Chapter 2

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Frodo hesitated and thought for a moment. Then he noticed the little coats that were thrown on the floor.  Sighing, he bent down to pick them up and hanged them up on the coat hangers.  He also noticed that Olo had picked up the children's luggage for the night and put them next to the coat hangers.  He walked into the living room.

  "All right, all right," he said over the noise, "that is enough for now.  Olo, can you get the luggage and put them in the guestroom.  As for the four of you, please sit still for at least a half an hour until dinner is ready."

The four looked rather flustered but nodded eagerly.  Olo went out of the living room and did as he was told.  Frodo, meanwhile, walked out of the living room and busied himself in the kitchen.  He did not notice that a little hobbit-child followed him there.  It wasn't until he was testing the stew that he noticed him.  It was Frodo Gardner. 

  "Why, hullo, Frodo.  I did not notice you there.  What can I do for you?"

Little Frodo sat on the stool next to the stove.  Then he said,  "Uncle Frodo, can I ask you something?"

  "I'm afraid you already did.  But you can ask one more question," said Frodo, with his eyes twinkling. 

  "What are elves like?  Tell me about that elf who was with you when you ventured around Middle-earth.  Tell me about the Lady of the Wood and the places where elves live-"

  "Whoa, whoa, Frodo, those are not questions!" exclaimed Frodo, slightly laughing.  "But you want me to tell you about elves, eh?  Well, they are the fairest creatures I have ever seen.  No words can really describe their beauty but all I can tell you is that they are wonderful and mysterious creatures.  They seemed to have this ancient beauty and aura about them, most especially the Lady of the Wood."

  "What about that elf who came along with you?"

  "You mean Legolas?  Well, he was a brave elf, and very skillful with that bow of his, I can tell you that." 

  "What about Rivendell?  Papa always tells me about that place.  He said that once you go there, you would never want to leave."

  "He said that, eh?  Well, indeed it was a great place.  Maybe I will go there again," he said, but more to himself than to little Frodo.  He looked as if he was caught in a dream for a minute and shook himself out of it.  "Well, it is no use thinking of it now.  I will tell you what, if you promise to stop asking about elves for now, then I will tell a story about them later.  Is that a deal?  Now go on in the living room and wait for dinner."

Little Frodo nodded eagerly and skipped his way out of the kitchen.  Frodo looked after him and thought, he is much like is father, so eager to learn about elves.  Chuckling softly, he went on with his cooking.

*   *   *

After the children, Olo, and Frodo were well fed of dinner, they were busying themselves in the living room.  Frodo and little Frodo were in the corner playing chess while Elanor and Rose, reluctantly joined by Faramir and Olo, were playing tea party.  All was well until the shrill voice of Elanor filled the living room.

  "Faramir Took! You do not hold the baby like that!  You hold her like this."

Faramir folded his arms and pouted as Elanor took the doll of his hands and showed him the proper way of holding it. 

  "I want to hold it like this."  He grabbed the doll away from Elanor and ran around the room holding the dolll by the hair.  Elanor cried in protest to this and chased him around the room.

  "Faramir, give me my dolly!" 

Frodo stood up, caught Faramir, and lifted him up.  The hobbit-child squirmed and giggled under his grip.  Finally, Frodo managed to get the doll off his hands and gave it back to Elanor, who was teary-eyed but joyful that she had gotten her doll back. 

  "Tell Elanor you're sorry, Faramir," said Frodo sternly.  Faramir, who was still held by Frodo, pouted, which made him look exactly like Pippin.  But Frodo gave him a stern look. 

  "I'm sorry, Elanor Gardner," he mumbled.

  "Tell Ms. Cuddleskins you're sorry, Faramir," said Elanor, imitating Frodo's stern voice.  Faramir gave her a protesting look. 

  "No," was all he could say. 

  "Uncle Frodo, Faramir won't apologized to Ms. Cuddleskins," said Elanor to Frodo. 

  "Faramir, tell Ms. Cuddleskins you're sorry." 

  "No, Unky, no." But after five minutes, he finally gave in.

Setting Faramir down, Frodo looked at the grandfather clock.  It was quarter till eight, almost time for the hobbit-children's bedtime. 

  "Children, is time for bed.  Why don't you all get ready?  Olo, will you please help them?"

Olo nodded and ushered the children to the bathroom.  Frodo tidied things up in the living room.  After ten minutes, Olo came out to the living room and said, "The children are ready, Mr. Frodo.  Is there anything else you want me to do?"

  "No, Olo, that is all.  Thank you.  I will see you tomorrow then to trim that hedge at the back."

  "All right, sir.  I'll be going home now, Mr. Frodo.  Papa is probably waiting for me.  I'll see you tomorrow!  Good night, Mr. Frodo!"

  "Good night, Olo."

Frodo walked to the guestroom where the children stayed.  He arrived to find that the children were having a pillow fight.  It took awhile for him to cease them.  And when he did, the problem struck him. 

As he was tucking them in their little beds, Rose asked, "Will you tell us a bedtime story, Uncle Frodo?"

  "Yes, please, you promised to tell me about elves if I behaved," said Frodo.

  "Well, what sort of story would you like me to tell all of you?" he asked.

  "A tale about a beautiful princess!" suggested Elanor.

  "And a handsome prince," said Rose.

  "Elves, Uncle Frodo, elves," insisted Frodo.

  "Dragons! Like the one Unky Bilbo destroyed! And orcs! Lots of orcs!" said Faramir, who got up on his bed and started jumping up and down.

  "Orcs? Nobody wants to hear about orcs," said Elanor, glaring at him. 

Frodo thought for a moment.  Then as if a light bulb lit on top of his head, he had an idea. 

  "Well, how about this?  I will tell a story about all that you have suggested.  And yes, Faramir, even orcs, I think," he added, seeing the look on the hobbit-child's face.

  "Hurrah! Orcs in the bedtime story!"

Frodo cleared his throat and began,  "In a land faraway from the Shire lived elves who dwelt on trees, for this place was called Mirkwood-

  "Elves! Hurrah! Uncle Frodo's telling a story about elves and in Mirkwood," exclaimed Frodo.  "But where is Mirkwood, Uncle?"

  "Well, it's in the east-" started Frodo.

  "Will you please let uncle finish his story, Frodo?" said Rose irritably.  "Go on, uncle, tell your story."

  "Er, right, yes, now where was I?" asked Frodo thickly.

  "You were talking about Mirkwood," answered Rose.

  "Right, yes, Mirkwood, the Realm of King Thranduil. Long ago, King Thranduil and his wife, Queen Menetarmawen, befriended another couple, which was of a high-class in Mirkwood.  Their names were Lord Morandil, who served as a high-ranked officer in Thranduil's army, and his wife, the Lady Ainamelien.

  "The four became really good friends and would often meet under a giant tree at the King's garden for a picnic once a week.  Then coincidentally, Queen Menetarmawen and the Lady Ainamelien both carried children in their womb.  The husbands were happy of this great news and were even gladder when the women gave birth to two beautiful elf-babies.  The King and Queen were blessed with a son, which the kingdom gladly rejoiced for.  And the Lord and Lady were blessed with a daughter. 

  "One day, the four picnicked again under the giant tree, but this time accompanied by their babies, both wrapped in the rarest elven-cloth…

(Okay, let's imagine that the room was materializing and we are now in a beautiful garden on a bright, sunny day…Okay, the italics are Frodo narrating from now and on…)

  The King seated himself on the ground carrying the daughter of Morandil, who they named Aravad.  The Lord Morandil was holding the son of the King, who they named Legolas.  The babies both cooed in their arms.

  "How beautiful this child look!" exclaimed Thranduil. "Why, she has your eyes, Morandil."

He stroked the child's head, which had traces of dark brown hair. 

  "Aye, this child, however, does not look anything like his father!" chuckled Morandil, jokily.

  "It is such a wonderful day, is it not, Ainamelien?" said the Queen.  "How it would be wonderful if our children would one day be witnessing this?"

Ainamelien nodded.  "Aye, but wouldn't it be greater if they witness it together?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, what I mean was that what if someday our children wedded each other?  Wouldn't that be wonderful?  Our friendship would last through them, and so it will through their children and their children after that."

  "I suppose that is a good idea, Ainamelien," said the King.  He looked on the now sleeping face of Aravad and muttered, "My Legolas and your Aravad, someday to be wedded together."

At that moment, the King Thranduil issued an agreement with Lord Morandil, that on their 1,800th birthday, the Prince Legolas will be wedded to the Lady Aravad.  However, no news of the betroth of Legolas and Aravad shall be spread throughout Mirkwood, until their 1,800th birthday.

  "1,800th birthday?  They must be really old," said Faramir.

  "They're immortal," said little Frodo haughtily.

But fate has sealed the destinies of the four friends and their children.  A brutal battle against a ban of orcs left the Lord Morandil slain to his death.

  "Orcs! Orcs in the story!" said Faramir, again jumping up and down his bed.

  "Stop it, Faramir," said Elanor.

When his wife has heard of the news, her grief for her husband had taken the life out of her, leaving their child orphaned under the care of her nurse, Ludaviel.

  "But, Unky, I thought elves were immortal.  How come the lady-elf died?" asked Faramir.

  "They can die of grief or they can be slain," informed little Frodo, who seemed proud of his information about elves.

  "Yes, that's right, Frodo," smiled Frodo. "Anyway…"

 Soon after, the Queen departed to the Havens, leaving the King to care for their son.  Not soon after, Thranduil took Aravad under his house and let her grow up there, hoping that she and Legolas would soon develop the same friendship that their parents have had.  However, he was very wrong.

Okay, please leave a review.  I don't own anything.  Oh, and I used some names from my other fic coz I had no time to make up more, and those are Aravad, Morandil, and Ludaviel.