I didn't disclaim the last chapter, but let this one serve both.
"By Valar, I don't think it will ever end!" Legolas wailed, covering his ears with his hands to no avail. The glass shattering screams of the babe could still be heard. What had Legolas ever done in his life to deserve such cruelty? Estel had been crying for, well for as long as Legolas could remember at this point. Didn't Elladan assure him all the boy did was sleep? Unfortunately for him, it seemed as though whenever Estel was near him he'd start shrieking. Legolas hoped that the child would quickly grow out of that or else, he would simply have to stop coming to Rivendell.
"What did you do to him?" Elrohir asked, watching his brother as he took his shift trying to calm his new younger brother. The situation certainly would have been funnier from another's perspective, Elrohir thought. But from the front line of this battle, it was absolute torture.
"Nothing!" Legolas replied, growing absolutely frustrated with the little baby. Why did Elrond take this child if he was such trouble? Now with the twins, he deducted, he had to keep because they were his own and no one else would have them, but this baby. Not only wasn't this child his, but it wasn't even an elfling child. Which made Legolas wonder as to why the elf lord would even take on this burden.
"I've held him for long enough, it's your turn." Elladan remarked, handing over the baby to Legolas, who took it reluctantly.
"I just had him." Legolas argued, feeling as though he only had a second repose since he handled the wailing child.
"Nearly an hour ago. Besides this is all you fault, thus you should hold the brunt of the labor." Elladan retorted, massaging out his arms as they had tensed quite a bit from all that holding. For such a small thing, it certainly did weigh a lot.
"My fault? How in the world is this my fault!" Legolas was getting sick and tired of constantly being blamed for things he had no hand in. There was no possible way he could be blamed for this. If anything Estel's mother was at fault for bearing such a loud thing. Sildulin's baby better be a lot quieter Legolas thought, he could hardly deal with this back in Mirkwood.
"If you pretended to enjoy Estel in even the slightest bit, ada never would have forced you to watch him." Elladan started.
"And wrangled us in to keep an eye on you." Elrohir finished.
"I hardly need you to keep an eye on me! You can't handle him any better than me!" Legolas exclaimed. How his parents stayed together, till circumstances outside their realm of control tore them apart, Legolas could not fathom. Just look at him and the twins currently. He had never been closer to tearing their throats out, all because of the stress Estel was causing. If only he would be quiet, just for a moment. Legolas had almost forgotten what silence sounded like. After this ordeal, he knew he would appreciate it all the more.
"Well, if that's true, I guess we can go then." Elladan said. Both he and his brother sped through the door before Legolas could mutter a word, leaving him dumb struck.
"You're coming back, right?" he called, when he received no answer he knew that they had truly deserted him. Legolas looked at Estel, who upon the stare ceased to cry and looked back up at Legolas. "Now you stop? Rid me of company and then you stop. I tell you Estel, you have it in for me." Estel smiled up, Legolas had to admit when the kid wasn't crying he was kind of cute. Enjoying the quiet, Legolas sat down with the child in his arms and watched him as his eyes slowly shut and his breathing slowed, falling into a deep sleep. "Who knew it was this easy." Legolas remarked to the still bundle in his arms. Carefully getting up, Legolas headed toward the crib on the far side of the room, laying Estel then tucking him in.
It didn't take too long before Legolas grew restless, remaining alone in the silent room. Glancing down at the sleeping child and then at the open door the twins had just escaped from minutes ago, Legolas decided now that the child was asleep it was fine to leave. He opened a window on the opposite wall from the crib, just to keep the room cool for the baby.
"You should be fine Estel. If you cry loud enough, I'm certain if I don't hear you someone else will. Well, night." Legolas said as he departed from the room. Parents had to leave their babies alone sometimes, right? Otherwise, they would never sleep, or have a life.
"Are you sure it was safe for her to leave, sire?" Tulcahrve asked the King from across the table where he sat. The King looked up from over the pile of papers he had been slaving over.
"Perhaps you should ask me a few more times and then my answer will change." The King answered, growing utterly exasperated with his young son-in-law. Though he himself was concerned for his daughter's welfare, as he always thought of all his children's well being, he knew she could take care of herself. It never ceased to amaze him how old his children had grown to be, how mature: capable of caring for themselves, making their own decisions. He thought when this age came it would relieve him of some stress, it only caused more it seemed, feeling less capable of protected them over his somewhat overbearing wings. But he knew Sildulin would never take an action to put her unborn in harm's way and so trusted in her that she would get back safely.
"But did you see how big she was when she left. She was really pregnant. Being that pregnant and on a horse and just, all that travel and the such, that can't be good. The more I think about it, the more I think our poor baby might get some sort of head injury from bouncing around in there." Thranduil couldn't help but laugh, being reminded of himself when his wife was pregnant with Kaimelar. It always seemed as though the woman were calmer. The men running around, not sure what to do, hovering over his wife's every move; while she just seemed to know. Thankfully for their family his Queen always knew that all their children were healthy.
"You're child is fine. Trust my daughter, she knows how to care for herself and the little one she carries. She would never do anything to harm it." Tulcahrve nodded, knowing that the King's advice seemed logical enough, but he could not calm his nerves. In a another four months, they were going to have a little baby. He was going to be a daddy. Who would have thought that was possible? He certainly never foresaw it, thought he would always be a young, carefree elf. It made him rethink his duty to his kingdom. If he was die in some battle, what would that mean to his family. Perhaps this was something he should discuss with the King. But first he would talk it over with Sil, that was something you did in marriage, he discovered, you talk things over with your partner before you do them. If you don't, they occasionally get angry with you, that surprised him much more than it should have.
"Sire!" Tapuc stumbled into the doorway, and before continuing looked back to see what it was that had tripped him up. The pause was enough to make Tulcah burst into laughter, thinking the King's aide was one of the funniest creatures to ever grace Middle Earth, grace being a word of irony in this case.
"Careful there, Puc." Tulcah called out. He heard the elf mutter softly to the ground, 'it's Tapuc,' too self conscious to voice his complaints any louder. But Tulcah took pity on him. "What's going on Tapuc?"
"Oh, Prince Kaimelar, he just wanted me to tell you, not that he means to insult you in any way. It's just that he thought, well, he thought that maybe you would like to go. And so he took it upon himself to. uh, he got the horses all ready and set to go." Tapuc finished, clearing his throat. The filtering of Kailmelar's words through Tapuc's mouth, was an utter amazement to hear.
"What exactly are you speaking of?" Thranduil asked.
"Oh, well the horses, to go to Rivendell to see the Princess. They are ready." Tapuc took that as his exit line, gave a quick bow and zipped off to another part of the castle, free from other elves.
"The horses, of course," Thranduil said smiling. He noticed that Tulcah had already rose and began to get his things together.
"With your sire's permission, I would very much like to take Kai's offer up. I've been itching to see her, make sure she's okay. I'm certain you understand, right?" Tulcah gave a sheepish grin, as he paused amidst the flurry of activity to glance at the King.
"Of course, go. I'd hardly feel right keeping you here. Give my son my regards." He shook his head as Tulcah dashed from the room without so much as a look back or a good bye. Thranduil looked up to the ceiling. "At least now I have some peace and quiet to get some work done." he sighed. If only Sildulin's future held that promise. He could only imagine the chaos that would now infiltrate her peaceful retreat to Rivendell. Such is the curse of an expecting mother to be hounded by the protective eye of her adoring husband.
Another chapter done, it should get a little more fun in the next coming chapters. Please review, it would be helpful. Thanks all