Wives and Daughters

//Flashbacks//

"It is really time to be finding you a wife." Thranduil said to his son, whom was now sprawled gracefully out on the couch.

"Hmm." Was the only answer, signifying that Legolas either didn't care or wasn't listening.

"Legolas." After waiting for a response, Thranduil went on. "You need to get married, my son. It isn't normal for a young one to be alone this long. You may go on to have a 'strange fate' as Lady Galadriel would say."

"Hmm." Legolas opened one eye, and then the other, before rolling over to continue his meditation. But his father decided to make sure he was listening. So Thranduil went smacked Legolas somewhat gently in the side, and watched as Legolas moaned and sat up.

"Ada," Legolas moaned, "why'd ya have ta hit me?"

"So I'd know you were listening."

"I heard you earlier. You want me to take a wife. I don't want to take a wife. I want to hunt orc."

"Legolas that isn't an option in life! You need to take a wife!" Thranduil was easily exasperated, and this was one of the times where it wasn't wise to keep a fight up with him if he was so.

Legolas however didn't either see the signs, or just wouldn't stop while he was ahead. "No, I don't want to marry. I mean, can you see me with some arrogant woman sitting there and watching her sew?"

Thranduil sighed, before saying, "Then go find someone to your tastes."

***

Legolas growled angrily at the memory. That was where he was now, trying to find a wife to suite his tastes. Which was impossible.

Legolas walked into a muddy tavern in one of the small villages. His hood was up, so not to be recognized, and he was wearing a long, green cloak.

Sitting at one of the tables he suddenly became mesmerized with one of the tables, where all the occupants were playing Manloth, and a cloaked person also lay there, with his feet on the table and his cards in hand.

Standing up he slowly walked to the table, and one swift glance told him that the cloaked man was winning, very easily, too.

"Tá ralanthir, you've beat us again! How do you do it!" one of the losing Elves asked, dropping his cards on the table angrily as Tá ralanthir clamed his prize.

"Practice." The voice was soft, barely there, and Legolas couldn't seem to recognize it.

Legolas smiled, it was time to head home, and he did have news.

***

"So, have you found someone?" Thranduil asked.

"Not a wife. But I did find a Manloth player." Legolas said, watching his father's face change from angry to surprised.

"How did you find that when I sent you out to find a wife?" Thranduil growled.

"I went into a tavern when it got dark and while in there I saw probably the Manloth player in all Middle Earth, and I have no clue who he is."

"No clue?"

"Well his name is Tá ralanthir, and that is all I know." Legolas replied, scuffing his feet lightly.

"Tomorrow when you go look for a wife, why don't you extend a invitation to play against me to this Manloth player of yours. Maybe he has a sister."

Legolas sighed and walked out to his room.

***

Now leaning against the tavern wall, waiting for this Tá ralanthir to show up, Legolas fingered the letter lightly. The rough parchment in hand he slumped to the ground.

After a few more minutes of waiting the object of his wait erupted from the bushes nearby, brushing leaves off his cloak. Standing up, Legolas walked towards him with as much of a friendly air as he could.

"Hello?" He said uncertainly. Spinning around Legolas soon found himself looking at the end of dagger, but after seeing him Tá ralanthir dropped his arm and asked.

"What do you want?" He asked gruffly.

Dropping his hood, he reached out and handed the parchment to the Elf, before turning around and twisting his head to see his reaction as he read the letter.

Tá ralanthir just nodded slightly and walked into the tavern, and did not look back.

***

A week later Tá ralanthir was sitting in the royal study playing Manloth, with his hood up and good hand. It would take too long to describe what happened, but I will tell you the Tá ralanthir won every game, and was slightly worried.

"I still say that you would be more comfortable if you dropped your hood." Thranduil said to his guest, now leaning back in his chair relaxing.

"If I may, Your Highness, I would prefer it to be on." The voice, as usual was gruff and quiet.

"Do what you wish, but you would be more comfortable."

Tá ralanthir nodded but kept on the hood.

Many hours later, Tá ralanthir declared that he must return to his home, and left rather quickly. Too quickly to be normal. Legolas was becoming suspicious, and so he went into his room and looked out the window. Tá ralanthir was racing out of the palace at a dead run. As he ran through the forest brush, a branch swung out and snagged his hood, to reveal, a woman!

She had long dark brown hair and pale skin. And she was running for her life.

Legolas leapt lightly to the ground to follow this strange maiden. But he wasn't the only person who had seen this woman, and known what she was here for, the guards did too.

He ran after her, stopping to pick up her cloak from the ground. His short stop made him later than he should, and the guards had caught up with the woman.

"Stop! Let go!" She pleaded with them as they grabbed onto her roughly and began to drag her back towards the palace.

"Let her go." Legolas said as he approached.

"But my lord, she must be brought before your father." The guard stuttered.

"I'll take her. I think I am strong enough to handle a woman." The guard nodded and let go of her arms, and headed back to his post.

The maiden laid in the muddy earth crying, shivering in the now pouring rain. Without her cloak she was quite cold, for women are not always as good in the cold. Legolas took her hand and stood her up, unfolding her cloak and wrapping it around her.

"Come" he said gently, taking her hand and putting his hand on her opposite shoulder.

Legolas led the trembling girl to his father's throne room, where the guard was making the report.

"Bring her foreword." Thranduil said, absolutely hating this, he had been fond of the young Manloth player. "Now my dear, you know the charges, and so I would like to know who you are."

"My name is Novthô l, daughter of Belethgollo." Novthô l replied.

"What do you plead, by means of the charges?"

"Guilty, of male impersonation and breaking code." Novthô l answered, quietly.

The 'code' of Mirkwood was a strict set of rules set up by Oropher, that could not be broken without a permit. The code had everything from how big hunting parties in the South were supposed to be to start, to the size of a tavern. In the code it also mentioned correct manners for women, including the fact that they were not to be gambling without a permit. Breaking this code could be punishable by anything, from a fine to death.

"How long have you been committing this?"

"Two hundred seven years." She replied.

Thranduil sighed. "According to our law that is punishable by exile, my dear, for the law is strict. I do not want to do this though."

Legolas tensed. He had become intrigued by this maiden, and didn't want to lose the chance to see her again.

Novthô l tensed, a sob rising in her throat. Exile was the ultimate death, she would die without Elven protection. They just couldn't! She crumpled to the ground and began to sob into her hands.

"Father." Legolas whispered as he came up to her throne. "Do not exile her. To tell you the honest truth I am quite smitten with her. Do not send her off! She is better at Manloth than the best of players. Why don't we just give her the permit?"

Thranduil studied his son for a second, and saw that he was quite smitten with this maiden. He did want to give her the permit, so he would defy this law for once.

"My dear Novthô l, do not be troubled, for I will have mercy upon you. I will have mercy upon you, and just ask for a fine of time, in which you will help my son with certain tasks. Also if you wish I will give you a permit, so that you may go on playing without being afraid of someone finding out your identity."

"Oh thank you!" Novthô l threw herself at the feet before her king, and saw him smile softly.

"I will go make up the permit now, and you may stay here with my son." Thranduil made a hasty retreat, ignoring the look Legolas gave him.

"Come, stand, Novthô l. There is no need for you to remain on the floor."

***

(Two years later) Legolas was pacing up and down the corridor in the Healing Wing of the palace. The screams of pain from within the closed room were really getting him. His father was downstairs dealing with some dwarf, and he was up here about to become a father.

A new wail rose in the room next to him, and a healer came out a second later.

"You may go in." She said.

Legolas stepped into the room, his wife was laying on the beg propped up with a few pillows. A human girl was running in and out of the room quickly.

Legolas sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at the tiny babe wrapped up in a blanket. The little blue eyes stared up at his identical eyes, and a small pink hand wrapped around a lock of golden hair that had fallen onto her face.

"What is our little joy's name?" He asked Novthô l without looking up.

"I wanted to give her an easy name." Come the weary response. Novthô l didn't expect her dear husband to look up when he was so infatuated with the tiny bundle in her arms. He's probably never seen a newborn before, let alone his own daughter. "maybe a human one."

Legolas just nodded his consent to her idea.

"I thought of a good name. Alana."

"Yes. Alana." Legolas said.

The door opened, and it startled Novthô l, but the others in the room didn't seem to care.

It was Aleaega, Queen of Mirkwood. Behind her Thranduil came in, and they looked down at their little granddaughter, and the tiny fist around their son's hair.

"She seems to favor your hair, Legolas." Aleaega said.

"Yes. What have you named her?"

"Something simple, and human. Alana." Novthô l replied.

Aleaega smiled. She was already fond of the small creature that her son couldn't tear his eyes from.

A small wail erupted from the tiny Elf, and Aleaega squeezed her son's shoulder, telling him "I think she's hungry, so I will kindly dispose of Legolas for you, Novthô l."

Novthô l nodded, and waited for her husband to be removed from the room before beginning to nurse the tiny child.

Legolas sat down on a bench outside of the room. That adorable creature was his daughter? That beautiful baby? That was his Alana? Legolas sat and thought for a good long while about the small life he had helped to start.

//End of Flashbacks//

***

Merry and Pippin entered the Healing Tents to check up on Legolas, for they had heard he was there. After walking for a little while they found him, sitting next to a girl in the hospital bed. The girl looked almost exactly like him, and the two hobbits began to wonder.

"Legolas?" The Elf started, as if drawn from memories. "Who is she?"

"My daughter."

R/R Part Two is going to have a lot more angst than adventure, and you'll be able to see Legolas interact with his daughter before the accident. This story can still, however end up with her dying, mainly if I get tired of writing this. (Which I probably won't.)