Chapter 16 ended with:
"We have to find a way for me to respect my vow, without having all the responsibilities of a true warrior. Will you help me with that?"
"I swear, Vanima, that we will find a way. I will think of something."
"I will hold you to that promise, my love. Now give me one last kiss before you leave..."
Chapter 17 - Markings
Valerie was sitting in her boudoir, in a long chair near the hearth where a fire was burning to keep her warm. Ninaelil had helped her do her hair and dress in a way that would hide her leg and make her bruises less apparent. She looked presentable, pleasant even, despite her poor current condition. Ninaelil had left her for a few minutes, in order to go see Amareth in the kitchens to let her know she was required for an audience in the royal aisle. The elleth would not be fooled. Everyone in the fortress knew that Legolas had left at dawn for two months of duty. She would know perfectly well that she was to meet the prince's wife.
The door opened with a click, and Ninaelil's head appeared. "My Lady? Amareth is here to see you."
"Thank you, Nina. Please let her in." Valerie took a deep breath to calm her nerves before Legolas' former lover was introduced in her boudoir.
Ninaelil opened the door wider and let in an exquisite elleth, like Greenwood had aplenty. Long, straight, golden hair, blue eyes with long lashes, a refined visage and sensual, delicate lips. The elleth curtsied and stood in front of Valerie, not quite defying her, but obviously tempted to do so.
This elleth might actually have a spine, Valerie thought.
"Thank you, Nina, that will be all," she told the housekeeper. Ninaelil curtsied and left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Please sit," Valerie told Amareth, pointing to a chair nearby. The elleth sat and watched her with curiosity for long moments, studying her face, her body, her evergrowing pregnancy bump, her injured leg that could be seen underneath the light material of her dress. Valerie let her do so until she became uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Will you not say anything, my Lady?" the elleth eventually asked.
"You were studying me. I was simply giving you all the time that you needed to observe me."
The elleth smiled slightly, and seemed to hesitate before she said: "You are not what I was expecting."
"You had never seen me?"
"Only from afar."
"And? In what am I not what you were expecting?"
"I am sorry. I cannot... tell you what I think."
"And why not? The words are burning your lips, I can tell." Valerie had always been the type of person who thought it was best to lance the boil rather than let a bad situation fester for a longer period of time.
"You are part of the royal family now. I owe you respect and obedience."
"Then I command you to speak your mind. I want to understand why you have been spoiling my daughter with your sweets in the kitchen."
"I will stop if it does not please you, my Lady."
Valerie studied Amareth for a while. It was clear that the elleth was morose. But she was not angry, fuming, ready to cause a scandal like Valerie had thought she would be. She was just... sad, like a flame that had been abandoned for another elleth, without one last look from her lover.
"Do you love him?"
"I do not have the right to love him anymore. He is your mate now, my Lady."
Valerie could not understand these ellith. While she was happy not to have an angry and jealous former lover of Legolas to deal with, she could not understand this lack of fighting, this acceptance of her fate. It was maddening. Would she be in her shoes, Legolas would have a rough time with her.
"But you spoil my daughter in the hope that she will mention your name to Legolas and that he will go speak to you? What do you want to tell him?"
"I know not. I wanted... to see him again. One more time. Be someone in his eyes again."
"You will always be someone important in his eyes. You have been with him for 50 years."
"You are wrong. I am no longer important to him, and will never be again. The day he bound himself to you, he forgot all about me."
"Legolas would not forget you!"
"You misunderstand me, my Lady. You are probably not acquainted with the strength of elven bonds yet. He still knows who I am. But he completely lost interest in me. You are his world, the very air he needs to breathe, the strength that will keep him fighting the dark... He cannot be blamed for his cruelty, he does not even realize it, since you occupy all his thoughts. You already changed him. Rumors are circulating that he has become more cheerful, that he is a caring father... I cannot compete with that." The elleth discreetly wiped the tears that were falling on her cheeks.
"I am sorry, Amareth," Valerie said with empathy. "If there is anything I can do -"
"You are the princess," Amareth said with renewed determination. "This is not your fault. I can hardly blame you for what happened. But with all due respect... you are the last person I would be seeking comfort from."
Valerie was speechless for a moment. Amareth was showing that she had a spine again. Had she not been Legolas' former lover, they might have been friends. But it was not possible. She knew herself very well. She would never be friends with someone who had been with Legolas for longer than she had been alive...
"Thank you for your honesty, Amareth."
"May I be excused?"
"Yes. Thank you for your time."
Amareth stood and curtsied. She walked to the door, but before opening it, she turned to Valerie one last time. "Take... take good care of him. He is... an amazing ellon."
"I will."
Amareth left the room, but didn't close the door. Valerie wondered why when Ninaelil entered immediately after Amareth had left.
"You stayed?" Valerie asked the housekeeper.
"I am sorry, my Lady. I was so worried that... things would not go well."
Valerie pointed the chair Amareth had been sitting in a minute before, silently giving Ninaelil permission to sit with her. "I assumed you heard everything?"
"Yes. Are you relieved?"
"She will not be a threat to my relationship with Legolas, which is a good thing. Phoebe will stop eating blueberry pie at every meal, which is another good thing. But I cannot help but feel guilty for what is happening to her."
"She was not his mate. Elves rarely bind with people that are not their true mate, unless that are sure never to meet them. Prince Legolas would never have married her despite her hopes. She would have gone through this suffering sooner or later."
"Unrequited love is a sad thing."
"It sure is. What are you planning to do today, my Lady? Will you be requiring my presence?"
"Miniel will be doing the children's Sindarin lessons here later this morning, so I can learn with them. In the afternoon, I was hoping that we could spend some time together. I want to learn what are the responsibilities of a princess in Greenwood."
"I will, my Lady. I will join you after the mid-day meal."
"Can you please ask Bret and Cad to come here? There is something I need to discuss with them."
OoOoO
The two warriors were watching her as if she had grown a second head.
"My Lady..." Brethilon stammered. "Please... you cannot be serious!"
"I am very serious."
"But you said you wanted a way not to be a regular warrior?" Cadworon asked, hoping to show the princess how she was inconsistent in her thought process. Should he not succeed, the king would absolutely slaughter them for what she was asking them to do.
"You misunderstood me. Let me explain again. In my world, archery is a sport. The best archers meet for contests, and the best ones win prizes. I have won many prizes, because I am an excellent archer. Archery is absolutely not for killing people! And although I feel no guilt for killing many orcs the other day, it is not something that I enjoyed."
"Only the most vile creatures enjoy killing living beings."
"I agree. I am sure Legolas did not enjoy killing his 6,000 foes."
"He did not," Brethilon confirmed.
Valerie closed her eyes. Just like that, she had received the answer to her question. Her mate was probably the deadliest elf alive. Strangely, to her, he was also the gentlest, sweetest ellon. This is what was telling her that he was not at all evil. The beasts he had killed, orcs, gobelins, spiders, and even evil men... deserved their fate.
"I am ready to kill to protect the ones I love. With a bow, no problem. But that blades training will be a problem. I am in no way able to fight against orcs the way you did during the battle."
"It is not a question of brute force, but of agility with these foes," Brethilon replied.
"You will teach me to defend myself with blades, but I will not train hours every day to become a master in blades. This is out of the question. I only want to know enough to protect my loved ones should I run out of arrows."
"I think everyone will agree to that."
"But... I will still be an archer."
"We agree," Cadworon said. "You already are, there is no doubt about that."
"So I want the tattoo."
Brethilon and Cadworon gulped in unison. They looked at each other, looking for another argument against her idea.
"No elleth ever got a marking. It is reserved for warriors," Cadworon finally said.
"We just agreed that I am an archer. And I know that the warriors are doing each other's markings. I think it is only natural that my personal guards would do this for me."
"My Lady... The king... The prince... We cannot do this without their consent."
"I clearly remember the prince saying that you are at my command."
"We are."
"Then you will do as I say. We will start tomorrow. We have to be done before Legolas comes back. I want this to be a surprise for him." She had thought it would be a great idea for him to stop feeling guilty about his decision. It would show her partial acceptance of her responsibilities as a warrior.
"It will not take a few weeks. We should be done in a matter of a few hours."
"Oh, but I want more than just the word archer. I want all the usual markings."
Cadworon closed his eyes. It was something to write the word archer on her shoulder, it was an entirely different story to write her father's name and mate's name and her status in the realm on her bare back. The princess would be the death of him. He jumped when his brother started to laugh, a sort of amazed and desperate laughter. He had rarely heard his brother Brethilon laugh like this, and never in front of the ruling family of Greenwood.
"What is so funny?" Valerie asked Brethilon.
"I am... so sorry... my Lady," he replied between fits of giggles. Cadworon and Valerie patiently waited for him to calm down. Once he was serious again, he looked at her with an increased amount of respect. "I am at your command, my Lady. I... just understood that it is absolutely useless to try to thwart your plans. You will make your way in life, and we can only try to follow. I can do that. I will follow you in every crazy plan of yours, if only for the amusement it will give me."
"Bret, I think you and I will be great friends," Valerie said with a smile.
OoOoO
Thranduil was absolutely tired of hearing through his office window the noise made by the smithy and Liam, as they were building a metal playground for Phoebe. It was only because he loved the little elleth that he had not forbidden them to build it. He had briefly wondered where they were building it, but had counted on Legolas to make sure it would be in a convenient location. But after hearing them for many days now, he assumed that the structure must be massive because of the time it took to build it. Suddenly remembering that he had not seen the playground at all when he had attended the departure of the Lothlorien delegation near the gate, nor near the training grounds, he realized that it must be located at a place that he would not approve of.
"Where are you building it?" he mumbled, standing to look through his window where he had a view on the training grounds. He did not see it at all. And if it was not near the fortress on the side of the forest, nor near the gate or the training grounds, it could only be at one other place. His belated mate's garden. Rage like he had not felt in a long time filled his heart and soul. This garden had been purposely neglected, as he had never wanted anyone to make changes to his wife's accomplishments. He had not visited the garden since Legolas' departure and his return, as he did not have time to walk in its abandoned aisles to try to recall the memories of his mate in her luxurious garden. And someone had destroyed its untouched state.
He walked swiftly to the garden, ignoring the people he met on his way, afraid that he would lash out at these innocent victims. Once he arrived near the garden, he noticed that his assumption had been correct. He had not even passed the little wall surrounding the garden that he could see, towering higher than the small trees in the garden, a tall structure in wood and metal on which Phoebe was standing. He entered the gateway and was able to see the extent of the damages. There were four towers, with wooden suspension bridges linking them. In the middle of the structure were little seats attached to a pole by two chains. There was sand on the ground, in which Phoebe had already left many buckets and little shovels. Each tower had a slide, three were straight while the last one was in the shape of a spiral. It was on that last slide that the smithy, Liam and Elladan were working while Phoebe was already playing on one of the four towers.
The playground was more massive than he had expected, and although he was extremely impressed by Liam's design and by his smithy's capabilities, it was clear that many flowers and trees had been sacrificed to make room for this. It completely changed the purpose of the garden, from a place of peace and quiet where one could think and rest, to an entertainment area where children would play without restraint. He saw that many weeds had been pulled up, and that a few areas had been reorganized, ready to receive bulbs at the end of the fall. He could only think of one person who would have taken that kind of matters in hands without seeking his permission. One person who would receive his visit immediately.
"Grandpa!" Phoebe yelled from her tower. "I am the queen of the garden!" The three ellyn who were working stopped and turned to watch an ashen Elvenking, who was staring at the multiple changes made to the garden.
Thranduil turned around and left the garden without answering her.
"Do you think my grandfather is mad because of the playground?" Liam asked Elladan.
"I am sure your parents sought proper authorization before proceeding," Elladan told the elfling. "His reaction could be coming from... the size of the structure? I must admit it is much bigger than I originally expected." The smithy went back to work, feeling reassured by the young lord's comment.
"Elladan! Liam! I am the queen of the garden! You must bow to me and obey me at all times!"
"I will forever be at your service," Elladan said, bowing deeply.
"Only in your dreams will I bow to you!" Liam, mumbled, going back to his plans. There was something wrong with the spiral slide. He must have not made the proper calculations, as the pieces did not fit properly...
Thranduil went back to the royal aisle, and arriving in front of the door of Legolas and Valerie's suite, he took a few deep breaths. Valerie was still confined in the room because of her injured leg, and he thought he should treat her with consideration until she was completely recovered. He entered without knocking, hearing voices in her boudoir and walking in that direction until he heard a commotion in that room. People were moving around swiftly, getting ready to face an unexpected visitor, as if his presence was interrupting something that must remain confidential.
Cadworon and Brethilon suddenly appeared in front of him before he had time to enter the boudoir, each wearing a slightly shaken expression. The king could still hear noises of someone getting dressed in the boudoir, and he pushed Brethilon out of his way only to see his daughter-in-law trying to close the back of her dress.
Dumbstruck, Thranduil stared at Valerie for a long time, unable to process the information his eyes were conveying. It was simply unbelievable, unheard of. A bonded elleth cheating on her husband. But after all, he thought, his brain functioning again, she was of human origins and this despicable behavior could only come from that side of her personality. He imagined Legolas, currently in the forest, guarding the safety of both elves and mortals of the northern part Middle Earth, risking his life every day while his wife was frolicking in the arms of her guards. Her guards. Both were bonded, with their mates waiting for them in Valinor. They too, had violated the sanctity of their bond. He turned around to look at Cadworon and Brethilon. And to think he had been the one to suggest that Legolas chooses them to protect his wife. The two warriors were still immobile, watching him with anxiety.
"How could you?" the brothers.
"Your Grace, this is not what you think!" Cadworon said in his defense.
"Leave this suite immediately and wait for me in my office. I will deal with you once I am done with my daughter-in-law."
"My Lord -"
"You are dismissed!" Thranduil repeated angrily.
The two warriors bowed and left the room, wondering what would happen between the king and the princess. Once they were out, Thranduil went back to the boudoir, where Valerie was now sitting on a long chair, properly dressed.
"I am not surprised that you would not give them the opportunity of explaining what happened," she attacked.
"I am no elfling. I know what I saw."
"You saw absolutely nothing. You simply jumped to conclusions because you do not trust me and want to find faults in my behavior once again."
"Fine. Please explain what I saw," he challenged her.
"I did not cheat on Legolas."
"And how do you explain that you were alone with two ellyn, in your boudoir, and had to readjust your clothing when I came in?"
"I cannot tell you. You will have to trust me," Valerie replied with an assurance he knew she did not feel. She was hiding something, and he would not leave this room until he knew exactly what was going on.
"Unfortunately, I do not trust you. You either tell me what is going on, or you will spend the next few days in a cell with Cadworon and Brethilon until Legolas can come back here and decide what we will do with you."
"I am not afraid of what Legolas will say. He will know that I did not betray him. But please leave my guards alone. They only obeyed my command."
"What command did you give them?"
"I can only tell Legolas. He will understand."
Thranduil knew that she was afraid of what Legolas would say, he could read it in her eyes. She might not have betrayed him, but whatever she had done, she expected Legolas to be angry. "This is an incorrect answer. I am the king and Legolas' father, and I am entitled to the truth. Until you tell me the truth, your guards will be chained in a cell without water or food. Your children will be removed from your custody, and held in their rooms without contact with the rest of the realm. Our people will be informed that they no longer should obey you or serve you, the fallen princess of Greenwood."
Thranduil's mind was working in overdrive, trying to find consequences that would break Valerie's determination, without intending to do any of them. He was just playing with her mind, and it seemed to be working. Valerie had gone pale after hearing what could happen to her guards and her children, but she still defied him with her emerald green eyes.
"You would not dare," she mumbled, half-convinced.
"Are you willing to take the chance? Maybe your decision would be easier if I asked Mithrandir to reopen the portal and send you back to your world with your children before Legolas comes back?"
Valerie grabbed the handles of her chair, feeling dizzy. She watched him with terror, and he knew he had gone too far. Did she not realize that Mithrandir would never agree to this? That if he sent her back to her world, it meant probable death for his son? Legolas was not as strong as Thranduil, it was unlikely that he would survive the permanent loss of his bonded mate.
"What were you doing with your guards?" he asked again, but with a tender voice. He was regretful for his poor choice of words, but would get the information he required nevertheless. He needed to know if she had betrayed his son.
Valerie quickly wiped the tears that were falling on her cheeks, feeling ashamed, hurt, misunderstood. She hesitatingly put her hand on her left shoulder, and slowly pulled the fabric to reveal a tattoo on her naked skin.
Thranduil watched the word archer with dismay. He was absolutely relieved that Valerie had not made love with another ellon, but this? This was... he had no words for it. Valerie had once again transgressed one of their ancestral rules, as if their traditions were useless and ridiculous. Legolas would certainly be furious that she had permanently ruined her skin with a warrior marking. A warrior marking? he suddenly realized. Why had she needed to rearrange the entire back of her dress when he had come in? It could not be!
"Are there any other markings?" he inquired suspiciously.
Valerie slowly moved her arms behind her back and opened the back of her dress before turning around. Thranduil breathed sharply. On her shoulder blades, the words Mate of Legol was appearing, unfinished tattoo underneath the words Princess of Greenwood. Only the name of her father was missing to have the exact markings of a warrior on her body.
Thranduil sat down on a chair, wondering what to do with this fiasco. Since her arrival, Valerie had continuously defied his authority, and this was the worst event they had encountered together. But this time, Legolas would obviously be aware, it would not remain a secret. He would know about her markings, and would know about Thranduil's heartless threats. He sat back, watching her pensively as she attached her dress again.
"Why? Why did you do this?"
"Legolas feels guilty about the decision he made of making me a Greenwood warrior against my will. He is looking for a way around my vow, and... I thought he would feel better knowing that I was accepting my duty, by getting the warrior markings... I thought... it would make things easier for him. No one has to know... Only Cad and Bret, Legolas, and now you..."
"Why did you not put your father's name on your shoulder blades?"
"I have no father worth mentioning," she answered, her face hardening. She was recovering from her shock, and would make him pay dearly for what he had said.
"You could have put my name as your father-in-law."
She burst into laughter, a hard, vicious laugh. "How could you even suggest such a thing? You hate me. I am only an inconvenience to you! You do not hesitate to threaten me to make me submit to your will. Your name will never appear on my back!" she spat, insisting on the word never.
Thranduil's heart ached. "I do not hate you," he sighed.
"Please leave my apartment. Do not come back until you are invited."
She was completely disrespectful to her king, but he could not blame her. His behavior that afternoon had been atrocious to say the least. He stood and left the apartment without a backward glance. Only when he arrived in front of the door leading to his private suite did he realize that he had forgotten all about the playground in his wife's garden. Drained, he decided to rest in his bedroom, unable to fight with her again about the now trivial matter of a few trees cut and weeds pulled up. He turned around, forgetting about Cadworon and Brethilon who were waiting for him in his office.
OoOoO
When Legolas came back from his duty on the forest road two months later, during a sad and rainy afternoon, his entire family was waiting for him at the gate, soaked to the skin by the cold rain. Disregarding any protocol, he jumped down his horse and pulled his wife into a delirious embrace while the kids were jumping around and trying to get his attention. The entire family entered the fortress in a tight group, going to Legolas and Valerie's apartment where they spent the rest of the afternoon in private.
They only reappeared in the hall on time for dinner, more cheerful and noisy than usual. Since their guests from Imladris were still in Greenwood, with Elrohir that had started training again the week before, the king had organized a formal dinner to welcome his son back. Thranduil was expecting his son to ignore him, to be cold with him and glare at him to let him know they would discuss what had happened between Valerie and him a few weeks before, but Legolas simply embraced him with affection, sat between his wife and father, and gave them news of what had happened in the forest during these two months.
After their last fight about her tattoos, Valerie had ignored the king for a week, but then had started to maintain minimal politeness with him shortly after, for the sake of the peace in the fortress. They had never talked about their fight ever again. If their relationship had been difficult before, it was now glacial. While Legolas was away, Valerie started having family dinners in her suite every Sunday night, where recipes from her world were prepared. She had purposely not invited him to these dinners, despite the fact that he had directly asked to be included in the group. He only heard about them from Sean and Phoebe the next day.
But during the dinner following Legolas' return, Valerie was more gracious and spoke to the king as she had done before the fight. Puzzled, Thranduil wondered if she was planning to speak to Legolas that night meanwhile giving him the hope that she would not report his terrible behavior to her husband. If Valerie's smirks were something to go by, Legolas would request a private audience early in the morning.
Valerie knew exactly what Thranduil was thinking, and although she had no intention of telling Legolas about his father's behavior, convinced that as two adults, they could work things out without involving Legolas, she was planning to leave this sword of Damocles above his head for a long, long time.
"Father, why are you not joining us tomorrow night for the Sunday family dinner that Valerie started organizing when I was away?" Legolas asked his father. "You would discover an amazing type of cuisine and -"
"I invited your father many times, my love," Valerie cut him, "but he has declined the invitation each time. I am afraid your father prefers elven cuisine to all else."
Thranduil gritted his teeth when Legolas frowned at him. Valerie was a great liar, but he could not afford to confront her at this point. Not after what he had done. "She is right, ion nin, I would rather have dinner with our people every day."
"But our people would not mind to give you some privacy once a week!"
"Leave him be, Legolas," Valerie said lightly. "It is against all hopes. He will join us when he is ready!"
She skillfully changed the subject, eying Thranduil all the while, daring him to make a remark. He did not dare, and they finished dinner quickly. Legolas made a tour of the hall to speak to everyone before he expressed the desire to get back to their apartment for a quiet evening.
As the evening was progressing, Valerie was starting to worry that her idea of getting tattoos was not such a great one. She could see the spark in his eyes as he played with the children – he was planning to sleep very little that night, and there were no possibilities that he would not see her new markings. Thranduil and her bodyguards' reactions were not necessarily promising a positive reaction from her mate. And unfortunately, the markings were permanent. And since she would apparently live forever, a concept she still struggled with, it meant she would spend an eternity with these tattoos. Suddenly, she wished she had not made that move.
Legolas put the children in bed, and she got prepared for the night while she was listening to their pillow fighting. How he thought they would fall asleep quickly after this was a mystery, but as a new father, there were lessons he still had to learn. And learning by experience was such a better lesson! She put out all the candles but one, hoping that Legolas would not notice anything in the dark. She brushed her long curls slowly in front of her mirror, waiting for Legolas to be done, but as expected, Sean and Phoebe kept talking and laughing, and it took him half an hour before they finally started to calm down. She could feel his relief when they finally fell asleep.
He came immediately to their bedroom, and standing behind her sitting form, he snaked his arms around her, putting both his hands on her stomach.
"I am so glad to see that you have fully recovered from your injuries," he murmured against her ear. "I was worried that you might limp forever, but it seems you have the healing capacity of a true elf. And... I cannot believe how big you got since I saw you last!" he said, slowly caressing her stomach.
"I am at 28 weeks now. I cannot believe I will have to wait another 24 weeks before giving birth. I do not know how ellith can be patient enough to wait for such a long time! One full year! This is an eternity when you are so huge!"
"It is required for a little elf to properly develop in his mother's womb -" He suddenly felt a shift under his hands. "Was that... was that one of the babies moving?" he incredulously asked.
"Yes. You know I could feel them move in my stomach before you left, but it has been a few weeks now that someone else can feel them by touching my stomach. The children keep wanting to touch it, and they talk to their brothers also."
"This is incredible! I can understand why they want to touch the babies all the time!" He closed his eyes and attempted the connection with their fëar, and suddenly, Valerie felt both babies actively moving in her womb.
"What is it with you tonight? None of our children will fall asleep properly!" she teased.
"Did you let my adar touch your stomach?"
Valerie looked at Legolas with astonishment. The idea of Thranduil sitting beside her and touching her stomach was so unseemly, she almost laughed.
"No, he did not ask," she replied, praying the king would never do so.
Legolas shrugged, and slowly moving his hands to her heavier bosom, he started kissing her neck. Valerie closed her eyes, savoring the proximity with her mate after two months of separation. She had missed him dreadfully, and could hardly imagine how she would endure frequent separations such as this one on a regular basis. But she knew he was a warrior, the Captain of the Greenwood army when she had married him, and she tried to compare it to modern soldiers in her world, and their spouses who had to wait for them for months while they were fighting at the other end of the world.
Allison had been of very little support during these two months. Outside of her work in the healing rooms, she had spent most of her time with Glorfindel, the Captain of the Imladris guard. Elrohir was fully recovered, and the Imladris delegation would soon leave Greenwood, before the first snow would fall in the mountain pass. Valerie knew her sister was dreading the separation. Allison had fallen in love quickly with the impressive warrior. Elladan had told her about Glorfindel's sad story a few weeks before while they had been watching Phoebe and Sean who were playing in the playground. The children were playing there almost every day, and even Thranduil had been even seen playing in the sand with Phoebe and Sean. Valerie had wondered why the king had never complained about the structure in the middle of his belated mate's garden, and since she was not seeking another fight with him, she had forgotten about it quickly.
Valerie had been both touched and impressed with the fact that Glorfindel was a reborn elf, who had died during the destruction of Gondolin while fighting a Balrog, a horned demon of shadow and flames, an immense hybrid creature between a dragon and a bat. His death had been horrific and was still a cause of trauma for him. He had been reborn millennia later in Valinor, and had been required by the Valar to go back to Middle Earth to protect Lord Elrond's family.
The fact that Allison had fallen in love with such a complex ellon was not surprising to Valerie. Her sister had always loved a challenge, and Glorfindel made Thranduil look like an uncomplicated elf, easy to get along with. But Glorfindel found Allison absolutely fascinating, and she liked to study his multifaceted personality. Valerie had learned to respect him after a few conversations, but she found him too serious. She vastly preferred the uncomplicated and sometimes mischievous Legolas, who was not always easy to live with but so much easier to understand!
Glorfindel had given a lot of information to Valerie about reborn elves, how they started recollecting their memories a few years before their majority at 50 years old, and how strange it would be for everyone that they would be reborn from Valerie instead of their original naneths. That was something that Valerie had not realized before, and she had been upset to know that somewhere in Valinor, unknown ellith would be heartbroken to hear that another woman would carry their child for their second life.
He had also been the one delicately pointing out that her list of baby names was absolutely useless.
"Why?" she had asked. Liam had been reading a lot of books and was listing all the nice elvish names he had encountered.
"My name is Glorfindel. I recall my first life with great clarity. How do you think I would have felt if my naneth had given me a different name for 50 years until I remembered that my true name was Glorfindel?"
"You have a point, but my children will not be born with their names written on their forehead. I have no idea how to identify them," she had replied.
"Lord Elrond or Lady Galadriel will soon find out. They will tell you their names."
"I hope... they will be elves that had a peaceful life," she had wished out loud.
"It is highly unlikely. We can only die from an injury. They have probably died during a battle or skirmish; there have been many wars in Middle Earth over the ages..."
Valerie came back to the present time when Legolas started pulling down the sleeves of her nightgown on her shoulders. She prayed that in the darkness, Legolas would not see anything special, and after a few minutes of passionate kissing, it seemed that her wish would be granted. Legolas moved them to their bed, where things became heated very quickly. Until...
"What is... Val? What is this on your shoulder?"
When she did not answer, he jumped out of the bed and went to get the candle and brought it closer to her shoulder. She noticed the disbelief in his eyes as he slowly touched the word archer with a finger.
"What have you done?"
"I got warrior markings," she replied with a small voice.
"Markings? You have more than one?"
She nodded.
"Show me," he ordered sharply, using this tone for the first time in their relationship.
She slowly turned around in the bed, and completely removed her nightgown, revealing the markings on her back. He remained silent for a long time, until she started shivering from the cold. Legolas put her nightgown back on her shoulders, and went to sit on a nearby chair, watching her with an unreadable expression. Valerie was too scared to try to read his emotions through their link. She was afraid she would feel anger, or even worse, repulsion.
"Vanima - beautiful, look at me," he asked after long, silent minutes. She looked at him, observing his now pensive expression. "I will not even ask who did this for you, Valerie. What made you do such an insane action?"
"I did it for you."
"I do not recall ever expressing a liking for markings on an elleth."
"That is not what I meant... I know you were feeling guilty about the warrior vows I have taken unwillingly... I thought it would be a good way to show you... that I have accepted them... even if I am a poor warrior."
"A poor warrior?"
"Bret and Cad have been trying to train me at blades fighting. They are polite... but I seem to be a desperate case."
"I do not see how it could be any different with your pregnancy. You have less balance and speed than normal."
"No. I am simply not a good fighter. I am a good archer. Period."
"I can understand... what thoughts led you to do this. In your world, women get tattoos. But did you realize that in Greenwood, this is reserved for warriors?"
"I am a warrior," she fumed.
"Reserved to male warriors," he specified.
"How would you know? I am the first female warrior, apparently! Thanks to you!"
Legolas massaged his forehead, as if he was fighting a headache.
"Listen," she pleaded. "I did not think it would be such a big deal. Only your father's reaction indicated how serious it was and -"
"My father knows?" Legolas interrupted.
"Yes."
"Care to tell me how he found out?"
The situation was bad enough, she was not going to tell Legolas about Thranduil's suspicions that she was having an affair with Cadworon and Brethilon at the same time.
"I told him."
"I am surprised he did not tell me. Normally, this is the first thing he would have told me after my return. He must have finally taken a liking to you," he sighed.
"I guess," Valerie replied. "I have a hard time reading your father."
"What are we going to do?" he asked out loud, but obviously speaking to himself.
"There is nothing we can do. It is done. I will hide the tattoos carefully, and no one will know."
"Your maids will know, the seamstresses will know, your guards and my father already know..."
"What do you want me to do then? Walk around naked to make sure everyone will see them?"
"You should not make inappropriate proposals to jest under the circumstances," he chided.
"I am at a loss about what you expect of me. I am telling you I did this for you! I have no idea how we can find a way out of my vows, and I thought my acceptance would at least reduce the guilt you were feeling before you left. But I see it was unnecessary because I cannot feel any guilt in you anymore!"
"I have no more guilt because I have found a solution!"
"What?"
"I have found a solution, Valerie," he sighed.
"What is it?"
"Come here," he said, extending his hand. He insisted when she did not stand immediately. She watched him warily, wondering what his solution was. She came out of the bed and walked to the chair, taking the hand that was still extended in her direction. He pulled her to him and she sat on his lap, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"I have found a way for you to be a warrior without being trained on blade combat or hand-to-hand combat."
"How?"
"You will use the weapons we brought from your world. Soldiers in your world use those weapons. You will simply be a warrior by your world's definition."
"But... we promised Lord Celeborn that we will not use these guns!"
"We promised we would not use them lightly. If your blade talent is as abysmal as you are telling me, I believe this is a desperate situation qualifying under our promise."
"I have not spent a lot of time learning how to use these weapons. Some of them are semi-automatic! I will need training!"
"You can train! Your guards will bring you to a new training area I ordered to be set out for you. Thinor will keep training Phoebe at archery and you will stop attending his lessons to concentrate on the firearms."
"But people will hear me!"
"You do not have to hide, Vanima! We only said we would be cautious around mortals. Do you see how this could work?"
"Yes, I can. I would be a warrior, killing our foes from afar with my arrows and my bullets. Never in hand-to-hand combat."
Legolas kissed her forehead tenderly, caressing her shoulder and her back. He pulled on the fabric to bare her skin, and looked at the markings again. "They did a fine job," he commented. "I must admit... I like seeing my name on you."
"I like seeing mine on your shoulder blade too."
"I will get used to it," he promised.
"You do not have much choice, do you?"
"No, I do not," he confirmed. "So let me start getting used to these tattoos right now..." he said, lifting her to bring her to the bed.
OoOoO
The sunlight from the light-well woke her up, only to find Legolas observing her with a smile on his face.
"You know," he said with a grin, "I think these tattoos are quite... sexy," he said using the English word since there was no Sindarin equivalent.
She rolled her eyes. "And you could not find them sexy from the start? It would have avoided an unpleasant fight."
He kissed her sweetly. "We have something else to talk about. Something you might find unpleasant."
"What is it?"
"I received a note from my father while I was away. He did not want to discuss this matter directly with you, and thought it would be best if I was the one letting you know about this... situation."
Valerie sat in the bed. "What is wrong?" she asked, her heart beating. It must have been a delicate matter indeed for Thranduil deciding not to discuss this with her. He generally was not the type who would be afraid of bluntly telling her truths she would rather not hear about.
"It is about Elladan."
"What about him?"
"He is very close with our family, is he not?"
"Well... We spend quite a lot of time with him, I admit, but it is mainly because he is always around when Phoebe and I go to the archery range, or when I watch her play in her playground. He is a nice ellon, cultured and hilarious at the same time. I love his brother also. Elrohir is black and white in his judgments, I love play devil's advocate with him, just to see him rage!"
Legolas was patiently listening to her babbling, not knowing how to introduce the delicate subject he had heard about while he was at the forest road boarder. To him, the fact that Elladan and Phoebe were fëa-mates made no doubt. Lord Elrond would never lie about such a matter. Elladan was spending a lot of time with Phoebe, training her, playing with her, instructing her on elven history. Liam was listening as intently when he could, eager to learn new information about the elves in general, and their family in particular. Elladan was patient with the children, but even more so with Phoebe. They shared a connection already, based on friendship for now, until it would become more. It was not the first time in elven history that mates met while one was an elfling and the other a grown elf. And Legolas had realized months before that it would probably happen with most of their future children as they would all be reborn elves, possibly with mates waiting for them in Valinor. The thought was not alien to him, but absolutely unexpected when it came to Phoebe. He had no idea how Valerie would react to that.
"Why did you want to talk about Elladan?" Valerie asked, curious.
Might as well take the bull by the horns. "Elladan believes that Phoebe is his fëa-mate."
Valerie looked at him, frowning. "What?"
"They are fëa-mates. They will be bonded."
Valerie remained silent, and Legolas started breathing again, seeing she was not reacting too badly, when she suddenly jumped out of bed, grabbing her red dressing gown and closing it on her round belly. She left the bedroom to go in her boudoir.
"Vanima!" he called. "Come back here, we just need to talk about this." He did not analyze her feelings through their bond. He should have done it. He got caught by surprise when he heard the door of their suite be slammed behind her.
"What just happened?" he wondered, jumping out of the bed and getting dressed quickly. Unlike Valerie, he would not walk around the royal aisle in a dressing gown. He hoped she would not meet his father in the hallways. The king would certainly make a remark about her disregard for their royal station.
When he heard screams in the private living room, he swiftly finished getting dressed and ran to the room where there the commotion could be heard. The door was wide open, and when he entered, the scene was absolutely surreal. Thranduil was sitting beside Lord Elrond, both lords completely still with their mouths wide open. Sean was at the piano but he had stopped playing, and he was calling his mother incessantly without success. Liam had dropped his book on the floor, and was showing no signs of intending of picking it up any time soon. Phoebe was sitting near the fireplace, her crayons and parchments all over the floor. She was crying, frightened by the sight in front of her. And Elladan... was sitting beside her, a blue crayon in his hand, Valerie's arrow pointed directly on his forehead.
In the next chapter: you will know if Elladan will survive the threat, and Valerie will finally have her twins! It will be quite an exciting chapter, with lots of drama...
I got many great and interesting reviews about chapter 16. Thank you all for your comments and input!
Angel: this will not be a 10th walker story. Valerie cannot abandon her children…
Glassary: the attack was so similar to what happened to Thranduil's queen, it was bound to remind him of the tragic events. Unfortunately for Valerie, he recovered quickly and went back to his pleasant behavior!
Arrelmai: I hope you liked the action on this chapter. The next one will have even more action…
Gginsc: Valerie is very passionate and sometimes, doesn't think before acting. It only makes her more interesting! ;-)
KKK3: this is not the last that we will hear about Amareth, but she will be quiet for a few chapters…
Cathael: I hope I didn't go too far with the markings – I just thought that as a modern woman, Valerie would have accepted to get tattoos to make Legolas feel better about his decision…
TravelingWithoutMovingaFoot: I really like both stories. Haldir is also an interesting ellon to write about. If you read the Haldir version, you will recognize many original characters that appear in both stories, and you can compare their destinies.
Aralinn: Valerie used to do archery for sports only. She had no interest in actually killing orcs with her talent, or even learn to use elven blades. This is why she is upset – Legolas decided for her and now, she is stuck with the obligation to fight like a warrior…
KrystylSky: glad that you loved the last chapter. Did you like Thranduil in this last one?
Aureleis: I hope Thranduil and Valerie didn't disappoint you! Their relationship will take a huge turn in the next chapter, but you can be sure that their exchanges will always be entertaining.
Philosophie88: Liam is and has always been a child that didn't trust adults easily. It took Legolas quite some time to connect with him, and Thranduil will take a little bit longer…
Blackunicorne: Valerie didn't really understand how different Middle Earth and her world are, other than the timing which looked like the Middle Ages. Her first encounter with orcs will be a wakeup call, and she will try to act more responsibly after the events that unfolded in Chapter 17…
Abbyforth: Worry not, Valerie will be more quiet until the end of her pregnancy… the birth will take place in the next chapter…
Friskypixie100: I hope you loved this last chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger!
Motoko the Red Queen: It was never in her plans to become a warrior, nothing in her education prepared her to fight, and she never had the interest in combat. This is why she is angry with Legolas. Speaking of Legolas, he is under pressure from the presence of Haldir in his realm, and because the orcs and spiders are growing in numbers. To top it all, his mate is turning to be more different than he ever expected. The situation is difficult for both of them – but their love will always help them overcome their differences…Thranduil will soon open his eyes, in the next chapter actually – but I will always keep their exchanges entertaining!
Paperlanterns86: I know you worry about the characters – sorry for the cliffhanger about Elladan…
ShueYun: I have a lot of fun writing scenes between Valerie and Thranduil, although the one about the markings was the most dramatic ones yet…
Legolas Fan: the next chapter will have little scenes with the children, but after that, I will incorporate more of them in the action.
TheQueenofErynLagasryn: thank you for the compliment, I really try my best and review over and over again my chapters before I publish them to give a quality product to my readers. Getting reviews like yours tells me my efforts are worth it!
Lunah: Valerie is strong, she is going through an adaptation period but things will settle down and her life will become quieter… And Thranduil will soon change – you will see it in the next chapter.
5aerwen: thank you for your great comments, I am very flattered. I hope you will continue to follow my work and let me know your comments…
Peridot Eyez: Haldir will eventually be part of the extended family… It will take quite a few chapters, though. You will have to be patient!
World-classgeek: Sean is a sweet kid right now – but I have plans for him. He will become an interesting adult!