~*~A/N Since I am writing this for the purpose of school, and my teacher's purpose, I promise I will try to keep this PG-13, and not R like the rest of my story.
Eldarion and Kalbeleg sat on Aragorn's desk and were looking at the portrait of Kalbeleg's mother and father.
"No. I like the one of the left better, she looks like I remembered, and he sort of tired, making him soft around the eyes", Eldarion said.
"I agree", Kalbeleg said.
"Okay, where to hang it?" Eldarion asked his cousin.
"Oh no. We'll be here for two more hours", Kalbeleg said.
They laughed, and they fell off the desk. It was funny that they had done this earlier and Kalbeleg had one of his famous flashback moments.
-Flashback-
Eldarion and Kalbeleg were six and a half years old, and they had one of their sleepovers at the Citadel. They had already watched their mothers and fathers and drinking tea and then Legolas and Aragorn would tell them about the Fellowship, and the times before that. As soon as Kalbeleg's parents had left for their home, and Eldarion's parents had retired to their rooms in the Citadel, and Eldarion's nanny had gone to bed, they went out exploring. They usually went to Aragorn's office.
Eldarion usually organized their raids, it suit the character of his father whom he was attached to. Kalbeleg followed in silence and watched and listened for sounds of parents and other elders, which suit his father's character, considering Legolas had the best eyes and ears around for miles. They reached Eldarion's father's office and Kalbeleg signaled that they had all gone to bed and Ardonelle and Legolas (who he called Mama and Ada) were safely across the river and almost to Osgiliath. Eldarion and Kalbeleg sat on the desk and opened the blinds. They were grateful that it was dark and the lights of the city were behind them. They looked out the windows and from the desk in Aragorn's room in the citadel, they saw the entire city and beyond that. Eldarion's eyes had deceived him, but Kalbeleg helped him see things.
"It's beautiful, you know everything", Kalbeleg said.
"Yeah. You never really get it until you see it under the stars", Eldarion said and laughed.
"What?" he asked his cousin.
"I feel like Ada and Uncle Legolas", he said.
"Do you think they sat on Elrond's desk and looked out over Rivendell?" Kalbeleg asked his cousin.
"They must have! They should take us on a hunting trip! And Aunt Ardonelle can teach us how to make a bow!" Eldarion said.
"Mama already taught me, but Ada said I couldn't until I was old enough. But the hunting trip would be cool!" Kalbeleg exclaimed.
"Sh! Ada and Mama will wake up", Eldarion said.
"Sorry, we should go to bed", Kalbeleg said apologetically.
After they went to bed, Eldarion and Kalbeleg shared tales of their parents, stories of great honor and valor, and of stories of how they all had met.
-End Flashback-
"Those were the days", Eldarion said.
"We were up to so much mischief"; Kalbeleg said his legs hanging on the edge of Aragorn's desk.
The two young men hung the portrait in the gallery, which was where they were going to hang it in the first place.
"Well, I'm off, Eldarion", Kalbeleg said.
"Safe trip, hope you get there all right", he replied.
As Kalbeleg took off at full gallop and headed over the river, and onto the bridge of Osgiliath, he remembered about Lómendindë. He figured he could go to his parent's home and not be announced. So he did. He made sure that when he arrived that the butler and the maids were away. He rode up the stone path and dismounted.
His nanny Elenlaurë, who was his second eldest sister, came up the stairs.
"How are you, sir?" she asked him.
"Elen, you know that you can call me torto' your brother", he said."Of course", she said and went back inside.
Elenlaurë was Ardonelle and Legolas' last real elven child who had a choice.
He went inside, and caught view of Lómendindë.
"Lord Kalbeleg, I must speak with you!" she cried.
"Yes, I can take five minutes to speak with you", he said.
"There is something I must confess. I am but a maid in the house of your nephew Cuthalion, Lord of the League. Your dying sister, who requested that she do something, sent me here. She prepared me to be presented to you, someone of noble birth, and she had a natural reason. If she didn't send me here, she would have died. She, regretfully, gave up her life two evenings ago", she said.
"I thought she had died. We're twenty years apart, and so when I was born, she was just getting married. My mother told me that she died upon my sixteenth birthday", he said.
"You're welcome, good-bye my lord", she said, and began to head out the door.
He was meaning to stop her, wanting to tell her the burning truth.
~*~
Back in the Havens, Ardonelle slept soundly, while Legolas was up thinking. He always had gotten up in the middle of the night, read and sang under the moonlight and went back to bed for a few short hours. Legolas figured it around midnight, but he couldn't be sure.
The real reason why he got up was to think about all the things that Ardonelle had told him their entire marriage, whether or not they were true, or she had lied to him. He knew that Ardonelle was very tricky, and she had always had a flair for making men believe that they were the only things in her life.
Ardonelle turned over, she was awake as well.
"Is everything alright", she asked him.
"Yes, I'm fine, just thinking", he said.
She got up and sat with him.
"Are you sure, I've never seen that face on you", she said.
"Just you know when I told you I wanted to go to outside of Middle Earth, and travel on the sea, and then I started building my ship and Gimli's accident in the mines? And we had Aldawen and Kalbeleg? And you had to keep going back to your sister and Aragorn because he kept losing his temper with his children?" he asked her the longest amount open-ended questions.
"Yes. I remember everything. Why?" she asked him.
"Then, when you kept seeing Aragorn, and you turned around and came home and told me all about how he had it, and he was ready to go to the hall of Kings. Then, tell me this, when you finally came home, did he turn you away?" Legolas asked her.
"What do you mean?" she asked confused.
"Did you sleep with him? And did he finally turn you away?" he asked her.
"Should I lie to you?" she said.
"Do I want to hear the truth", he asked her.
"No. You don't", she said and went to sit on the elven daybed.
"Then maybe I do", he said.
"There has been a rumor. I will neither say it is true or false, because honestly, I don't know whom started it", she began.
"It was May of Aragorn's last year. And he and I were riding an extra hour, and Eldarion was busy training to be king, which I helped him do. Finally, Aragorn and Arwen and I all went to the hall of Kings, and got Aragorn's stone grave made. When I had caught view of Pippin, I began to cry, because he was gone, and so was Merry. And it was just; they were my only true friends. So I rode to Rohan for the remainder of the month, where Eomer's son greeted me. I went to sit out in the fields, and I thought, that being an elf wasn't good enough for anyone, and doing things I did, weren't good for anyone. So after I spent some many long days and nights in Rohan, I went to the sea, and heard the gulls. And then you know I even helped you build our ship to the Undying Lands", she finished.
"That didn't help. I still don't know when the rumor started or what it is", he said
"Nor do I. Arwen told me in a letter. The rumor was that I was sleeping with Aragorn. You brought up the conversation " she said.
Legolas got up.
"It's nearly dawn", he said.
"We always wake up at midnight and stay up until sunrise. We've been doing this since we were on the Fellowship", she said.
"Yes. We have", he got up, put on his tunic and cloak and boots and went down the hall to check on his daughter.
She turned over, and put on her long cloak.
A/N: This is the final installment of my fan fiction story. After many long hard considerations, I have discovered that this piece is finished. Although, you are wondering what actually happened, then you can ask me, but I have no interest in writing chapter 15.
And here, I retire the story of Ardonelle and Legolas 1/21/04
The Lady Elessar