Chapter 29: Arwen
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"Why are you here?"
Elrond asked Erestor when he saw his chief counselor in his office.
"Working." Erestor replied uninterestedly.
"Apparently." Elrond grumbled. He knew how stubborn his counselor was. If he wanted to work, nobody could tell him to take a break, unless it was a direct order from him, which he rarely used this approach. Erestor was his mentor; he still had respect for him greatly. Elrond sat down on the chair opposite his counselor unceremoniously.
"How are you?" Elrond asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Erestor." Elrond sighed dejectedly. "Do I need to ask for details?"
"What do you want to know?" Erestor asked back. He put down his quill and gave Elrond full attention.
"Glorfindel told me you helped him remember his past life. You two were lovers back there in Gondolin." Elrond said. "What I want to know is your feeling. Bringing back the past might bring back painful memories also. I knew you had lost a lot in the past. How do you feel?"
"Thank you for your concern." Erestor smiled to his lord. "Don't worry. Everything is good right now. The sex was great by the way."
"Erestor! I don't want to know about that!" Elrond's face was turning redder. Erestor laughed when he saw the lord's reaction.
"Do you have any more questions? If not, I'll continue my work." Erestor took his quill to start signing the documents.
Something caught Elrond's attention when he looked at Erestor's hand.
"Engagement ring?" Elrond raised his eyebrow in question.
"Yes."
"May I take a look, please?" Before Erestor could utter a word, Elrond grabbed his left hand and took a close look at the ring.
"Yes, you may." Erestor muttered.
"Is this 'the special delivery' from Greenwood?" Elrond asked.
"I guess so."
"So..." Elrond, still holding Erestor's hand, smiled brightly. "Do you plan on the date yet?"
"We haven't discussed about this." Erestor shrugged his shoulders.
"I see." Elrond nodded in understanding. "If you need help, tell me. I'll be glad to help."
"Thank you."
There was a knock on the door. Not waiting for the permission, the door was opened, and three heads was poking from behind the door frame.
"Can we come in?" Elladan asked.
"Come in." Elrond nodded.
"Did he ask you, Erestor?" Legolas asked Erestor instantly.
Before Erestor could reply, Elrond showed the counselor's hand to the prince and the twins.
"See it for yourself." Elrond grinned.
"Yes!" Legolas jumped with joy. Elrohir rushed to the counselor and hugged him tightly.
"Congratulations, Erestor!"
"Thank you, pen-neth." Erestor turned to Legolas and smiled tenderly. "Thank you, Legolas, for the rings."
"You are welcome, Erestor." Legolas smiled brightly.
"Is that the ring, your special delivery?" Elladan asked the prince.
"Aye."
"Why did Glorfindel have to order the rings from Greenwood though?" Elladan asked curiously. "The jewelers in Imladris are as good as in Greenwood, I think."
"He said if he ordered the rings from a jeweler here, Erestor would know eventually. He wanted to keep it a secret." Legolas replied.
"He's right though." Elladan agreed. "That's why you had to bring them here yourself."
"Exactly!" Legolas nodded his head.
"By the way, do you set the wedding date yet?" Elrohir asked excitedly.
Knock! Knock!
"Come in." Erestor answered the knock on his office door. The handmaiden of the lady Celebrian opened the door slowly. She bowed to the elves in the room, and spoke to Elrond excitedly.
"My lord, my lady requires your assistant immediately. She is going into labor right now, my lord."
"What!?"
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Erestor, Legolas and the twins had been waiting in front of the infirmary for hours already. Erestor and Legolas were sitting on a long bench, while the twins were pacing back and forth nervously.
"Would you stop pacing please; I'm getting headache here." Legolas complained.
"You are an elf, you cannot get headache." Elladan scowled.
"Ah, now I'm an elf, not an elfling anymore, sweet." Legolas raised his eyebrow sarcastically.
"Not the time, Greenleaf." Elrohir grumbled.
"Find!" Legolas pouted, and crossed his arms in annoyance.
"Calm down, pen-neth." Erestor warned them calmly. "Elladan, Elrohir, stop pacing. Don't worry. Your ada is the best healer in the realm. Your nana and your new sibling will be fine. You three would better think how to welcome the little one instead of arguing each others."
"You are right, Erestor." Elladan nodded his head in agreement, and then he and his brother sat down on the bench next to Legolas and started giving their ideas.
A while passed when Glorfindel walked to the waiting elves hurriedly.
"Erestor!" He stopped in front of the counselor. "I've just come back from the border when Lindir told me. How is Celebrian? Does the baby come out yet?"
"We don't know." Erestor shook his head.
"It's been too long!" Elladan complained.
"Elladan, would you have a peek inside?" Glorfindel suggested.
"Glorfindel!" Erestor swatted his lover's arm not so lightly.
"That a good idea!" Elladan clapped his hand in agreement. Before he put his hand on the doorknob, the infirmary door swung open, and the midwife smiled to them brightly.
"My lord Elrond asked all of you to come inside."
The twins were rushing inside before the midwife could finish her sentence, following by Legolas, Erestor and Glorfindel.
"Nana! Ada!" The twins echoed.
In the room, Celebrian was lying on the bed with a bunch of towel in her arms. Elrond sat beside her on the bed looking at the bunch in her arm happily. He looked at the twins and smiled brightly.
"Come here, ion-nin. I'd like you to meet your sister, Arwen."
The twins climbed into the bed beside their mother and looked at the baby in their mother's arms.
"She's so tiny." Elrohir whispered. He poked the tiny fist with his index finger. The soft tiny fingers, then, griped his finger tightly. A single tear dropped from his eye unexpectedly.
"Hello, little sister." Elladan caressed the baby's cheek with two fingers. "I'm Elladan. I'm your big brother. Nice to meet you Arwen."
Celebrian kissed Elrohir's forehead tenderly and hugged him with her other arm, while Elrond did the same to Elladan.
Erestor, Glorfindel and Legolas looked at the family happily. Legolas hugged Erestor's arm tightly while Glorfindel put his arms on their shoulders and embraced them both.
Celebrian was drifted off to sleep a moment later. Elrond held his baby daughter in his arms, and approached Erestor.
"Erestor, would you please take her under your protection, be her guardian like you did for my father, my brother and I, and my sons?"
"I'm honor, my lord." Erestor bowed his head to his lord, and took the little lady into his arms. "I'll protect her with my life."
"Thank you, Erestor." Elrond put his hand on Erestor's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"She's the first female in your line. I wish she is not as handful as you lot." Erestor laughed.
"I doubt that, Erestor, I doubt that." Elrond laughed.
"We will protect our sister with our lives too!" The twins said in unison.
"Can we hold her, Ada?" Elladan asked eagerly.
"Not yet. You two have never held a baby before. She's too fragile now."
"We will be careful." Elrohir asked hopefully.
"I know you will, but for now let her to rest, shall we?" Elrond smiled softly.
Erestor put the baby in the cradle and tucked her in carefully. The twins and Legolas then surrounded the cradle looking at Arwen in awe.
"She's beautiful." Elladan whispered.
"Yes she is." Elrohir agreed with his brother.
"I just know what love at first sight is." Legolas sighed dreamily. The twins turned their heads to look at their friend in an instant.
"What did you say?" Elrohir asked; eyes widen.
"I said love at first sight." Legolas raised his eyebrow questioningly. "What's the problem?"
"Do you know the meaning of love at first sight, elfling?" Elladan asked amusingly.
"It's when you love someone who is not your relative when you laid eyes on them for the first time. Am I right?" Legolas replied confidently. "I definitely love Arwen. She's so adorable, just like my cousin, Eryn, when she's born. Eryn is my cousin, so I cannot say I love her at first sight, right?"
Elladan laughed loudly with the prince's answer. Legolas was too innocent and too cute. He thought. He ruffled the prince's hair teasing.
"Yes, you are right, but Arwen is too young to be falling in love with. You must wait for, maybe, a hundred years, and then you can be fallen in love with her again."
"Don't tease him, Dan." Elrohir sighed.
"Alright." Legolas mumbled. He looked at the sleeping baby lovingly. "I'll protect her and everyone she loves with my life, I swear."
And he was true to his words, always.
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[..tbc..]
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