Ferdan and the elfling's were waiting for them to return home from Imladris, occupied by playing with each other and the fish in a small pond that had always been a favorite of the elfings. Even though it was no small distance from their stronghold, they almost always managed to convince Ferdan to take them if he had the time.
And even sometimes when he did not.
Not that it took much convincing, though, Galion had always suspected. The one and only thing that Ferdan ever brought up through his own free will about his life in Menegroth were small stories here and there about his family. Almost exclusively about his younger cousins, brothers, and sisters. Galion always thought it made Ferdan feel all almost tranquil afterwards.
"Its Thranduil and Legolas!" Farlen cried with excitement from where he appeared to be trying to drown Tern to the absolute best of his abilities. There was a resounding cheer from the other five elfings at the sight.
Galion could almost hear how big Thranduil's smile was to hear the sound without even looking over to him.
They both brought their horses to a stop and dismounted, Legolas doing his absolute best to wiggle free of his father's grasp before he was set down so that he could race to see Ferdan, gleefully screaming, "Uncle!"
The very moment his feet touched the ground it seemed like he was already halfway there, arms wide open and waiting to receive one of his favorite hugs in the entire world. Ferdan crouched so that he could easily intercept Legolas and use the momentum to toss him upwards, eliciting a shriek of excitement and joy.
Catching him again easily, Ferdan brought him down to rest comfortably on his hip supported by one arm. While the other was busy tickling Legola's ribcage while placing kiss after kiss all over every inch of his face.
Tears were streaming out of Legolas' eyes in a mixture of joy, relief, and from laughing too hard.
Almost just as fast as Legolas had made it to Ferdan, the rest of the elfings found Thranduil and Galion. Nearly scaling them two at a time each before they had a chance to register what was happening.
There were a few minutes of hectic elfling swapping between arms so that all six elfings could have a proper hello from both Thranduil and Galion, while Legolas babbled almost incoherently to Ferdan about what he had seen and done during their time apart. Words spilling out faster than water over the edge of a cliff.
And then just like a locus who had eaten everything in one field that it had an interest in, all the elflings swarmed Ferdan's legs to talk to Legolas. Perhaps in a discrete effort to save his own life, Ferdan placed Legolas down and quickly sidestepped around the swirling pool of elflings. Laughing with warmth.
It was like Galion forgot how much of a family Thranduil, Legolas, and Ferdan were until they were separated from each other. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Thranduil and Ferdan even liked each other at all until they were separated from each other.
It was kind of funny to watch, how all of their pretenses melted away to reveal what was underneath all of their endless teasing and facades of near indifference: A brotherly bond stronger than Mithril.
Ferdan came closer to Thranduil and Galion, smiling in an uncharacteristically open and sincere manner, but only to Thranduil he said, "Here I was starting to worry that your first trip without me would be your last."
Thranduil smiled back at him but it still held that distinctly teasing quality to it, "You do know that we are three days early on our return, right?"
Before either of them could delve into the sarcastic comments that were certainly brewing on the surface of their brains, the two of them crashed together in a tight embrace. Resting momentarily in the peace that came with knowing your brother of choice and heart was safe for certain, safe and with you once more.
Breaking away from Thranduil, Ferdan bowed to Galoin with his hand placed over his heart and bowed. Saying a small thankyou to any plant or thing that grew that might have been involved in his safe return. Galion copied the gesture but not the words. Remembering a not so distant time when it seemed halfway impossible to make Ferdan even speak to him.
Ferdan directed his attention back to Thranduil, "And I expected to hear that you needed to be rescued a week and a half ago."
Thranduil tutted, and shook his head with disappointment, "Such little faith and respect in your king."
"On the contrary," Ferdan corrected while trying to keep his stern face, "I have nothing but faith and respect for him. I would have usurped the throne had I not. I just do not have much faith in his personal ability to keep himself alive."
This time, Thranduil looked to Galion with exportation, "It is as if he forgets all of the many, many times I have saved my own life when he was nowhere at all to be seen or heard."
Ferdan raised an eyebrow and looked further affronted, "My retaliation since you seem to forget that you would not even have survived for almost a single one of those times had it not been for me."
"I should have stayed in Imladris longer." Thranduil sighed without conviction, "Fewer headaches there."
"Don't lie to me, you goblin." Ferdan stated, "There were not fewer headaches. Just unfamiliar one's. Now don't be such a baby. Avaleina broke her arm this summer and did not complain as much as this!"
Thranduil ignored Ferdan entirely, but gasped and turned his attention to Avaleina who had frozen entry upon hearing her name. "You broke your arm?" He asked her.
Shyly she nodded, patting the top of her left arm lightly while making a sad expression.
"And how did you break your arm?" Ferdan asked her in a halfway stern expression, crossing his arms at her expectantly.
She winced at him silently as if hoping if she looked sad enough he would not make her repeat her transgressions, a foundationless hope. Ferdan continued to stare at her like a hawk. Sighing, Avaleina cast her eyes to the ground and said in a small voice, "I was climbing something and fell."
"Mhmm." Ferdan began, still staring at her expectantly. When she did not continue speaking, he took it upon himself, "And were you climbing something I had specifically told you not to climb?"
"Well, not specifically the thing you told me not to climb." She whispered meekly, shuffling her feet and still not making eye contact, "I did not climb the part of the wall that you told me not to climb."
Galion could almost hear Ferdan narrow his eyes and assumed that poor Avaleina would be able to feel it, "Just because you found a way to access a small pocket of rockwall that I had no idea existed within your bounds, does not mean that you didn't break the rules. We've been over this."
She shuffled dirt back and forth with her left toes, "Perhaps. But it does mean that I did not climb the part that you *specifically* told me not to climb."
Ferdan looked to Thranduil with an exasperated expression, "She gets that line of reasoning from you, I swear."
Unphased at the accusation, Thranduil walked forward and scooped Avaleina back up and into his arms, "Are you going to be more careful?"
She nodded at him guiltily, sending a pleading expression for forgiveness to Ferdan over Thranduil's shoulder, "Yes. I thought I was being careful, I just wanted to see the baby birds. That's all."
"Nobody thinks that you were not being careful, sweet child, but Ferdan knows that you're not big enough yet to be as careful as you need to be in certain places. That's why you have rules and boundaries, and that's why you need to listen to us. Understand?"
"Yes." She said, and then added quite like a mouse, "Will Ferdan love me again, then?"
Thranduil knew the words had been loud enough for Ferdan to hear no matter how hard Avaleina had tried otherwise, so he turned to his friend to let him deal with the situation. Face falling a little with sympathy at the raw pain shimmering in Ferdan's eyes.
With an aghast expression, Ferdan gently placed Legolas back on the ground from where the Prince had immediately crawled back into since the last time he had been put down, and moved so that he could take Ava out of Thranduil's arms.
He held her in a manner that made it easy to look her closely in the eye, "You beautiful sweet little troublemaker, there is nothing you could ever do, on any earth, at any time, that could ever make me stop loving you. There is no force strong enough to force me to lose love for you, not even Eru. I wouldn't allow it."
She looked up at him with wide and hopeful eyes, and Thranduil almost watched Ferdan physically melt at the sight, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely positive. Just because I get upset with you, does not mean I do not love you. It just means that I want the best for you, that's all." He kissed her on the temple and stroked her hair a few times, "Understand?"
She nodded her head much more lively this time, and so Ferdan turned back to Thranduil and Galon, "Who wants to go for a swim before we head the rest of the way home?" He was tossing Avaleina into the water before he was even finished with the question.
..0...
"He said what to you?" Ferdan demanded in outrage so pure that Galion could almost taste it. Instead of responding Galion just waved it away dismissively, so Ferdan turned his scandalized expression to Thranduil instead, "Did you at least kick him in the face?"
"I told you its what he would have wanted!" Thranduil cried towards Galion, shaking an accusing finger at him. Then to Ferdan he said, "No, Galion wouldn't let me."
Ferdan rolled his eyes so hard that for a moment Galion was a tad concerned that he had taken a peek at his brain, "What a useless, horrible, distasteful, horrifying-"
"We get it, but thank you," Galion interrupted, fighting a smile. He forgot how nice it was to hear somebody other than his sister, anybody other than his sister defend him against his father.
"No, I'm not done yet." Ferdan threw offhandedly in Gallions direction before he continued on with his insults. "Cowardly, small minded-"
.0.0.0.
Excited chatter and laughter bounced off all the walls in every direction possible, echoing down the hallway and leading Galion to his king's room like a melodious red carpet.
He didn't bother with knocking, knowing that nobody would hear him over the noise of the children. So like he had done hundreds or perhaps thousands of times before, he used his foot to turn the handle of the door and push it open. Using his shoulder and back to keep the door from closing again he entered carrying a heavy tray leaden with hot coco's, tea, and bedtime sweets for everybody.
"There," He heard Ferdan say to an elfing followed by what sounded like a kiss on the head, "All done, who's next?"
Galion crossed the large sitting area in no time and walked through Thranduill's open doorway and into the bedroom which somehow managed to contain most of the unstoppable chaos that came from having all of the elfings in one room at one time. Especially when they were all this excited about the same event.
Ferdan had already set himself to work at brushing out and then expertly braiding Tern's still damp hair against his scalp and down his back, to keep him from mussing it beyond easy repair in the morning. Thranduil seemed to be doing his part in the evening routine by washing their face for them one last time, fixing any misbuttoned sleeping clothes, and plopping them onto his bed to help keep track of which elfing had finished their routine.
Setting his tray down on a nearby dresser, Galion began to carefully distribute the hot beverages to the elflings, served in large cups filled only three quarters of the way up to help reduce the chance of spilling.
After all elflings had been settled on the bed, including Farlen who had gotten permission from his brothers, Thranduil and Ferdan got themselves settled as well. Thranduil sat on the far right of the bed with Farlen to his right, and Avaleina to his left. Next to Ava's other side was Ferdan with a very comfortable Legolas snuggled happily in his lap, and Tern to the other side and his brother rumien snuggled in next to him.
Galion picked up the book that had been resting on the nightstand and gently tossed it to Ferdan, "I believe it is your turn to read."
Eloissa looked up at Galion with huge wanting eyes, "Are you going to come listen to the story with us too, Galion? Please?"
"Of course, little thing." He answered, "But first I must retrieve my own drink and then I will join you."
This seemed to please her, but did not stop her from watching him closer than any hawk ever could as he retrieved his tea and brought it back to the bed. "Pardon me, little sir." Galion said to Therion, as the elfing briefly crawled out of bed long enough for Galion to sit next to Rumien, plopping Elossia on his lap, before throwing an arm around Therion once he got back into the bed.
Once all ten of them were settled, Feredan began reading the seventh chapter of their book with the seriousness of a man who had never heard a joke in his life. Each character's voice was slightly more over the top and unique than the last as the pages went on. Including and perhaps especially the women's roles.
They were all so entranced that not a single one of them noticed when they fell asleep, until they woke up the next day, somehow even more snuggled than they had been the night before.
Ah, it was so good to be home again.
..0.0.
Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!
