Thank you all so much for your reviews and your patience for this chapter. I'm really sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been so busy. I hope you like this chapter, and as always let me know what you think!
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Chapter 35: A Special Delivery
Legolas helped Ellethwen to her bed and she shook her head as he sat her down. "Legolas, I'm fine, really," she said softly as she raised her hand to her head. The world still spun, but she thought it was just from her worry for her son.
"Then why are you the color of the purest snow?" Legolas asked as he pushed her hair from her face.
"Where is Boromir? Where is Dallin?" she asked and Legolas stepped back while Aragorn moved in front of her and took her face into his hands, there were two of him, but she did her best to focus on him. "Aragorn, where are my son and husband?" she asked.
"They are fine, Ellethwen," he said. "What is wrong, and tell me honestly." She sighed and blinked her eyes a few times.
"My head is spinning, an ache in my lower stomach, and I can't focus," she said still seeing two of Aragorn.
"The terror may have brought on early labor," he said softly as he too pushed her hair from her face and looked to Legolas who remained silent in the room. "Could you get her to the House of Healing?" Legolas nodded and helped Ellethwen from the bed and led her down the corridors.
Boromir had left a sleeping Dallin in his room with Safria before he left the chamber that was across the corridor from his. He saw Legolas leading Ellethwen away and he moved quickly to her side.
"Where are you taking her?" Boromir asked as he fell in step with the pair.
"The House of Healing," Legolas said quickly. "Aragorn should be following." Boromir nodded, but took Ellethwen from Legolas' arms.
"I'll take her," Boromir told Legolas and the elf nodded. Ellethwen sighed as she was shifted and she put her hand on her stomach.
"Is Dallin alright?" she asked as she looked up at Boromir and he nodded as he looked down at his wife's pale face.
"He is fine, he sleeps and Safria is with him," he told her. She nodded slowly and stopped suddenly as a sharp pain ripped through her stomach. She screamed and Boromir grasped her tighter when her knees buckled.
"She's not going to make it to the House of Healing," Boromir nearly shouted as he pulled Ellethwen to her feat. "Here, help me with her, please," Boromir said quickly and Legolas helped him take her into a chamber across the hall. Ellethwen was beginning to panic once again as Boromir and Legolas helped her onto the bed.
"I will retrieve Aragorn," Legolas said quickly before he left the pair. Ellethwen grasped Boromir's arm as another pain ripped through her lower stomach.
"Boromir, please do not leave me," she whispered feverishly. Boromir looked down at her. "Please, I'm frightened." He covered her hand with his. She was trembling and he sighed softly.
"I won't, Ellethwen," he said gently.
"The baby is coming, she is coming early just as Dallin had," she said quickly before she gritted through another pain in her stomach. Just then Aragorn came rushing in with Legolas close behind.
"What is happened?" Aragorn asked quickly and Boromir looked at him.
"She's having the child," he said gravely.
"I knew this may happen," Aragorn said softly. "Legolas-." His sentence was interrupted by Ellethwen screaming. Aragorn looked to Legolas. "Get Ioreth and two other healers, hurry," he said and moved to Ellethwen while Legolas rushed from the room once more. "Boromir, I'm afraid you'll have to step outside. Your wife is about to give birth." Ellethwen's grip on his arm tightened.
"Can't he stay?" she asked breathlessly and Aragorn looked at her sadly.
"From what the Rohan healer told us, your first labor was difficult, there is no reason to prove that this one will not be harder," Aragorn told her and she took deep breaths. Crying echoed in the corridor and Boromir looked form his wife to the door where Legolas rushed in with Iroeth and two other healers behind
"Boromir, you should go to Dallin's chamber, the maid is looking everywhere for you," Legolas said. "Dallin has had a nightmare and he cries for your or Ellethwen." Boromir sighed and looked at Ellethwen whose teeth were gritted and her face contorted in pain. When the pain had past she looked up at him.
"Go to our son," she said tiredly. He looked to Aragorn who nodded.
"Go, Boromir, you'll be of no use here," he said as he rolled up the sleeves of his dark red tunic. Boromir assumed then that Aragorn was about to deliver his child. He found it very odd that the king was about to help his wife through labor, but in all honesty given the reason for Ellethwen going into labor he would have none other deliver his child. Boromir kissed Ellethwen's forehead before he slipped from the room. Iroeth closed the door behind him and he saw Legolas and Gimli standing outside the door.
"Retrieve me, if any word is given on her condition," Boromir said and Legolas nodded his head.
"Aye, I will do just that," Legolas said. Boromir gave them a worried smile before he continued down the corridor.
As he walked down the corridor, the cries grew louder. "Dallin!" he heard Safria say as he neared the door. "Dallin, please it is alright." Boromir walked through the door and Dallin let out a loud cry before he ran from the dark haired maid and into his arms. Tears fell down his son's face and Boromir picked him up from the floor. "I'm sorry, my lord," Safria said quickly. "He woke and started screaming. He had a nightmare." Boromir nodded his head as he ran his hand up and down Dallin's back.
"It's alright, Safria, you may go," Boromir said as he soothed Dallin. Safria bowed her head and quickly left the chamber. "Dallin, my son, calm yourself. It is alright, you are safe in your own chamber, and you are in my arms." Dallin sniffed and raised his head his dark locks damp and stuck to his cheeks. Boromir gave him a smile and pulled Dallin's hair from his face.
"The mean lady still had me and she was making mommy cry. She was taking me away and wouldn't let me go to mommy or you," he said his voice shaking slightly. "I don't like it when mommy cries." Boromir kissed his son's forehead and nodded as he hugged him.
"I don't either," Boromir whispered.
"Where is mommy?" Dallin asked as he sniffed again and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.
"Right now, she is bring your little brother or sister into the world," Boromir told him as he sat down in the old rocking chair and started to rock Dallin. Dallin sniffed again and whimpered slightly.
"Is that lady going to come back?" he asked and Boromir looked at him.
"No, she won't ever harm you or your mommy again," Boromir assured him and he nodded his head. "I will never let anyone harm you, my son," Boromir said softly as Dallin laid his head back down on Boromir's shoulder. However, as he comforted and rocked his son, his thoughts were also on his wife who was no doubt having a difficult time.
"You're doing fine Ellethwen," Aragorn said as Iroeth patted Ellethwen's forehead with a cool cloth. Ellethwen groaned through another pain and nodded as it subsided.
"Must you deliver my child?" Ellethwen asked weakly and Aragorn chuckled.
"Am I doing that terrible of a job?" he asked as he placed a pillow under her lower back. She groaned again and titled her head back.
"No," she said as the pain subsided and she looked up at him tiredly, "but it is odd to have one's king deliver your child." Aragorn smiled as she laid her head back and took labored breaths. Aragorn moved to the end of the bed.
"It is time, Ellethwen, on the next pain push," Aragorn said his smile leaving his face. She lifted her head and looked at him with a nod. She took a deep breath when she felt the slow ache build and then pushed as pain ripped through her once again.
Dallin had finally settled down enough for Boromir to leave, and Boromir left Safria with him while he went to check on Ellethwen and how she was doing. It had been hours since he had left her, and he knew it was probably good news why Legolas or Gimli hadn't come for him, but he worried all the same.
Gimli was leaning against the wall and Legolas stood with his arms across his chest looking out the window.
"Have you heard anything?" Boromir asked and Gimli stood up from the wall and Legolas uncrossed his arms as he turned to look at him.
"Nothing yet," Gimli said. Boromir sighed and stopped next to Gimli and looked at the door. Boromir ran a calloused hand tiredly down his face. He was weary from the events of the day and from his travel, but there was still too much happening.
Suddenly, and loud cry from the other side of the door startled all three that stood outside the door. Boromir moved to go to the door when Gimli stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Hold on, lad, you best be waiting," he said and Boromir looked from the dwarf to the door once again. He waited what seemed like forever before the cries of a small baby met his ears. Boromir let out the breath he had been holding and smiled as he looked at his two friends who smiled brightly at him in return.
Nearly half an hour later, Iroeth came from the room. "Lord Boromir," she said with a small smile. "Do come, your wife wishes to see you." Boromir looked to Gimli and Legolas before he followed Iroeth inside the room. There was a dressing screen around the bed, so he could not see Ellethwen, but Aragorn stood near a large water basin drying his hands with a towel. His king had a large smile on his face.
"She is weak, but she did surprisingly well," Aragorn said. "There was one complication, but both are healthy." Boromir bowed his head to Aragorn before he moved around the screen and beside the bed. One of the young healers was propping Ellethwen up on pillows and when she saw Boromir she bowed her head and quickly left the pair alone. Ellethwen turned her tired blue-grey eyes to him and she gave him a weak smile.
"Nearly twelve hours of labor, for that small bundle," he said softly as he moved closer to her. She laughed softly and looked at the small form in her arms.
"Boromir," she said her voice was hoarse so she paused and swallowed before she turned her eyes back to his, "I want to show you your daughter," she finished as she pulled back the blanket and revealed the tiny face of his little girl. Just like Dallin she had a tuft of dark hair covering her head and her eyes slowly blinked open revealing a pair of soft deep blue eyes that looked up at him with curiosity.
Boromir felt tears come to his own eyes as he looked down at his daughter. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, well the second most beautiful thing he had ever seen. His wife was the most beautiful creature in the world. He reached out and touched his daughter's cheek gently and smiled.
"She's beautiful," he whispered as his eyes turned to Ellethwen. "Beautiful, just like her mother." He leaned in and kissed Ellethwen's forehead before he sighed keeping his face pressed into her damp hair. She had gone through so much in the last day, the threat against her son, and then going into labor due to the stress. He knew then that he had found the most wondrous woman in the entire world. "I love you," he whispered into her hair.
"I love you too," she whispered back and he pulled back and looked at her with a smile. "How is Dallin?" Boromir smiled.
"Fine, Safria was going to be giving him a bath before she put him to bed." Ellethwen smiled tiredly and nodded as she looked down at the baby in her arms. "What are we to name her?"
"Since I chose Dallin's name, I think you should name her." Boromir nodded. There was a name he had in mind. It was an Elvish name, one he had asked Legolas about the translation of it meant 'beloved' and that was just what his daughter was.
"Melda," he said as he let his hand hover over the top of her head. "We shall call her Melda." Ellethwen smiled and nodded.
"That is a beautiful name, and one deserving of such a beautiful girl," Aragorn said as he stepped closer to the bed. "Let Iroeth take little Melda while you rest Ellethwen," he said as the older healer took her daughter from her arms.
"She'll be safe, my dear," Iroeth reassured Ellethwen at the slightly worried look she gave her. Boromir smiled and kissed Ellethwen's forehead once again.
"Do take rest, my love, I will watch over both of our children tonight," he told her and she smiled.
"Do wake me when Melda needs feeding," she said tiredly and the last image she saw before her dreams claimed her was the smiling and proud face of her husband.