"So, Locien, would you like me to bathe you or can you do this yourself?" Tonus asked. He did not want to undress and bathe the withdrawn little elfling without permission.
"I don't care… You can, sir." The elfling allowed Tonus to undress him, and Tonus was extremely careful at placing him in the bathtub. The elfling was very grimy, only being able to bathe him when he came across a clean stream.
Tonus took a cloth and was about to put some soap on it when he smiled. He took the three different soaps they had and placed then on the edge of the bathtub.
"Which one would you like me to wash you with, Locien?" Tonus asked. "Cherry, lemon or orange?" Tonus said the types there was. Tonus also had a strawberry soap, but that was Florien's, and Florien's only.
Locien looked at the three soaps, they all looked nice. But he loved the smell of cherries, which he rarely smelt.
"Cherry." Locien said. Tonus put soap on the cloth that was cherry-scented and lathered Locien up.
"Hey, that tickles!" Locien giggled quietly as Tonus washed his belly. Tonus beamed, the saddest elfling he had ever met had just smiled.
"Locien, are you glad to be here?"
"Yes. It's cold outside. And I was hungry, I don't get much food outside." Locien said. Tonus nodded. "I doubt you would be very warm outside, and it is quite dangerous for little elflings, at least you where in the town. But I am glad to have found you." Tonus said, now washing Locien's hair. It was full of twigs and leaves.
"Now I will need to get you some more clothes, I believe my son's clothes he never wore will suit you just fine. Stay here." Tonus got up and left, returning shortly with a fuzzy tunic and soft leggings. Tonus pulled his new elfling out of the tub and dried him, and then he proceeded to dress the child in the soft, warm clothing that did not fit his son anymore.
"It's so soft." Locien smiled again, he had been wearing the itchiest tunic in Arda for the longest of times.
"I am glad you like it, I would enjoy a tunic like that too." Tonus smiled. "You must be tired. I will get you a snack and then you can sleep in my son's bed for tonight, tomorrow I will arrange a bed for you."
Tonus led Locien by his hand to the kitchens.
"Since you chose cherry soap, I bet you would love cherries to eat, how about that?" Tonus smiled.
"Yes, please!" The elfling thanked Tonus when Tonus handed him a bowl of fresh cherries. The elfling gobbled them all in a few minutes.
"Thank you again." Locien said, taking Tonus' hand as he was led to Florien's bed. Tonus tucked in the elfling.
"I promise you Locien, your life is going to get better from here. Good night elfling." Tonus smiled.
"What can I call you? You told me your name was Veryan, but can I call you by that?" Locien asked.
"Well, you may call me Veryan, or you may call me ada, or Tonus, since my full name is Tonusalion Veryan." Tonus said.
"I can really call you ada? I never had an ada, I never knew him. He left before I was born. I'd really like to call you ada. Can I call your wife nana?" Locien asked. Tonus smiled and nodded.
"Of course, I'm sure she would not mind." Tonus said, blowing out the candle near the bed.
"Goodnight ada." The elfling whispered.
"Goodnight Locien." Tonus smiled.
Tonus walked down the hall to his bedroom, to see his wife.
"Yáviel I-
Tonus stopped when he saw that Yàviel was crying softly, holding something tightly in her hands. She looked up at Tonus and turned away from him, trying to stop the tears from shedding.
"Yàviel, what is the matter?" Tonus asked, sitting on the bed and putting an arm around Yàviel, pulling her closer to him.
"Tonus, I just want to spend time with you. That's all I ever wanted. But I never have, since we married. I work so hard to take care of Florien and I never see you, and now I will have to take care of two elflings, and it's hard enough to manage one, with no attention from you. I miss the days when you would see me every day and there were no worries, you would kiss me and talk to me and make me feel loved. Now I just feel like I'm only here to keep your home clean and to make sure your children live, as if I am just another one of your father's servants." Yàviel said. Tonus bit his lip.
"What are you holding?" Tonus asked, reaching over and lifting Yáviel's fingers up to reveal what was beneath them: a lock of golden hair, Tonus' hair.
"You asked me for that, a few hours after we had met. You feared I would never come back to see you, so you asked for something to remember me by. I cut you a lock of my hair. I did not know that you still had it."
"I kept everything you ever gave me, I keep them locked up in a chest. I still have your old tunic, your letters, anything you ever gave me or sent me was kept, because I loved you."
"You loved me?"
"I did, but I don't know if I do anymore." Yàviel whispered, shoving the lock of hair in a small box and placing it in a chest beneath her bed.
"This is the chest you speak of?" Tonus asked opening the chest and looking at all of the contents inside, all of which he had given her. Then Tonus noticed a small book that was next to the box, but he had not given to her. He picked it up and opened it.
"No, don't read that!" Yàviel gasped. Tonus turned around and he would not let her stop him from reading it. Tonus read every page and nothing Yàviel did stopped him.
When Tonus turned around his face was covered in tears.
"This is your journal. I did not know you felt this way. Yàviel… You… I think you are fading."
"That's nonsense Tonus, I am not fading. Give my book back." Yáviel tried to snatch the book but Tonus raised it high above her head.
"I am a healer Yáviel. I do not want you to fade. Tell me, have you been having any headaches or anything of the kind?"
"Yes... Now… Now please, my book, Tonus!"
Tonus gave her the book, but kept a hand on her shoulder.
"Yáviel, if you are not fading then you will start to soon. What you wrote in that book tells me that you will die of grief eventually, but I think you are only beginning to fade. I can make it stop, I have to, and I will not let you fade." Tonus said, sitting down on the bed. Yáviel sat beside him and cuddled up against him.
"Yáviel, do you want to leave? Do you want to go to mandos?" Tonus asked.
"I do not know. I do not want to leave Florien, and if you spent more time with me I would not want to leave you, either." Yáviel whispered.
"Locien is asleep, an I brought something with me that I bet you would love." Tonus smiled, reaching into a sack that hung from his belt. He pulled out a rose and a pack of cards.
"Are these the cards you brought with you such a long while ago?" Yáviel asked.
In reply, Tonus pulled out one of the cards. It had five diamonds on it, and on the top in ink was 'I'm with child'.
"It is." Yáviel whispered. "You had told me not to talk whilst we played because you needed to concentrate, and I had just found out that I was pregnant with Florien, and so I wrote it on that card and showed it to you."
"I know, and I kept this pack of cards because of that." Tonus said. "Care for a game of cards?" He added, smiling. Yáviel nodded and got comfortable on the bed. Tonus was about to put his feet on the bed when Yáviel shot a glare at him.
"I am sleeping in the bed tonight, you know. Take your boots off." Yáviel ordered. Tonus did as he was told.
"If it is alright with you, I would like to sleep in this bed too, tonight, with you." Tonus said.
"But you cant, they at the palace will notice your disappearance." Yáviel said. Tonus shrugged.
"I do not mind, I would rather spend a night here than at the palace." Tonus said, knowing he would be getting a lengthy lecture from his father when he returned. Yáviel smiled.
"Then you are welcomed here." Yáviel smiled. "I would love to have you here."
Tonus smiled, and without another word started to deal the cards. The two played for an hour, before Tonus let Yàviel win.
"You lost on purpose, Tonus, I know you did." Yàviel smiled, lying down on the bed. Tonus lay beside her.
"Are you upset that I took Locien in? I know I did not ask you, and you are who lives here."
"I was not exactly happy about it, but he is a very sweet boy and I can forgive you. I was not surprised that you would try to adopt him."
"You were not surprised? At all?"
"No, Tonus, I know you well enough to know that you are such a sweetheart and you love children." Yàviel said, wrapping her arms around Tonus' neck. Tonus beamed.
"I hope Locien is happy here. I want his life to be better, I want the rest of his life to be wonderful." Tonus said.
"I want him to have a good life too, Tonus, but I am worried about Florien's reaction to Locien. What if Florien is not happy? Florien may not like having Locien around, and Florien might not like having to share our attention or sharing his toys." Yàviel sighed.
"But, it will be good for Florien, he shall learn how to share." Tonus pointed out. Yàviel nodded.
"That is very true. Still, I am worried for him. Tonus, tomorrow, will you visit, later on?" Yàviel asked.
"I will leave after breakfast tomorrow, but I will not return. Will I see at Gandalf's fireworks tomorrow night?" Tonus asked.
"You may, if Florien and Locien are not too scared by them." Yàviel smiled.
"I do hope I see you tomorrow, as I will do whatever it takes to prevent you from fading. Now, I am tired. Do I have anything to sleep in that is still here?" Tonus asked.
"Yes, in the closet." Yàviel pointed to a nearby closet. Tonus got up and opened the closet, rummaging around until he found an old sleeping tunic. Tonus pulled off his current tunic and his leggings and slid into the soft tunic. Tonus could tell it had not been washed recently, as it smelt very bad.
"It's soft, but I must ask when was the last time you washed it?" Tonus asked, grinning.
"It has not been washed since you last wore it, which was quite a long time ago, it does not fit you very well anymore." Yàviel commented.
"Yes, I see that."
Tonus got under the blankets. Yàviel was already in her sleeping gown.
"Goodnight sweetheart." Yàviel whispered, leaning over and kissing Tonus on his temple.
"Goodnight Yàviel… I will be here when you wake up, do not worry about… That…" Tonus yawned, turning on his side, as he always slept on his side. Yàviel lay down again and placed her arm around Tonus' muscular torso. "I love you Tonus, I still do." Yàviel whispered. Tonus, who was almost asleep, smiled. "I will always love you, Yàviel." Tonus said before his gaze became unfocused.
Meanwhile, Florien was being a nuisance for Elrohir.
To be continued…I hope everyone had a merry Christmas. I did. My uncle got me a crystal Xbox and three games (and I thought he'd get me another box of crayons, like last year).
Miss Telcontar: Oh no what?
Aranna Undomiel: Tonus is a softy, yep, the softest of the Thranduilion boys.
Karone Evertree: Tonus likes throwing tantrums, it's quite funny to watch.
Here comes the hockey puck: Elflings are much better than dwarflings, aren't they?
Haldir's Heart and Soul: Well I suppose you would have more presents to buy than I do… It took me two days and thirty dollars to get all my shopping done!
Laer4572: Tonus has a very soft heart and he loves children very much.
Mistopurr: I will try very hard to give you more Landion in the next chapter, all right? If you don't want to change anything about your brother, but you still want a brother like Legolas, then why not want another brother like Legolas? Then your current brother stays the same! Mince Pies?! We usually give Santa cookies and Milk…