Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Lord of the Rings.
Note: No reviews again, this makes me sad. Oh well I have settled on a name which means Leo and I found it on a website. But I really hope I get at least one more review before this chapter and the next are done. Let's begin.
Nienna smiled fondly as she gazed once more on the sleeping face of her son. It was like the little child felt his mother's gaze upon him and he yawned softly before settling once more into the steady lulling presence of sleep. She startled as a hand touched her cheek and her eyes rose to meet her husband's gaze. "He still needs a name." The prince murmured softly and she nodded before allowed her vision to once again linger on her child's face.
"What do you think about Raunien?" She asked, once again meeting Legolas' eyes. "Lion?" The elf questions softly. She nodded and watched as a smile settled upon his face as he once more asked. "Lion? You mean to call our child lion in the common tongue?"
She stuck out her tongue at him and answered. "You were named green leaf by your father and me after one of the queen of the Valar by my mother. What is so wrong if we name our child lion?"
"Touché." Legolas answered as he smiled at her. "Then we shall name is Raunien. I hope he likes it." The elf held out his arms to her and she easily handed him the child. Cradling it close to his chest, Legolas brought his son over to a crib which was placed besides the bed. He then walked back to his own bed and hopped down next to his tired wife.
She smiled down at him before he accepted her in his arms and pulled the blankets over them both. "Legolas?" Nienna asked after a minute and the elf looked back down at her. "Do not tell me you are wearing your boots in the bed?" Her voice was stern and Legolas shook his barely suppressed laughter as he quickly removed them and settled them next to the bed.
When he was once again lying on the bed he realized nearly at once that Nienna had fallen asleep. He smiled at her before drawing the blankets up higher so she would not get cold. He allowed his thoughts to wander to the last years. As hard as it had been for them both he was glad to start a new life and have a fresh start.
He was glad the pain of losing Moriethel had diminished some but Legolas knew and he was glad for it, that he would know what he had lost. The pain would never heal, not now and not in the West, as long as he wanted to remember and Legolas wanted that more then anything.
He was proud of his people, how they would prosper under his ruling in this new forest. The forest would heal as would he and the elves of Eryn Lasgalen. His people were hard and they would not diminish no matter what would happen to them. For a long time they since they would once again know peace and Legolas was sure they would make him proud, as he was proud to rule them.
He looked up when a knock sounded on the door and after making sure Nienna still slept soundly he walked over to the door, wondering who would come at this time of night. He opened the door to reveal Gandalf and Legolas could not help but smile as he embraced the ancient wizard and stepped outside into the hallway, wondering what Gandalf wanted.
"There is a guest here who wishes very much to see you." Gandalf began and Legolas could see the white wizard was nervous. Legolas found himself growing slightly nervous as well as he answered. "What guest?"
"Aragorn." Legolas felt his heart clench together at that one name. He had dreaded speaking to the king of Gondor but had not wanted anything more then to speak to him about what had happened. But he knew also that Aragorn had to come to him and finally the man had. Legolas could not claim not to be angry that it had taken the young king such a long time before he would come.
"Then take me to him." To Legolas his own voice sounded strange as he said those words to Gandalf and the wizard nodded, leading him to Aragorn. Legolas wondered if Aragon had come as the king, the ranger or a friend who came to apologize. Soon he would know.
Legolas followed Gandalf outside to a nearby creek and soon he saw Aragorn standing nearby, staring into the water. The young king looked up when Legolas appeared but did not offer a smile; instead there was a haunting expression on his rugged face which gave him an old and weary look.
Legolas could feel Gandalf's hand on his shoulder quickly as the wizard left him alone and he knew Gandalf went back to Nienna to remain by her beside and watch over her and the child. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Aragorn to speak, which the man soon did. "You know why I have come, Legolas. I also know you wanted me to have come sooner but my place was beside Arwen while she carried my child. If Arwen had not been so far along I would have come sooner but I dreaded what I would find if I came. I dreaded that you would not forgive me and would shatter my heart, instead I tried to gather my courage, which even now is small enough for me to have come and stand before you."
The man took a deep breath before looking up once more and directly into Legolas's eyes. "I have not come to ask for you forgiveness for the Valar know I do not deserve it. Not for what I have done. I have betrayed you and your trust and love in me. I have betrayed our friendship by taking your wife as my lover, least of all when she carried your child and my Arwen carried mine. What I have come for is to fall down upon my knees for you and to beg for your mercy and for what else you have ever offered to me."
The elf uncrossed his arms and would have uttered some polite apology; half meant words that would say Aragorn did not need to do such thing but the man raised his arms, asking for the elf's silence. "No, Legolas, it is true. If our friendship can ever become as pure as it once was, then yes I need to do this. Then I need to go down upon my knees and beg for your forgiveness. I cannot even begin to put into words how sorry I am for what I have done, not only to you but to Nienna as well. To your happiness as a family I have added despair and I should never have done so. If our friendship will never be the same again I understand that, for I have brought it on myself as much as it shall hurt me to face life without your companionship."
Legolas's breathing hitched in his throat, Aragorn always managed to say what was really on his mind. "Very well then, let me hear it." He replied hoarsely as he watched Aragorn sink down on his knees, face tilted upwards to meet his own eyes. "I, as king of Gondor and ranger, ask for your forgives, Legolas. For what I have done to you and to our friendship. I have not only endangered your life but that of your wife and your child. I cannot put into words how sorry I am or to what lengths I would go to try and make you forgive me. I can only say that whatever you ask, whatever request you will make, even if you ask of me to stay away from you, I will abide by it."
Legolas found himself trembling as the man turned his head down to look upon the forest floor beneath his knees, hiding the painful look Legolas knew there to be on the handsome face. Pain for not having his best friend by the birth of his first child for something Aragorn had brought on. But Legolas also knew, already from the beginning that he would forgive Aragorn, for like the man had said, they both could not live without this friendship.
So he sank down upon his knees as well and cupped Aragorn's face in his hands. Resting his own forehead against the man's own he said in a raspy voice. "I have forgiven you a long time ago, Estel. But I wanted you to beg for this for I was afraid our friendship meant nothing to you. When you did not come, I was sad and disappointed. I had forgotten you had your own affairs to tend to or your own family to see as I was busy with mine. If you had come sooner I could have been there for the birth of your first child and it pains me I was not."
Tears were streaming down the man's cheek and Legolas brushed them away as he softly said. "Hush, all is well now. And if not now, they will be so again in the near future." Aragorn's lips curled up in a genuine smile as Aragorn softly spoke. "You do not know how I have longed to hear those words. If only I would have come sooner, I would have heard them before and my heart would not have been heavy. Damn me and my foolish pride."
"Yes, I suppose so." The elf watched as the smile blossomed on Aragorn's face into the mischief grin the elf had known so well. "Dare you to mock me, Legolas?" Aragorn cried out, watching as the elf nodded before the man sobered again and said. "I love you, Legolas."
The elf was surprised at the emotion within those three words as he answered. "I love you as well, Estel." The next moment he was caught in a strong embrace as the proud king of Gondor cried upon his shoulder and a slightly shocked Legolas wrapped his own arms around the upset human.
He felt his own tears fall in time with Aragorn as he heard the man whisper. "I have a son, my firstborn is a son and he was named Eldarion by Arwen. You should come and see him and I want to ask you if you want to be his godfather." Legolas pulled away before he once again embraced the man and congratulated him.
Aragorn could not help but grin before Legolas spoke. "I would be honoured but there is somebody I want for you to meet." Legolas took the curious king back outside his bedchamber and told him to wait. Stepping inside, he saw Nienna curled up on the bed and Gandalf on the couch, reading a book. He could not help but lean over his wife and kissing her upon the cheek, he quietly assured her he loved her and was taking their son to meet Aragorn.
"Aragorn is here?" Nienna asked in a sleep filled voice as she awoke to her husband's kiss. The elf nodded and took a moment to sit beside her on the bed as he quickly told her about what had passed between them. She seemed pleased that he had forgiven him and even managed a tired smile as he told her about the new prince of Gondor. He pressed her down and told her to go to sleep once more before he walked to his son's crib and softly assuring his child, he lifted him up and carried him outside to where Aragorn was waiting.
He could not help but feel proud as Aragorn smiled at his son and answered. "He resembles you and Nienna both. He shall be a great elf some day. What is his name?"
"Raunien." Legolas said and watched with satisfaction as his son woke up and made a gurgling sound at him. "You can hold him if you wish." Legolas easily transferred his little one over to Aragorn but grew slightly worried when the small one began to cry. "I do not think he likes to be parted from you." Legolas took Raunien over from Aragorn once more and could not help but smile as the young one grabbed his hair.
"I am glad we are both on a new path." Aragorn said, gazing down at the little child within his friend's arms. "Yes, but I am glad we are still combined within our love for each other."
Hope you liked it. Please give me one review and I will be very happy. The next chapter will be the very last chapter and Legolas and Nienna will be leaving for the West then but you shall see it then.