Rating: PG
Summary: Celeborn spends Yule with some orphaned elflings.
Warnings: Weird Humour/Angst/Fluff mix
Beta: Mirfain
Author notes: I can't believe it's done! I thought I'd never make it before I leave for Christmas! I might actually edit it later on, as it feels rushed to me, but for now – enjoy!
It was, Celeborn mused, rather hard to walk when there was an elfling attached to your ankle. Especially when said elfling also had a rather worrying grip on your leggings.
"Rúmil... little one, I need you to let go now." He tried to coax the child off of his leg, so that he could attend a meeting with his warriors. Rúmil however, simply increased his grip, until it was almost painful. By the Valar, but this child had a warriors blood!
"Would you like a cookie?" Celeborn asked hopefully. Bribery had always worked with Celebrian. It did not, unfortunately, work with Rúmil. The elfling shook his head, burying his face in Celeborn's leg.
The Lord of Lórien sighed, realising he had been bested by an elfling. Even if he pried Rúmil off, the child would cry and the guilt would be unbearable.
"Well then, how about this? If you let go of my leg and promise to be good, you can come to the meeting with me"
The result was instantaneous; Rúmil released his hold on Celeborn's leg and held his arms up.
Bending down Celeborn scooped the child into his arms. Rúmil wrapped his arms around Celeborn's neck and snuggled up, making Celeborn's heart warm to this little orphan all over again.
Rúmil and his brother Orophin had come to them barely two months ago, after their parents died when their small home caught fire. Living as they did, with just a handful of others in a settlement outside the Lórien borders, there had been no way to get aid to them in time. Rúmil and Orophin had been saved by their eldest brother Haldir – but he had been lost when he went back to try to get his parents out. By the time aid had arrived, there had been nothing left but ashes.
Celeborn had looked for a home for the surviving brothers within the settlement, but the elves there were poor and thought they felt great sympathy for the elflings they could not take them in. Celeborn's offer of aid had also been politely but firmly turned down – it was not right to them, to be paid for raising children. So he had brought them back to Caras Galadhon, hoping to find a family there to care for them. However, he had not counted on the children becoming attached to him.
Three days after their arrival in Lórien, Celeborn had found a young couple willing to offer at least temporary care – possibly more. But when he'd handed over Orophin and tried to get Rúmil to go and meet the older elves Rúmil had screamed blue murder, yanking on Celeborn's arm and demanding that they give Orophin back. No amount of promises had been able to console him and so eventually Celeborn had taken them home again. That evening Rúmil had made his intentions quite clear with two simple words – "Stay here." The words had been immediately followed by Rúmil crawling into Celeborn's lap and promptly falling asleep.
Neither Celeborn nor Galadriel had been able to resist that simple request. Though they had not planned to have any more children, these two were already firmly embedded in their hearts. By this strange twist of fate, they had suddenly acquired two new sons.
Rúmil was fifteen, barely more than a baby and almost painfully shy. He spent much of his time clinging to Celeborn's robes. Often in the night Celeborn had to comfort him as he cried for his lost parents and brother.
At two years old, Orophin was practically a newborn. Galadriel had little trouble with him – he was a happy child and almost completely unaware of the tragedy that had befallen his family. A few enquiries revealed that Haldir had been thirty one and his heart grieved for the loss of such a young elf.
His mind was still on this and the upcoming Yule celebrations as he entered the meeting room. The others rose to greet him and he nodded absently as he settled Rúmil on the sofa at the far end of the room with some charcoal and parchment. "Be good and stay here." He instructed gently and Rúmil nodded as he began to draw. Celeborn ruffled his hair and returned to where his warriors were waiting. Not one said anything about Rúmil's presence – all knew of the kindness the lord and lady had shown by taking in the orphans. They also knew it could not be easy.
"Now," Celeborn began, "Let's get down to business. Yule is coming and many will be wanting leave. So what I propose is…" He continued to speak and the warriors listened, his voice the only sound in the large room as he outlined what needed to be done.
Several hours later, the plans for the festive season were finally in place. It had not been easy to keep everyone happy, but Celeborn was satisfied that they'd done their best. "Excellent." He said as he rose. "Keep me updated on how everything works." He turned towards the sofa. "Time to go home, Rúmil!" He called, turning towards the back of the room.
The sofa however, was empty.
"Rúmil?" Celeborn frowned – where was he? "Rúmil!" He called out louder. There was no reply; the only evidence of his presence at all was the discarded parchment. "Where did he go?" Celeborn turned to his confused warriors. "I don't know… I didn't see." One admitted somewhat sheepishly. Celeborn was about to reply when a single comment from the Marchwarden of the Western borders caught his attention.
"Oh no."
All attention turned to the warrior as he pointed worriedly at the door – which was wide open.
Celeborn gasped in horror, for there were steep steps outside that door, and rushed out, looking fearfully for the young elfling. It was with a measure of relief that he did not see him. The down side of course, was that he still had a missing elfling on his hands.
He was just about to order a full-blown search when there came a laugh from inside the room. "Look, my Lord!" One of the Captains said. He pointed to Celeborn's chair, which was covered in a long velvet throw. From under the throw a single tiny foot could be seen.
Rushing over, Celeborn lifted the cover, to reveal the errant Rúmil, curled up and fast asleep.
Letting out a long breath, he carefully pulled the sleeping elfling into his arms.
"Thank the Valar." He muttered.
"He must have slipped past us while we were talking!" One of the lieutenants grinned. "He'll make a fine Galadhel one day, with such stealth!"
"Aye, unless he falls asleep on duty!" The Southern Marchwarden replied teasingly.
"Oh, enough of that, all of you!" Celeborn said, but his tone was light. "I am sure you all have somewhere else to be!"
Laughing and joking, the warriors left their Lord, to return to their duties and their homes. But on his way out; the Southern Marchwarden paused for a moment, placing a hand lightly on the sleeping elfling. "He will be a worthy son, my Lord." He said quietly, before slipping out the door, leaving a stunned but pleased Celeborn behind. He knew then his fears that the orphans would not be accepted as his children were unjustified. "Come on, little one." He whispered. "Let's get you to bed."
A short while later he entered his talan and smiled when he noticed Galadriel and two of her handmaidens putting up the Yule decorations. "The talan looks beautiful, love!" He said. "Let me put the little one to bed and I will come and help. But leave the tree – I think Rúmil will like to help with that." Galadriel nodded, somewhat distracted and Celeborn hurried to the room that had once been a guestroom, but was now the bedroom of Rúmil and Orophin.
Orophin was already fast asleep in his cot; so Celeborn moved extra carefully, not wanting to wake him, for Galadriel often had trouble getting him to sleep. Gently he put the elfling in his bed and pulled the blankets over him. Leaning over he placed a tender kiss on Rúmil's forehead. "Sleep well, my son." He whispered.
"No, Rúmil!" Celeborn rushed into the main room of the talan to stop the elfling from climbing up the Yule tree. Rúmil already had a foothold on the lower branches and was reaching up. However, he had not noticed that the potted tree was not strong enough to hold even his weight and was already starting to wobble.
Swiftly, Celeborn plucked the elfling from the tree and set him on the ground firmly. He was annoyed, for this was the third time in as many days that he had caught Rúmil trying to climb the Yule tree. "Rúmil, you have been told before, you are not to climb that tree! It is dangerous! Why will you not listen?" He glared down at the elfling, who shrank away and stared at the floor. "I wanted the star." He mumbled, referring to the Silver Star sitting on top of the tree. "That star is not for you." Celeborn said. "You know that, and yet you still disobey. I am very disappointed in you, Rúmil." The elfling scuffed at the floor, his little shoulders trembling. "I am sorry." He whispered and then burst into tears and fled to his room.
Celeborn groaned, he had not meant to upset Rúmil so badly - he just wanted him to be safe. Running his hand through his hair he took a deep breath, before heading into Rúmil's room.
He found the little orphan with his brother, who seemed to have just woken. Typically, Orophin hadn't cried – he was a naturally happy child that rarely made a fuss. Those parents who had heard of this envied their Lord and Lady greatly.
Rúmil had managed to pick Orophin up and they were both sitting on the rug. Rúmil had his arms around Orophin and was crying far more than he should have been from a simple scolding.
"Rúmil?" Celeborn called to him softly, kneeling down by the brothers. In response, Rúmil clung tighter to Orophin.
Sitting down on the rug, Celeborn pulled both into his lap, ignoring Rúmil's squirming. "What is the matter, little one?" He asked gently. "You are not crying because you got scolded, are you?"
A small shaking of the elfling's head came as a reply.
"Then why are you crying?"
The answer was whispered so quietly that not even Celeborn's elven hearing could catch it.
"I cannot hear you, little one." He said. Rúmil repeated his answer, slightly louder.
"You sounded like Ada." He whispered. "But – but you're NOT!" The last words came as a shout as Rúmil tried to escape the truth. He struggled to get away, but was held carefully in place by the elven-lord as Celeborn hugged him.
"I know Rúmil; I am not your Ada. No one can ever replace your Ada or Nana. They loved you and your brothers dearly and still love you, though they and Haldir are with Mandos now. But if you would let me, Rúmil, I would very much like to be your second Ada and Galadriel would like to be your second Nana."
At these words, Rúmil looked up at Celeborn, his eyes wide. "I can have a second Ada?" He asked. Celeborn nodded. "We can never replace what you've lost, but every elfling deserves an Ada and Nana. I'm sure your parents would not want you and Orophin all alone." Rúmil seemed to consider this for a time. "You'd be Orophin's Ada too? He queried, obviously worried that his little brother would be left out. The Lord of Lórien laughed. "Aye, we would be Ada and Nana to Orophin too! You need not worry about that!"
There was another pause as Rúmil thought about this, his young face solemn. He still had his arms around Orophin, who giggled happily and tugged at Rúmil's hair. "You don't think my Ada and Nana would mind?" He asked next, his childish mind still fearing rejection from his beloved parents. "I think they would be very happy that you have found a home here." Celeborn tried to reassure him.
More silence followed this, until as last, Rúmil carefully moved Orophin off of his lap and wrapped his arms around Celeborn's waist.
"I think you'll be a good Ada." He mumbled into the fabric of Celeborn's tunic.
Delighted, the Lord of Lórien hugged Rúmil back, thinking that of all the battles he'd ever fought, this was by far the sweetest victory.
Yule day dawned bright and clear and Celeborn rose early, eager to spend the day with his new sons.
Galadriel laughed as he busied himself getting ready.
"You are as bad as an elfling yourself!" She teased as he rushed around.
He grinned at her.
"It has been too long since we had elflings here for Yule! Ai, I cannot wait to see Rúmil's face when he sees his gift!"
"Indeed." Galadriel responded. "I only hope you did not try to fit it under the Yule tree like you did when Celebrian was Rúmil's age!"
Celeborn blushed.
"No my dear, there are no ponies under the tree this time."
Celeborn was spared from further teasing by the arrival of Rúmil, who was slowed down slightly due to the fact that he was trying to carry Orophin. "Ada! Ada! It's Yule!" He cried delightedly. Rúmil had, for a period of about a week, referred to Celeborn and Galadriel as 'Ada two' and 'Nana two' until Celeborn had convinced him that his birth parents would know the difference without needing to be told. "Aye, indeed it is!" The lord smiled and picked both of them up, glancing at the elflings' night clothes. "Let's get you dressed, shall we, then we can see what is under the Yule tree!" This suggestion was met with much enthusiasm from Rúmil and he allowed Celeborn to carry him off, wishing, as all elflings do, to get to the Yule tree as quickly as possible.
Rúmil looked delighted as he rode through the woods on the tiny pony. Celeborn had a firm hold on the lead rein, as Rúmil had few riding skills as of yet, but he was thrilled nonetheless as he rode beside Celeborn. Slightly behind them rode Galadriel, with Orophin seated in front of her. The little elfling was clutching a stuffed pony, as he was too young for a real one, but Celeborn had not wanted to leave him out.
Celeborn planned to ride to the western edge of the forest before turning back – it was the nearest border, but would give Rúmil enough time to enjoy himself and allow them all to work up an appetite for the Yule dinner.
The lord chuckled, remembering Rúmil's confused look when he had been handed the reins as his Yule gift and the delighted look when he was told what they meant. He'd never seen Rúmil look so happy and he was certain that the gift he had chosen was the right one.
He turned to smile at his wife, who was gently fussing over Orophin. She smiled back and lifted Orophin's hand so that he could 'wave' at his Ada. Rúmil saw this and laughed, waving to Orophin as well and Celeborn couldn't help but notice how easily Rúmil kept his balance. He would be very surprised if his young son turned out to be anything other than a warrior, for he showed many traits, even at this young age.
It was as Celeborn began to relax that Galadriel gasped aloud. Alarmed, he moved to look at her, noticing how pale she had gone. "Love?" he asked; his voice full of concern. "Pain," She whispered, "near by… someone suffers." Celeborn did not understand how such suffering could occur in the Golden Wood, but as a rule, Galadriel was never wrong on these matters. Nor was now the time to question her. "Show me." He said simply, hoping that it was nothing dangerous, for he did not want to put the children at risk.
Galadriel nodded and took the lead, coming to ride closer to her husband.
"Is there danger?" He asked when she got close enough to whisper too.
She shook her head, "I sense no danger – only pain – and loneliness."
Somewhat comforted by that – especially since he had no weapons, save a boot-knife – Celeborn rode on, following his wife's directions.
Further towards the borders they rode, into one of the thickest copses of trees in the Golden Wood. Celeborn shifted in the saddle – he was attuned to these woods and he could feel the sadness of the trees. No doubt now – there was suffering here. "Rúmil," he said quietly, "Go and ride near Nana." He smiled. "Protect her for me." The elfling beamed and nodded proudly as Celeborn tied the reins to Galadriel's horse.
Satisfied that they were well away from any unpleasant sights Celeborn dismounted and walked silently into the trees, searching for the source of the pain.
It did not take long.
He came across an old tree with a large hollow in the trunk. Around it he could see the remains of a tiny fire and the bones of small animals. Slowly he knelt down, to see if he could find signs of whoever had consumed these animals.
As he moved towards the tree, however, a deep rumbling growl stopped him in his tracks. Turning slowly he came face-to-face with a very large, angry looking dog. He froze, not daring to move and provoke the animal to attack. Still, it kept edging towards him, teeth bared.
"Easy, easy, I mean no harm." He said softly, keeping his voice level. It had no effect though and he knew he would have to make a move soon, if the creature did not back off.
The dog crouched, preparing to spring and Celeborn slowly reached for his knife.
But a weak voice stopped them both.
"Berio, no! Come here!"
At the sound of the voice the dog stood up straight, turned tail and ran into the hollow.
Celeborn followed, peering into the small, dark space.
The sight that greeted him shocked him to the core. A young elf lay inside, though he was hardly recognisable as such, so filthy was he. All that could be clearly seen were his blue eyes, bright with pain. Glancing down, Celeborn found the source of that pain, his right leg, which was twisted at an unnatural angle. "By the Valar!" he gasped, crawling further into the hollow. The elf looked at him fearfully. "Fear not," He said quickly, "I wish only to help you. What is your name?" "My name is Haldir." The elf replied softly, his eyes fixed on Celeborn.
It was a good thing that Celeborn was already sitting down, for he would surely have fallen over. As it was, he stared open-mouthed at the dirty figure before him.
"Haldir? I was told you were dead!" He cried. The young elf laughed despite his pain.
"Aye, I should be. But Berio saved me from the flames when I fell and could not run. He brought me here and he has been providing for me. I – I kept hoping someone would come, yet no one did."
It would always remain a mystery how Haldir's entry into the woods and his continued presence had gone unnoticed for so long, despite the well-guarded borders. Celeborn, and indeed, Haldir himself, would later put the whole thing down to the most appalling luck.
For the moment though, it was unimportant.
"It will be alright now." Celeborn soothed. "I am Celeborn, Lord of these woods. I will help you."
Haldir's eyes opened wide.
"Forgive me, my lord, I did not know!" He blushed at his disrespect.
"Do not worry." The lord smiled. "Titles are not needed between us; indeed your brothers do not call me by such."
The sheer relief that Haldir felt upon hearing that was almost tangible.
"They are well?" His voice shook.
"Aye, and if you allow me to take you from here you will see them – they have been staying with us and I have them with me."
Haldir's eyes filled with tears. "Thank the Valar. I have been so worried. Please, take me to them." He almost begged Celeborn. The Lord of Lórien nodded, moving to Haldir's side. "Put your arms around my neck – I will be gentle." Haldir did as he was asked and Celeborn pulled him into his arms, noting how terribly light he was. Carefully he began to back out, whispering words of comfort as Haldir clung to him, obviously in great pain caused by the movement of his injured leg.
With infinite care he carried the injured elf out – and back to his family.
The shriek that Rúmil let out on seeing his brother was heard for miles. Before Galadriel could stop him, he was off the pony and at his brother's side, sobbing loudly as he reached for a thin hand. "Rúmil." Haldir's voice broke as he clung to him. "Hush now, it's alright." "I missed you." Rúmil sobbed, trying to pull Haldir closer. "I know, I missed you too," His brother replied, smiling brighter as he saw Orophin with Galadriel.
"You will not be parted again, if I can prevent it." Celeborn promised. But I think we had best return home now, Rúmil, Haldir needs to see a healer."
Young though he was, Rúmil could see the pain in his brother's eyes and he nodded.
"You can make him better?" He asked worriedly.
"Aye, we can." The Lord replied. "So let us do so quickly, yes?"
"Yes!" Rúmil cried joyfully, grinning as he scrambled clumsily onto his pony. "Make him all better!"
Celeborn laughed, gently placing Haldir on his horse before mounting again himself.
"Aye, Rúmil," he said as they rode off. "Everything will be better now."
It had been an eventful day; there was no question about that. The exhausted Lord of Lórien sipped his wine as he lay back in his chair. The room was full but silent – well, save for Galadriel's snoring, but he was used to that. All but he were asleep now, at this late hour.
Haldir was stretched out on the sofa, pain-free at last. His leg was in a thick cast – the healers had been forced to re-break the partially-mended bone for it to heal properly. Having been bathed and fed, he was actually looking like an elf again. He had already accepted the hospitality of the Lord and Lady and would, in time, come to see them as his parents, like his brothers had.
Rúmil was curled up on Haldir's stomach, his arms wrapped around his brother. It warmed Celeborn's heart to see such devotion – maybe not all siblings were close, but there was no question of that here.
As for other devoted beings – Berio slept on the floor at their side, ears still alert. He had followed Haldir here without hesitation and Celeborn, who knew that the dog had only been protecting the injured elf, had allowed him to stay. After all, he had saved Haldir's life.
Orophin was in the arms of the still-snoring Galadriel, but was apparently not bothered by the noise. He had become rather attached to the Lady of Light and would undoubtedly follow her everywhere when he was big enough to walk – much like he and Rúmil. Celeborn snickered, that would be amusing indeed!
Yes, he mused, there was much to look forward to. He had never expected to have one son, let alone three. The addition of Haldir to the family was a wonderful gift to them all. In fact, Celeborn thought, it was perhaps the best Yule gift ever.
THE END!