I have just realised that I have no idea when the story is going to end! It seems as if it has a life of its own now, and I'm just the person who types out the happenings. I have no idea where things are going to go. It's risky business, but fun too. =0)
Chapter 35 : The Surprise
"But we're not tired!" Elboron protested. Elfwine nodded eagerly in agreement, though he was trying hard to stifle a yawn.
Éowyn smiled and shook her head. "The answer is still no," she said, bending down to look her son in the eyes. "You two have already stayed up an hour past your usual bedtime. It's time to go to bed now."
"But… but…" Elfwine began, but before he could continue, strong arms swept him up.
"Come, Elfwine, you don't have to go to sleep," his father whispered into his ear. "Just lie in bed and be quiet, all right? You could stay up all night that way if you wanted to."
"Really?" Elfwine's eyes were wide. This was the first time his father had said that he could stay up all night. Just lying in bed and staying up all night? That sounded easy.
Éomer nodded, smiling. He patted his nephew on the head. "The same goes for you too, Elboron. You could stay up all night, as long as you keep quiet and lie in bed. It could be something special."
The two boys were enthralled by the idea. Éowyn grinned at her brother. "Come, Elboron, I'll tuck you in."
Faramir came over and put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I'll do it, Éowyn," he said gently. "You should just have fun tonight. Besides, I haven't tucked my little boy in bed for such a long time." He picked Elboron up and tickled the little boy. "Have I, Elboron?"
Elboron just giggled, trying to push away Faramir's fingers. Éowyn smiled and gave her husband a kiss before saying good night to the two boys, and going over to speak with Arwen and Lothíriel. The two fathers smiled at each other before leaving the hall, carrying their sleepy sons (who were both currently in denial about being tired) to their room.
Elfwine held on tightly to his blankets, trying hard to keep his eyes open. His father had said that he could stay up all night, and that was what he intended to do. Elboron had failed miserably, and was sleeping fitfully in his half of the bed, curled up in a ball. But Elfwine had no intention of failing.
He started as the door creaked open a little. Two tall men came creeping into the room. At first he thought that they were Faramir and Éomer, but then he realised that they were his uncles Erchirion and Amrothos. "Uncle Erchirion? Uncle Amrothos?" he whispered.
"Ah, you're awake," Amrothos replied, coming to kneel next to the bed.
"Elboron's sleeping."
"Yes, that's why we're being very quiet," Erchirion said.
"We just wanted to tell the both of you to get your sleep and rest properly, because tomorrow we have a surprise to show you. But you must wake up very early. So it's important that you sleep now."
"But Father said I could stay up all night!"
"If you do, you won't be able to see the surprise tomorrow morning," Amrothos said, patting Elfwine's hand. "Then we'd have to take only Elboron."
"Sleep tight, Elfwine."
The two brothers stood up and left the room, as quietly as they had come. Elfwine turned in bed, a new goal in mind. He would go to sleep right away. He wanted to see the surprise too.
Erchirion and Amrothos crept into the room again just before dawn. The two boys were fast asleep. Erchirion went to wake Elboron, while Amrothos woke Elfwine. "Come on Elboron, we have to go now," Erchirion said softly, shaking the child awake.
Elboron stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What's happening?" he asked blearily. "It's dark still."
Erchirion got up and went to get Elboron's clothes. "Come, dress yourself, we have a surprise for you and Elfwine. It's going to be really fun."
Elfwine was already out of bed, having known of the surprise earlier, and was already fumbling with his shirt. "It's going to be fantastic, Elboron!" he said enthusiastically, finally giving up and letting Amrothos help him dress. Erchirion laughed and nodded, helping Elboron with his clothes.
A moment later, the four notorious mischief-makers were leaving from a side door, and the two brothers were leading the little ones towards their surprise. They passed the shack where Elfwine's father had been most unceremoniously locked in so many years ago, and down a flight of hidden stone steps.
"Here we are!" Erchirion smiled as the boys looked around, awed. They were standing on at the edge of a lagoon, behind a sand bar. The boys had never seen anything like it before, and simply stood there for the longest time, completely stunned.
"Are you two just going to stand there the whole time?" Amrothos was already pulling off his boots, and dipping his feet into the water. "The water isn't very cold." Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled off his shirt and got into the water. "It's lovely!" he called out.
Erchirion laughed and looked towards Elfwine. The child was openly gaping. Obviously it had never occurred to him that you could completely submerge yourself in something more than a bathtub. "You've been looking at grass plains for too much of your life, Elfwine," he said good-naturedly. "In Dol Amroth, the grass plains of your homeland have been substituted with water."
"My father showed me a pool in Emyn Arnen," Elboron said distantly. "But it isn't as big as this one."
"And my guess is that the water is better here too," Erchirion said, with a grin. Tugging off his boots, he joined his brother in the lagoon. Five minutes later, each brother was carrying a little boy, eagerly trying to get each other as wet as possible.
Lothíriel opened her eyes, and glanced over at her husband, still sleeping soundly. Slowly, she got out of bed, and dressed. The sun was just beginning to rise. She slipped out of the room, shutting the door gently behind her.
Leaving the building through a side door, she made her way to the cliffs, and found that someone had already beaten her to it. He turned as she approached, and smiled, making a small bow in acknowledgement. "Good morning, my lady."
Lothíriel smiled, coming to stand next to him. "Come, Legolas, you know that there's no need to address me so formally."
Legolas nodded agreeably. "There certainly isn't. I didn't get a chance to speak with you last night. But I saw your son, running about with Faramir's son. They're fine boys."
"Yes, they are," Lothíriel agreed. "A little too fine, I sometimes think. They can't seem to stay put, unless they're asleep!"
Legolas laughed. "Children will be children." He looked out to the sea and sighed. "In all my years in Gondor, I've never come to Dol Amroth. But now I'm here, and I see this…" He gave Lothíriel a smile. "You were right, what you said all those years ago. The Sea does calm you. But for Elves, it awakens something, something that Men cannot feel."
"Does it hurt you, the longing? Knowing what is in store, but yet unable to go towards it?"
A wistful look came over Legolas' face. "One day, I will go towards it. I'm sure of it. The time has not come yet. But it will come. For now, I'm content just admiring this view." He turned, and something caught his eye. "Say… I think I see your brothers! And… your son. And his little friend."
The sun rose as the boys enjoyed themselves. Amrothos was trying to teach Elfwine how to swim, and the child was learning fast.
Finally Erchirion announced that it was enough. "We have to get back and get changed before breakfast," he said.
"Five more minutes!" Elboron begged.
Erchirion shook his head. "No, there's no time, Elboron. If you're good, we'll bring you here again tomorrow, all right?"
They clambered out of the lagoon and pulled on their shirts and boots, and then raced each other up the steps.
"And just where do you think you are going?"
They froze, and turned to see Lothíriel standing a little distance away, her arms crossed. Legolas was standing behind her, looking much amused.
"Ah… we… surprise… boys… happy…" Amrothos was trying most inarticulately to explain.
"We were swimming!" Elfwine announced happily. "Uncle Amrothos taught me how to swim!"
"He did, did he?" A small smile crossed Lothíriel's face. "At the crack of dawn?"
"We thought it would be a good surprise for the boys, and they really loved it," Erchirion spoke up defensively. "Nothing bad happened, it was safe, and the water wasn't too cold."
"Come, you used to come here too, when you were their age. We brought you here, remember?" Amrothos added.
"I had almost forgotten," Lothíriel said softly. Her childhood now seemed so far away. For over ten years, her thoughts had never turned to this secret lagoon. Apparently, her brothers remembered it well. Her smile widened. "Hurry up, or you'd still be dripping at breakfast."
Erchirion gave his sister a mock salute, and they continued their dash to their rooms.