Hi guys! Sorry for the late update. I actually had it ready Sunday night,
but ff.net froze my account till today. *shakes fist at ff.net* Sorry bout
the delay! ^_^;
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Warning: Male Pregnancy Fic. No making out, maybe some kissing. why do I even bother with a warning this late in the fic?
Gondor: With the onset of labour, Legolas can no longer remain in denial about his pregnancy. RoTK, post coronation but before Faramir marries Eowyn. Movieverse, cos bookleggy isn't so fun to toy around with. He'll kill me before I even *think* about messing with him. Movieleggy is much MUCH more fun to bully..... Also starring Faramir & Eowyn, with some reminders of Boromir thrown in.
And as before, //..... \\ indicates a person's thoughts. (Responses to reviews at bottom.)
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Life!
Chapter 10
Legolas looked around his silent chamber... no, not *his* chamber. Boromir's chamber. How he wished he could take back those words. He felt so stupid! What had driven him to... but there was no use beating himself up for his mistake. There was nothing he could do to retract it. He only hoped Eowyn didn't understand him.
Again and again he recounted the moments of his mistake with frenzied intensity like a thing possessed until he felt like he would go mad, and though he tried, he could not stop the whirlwind of his thoughts. Again and again, the moment replayed itself like a broken projector delighting in his agony.
It was almost dawn before his thoughts gradually calmed it's pace before finally grinding solidly to a halt. He breathed a ragged sigh. It was over. His thoughts were his own again. Thank Elbereth. It was over.
He felt suddenly weak all over. Muscles which were tensed tight just moments before turned to water as he felt the strength drain from him. Wincing a little, he flopped back into the fluffy warmth of the pillows and closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep, but just as he felt the welcome drowsiness overcome him, he was startled back into wakefulness by a soft tapping at the door.
Tapping.
That was a good way to describe it. It felt soft, and hesitant, almost as if the person were reluctant of being heard. Almost as if the person were afraid of it being answered. Legolas pondered for awhile. Was it a good idea to let whoever it was in? He was sure neither Faramir nor Eowyn would display such timidness around him, and from what little he had seen of Jenna, she seemed to bustling and energetic to knock patiently. Perhaps it was a stranger?
He heard a soft intake of breath, uttered too softly for a human ear to catch, and at that moment, he was glad of his elven senses. It was a breath of pain, of anguish, the type that resonated from the soul.
Whoever it was needed help.
Pulling himself to his feet, Legolas made his way to the door and pushed the heavy bolts aside.
"Eowyn?" he gasped in surprise. "What are you doing here? And..." His eyes took in her bare feet and her rumpled clothes, partially concealed by a large grey shawl she wore wrapped around her shoulders. In her eyes was the lifeless glazed look of a zombie. It was the face of someone who had ridden up to the gates of death and lived to tell the tale.
"Eowyn," he said again, taking her firmly by the shoulders. For the first time, he saw the dagger she carried. "Eowyn, why are you carrying this?" he asked cautiously. "Give me the knife, Eowyn. Come on. Give me the knife."
When she made no move to either use the knife against him or release her hold of the dagger, he reached down to pry it out of her grasp. He had thought that it would be an easy task. He was mistaken. For although she looked as frail and brittle as a dry leaf as she stared unseeingly into the distance, her hand refused to relinquish it's grip on the cool silver handle, and Legolas had to use every ounce of his already diminished strength to pry it loose. One he did however, a drastic change overcame her.
It was as if a spell had been broken. Life snapped back into her eyes, and her lips parted to draw a deep gasping breath. Slowly, she turned to look at him, as at first horror, then resignation settled on her features. For a fraction of a moment, Legolas had the queerest impression of two Eowyns staring out of her eyes: one a proud, strong, dominant warrior, and the other a frightened child who never really grew up. And then it was gone, and she covered her face and wept.
"Perhaps you should come in," he whispered, and gently led the way. He closed the door behind her and sat her down on the edge of the bed before removing her shawl, and was shocked to see the ugly red marks that stained her dress.
"You're bleeding," he gasped, instinctively reaching out to undo her garment. "What happened?" He undid the ties of her dress and drew it down, and bit his lip as he examined the torn flesh beneath.
"Lie down," he ordered firmly. Eowyn obeyed submissively, her large eyes following him across the room as he fetched a towel and a basin of water. She said nothing as he bathed her wound and staunched it with a fresh towel.
"What did you mean to say, Legolas?" he voice when she spoke was soft and calm.
"Nothing," he replied, not daring to meet her eyes. He was suddenly uncomfortably aware of his hand applying pressure to the wound on her chest. "Nothing."
"Could you have meant to say 'I love you, Eomer'?" she mused idly. Legolas almost choked on his saliva.
"Eomer?" he spluttered. "No..... no. Not Eomer."
"And here I hoped so badly that it was." She sighed. "Who else, Legolas? Whose name was it supposed to be? Some Mirkwood elf, perhaps? A lover from your homeland? Anything to lay my heart to rest. Anything to suggest it was for someone else. But was it for someone else, Legolas?"
Legolas shook his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to say anything. But," he paused, a question nagging at the back of his mind. He checked her dressing. She had stopped bleeding. Good. Well, that was one load off his mind at least.
"Why did you come here?" he asked finally. "Why me? Why didn't you go to Faramir?"
Eowyn looked up at him for a long time, and sprawled on the bed with her hair spread out beneath her, Legolas once more perceived the child she hid within. They locked eyes for a long time, both gazing searchingly into the others eyes, both seeking answers for their inward turmoil. At length, Eowyn raised an arm and stroked his cheek softly.
Legolas blinked in disbelief, stunned with surprise. By the time he had regained his senses, she had rightened her dress and shawl, and was walking towards the door. He blinked again. For a moment, he had allowed himself to hope, but her leaving now was almost too cruel.....
"Eowyn," he rasped. "Are you toying with me?"
His voice made her stop in her tracks. Slowly, she turned to face him. "No, Legolas," she whispered. "Are you?"
He shook his head silently, sadly, and she nodded the same. There was to be no comfort for either of them.
"Will you be attending my wedding?" she asked.
"I will."
"But it's in three days. You're not recovered enough."
"Do you want me there? Or would you rather I stay away?" he asked.
"I would appreciate it," she said, "if you did attend."
"I'll make myself recover by then."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
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I should have seen this coming. I should have realised that I would never be able to finish everything just a few chapters after the birth, never mind that there are very little actual events and scene changes going on. I have a horrible way of stretching and going onandonandonandon.....
I promised I'd have the wedding this chapter. Well, obviously I didn't. I promised the child would be named as well. It wasn't. And I promised Aragorn and Elrond would react. They haven't.
Good news is that I seriously, honestly have everything worked out for the next two chapters. No more changes, the draft is already written. Chapters 10, 11 and 12 were planned as a single short chapter, but nooooooooo, fazy had to go and stretch it. Bah. Fazy had to slip in so many things into the story that tying it all up takes one heck of a lotta chapters.
Anyway, the action plan: Chapter 11 is the day of the wedding. Eowyn does a freak out. Legolas makes a decision. Chapter 12 The wedding goes on. Leggy sets his plan in motion. The rest of the Fellowship gets a cameo. Faramir makes a decision. The baby is named. Chapter 13 sees a scene change to Ithilien. It also is set some months later. Hopefully everything will end there. Otherwise I might need another chapter for the Dramatic Ending.
Mygirlcrais: Well, ada's identity isn't a main component of the fic. I would say it's actually rather unimportant..... I started writing not knowing who, and well.....
Anonymous: Hehe. Poor Legolas..... I like the image of him as a mental disaster. Well, he's got his act together now, tho it's not the end of his troubles.....
Mel: Sorry to hear school is awful. It's awful for me too. Things are picking up, and I've got mid term tests and essays and all. *haiz*. Bah, school.
Tap Dancing Widow: Well, I guess the chapter answers your question, huh? Hehe. But as I said to Mygirlcrais, it doesn't really matter who Ada is. The fic's more interested in how the chacters act and react to each other.
Lobo Diablo: Naw, I'm not that mean. I'm not like Peter Jackson. I don't kill of characters who were not meant to die. As for the fic, take it as happening in some sort of time vacuum. Things that happened stay happened, and at the end of the story it would be as if it never diverged from LoTR.
Samwise the Brave: YAY! *gives STB a high five*! And yeah, there's not much slash. I mean, duh, conceivably there HAD to be some, else the poor guy would never have..... well. hehe. But I have nothing against slash. I even have a theory that girls love it because it lets them switch between the masculine and feminine aspects of sex, and that depending on the moment the reader can choose (note: CHOOSE) which role to slip into. And that gives the reader a sense of power, and the choice (again, choice) to be either the dominant or the dominated. (or maybe both.) And seeing that I am pro- choice, well, you draw the connections. I don't write slash tho. I find it harder to write. And man, you hit the nail on the head. It's due to post- natal stress/ confusion. But just because it's caused by that doesn't mean it wouldn't last..... hehe! And well, since you don't display ur email address even on your fic page, my msn is u0201874@nus.edu.sg. Add me in! (anyone else who's reading this is welcome to add me in as well.)
Knight Kenobi of Eryn Lasgalen: Errr..... he had sex? *cheeky grin*
Deity of Sorrow:
Me: *stares at soaking Book leggy* O_O
B. Leggy: Gr.....
Me: Meep! *hides*
(continued)
fazy: Meep! *hides too*
Voice From Cupboard (aka fazy): I thought you were movieleggy! Didn't mean it!
B. Leggy: Bah. Do you know how expensive this suit is?!? It's hand-stitched Versache!
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________________________________________
Warning: Male Pregnancy Fic. No making out, maybe some kissing. why do I even bother with a warning this late in the fic?
Gondor: With the onset of labour, Legolas can no longer remain in denial about his pregnancy. RoTK, post coronation but before Faramir marries Eowyn. Movieverse, cos bookleggy isn't so fun to toy around with. He'll kill me before I even *think* about messing with him. Movieleggy is much MUCH more fun to bully..... Also starring Faramir & Eowyn, with some reminders of Boromir thrown in.
And as before, //..... \\ indicates a person's thoughts. (Responses to reviews at bottom.)
________________________________________
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Life!
Chapter 10
Legolas looked around his silent chamber... no, not *his* chamber. Boromir's chamber. How he wished he could take back those words. He felt so stupid! What had driven him to... but there was no use beating himself up for his mistake. There was nothing he could do to retract it. He only hoped Eowyn didn't understand him.
Again and again he recounted the moments of his mistake with frenzied intensity like a thing possessed until he felt like he would go mad, and though he tried, he could not stop the whirlwind of his thoughts. Again and again, the moment replayed itself like a broken projector delighting in his agony.
It was almost dawn before his thoughts gradually calmed it's pace before finally grinding solidly to a halt. He breathed a ragged sigh. It was over. His thoughts were his own again. Thank Elbereth. It was over.
He felt suddenly weak all over. Muscles which were tensed tight just moments before turned to water as he felt the strength drain from him. Wincing a little, he flopped back into the fluffy warmth of the pillows and closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep, but just as he felt the welcome drowsiness overcome him, he was startled back into wakefulness by a soft tapping at the door.
Tapping.
That was a good way to describe it. It felt soft, and hesitant, almost as if the person were reluctant of being heard. Almost as if the person were afraid of it being answered. Legolas pondered for awhile. Was it a good idea to let whoever it was in? He was sure neither Faramir nor Eowyn would display such timidness around him, and from what little he had seen of Jenna, she seemed to bustling and energetic to knock patiently. Perhaps it was a stranger?
He heard a soft intake of breath, uttered too softly for a human ear to catch, and at that moment, he was glad of his elven senses. It was a breath of pain, of anguish, the type that resonated from the soul.
Whoever it was needed help.
Pulling himself to his feet, Legolas made his way to the door and pushed the heavy bolts aside.
"Eowyn?" he gasped in surprise. "What are you doing here? And..." His eyes took in her bare feet and her rumpled clothes, partially concealed by a large grey shawl she wore wrapped around her shoulders. In her eyes was the lifeless glazed look of a zombie. It was the face of someone who had ridden up to the gates of death and lived to tell the tale.
"Eowyn," he said again, taking her firmly by the shoulders. For the first time, he saw the dagger she carried. "Eowyn, why are you carrying this?" he asked cautiously. "Give me the knife, Eowyn. Come on. Give me the knife."
When she made no move to either use the knife against him or release her hold of the dagger, he reached down to pry it out of her grasp. He had thought that it would be an easy task. He was mistaken. For although she looked as frail and brittle as a dry leaf as she stared unseeingly into the distance, her hand refused to relinquish it's grip on the cool silver handle, and Legolas had to use every ounce of his already diminished strength to pry it loose. One he did however, a drastic change overcame her.
It was as if a spell had been broken. Life snapped back into her eyes, and her lips parted to draw a deep gasping breath. Slowly, she turned to look at him, as at first horror, then resignation settled on her features. For a fraction of a moment, Legolas had the queerest impression of two Eowyns staring out of her eyes: one a proud, strong, dominant warrior, and the other a frightened child who never really grew up. And then it was gone, and she covered her face and wept.
"Perhaps you should come in," he whispered, and gently led the way. He closed the door behind her and sat her down on the edge of the bed before removing her shawl, and was shocked to see the ugly red marks that stained her dress.
"You're bleeding," he gasped, instinctively reaching out to undo her garment. "What happened?" He undid the ties of her dress and drew it down, and bit his lip as he examined the torn flesh beneath.
"Lie down," he ordered firmly. Eowyn obeyed submissively, her large eyes following him across the room as he fetched a towel and a basin of water. She said nothing as he bathed her wound and staunched it with a fresh towel.
"What did you mean to say, Legolas?" he voice when she spoke was soft and calm.
"Nothing," he replied, not daring to meet her eyes. He was suddenly uncomfortably aware of his hand applying pressure to the wound on her chest. "Nothing."
"Could you have meant to say 'I love you, Eomer'?" she mused idly. Legolas almost choked on his saliva.
"Eomer?" he spluttered. "No..... no. Not Eomer."
"And here I hoped so badly that it was." She sighed. "Who else, Legolas? Whose name was it supposed to be? Some Mirkwood elf, perhaps? A lover from your homeland? Anything to lay my heart to rest. Anything to suggest it was for someone else. But was it for someone else, Legolas?"
Legolas shook his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to say anything. But," he paused, a question nagging at the back of his mind. He checked her dressing. She had stopped bleeding. Good. Well, that was one load off his mind at least.
"Why did you come here?" he asked finally. "Why me? Why didn't you go to Faramir?"
Eowyn looked up at him for a long time, and sprawled on the bed with her hair spread out beneath her, Legolas once more perceived the child she hid within. They locked eyes for a long time, both gazing searchingly into the others eyes, both seeking answers for their inward turmoil. At length, Eowyn raised an arm and stroked his cheek softly.
Legolas blinked in disbelief, stunned with surprise. By the time he had regained his senses, she had rightened her dress and shawl, and was walking towards the door. He blinked again. For a moment, he had allowed himself to hope, but her leaving now was almost too cruel.....
"Eowyn," he rasped. "Are you toying with me?"
His voice made her stop in her tracks. Slowly, she turned to face him. "No, Legolas," she whispered. "Are you?"
He shook his head silently, sadly, and she nodded the same. There was to be no comfort for either of them.
"Will you be attending my wedding?" she asked.
"I will."
"But it's in three days. You're not recovered enough."
"Do you want me there? Or would you rather I stay away?" he asked.
"I would appreciate it," she said, "if you did attend."
"I'll make myself recover by then."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
I should have seen this coming. I should have realised that I would never be able to finish everything just a few chapters after the birth, never mind that there are very little actual events and scene changes going on. I have a horrible way of stretching and going onandonandonandon.....
I promised I'd have the wedding this chapter. Well, obviously I didn't. I promised the child would be named as well. It wasn't. And I promised Aragorn and Elrond would react. They haven't.
Good news is that I seriously, honestly have everything worked out for the next two chapters. No more changes, the draft is already written. Chapters 10, 11 and 12 were planned as a single short chapter, but nooooooooo, fazy had to go and stretch it. Bah. Fazy had to slip in so many things into the story that tying it all up takes one heck of a lotta chapters.
Anyway, the action plan: Chapter 11 is the day of the wedding. Eowyn does a freak out. Legolas makes a decision. Chapter 12 The wedding goes on. Leggy sets his plan in motion. The rest of the Fellowship gets a cameo. Faramir makes a decision. The baby is named. Chapter 13 sees a scene change to Ithilien. It also is set some months later. Hopefully everything will end there. Otherwise I might need another chapter for the Dramatic Ending.
Mygirlcrais: Well, ada's identity isn't a main component of the fic. I would say it's actually rather unimportant..... I started writing not knowing who, and well.....
Anonymous: Hehe. Poor Legolas..... I like the image of him as a mental disaster. Well, he's got his act together now, tho it's not the end of his troubles.....
Mel: Sorry to hear school is awful. It's awful for me too. Things are picking up, and I've got mid term tests and essays and all. *haiz*. Bah, school.
Tap Dancing Widow: Well, I guess the chapter answers your question, huh? Hehe. But as I said to Mygirlcrais, it doesn't really matter who Ada is. The fic's more interested in how the chacters act and react to each other.
Lobo Diablo: Naw, I'm not that mean. I'm not like Peter Jackson. I don't kill of characters who were not meant to die. As for the fic, take it as happening in some sort of time vacuum. Things that happened stay happened, and at the end of the story it would be as if it never diverged from LoTR.
Samwise the Brave: YAY! *gives STB a high five*! And yeah, there's not much slash. I mean, duh, conceivably there HAD to be some, else the poor guy would never have..... well. hehe. But I have nothing against slash. I even have a theory that girls love it because it lets them switch between the masculine and feminine aspects of sex, and that depending on the moment the reader can choose (note: CHOOSE) which role to slip into. And that gives the reader a sense of power, and the choice (again, choice) to be either the dominant or the dominated. (or maybe both.) And seeing that I am pro- choice, well, you draw the connections. I don't write slash tho. I find it harder to write. And man, you hit the nail on the head. It's due to post- natal stress/ confusion. But just because it's caused by that doesn't mean it wouldn't last..... hehe! And well, since you don't display ur email address even on your fic page, my msn is u0201874@nus.edu.sg. Add me in! (anyone else who's reading this is welcome to add me in as well.)
Knight Kenobi of Eryn Lasgalen: Errr..... he had sex? *cheeky grin*
Deity of Sorrow:
Me: *stares at soaking Book leggy* O_O
B. Leggy: Gr.....
Me: Meep! *hides*
(continued)
fazy: Meep! *hides too*
Voice From Cupboard (aka fazy): I thought you were movieleggy! Didn't mean it!
B. Leggy: Bah. Do you know how expensive this suit is?!? It's hand-stitched Versache!