Sequel 4

Eleanor's POV

It took her over a week to wake up after the procedure and none of us were allowed to see her in that time.

It was one of those times when I was extremely glad for my children as I was occupied by them and so had little time to worry.

Shortly after this, I decided Manwë had an evil sense of humour.

All of us, Noldor and Sindar alike, were sitting in a garden watching my children do what babies do and playing pass-the-baby every so often.

There was not much conversation as we were all worried about Ginny, as none of us had ever come across the process before.

Then I felt two delicate hands cover my eyes and someone whisper in my ear.

"Guess who."

I knew who, of course.

Me being me, I twisted and sent her crashing down onto the ground in front of me.

The transformation was really quite weird, I had never really thought about how all those little things that make her elfin would change how she looked.

Little things like the slight changes in her features' shapes and the new iridescent quality to her hair.

She was also back to looking twenty, wearing a beautiful purple dress, and her hair fell in sheets of satin down her back.

She also glowed.

Pretty, glowing Ginny.

'Scuse me while my mental age drops.

Once everyone was over the shock of her being there again we all hugged her into insensibility.

When we calmed down a bit, she sat by Silva and Erestor and I suddenly saw that the change in her features had made her take on the features of her elfin parents.

Now she really did have her father's nose, mother's eyes... you get the idea.

The aforementioned evil-sense-of-humoured Vala then plonked down in a free space and began to speak.

"In honour of her becoming one of the Eldar, I have decided to give Ginny a proper Quenya name." I suddenly remember that though I know my Sindarin formal name I have never actually come across what my name would be in Quenya. "She is to be called Mírerussë."

Red-haired jewel, okay if he says so.

Out of curiosity I ask about my Quenya name. Apparently it is Árel. That is not too bad actually, it is nice and short and kind of pretty. I bet you can't work out what it translates as though.

Okay maybe you can.

Getting back to the story...

Gil-galad, being the person he is, has to make a comment on Ginny's new name (I am sure we will still use her human name though).

"It's very pale pinky-gold more than red." That thought had occurred to me actually, but I am not a demented elf-king so I didn't voice the thought.

Manwë just shrugs,

"Am I bovvered?" Ginny and I look at each other and collapse laughing. Only a British person would get the joke and neither of us is quite sure where he picked the phrase up from.

I am truly a corrupting influence it seems. I have turned the King of the Valar into a chav.

The pleased look on aforementioned Vala's face shows that our reaction was what he had planned for when he said that.

The next thing asked is who the babies are.

I had forgotten Ginny had not been introduced to or told about my children.

After that Ginny moved into Erestor and Silva's house and we all helped Elrohir and Miriel to build another house close to mine and Leggy's because that pair had the same problem as we did with the whole family thing.

They had yet to get a kid to smooth things over with.

As my monsters started growing into toddler-hood, what would be called the terrible twos in human children, Miriel announced her pregnancy to us.

I had this horrible feeling the poor girl would have to put up with twins like me and a few months later, Ginny confirmed that I was right.

Considering the father it shouldn't be too surprising that they were twin boys called Mánasairon (blessed sorcerer) and Ainicánë (god valour). Once again they took names given to them by Irmo, who insisted on it.

I have a bad suspicion that there is some plan for our children with the unusual insistence of a Valar on certain names and all of them hinting towards some sort of destiny.

It looks like Sue-ness is hereditary too.

Oh joy.

Things settle down in Valinor and, though there is no fighting, we still practice with our weaponry, I have to admit to finding the look on my family's faces when they saw me use the spiky staff is highly amusing and I am sure that all those that had not been in Middle Earth with us are shocked by how well all three of us girls handle our weaponry.

Another bit of fun Ginny and I have is passing on what we know about modern technology.

In Middle Earth we had been cautious about things like that because of Sauron and the Big Nasties as we called them.

Too much talk of flying round the older twins resulted in the Peredhil Brothers rather than the Wright Brothers and I am sure Miriel wanted to kill us for that as she was perpetually worried about them getting injured.

Elrond and Ginny didn't bother worrying. They got beds and the healing equipment ready.

I am sure the twins were overwhelmed with the faith their father and friend had in their capabilities to not get injured.

Honest.

After several assorted injuries later they got a glider going.

I am not sure which elves Ginny and I scared the most when we decide to try out the gliders. We had made sure that the twins were sure they were safe.

We made sure the children didn't get near the gliders until they were adults though...

As our children grew they all turned into talented young people and the fact that Valya (once again I shortened the name to something reasonable) was the only girl did not get in the way as, despite protests from many of my relatives, I did not stop her from doing boy-things like learning to fight and whatever.

The look on Ada's face suggested that he saw the sight of another warrior princess in the family and would rather have a more lady-like one, but dared not say anything.

All four of them excelled at magic, like their mothers had and as it was a type unique to us and our descendants, but Mánasairon excelled the most and he also gained the skills of a powerful elf-seer, which Maedhren tutored him in.

The name he was given seemed to be making sense and I have this worrying feeling the other names would make a lot more sense at some point in the future.

I do not think I am really sure I want to find out how though.

Ginny's POV

I don't move or even open my eyes when I awaken to the sounds of someone bustling about the room.

It takes my foggy brain a little while to realise that the sounds I'm hearing are far, far sharper and clearer than they ever were before, even when I was young.

I wait until whoever it is leaves the room and then open my eyes.

Sunlight is pouring through the open windows, making the light room glow with a brilliant golden colour.

Gingerly, I sit up and lay my head in my hands as it feels decidedly heavy.

When I'm ready, I straighten up, then freeze... there's a gentle tickling sensation about my ears where my hair is brushing against them. Slowly, I put my hands to my ears and feel their delicate, sensitive points. I smile for I feel the ring at the top of my right ear – trust Manwë to let me keep such a thing. I like him even more.

I then start examining my hands and arms – my wrinkles have gone, my moles and spots have vanished, the fresh milky colour of my skin glows with life and vitality. Manwë has also let me keep my tattoos.

I get out of bed and move over to the full-length mirror. I feel my body move with an innate elfin grace.

I stare at my reflection, I've gone back to looking about 20, my hair is its original rich strawberry-blonde colour, and my eyes... I freeze for my eyes are no longer bluey-grey, but a deep sea-blue colour. I then notice other slight changes to my facial features like the shape of my nose, the arch of the eyebrows, and the shape of my face itself is different; it's now more elongated, it now resembles Ada.

A soft chuckle behind me makes me whirl round. Manwë is leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded, his eyes dancing.

"Like it?"

As if he doesn't already know the answer.

I wait while he dashes off, returning a few minutes later with Eama behind him. She may have been living as my maid in Rivendell after everyone sailed, but we still hug each other as though we too had been parted for 150 years.

Eama then helps me into a simple gown made of deep purple silk – I'm rather happy to say it has one of those infamous Rivendell backs. She also places a brand new circlet in my hair; it's modelled after vines, the delicate metal weaving in and out of itself. The front ends don't meet each other, but they are embedded with tiny diamonds and amethysts.

Manwë then leads me outside to a garden where everyone is seated together, playing with two young babies.

Manwë gives me a knowing wink and smile and hides behind a pillar. I then silently tip-toe (very easy to do when you're an elf) and put my hands over Ellie's eyes.

"Guess who."

She immediately twists in her seat and sends me crashing down on to the floor in front of her.

We're then surrounded by everyone and they all join in the hugging session delightedly.

When I'm finally allowed to sit down in between Ada and Naneth (hey, I can say those names and actually mean them now!), Manwë joins us.

"In honour of her becoming one of the Eldar, I have decided to give Ginny a proper Quenya name; she is to be called Mírerussë."

Mírerussë... red-haired jewel... I rather like it. I think I'll still use my human name though, far less complicated, especially as I've never referred to Ellie as 'Caladhiel'.

I haven't met Gil-galad before, but I get an immediate impression of his rather nutty personality when he quips (with a completely dead-pan voice and manner),

"It's very pale pinky-gold more than red."

Thanks a lot, buster – I'll have you know that I'm very proud of my red hair (well, red tinted hair, if you really want to be that pedantic).

I'm about to voice my thoughts, but Manwë gets in first,

"Am I bovvered?" Ellie and I look at each other and collapse into helpless giggles – where the hell did the King of the Valar pick up that phrase? On second thoughts, I think it was rather pointless me even thinking of that question.

I then ask something that I've been dying to know,

"Who's are the babies?"

"Mine," answers Ellie proudly and picks up the little girl and places her in my lap, "This is Valyaceulë and my son is called Valaráto." She then takes the little boy from his father's arms and sits down in front of me.

"Aren't they gorgeous?" I gush and start playing with Valyaceulë's podgy little feet.

At this, all the females in the vicinity gravitate towards us and begin talking baby-talk. It's amazing how quickly the garden empties of males until Valaráto is the only one left.

"Good morning." I turn at the sound of Elrond's voice. He's visiting us – he swears blind it's just for old time's sake, but he doesn't know I saw him emerge with Ada from Ada's office. It seems Elrond still needs advice from his chief-councillor.

I'm in the library at the moment, I've just been finding some books that I want to read to Valya and Vala (Ellie's right, elfin names really are too long and complicated at times). Elrond has just caught me leaning over the balcony, looking down on to the garden where Lanthi and Miriel are playing with the young children.

Ellie and Legolas are visiting some friends today, but they didn't really want to take their children on such a hard journey so I said I'd look after them. Miriel said she'd help and came over – she seems to have been doing that quite a lot recently. It's like Ellie's babies are magnetised or something, Miriel can't seem to get enough of them.

I think about this as I turn back to the garden below,

"Well, well, well – about time too."

Elrond joins me, looking confused.

"Look at that," I say, indicating the scene in the garden, "What do you see down there?" Elrond looks.

"Miriel and your sister playing with my cousins." God, that sounds weird – Elrond has started saying that, I think he does it mostly to annoy Ellie.

I resist the temptation to point out that they are actually his cousins once removed.

"Yes, but look at Miriel, doesn't her body language or face tell you anything?" Elrond still looks confused, so I elaborate, "What's the one thing that's missing Miriel and Elrohir's life?"

He still doesn't get it, for all his wisdom, Elrond, like most males, can be very dense at times.

I make a significant nod towards Miriel, currently holding Valya – she looks rather dreamy.

As the comprehension begins to dawn on Elrond's face, I say nonchalantly,

"I will be very surprised, Elrond, if you didn't become a grandfather within the next 18 months." I clap him on the shoulder and stroll out of the library.

I so love being right; within two weeks of my conversation with Elrond, Miriel happily announces that she's pregnant.

Naturally, I'm chosen as midwife – this makes me smile as it means I get to pull a few strings when the time comes to sense Miriel's baby...

"Out of the way," I say as Ellie makes her way over to feel Miriel's rapidly expanding stomach, "As midwife, I get first dibs on the sensing."

OK... I was wrong... it is babies, as in the plural, and they're both male.

I have to smile when Miriel's labour starts for she immediately grabs hold of Elrohir's hand and refuses to let him go – I think her presence during many of my children's births and, no doubt, that of Ellie's, has convinced her that it makes everything so much more bearable when you actually have the cause of all the pain right by your side so he too can experience all the joys of giving birth.

The people of Valinor now have modern technology – well, modernish. The elder twins have fashioned themselves a kind of glider.

Neither Ellie nor I were particularly worried about them, but poor Miriel was as was Manwë. Now, Miriel I can understand, but why would Manwë be so worried about Elladan and Elrohir?

He neatly side-steps the question whenever I ask him, instead telling me to keep practising with my weapons.

That's another weird thing; Manwë came to our house one day with a whole load of weapons, saying that I'll never know when I'll next need to use them. I stared at him,

"But, there's no fighting in Valinor."

"Doesn't hurt to be prepared," replied Manwë, he has the same look in his eyes that tells me he's hiding something...