Aww, I love Rhelin! I really do! Don't ask me why, I just do!

Ok, so they rescued Rhelin, and are now back in Mirkwood. What will Thranduil say to his only son bringing home a mortal child? Heehee…

And we finally meet Aenil, Legolas' younger sister. She's a bit…exaggerated I think for an Elf, but I was writing this rather late at night, so please forgive me if she's a bit too OOC, according to other Elves. Thanking you!

Lainfaer

In The Depp End – Yeah, I added you to my MSN list too. Yep, your name rules. Please Lord, we NEED more Leggy's, Hally's, and Aragorny's!

Aragorny's?

Oooook…………

Thanks for reviewing!

Zammy – Cool, thanks melonin. Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing.

Raymae325 – Owchie, burns. I once had a load of burns. Had boiling water tipped over me when I was about 18 months old. All an accident, but I think it's a miracle that I have no scars! Can't remember a thing, thankfully…

Orcs are well stupid. Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing.

fallenangel – Sweet and sad? Great mixture of emotions there! Fell in love in just a day? Well, you know what Leggy's like. Elven love is true and instant…yada yada yada. Thanks for reviewing.

Mayrana – Yup, Leggy is the coolest daddy! Reminds of the song 'Daddy Cool'! Anyways…

Ooh, thank you for the potion! Hmm, what next? Hmm hmm hmm…how about…permission from King Thranduil to steal his son away and marry him?

I'm running out of ideas too! Thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 7: Home at Last.

Legolas led the others under the main archway that was the entrance to the main courtyard of his fathers' palace. It was alive with activity, and as soon as he galloped in, everyone turned to look at him.

A hushed silence came over the entire crowd. Aragorn moved Brego so he was beside Arod. "Why the silence?" he asked in a whisper.

"They're not expecting me. They always do this."

Suddenly, a tiny boy came forward out of the crowd. He went down on one knee in front of Arod, bowing his head in respect.

Legolas jumped neatly down, still holding Rhelin. He placed her down, and tilted the boy's chin up to look at him, smiling. The elfling smiled back. "Welcome home my Lord," he said.

The rest of the crowd then bowed, and Legolas rose up. He lifted Rhelin into his arms, and motioned for Aragorn and Gimli to follow.

"Please see to the horses," he asked a nearby stable hand. "Take extra good care of them." The stable hand bowed, and got to it immediately.

As he shut the main door behind him, Legolas could feel Rhelin trembling in his arms. He held her tighter. "Don't worry, it's alright." He kissed her head, and led them up to his fathers' study.

"No, I refuse!"

"Forget it Adar!"

"I will not do this!"

"What on Earth…?" Legolas wondered aloud as they neared the study.

"Adar, this isn't fair!"

"Aenil please, calm yourself!"

"I should have guessed," Legolas grinned. He looked at his friends. "I think my sister is a bit upset. Come on." There was a sound of something smashing.

"Oh dear," Gimli whispered. "I don't remember her being this temperamental Legolas."

"Trust me, she can get as angry as an Orc that is stuck up a tree with no weapons, and surrounded by enemies. I have had to suffer it before." He reached the door, and waited for Aenil to take a breath before knocking.

"Who is it?" came his fathers' tired-sounding voice.

Legolas opened the door and walked straight in. "Just a flying visit Adar. I…" but he was cut off as Aenil flung her arms round his neck.

"Legolas!"

"Careful, I am holding a child here."

Aenil stepped back, and stared at the bundle curled up in Legolas' arms. Rhelin looked even more scared than out in the courtyard. Her eyes were wide with fright, and her arms were gripping Legolas' neck like a vice. She tried to nestle further up to him, but his chest was in the way.

"Legolas, please explain…" Thranduil pointed at Rhelin.

"Not now Adar. This is Rhelin. I'm looking after her."

"For how long?" Aenil asked, smiling at Rhelin.

"Forever," Legolas answered.

Thranduil jumped to his feet. "What? Legolas, this is a mortal child!"

"Shh Adar, you're scaring the poor girl," Aenil told him sharply. "Come on Legolas, she needs a bath." She linked her arm through her brothers', and led him out.

"Talk later Adar!" he yelled before she shut the door.

Aragorn and Gimli were waiting patiently outside. Aenil squealed and threw her arms round Aragorns', then Gimli's' neck. She had to crouch down slightly for Gimli, and reach up for Aragorn. Behind her, Legolas rolled his eyes.

"Come on Legolas, ignore the old man. He's just moody with me because I went out without his permission." She started leading them down the corridor.

"Yes, but where did you go?"

"Only down to the river."

"Aenil…"

"What, I was bored!"

"Aenil, you know what Adar is like about that. He doesn't like you to be in danger when I'm not here to look after you."

"Legolas, I am not a little girl anymore. I am only 350 years younger than you after all."

"Yes, but still younger. I have 350 years more experience than you do. I don't want you to get hurt, and neither does he."

"Alright, alright, stop fussing. So, who is this darling child?"

"Her name's Rhelin. We rescued her from her village when it was ambushed."

"But…what about her family?"

Legolas looked at the floor. He did not wish to relive the memories of that night. He looked down at Rhelin, and she was staring up at him, her eyes still wide. He smiled affectionately at her, and her tenseness loosened up a little.

"She doesn't know who her father is. Her mother…didn't make it. She asked me to take care of her, and I'm sticking to that promise." Aragorn and Gimli shared a look. Aenil made a mental note to talk to Aragorn later.

"Poor girl," she whispered, looking at her with sadness in her eyes. "How old is she?"

"Seven." They came to a spare room, and Aenil led them in.

The Autumn Sun poured in through the windows, lighting up every corner. Aenil went through to the adjoining bathroom, and started filling a tub with warm water.

"We'll leave you to it Legolas," Aragorn told him.

"Alright. Just go in the rooms opposite. Not my one though!"

Aragorn laughed. "Hmm, I wonder how I'll be able to tell the difference between your room, and a normal room?" Legolas scowled. "Just go on with you."

The other two left, and Legolas sat Rhelin down on the bed. He peeled her arms from around his neck, and crouched down in front of her so they were at eye-level with each other.

"Now Rhelin. My sister is running a bath for you. She'll help you, is that ok with you?" Rhelin nodded.

"She'll wash your hair for you, and heal any cuts you may have got. I promise she won't hurt you, and I'll wait in here for you."

"Don't leave me Leggy." She found it a bit difficult to pronounce his name properly, and so had stuck with Leggy.

"No, I think its better if Aenil sorted you out, not me." She slithered her arms back round his neck, and positioned herself back in his lap. "Leggy stay with me," she said firmly.

He sighed. "Very well." He stood up, and carried her through to the bathroom.

Aenil had done a brilliant job. A large wooden tub was filled to the brim with hot clean water, and had rose petals floating on the surface.

Rhelin gazed at it in wonderment. Her baths had always been in cold, rather dirty water, and she was not used to this luxury.

"Ready?" Aenil asked.

Legolas nodded, and handed Rhelin over to her. "She doesn't want me to leave her," he told his sister as she removed the girls' filthy dress. He didn't look, out of respect.

Only once Rhelin was completely in, did he look back. "Well then stay," Aenil answered. "If she wants you to stay, then you must stay. You do her hair, and I'll wash these cuts."

As Aenil gently bathed the cuts Rhelin had obtained over the past days, Legolas rolled up his sleeves, and wetted her hair. He mixed the shampoo Aenil handed him into her hair, and tenderly massaged her head.

Rhelin completely relaxed, and as Legolas washed the soap out, she smiled.

Legolas grinned at his sister. "That's the biggest smile she's done," he told her.

Aenil grinned back. "Better Rhelin?"

The little girl nodded. The smell of the soaps, and the warm water had tired her. She just wanted to sleep now.

Legolas waited in her room as Aenil dried her, and dressed her in a clean nightgown. He couldn't hide his grin as she padded out in front of Aenil in a gown that was a bit too big for her. It dragged on the floor…only about two feet behind her.

She reached her arms up to him, and he swept her into his embrace. She laughed, and kissed his cheek. He kissed her back. He lay her down in bed, and proceeded to tuck her in.

Aenil smiled to herself from her position in the doorway to the bathroom. She had not seen her brother for many years, and although all his attention had been on Rhelin, she felt happy. Legolas sat on the edge of the bed, and stroked her cheek till her dark eyes finally closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

"I'm happy for you Legs," Aenil said softly, not wishing to disturb the peace that had settled on the room.

He smiled at her, and walked over. He took her into a huge bear hug. "Thanks Aenil."

"So…what's going to happen to her now?" she asked as they wandered out onto the balcony.

"She's going to stay with me for the rest of her life."

"But Legolas, you are immortal…she is not."

"It doesn't make the slightest bit of difference to me. I love her Aenil, as my own daughter. As my own sister." He looked at her. "You are both so precious to me. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, you know that. But what will you do when she dies Legolas? Surely it will break your heart?"

"Her mother died in my arms Aenil! I think I'll be able to cope." He stormed back into the room, rubbing his hands over his face in a tired fashion.

She slipped her arms round his waist, and leant her head against his back. He was watching Rhelin sleep. "She looks so peaceful," he whispered. "Yet she will grow up without a mother." He turned in his sisters' grasp to look at her. "Can you imagine how that will affect her?"

"No, I do not. We have been lucky Legolas. All our lives, we have had both our parents around."

"She has only ever had her mother," he told her. "She doesn't have a clue who her father is. And now her mother is dead…I don't know what to do for her."

"Look, it'll easy. I'll be the mother, you be the father. Or…maybe I'll be the sister. That might be better."

He smiled at her simple, but worthy idea. "I love you Aenil."

She grinned. "I know you do." They embraced again.

A couple of weeks later, Aragorn had to return to Minas Tirith. Arwen could not run it alone for too long. A small escort went with him, who would be going on to Ithilien. As he galloped away out of the courtyard, escort following, Legolas and Aenil stood on the steps of the palace. Gimli was at the bottom, Rhelin at his side.

"So, how long are you planning on staying now?" Aenil asked her brother as they walked back inside.

"Until Rhelin can manage without me."

"If you stay too long, she won't let you leave."

"I know, and that'll be the hardest part – leaving her."

A pair of arms wrapped around his legs, nearly toppling him over. Rhelin grinned up at him. He grinned back, and picked her up. "So Princess, what you doing today?" He had taken to calling her that, as she was now regarded in Mirkwood as a Princess, even though she was human. Legolas had insisted that everyone treat her as they treated Aenil.

"Don't know," she replied, cocking her head to one side to look at him. "You ok Leggy?"

"Fine, why do you ask?"

"You're sad today. Is it because Strider gone?" Aragorn was also rather hard to pronounce. Gimli was the only name she could actually say.

"Yes, I am sad because he is gone. But I expect I'll see him again soon."

"He's your best friend, right?"

"So is Gimli."

"I know." She grinned. Most of her conversations didn't make much sense, but she just liked to talk. No one else seemed to mind if she wasn't always clear.

"Are you going to tell Leggy your news Rhelin?" Aenil asked, smiling.

Legolas frowned. "What news? Why haven't I already been told?" But there was a gleam of mirth in his eyes.

Rhelin grinned. "I lost a tooth, see?" She pointed to a gap on the right side of her mouth.

"Wow," Legolas replied, smiling. "When did that come out?"

"This morning. Angel says I have to put it under the pillow for the fairy. Is that right?" Angel was her name for Aenil.

Legolas grinned at his sister. When they were children, and their teeth had fallen out, their parents had told them to put the tooth under their pillow. In the morning, the tooth would be gone, and a coin would be in its place.

"Yes, and the tooth fairy will come and collect it. She may even leave you a present, as a thank you."

"Why does a fairy collect my teeth?"

"She polishes them up, then, in her land where no human, Elf, Dwarf, or any Middle-Earth-born creature can go, she builds her City. Out of our teeth! Her castle is completely made of them, all the world's children's' baby teeth. There are many other fairies that help her, but she is the one who always collects the teeth."

"So…she lives in teeth?"

"In a sense, yes, she does."

Aenil grinned at Legolas. "How many teeth did you lose Legs?" she asked.

"All of them. They had all gone by the time I was ten."

"Same here. So you've only got three years to go Rhelin, before you lose all your teeth."

"Will I need false ones?" This caused laughter.

"No Rhelin. Your big teeth grow after you lose your baby ones," Legolas told her. "Bigger, stronger, ones." They had reached her room by now, and he put her down.

She ran onto the balcony, followed by the other three. She stood on the railings, and looked out over the woods. "Where's her City?" she asked.

"Some people believe it is high in the sky, and that the stars are the teeth, glimmering in the moonlight," Aenil answered, coming up beside her.

"On clouds?"

"Not necessarily on the clouds, but certainly in among them."

"Wow." She continued to gaze out over Mirkwood.

"So, how's she been?" Gimli asked Legolas in a hushed tone as the other two watched the goings-on in the courtyard below.

"Much better," Legolas replied. "She hasn't said anything about Chalibeth, and I fear she has forgotten all about her."

"You'll have to tell her someday."

"I know, and I don't think I really want to."

"But not for many years yet laddie. For now, she is content enough to be accepted as part of your family. All children are the same. The child instantly accepts any grown-up who loves them, and cares for them. You were accepted the minute you rescued her and took her in as your own. She loves you, and in time, will look upon you as a father."

Legolas smiled at the Dwarfs' tender words. "You think so?"

"I know so. I can se it in her eyes. Every time she looks at you, there is a definite bond forming, and always deepening. You know for yourself how many times she kisses you a day."

Legolas grinned sheepishly. "She just likes it. It comforts her."

"You like it too Legolas, don't deny it." He grinned in his bushy beard, making Legolas blush slightly. "I'll be going now. If you want me, I'll be in my room. I've got to leave too soon. I've got to prepare."

"But what about Rhelin Gimli?" Legolas asked, his plan for revenge forming. "She loves you too, and she'll miss you terribly." He smiled.

It was Gimli's' turn to blush. "Oh shut up Elf. Its you she adores."

"Oh no, she's absolutely mad about you. She likes you because you make her laugh."

Gimli scowled, and stomped out. Legolas laughed to himself, and turned back to the pair on the balcony. Aenil had a small robin upon her wrist, and was telling Rhelin about it. That was the wonderful thing about his sister, Legolas decided. She was an excellent nature teacher.

He tiptoed back onto the balcony, and watched as Rhelin gently stroked the tiny bird. It chirruped at her, and she laughed. He caught Aenils' eye, and she winked at him. He smiled back.

The next few years were going to be a lot of fun.

Yay, fun fun fun. See what I meant about Aenil being a bit…different? But it worked ok, didn't it?

Now I'm going to do a spot of begging…

PLEASE, please please, please, PLEASE can some more people go and read Demons of the Heart! It's the sequel to Sleeping Dangerously, and I would REALLY like some more readers and reviewers on there! Please? I've asked nicely!

Lainfaer