A/N: Hey everyone, so apparently I'm on a roll. But That's because I've been submitting smaller chapters lately.

Thank you to SavannahMaethilwen, RowanRamirez, AJAndrea, LegolasGreenleafLove, soulsistersinaslan, shophiescastle, Wunderkind4006, horseyyay, petkt, BabyPheonixPrime, wolffriendinus, Brigid the Fae, Fellowship of Avengers, Alexandra, Uchiha no Kaori, Sandy-wmd, KD Skywalker, lotrjesusfreak, Morwen 80 and CaribbeanTrinidadian.

Note: Italic conversations are in Sindarin.

Worlds Apart: Chapter 26

Two months later...

"We caught sight of a party of orc scouts by the river. They were disposed of before they could alert any others."

Legolas looked up from his plan of their camp, spread out on the large oak table in his tent, and nodded to Rissien.

"Good," he said, "How many?"

"Only ten, but we fear there are more orcs close by," said Rissien, "They will grow suspicious when their scouts do not return. I suggest we burn the bodies, leave no evidence behind so that they will not be immediately alerted to our presence when they come looking."

The Prince nodded, "Agreed, but keep the smoke under control, it will just as easily give our position away. Give the order and send word to my father. This is the third party in the last month alone; I fear this is only the beginning."

"I fear the same. The attacks will increase as the Easterlings gather their strength," said the advisor, sighing, "They are sending the orcs to test us and gather intelligence. By now, word has certainly reached them that we are no longer in Suiadan's good graces."

Legolas nodded, "It's been an eventful few months, hasn't it?"

"It has. How have you been holding up?"

"It is difficult, I miss her dearly," said the Prince sadly, "But she understands that this must be done. As soon as I can finish organizing our border defences, we will be equipped to fend them off for a while longer and then I will return home – perhaps even a bit earlier than I was expecting."

"We appreciate your sacrifice, Legolas. Your father is proud of you," said Rissien softly, "I have something that may lift your spirits."

Legolas furrowed his eyebrows questioningly and then his gaze softened when the advisor pulled out a small piece of folded parchment with a wax seal.

Rissien smiled as the Prince's features immediately lit up in recognition. "It arrived not long ago," he said, handing over the letter.

The corners of Legolas' mouth lifted as he handled the parchment, hurriedly breaking the seal.

"Thank you, Rissien."

The advisor bowed and exited the tent, and the moment the flap fell closed, Legolas pulled out a chair and began to devour the contents of Maya's letter. He'd been away for nearly a month now and they wrote to each other as often as time permitted, though lately their correspondences were becoming fewer and far between – mostly on his end – because of his growing number of responsibilities.

Before he could finish reading, and pen his reply to be sent out, he heard the flap of the tent being pushed aside once more. Legolas sighed and turned to face his intruder.

"Adar," he said with surprise, placing the letter on the table and rising from the chair, "I was not expecting you until tomorrow. My plans are not yet finalized."

Thranduil slowly approached his son, looking to the map and then the unfinished letter on the table.

"I am not here for the plans," he said, "This visit is of a more personal nature. Perhaps we should sit."

He gestured towards a pair of chairs and Legolas wordlessly obeyed, having absolutely no idea what his father could possibly wish to speak to him about.

"Have you given thought as to when you and your wife wish to hold the ceremony?" asked the King.

Legolas shook his head, pressing his lips into a thin line, "To be honest, the timing has not been favourable. We've discussed it in our letters but we wanted to choose a day when I returned."

Thranduil observed his son for a moment; his eyes held a sadness in them that the King knew only too well. After all, he knew better than anyone what it was like to be separated from one's wife – it was something he lived with every day.

"I am impressed with her," he admitted finally, "She has shown far more determination and strength than I imagined. I underestimated Maya."

The Prince tilted his head. Could his father actually be admitting that he was wrong?

"Are you saying that you like her?" he asked, trying to hide his smile.

"I am saying that she has proven me wrong – thus far," Thranduil replied stubbornly, "Belwen tells me she is much improved."

Legolas eyed his father skeptically before sighing in defeat, Thranduil would never confess to growing fond of his wife, he was still far too proud to admit that he'd been entirely wrong about her.

"We must hold the ceremony soon," said the King, breaking the long silence, "These are dark times and a wedding will give our people a reason to rejoice, it will lift the morale of the Kingdom. Now, the reason I came here was not for idle conversation, I came to give you something."

The Prince raised an eyebrow and watched with curiosity as Thranduil produced a small velvet pouch from his robes and handed it to him.

Legolas unfastened the string and two gold rings slid into the palm of his hand. He looked up at his father questioningly.

"They belonged to your grandmother and your grandfather," explained the King, the sight of the rings stirring painful memories of loss within him, "These were the rings they exchanged on their own wedding day."

"Are you certain?" asked Legolas, looking from the rings to his father in bewilderment, "These are far too precious."

Thranduil nodded and closed Legolas' hand around the rings.

"I wanted you and Maya to have them," he said, "They belong in the family and they deserve to be worn."

Legolas sat speechless, staring down at his closed hand, and it was several moments before he finally managed to pass a sound through his lips.

"Thank you, adar. This means more than you can possibly imagine."

Thranduil kissed his son on the forehead and rose from his chair, a small smile on his mouth.

"Send her my regards," he said looking to Maya's letter on the table before taking his leave.

The King retreated from the tent as silently as he arrived, leaving a dumfounded Elven Prince in his wake. Legolas tore his eyes from the entrance of the tent and looked down at the gold rings, trying to convince himself that he hadn't hallucinated the entire encounter.

xxxXxxx

Maya sighed. Legolas had been gone one month and there were still several more to go. They'd spent the better part of his last few weeks in Ithilien together, exploring the colony and simply enjoying each other while they could. Of course, this meant that Maya hadn't lasted more than five minutes in her half-hearted effort to withhold sex from him, her resolve breaking within moments of his first attempt at seducing her. Not that she was surprised, she'd known all along that it was futile to try and deny him, he was adorable and oh so convincing when his lips were on her throat.

What she wouldn't give to feel that way at this particularly moment and the thought sent the butterflies in her stomach a-flight as she daydreamed at her desk in the library. Across from her, sat Belwen with a pile of books to her left, making ready to torture her young pupil with yet another day of Sindarin lessons.

"Sit up straight," she said and Maya glared, before straightening her spine.

She was so not in the mood, she wanted to be left to daydream in peace. Imagining Legolas' tantalizing lips on her skin was far more rewarding than the dreary afternoon that awaited her.

"Alright, so we are going to go over the pronouns again today," said Belwen and Maya groaned.

She couldn't concentrate today and the last thing she wanted was a grammar lesson with the one woman, who over the course of a month had become the bane of her existence. It was like Thranduil himself was constantly watching her every move and she always had to be perfect while Belwen was around. It wasn't that she considered herself a feminist but still, how did women of this world live like this?

She recalled one time when she'd been caught sneaking a cookie for breakfast and the elleth had simply tsk tsked before taking it right out of her hands, saying it was not proper for a lady to eat sweets in the morning. After that, Maya had been in a foul mood for the rest of the day, she really wanted that cookie!

Every day it was the same thing; a wake up call at the crack of dawn, or else Belwen would pretty much force her out of bed, and then she spent most of the morning learning proper etiquette only to graduate to Sindarin lessons in the afternoon. It was like being at princess boot-camp and there was no escape. If Maya thought Drill-Sergent Arwen was bad, Lieutenant Belwen was a thousand times worse.

"Give me the Sindarin word for 'I'."

"Ni." Came the half-hearted response.

"Good, now the word for 'my'."

Maya rolled her eyes, "Nin."

Now, if she could only learn Sindarin for "I hate you, you miserable old witch" then she would feel as though she'd accomplished something.

The thing was, Belwen was far from looking like an old witch; she was gorgeous, as all elves were, with her long golden locks and her perfect features. But it was so much more satisfying to picture her as Broom-Hilda, that old comic-strip witch with green skin and a big wart on her nose - God only knew Belwen had the personality to match those hideous features.

The elleth placed her hands on her hips, "You aren't paying attention, Maya. I just asked you to tell me the Sindarin for 'ours'."

Maya bit her lip in frustration, lately she'd begun to feel like there was only so much patronizing she could take, after all hadn't she been an independent woman in New York, with a career and an apartment that she paid for on her own? And now she was being chastised by some rigid tutor with a giant stick shoved up her backside. oh joy.

She suspected her emotions were all out of sorts because she was missing Legolas; it hadn't been easy, but lately something felt off. Ever since their big fight over his patrolling, Maya noticed that she was easily frustrated and she felt as though she were riding an emotional roller-coaster. One moment she was happy, the next she was crying; it was very unlike her.

"I'm done for today," she announced, much to Belwen's surprise and her own.

"We haven't finished the lesson," said the elleth.

"Please Belwen," pleaded Maya, "I can't concentrate today and quite frankly, I'm a grown woman and I don't enjoy being reproached like a misbehaved child."

"You haven't questioned my methods before," countered Belwen, "Yes you've complained, but never questioned. I was sent here by the King to turn you into a Princess and this behaviour is most un-becoming."

That was when something in Maya finally snapped. Before she could stop herself, the words came out of her mouth like a verbal explosion.

"I'm not going to let you turn me into a Stepford wife," she said, knowing the elleth would not understand the reference, "If you think I'm going to be this perfect, un-opinionated robot, then you've got one hell of a disappointment coming your way. I'm not going to change who I am just so I can impress my father-in-law. Legolas loves me for me, and that's all I need."

"Are you quite finished now?" asked Belwen, clearly unmoved by Maya's little independence speech.

Maya sighed in frustration before standing from her chair and walking out of the room with Mithrin at her heels.

"Where do you think you're going?" Belwen called after her.

"To the kitchen!" cried Maya, "I'm having that damn cookie whether you like it or not."

As she walked away, Maya furrowed her eyebrows. Where had that come from? She'd never been so quick to snap. Even if she'd imagined saying all those things, she never thought she'd actually muster the courage or the nerve to actually say them.

"I know what you're thinking," she said to Mithrin, who walked dutifully beside her, "I overreacted and I'm crazy. I don't know what's come over me…I just had to get out of there."

The wolf simply nuzzled her hand, letting her know that everything was going to be okay. At nearly five months old Mithrin was almost a head taller than Maya when he stood up on his hind legs. His awkward little body had grown at an astounding rate in a short period of time so that the pup was almost indistinguishable in size from an adult wolf.

They made their way to the kitchen and Maya was just about to happily begin chowing down on her cookie when she heard the sound of footsteps coming their way. She let out a sigh of relief when Éowyn's golden head of hair peeked from around the corner. At least it wasn't Belwen coming to give her grief for that 'most un-ladylike display'.

"I let myself in, I hope you don't mind," said the shield maiden.

"Not at all," said Maya, though it came out slightly jumbled as she chewed on her treat, "But what are you doing here?"

"I've come to rescue you from that rigid woman," said Éowyn, moving to pet a very happy Mithrin, "I'm surprised she is letting you eat that."

Maya laughed. It was clear that the shield maiden shared about as much enthusiasm for Belwen as she did. As always, she happy to see Éowyn; during Legolas' absence, she'd become an indispensable new friend, whether it was taking her on a new adventure or simply lending an ear when Maya wanted to talk. Their friendship was what saved her in many ways, especially since Tauriel and Veryan were far too preoccupied with running the colony in Legolas' stead – though they always insisted that they would be glad to help if Maya needed anything.

"She's not, I kind of just told her off..." she said, feeling slightly ashamed, "I swear I feel like I'm going insane lately, and I have this craving for cookies all the time that I just can't shake."

"I can see that," said the shield maiden, fixing her with an odd look. Her friend had been acting strangely, to the point where she was actually scaring Faramir, and Éowyn suspected that there was something else at work here.

"I've been meaning to ask…but is there a possibility that you could be with child?" she asked after a few moments, "You've been acting very...strange lately."

"I don't think so," thought Maya, "I mean, Legolas and I were...intimate before he left but we never even discussed having kids. The timing wasn't right and he was going to be away for so long. I was told that elves have to want to conceive for it to work."

Éowyn furrowed her eyebrows; if it wasn't a pregnancy, then what other possibility was there? It simply made no sense.

"When was the last time you had your courses?"

"Umm…just before we moved here, but the healer in the Citadel said my body had stopped functioning properly due to the changes I'm going through," explained Maya, though deep down she'd begun to wonder if going several months without a period was just another symptom of her dealing with everything new.

"I think you are pregnant. "

"Do you really think so?" asked Maya, butterflies fluttering in her chest, "But how is that even possible?"

"It would explain your mood swings, and your cravings," said Éowyn, "If you are, isn't that wonderful news? You wanted a baby."

"Of course it's wonderful, I'm just surprised…I thought that Legolas and I had to make a conscious decision that we wanted kids in order to conceive," said Maya, looking down at her belly with a mixture of happiness and surprise. The only thing was, after the last time she was afraid of getting her hopes up. What if she wasn't pregnant? What if this was just her body acting up again in some weird, twisted way?

As the two women toyed with the possibility that Maya could be with child, Mithrin registered the excitement in their voices and lay down protectively at Maya's feet. Ever since Legolas' departure, he'd been glued to her side, never leaving her and always making certain that everything was as it should be. If she was upset, he was there to console her, if she was lonely he was there to be her friend and when she needed a protector, he watched over her.

"I think we should take you to the healer," said Éowyn, "Then we will know for sure."

Maya nodded, giving her a small smile. The thought that there could be a little life inside her was exciting and scary all at once, but she was ready to find out. But how did healers know this stuff? It wasn't like they could make her pee on a stick and wait for a little pink plus sign.

"I wish Legolas could be here," she said softly.

"I know," Éowyn said before pulling her in for a hug, "But I'll be right there with you and so will Mithrin."

As though he'd been summoned, the wolf raised himself from the ground and nudged Maya's hand, licking it reassuringly. His grey eyes looked up into hers, letting her know that he would be there whenever she needed him. Always.

xxxXxxx

Maya waited with anticipation as the healer examined her, fidgeting nervously with her fingers. They'd been sitting there for what must have been a quarter of an hour, while the elleth jotted down various things on a piece of parchment and checked her belly. Maya was convinced that she would have been a total wreck if she didn't have Éowyn and her beloved pet at her side.

After a few moments, the healer placed her notes on the wooden table.

"Congratulations, you are indeed with child," she said smiling, "I would say almost three months along."

Maya let out a sigh of relief, and pulled Éowyn into a long, heartfelt hug. She wasn't sure if it was just the hormones but she felt like she could almost cry with happiness; it was the best news she'd received in a long time.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, almost unable to believe that this was finally happening.

"Congratulations," her friend whispered, pulling out of the hug, "I am so happy for you."

"I still don't understand how this happened," said Maya, unable to keep from smiling a like a fool, looking to the healer for answers, "We didn't decide to have kids, maybe he ate something that made his sperm more potent that time around?"

The healer laughed and shook her head, "The decision to have children doesn't have to be spoken aloud. A higher power must have sensed that you were both ready to start a family, that it was something you both wanted. It seems that the Valar have blessed you," she said tenderly, "Now, you can expect a variety of symptoms, though every pregnancy is different. You told me that you were emotional and experiencing an affinity for sweets, those are certainly related to your pregnancy."

"So I'm doomed to be a crazy hormonal mess for nine months?" Maya asked with horror. Who knew she'd actually be one of those stereotypical, scary pregnant ladies? She'd always said that wouldn't be her, in fact she'd even bet on the fact that Jen would be the crazy one when they had kids.

The healer gave her an uncertain look, "The symptoms may come and go," she said, "I find that taking nettle infusions calm the symptoms, including drastic mood swings, and so the herb should help you feel a bit more in control of your emotions. As for the duration of your pregnancy, I'm afraid I can't tell you how long you will be carrying."

Maya looked to the healer with alarm.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well…" hesitated the elleth, "I'm sorry, I really don't mean to be offensive but… the baby is going to be a peredhil, because your husband is an elf. The only thing is, elves carry for one year and… as a human, having a child with an elf means that your due date could fall any time between nine months to a year from the time of conception."

"So what you're saying is I could be pregnant for a year?"

The healer nodded and Maya wondered just how big she would get if she carried for a full 12 months.

'I'm going to be a blimp,' she thought resignedly. She would just have to be extra careful when she reached the nine month mark, because clearly baby could come at any time.

"Um…I have one more question, is it safe to…you know…?" She asked, her cheeks turning scarlet.

Beside her, Éowyn erupted into a fit of giggles and Maya scowled.

"Yes, it is safe to be intimate with your husband during your pregnancy," said the healer, giving her a knowing smile, "You won't harm the child."

Maya smiled back and put her hand over her belly. It was amazing how quickly she'd fallen in love with this baby. Even though she hadn't a clue how to be a mother, she couldn't wait.

What would Legolas say when she told him? She had no doubt he would be as happy as she was. The only thing was that he was gone on patrol and he wasn't coming home for several more months.

Would he come home when he found out? And if he didn't, could she do this without him? She didn't really want to, Maya had always imagined that he would be there and they would get excited about the baby together, but it looked as though fate had other plans.

"Thank you for everything," she said to the healer.

"It was my pleasure," said the elleth, "Congratulations once more and please send my best wishes to your husband. I am certain he will be overjoyed with the news."

Maya smiled, "I hope so."

Her heart fluttered with happiness as they walked out of the halls of healing; she and Legolas were going to have a baby. If the vision Estë had shown her came to pass, it was going to be a boy and everything was going to turn out for the best. So far, the Vala had made good on every promise and Maya knew she just had to keep trusting her.

xxxXxxx

Later that evening, Maya sat at the desk in her bedroom as she attempted to find the most eloquent, heartfelt way to write to Legolas that he was going to be a father. She sighed in frustration; everything she could think of sounded wonderful in her head but the moment she put it down on the parchment it felt dry, and so…impersonal.

Groaning, she crumpled up her tenth sheet of paper and threw it across the room, narrowly missing Éowyn, who sat in one of the chairs reading.

"Should I wear a helm?" she asked with amusement, "I believe it is only a matter of time before you hit me."

Faramir was away on business in Minas Tirith and she'd offered to stay for the night; an idea that Maya welcomed. It was nice to have someone to go through all of this with, and the last thing she wanted was to be alone in the talan with that grouch, Belwen.

"Sorry…" apologized Maya, "It's just that nothing I write is personal enough. The whole idea of telling him that I'm pregnant in a letter just feels wrong. I want to see his jaw drop when I tell him; I want to see him get excited."

Sensing her frustration, Mithrin got up from his bed and walked towards Maya, curling up at her feet in an effort to calm her. Worrying wasn't good for the little life she carried inside her and it was his job to make sure that they were both safe.

Maya looked down at her pet and began to scratch him behind the ears. "He's been so clingy lately, more than usual," she said, "Do you think it's because he knew I was pregnant?"

"Animals sense these things," agreed Éowyn, "It would not surprise me. You're his family and he is protecting you and your little one. You're very fortunate to have such a companion, Mithrin is special."

"He most certainly is," Maya smiled and continued scratching the wolf's ears, "You are special, aren't you boy? Thanks for worrying about me. Soon we're going to have a new member of the family, if only I can find an appropriate way to tell Legolas. I just wish I could go there and surprise him…"

As the words left Maya's lips, Éowyn placed her book on the table. She knew a brilliant idea when she heard one.

"Why couldn't you?"

Maya looked at her as though she were insane, "Because… I have no one to take me, Tauriel and Veryan are busy running the colony… and it wouldn't be wise for me to travel."

The shield maiden arched an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"Hello?" said Maya, pointing to her belly, "I'm pregnant…"

"Exactly, you're pregnant, not an invalid. You can still ride a horse until you reach your sixth month," countered Éowyn, "Besides, it isn't true that you have no one to take you. I can take you."

Maya looked at her incredulously. It was official; her friend was off her rocker. She was supposed to be the crazy one with all of her pregnancy hormones. Not Éowyn.

"Do not look at me like that," she said, seeing Maya's look of skepticism, "I'm as good a fighter as any man and I killed a Nazgul. I promise that you would be safe with me, and Mithrin would come with us. It would be exciting!"

"I don't know…" hesitated Maya, "This sounds like a recipe for disaster. Besides, aren't there orcs lurking about?"

"And probably some large spiders once we reach the borders of the Woodland Realm…" mused Éowyn, "Oh come on, Maya, where's your sense of adventure?"

"It went running for the hills the moment you said giant spiders! I can't even deal with little ones!"

The shield maiden walked over to Maya and touched her shoulder reassuringly, "I promise I won't let anything happen to you or the baby, and Mithrin will be there to protect you as well. This is the only way that you can tell Legolas about your pregnancy in person. Place your trust in me, I will not fail you."

"Yea well if the giant spiders and the orcs don't kill us, he certainly will when he finds out I went on a Middle-Earth road trip, pregnant with his child," Maya said wryly.

"He will forgive you," the shield maiden stated dully.

Maya groaned, "Okay Mastermind, so let's say I did agree. There is no way that Faramir would let us go alone and then there's Belwen."

"Faramir is in Minas Tirith for a few more days," came the triumphant response, "By the time he finds out, we will be long gone. As for that old hag, we can easily sneak past her in the middle of the night."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not going to take 'no' for an answer?"

Éowyn smiled mischievously, "Because I won't. You said it yourself, it doesn't feel appropriate to write to Legolas about carrying his child and the only way you can journey to Eryn Lasgalen is if I go with you."

"So what, you want us to just disappear in the night, leaving nothing behind but a note explaining where we're going?" Maya asked sarcastically.

Oh yes, they were going to be very inconspicuous, two women and a giant wolf riding off in the middle of the night. Maya thought his was the craziest idea in the history of ideas, so why did she secretly feel a thrill at the thought of adventure, of doing something spontaneous and crazy?

"Fine, you win," she conceded, and Éowyn nearly jumped on her in sheer happiness.

"You will not regret this, Maya!"

"Wanna bet?" she said under her breath, and this earned her a look from the shield maiden.

Maya looked down at her belly and gently moved her hand over it. This was definitely a story she would tell their son when he was older, she only hoped Legolas would not be too angry with her. It was time to venture off into the unknown, to have an adventure, and to prove just how strong she could be.

"I love you little one," she said softly to the life inside her, "Looks like we're going to see your dad."

After a few moments, Maya stood up from her chair and looked to her friend, "So when do we leave?"

Éowyn smiled, "Tomorrow, at nightfall, when that witch is asleep."

xxxXxxx

A/N: She's finally pregnant! And they're journeying to Eryn Lasgalen without anyone's knowledge. Just imagine the trouble that a pregnant Maya, Eowyn and Mithrin could get into ;)

Love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions for what kind of things they will encounter on their journey? Please review and let me know. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts :)

If you haven't had a chance, check out Reflections: Beginnings and Reflections: Family by KDSkywalker and Wanderlust by Raider-K. I love them to pieces!