Chapter 10 ended with:
"Do you really think he will be allowed to spend time here until her majority? I doubt the Elvenking will tolerate his presence. After all, Imladris and Greenwood have always been at odds, since the death of King Oropher and King Ereinion Gil-galad."
"Then let us hope that Prince Legolas and his mate will have mercy..."
Chapter 11 – Elflings first
Thranduil was standing in the large healing room where five humans were sleeping in separate small beds. His son was sitting on the edge of the bed where the stunning red haired mortal was lying, holding her hand and watching her features anxiously. The king had never seen Legolas so worried about someone who was unwell, not even when one of his warriors was severely wounded. The woman was just sleeping peacefully, although so immobile that it was slightly scary, he could admit to that. But Legolas was acting like her predicament was life threatening, which was not the case, as Elrond and Galadriel had told him many times now.
"I do not believe she will wake soon," he told his son, hoping to shake him out of his never ending state of worry. "You heard Elrond and Galadriel. It should last at least a day or so."
"I shall not rest until they all are awake," Legolas replied firmly, not even looking at his father.
"Tell me about these mortals," Thranduil said carelessly, before noticing his faux pas.
"They are not mortals!" the prince replied, half-standing and looking his father with strong annoyance. "At least... they are not anymore."
"Yes, you are right, forgive me for my inconsiderate words... They will soon be half-elven... Now tell me about them. I must admit you brought to our realm... more people than I originally expected. I was led to believe you would only bring a woman here? Was it really necessary to bring an entire family?"
Legolas completely stood, and walking to his father and king, watched him eye-to-eye. "Are you implicitly questioning my judgment?"
"Please forgive my astonishment, Legolas," Thranduil replied in a tone that implied he was absolutely not begging for forgiveness. "But you were supposed to bring one woman only. Not a whole flock of humans! Do you realize the disruption their presence will cause in our daily activities? We certainly cannot afford, under the current circumstances, to take care of so many additional innocent lives. Everyone living in this realm is required to protect our people or support the functioning of the kingdom. We have no time to raise small children such as these or to protect additional ellith! And needless to say, the other realms will have a good laugh..."
"They won't be a burden," Legolas cut angrily, turning around and looking at the people sleeping in the room. The people he had come to cherish, all related by blood to the mate he worshiped above all. "They are not a flock, they are my family!"
"I am your family!" the king replied coldly, in a dangerously even voice.
"Well then... they are your family too!" Legolas replied pleasantly while his eyes stayed hard. They glared at each other, Legolas defying his father for the first time in at least a decade. Over the centuries, they had had their disagreements, but always found a way to compromise. But this time, no compromise was possible for Legolas. Thranduil would have to welcome Valerie, her children and her sister or – or what? he wondered. He had always known his adar would not make the life of his mate easy until he started respecting her, and the fact that Valerie had human origins would certainly not help her gaining that respect. But Legolas was confident that Valerie would win him over eventually. Thranduil was not one to ignore the worth of a person, and Valerie was absolutely worthy of being the princess of Greenwood. Perhaps his father was simply overwhelmed by the fact that an entire family had crossed the portal while he expected only one woman?
"Father..." Legolas started, breathing deeply to keep calm and stop adding oil to the fire by being confrontational. "Will you please let me explain? You might be surprised by what you will hear, and even agree with the decisions I have taken."
Thranduil looked at the stressed and tired features of his son. Legolas had always been a reasonable ellon, a deadly warrior, a dutiful prince and heir. He would not have foolishly brought so many mortals from their world without good reasons. Reasons he had so far wanted to ignore, busy as he had been thinking of ways of showing his extreme displeasure to his son once they were alone without Elrond and Galadriel. Thranduil took a deep breath too, and Legolas knew his father would give him a chance to explain instead of giving him the scowling he was burning to give.
The king grabbed two chairs and brought them closer to the bed where his son's mate was sleeping peacefully. He called a servant and asked her to get them some wine. Thranduil waited for the servant to come back, watching with interest Legolas as he touched the stomach of his mate, where a child was already growing.
"You can make contact with the child?" Thranduil asked, curious. Very few elves were able to link their fëa with their unborn child, but many ellyn in their lineage had the ability. Had Legolas inherited this rare aptitude? He wished it dearly for his son's sake. Making contact with Legolas even before his birth had helped them create a link that was stronger than most father and son bonds.
"Yes," Legolas replied with a satisfied smile, removing his hand from her stomach.
The servant came back with a carafe of red wine and crystal glasses, serving the king and his son before giving them some privacy.
"The famous scholar..." Thranduil said, to keep the conversation going.
"You are mistaken," Legolas said, watching his father's reaction closely. "Valerie is not carrying the scholar. She is carrying two kings."
"How do you know that?"
"I always felt two fëar in her womb. Since I first touched her stomach."
"What I really meant is: if you know there are two elflings in her womb, how do you know they are kings instead of the scholar and the minstrel? I was always convinced that the order of their birth was important. Did the Valar appear to you to let you know it had been changed? Were Elrond, Galadriel and Mithrandir wrong in their interpretation?"
"They were slightly wrong, I guess. This is the reason why I brought so many people here."
"I am all ears," Thranduil said with barely disguised impatience.
"I believe that Valerie's older children are the first three children of the prophecy."
"How is that even possible? They are not reborn elven heroes!"
"They are half-elven now. And if you consider carefully the words of the prophecy, it says that the first three children bring new blood in the elven lines. The word reborn is only stated before describing the following children... the kings..."
Thranduil reflected on that statement for a few moments. Legolas' interpretation partially made sense. Except for one thing. There were not three male children in front of him. There were two ellyn and one female. He watched the little girl, who looked so small and fragile and grinned.
"I see one major flaw in your analysis."
"There is no flaw," Legolas replied, knowing exactly what his father was thinking. What every ellon living in Middle Earth would think. Probably every mortal male also. "Liam, the oldest, is the scholar while Sean is the minstrel. Phoebe is the warrior."
Thranduil burst out laughing. He laughed for a long time, wiping his eyes where tears of hilarity were gathering. Certainly, his son had lost his mind while he went to that different world.
"You will see," Legolas insisted with pride. "I have trained her with a bow. She will become a deadly archer, or I will resign from my position of Captain of our army."
Thranduil's laughter immediately stopped. "Do not jest with such serious matters!" he spat angrily. "She is just a little elleth! I will not accept your resignation over such frivolous matters! The captain of this army you are, and so you will remain until we win against the darkness!"
"She will surprise you, Father. I swear to the gods, I am certain that she is the warrior of the prophecy."
"And this one?" Thranduil asked, pointing Allison. "Why did you bring her?"
"This is Allison, Valerie's sister."
"Why did you bring her?" Thranduil repeated. Surely, Legolas was not going to say she was also part of that prophecy.
"She is a surgeon, a healer specialized in healing major wounds. She will be very valuable to our realm."
"We have skilled healers already. Why did you bring her?" the king asked for the third time.
"Because... Valerie would not come to Greenwood without her," the prince lamely answered.
"You do not seem to like her," Thranduil pointed out. "You do not care for her as much as you care for the others. Do not deny it, I can read it in you."
"We do not... get along that well. She tried to separate Valerie and I... and as you know, I do not forgive easily..."
"I know you well, my son. This difficulty that you have to forgive was not inherited from your sweet mother. I benefited from her clemency many a time, and so did you... No, mercilessness was brought in our fëar by my father Oropher, after a strict and loveless childhood."
"Is this a subtle way of telling me that you are not forgiving me for bringing them all to Greenwood?"
Thranduil sighed heavily. "You are my only son. I missed you... dreadfully. I simply will require time... to get used to your new family."
"Our new family," Legolas corrected.
"Our new family," Thranduil repeated through gritted teeth.
Legolas smiled. He had already won half the war. The rest would be in Valerie's hands. He put his glass of wine back on the tray and grabbed his father by the shoulders. "I missed you too, Ada."
"It was about time that you came back. Everything fell apart after you left."
"What happened in my absence?"
Thranduil described the deterioration of the situation of the realm while the five mortals, now becoming half-elven, were sleeping deeply.
OoOoO
The wait was extremely stressful for the prince, who barely spoke to the healers, his father or Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel when they visited the family. He had spent most of his time sitting in a chair, his gaze moving from one person to another, trying to decipher if there was the slightest change in their facial expression or if there had been any body movement, even the most insignificant one. Mithrandir had visited after two days, but to Legolas' dismay, the wizard had not been able to accelerate their transformation. But with a quick spell, he had enhanced the family's language skills to ensure they would more quickly learn Sindarin to communicate with the elven people as he had done with Legolas before he had crossed the portal months before.
Legolas had adamantly refused to leave the family's bedside, but after five days without any change in their condition, he had finally agreed to get some rest in his suite under the condition that Thranduil would remain with them in the healing room where they were sleeping. Sitting in Legolas' chair, the king had observed the family for long minutes, but had grown bored with the exercise quite quickly. He read a few parchments he had brought with him and he wrote a message for the lieutenant on border duty while Legolas and Hadron were at the fortress. Having completed this work, he looked at the family again. Still sleeping in absolute immobility. How unfortunate that there were no servants in the vicinity to bring him some other documents from his office!
Thranduil looked at the three elflings and two women sleeping before him once more. They had not moved at all in the past five days. Surely, they would not wake up before he was back from his office? He would only be gone for a few minutes... Legolas would not even know about it... Making a quick decision, Thranduil stood and walked briskly to his office, searching in the various papers on his desk for the letter from the Master of Lake-town. Esgaroth, the king thought. The town had been rebuilt after its destruction by the dragon Smaug. The mortals had relocated it on the Long Lake and had changed its name, but Thranduil and his people, definitely creatures of habits, were still calling it Lake-town. Just like they were still calling their realm Greenwood while everyone else in Middle Earth were now naming it Mirkwood. In his letter, the Master of Lake-town was requesting the help of Greenwood to protect their city borders. He read it for the fourth time, wondering if he should accept to help the town. The exchanges between Greenwood and Lake-town had been less than cordial in the past few years, although the trading was still taking place on a regular basis. The king was reluctant to spare some of his warriors to help them for more than their usual protection on the forest road. He would ask his son what he thought about the mortal's request.
He took another parchment on his desk, a preliminary proposal that Bronadon had written for trading with Rohan. Sitting at his desk, he spent the next hour making the necessary corrections until he was satisfied with the document. Bronadon was not a skilled negotiator, and the king had to compensate for this weakness on a regular basis. He briefly wondered if Legolas' mate would be of any help in that department, mortals being known in Middle Earth for their passion for a good bargaining. He sat more comfortably in his chair, stretching his sore muscles until he realized that the few minutes he had thought he would be absent from the healing room had become more than an hour. He jumped to his feet and almost ran to the healing room. As he was approaching the door, he started hearing children voices talking in a foreign language. He swiftly opened the door and froze on the spot when he saw that the three children were awake and gathered around their mother's bed. The youngest boy, the one called Sean, was actually sitting in his mother's bed and was gently shaking her to wake her up, but without success. The children wore very distressed looks on their faces. They stopped talking when he entered the room, and the oldest child, the one Legolas had said was called Liam, asked him a question in their language. From his expression, Thranduil knew the boy was trying to assess if he was a threat to their security.
Without answering, Thranduil closed the door behind him and walked closer to their mother's bed. Immediately, Liam shouted a command and the little girl went to the corner of the healing room where some of their belongings were gathered, picked up her small bow and came back to stand in front of her brothers and her mother. She nocked an arrow and aimed directly at the king's chest. Liam put his hand on her shoulder, showing the king that he was the one in control of the current situation.
Thranduil could not believe that he was being threatened in his own fortress, and by human children no less! He was absolutely outraged!
"How dare you!" he cried, making a movement towards the children, unable to conceive that the boy would allow his sister to shoot her arrow to kill him.
"Who are you?" the older boy asked, in Sindarin this time.
"Drop your bow immediately!" Thranduil boomed, his temper rising at an alarming rate. He had never been disrespected in such a way since his crowning thousands of years before! And to think Legolas wanted him to treat them as his grandchildren! They could all go to Mordor, as far as he was concerned!
"No," the child continued, unimpressed by the king's anger. "We... protect Mommy," he replied with determination but difficulty with this new language. "My sister not drop bow until... you say name... or where... Legolas." The little girl approved stubbornly, her bow still aiming straight at his heart.
Sean had moved from his mother's bed to his aunt's, where she lay as immobile and non-responsive as their mother. He called her by her name, something very unusual to the king's ears, but to Thranduil, all their names sounded strange. He did not have more success with his aunt than he had had with his mother.
Liam and Phoebe were still facing Thranduil but were listening to their brother, and the king could see that they were really getting worried, their green eyes brimming with tears and their mouth twitching as they were struggling not to cry. Thranduil could understand their panic. After all, they had just awakened in an empty room while their mother and aunt lay motionless, while Legolas, their anchor in that unknown world, was nowhere to be found. Still, it did not excuse their unacceptable behavior, and children of the prophecy or not, this Liam was already a manipulative scholar, and regardless of Phoebe's warrior future, he would...
At that exact moment, the door opened behind him, and to his absolute consternation, Lady Galadriel entered the healing room. Immediately realizing what was happening between the children and the angry king, the Lady of Light smiled to them gently and indicated that she would get Legolas soonest. Recognizing the name, the children immediately looked relieved, but Phoebe's aim remained locked on the king. Thranduil was appalled that of all the people that could have entered the room, Galadriel herself was the one who had witnessed his humiliation. Had it been one of the healers, he would have ordered him not to speak of what he had just seen. But without a doubt, within the next hour, all the realm and their guests from Lothlorien and Imladris would be laughing at his expense. And Thranduil always made sure to publicly behave in a way that avoided ridicule at all cost.
They kept watching each other until the door opened again on an upset Legolas. He ran to the children and fell on his knees in front of them, opening his arms widely. Phoebe dropped her bow and put her little arms around his neck while the boys were trying to squeeze themselves on Legolas' shoulders. The four of them shared a long embrace, exchanging kisses and caresses. The children were talking very rapidly, all at the same time, and Legolas seemed to be able to follow all the conversations and answer them as quickly, obviously having no difficulty speaking their foreign language.
Thranduil cleared his throat to let his heir know he did not appreciate their speaking in a language he could not understand. He also resented being ignored after having been threatened by these unruly elflings. Legolas did not react to his signal, paying attention to what Liam was telling him. They all stood and walked to the bed where Valerie was sleeping. Phoebe asked a question, and Legolas caressed his mate's swollen stomach while he obviously explained to the children the transformation they had gone through and that their mother and aunt were still undertaking. Once he was done, he finally turned to his father, picking up Phoebe in his arms while the boys were holding him by the waist. That was when it hit Thranduil: six months before, Legolas had left Greenwood a bachelor and he had come back a father of three children with twins on the way. And he seemed pleased with the change. Nothing would ever be the same. It would never be just the two of them anymore.
"Ada, I would like to introduce you to my children," Legolas said, switching to Sindarin. "This is Liam, this one is Sean, and the little pest in my arms is Phoebe," he said while the girl chuckled, her cheek against Legolas'. "This is my father Thranduil. He is the king of Greenwood."
"He is... grandfather?" Liam asked, watching the king with worry. He understood they had not started their relationship with Legolas' father in the most peaceful way. He had asked Phoebe to threaten him with a bow.
"Yes," Legolas confirmed, "you can call him that way. Grandfather or grandsire -"
"I would prefer if they call me My Lord or Your Majesty," Thranduil replied coldly, wanting to make a lasting impression on the brats.
Legolas chose to ignore his adar's remark, used to his frequent snide comments.
"Father, I will get the healers, I would like the children to be examined now that their transformation is complete. Liam reports that they feel different, that their eyesight and hearing are sharper than before -"
These were unexpected but welcome changes that could not have been foreseen before they woke up. Their other physical changes had become noticeable two days before, and had already been studied by the healers.
"I will ask the healers to join you," Thranduil cut him as he was already walking to the door, eager to leave the room and not come back for a long time. He certainly would not stay with the elflings while Legolas went looking for the healers! "And Legolas?" he insisted before taking his leave. "I am expecting appropriate apologies for the unacceptable behavior of your children, in line with the gravity of their transgression. And please, immediately search for a tutor to teach them how to properly behave in court. Their education is terribly lacking and it will not be said in all Middle Earth that Greenwood's royal family is unrefined."
Legolas held the children closer to him, sighing. He had expected his father to have difficulty dealing with the children, but their threatening of the king with a bow could not have had a worse effect. He had hoped to be there when they woke so he could help them get acquainted with Thranduil, but it was too late now. The bad impression on his father would be lasting. The children wore remorseful expressions, knowing they had made a blunder of the first order.
"It's alright," he comforted them. "My father is a very serious ellon. He does not smile frequently."
"Like Grandpa John?" Sean asked, remembering their mother's father.
"Yes."
"Why?" Phoebe asked.
"Because he has a lot of worries. Ruling Greenwood is not easy. And he is mostly sad since the death of my mother."
"Should I try to make him feel better?" Phoebe asked. "When Mommy is sad, I take care of her. I give her kisses, and drawings, and I help her, and I sleep in her bed... Does your father need the same?"
Imagining his father being subject to Phoebe's little attentions was highly comical. What would Thranduil's reaction be if he were to wake up with Phoebe sleeping in his bed? How long would the king resist the delicious little girl? Not too long, Legolas assumed. Phoebe was probably their best bet under the current circumstances.
"Wait a few days, once his anger will start to fade and then... You can take care of him like you take care of your mother..."
OoOoO
Galadriel entered the guest apartment that had been reserved for the ruling family of Imladris. Elrond was sitting by the fire, listening to Arwen who was reading out loud a book describing the Greenwood side of the Great Battle of the Last Alliance, in which Ereinion Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor and King Oropher of Greenwood had been slain. It was interesting to see the Silvan analysis of the events, which vastly differed from the Noldo interpretation. Each side was blaming the other for the death of their beloved king in the battle against Sauron. Elrond had been a commander in Gil-galad's army, and for the first time, he had access to a book giving him the opposite side's perspective, written by Bronadon's sire, the last respected scholar that Greenwood had seen.
Glorfindel was distractedly listening to Arwen's voice, watching Elladan and Elrohir play a game of chess. Elladan's concentration was very poor, as was Glorfindel's. Both ellyn had been growing impatient, not having heard any positive news about their newly arrived mates. The Imladris family had decided to keep this information a secret, rightly assuming that this news would probably not be welcome so soon after the arrival of the family. The age of Elladan's mate also posed a problem, as any of his interventions could be interpreted as manipulating the mind of a young child in order to gain some advantages from the Greenwood royal family. And Allison's status in the royal family was still unsure, and everyone was wondering why Legolas had decided to bring back his sister-in-law with him in Middle Earth.
"Am I disrupting you?" Galadriel asked her grandchildren and their father.
Believing that the lady wanted to discuss some important matter with her family, Glorfindel stood to leave the room, in order to give them some privacy. He was the commander of the Imladris guard, and as such, was very close to the ruling families of Imladris and Lothlorien, but he still remained a servant of the realm. He was usually not participating in their family counsels and unless someone confided information to him, he was not aware of their personal issues and hopes. In this, he was no different than Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlorien who was in a similar position.
"You can stay, dear Glorfindel," Galadriel told him. "What I have to discuss concerns you too."
"Where are Celeborn and Haldir?" Elrond asked. "Does that concern them too?"
"They are at the archery range. Again," she added, smiling with patience. Her mate and their captain spent a lot of time perfecting their archery skills with the deadly archers of Greenwood. She gracefully walked to a chair and sat down beside Arwen, who closed the book she had been reading. Galadriel took the Evenstar's hand in hers, happy to spend some time with her granddaughter.
"Will you be spending time in Lothlorien after we leave Mirkwood?" she asked.
"Greenwood," Elrond interrupted. "Please do not let the people here hear you call their realm by this awful name!"
"I will gladly go with you to Lothlorien," Arwen replied, "if Ada can spare me for a few months." In the past decades, she had spent a lot of her time in Lothlorien with her grandparents who were feeling lonely since the departure of their daughter Celebrian to Valinor centuries before. Elrond's mate had been unable to recover from the orc attack her escort had sustained while traveling between Imladris and Lothlorien. The entire family missed her greatly, especially Elrond, but he considered himself lucky when he compared his destiny to Thranduil's. At least, his mate had survived the attack and was alive in Valinor. Legolas' naneth had died a most gruesome death, and who knew if she was already reborn or not in Valinor?
Elrond gave his permission with a smile. "You have not visited Lothlorien in the past three years. Of course, I will allow you to go with your grandparents! Send me word when you will want to come back home and I will send you an escort. Is that all you wanted to discuss, Galadriel?"
"I am coming back from the healing rooms."
"Are there any news from the family?" Arwen asked.
"At last, I have some good news. And... a humorous event to report."
"Did they finally wake up?" Elladan asked eagerly, half-standing in his seat.
"The children have awoken from their deep sleep. They are being examined by the healers as we speak."
"Is my presence required?" Elrond asked.
"Not at the moment. They seemed healthy enough when I saw them."
"Have they greatly changed in their transformation?" Elrohir asked, curious. After all, they had been human and were now half-elven. They must have undergone numerous physical changes. Were their ears now pointy? Their skin different?
"I saw slight visual changes," Galadriel reported. "Their ears are indeed more pointy, but less than yours," she mentioned to Elrohir. The Imladris family was considered half-elven by their kin since Elrond's grandfather had been human. "They also seem to have gained some inner light like us, shining through their skin. Before I left the antechamber, I heard a healer talk about improved senses also."
"What about their mother and their aunt?" Glorfindel asked, worried more about them than the children.
"The two ellith are still sleeping. But since the children have awaken, we can assume the ladies will soon too. Maybe their transformation takes longer since their bodies are fully grown? We can only make assumptions at this point."
"Wasn't there a funny bit of news you wanted to report?" Arwen reminded her grandmother. She had always liked a good laugh.
"When I walked into the healing room, Prince Legolas was not present. He had finally decided to get some rest in his apartment, and right at that moment, the children woke up – alone with the king."
"That must have been interesting," Elrond commented. He knew Thranduil was not the easiest ellon to deal with, and that he had little experience with children.
"Interestingly enough, the children were in control of the situation."
"How so?"
"Phoebe, the charming little elleth that is destined to bind with our Elladan, had an arrow perfectly nocked in her child bow, and had it precisely aimed at Thranduil's heart. Liam, the older ellon, was leading an interrogation of the king."
All in the room remained speechless for a long time.
"Well..." Elrohir eventually said. "I always knew my brother had strange taste in ellith. But you surpass yourself there, brother!" he laughed, hitting Elladan's shoulder. "Let us hope that your fëa-mate is not as strange!" he said to Glorfindel.
"I hope not!" the captain of Imladris replied. The Valar preserve him of having a mate that could use a weapon! What a bizarre desire for an elleth!
"I have heard there is an adult bow in the items that were brought back from their world. One of the ellith is an archer," Arwen remarked, amazed that a human woman had such a talent. The warriors had long watched the weapon in question, wondering how could a bow and arrows made in metal could work as well as a wooden one? No one had dared use it, and it had been carried to the prince's suite shortly after.
"I have read a few memories in the prince's mind the last time I visited him in the healing room. His mate is a skilled archer, if his memories are to be believed. He does not seem... horrified with the thought, unlike some people that I know," Galadriel said, her tone indicating disappointment. "I would like to remind you that I was a skilled warrior myself, in the First Age. And I thank the Valar that Celeborn was more open-minded than most ellyn."
"I am sorry, my Lady, I did not mean to make a negative judgment about you..." Glorfindel started.
"Me neither, grandmother," Elrohir added. "But you are an exceptional elleth, and no one can be compared to you..."
Galadriel smiled, happy that she had successfully made them feel uncomfortable. She knew perfectly well that the elven people were not open-minded when it came to ellith participating in violent activities. Most ellith would never dream of holding a sword or a bow in their delicate hands.
"I have heard the most interesting of rumors," Galadriel said, "confirmed by my reading in Thranduil's mind. I know I should not pry too much in people's minds, but the Elvenking would not be sharing any information if it were not for my mind-reading ability. As he was faced with the child with the bow, Thranduil briefly thought of the prophecy. Legolas and him believe that Liam, Sean and Phoebe are the first children of the prophecy. Liam is the scholar, Sean is the minstrel, as we have seen with the numerous strange musical instruments that were found when they crossed the portal. And the girl... Phoebe... is the announced warrior. It can only be confirmed by the scene that I witnessed. She is very skilled for a child that is only 5 years old."
"That would completely change the order of the prophecy!" Elrond cried. "That would mean that Lady Valerie is pregnant with elven kings already!"
All this time, Elladan had remained silent.
"Will you not say anything, brother?" Arwen asked, worried.
"If... if the Valar gave me a fëa-mate that is a warrior... then I will accept it," he said, his voice shaking slightly. He looked at his entire family, seeing the doubt in Elrohir's eyes. "I will," he said with more determination, challenging his twin. "And... I hereby vow that if her destiny is to become a great warrior... then I will help her train until she is as good a warrior as I am!"
"I am proud of you, Grandson," Galadriel said. "Your support will be vital for her."
OoOoO
Three days that the children had been awake, and the people of Greenwood had not seen them yet. Ninaelil had made sure that their rooms had been prepared and their bed sheets changed every day, that meals were delivered to them three times a day and had made sure that their strange clothes were cleaned by the servants. And despite all this, she still had not seen them once. Even her mate Bronadon had not had the honor of meeting them. When he had asked the king about them, the ruler of Greenwood had replied that he was lucky not to have seen them and not to wish for this displeasure to happen so soon. That statement had left Bronadon and Ninaelil quite worried about the elflings, but they could not believe they were so dreadful if Prince Legolas was so happy to be with them all the time. The prince was rarely leaving the healing room where the family spent most of their days, waiting for the ladies to wake up, but when he walked in the hallways, it was with a demeanor that was alien on his striking face: gone were the sadness and seriousness. He seemed completely devoted to the family, and had adamantly refused to meet his former lover Amareth.
The elleth had finally moved her belongings out of the prince's apartment, something she had neglected to do while he had been away for half a year. Unaware that his son had broken up with the elleth, the king had not reinforced his son's request and Amareth had kept benefiting from the advantages her position granted her for an additional six months. But one of the first things Legolas had asked Ninaelil upon his return was to ensure that the elleth went back to her former room in a lower level of the fortress and make sure that she was busy enough not to bother his new family. Ninaelil had provided her with a position in the kitchens, where she had been working before her relationship with Legolas had started.
Ninaelil walked in the hallway leading to the healing rooms, making sure that the servants had done their daily tasks properly and inspecting the cleanliness of the floors. They were, after all, in caves and keeping the palace clean was sometimes a real challenge. She heard little voices, and stopped walking when the door leading to the healing rooms opened and the prince came out with the three elflings. He was holding the hand of the little elleth while the young ellyn were leading the way.
"Lady Ninaelil!" Legolas said pleasantly. "We were on our way to our rooms, it is past their bedtime."
"I hope your wife wakes up soon, my Lord," she wished him while eagerly examining the children who were returning her stare. They were still red-haired with emerald green eyes, but they definitely had now an elven air that had been absent when they had crossed the portal. Their facial features were more refined, their ears more pointy although much less than elven ears, their inner light making their skin paler than it had been before.
"What is your name?" the charming little elleth asked with curiosity.
"My name is Ninaelil."
"Can I call you Nina?"
The housekeeper looked at the prince, surprised. Elven customs were generally not allowing short names. Although... she liked the sound of that short name.
Prince Legolas put the child on the floor and knelt beside her. "Sweetheart, you have to call her Lady Ninaelil at all times, unless she allows you to use her name only when you are in private. Lady Ninaelil is our housekeeper, in charge of the daily activities of all the elves working in the fortress. She is a very important lady. She is also the wife of our First Counselor, Lord Bronadon."
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," Ninaelil told them. "Did you need help putting the princess and princes to bed?"
"I would tremendously appreciate your help. The faster they are in bed, the sooner I can be back with my wife. I am always afraid that she will wake while I am away," he admitted.
Phoebe took Ninaelil's hand and the elleth was amazed at how small her hand was. It had been centuries since she had seen a child, and even longer since she had taken care of one. She hoped she had not lost that knowledge! The group walked to the apartment of Prince Legolas where their beds had been installed until their mother woke. Eventually, the children would be transferred to the apartment right beside, sharing rooms until they became old enough to have their own apartment in the royal aisle. The children were talking half in Sindarin, half in their own language, discussing the food they had eaten and their hopes that their mother and aunt would wake the next day.
"My Lord, have you thought of finding a governess and a tutor for the children?" she asked as she was helping the young elleth to put on her night gown.
"I have not had time to take care of that, I am afraid."
"I can speak to Miniel if it is your desire, my Lord. She would be the best candidate for the governess position. And Bronadon could certainly spend time teaching the young gentlemen here how to read and write our language."
"My wife and sister-in-law will also need to learn. I am afraid it will be too much for your husband, Ninaelil."
"Lady Ninaelil," Phoebe corrected Legolas, showing she had understood the lesson.
"Ninaelil authorized me to call her by her name in private years ago," Legolas told her.
"And you can do the same, Lady Phoebe," the housekeeper told them, "and so can you, Lord Liam and Lord Sean."
"Then you can call me Phoebe!"
"I am afraid not. As you are a princess of Greenwood, I am obliged to call you Lady at all times," she informed her.
Legolas nodded. "That is right. This is the protocol. You will have to learn the court rules also."
"I am certain that Miniel could also teach them Sindarin and the court protocol."
"I agree. Can you please make the necessary arrangements tomorrow?"
"I will, my Lord. I will also take their measures tomorrow so that the seamstresses can do... Silvan traditional clothes for them."
"I would greatly appreciate it, Ninaelil. I should be taking care of these things... but I must remain with my wife..."
"It is perfectly normal, my Lord. Please let me know if you need me to take care of anything else."
They put the children in bed and Legolas went back to the healing room while Ninaelil finished her inspection. She could not wait to get back to her suite and tell Bronadon that she had finally met the children! She must have been the first one to meet them, and many people would be asking her questions tomorrow. Everyone had been asking questions about the elflings, especially one of the Imladris twins, she was not sure which one. This was a strange interest from a warrior! But without any consideration about the positions of her interlocutors, she would remain discreet. She had not gained her position by gossiping with the staff and guests. She knew things about the king and his family that no one else knew, not even her own mate. And she would remain silent about what she would see and hear around these fascinating elflings.
In the next chapter: Valerie will finally wake and start her new life in Middle Earth!
KKK3: thank you for the comment about my writing. I have gained more experience since I published my first story, and I do spend more time making sure that the story flows better for the readers... Erestor won't have a big role in this story, and so far, I am not planning to have someone unhappily bonded... but I don't guarantee I won't change my mind! :-)
Manwathiel-Nanethiel: I know it looks a bit sudden – but most of the story is supposed to take place in Middle Earth, and I was excited to make her start her new life with Legolas!
Morwen 80: Elrohir will have to wait much longer before meeting his fëa-mate. But right now, he doesn't suffer from her absence, he really likes being single!
Glory Bee: I have already written many chapters covering the first few months of Valerie in Middle Earth – you are absolutely right, Thranduil will have the shock of his life!
Sarafinja: thank you, I hope you didn't find the wait too long!
Aureleis: you will see the action from Thranduil's point of view frequently, I quite love this character!
World-classgeek: Elrohir will wait a long time! But at least Elladan finally knows who his fëa-mate is...
faye50free: I loved your grandmother's expression, and it is absolutely right that Thranduil needs a serious talk. Unfortunately, the light bulb will not come on before a while...
Fi: they were such a great couple in the first story! But their lives will be different, now that they are meeting 10 years earlier.
Krystylsky: thank you!
Foofie01: thank you for your review!
Dorothea Blackmoor: Yes, Thranduil has no idea that a storm is coming his way!
Blackunicorne: Haldir will have a mate, but his life will not be as easy as it could have been if he had decided to accomplish the prophecy himself...
kaydub: Allison will have children... eventually... Can't tell you more! :-)
Abbyforth: both Valerie and Thranduil will enjoy their quarrels! And I enjoy writing them!
KurandRobgirl: Erestor will have a small role in this story, I am not sure with whom I will match him yet...
purpleXorchid: I am writing a few chapters ahead – the first children were born... you will know soon...
shayalmost: thank you for your review! I am glad to hear that you like my stories!
Angel: Happy to hear you like my pairings. Elrohir will have to wait longer, but I have an interesting mate for him... eventually... when he is mature enough to have a mate!
Peridot Eyez: I hope you like the chapter with the children being awake. Valerie is next!
Ricochette: thank you for your review. I am trying to balance drama and fun – hope you enjoy it!