. She could not easily understand how the same muscles that contracted so pleasurably during lovemaking, could contract so horribly and excruciatingly at childbirth.

Indilisse breathed through the pain and sighed again, "Why did I wish for this?"

"You did not wish for this," came a voice from the door, "you wished for a child, and that is what you will get, through a little tribulation."

Indilisse glanced at the doorway and saw Arwen's smile. "Why are you here, Arwen?"

Arwen gave Indilisse a mock scoff of dejectedness. "Fine, if you do not want me here, than I shall leave."

"You do not want to be here, Lady Arwen." Narië giggled and glanced down at Indilisse for a moment, "All she has done is complain."

"I know," Arwen said seriously, "I think everyone in Arda and Valinor has heard."

Indilisse, forgetting about the pain for one moment, grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and threw it in Arwen's direction, to which she easily dodged. "It is a good thing you can move quickly."

Arwen chuckled and walked towards the bed, propping Indilisse back up with the pillow. "I come as a gift from my grandmother. In her haste for silence once again within these woods, she has told me to offer my services as your midwife."

Never having thought she would resort to physical violence, Indilisse tried to hit at Arwen, to which the Imladris Lady only laughed again. Indilisse groaned under her breath, the latest contraction over with. "I will laugh at both of you when you are birthing your children."

"I would expect it." Arwen smiled, "If that were to happen for me."

There was silence in the room, the three elleths thinking for a few long moments at the state of Arwen's relationship with Aragorn. Indilisse had been kept up to date on the issue, as she had taken quite a liking to Isildur's heir when he was in Caras Galadhon only a year before. As did Narië from her station as the Lady's head handmaid.

"I am sorry, Arwen." Indilisse said.

Arwen sighed and shifted slightly on her feet, finding the chair Linwë had vacated some time ago. "Do not be sorry, mellon. One day we will be together."

Before anything else could be said, another contraction raged through Indilisse's body and she gasped from the pain. Arwen stood over her and placing a soft hand upon Indilisse's cheek and spoke soothingly a spell to place the expectant mother into a calm rest.


Haldir had never thought he could run so fast in his life, even with his light elven feet. As soon as that hawk had settled down into a high perch and Haldir had retrieved the letter hanging about its talons, he jumped to the forest floor, and began to run. He knew that their child would come to them in the most inconvenient of times, and he had half expected it to be while he was engaged in a battle on the fences. Luckily, though, he was not in battle. This was a good sign. At least their child would not be so impossible if it would wait for the opportune time to be born.

He glanced behind him for a short moment; finding Rúmil and Orophin were close at his heels. Had he called for them to come with? Or did they know what was happening? After all, they had tried to talk him out of going to the fences for these few months when the time was to come that Indilisse would go into labor. Haldir chuckled to himself and kept his fast run, remembering that incident. They had told him to stay, and Indilisse had made him leave, claiming insanity if he were to stay with her. He could not very well doubt her, as all he was being rather annoying and always at her side if she were to need anything... a pure menace to her solitude. And this being Indilisse who was getting rather angry about his constant attention, Haldir had worried he may not even receive an invitation to his firstborn's birth.

As he entered the city, Haldir expected there to be some question as to why he was running like a goblin from a Balrog, but all he received was knowing and pleasant smiles from all that he came across. Oh, what a horrible husband and father he must seem to be away at the borders when he knew almost to the exact date at which this birth would take place! And still they gave him pleasant smiles. He stopped in front of their talan, taking a few deep breaths before reaching for the door handle. The last thing he needed was to appear stressed, when in all actuality he was just that.

With a final sigh, he entered the talan. There was no evidence of birth in the front room, but he could hear the soft soothes of elleths coming from the bedchamber. He walked back as silently as he could, and found that he did not need to make his presence known to the two elleths sitting watch. They turned and smiled up at him, but all he could concentrate on was the fact that Indilisse's eyes were not open and she was moaning unintelligibly. Haldir rushed to her side and grabbed for her hand, looking at Arwen, "What is wrong with her?"

"Nothing that will not pass in a few moments." Arwen replied softly. "She was ready for the birth a while ago, but I know she wished to wait for you. The only way I could slow her is to put her into a deep sleep."

He breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at her, wishing that she had only been resting in the normal state so he could look at her eyes, but before he knew it, Arwen had spoken another short spell to reverse the effects of the previous. Indilisse's eyes opened slowly and she blinked a few times, recognizing who was now sitting beside her on the large bed.

"Haldir..." She whimpered. It seemed from the pain overtaking her.

Narië wrung out a wet cloth in a clay bowl and handed it to him with a smile before standing from her seat. Haldir took the cloth and slowly began to wipe away the sweat accumulated at her brows and on her upper lip. He smiled down at her, "I am here, meleth."

Indilisse smiled slightly and he felt his heart warm that she would smile for him in a situation such as this one. "It is about time."

As soon as the nice feeling had taken over his body, it was stolen away by her sarcastic statement. She was still Indilisse, even through birthing. He chuckled, "I ran faster than Orophin."

"Now that is a feat I will have to see." She said, but discomfort took her again.

The look upon her face when these waves hit made his on body ache, and he wished that it would be easy to say a few words and it would all be taken away. He trusted Arwen as a healer and midwife- more skilled than any other in Arda- and knew if there were such a spell, she would not let her friend suffer. Haldir sighed, "But you see, for me to get to that speed, I must have such enticement as this event."

"Oh." She replied, her feminine hand finding one of his larger ones. Indilisse entwined her fingers with his as Arwen shifted around the foot of the bed, gathering thick cloths and positioning Indilisse's legs for the birth.

Arwen turned to Narië, "Go fetch my grandmother. She wished to be here for the birth."

"Arwen, you cannot invite the Lady in here with me like this!" Indilisse called with a small voice.

She smiled as Narië left the talan quickly. "Just be glad that it is not my father, Indilisse."

Indilisse tried to laugh through her pain, "That is frightening, my lady."

Haldir listened to this exchange, also quite nervous now that Galadriel would be coming to the birth if his and Indilisse's child. Why would the Lady wish to see such a sight as she herself had been through it, and assisted in many labors? At least the child would receive not only the grace that which its mother possessed, but also some of that of Galadriel and Arwen. Galadriel was present within a short moment it seemed, and Haldir could not believe how fast this time was going.

"Mae tollen na mar, Haldir." Galadriel said to him as she swept into the room, surveying the pained elleth in front of her. Without speaking much more, Galadriel rolled back the long sleeves of her dress, and Haldir noticed for the first time that Galadriel was not in one of her usually white gowns. Instead, she wore a dress more befitting of traveling than holding court, and he was glad for that. Even though he could care less about the fine weave or design of a gown, he would have been mortified if Galadriel had somehow ruined one of her beautiful gowns.

The Lady inspected Indilisse and glanced up, "We are ready Indilisse. You must follow whatever urge your body is telling you to do now."

"Thank Elbereth." Indilisse exclaimed in an exasperated voice.

"Haldir, it is time for you to step out." Galadriel said, "Send Narië back in as well, we will need her help."

He looked up at Galadriel questioningly, really wishing he could stay in the room, but he knew that it had been for millennia like this, and all he could do is wait in the outer room of the talan and pray to the Valar that their child would be fine. Haldir stood and walked to the door, finding Narië sitting with Rúmil and Orophin. He sighed, "The Lady wishes to have you back in the chamber, Narië."

Narië smiled brightly and entered the room, shutting the door behind her. In only a few moments there were exclamations of discomfort, followed by even more labored breathing. Haldir sat heavily in a seat, facing his expressionless brothers.

"Do not be so worried, Haldir." Orophin said in an upbeat voice, "After all, she not only has Arwen, but Galadriel at her side."

Haldir gave Orophin a feeble smile, "It is not that I am worried. I actually cannot tell you what I am."

"You are an elf who is about to become a father." Rúmil looked at Haldir, and chuckled to himself, remarking in an after statement, "Elbereth give the child determination and strength to live with that."

Haldir felt his lips curl into a little smile, though his fingers itched to hit Rúmil for his comment. "Unfortunately, I think with Indilisse and me as it's parents, it will have too much of those things."

"We will do our part in the corruption if that is indeed true." Orophin vowed and laughed, but was silenced by another loud shout coming from the closed room.

Soon they heard the high wails of a newborn and Arwen stuck her head out the door. "It is a girl, Haldir."

So flabbergasted that it had actually happened... that he was now a father and in charge of a family, he barely heard Galadriel call for him. Moreover, it was a girl! "Your dagger, March Warden?"

"My wh-?" He began, but stopped himself when he realized what it was for. With slightly trembling hands, he removed the dagger from its sheath at his belt and stood to join the elleths now cleaning the child. Nothing could have prepared him what he was to see. Even he, who had seen so many dismembered and slain bodies of all races, felt his head grow light. Nevertheless, he regained his composure and took his dagger, cutting easily along the spot where Galadriel was holding off on the babe's last bodily connection to her mother.

Arwen laid the child in a bowl of warm water, holding her neck securely above the water line, slowly bathing her. Haldir was utterly captivated by the sight of this living being now being wrapped in warm swaddling clothes and then in a larger blanket so that only the babe's head was visible. So entranced was he that he barely noticed it when Arwen offered the child to him. He felt he might crush the little body within his arms and by his large hands as he carefully supported her head and tucked her close to his chest. The instant he looked down at her blessedly wrinkled face, and her new eyes found his, her wailing ceased, as did all time around him. No longer did the elleths move about the chamber cleaning Indilisse; they just stood frozen in time, in mid sentence with their mouths open.

The romantic love he felt for Indilisse was so different than this new fatherly love he felt for his daughter... his firstborn.

Slowly he moved towards the bed, and rested on the edge, turning to look at Indilisse. She looked faint, but was just as beautiful as she had always been, maybe even more glowing. Haldir smiled and offered her the small babe, Indilisse accepting the gift readily. She took the child into her arms, resting it against her bosom with one arm, and used the other hand to adjust the blanket wrapped around the child.

"Hin lín bain sui Ithilgalad buin Aear, pen neth." Indilisse spoke quietly, a large smile on her face as she lifted the child up to place a kiss on her brow.

Haldir leaned in to gaze down at his daughter, while keeping a watchful eye on his wife, to see her reactions to this occasion. He slipped an arm around Indilisse, pulled her close to him, and kissing the top of her head. "Melin le, Indilisse."

She smiled again and looked up at him, tears beginning to well in her eyes. "As I do you, meleth."

He struggled to keep his composure and again they both turned their eyes down to the child in Indilisse's arms. "I never thought it possible to find another elleth as beautiful as you are, Indilisse, but I hate to say that I have."

Indilisse giggled, "That statement I will not complain about."

Haldir placed a hand on his daughter's soft head, only covered by a thin fuzz, and ran his thumb over her forehead. All at once, he felt love for both of the females in his life, as well as care for them, worry for them, and anxiety for himself as to how he would deal with a child- his own child- that happened to be a female. For all the years he had lived and experienced elleths, he still could not understand them, and while he had gained some insight as to their inner workings from Indilisse, it scared him that one day his daughter would grow older and leave him...becoming an elleth like Indilisse.

One thing was for certain, though, no harm would ever come to Indilisse or his child for as long as he still drew air into his lungs. No mercy would be given, even if it were his own brothers.

Mae tollen na mar- Welcome home

Hin lin bain sui Ithilgalad buin Aear- your eyes are as beautiful as moonlight on the sea.

Pen neth- little one

Melin le- I love you

Meleth- love