Chapter Ten

~Legolas~

All of our friends had joined us at the table and we all shared laughs and stories. Dessert comes around but the Lord and Lady arrive so we head to the throne room. Eowyn had come and is looking after Thranduil and Eldarion. Elora stands at my side while two guards bring in Elthalion who is bleeding from a very deep cut across his chest. I can tell that he has lost a lot of blood from the cut, he can't even stand.

"It seems my great granddaughter has shown you what happens when you touch her family." Lady Galadriel states and Elthalion smirks.

"A family that will be torn away from her." He states and Elora grips my arm tighter. He is not helping himself.

"You will not touch this family anymore!" Lord Celeborn yells and Elthalion hangs his head. There is a pool of blood at his knees.

"This is not the end. I have forces that will attack once they hear of my death." Elthalion states weakly.

"We will be ready for them." Aragorn replies and looks to us.

"You all will die." Elthalion states falls to the floor in his own blood. A guard bends down. And puts two fingers to Elthalion's neck.

"He is dead my lord." He states and Elora puts her forehead to my shoulder. I pull her around and hold her close.

"Let's go relax." I suggest and she nods.

"Not yet, we wish to speak with you." Lady Galadriel says calmly.

"Grandmother, surely it can wait, they deserve to go relax. Besides I don't want Elora anymore stressed than she already is. She is pregnant." Arwen replies and Lady Galadriel smiles softly.

"Alright then. I will speak with you two tomorrow than for this news can not be put off any longer than that." Lady Galadriel nods and I take Elora down to our room.

Thranduil runs after us as soon as he sees us pass by his room. "Can I come in?" He asks, pushing his way between us.

"You can but only for a bit. When I tell you to go you have to promise to go back to your room and play alright." I answer and he nods happily.

"I will ada I promise!" Thranduil jumps onto our bed and and hides under the blanket. Elora smiles and goes over to the bed. She pulls back the covers and starts tickling him. He falls back onto the bed laughing. Elora starts laughing along with him.

I smile and watch my wife and son play. I remember my own mother and I playing like that. I used to think that I would live five thousand years before I had a family but here it I am, only two and half thousand years old and I have a beautiful wife, an amazing son and another son and a daughter on the way. "Ada! Come play!" Thranduil yells cheerfully. I go over to the bed and pick him up.

"Actually Thranduil, your mother and I want to ask you something." I reply and sit in front of him. He sits still and looks between us curiously.

"We want to know if you want to go live with Annadar and grandma Arla." Elora states and Thranduil's eyebrows knit together as he thinks about that. It's so cute since he's so young.

"Okay but aren't you going to ask the babies too?" Thranduil asks innocently and Elora laughs.

"I think they'll be okay with us moving." I answer and he crawls into my lap.

"When are we going?" Thranduil asks and that's a good question.

"I don't know. We were going to go as soon as we dealt with a few things." Elora answers and there is a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Thranduil answers happily. Ada comes in and smiles when Thranduil gets up and jumps off the bed into his arms. "Annadar, when can we move to where you live?" Thranduil asks playing with ada's hair.

"Whenever your parents decide they want to. I do believe that your mother must speak with her father and mother first." Ada answers and Thranduil looks up at the crown.

"Will ada wear that one day?" He asks and ada smiles.

"Yes he will and after him you will wear it one day and then if you have a son he will wear it one day then so on and so forth." Ada answers and Thranduil turns to me. He stands and carefully takes the crown off ada's head. He walks over and puts it on mine.

"You look like Annadar!" Thranduil points out happily. He sits in my lap and smiles up at me.

"Yes I probably do. Now give the crown back to you grandfather." I reply and he does as he is told. "Have you decided on what to rename Mirkwood, adar?" I ask while watching Thranduil get off the bed and walk around the room, seeming as if he is searching for something.

"Yes we have. Eryn Lasgalen it will be called. After we clear out what filth still lies in our woods Lady Galadriel will come and cleanse the woods after she has done that we will make the announcement to our people." Ada explains as Thranduil back up onto his lap.

"I can't find any fairies." Thranduil pouts and ada pats his head.

"And why are you looking for fairies pen neth?" Ada asks as Thranduil tugs at the new socks Elora got for him.

"Because fairies like to hide where there is lots of love and I want to find a fairy and become friends with it." Thranduil explains seriously and I smile. "I'm going to go look around grandpa Elessar and grandma Arwen!" Thranduil hops off ada's knee and runs out the door.

"Where did he get such an idea?" Ada asks happily.

"I think mother told him the same story you told me when I was little." I answer and ada's face shows realization.

"Ah, yes. I remember now."

"Thranduil has your personality right down to his favorite color." Elora explains and I wrap my arms around her waist, under the baby bump that has formed.

"I wonder if our next son will look like me then?" I ask and Elora kisses my chin.

"He probably will." She answers happily.

"I wonder who your third son would look like?" Ada asks and Elora laughs.

"I think it'll be a while before that happens, I already have four kids." Elora answers and I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Four?"

"Yes, you're one of them." She answers seriously but a smile gives her away. Ada laughs and and I kiss Elora's forehead.

"Well I think we should go talk to Aragorn." I suggest and Elora nods.

"Yes, we shall." We both get up and head out to find Aragorn with Eldarion in his arms and Arwen at his side. "Ada!" Elora gets his attention and Eldarion looks over at us. He makes happy baby noises and Elora takes her baby brother into her arms. "Legolas and I wish to speak with you and nana about moving to Mirkwood." Elora states calmly then bounces Eldarion as he pulls at her hair.

"Are you sure you wish to go through with this? We do not know what kind of army Elthalion has ready and the road could be dangerous." Aragorn replies as Elora hands Eldarion back to him.

"Yes I am sure ada. We will not be travelling without a guard. Even if we were Legolas and I are used to the road being dangerous. It was the same situation on the Quest of the Ring. Ada, I will not stay away forever. I will come visit. I would miss you too much if I didn't and besides I have a little one who absolutely adores you and nana and his baby uncle." Elora points out Arwen showing Thranduil how to hold Eldarion. Aragorn smiles and I go over and kneel down.

"Ada, will my brother and sister be this small?" Thranduil asks while staring down at Eldarion.

"They will be a little bit smaller since they are twins." I explain sitting beside my son.

"You hold uncle!" Thranduil hands Eldarion to me and I hear the soft giggle of my wife. "Nana! I want to leave today!" Thranduil tugs at her arm and Elora places her hand on the top of her head.

"It is too late to leave now Thranduil, speaking of which it's your bedtime mister." She states and Thranduil pouts.

"I don't want to go to bed." He whines and I get up, letting Arwen take Eldarion from me. I pick up my little peace disturber.

"If you don't go to bed nana and I will go and leave you here for a week with grandpa Elessar." I threaten and his blue eyes widen.

"Ada put me down I'll go to bed!" He squirms in my arms so I put him down and he runs off down to his room.

"Legolas, can you go tuck him in please. I am going to talk with ada for a while, I'll meet you in our room in a little bit." Elora comes over and I kiss her cheek.

"It would be my pleasure to tuck in out little peace disturber." I answer and she smiles. "I will be in our room after, my love." She kisses my cheek and head down the hall to Thranduil's room.

I open the door and he is lying on his bed with Elora's sketchbooks in his lap. He is flipping through the first one. "Ada, where is this?" He asks flipping back to the first page. I sit beside him on the bed.

"That is Rivendell. That is where your grandma and nana grew up. As well as your great uncle's Elladan and Elrohir. They still live there with your great grandfather Elrond." I explain and he nods. "You have your mother's permission to look at these?" I ask and he nods.

"Yes, nana said if I can't sleep I can look at the pictures she drawed." He answers, flipping to the next page.

"It's drew not drawed." I correct him and look at the picture of the small bird. He flips the page and it's a picture of her bedroom in Rivendell. "That is your nana's old bedroom." I explain as the memory of the night we couldn't stop laughing comes into mind.

"It wasn't yours too?" Thranduil asks curiously.

"No it was not." I answer and he looks confused.

"Why didn't you and nana have the same room?" Thranduil asks.

"We didn't share a room because we were not together yet." I answer and my son's faces shows he's not pleased with that answer.

"I thought you loved each other?" I smile at my son's innocence.

"We do Thranduil, and we did then, but we had just gotten together when we had to leave on an adventure, so we didn't share that room together." I answer and he nods and goes back to the book finally satisfied with an answer.

He flips past the pictures and stops on the one of me. "What are you doing ada?" He asks and I smile.

"When your mother and I first met we, well we argued like two children would." I answer and he marks the page.

"Can you tell me the story of how you and nana met?" He asks as he pulls the blanket up. He even puts it over my legs.

"Yes I will." I answer and he lays his head on my lap. "Well I met your mother when she was twelve. Your great grandfather Elrond had come to Mirkwood with her and grandpa Elessar. After their short visit for two weeks they had allowed your nana to stay for a month…"

~Elora~

"Ada, I know it's dangerous, especially with Thranduil but…"

"Elora, you are also pregnant, can you not wait until we figure out where Elthalion's army is and then leave for Mirkwood?" Ada asks and I sigh.

"Ada, for all we know that could take months! How do we know if it was an army he was talking about? Ada, I love you and I love nana, and I love Eldarion. I love this place as well but I want to raise my children in Mirkwood. Legolas will need to take the throne one day and we can not be here when that day comes." I argue but with a light tone.

"Elora, I do not want to see you hurt or worse, that is all." Ada replies softly.

"I know ada. Though, you should know by now that Legolas won't let anything happen to me. Not to mention King Thranduil and Queen Arla are also with us. The guard with us will be Calaen and Tauriel as well as a few other trusted warriors. Ada you need not worry about me as much anymore. I can protect myself and have people around me who will protect me." I point out and ada wraps his arms around me.

"I know. I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl." Ada says and I want to cry now.

"Don't say things like that or else I'll cry!" I scold and step back. Ada kisses my forehead and I kiss his cheek.

"I will come back to visit and I hope you come to visit once in a while. I would like to see my baby brother grow up somewhat." I state and he puts my hair behind my ear.

"Where did all the years go?" Ada asks and I stare into his blue eyes.

"There are still many more to come that you and nana can witness." I answer and he puts his chin on top of my head. "You're the perfect father for me you know that right?" I ask softly, hugging him.

"You have told me something like that before." He answers and I remain in his arms, wanting to spend this last night here in Minas Tirith with him. "There will be lots of people here who will miss you. Did you hear that Pippin and Merry are planning to move here with their wives?" Ada asks and I smile.

"No I did not, those two rascals. Everybody left before I had the chance to say goodbye, they seem to do that lately. I also have come to learn that Pippin took a liking to Faramir and became close friends with him. Pippin saved Faramir from being burned alive by, and with, his father. And Merry really likes you and I think he feels obliged to look after Pippin who is so much younger." I answer and ada smiles.

"Yes those two are quite lively." Ada states happily.

"I think I will retire to my room. If I know KIng Thranduil he is going to want to leave early, something he passed onto his son. Damn Greenleafs." I tease and ada laughs.

"Yes they will want to leave early. I love you Elora."

"I love you to ada." I hug him and give him one last kiss on the cheek as he does me. I should see my mother as well. I head down to my mother's room first. I knock on the door.

"Come in." She answers and I go in to her feeding Eldarion.

"Nana, I came to tell you Legolas and I will be leaving for Mirkwood in the morning." I state and close the door behind me. I watch my mother and then it hits me. I fought so long just to see her again and now I'm leaving her again.

I was once told that it is hardest to leave your mother. It is true. I find myself wanting to cry thinking about it. It is even hard to leave my father. I have been through so much with him and it was all to see my mother again. "So I hear. I bet little Thranduil is excited." Nana replies and I nod.

"Yes he is, he wanted to leave tonight." I answer and sit beside her. "Nana. I want to go, I want to raise my kids in Mirkwood but I don't want to leave you...ever." I confess and Nana fixes her nightgown and gets up to put Eldarion in his crib. She comes back and sits next to me.

"I do not want you to change your mind but I too do not want you to leave, ever. But you have grown into a fine young woman and are an excellent mother. Elora, I know how you feel. My own mother sailed to Valinor when I was young, I did not want her to leave but she could not recover from her injuries here. In your situation it would be best to raise your children in Mirkwood around their own kind. Besides their father will one day become King will he not?" Nana asks and I put my head on her shoulder.

"Nana, if I am going to be honest. I will be writing you letters everyday." I state and nana kisses my forehead.

"Your father and I will be overjoyed every time we receive one." Nana replies and I sit up.

"But I think Thranduil will want to come visit often." I point out, remembering how he plays with ada and nana whenever they aren't busy.

"He has an uncle that he'll want to play with and, he has a heart like his mother." Nana replies softly and in her voice I can hear her love for me.

"Yes that is true. In Helm's Deep I told Legolas that I didn't want our children to see such a scene as war and that hope holds true, I don't want our children to see something so horrific." I state thinking about the lingering threat.

"And may they never. Your father and I had the same hope for you but as you have said these last two years, you are your father's daughter." Nana states and I smile.

"And forever I will remain my father's daughter." I reply then sit up and think about Thranduil. "My eldest son has already experienced the fear of his father not returning, I wish he wouldn't have to experience it again." I state and nana wraps her arm around me and then places her other hand on my stomach.

I feel the kick of tiny feet and my eyes widen. "That is the first time I have felt a kick from them." I state and nana smiles. I smile as well.

"Looks like one of them will really like you nana." I state happily.

"Elora, yes another war will come to these lands but as you have proven to all of us, hope and love are more powerful than any evil to exist." Nana says, and I feel that spark of hope I will always carry with me.

"Yes and it will forever be true. I will stay with my decision to go to Mirkwood knowing that I will see you again soon, after all I'm sure you want to be around for the birth your twin grandchildren." Nana smiles at me and places her hand gently on my stomach and I get two kicks instead of one.

"Yes I would like to be."

"I'm going to go check on my son then crawl into bed with Legolas. I love you nana."

"I love you to Elora, sleep well." Nana kisses my forehead and I kiss her cheek.

I head to the room right next to nana's and ada's. I open the door and my heart warms at the sight. Thranduil is asleep with his head on Legolas's chest. Legolas has an arm around Thranduil and is also asleep soundly. I go over and pull the blanket up over both of them. "Goodnight my two lovely boys." I whisper and kiss Thranduil on the head and Legolas lightly on the lips.

Legolas stirs and his eyes open. "Elora." I smile as he carefully puts our son on his bed without waking him. He gets up and pulls the blanket over Thranduil then turns to me. I take his hand and put it to my stomach where I feel two kicks. Legolas's face brightens and he leans down and kisses me.

"You could have stayed asleep there, it was so cute." I state and Legolas's grin gets bigger.

"I would have if you hadn't kissed me." He replies happily and I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him quickly.

"Alright then I won't kiss you next time I find you asleep with our son, or any of our children." I state and he turns back to Thranduil.

"How did we create such an amazing son?" He asks and I slip my hand into his.

"He takes after his father." I answer softly.

"Let's head to our room now melamin." He whispers and we do just that.