Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, places, events, and concepts are the property of the J.R.R. Tolkien Estate.

Author's Notes: This update comes much later than anticipated. Thank you to everyone who continues to read. : )

Comments and questions are always welcome.

--Aranel (aranels@hotmail.com)

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Chapter 7~*~Love, Marriage, and Gifts

Teatime. That, Nimaron observed, would be the time in Imladris at this moment. If the day there was pleasant as the day here, trays covered in lacy cloth and set with services of china or silver would be carried outside, and then set on similarly covered tables in gardens or on airy porticos. The healer tapped his half empty cup against its matching saucer, pausing in his walk to admire the way the pieces cleverly resembled a water lily and its pad when held together.

Nimaron pushed open the door to the stillroom with a shoulder, making his way to the table where he normally worked. Today the room was empty, save for himself, and he gazed over the presses and shelves. There were large glass jars of dried blossoms and leaves, stoppered bottles of essential and base oils, and containers of specially mixed lotions and salves. Bunches of drying flower stalks and leaves hung from the ceiling, and one far cupboard housed several special drying racks of petals, leaves, and seeds. Nimaron checked on these, decided that they could use another day of drying, and then sat down at his desk with little more to do than add a few more remedy recipes to records that the Mirkwood healers kept.

Such a quiet day, he observed, writing down the instructions for making good comfrey oil. Most days had seemed sinfully quiet and relaxed lately. Nimaron reached for his cup again, draining the remaining liquid.

"Nim! Nim! I need you! Nim!"

At the urgent sound Nimaron gagged on his mouthful of tea, swallowing hard and hastily getting up from his chair to look outside, "What is the matter, Legolas?"

Hearing the door to the stillroom open, Legolas hurried in that direction, waving the letter from Aldandil about, "I have something for you!" He waited for the healer to take the piece of paper, "I looked all over for you!"

"You are not hurt?" Nimaron took the battered letter, looking down at the Elfling in front of him. The child's braid was coming loose and he still hadn't changed out of his rumpled tunic, but there seemed to be no scratches or bruises.

"No," Legolas stared back. Why should he be hurt, of all things?

Nimaron sighed, raising his eyebrows as he examined his letter. The corners of the folded paper were unnaturally worn and one was…wet. It seemed to have been folded multiple times, and was slightly crumpled, as though it had been pushed into a pocket at one point. Little fingerprints…gummy pinkish-colored prints…were littered here and there. The healer glanced at the Elfling again, "You had a cherry tart today?"

"More strawberry jam," Legolas responded, "Can I break the seal?"

"Sure," Nimaron handed the letter to the child, drawing in another sigh as the paper was further crumpled in Legolas' endeavors to open it. Finally the letter was handed back, and Nimaron attempted to smooth it somewhat on his desk.

"Who is it from?" Legolas peered over the desk-top, trying to see the upside-side down signature at the bottom of the page.

"My sister," Nimaron dropped into his chair, only to have the Elfling clamber onto his lap. Such a strange child. Why was it that Legolas refused such a position when he attempted to bandage a hurt finger, but readily sat here now? The healer shook his head at the wondering, holding the paper at an odd angle in order to be able to see it around Legolas' head.

"What does she say?" Legolas tried to read the letter, but it was rather difficult when Nim wouldn't keep it in front of him. All he could actually catch was the greeting. "Why does she call you Aron-nin?"

"It's a nickname, silly. You call me 'Nim', but she calls me 'Aron'," Nimaron relaxed in his chair, "She says that the lovage is flowering now, so she is going to make cordial. The weather has been very nice, and her students do not want to stay indoors for their lessons. She is a harpist, and teaches her way to others. Let me see," Nimaron scanned through the letter, then continued with an over-wide smile, "She says that she misses me terribly, but that I must come home for her wedding, as they have finally set a date. After she is married, she will not miss me so much, I think." Nimaron folded the letter over, setting it on his desk, "Though she may miss her friends, since her intended lives further into the woodlands about Imladris."

"What is her name?" Legolas began to slide from Nimaron's lap, deciding that he had still not gotten the information that Aldan wanted.

"Morthiniel," Nimaron set the child on the floor, then got up to open the door for him, "But I call her Thiniel."  

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 Thilómë scanned the books in the library, looking for a particular one for this afternoon. Where was it? She had placed it here amongst the family favorites just last week, planning to have Legolas start it after his first day of training, just as Aldandil had.  She tapped her fingers along the bindings, eyes skipping from one title to another, and finally pausing on a thin, unmarked book.

It wasn't a book actually, not a normal book anyway. She tilted it in and out with a finger, not sure whether she wanted to open it up now or not. Thilómë tipped it out a bit further, smiling faintly at the dark threads of the binding. She drew it from the shelf, slapping it against a hand as she searched for her younger son's story. Soon she caught sight of the book she had originally come for, and Thilómë slipped that one out as well. She looked at the cover of her unanticipated find, smiling. Perhaps Legolas would not be the only one she would be reading with today.

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"Her name is Morthiniel, but Nim calls her Thiniel. She calls him Aron-nin," Legolas crawled onto his brother's bed, glancing around the room. There were so many interesting things in Aldan's chambers…the bed was bigger, and had more pillows, for one thing.  Legolas began constructing a fort for himself out of the numerous pillows, "She misses Nim a lot, but he says that will change after she gets married. He has to go home for the wedding. After that Morthiniel is going to live in the forest."

Aldandil turned around in his desk chair, his eyes wide, "Nimaron told you all of that?" How could that healer possibly reveal so much to Legolas, when he himself had not heard a single word of this development? Nimaron, their Nimaron, was getting married? And bringing a new wife back to the Wood? "Did he say anything else?"

"Umm…" Legolas sucked on a finger, "She plays the harp, and…and…love is in bloom. I think."

"Her name is Morthiniel?" Aldandil gripped the back of his chair. This was truly something unexpected. Nimaron had been living in Mirkwood for five years, with not one visit back to his home. How was this possible?

 "Yes," Legolas nodded, flopping into his pillow fort. He looked up at the birds painted on Aldan's ceiling, wondering how the artist had managed to put them there. His gaze traveled to the bow resting beside the door, the dark wood decorated with golden words of blessing snaking up and around the limbs. It would be such an exciting day when he was finally allowed to hold a bow like that. How did it feel, exactly, to have one in your hands, to pull an arrow back?

"I think I had better talk to Nimaron," Aldandil said, more to himself than to his brother. He looked up at a tap on the door to see his mother standing there, "Hello, Naneth."

"Hello, Aldandil," Thilómë smiled, then turned to her younger son, "Legolas, I have something that I would like for you to read to me." She waited for the Elfling to join her at the door, "What were the two of you talking about in here? Did Aldandil show you your surprise?"

"No!" Legolas' eyes widened at being reminded of the promised surprise, and he turned to Aldandil, "Can I have it now?"

Thilómë took Legolas' hand, tapping a book lightly on his head, "I think you had better wait until after supper, glî." She already knew what the surprise was, and was fairly sure that if it were received now, she would never get him through reading and dinner.

Aldandil grinned at the retreating forms of his mother and brother, anticipating the surprise a little himself. For now though, he would hunt down his brother's healer.

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Thranduil padded into the sitting room with a handful of letters, already having sifted through the pile Aldandil had brought to him. Most could be attended by an advisor, and there were a few that he had delegated to his son. These last remaining ones he would devote time to himself, and the best way to do that was to read them while at ease.

Entering the sunlit room, Thranduil found that he was not the only one taking advantage of relaxed atmosphere. He smiled at the sight of his wife and younger son sitting on a couch near the windows, Legolas reading aloud to Thilómë. Perhaps the letters could wait a few moments longer. The king headed for a chair, picking up the book resting on it before sitting down.

What was this doing here? Thranduil smoothed a hand over the dark cover, and then flipped through the pages, immediately recognizing the leaves and flowers drawn in most of the margins. It was a habit his wife shared with their older son, to aimlessly decorate their papers while deciding what to write. He let the book fall open to a random page, not so much reading what his wife had written as remembering her writing it. There were small blocks written in his own bold hand here and there, and he could remember penning those too, always in quiet moments. So many memories in here…

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"So, what did you wish to talk about?" Nimaron turned to look at Aldandil, holding Lintapilin's reins lightly in a hand. He still found it surprising how easily those in Mirkwood would ride a horse unsaddled and unbridled, even a horse like Aldandil's Nauroch. The healer's eyes took in the hesitant look on the older prince's face, wondering just why Aldandil had asked him to come riding, "I might not be the best healer to speak to, Aldandil, if you are concerned about something."

"It's nothing like that," Aldandil responded quickly, trying to decide how to begin this conversation. If only there were some obvious hint to comment on…but Nimaron did not look happily lovesick, as Aldandil had guessed he might, nor did he wear any sign of his ladylove, not even the silver ring of betrothal. The older prince of Mirkwood sighed, deciding that it might be easiest just to ask. "Nimaron, why didn't you mention anything about this marriage earlier?"

Nimaron's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he slowed Lintapilin slightly, "It did not seem to be of much importance, Aldandil. I will be gone for the wedding, but not for very long, and not until early winter. It should not create any problems, especially since your brother is doing so well now."

"Nim!" Aldandil smiled widely, reaching over to slap the surprised healer on the arm, "I think this is quite the event! And to think that I had to hear about it from Legolas." He laughed lightly, closing his eyes and missing the flash of a confused look that passed over Nimaron's face, "All this time you've been keeping up correspondence with her, and never a word. And now suddenly you're getting married!"

Nimaron nearly gagged in disbelief, stealing himself to stay mildly composed. How had Prince Aldandil ever come to the conclusion that he was getting married? He hadn't considered marriage for, well, for a very long time. "Aldandil," Nimaron slowed his horse to a stop, "Did Legolas tell you the bride's name?"

"Morthiniel," Aldandil answered, still smiling, "It complements your own name rather nicely, I think. She sounds like a lovely maiden, Nimaron. You really should have told us more about her."

"Yes, perhaps I should have," Nimaron nodded slightly, "Her name is Morthiniel Thenidiell."

"Thenid…" Aldandil mused, wondering if perhaps he had heard of the bride's father. The name sounded vacantly familiar, but he couldn't bring up any faces. And then it clicked, just as Nimaron nudged his horse into a gallop, heading back towards the Hall.

"Nimaron Thenidion!" Aldandil called, letting Nauroch run with all the fire within him, "Your sister! Legolas never said she was your sister!"

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Legolas rolled over in his bed, half awake. He blinked his eyes a few times, pushed away the sheets and summer coverlet, and then crawled to the end of the bed. On the floor at the bed's foot was his surprise from Aldan, resting on its wrappings of pale green cloth.

The Elfling slid out of bed, sitting on the floor to look at the present one last time before going to sleep. Every part of the small bow seemed perfect, from the smooth, pale limbs to the interlaced patterns of leaves and characters that gracefully covered its surface. He traced the words of a blessing with one finger, then turned the piece in his hands so that he could see his favorite part. Near the upper nock letters were carved into the wood and touched with dark lacquer so that they could be easily seen. Legolas smiled at the sight of his name, the first thing he had been taught to spell. This bow was all his, his first one, and Aldandil had promised to teach him to care for and use it.

He laid it carefully back down, scrambling back into bed and under the covers. Usually it was so hard to stay awake, but now it was so hard to fall asleep! Tomorrow morning there would be training, and after lunch Aldan would tell him about the bow…his bow. Legolas tunneled under the covers, peering at his gift yet again. It was still there, just as perfect as before.

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Thilómë walked slowly with her husband towards their chambers, watching him page through the book she had retrieved from the library that afternoon. She liked the sound of Thranduil's voice as he read some of the passages aloud, liked the pictures of memories they painted in her head.

It had been a present—the book—one of the few received soon after Legolas' birth. More gifts came later, when people were sure that they would be received happily and not with regret. The book though…the book had been given to Thranduil, so that he might write down a precious few memories of their child. Someone had remembered the book they had kept for Aldandil, and so together they had started one for Legolas as well.

The two peered into their younger son's room, surprised to see him turned the wrong way in his bed, one arm dangling off the bed, the little fingers reaching for the new bow on the floor.

Thranduil shook his head, smiling a little. He got his sleeping child settled back under the bedcovers, pausing to kiss the blonde head before heading back out into the hall.

 "You wrote about him sleeping in his cradle," Thilómë tapped her fingers on the cover of the book as they approached their own rooms, "All curled up and snuggled into blankets. You've always liked watching them sleep when they are little, haven't you?"

"Yes," Thranduil nodded slowly, opening the door for her, "But they get older, as you know." He slid a hand around his wife's waist as he walked her through the entry room and into the bed chamber, "But I like to watch you sleep too, and you look the same as you always have."

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Responses to Reviewers~*~Thank you all for your responses…I always enjoy hearing from all of you!

*Lutris: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and hope that you enjoyed the results of Nim's letter. I'm glad you like Aldandil…I think that he's one of my favorite characters to write.

*Nikki: Legolas is reaching the point where he's able to do (and enjoy) a lot of things. Don't worry too much about Cúran…he's just got a few things to figure out.

*Dragon-of-the-north: Hi there! What a long, long, long review this time! (My favorite kind!)

I see the beginning of training a lot like starting school for Legolas…it's the first time he'll routinely be away from home, and there are so many new things to experience.

I'm glad you liked Cúran…although I too would find him something of a nuisance!

My closest sister and I always enjoyed shrieking when we were little! For some reason it is such a fun sound when you're small.

I enjoy doing the scenes between Thranduil and Thilómë, though there aren't as many of them in this fic. I, too, am glad she stayed…it has been such fun to write and develop a character that most other writers choose to "do away with". I always wonder what kind of person other authors are thinking of when they write about Thranduil or Legolas grieving…it would be rather difficult to "kill" Thilómë now. : )

Rules always seem to be the first thing covered, as Legolas observes. I never liked rules when I was little…there were always too many. : )

The letter business surrounding Nimaron was predictable, but I couldn't help myself. It was such fun to turn the tables on Aldandil for once. : )

Glad that you liked the picnic bit…poor Eirien and Arasil. I'm glad you liked Rossion's handling of the dilemma, as well as him as a new character. Thank you for the comment on my characters…*blushes* …I love writing my characters, and am so happy to hear that you like them. : )

Thranduil's comments are such fun…I figure that if he can snap, bite, and come up with a fierce defense in other fics, he can certainly provide some smart humor in mine!

I've enjoyed including a lot of moments between the brothers in this fic. It's given me the opportunity to explore Aldandil's character a little more, and I've found that I really do like him. Also, Legolas is working away from being coddled and towards being "mentored" in a way…and Aldandil has always (in my mind) been one to do just that…and in a casual, older sibling-ish way. : )

I found your comment on the style of this fic amusing…when I first started writing, I had planned a lot more angst and struggling…but daily life has proven to be dramatic enough! BTW, I do enjoy your "utter chaos" and "terrible things"…it all has it's place! : )

Also—Thank you for the review on the new Éowyn story! It did get rather cold here, and this fic was at something of a standstill. I love doing the vignettes because when they're done, they are done! (LOL to naughty Théodwyn…absence makes the heart grow fonder…and apparently more creative too.)

*Nilmandra: I'm glad you found Cúran amusing—it is such fun to watch young children "help" each other.

The "I Can" is such a big step, and entails so much. I really enjoyed your comments on that. It is so difficult to accept help sometimes…even when you can honestly use it.

*None: I'm happy that you enjoyed Legolas' annoyance with Cúran, as well as his musing over the juice incident. Hope you enjoyed the results of Nim's letter!

*Sperry-Dee and Charlie: I'm sure Nim would keel over if he heard your song—no girlfriends for him at this point! : ) I hope you had a nice time at Creative Writing Camp!

*Legolas4me: I'm happy to hear that you've enjoyed my fics. Thank you for all of your lovely comments. I'm glad to hear that you're able to see Legolas' strong points…he is just a regular little kid in many ways. Thranduil has been fun to write…I can see him having quite an edge if someone throws him off in court or battle, but I also see him being much more at ease around his people and family. As for Thilómë, it's been fun to see readers respond to her. Glad you like Aldandil too…he provides a different angle on things, one that I love to explore.

Thank you again for your comments! I hope you continue to enjoy yourself.

*purplesmackers: Reading fanfics while on vacation! Thanks for devoting some of your time to this. : ) Glad to hear that you liked seeing Legolas branch out a bit more…he's really starting to enjoy so many of the things that being a kid is about.

Cúran was fun to write, as was the brother moment. I hope you enjoyed Legolas' unconscious mix-up in relaying information in this chapter…a more lighthearted bit between the two, I think. : )

*Iluvien: Yes, he was a bat. : ) Those screech-y sounds are such fun to make. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, esp. Legolas getting to play with the other kids. I'm sure he'll have several "kiddish adventures". : )

*orion: Thanks for reviewing—I know how it is to get busy! I hope "MiniLegolas" continues to stay cute and sweet!

*daw the minstrel: Ah, yes…Aldandil was very bad in that last chapter, but sending a little one out to get information isn't always the best approach. : )

I'm glad you enjoyed the Elflings. There is perhaps a little condescension on Cúran's part, but I think for the most part it's an honest desire to help. : )

BTW, thank you for the review on the new little Éowyn story. Writing Rohan has been a nice break when this fic gets a bit slow.

*Lindsay: Your nice, long review for Ch. 5 did come through! There is a response to it at the end of Ch. 6. Thank you for trying over and over again to get through. : ) You're always welcome to email reviews if ff.net is feeling "hungry".

I'm glad you like Cúran…we'll see what happens with him later. You're right, we can always use a protector, though "protectors" like Cúran can get in the way a bit!

I hope you liked the tale of Nim's "lady-friend". *g* I do like him…and he is something of a worrier and a nag, but as you said, it does make him endearing too. I see Nim as a quiet, hesitant person for the most part…but Legolas gives him so many opportunities to be a pain.

*Dot: Just a bit smothered. *g* Cúran is indeed trying to help…and is probably feeling a bit exasperated and unwanted at this point. Poor kid.

Glad you liked the picnic, as well as Aldandil's slight badness! It is so hard to act like a responsible adult with a younger sibling around…

*waseom: Glad to see that you're back online…those companies can be a bit of a pain at times.

*silly grin* You must look awfully silly with all those "Good Reviewer" stickers on your forehead. *The ever-helpful Cúran stands nearby peeling stickers off a sheet and holding them out for waseom to take*

It would be too bad for Legolas to have a mean teacher…no one should have to start training (or school, for that matter) with mean one. I'm glad you approve of Rossion.

Cúran's a little kid…and little kids are hardly ever subtle! I'm sure he'll get the message soon enough. : )

Hope you enjoyed Nim's letter…Aldan will have to be more careful the next time he gets info. from Legolas!

*kaio: Glad to hear that you're enjoying this! More has finally come. : )

*Dragon: Hi there! Glad to hear that you're still enjoying yourself. : ) Those "helpers" can be quite a pain sometimes, but Cúran was such fun to write!

*Anyone Else: I hope you've been enjoying yourself! You are always welcome to leave a review…I love finding out what people think of my work.

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For those interested: If you visit my FF.net profile page, there is another little Éowyn story ("A Proud Horse on a Field of Green"), as well as a link to my Yahoo profile, where you can see a little artwork. --A