Disclaimer: Don't own LOTR, but I down own the three OCs in this.
Summary: When elves are neither old nor young, family reunions can get confusing for the onlookers.
Currently this is a one-shot, but I'm considering continuing this and/or writing some stories which include these characters and give some of their background. Enjoy!
A Family Affair
Merry and Pippin shared one of the benches set around the center of the Court of the Fountain, watching with some amusement as the big folk prepared for the arrival of what Bilbo may have called "guests of particular magnificence." Merry looked up to the balcony where two curly-haired figures could be seen and waved until they returned the gesture. Although Sam and Frodo were still recovering, they had been deemed well enough to move from the Houses of Healing to a room in the citadel itself, so long as they remained there and followed strict orders from Aragorn. Sam seemed to have regained a great deal of strength for this day. The hobbit's excitement radiated from him like sunbeams; it lent strength to Frodo, and warmed the hearts of all gathered in the courtyard. Only two things could send the mild-mannered gardener into such a state: Rosie Cotton, who was far away in the Shire, and the presence of elves.
Looking around, Merry noted that the hobbits were not the only ones with a palpable anticipation for the Eldar. Faramir, Eomer, and most of the human dignitaries who had been sent out to greet the elves appeared nearly beside themselves with nerves. They paced, they pulled at their clothes, they muttered to themselves, and then tried to pretend they were far more composed than the others. Aragorn had been called away quite suddenly by Gandalf on some kingly duty, and would be unable to greet his guests personally. As steward, then, poor Faramir was the chief official. Even the presence of Eowyn, who appeared completely unruffled, failed to calm him for any sufficient length of time.
On the other end of the scale, Legolas and the twins were practically bouncing. Word had it that there would be representatives from every elven kingdom in the party, and the three warriors hoped some of their family would be a part of it. None of them had truly thought they would survive to see their loved ones again. Legolas in particular had never gotten the chance to say goodbye in person, as he had expected to return to Mirkwood after the council was over. He occasionally wrung his hands and looked out toward the sea, but a gruff word from the dwarf at his side always set him smiling again.
Gimli was the most surprising candidate to await elves and take such clear joy in their coming; well, clear to those who knew him. He made snide comments every so often that sent the dignitaries into fits, but rarely were his remarks sharpened and they were never against an elf who was not present. Occasionally he brushed a hand over his breast, and Merry was fairly certain he knew what was hidden beneath Gimli's tunic, tucked within a golden locket.
"Admit it, Master Dwarf," Legolas smirked, "you are gladly waiting out here, when you could be sleeping in this morning, on behalf of the elves."
"I am not gladly waiting, I'm just waiting!" Gimli growled. "And even if I was glad to be out here, waiting on some fool elves who think they can take their sweet time riding here while we waste a perfectly good morning, it is only for one elf! Perhaps the only elf with good sense, excepting her granddaughter!"
The twins rearranged themselves on either side of the dwarf and leaned in close. "Gimli, you do realize that such connections make Lady Galadriel our grandmother as well?" said Elladan. Gimli opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and eventually settled on crossing his arms and grumbling to himself.
Legolas laughed, then raced to the very edge of the courtyard and leapt upon the wall preventing the unwary from falling. This made several of the guards start toward him in alarm, and both Merry and Pippin stood up. Elrohir put out his hand to stop them with an amused smile. "He will do himself no harm. Or at least, he will have the good sense to fall back our way!"
The hobbits looked at one another, not entirely reassured; they had seen their elven companion perform many great feats of balance, but there was something about standing at the edge of the top tier of Minas Tirith that seemed to preclude disaster. Pippin, especially, could not forget the way Denethor had gone, and a look at Faramir told him that the new steward had not forgotten either.
"Legolas, come down from there!" Elladan called. "It will not get them here any faster. Besides, you are upsetting our friends."
Legolas took a last look over the edge before jumping back onto the stone of the courtyard. "Perhaps not, but I feel as though my heart will burst if they do not arrive soon. They are not even at the gates yet!"
Pippin laughed, "Surely our company has not been that terrible!"
"Forgive me," said Legolas, "that is not what I meant. It is only that I am eager for news, at least, of my home. You know of the battles that took place in the North, and that Dol Guldur was finally captured by Lady Galadriel."
"Of course we do," said Merry, "you told us that night you and Gimli were celebrating, and you went through two whole barrels of wine! Gimli started singing and…"
"Hold there lad," said Gimli, turning a little red behind his beard. "I have been reminded of that story quite often enough already. The point is, we are all worried about what has become of our own families. Dol Guldur was not defeated without a hefty price."
Gimli and Legolas shared a look that made Merry sure they knew something more than they were letting on, but before he could ask one of the sentries called out, "Open the gates! The Elven Lords have arrived!"
The weighty discussion was forgotten as hobbits, elves, dwarf, and humans raced to the walls so that they could see down to the gate. Below them, many of the city's residents lined the streets to watch as the elves made their way up to the citadel, bearing flowers and wide-eyed children hoisted on their shoulders. The gates parted to reveal a great host, fair horses bearing a fairer company of elves from Rivendell, Lothlorien, Mirkwood, and the Grey Havens. As they maneuvered through the streets of the city, the people threw flowers ahead of them, creating a colorful carpet over the stones for their horses to walk upon. They bowed as the elves passed, the braver ones calling out for blessings or favors. The elves never paused, although the two who led them, one in white and the other in blue, raised their hands over the gathered crowd and offered their prayers.
They dismounted at the sixth level at the request of the head of the stables, who seemed baffled when he found that most of the horses wore no tack. A mere word from their masters sent the horses to find their own spaces in the main stable.
From here, Merry could see that it was Elrond and Galadriel who led the company, alongside two other elves – a blonde male who had been at the Council of Elrond, dressed in the pale colors of the Grey Havens, and a dark-haired female, dressed in the greens of Mirkwood. Merry also recognized Lord Celeborn and Haldir from their stay in Lothlorien, as well as Glorfindel from Rivendell, who would have stood out even if his magnificent horse had not been covered in tiny, jingling, golden bells.
As two guards led them to the seventh gate, those in the courtyard rushed back to their places by the white tree. Gimli began meticulously smoothing out his beard, occasionally turning an interesting shade of pink. He and the hobbits stood respectfully to one side, next to the bench Merry and Pippin had been sharing moments ago. Faramir made sure that the human nobles dispersed to the sides as well, while he stood with Legolas and the twins at the base of the steps. Somehow they all managed not to look quite as anxious as they had moments ago.
At last, two guards of the citadel led the elven party between the stone statues and through the Court of the Fountain. Merry smiled when he heard Sam gasp from the balcony. They had lived in two different elven cities for a short while, but the gathered company of so many great elves was enough to awe any hobbit. A few unknown elves looked with similar wonder at the hobbits as they passed, and Glorfindel offered them a wink. They, along with Gimli and the humans, bowed low.
Once they were all gathered in front of Faramir, the steward straightened and spoke. "Mae govannan, my lords and ladies; welcome to Minas Tirith." His tongue was smooth as ever. "I am Faramir, steward of Gondor. Lord Aragorn sends his deepest apologies that he could not greet you personally, but he is currently assisting Mithrandir in a most pressing matter. In his place, and from the bottom of my heart, we are honored to have you as guests." He went down on one knee, as did the twins and Legolas.
Elrond stepped forward. "From what I understand, it is we who should bow to you." Following Elrond, every one of the elves bowed deeply with their hands over their hearts, the gesture garnering them much respect from the onlookers.
"We are honored to be present for this beginning, as we end," said Galadriel, taking Celeborn's hand as she and the others rose. She smiled at Faramir, feeling the purity his brother had lost radiating from his soul. "Now, Lord Faramir, the majority of us would like to rest." Her gaze turned to her grandsons, and her smile widened. "There are those, however, who I doubt will wait any longer to greet those they have long missed."
"Of course, my lady," Faramir replied with another slight bow. "Please, we have rooms prepared, and if you wish to rest you are most welcome to follow me." He started up the steps, followed by most of the elves. All but the most pretentious nobles returned as well, and when Merry looked up to wave at his friends, he saw Frodo and Sam turn wearily back into their room. So it was that only a few guards, the hobbits, and Gimli remained behind to witness Elladan and Elrohir nearly tackle Elrond to the ground with the strength of their joint embrace.
Legolas, on the other hand, was on the receiving end of a similar hug. A male and female elf, both dressed in greens and browns that were richly embroidered, raced forward to greet him. Legolas' eyes went wide, and he could barely get out an exclamation of joy before they cut off his breath.
The male, who looked very much like Legolas from where Merry was sitting, grinned and pulled on one of Legolas' braids. "Mae govannan, muindor. We heard you have been busy."
Merry was distracted from the scene when Glorfindel walked up to them. "Well now, I am glad to see the two of you whole and hale." He put one hand on Merry's head and the other on Pippin's, then laughed. "Though it seems you have grown in the wrong direction for hobbits! I hear you fought some mighty battles, little ones."
"We have fought," Merry admitted, "and found that fighting is not nearly so wonderful as we thought it might be. We are not great warriors like you, my lord."
"Oh? I am not the slayer of the witch-king," he eyed Merry carefully for a moment, then ruffled their hair. "But it is all in the past, and you have learned to clean your swords and continue on."
"They have learned a great deal more than that."
Merry and Pippin whipped around. "Gandalf!" Pippin exclaimed. "When did you get here?"
"Just this moment," the wizard replied.
"As always, Mithrandir," laughed Glorfindel. "It is good to see you, my friend; and what a lovely new robe you have."
"You can throw no stones," Gandalf grumbled. "That skin you wear is not much older, by my reckoning. But come, there are two other hobbits who would appreciate a visit, I am sure, from someone who is not preoccupied with family reunions." He nodded toward the steps, where Elladan and Elrohir each had an arm thrown around a hooded elf.
"Ah! Of course, if you will show me the way?" said Glorfindel.
"I will find someone who can show you the way, and then I have business with Lord Elrond," Gandalf replied.
Glorfindel bowed to Merry and Pippin. "I will see you this evening, then, Master Hobbits." He turned to Gimli. "Valar bless you as well, good Master Dwarf, and I hope later to join all of you in enjoying some of Aragorn's wine."
Gimli grinned, "Aye sir, you will find me there!"
Then Glorfindel and Gandalf made their way into the citadel. Merry turned his attention back to the twins and the figure in the cloak, wondering who would wear one on a day like this. It seemed to have the vague shape of a female, though one never could tell with elves.
Merry's attention was arrested quite suddenly when Pippin nudged him and whispered, "I didn't know Legolas was married."
"He's not…is he?" Merry had always assumed the Fellowship's elf had no wife, or even a lover, for he never spoke of one. Yet when he looked back to Legolas, Merry saw that he was entangled in an embrace with the elven female who had been one of the leaders of the party. She was very beautiful, with dark brown hair that fell down to the small of her back in an elaborate veil of braids. She wore a crown of dew-wet spring flowers, wrought of silver but so life-like that Merry would have though them real if he had not seen the way they caught the light of the sun. She was very small for an elf, a bit like some of the Silvan elves they had glimpsed in Lothlorien. Merry remembered Legolas saying that most of the elves in his home were Silvan, and decided she must have been one of them. She clutched Legolas to her tightly, and a few tears graced the apples of her cheeks.
"Well who else could that be?" said Pippin. "Legolas is Prince of Mirkwood after all, it would make sense for his wife to lead the party."
Gimli frowned, "He never told me of any girl, and I goaded him about it oft enough. The way he was about it, it never seemed he had any interest in the designs of love."
"But he sang about love all the time!" argued Pippin.
"That's true," Merry agreed. "Or at least, that's what he told us many of his songs were about."
"Bah! That's what all elven songs are about – some tragic love story," said Gimli.
Merry cocked his head. "That's true too. But who is she then? And who are those others?" He wondered how soon it would be appropriate to go over and introduce himself. As luck had it, Merry's patience was not tested. Legolas was already on his way over, leading three other elves.
"Hail!" he called out. He and the elleth still had one arm wrapped around the other, unwilling to part so soon after meeting again. "My friends, I have some folks I must introduce you to." He took the elleth's hand and brought her forward. "This is my–"
"Wife! How come you never told us you were married?" Pippin blurted out.
All four elves looked at one another. "Wife?" said Legolas.
Pippin grinned proudly and nudged his cousin again. "I guessed it; you see, Merry?"
Merry frowned, "Legolas, for shame! You never told us about her." He got to his feet and bowed. "My lady, it is an honor to make your acquaintance."
"But…"
"Mine too!" cried Pippin, following his cousins lead.
Gimli made a slight bow, "A pleasure, my lady." Then he glared at Legolas. "All this time and you didn't see fit to trust me with knowledge of your wife? I had begun to think your interests lay elsewhere! I believed us to be friends now."
"But Gimli, you misunder–"
"Who else is with you? Are these your children?" asked Pippin, looking curiously back at the two other elves who bore a great resemblance to Legolas and his wife.
"Children?" The pair glanced at one another, then back at Legolas, who was turning quite red. They started laughing, as did the lady, and finally Legolas, too.
"I think we may have jumped to our conclusions, Pip," said Merry, scratching his head.
"Indeed you have!" laughed Legolas. "Mayhap we should begin again? If you will let me finish this time, dear Pippin." Pippin's ears went red, and he nodded. With a wide smile, Legolas took the lady's hand again. "Masters Peregrin, Meriadoc, and Gimli, I would like to introduce you to my mother, Queen Lorwen."
Merry nearly toppled over as he, Pippin, and Gimli all cried out in surprise. "Mother?"
"It is a pleasure and an honor to meet all of you," smiled the queen. Her words had a thick but lovely accent, and she took her time with each.
Pippin stuttered, "But…but…but you cannot possibly be Legolas' mother!"
"Why not?" she asked.
"Well, if you were Legolas' mother, you would have to be very, very old! You cannot possibly be all that much older than him. You are far too beautiful."
Merry winced, afraid the queen would be offended by Pippin's candid speech. She merely laughed. "Thank you, but I am plenty old enough to be Legolas' mother. Legolas is very young; the youngest of all my children, in fact."
"I don't suppose we'll ever get used to that," Merry said.
"No, I do not believe we will," Pippin agreed.
"But there is more!" Legolas announced. He drew the other two elves forward. The male had hair the same color as Lorwen's, partially braided around an intricate circlet of entwined silver and gold, but the same curious blue eyes as Legolas. He was slightly bigger in build and height, and the green-jeweled hilt of a sword stuck out of the scabbard resting on his hip. The female, on the other hand, was even smaller than her mother, although she still towered over the hobbits and Gimli. Her eyes were green like Lorwen's – or so Merry assumed, since one of them was covered by a sweep of her long, corn-silk colored hair. The rest of it was held back by a golden circlet, with emeralds entwined throughout it like drops of green rain.
"This is my brother, Camathal, and my sister, Rosmir," said Legolas.
The names tugged at Merry's memory, and he recalled Legolas speaking of both siblings at some point or another during the quest. "Well met," said Camathal.
"Valar's blessings upon you," Rosmir added. Both bowed formally, and Merry found himself doing the same.
"The pleasure is all ours," he declared.
"Oh yes!" Pippin exclaimed, falling over himself in an attempt to make amends. "I'm sorry about earlier, but you all look so alike in age! It's impossible to tell, and I mean…oh bother."
The elves laughed again. "Fear not, Master Peregrin," said Camathal, "for we have seen a perian on only one previous occasion, and could not begin to guess how old you might be."
Lorwen smiled. "You must come to see our home sometime, good masters. There is much fond memory there among those who fought in the Battle of Five Armies of one of your kin. I never had the opportunity to meet him, and I feel I owe him my thanks. I owe more to you, I am sure, for helping to bring my son back to me." Something akin to fear flickered across her face, and she squeezed Legolas' arm.
"Well," Merry said brightly, "we shall not keep you from your time together. You must be tired. It was a pleasure to meet you, and we apologize most heartily for our misunderstanding."
"You are most kind," said Rosmir.
Gimli ushered Legolas toward the citadel. "Go on now lad, have a care for your family." Looking about Merry noticed that they were the only ones who remained, except for the guards. It was high time they sought out lunch.
Legolas nodded. "I shall, and we will see you this evening. Do not forget, Gimli, I intend to be here upon the arrival of your kin, as well. You don't have a wife you're hiding somewhere, do you?"
Gimli blushed under his beard. "Ah, nay, lad, though I should not wonder if my mother appeared as well."
Merry carefully watched for the reactions of Legolas' family to the idea of dwarves in the city. The queen remained perfectly pleasant, but both Camathal and Rosmir could not hide fleeting looks of derision. He sighed; life in Minas Tirith was certainly never going to be dull.
"I look forward to making her acquaintance, then." Legolas took up his mother's arm and began to lead his family back to the citadel. "This way; they were kind enough to set us in rooms that overlook a lovely courtyard. It hasn't much in the way of life, but I found some wonderful…"
Merry smiled as Legolas chattered on about the plants he had discovered growing in some abandoned corner of the city and brought back to tend in the citadel. Life would be interesting, yes, but for the moment, it was beautiful. He tugged on Pippin's arm. "Come on now, Pippin my lad! You've your duty in some hours, and Gimli and I won't have you go about it on an empty stomach!"