Deep In My Heart
A tale of romance and fretful Elves by Ellie in ElfPajamas.
Rating: PG13. Frightening scenes, some things that may be deemed 'suggestive'.
BREAKING NEWS: The Misadventures Of Caladriel And Rinnalaiss will be getting a bit of a rewrite in the near future, as will Gilded Rose Of The House Of Gondolin. Legolas gets a bit more of a family. I don't think he's an only child anyway, probably not even the oldest child. And if you thought that Legolas was cool, you'll love his oldest brother. His brothers will be showing up in here, as well. Randir, eldest and crown prince, Earenrandir, second oldest and next in line to the throne, and Celebduril, third eldest and closest in age to Legolas, only a year older than his baby brother. And Telponnasseo, an Elf from a story I'm currently working on, makes a guest appearance.
Chapter three: Great Expectations.
Faelon yawned, looking over at peacefully sleeping Calad. Her belly bulged, she looked like she'd swallowed a watermelon. He smiled wryly at this thought. It was time for him to get up, and he was certainly not going to wake her. She looked so beautiful that way, her hair soft and feathery, her body completely relaxed, the satin blanket softly outlining her form in its folds. He loved her just as much as he had the day he'd married her, if not moreso. He kissed her forehead softly as he carefully got out of bed, trying not to disturb her.
As he hopped around on one foot, pulling on his leggings, he thought of the fact that there would soon be an Elfling in his house. Much as he was daunted by that, he couldn't wait to see the little one for the first time. There was just something about that idea, about seeing your first child for the first time. He wondered often if it would be male or female, who it would take more after. What would they name it?
He pulled on his tunic and then his boots, then quietly headed downstairs.
Faelon smiled as Rilaisseth came running after him with a wooden spoon in hand.
"Faelon Beriorgan! What are you doing up this early?" she demanded.
"Perchance, as I am lord of this manor, I deemed it time to wake?" Faelon said defensively.
"You should still be abed! You'll ruin everything!"
"Peace, Rilaisseth, if you want me to go back to bed, I will, but I have some papers to read and reports to finish, I need to get to work. So I'll just go into the study and.."
"Don't you dare! Back to bed with you!" she hissed, chasing him back up the stairs, striking him squarely on the rear with the wooden spoon once or twice to prove her point.
This is ridiculous, thought Faelon, here I am, Lord of Southern Mirkwood, and my household is really run by a portly old cook who paddles Elf Lords! What a concept! I really need to start asserting myself more...
He stopped at the top of the steps and turned to Rilaisseth.
"Stop this now. If you wake up Calad I will not be responsible for my actions. Go downstairs and leave me be. I need to finish that paper work to send it to King Thranduil by falcon, and the deadline is almost past." Faelon said. "Unless you have a really good reason for not wanting me downstairs, please get out of the way."
"It's February 21, that's why. You're one year older. It's your first begetting day since becoming Lord of this manor." Rilaisseth said. "We have a surprise downstairs, and you aren't supposed to be up yet!"
Faelon walked meekly back to his bedroom and sat there twiddling his thumbs.
Melannen had always loved chocolate, it was just a fact of life. The fact that she was eating a little more of it these days was really no surprise. Although that, combined with the fact that Melannen was looking a bit round, was starting to make Elrond wonder. The beautiful chocolate cake she was busilly preparing was cause for excitement though, because Elrond did like chocolate cake, very much. The thick, rich buttercream frosting that she was carefully layering on was making him salivate.
For a brief moment, Elrond saw two children hanging onto Melannen's skirts, a fair haired little boy and a dark haired little girl, both with blue-gray eyes. They turned to look at him and he blinked, then they were gone. He looked at the cake again, and when he looked back, they were there again. They were toddlers, adorable as the day is long, and obviously Erestor and Melannen's children. He crouched down and opened his arms to them, and they left their mother's skirts to see him.
"My Lord?" Melannen was looking at Elrond quizzically and the Elflings had vanished.
Elrond reddened in embarassment, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Umm, did you just see two small children in here? A boy and a girl?"
"No...."
"Are you sure? They were there, I talked to them!"
"My lord, are you quite alright?"
"They were twin Elflings! They looked like they could belong to you and Erestor! I swear they were there, I talked to them, they answered!"
"But, I'm not expecting twins."
"Maybe you should."
Elrond summarilly retreated, fearing the wrath of the Elven wife.
Calad rolled over, her third eyelid flicking back as she stretched her arms. Her shoulder hit something warm and solid, and she looked up at her rather abashed husband in sleepy surprise. He was just sitting there, fully dressed, apparantly ready for the day. He grinned sheepishly. Calad gauged the amount of light coming in through the windows and realized how late in the morning it was.
"Faelon, what are you still doing here? You should have started on your reports hours ago!" Calad exclaimed.
"Rilaisseth has banished me to my room." Faelon said, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.
Calad giggled, burying her face in a pillow.
"Well don't look at me, Lord of Southern Mirkwood, I had nothing to do with it." Calad chuckled.
"Apparantly it somehow leaked to Rilaisseth that today is my begetting day, and she won't let me downstairs because they have a surprise down there. It doesn't matter that I have important paperwork to send to King Thranduil, not at all. It doesn't matter that I HAVE A DEADLINE I HAVE TO MEET!, as long as Rilaisseth gets to have her little surprise go over without mishap!"
"Faelon, you're going to make me laugh."
"FAELON, CALAD!" Rilaisseth called from the bottom of the stairs.
Calad giggled.
"I'm not even dressed. You can tell her to hold her six white horses."
"HOLD YOUR SIX WHITE HORSES, RILAISSETH!" Faelon yelled, dreadfully pleased with himself for having defied the cook.
Calad dressed quickly, pulling on a green dress.
Thranduil tapped his foot impatiently. He'd been amused by his son-in-law's outburst, long years with Rilaisseth made his appreciation of the put-down quite keen.
Legolas giggled, looking at the cake, covered with sugar frosting. Thranduil was rather dreading the idea of his youngest son on a sugar rush. He looked in grim resignation at the younger Elf. Faelon appeared at the top of the steps, his wife holding onto his arm as they made their way down the stairs. They entered the dining room, and Faelon suddenly looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. King Thranduil's presence was too much. Crown Prince Randir, Prince Earenrandir, and Prince Celebduril all smiled brightly.
They all toasted Faelon's health, and Faelon looked in dread at the wine flagon, for the hangover cometh.
Glorfindel loved buttercream frosting. It was so creamy. 'Of course, that's why they call it "buttercream", I'm surprised your name doesn't mean Golden Lackwit.' Celeboril had said that more than once. Melannen was seated beside Erestor as usual, looking a bit tired. Elrond was giddy in delight, it'd been a while since anyone had made something like this, perhaps not even since his wife had gone to the Havens.
Erestor looked at Glorfindel with an eyebrow raised. It wasn't often that Glorfindel went into 'dumb blond' mode like this. Glorfindel was rather distractedly carving a topographical map of Arda in the frosting, grinning as he thought of the places he'd been. Melannen looked at Glorfindel too, when Erestor nudged her gently. She snickered, looking down on the table for something to add for trees. She found a sprig of parsley, and quickly stuck it in the area of Mirkwood. Glorfindel groaned.
"Yuck! I hate parsley..." he muttered, picking it off.
He realized everyone was now staring at him with bemused grins. Lindir was snickering, Celeboril was trying his best not to laugh, a few of the guard and some scribes that worked as Erestor's underlings were looking on in benign fascination. Glorfindel reddened in embarassment.
"Well.... It is a fairly good map." Lindir said, looking at it. "But that mountain is lopsided."
"True." chuckled Elrandír, the cartographer. "The elevations are also a bit off. This pass should be higher."
"Golden Lackwit." Celeboril muttered, rolling his eyes.
Glorfindel looked like a meek, unjustly persecuted Elf. Elrond laughed out loud, which unfortunately made milk come out his nose since he was drinking a glass of it at the time. This turned everyone's attention to their lord, and several were wondering if it was permissable to laugh at an Elf Lord when he laughed and milk came out his nose. Erestor started laughing outright. It was truly comical to see the great Lord Elrond with milk coming out of his nose. Maybe a once in a lifetime sight, even. Melannen laughingly handed Elrond a napkin.
Faelon was standing on the hilltop overlooking his home, a calfskin in hand, as he told Legolas how this 'sledding' thing was done. Then, with that, Faelon got a running start, and then slid down the hill on the calfskin. Legolas was astonished, Tholvell whooped in excited anticipation, and Ochadrion sighed, knowing he would most likely hit a tree on his own way down. Legolas' big brother grinned wickedly, picking up a calfskin.
"Now this I haven't tried before." Randir laughed, then proceeded to copy Faelon.
Randir laughed as snow kicked up in his face, sticking in his red-gold hair. He wasn't laughing when he was abruptly stopped by a snowdrift. Faelon laughed, pulling the crown prince out of the bank by his ankles. Randir sputtered, shaking his head to get the snow out of his hair. Faelon chuckled, looking up at the taller Elf.
"You should have bailed, Randir."
Randir laughed, lightly punching Faelon's shoulder.
"You're right." Randir looked up the hill and called to his brothers. "Come on, you chickens! It's your turn Earenrandir, make sure you look out for the snowdrift!"
Earenrandir and Celebduril made similar mistakes, Earenrandir hit an embankment and tumbled into the snow, Celebduril came down too soon and ran over his older brother as Earenrandir hopped back onto the trail. Legolas, thinking to show up his older brothers, managed to overshoot the calfskin and instead came tumbling down the hill. Faelon was having a great time watching the brothers make fools of themselves. Elladan, Elrohir, and Estel were very proficient sledders themselves, and showed up the Mirkwood Elves quite a bit.
There was a gentle knock at the door of The Last Homely house, and Elrond went to answer it, curious to see who had come to their door. An Elf about Glorfindel's height loomed on the doorstep, his long silver hair nearly matching the snow that clung to it and lay on his cloak. He smiled down at Elrond.
"Mae Govannen, son of Earendil. It has been a long time since I last saw you." the Elf said, a good natured twinkle in his eyes.
Elrond was awed, but stepped aside, inviting the tall Elf inside. The Elf took off his cloak, dusting the snow from the brooch that held it. It was a rayed sun, the symbol of Glorfindel's household!
"Who are you?!" Elrond asked suddenly. "Why do you wear the emblem of the house of the Golden Flower?"
"I? I am Telponnasseo, brother of Glorfindel, and I belong to the house of the Golden Flower. Surely your father taught you that it is rude to question one's family crest. How are you, young Lord Elrond?" Telponnasseo asked, with easy familiarty.
Elrond almost snorted in disgust at being called young. But there was something about the Elf that spoke of great age. He didn't know what exactly, but there was something there.
Glorfindel came into the entry hall, having heard voices, but being unable to identify or make them out. Elrond and Telponnasseo turned at the sound of Glorfindel's steady, measured tread. Glorfindel's stern countenance broke into a smile, and he threw his arms around Telponnasseo.
"So, Nasse, you have at last come to visit us for a change." Glorfindel said, smiling. "This is a new development, little brother."
"So it is, Glor. I have brought Elrond a gift, though at the moment I wonder whether he will welcome it or no."
"If it's shiny, non-breakable, and Celeboril doesn't have to clean up after it, Elrond will love it. Right, Lord Elrond?"
"I suppose."
"Well, they are shiny, they don't come in the house, and they don't break easilly. Will that be satisfactory?"
Now Elrond's curiousity was piqued.
"What are they, then, Telponnasseo?"
"Put on your cloak and I will show you."
Glorfindel too put on his cloak, and the three Elves stepped outside.
Seven magnificent horses stood in the courtyard, three were stallions of finest breeding and training, the others were mares of unsurpassed beauty.
"Eleven horses, Elrond."
"I count seven..." Elrond said in confusion.
Telponnasseo grinned impishly, and it was easy to see whose brother he was in that moment.
"I count eleven. Maybe more. The mares are in foal."
"Ahhh, a puzzle. I see now." Elrond smiled. "Thank you, Telponnasseo. They are splendid additions to my stable. I'll be honored to ride them."
Telponnasseo looked gratified and a little embarassed.
Elrond proceeded to coax the silver Elf into the halls of fire to tell a tale, much to Glorfindel's amusement. Lindir was tripping over himself, he was so excited to meet another Gondolin Elf. Seated side by side, the resemblance between Glorfindel and Telponnasseo was to much to miss. Erestor smiled at Telponnasseo, looking up from the book he was writing for a moment. A look of understanding passed between them, and Telponnasseo nodded to Erestor. Erestor and Telponnasseo had met only once before, and the meeting had added much to Imladris' history books. Much about Elrond's family, even.
Melannen was dozing, her head resting in Erestor's lap. Erestor's right hand rested on her head as he stroked her hair. The warm laziness of the fire had a lot of the Elves drowsy, and Lindir asked Telponnasseo for a song from Gondolin. Telponnasseo would only sing with Glorfindel's accompaniment, and their lighthearted, brotherly banter was amusing as they disagreed over what to sing.
He was a king, a teacher
The wisest in the land
Driven by a passion
Just to know and understand
He opened wide his eyes
Sought to see beyond the lies
And found a world beyond his understanding
Under the sun
He saw the vanity of vanities
He bravely looked at life
And saw futility
Torn between the facts he saw
And all he ever had believed
Between his hopes and what he'd
clearly seen
He hoped it might be wisdom
So he set himself to learn
But found the more the knowledge
The more sorrow and concern
And so he turned to pleasure
To folly and to cheer
But still his laughter tasted of his tears
Under the sun
It was all vanity of vanities
In wisdom or in wine
He found futility
In knowledge or in folly
For the wise man or the fool
Hopelessness will always be the rule
And yet there is a time
For everything that's under heaven
A time to run, a time to stand and fight
So in the face of cold despair
No matter what seems right
Remember, darkness drives us to the light
Under the sun
True there is vanity of vanities
But there is more to life
There is security
Remember your Creator
In the days when you are young
And He will be your hope
Under the sun.
(Michael Card/Phil Naish 1990 Birdwing Music and BMG Songs)
Telponnasseo's voice was as silver as his brother's was golden. They were not silver and gold for no reason. It came to Elrond's mind how aptly they had been named, these brothers of the Golden Flower. In his heart he hoped Telponnasseo would stay for the winter. There would be no lack for entertainment.