Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien created.
Sanctuary
OIOIO
Warning: Yes this is an m-preg, as in male pregnancy. I know anatomically it is impossible in the real world but I like the idea (mainly for the Legolas suffering that goes with it). Please, if you are dead set against this kind of thing then don't read then complain that you weren't warned.
OIOI
Chapter 25 ~ Blame and Deliverance
OIOI
In Legolas and Elrond's chambers, any pretence of civility had long since gone. Legolas was still seething about being drugged previously and his mood had not been helped when Elrond had told him that he would not be agreeing to the human's demands. Even the guards outside the door had heard the shouting match that had followed. By the time that was over with, both were at their wits end. Elrond had retreated to the lounge, working through some of the papers on his desk whilst Legolas had remained in the bedroom staring out the window.
Although Elrond was growing concerned about the younger Elf's already precarious health, he knew better than to offer him any pain relief. The prince even refused to eat or drink anything now, fearing that Elrond would drug him unconscious again. Nothing Elrond said would relieve this fear and after a while the Elven Lord had stopped trying.
It was nearing dawn when Elrond started from his sleep. He was propped awkwardly on his desk, his cheek resting on a pile of papers he had been reading. He sat up stiffly with a yawn, trying to recall when he had gone from working to sleeping but the past days had all blurred together into one indistinguishable mess. He ran his hands down his face then turned his attention to what had woken him. For a minute, he listened for anything out of place but couldn't really distinguish anything different from before.
Then he heard it: a deep, heart-wrenching sobbing. Knowing it could only be one person, Elrond leapt out of his chair and rushed into the bedroom, looking frantically around for Legolas but the bedroom was empty. Still hearing the cries, Elrond pushed the bathroom door open to discover it also empty. That left only one place and he walked, rather reluctantly, into the nursery. What he saw very nearly broke his heart all over again.
Legolas was knelt on the floor in between the two empty cribs, hugging one of the children's cuddly stuffed animals to his chest and crying inconsolably. Without a moment's hesitation, Elrond strode over to the prince and dropped to his knees in front of him.
"Oh, my love," Elrond whispered, placing his hand on Legolas' arm.
The prince pulled back sharply at the touch and half-snapped, half-sobbed, "Don't touch me."
"Legolas…"
"Go away."
Ignoring the harsh and hurtful words, Elrond said softly, "Please, my…"
"Get away from me!" Legolas yelled. "You killed him! You did this to us!"
"What?"
"You wouldn't give them what they wanted," Legolas accused bitterly, wild blue eyes rising to meet Elrond's.
"No, Legolas. That wasn't possible, you know that."
"Shut up! You killed my baby!"
"Legolas, melleth nin, you need to calm down," Elrond soothed, trying to keep his voice steady and not let the young Elf's accusations get to him. Even so, they brought tears to his eyes.
"Don't tell me to calm down! Don't touch me!" the prince yelled when Elrond reached out to touch him again. "This is all your fault. Get out of my sight."
"Listen to me," the Elven lord demanded sternly of the near-hysterical prince. "Aldarion is not dead. He will be all right." He knew he sounded like an annoyed parent berating a disobedient child but he needed some way to get through to Legolas before he hurt himself.
"No. Get away from me!" Legolas yelled, hitting out at Elrond as best he could.
Grabbing Legolas' slapping hands, Elrond shouted, "Stop it. Legolas, stop!" The prince just cried louder as if he could no longer even control his emotions. Elrond grabbed Legolas' hands in his own and squeezed hard enough to hurt. "Damn it, Legolas. Pull yourself together, for Valar's sake!" Elrond shouted.
This seemed to work as Legolas' hands stilled in Elrond's and his cries stopped, his breathing calming to a more acceptable level. His eyes, still sad but calmer now at least, levelled with his partner's. Tears still ran down his pale cheeks.
"Elrond?" he whispered carefully and the Elven lord just smiled kindly, lifting his hand to wipe Legolas' face free of tears. "I'm sorry," the prince sobbed quietly. "I'm sorry."
Carefully, Elrond shuffled forwards and wrapped his arms around the trembling Elf. Rather than recoiling as he did before, Legolas leaned into the hug, melting against his partner, his head resting against Elrond's strong chest.
"It's all right," Elrond told him kindly. For a while he held the prince against him as he cried, tears falling down his own face. He hated this. He hated feeling so utterly helpless. He hated that he couldn't get their son back. He ached to have Aldarion back safe in his arms and he knew that Legolas felt the same.
Both would feel better if they could just have gone out and joined the search for their son but they were confined within these rooms, useless to everyone. Days of not knowing if their son was even alive had taken its toll on both of them and it was hardly surprising that Legolas had finally snapped.
OIOI
A while later, Legolas had laid down on the nursery floor with his head resting on Elrond's thighs, tears still slipping silently from his eyes and dampening the leggings beneath him. Not that Elrond noticed. The young prince was utterly spent after his breakdown, too exhausted to even move. One hand held Elrond's whilst the other clutched the stuffed toy to his chest as if it provided comfort. Meanwhile, Elrond's fingers ran through Legolas' hair, the rhythm soothing them both. For the first time in days, they felt like a partnership again and both had to admit that it felt good.
"Can you ever forgive me?" Legolas said eventually in a rough voice.
Elrond smiled gently, glancing down. "There is nothing to forgive," he assured softly. "We're all tired." Legolas nodded against his legs and sighed heavily. "Try and rest, melleth nin." The night was over by now and the pale grey light of dawn was beginning to light the cold room.
A minute or so later, Legolas asked in a small voice, "Do you really think he's all right?"
"Yes, I really do," Elrond said with confidence he didn't know he possessed. "I have to believe that he's all right, Legolas, I have to." Legolas nodded again, wishing he could think in the same way as his partner. He longed to feel that optimism.
"I love you, Elrond," Legolas whispered, starting to drift off to sleep.
"I love you too," the Elven lord smiled, his fingers still running through Legolas' long hair.
The prince's eyes had only just fluttered closed in exhaustion when the lounge door slamming open startled them both. Elrond was about to yell at whoever it was to go away then try to soothe Legolas back to sleep when he heard Glorfindel's frantic voice calling out.
"Elrond! Elrond!" the seneschal yelled, running through the lounge.
"In here," Elrond called as Legolas painfully sat up. The blonde Elda appeared suddenly in the doorway, out of breath from running. "What are you…?"
"We found him," Glorfindel interrupted sharply.
It was as if time stopped in the nursery. Neither parent could even draw breath in the wake of his words. They both just sat in silence on the floor, staring blandly at Glorfindel. The seneschal just stood there in the doorway, watching the couple, not quite sure what to do or say next. Of all things he had expected at this moment, dumb inactivity was not one of them. He looked from his lord then back to the prince in confusion.
"Elrond, Legolas, did you hear me? We found Aldarion," Glorfindel pressed again.
Upon hearing the baby's name, something seemed to snap inside Legolas and he suddenly leapt to his feet, startling Glorfindel.
"What? Where is he?" he demanded harshly. Had Glorfindel not moved so quickly, the prince would have barrelled right into him in his urgency. "Glorfindel, where?"
"Calm down. He's in the healing halls with Elladan and Elrohir and about twenty armed guards. I'll take you to him."
Legolas stopped in his tracks and nodded although Glorfindel could see that he was itching to get going. Glorfindel then turned back to his lord to find him still sat on the floor, staring at his seneschal in shock. The Elda walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder kindly.
"Come on, Elrond. Let me take you to your son," he said softly with a smile before holding out his hand. Although it took a moment, Elrond took the proffered hand and let Glorfindel pull him to his feet. "Come on, mellon nin."
As they went out into the corridor, Elrond seemed to wake from his daze and asked, "Where is he?"
Ignoring the fact that he had already answered the question once, Glorfindel replied, "He's with your sons in the healing halls."
Elrond stopped suddenly, very nearly making Legolas run right into him. "What? What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?"
"Is he all right?" Legolas echoed his partner's fears.
Holding up his hands, Glorfindel placated, "The healers have taken a look at him and they say he's fine." Glorfindel didn't have the chance to continue further as the two new partners had rushed off.
As they neared the healing halls, the corridors, lined with guards, the sound of a wailing baby reached their ears and both ran the final few metres before Legolas burst through the healing hall door, his eyes frantically searching for the baby. He knew that Elrond was right behind him and doing the exact same thing. All he could think about was seeing his son, holding the baby to him again, knowing absolutely for certain that he was safe.
Arwen approached them both with a huge smile. "Legolas, Ada, it's…"
"Where is he?" Legolas demanded sharply, in no mood for chit-chat.
Not even mildly offended by his tone, Arwen stood aside so Legolas and her father could reach Aldarion, who was cradled in Elladan's arms. Both parents raced forwards and Legolas gently but quickly took his son from the twin to hold him in his own arms. Elrond was at his side, looking down at the tiny baby in wonder and amazement. The Elven lord reached up and ran his fingers over Aldarion's cheek as if to assure himself that the infant was real and not a figment of his imagination.
After a moment, Elrond looked up at his older son and asked in a rough voice, "Where was he?"
"In a house on the outskirts of town. The Gondorian Men had him," Elladan answered simply. There would be time for a full report later. His father didn't need that right then.
Elrond nodded but continued, "Where are they now? Did you catch them?"
"The guards are bringing them back right now."
"Two of them. The third is dead," Elrohir said from his place on one of the beds.
Elrond looked over to his other son, whom he hadn't even noticed before, and was surprised to see a healer also fussing over him and that his second son was looking rather worse for wear. "Elrohir, what happened to you?"
"There was a fire," Elrohir answered simply, thinking along the same lines as his brother regarding a full report.
"Are you hurt?" Elrond asked, concern in his voice again. He couldn't stand the thought of having another child in trouble.
"No, Ada, I'm fine," the young Elf assured with a smile, although the next second he found himself trying to stifle another round of coughing.
Immediately, Elrond was at his side, trying to look his son over. "You're not fine. Where are you hurt?"
Controlling his coughing, Elrohir shook his head and shrugged his father's hands off him. "Really, Ada, I'm all right. Tell him," Elrohir pleaded of the healer still stood beside him.
"He suffered a bit of smoke inhalation but nothing too serious. He'll be fine," the healer smiled reassuringly at his lord.
"Honestly, I'm fine, Ada," Elrohir stressed. "Go back to Aldarion." He knew that his father was torn between being with his two sons and hated to see him suffer further.
"You stay here and rest until the healers give you permission to leave," Elrond told his son sternly and Elrohir nodded gently, managing to resist rolling his eyes as he normally would at his father's protectiveness. "Elladan, take care of your brother."
"I will, Ada, don't worry," Elladan smiled.
Whilst Elrond saw to his older son, Legolas stood cradling their young baby in his arms. His eyes were fixed on the child; as if he were afraid Aldarion would disappear should he look away for even a second. Glorfindel was hovering close by should he be needed, although Legolas seemed oblivious to everything else around him. When Aldarion ceased his crying long enough to look up at his father, Legolas smiled shakily down but then he couldn't stop the tears falling from his eyes. Sobs rose up in his throat and he was shaking slightly from his cries.
Elrond wrapped his arms around the prince but turned to the other healer – the same one who had treated Anara – and asked, "Is he injured?"
"He is well," the healer said softly, having been waiting for the question. "A little malnourished, thirsty, cold and dirty but he shows no physical injuries. You can take him home if you like, give him a bath."
"Thank you," Elrond smiled. By this time, Aldarion had started screaming again and Legolas was rocking him gently in his arms. "Come on, melleth nin, let's take Aldarion home now," the Elven lord urged kindly, taking Legolas' arm in a loose grip and pulling him away. "Come on." As they left, Elrond cast a brief glance back to the others and surprisingly, Legolas followed his gaze for the first time.
He looked to Elladan and the still coughing Elrohir. "Did you find him?"
"Yes," Elladan smiled gently.
Legolas just nodded then gently handed Aldarion over to Elrond. He then rushed over to Elladan and the younger Elf found himself wrapped in a bone-crushing hug. Pushing aside his amusement, Elladan patted Legolas' back and returned the hug. "Thank you. Thank you."
The prince of Mirkwood released Elladan then bent to hug Elrohir. The younger Elf weakly hugged Legolas back, trying to choke back his coughs. He laughed softly as Legolas squeezed him tightly. "Legolas, mellon nin, I need to breathe," he chuckled.
"Sorry," Legolas said, releasing Elrohir and stepping away. "Thank you so much for bringing him back to us."
It was Elladan who answered, saving his brother's hoarse throat. "You are most welcome. Now take that little one to get cleaned up and then get yourselves to bed. You look terrible. Both of you," he said pointedly, looking over to his father as well.
"I agree with Elladan," Glorfindel said, also stepping forward. "There are guards all over Rivendell to deal with the human prisoners when they arrive and also to protect you and young Aldarion. Go to bed, get some rest, my lords," he said, adding the last title to soften the blow of the order.
Elrond glared at him only briefly before his face softened and he sighed. He was too tired to argue with his seneschal or to complain about being ordered around. By now, after several months of practically running Imladris on his own, surely the Elda had earned the right to give out orders – not to mention a considerable thank you when it was all over.
"Very well, Glorfindel, Lord of Imladris, I shall obey," Elrond joked weakly. He then turned serious again though and said sternly, "But we will be discussing this further."
Glorfindel bowed to his lord. "As you wish, my lord." He knew fully well that Elrond meant not only to discuss what would happen to the two captured Gondorian prisoners but also about how they had managed to penetrate the lord of Rivendell's private rooms and snatch Aldarion in the first place. All knew this was a serious concern because it meant there was a flaw in Rivendell's security. As the person in charge of the deployment and organisation of Rivendell's guards, Glorfindel had to take responsibility for that and although he already knew that Elrond would not punish him, he would have to explain to him how it had happened and then conduct a complete investigation and review in order to make the necessary improvements. Yes, for all Elrond's sensible and calm reasoning, Glorfindel remained nervous about that confrontation. He prided himself on ensuring the realm's safety and just lately he felt like he had failed in that responsibility fairly drastically.
"Thank you, all of you," Elrond smiled at the room as he guided Legolas out of the door. He really wanted to get Legolas and Aldarion back to their rooms as soon as possible. He needed for them to all be together once more.
Legolas followed his partner without protest, staying right by Elrond's side so he could still see his son. Elrond felt the same way – like he never wanted to let his young son out of his sight ever again.
When they reached their rooms, Legolas opened the door with trembling hands to let Elrond past with the baby. As soon as he had shut the door behind him, Legolas rushed over to his partner, who was now rocking the child gently.
"Is he all right?" Legolas asked nervously, peering over Elrond's shoulder to look properly at his yelling baby.
Elrond glanced back at Legolas, whose eyes had once more filled with tears at seeing his child's distress. Truthfully, he felt rather the same way. "Let's sit down and I can look at him properly," he suggested. The healer, with whom he trusted his very life, had assured him that Aldarion was uninjured but it couldn't hurt to just double check. He was a healer, after all, it was in his nature.
Elrond walked to the couch and sat down carefully. The prince followed close behind and perched on the edge of the sofa so he could watch Elrond's every move.
"Shh, penneth, let Ada see," Elrond cooed to the baby as he peeled back the warm blanket he was wrapped in.
One look at their precious baby brought tears back to the eyes of both parents. First off, Aldarion was absolutely filthy from days of being in a dirty environment and without any changing facilities. Beneath all the muck, his skin was pale and seemed almost grey. Elrond knew immediately that this was from days without food and from the cold. His fragile skin was chilled to touch despite the blanket around him and the fact that he had been in the house for a couple of hours already. The already tiny baby seemed even smaller than when they had last seen him, although Elrond wasn't really sure if this was a medical fact or just his personal view of the infant; either way, the baby would need regular feeds to make him fully well again.
Despite all these little things though, Elrond had to agree with his head healer that Aldarion wasn't severely hurt. All his bones were intact and, disregarding the odd bruise, his skin remained unmarked. And there was certainly nothing wrong with his throat or lungs as he was putting them to excellent use as he was examined by his father. Elrond ran his hand gently down the tiny body and Aldarion kicked his legs at the invading hand, making his father chuckle softly.
"Well? Is he all right?" Legolas prompted after a while of silence. Even though he could see Aldarion properly for himself, he wanted Elrond to confirm it. He needed Rivendell's best healer to give him a clean bill of health. Nothing else would suffice.
Elrond looked up with a smile and nodded. "He seems to be." Elrond caught the flailing hands with his fingers and Aldarion clasped his tiny hands around them. "You're all right, aren't you, Aldarion?" he cooed to the baby. Turning back to Legolas, he assured, "He's fine, my love."
"Then why is he crying?" Legolas asked, his voice trembling with emotion at seeing his son in distress. "Look at him. It's like he's in pain."
"He is not in pain. He's a bit dirty and cold but he's not injured."
"How can you be sure?"
Elrond smiled, glad for his years of healing experience dealing with upset and anxious relatives. "Over three thousand years of healing training and experience, not to mention the word of my chief practicing healer. He is probably yelling because he is hungry." Legolas didn't look convinced, tears slipping down his pale cheeks. "Trust me, Legolas. I would be far more concerned if he was silent right now."
The blonde Elf nodded weakly, wiping his tears away with trembling fingers. "Then…he…he'll be all right?" he asked haltingly.
"He'll be fine," Elrond reassured his partner. "He just needs a bath and a warm bed. I expect he's tired. But he is just fine."
Legolas raised a shaking hand to his eyes again and sighed deeply in relief. "Oh thank the Valar," the young Elf breathed. His shoulders relaxed and he seemed to shrink before Elrond's eyes. The past few days had taken so much out of them both that it was hardly surprising. Although Elrond expected Legolas to then sit upright and smile again, with his hands covering his face, the prince suddenly broke down in pitiful cries of despair and relief.
"Legolas, are you all right?" the Elven lord asked in concern, releasing one of Aldarion's hands to rub gentle circles on his partner's back. Legolas nodded but continued to cry into his hands as if he just couldn't stop himself any longer. All of this had been too much for the young Elf and he felt as if he was just being swamped with emotions he could no longer contain. Elrond's arm slipped over his shoulders and he was carefully pulled against his partner. "He's safe now. We've got him back," Elrond said softly as Legolas rested his head against his shoulder.
"I know," Legolas said in a shuddering voice.
"He'll be all right in a while."
The prince sat up straight, his cries having died down not that the onslaught of emotions had eased. He wiped his face again and tried to gain control over his ragged breathing. "I…I just need…a minute," he choked out as Elrond's hand started rubbing his back again.
"Take as long as you need," Elrond reassured kindly. Legolas raked his hands through his hair and took another deep, shuddering breath. "Do you want a glass of water?"
Legolas shook his head and sat up properly again. "No, I'm all right," he said in a rather shaky voice.
"Sure?" Legolas nodded and seemed to pull himself together at last. "I think we should get Aldarion cleaned up and put to bed and the get some sleep ourselves."
"I'll go get his bath ready," Legolas agreed, standing up immediately and going straight to the bathroom to get Aldarion's bath tub ready. He filled it with water, checking then double checking that it was the perfect temperature. He then placed the tub on the floor in front of the bedroom fire and called to Elrond that it was ready. As his partner brought the screaming Aldarion into their bedroom, Legolas fetched soft, fluffy towels and some warm clothes from the nursery.
Joining Elrond on the floor, Legolas took the blanket their son had been wrapped in and threw it to one side now that it was no longer needed. Elrond gently placed Aldarion in the shallow, warm water. The swirling warmth seemed to immediately calm the tiny Elfling as his crying eased a little.
"There you go," Elrond whispered, scooping water with his hand over his son's tiny chest. Meanwhile, Legolas retrieved a soft sponge to wipe away the dirt covering Aldarion. Between them it didn't take long to get their son clean, although the little baby seemed to take great delight in kicking his legs hard enough to splash his parents with water. "All clean," Elrond smiled once his son had been cleansed of all the dirt that had built up on him.
"He looks better already," Legolas smiled tiredly.
"Of course he does," the dark-haired Elf laughed. "Can you grab a towel?" As Elrond lifted the squirming baby out of the now murky water, Legolas laid a towel over his arms ready to take their child. Elrond gently laid Aldarion on the towel, receiving a spray of water in his face for his troubles, and Legolas wrapped him up gently.
For the first time, Aldarion had stopped screaming and laid wriggling and gurgling happily as Legolas patted him dry. Once the little baby was dry, Elrond helped Legolas up and they took him into the warm nursery, placing him down on the changing table. It didn't take long for them to get Aldarion into his new clothes to keep him warm. Already their baby looked better and more like himself. He had started crying again but nowhere near as urgently as before.
"There we go. All better," Elrond told Aldarion sweetly. "I'll make him some warm milk. Do you think you can manage to feed him?"
"I think so," Legolas smiled, lifting Aldarion up and going to sit in the rocking chair.
The bottle was soon prepared and Elrond handed it to the waiting prince. Legolas held the bottle to Aldarion's gaping mouth and the baby instantly clamped onto the bottle, sucking greedily at the first proper food he had been provided with in days.
"He's hungry," Legolas commented, looking up to find Elrond was no longer in the nursery although the Elven lord could be heard pottering about in the bedroom next door. Shrugging, Legolas returned his attentions to his son. It felt so good to be back in this room with his child. When he had first woken up on the floor after the attack, he had been convinced that he would never set eyes on Aldarion ever again, that he had lost for good a second child. Even when he had been assured that everyone was doing everything possible to bring his baby safely home, he had not allowed himself to believe it. To have his hopes of a happy family dashed once more would simply have been too much. That he was confined to these seemingly small rooms whilst everyone else was out searching for his son had only made it worse. He had never been one for inactivity, especially not when someone he loved was in danger.
What had only frustrated him further was that Elrond somehow managed to remain calm and in control throughout the whole process. Whilst he gradually fell to pieces, Elrond had taken it all in his stride. Of course, Legolas knew that Elrond had been panicking as much as him. There was no way he couldn't have been. But Legolas hated that he had been unable to control himself like his partner. He also despised the way he had treated Elrond during the whole thing. Just when they needed to stick together, to remain united, Legolas had pushed his love away, created a distance between them that he knew would help neither of them.
Of course, Legolas knew that Elrond would forgive him – he probably already had. The question was whether Legolas could ever forgive himself. He had let those Men take his son. He had done nothing to aid in his return. And then he had been ridiculously unfair to Elrond despite the fact that the Elven lord had been doing all in his power to work everything out. Not once had the ever-calm Elven ruler blamed Legolas for what had happened, although he probably deserved the blame and all the anger Elrond could heap on him.
Still, it was all over now. Aldarion was home and safe, the kidnappers had been apprehended and the Peredhel family was whole once again. Just as it should be.
A small smile graced Legolas' face at the sight of Aldarion. Already a little colour was returning to the baby's cheeks and in Legolas' arms he felt warmer. The bottle was almost empty but Aldarion continued sucking almost gleefully at the teat as his little hands fisted the material of his father's sleeve, grasping the fabric tightly. Legolas laughed when he pulled the empty bottle away and Aldarion gave a gurgle of annoyance.
"Sorry, little one but it's all gone I'm afraid," he said, placing the bottle on the table and lifting Aldarion to his chest. "There you go," he whispered, patting the small back gently as well as starting to rock in the chair. Once he had winded the tiny baby, he shifted him so instead he was securely cradled in his arms. He continued his rocking and it wasn't long before, warm and comfortable and fed at last, the baby fell asleep in his arms. Under Legolas' loving gaze, Aldarion seemed contented at last. Rather amazingly to Legolas, who had very nearly been brought to the brink of insanity by the events of the past few days, Aldarion appeared no worse off for his adventure, certainly not now he was safe and looked-after again.
"Legolas?" Elrond's voice startled the young Elf from his thoughts and he looked up to see Elrond now at his side, also staring down at the baby in amazement and love. "He downed the whole bottle," the Elven lord commented, picking up the empty bottle and shaking as if to unnecessarily prove his point.
Legolas nodded, "He was hungry."
"I'm not surprised." Almost as a reflex, Elrond's hand reached out to stroke Legolas' hair back from his face and for the first time in a long while, Legolas smiled up at him. "He is asleep now, melleth nin. You can put him back in his crib."
"I want to hold him," Legolas protested firmly, his hold on Aldarion tightening slightly.
Crouching down by the chair, Elrond laid his hand on Legolas' arm and said softly, "Legolas, you're exhausted. You have to get some rest. He'll be fine now. Come on, put him to bed then come and get some sleep. Please."
Rather reluctantly, Legolas nodded in agreement. He didn't want to take his eyes off Aldarion for even a second but Elrond was correct, he was thoroughly worn out and he supposed that he would have to sleep eventually so this was as good a time as any. Aldarion was possibly the most guarded person in all of Middle Earth for the time being. He was safe.
As Elrond stood back up and went to prepare the crib, Legolas carefully gained his feet, making sure he didn't disturb the sleeping baby at the same time. However, Aldarion was sound asleep and seemed oblivious to being moved at all. Legolas smiled at the peaceful look on his face and walked slowly over to the cot, which Elrond had readied for the baby.
Legolas raised Aldarion up to kiss his small forehead gently and waited for his partner to do the same before carefully laying him in the crib. Together, the two parents wrapped their son in a soft, warm blanket, making certain he was comfortable enough. Contented little Aldarion didn't even stir though, not noticing that he had been transferred from a pair of arms to his bed.
For a while, Elrond and Legolas couldn't help but stand and stare at their precious child. To even think that they had so nearly lost him forever made their hearts ache with grief. What they would have done if they had never had their son returned, Legolas didn't know. One thing he was certain about was that he would have sailed West had Aldarion been lost. Anara's death was almost too much to bear; the only reason he had not left already was because he had to believe that their son would be well. He was unsure if Elrond shared his sentiments. Naturally, they had never once discussed it. And they probably never would. At least not until it was truly their time.
Pushing the dark thoughts from his mind, Legolas looked over to his partner to find him smiling softly at the sleeping Aldarion. Slowly, Legolas' hand met Elrond's and slipped tightly to grip it. In surprise, the Elven lord glanced over at him. That was the first time since Aldarion was taken that Legolas had initiated contact. Before he had always been passive. Pleased for this small sign of normalcy, Elrond smiled and gripped his hand tightly back, at the same time pulling the blonde Elf against him. Legolas immediately returned the embrace, leaning against Elrond gratefully.
"Shall we go to bed now, melleth nin?" Elrond asked in a whisper so as not to disturb their son.
Legolas smiled against him and quipped, "Do you really think this is the best time to be propositioning me?"
Glancing down in surprise, Elrond replied, "What better time?" Legolas chuckled, moving closer to his love. "However, for the moment at least, we should try sleeping. The other thing can wait for a while, I think."
"Sleep sounds good," Legolas had to admit.
"Then sleep we shall." Elrond released Legolas and, displaying some of his partner's paranoia, walked over to the windows, checking that they were secure.
Really, he needn't have worried. Imladris remained on high alert, even after Aldarion's return, and the palace was practically crawling with guards. No one could get anywhere near the nursery without permission. However, he checked just to be absolutely certain. The windows were all locked tight though but he pulled the drapes closed.
Legolas blinked dazedly at the sudden change in light in the room. He looked over to Elrond in surprise. He hadn't even noticed that it was day again. Everything had gotten so confused in his mind lately and he had been so involved with Aldarion that he hadn't realised he was bathed in sunlight.
"What time is it?" the prince asked Elrond.
"Nearly two in the afternoon."
"Oh, I hadn't even noticed," Legolas confessed, rubbing his aching eyes.
"Well, we had more important things to think about just lately." Truthfully, Elrond had also thought it was still night time. It felt as if everything that had happened had occurred in just a few hours since he had been sat on the nursery floor with an overwhelmed Legolas, where it had actually been quite a while. Shrugging, he decided, "It doesn't matter anyway. Come on, let's go to bed."
Elrond walked back to Legolas then guided him to the door. Both turned back to look at the sleeping baby though, reluctant to leave him alone. They knew they could not watch him forever though. A moment later, Elrond nudged his partner and Legolas nodded and turned to leave. He went straight to the bed, sitting down heavily. Valar, he was tired. In the past few days he had barely noticed it but now it struck him full force and he felt his eyes fall shut.
"Lie down, melleth nin," Elrond's voice cut through the quiet.
Legolas opened his eyes to find that Elrond was pulling the drapes in the room closed, dimming the light so they could rest easier. As Elrond joined him on the bed, Legolas bent to take his shoes off, his motions slow and painful. On the opposite side of the bed, Elrond was doing the same thing but ended up getting tired of the laces so instead just levered them off his feet so they clattered to the floor,
To Elrond's amazement, Legolas showed more patience and did it properly, although it did look to be quite a struggle. Neither bothered to change their clothes; they were too tired for that.
Elrond lifted up the sheets and they both climbed under them, lying back against the pillows with a sigh.
Almost as soon as their heads touched the fabric, they were asleep, finally thwarted by their exhaustion.
To Be Continued…