"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 11

"Explanations begin flowing."

"Let me get this straight..." Eärendil said, rubbing his forehead once all was said and done. "One day ago your son Thranduil came home after sneaking away from studying politics bringing along a stray Greenwood archer you never saw before, as if he were a lost puppy..." He looked up at his friend sitting across from him on the dining table, looking more than a little sheepish when he nodded to confirm the elf lord's statement. "Then, after learning of your child's disobedience, you chastised him in front of said young archer and he, not only stood up to you and lived to tell the tale, but also offered to be the child's teacher in order to prevent similar situations from happening in the future..."

Another mute nod from Oropher allowed Eärendil to continue his recap.

"Following the confrontation you realized that there are certain…similarities between you and the boy, ones that couldn't be present unless the two of you were somehow related. And, seeing that you don't have any other relatives besides Thranduil, you came to the only conclusion you had left."

He then looked straight into the silver-blue eyes of his childhood friend.

"That he is, in fact, a child you helped conceive during a time when you were not the brightest star in all of Arda." The king had the decency to look properly chastised at the naked fact. "And now you want me to verify if that's true?"

Oropher barely managed to hide the shame bubbling inside his stomach. He looked away from Eärendil's scorning brown eyes, even though he knew he deserved every chastising look the other elf had to throw at him.

Seeing his friend look so…guilty and regretful, made the brown haired lord sigh and cover his face with his hands.

Of all the stupid things we've done during our shared childhoods… He thought, his nimble fingers rubbing circles on his eyelids. Why did it have to be the One Night Stand that comes back to bite him in the arse?

He then glared at the silver haired king from between his fingers, clearly not about to let the matter slide until he was sure the warrior king was properly scolded for his wrongdoings.

Since both their parents were no longer walking upon Arda, it fell to him to ensure Oropher received his verbal punishment.

"If what you say is true, you really did it this time." He said, his usually gentle voice hard as steel.

"I know." His friend answered, his normally proud head low and voice meek.

"I still can't believe you took that stupid bet so far."

"I know."

"You should have known better."

"I know."

"I'm very disappointed in you."

"I know."

"I…don't really know what else to say to you."

"I…okay."

After that exchange the two of them sat in rather uncomfortable silence, not really knowing what else to do.

Eventually Eärendil couldn't take the silence any longer.

"If my diagnosis…confirms your fears." The brown haired elf swallowed. "Will you tell the boy?"

Fearful silver-blue orbs looked up at him before quickly falling back towards the ground.

"I…I don't know, Eärendil." The king said honestly. "I mean, what good will that do?" He asked with a sour smile. "Once he knows I'm his father, he's going to hate me for abandoning him. For never being there for him. And I honestly wouldn't blame him if he did. I deserve every bit of resentment he'd throw at me. "

"Oropher he'll have the right to know." The other elf reminded him sternly.

"I know, I know it's just…" Slim fingers made their way through long silver locks. "The thought of being resented by one of my own children…"

"Maybe he won't, you don't know that." Eärendil said trying to sound reassuring. "There is a chance that, if you explain everything, he'll understand."

The elven king let out an empty laugh.

"Understand what?" Oropher asked, his voice bitter. "That the almighty king of Greenwood was just as much an idiot, as any typical adolescent peasant? That said king was too much of a coward to go back and check up on the woman he took advantage of, preferring to bury that incident in memory and never confronting it again? That his existence is nothing but a mistake made by a young, foolish elf in puberty? Really Eärendil…" He lowered his voice. "What is there to understand?"

A warm hand landed on the silver-haired king's shoulder.

"Come now, Oropher, stop this moping." The elf lord said softly, giving his childhood friend a strong squeeze in the shoulder. "You're acting as if this is the end of the world, which this is not, mind you, and you should stop seeing it as such." He then flicked the other elf in the nose, a childhood gesture practiced whenever one of them was feeling down. "All is not lost, you overgrown oaf! You can still make this right, if you try."

"Make this right?" The king repeated making sure to show how ridiculous the statement is to him. "How in the world do I make years of blissful ignorance regarding his existence, 'right'?!"

"By making them up to him of course.'' The ending 'you idiot' was left unsaid, but Oropher still frowned at it. "He may no longer be a small, defenseless elfling in need of constant fathering, but that doesn't mean he doesn't long for it every now and then." Eärendil then petted his friend on the back. "Just make him feel like there is someone he can call 'Ada'. Spend time with him playing chess or on hunting trips, ask him about his likes and dislikes to get to know him better…or, in other words, just do what you do with Thranduil." He punched his friend in the shoulder playfully. "You're not a freshly baked father, Oropher, you should know how to take care of a son by now."

The elven king snorted and whacked his friend on the head.

"Legolas is not Thranduil's age, you orc-brain." He said mock-seriously. "He's actually closer to that of your sons, now that I think about it."

"Alright, we have a deal then." The elf lord held out his hand. "If my tests confirm that he is, in fact, your firstborn, you'll gather your courage and tell him, and I'll give you some tips on how to take care of elflings his age. Agreed?"

Letting out a long sigh of relief that he won't be in this mess alone, Elvenking Oropher smiled and shook his friend's hand.

"Agreed."