Chapter 27 ended with:

Valerie nodded and watched Arwen leave with apprehension. Despite knowing that this day would arrive for months, the uncertainty was unbearable. Would all go well, or would she live a repeat of the birth of the twins?

Chapter 28 – Beginnings and Consequences

Legolas arrived a little while later, walking slowly in a show of confidence and happiness that did not fool her. Even if he was trying to keep his mind blank, she could feel his nervousnessv, Fright was probably a better word. He knelt in front of the couch, carefully avoiding the pool of her waters on the wooden floor. He gently held her against his chest, both of them looking for comfort in the embrace. She put her head on his shoulder, breathing deeply to calm down, the familiar scent of her mate invading her nostrils.

"I love you," she murmured against his neck.

"I love you too, Vanima. It is time that I bring you to Lord Elrond in the healing rooms. Are you in pain?"

"No contractions yet, but it should start soon. Do you think we should pick up the mess before we leave?"

"Do not worry, a servant will do it," he chuckled. "Are you ready to be a naneth again?"

"Did the Valar leave me a choice?" she asked a little bitterly. "Do not get me wrong, I am not unhappy to have another child, but three all at once and not on our own schedule? I am not exactly ecstatic."

"You will forget once they are in your arms." I hope Valerie will be well and able to enjoy the arrival of our new sons, he thought darkly without expressing it verbally.

He gently picked her up and carried up bridal-style to the healing rooms where Allison and Elrond were already getting all their instruments ready. When they came in, the two healers hurriedly hid all the surgical instruments under a white cloth. Although the sight gave Valerie the shivers, knowing that they were both ready for an emergency c-section somehow seemed better than the last time around, when Thranduil had asked Allison to perform one with very little preparation. There were three other healers in a corner, standing beside three little cribs, obviously in charge of taking care of each elfling as they were born.

Valerie nodded in their direction and sat on the bed that had been prepared for her while Legolas sat in a nearby chair. They started waiting in silence. The tension could have been cut with a knife.

"Please say something!" Valerie eventually requested. "The wait is unbearable with everyone so worried!"

Allison said the first thing that came to mind. "I wonder if I will have an ellon or an elleth. Do you not think that I carry my child like women carry girls?" she said, showing her still stomach to her sister.

"Congratulations Allison, that really takes my mind off the subject of birthing," Valerie replied, aggravated. Furthermore, Allison's pregnancy was simply too early to show, making her question absolutely preposterous.

"Why is Lord Erestor having a special interest in our daughter?" Legolas asked Elrond.

Immediately, Valerie turned to him. "What are you talking about?"

"I have noticed that he observes our daughter frequently, and that Elladan does not appreciate it at all."

The contractions started a few minutes later, but Valerie did not notice as she listened to Elrond describing the opinion of Imladris' First Councilor that Phoebe and Elladan should be separated for many years. As per Erestor, their current closeness would confuse Phoebe when she determined if Elladan was truly fëa-mate or if he was simply a mentor and friend.

The contractions kept growing slowly in intensity but very quickly in number. At that point, Valerie had decided to postpone any discussions about Phoebe and Elladan until later. Within an hour, her contractions were two minutes apart, but she was in very little pain.

"Something is wrong," Valerie told Lord Elrond. "This is not pain free, but the pain level is abnormal."

Lord Elrond carefully examined Valerie and announced to everyone that she was almost fully dilated and that he could feel a little head, which meant that at least the first child was in the proper position.

Legolas let out a sigh of relief, hiding his face in his hands. "Thank the Valar!" he mumbled. This birth might be easier than the last one in the end...

"This is not normal!" Valerie repeated to Elrond, her voice growing an octave.

"Why do you insist on experiencing excruciating pain?" Allison asked. Valerie's sister was two months pregnant and was hoping for a pain free birth like Valerie was currently experiencing.

"I am afraid of any abnormal symptoms," Valerie replied.

"This is your fourth pregnancy," Lord Elrond explained. "For many women, births are getting easier with each new child..."

"Vanima," Legolas soothed her, "I think our prayers may have been heard. It is as my adar and I have prayed for. The Valar will not let you down this time."

"You should start pushing within the next few minutes," Elrond announced. "I will let Liam and Phoebe know that all is well for now, and that the first child is in the right position."

"I will go! Do not leave my mate's side!" Legolas insisted in a comical manner for someone who was sure a few moments before that Valerie was in no danger at all.

When Legolas came back five minutes later, Valerie was feeling the irrepressible need to push the first child out of her womb.

"What should I do?" Legolas asked, uncertain of his role since it was the first time that he attended the birth of an elfling.

"Just sit beside Valerie and support her," Allison said with a little touch of impatience.

Legolas was about to reply tersely but held his tongue when he saw Valerie wince during a more difficult contraction. "Are you in pain, my love? She is in pain!" he yelled to Lord Elrond.

"Legolas, Valerie just winced. At the last birth, she was screaming so loud that she was probably heard in Lake-town!" Allison continued with her cutting tone.

"Allison, leave Legolas alone. I hope that when it is your turn to give birth, there will be no healer purposely driving Glorfindel insane," Valerie said after the contraction had passed. "If I have to choose between Legolas and you in this room at this moment, I would choose Legolas. So please, behave!"

Allison looked ashamed for a moment. "I am sorry, Legolas. I am very stressed and did not mean to be rude," she said after taking a few deep breaths.

"Now that everyone apologized and clearly understood each other, I would really like to proceed, if you do not mind," Lord Elrond said philosophically, familiar with family members fighting around a birthing elleth.

Elrond guided Valerie during the pushes and Legolas supported her between the contractions, and soon, Elrond started seeing a little head with black hair.

"One more push and the head will be out," Elrond announced. One of the healers came closer, preparing a warm towel to envelop the infant. "I know you would like to see him," he told the parents, "but since they are premature triplets, I would prefer if a healer makes sure that they are well before we bring them to you."

Legolas nodded in agreement, seeing that Valerie was too overwhelmed at the time to understand Elrond's words. The lord was wondering if they would all survive...

"The head is out!" Elrond announced. He removed the mucus from the mouth of the baby who started crying immediately. Valerie pushed one more time and Elrond grabbed the elfling. He quickly examined him, noting how small the elfling was, but he was happy that his lungs were perfectly functioning.

"He seems well," he told the worried parents. "A little small, but healthy." He showed them the child quickly and gave him to the healer in charge of proceeding with a more thorough examination.

"Are you well? Is the second child coming?" Legolas asked Valerie.

"I do not feel the need to push," she told him. "I feel... less full, strangely." They both chuckled, relieved that at least one of the elflings had been born relatively easily.

"Who is it?" Legolas asked Elrond once he saw that Valerie was calm.

"I have not tried to identify him, but I can try now before the contractions start again."

The Lord of Imladris made sure that the healer was done cleaning the baby and enveloping him in a little blanket before bringing him back to his parents. Elrond sat on the bed and put his hand on the child's forehead, almost covering the small head completely. They could see his ring glow slightly.

"My friends," he soon said with a grin. "This is Fingolfin, son of Finwë."

Legolas started. "Why are you surprised?" Valerie asked. There were so many kings and lords in elven history, she had a hard time keeping track of them all.

"He is Lady Galadriel's uncle!" Legolas reminded her. "He was High King of the Noldor for 450 years at the beginning of the First Age."

Valerie was suddenly hit with a new contraction. "You can keep your history lessons for later," she hissed while her stomach was hardening painfully.

Lord Elrond gave Fingolfin back to the healer and sat between Valerie's legs again while Allison was standing behind him.

A few pushes later and the healers started seeing another black-haired little head. When Elrond pulled the elfling out of Valerie, his face blanched and he almost fell off the bed. In fact, he started swaying and Allison had to grab his shoulders to straighten him. When she saw that he was staring at the child in shock, she looked at the little ellon with worry, wondering if there was something wrong with the child.

It was exactly what Legolas was wondering when he looked at the scene. He looked at his wife to comfort her but she was staring at Elrond, obviously reading his mind despite the fact that she was in the middle of giving birth to triplets.

"What is wrong, Vanima?" he asked her. He looked at Allison, who simply told him that the child was small but seemed normal despite his size.

"Valerie!" Legolas insisted loudly to get her attention.

She turned her head in his direction. "I did not imagine it was possible, but... I think it is his twin brother!"

"Elros?" Legolas was absolutely amazed. How could Elros be reborn if he had chosen the faith of Men and had died as a man? Had he been welcomed in the Halls of Mandos regardless? He walked to the end of the bed to look at the elfling who was still dirty, but the traits were so similar to Elrond's and his sons'...

"Lord Elrond?" he asked, trying to get his attention. But the lord was still staring at the elfling. Legolas exchanged a look with Allison.

"Take him!" she decided. "The next one will be born soon and I will take over. I do not think Lord Elrond will be able to help anymore. But the birth is going very well, he... he should not be needed."

Legolas delicately took Elros from Elrond, and immediately, Elrond growled.

"I am bringing him to a healer," Legolas firmly told the distraught lord. Elrond followed him and stood beside the table where his brother was being cared for by a healer, completely forgetting about Valerie and her last son still to be born.

Legolas took a quick look at Fingolfin before going back to Valerie who was now pushing to give birth his last son. Now that her womb was almost empty, Valerie wanted to be done quickly with this triple delivery. Between checking on Elros, Fingolfin and Valerie who seemed to be in a hurry, Legolas did not quite know where he should put his full attention.

A few minutes later, Allison was holding another black-haired child and triumphantly showed him to his parents. A healer took him to a table where Legolas joined them to watch his last son. He started walking between his three newborn sons, making sure that they were healthy despite their small size.

"I cannot believe this," Allison mumbled while she was washing Valerie. "You gave birth to three children within less than an hour, experienced very little pain, no tearing, and your children are healthy despite being premature. What a change from the last time around!"

"You could be happy for me," her exhausted sister replied.

"I am happy for you, but I am envious! I hope the birth of my child will be as easy!"

"Legolas?" Valerie whispered already half-asleep now that she was warmly tucked in the bed. "Who is our last son?"

She fell asleep before Legolas was able to redirect Lord Elrond's attention from his twin brother to the third child.

OoOoO

She woke less than an hour later, Legolas gently shaking her to inform her that their sons were hungry.

"Already?" she whined. She wanted to sleep, sleep for a long, long, long time. But she knew that her days of rest were over. The next few weeks would just be hectic, worse than when Gil-galad and Oropher were newborns.

Legolas was holding a child, grinning like a lunatic.

"Thank you, Vanima, for this wonderful experience. You have made me today the happiest ellon alive."

"I think Lord Elrond and Glorfindel might be competing with you for this title," Allison whispered. Valerie followed her gaze to find Lord Elrond sitting in a couch holding one of the two black-haired elfling while Glorfindel was standing by the window, rocking the other one in his arms while cooing to the child.

"Why is Glorfindel here?" Valerie asked her sister in the lowest tone possible.

"Because you gave birth to someone of great importance to him," Legolas replied in Allison's stead. "Our third son is Ecthelion, Lord of the Fountain."

"Really?" Valerie asked. Coincidentally, she had been ready about him a few hours before. She suddenly frowned, not understanding the prophecy. "If Fingolfin was a king, and Elros was the King of Numenor when he became a man, but he is also Lord Elrond's twin. Why was Ecthelion born to us? He is no warden of Lothlorien!"

"Why did you expect a Lothlorien elf?" Legolas asked, bewildered.

"The prophecy spoke of a warden," she reminded him.

"You interpreted the prophecy as a Lothlorien warden, but in Sindarin, warden means soldier. Traditionally, we refer to the Lothlorien warriors frequently as wardens, but it is truly a general term that can be used for anyone protecting a realm, guarding it, just like Ecthelion did in the city of Gondolin."

"Will they ever let me see my sons?" she asked Legolas. She had given birth to them, but Elrond and Glorfindel were monopolizing them in a manner that did not seem normal in her eyes.

"Let them get used to it," Legolas said charitably. "Lord Elrond let me hold Elros for a few minutes while you were sleeping."

"This is not making me feel any better," she mumbled. "Give me Fingolfin first," she asked her mate, who gently put the fully awake child in her arms. He was so beautiful, just like Oropher and Gil-galad when they had been born. She turned a little to get some privacy and opened the top of her gown, baring her breast. Fingolfin quickly got the hang of it and was soon happily drinking his mother's milk. Valerie caressed his short dark hair while he drank.

"Did you not say that Liam was fascinated by dark haired elves since there were none in Greenwood? Well, we will soon bring back home three black-haired ellyn. How will we tell them apart?" she wondered.

"Their facial features and skin tones are different," Legolas replied. "You will see! Now, Elros was also hungry. Let me go get him. But before...Allison, would you mind getting Arwen?"

"I will. Only her will be able to bring her adar to his own bed with a strong sleeping draught. There will be no other way for him to gain his composure back."

Arwen entered the room a few minutes later, congratulating Valerie and informing her that everyone had visited their newborn children while she was sleeping. Liam and Phoebe were having dinner in the hall but would soon visit her again. Arwen took a glass from Allison's hand and then walked in her father's direction.

"Adar?" she sweetly asked. "Here, have a drink. You have not moved in the past hour."

Unsuspecting, Elrond took the glass and drank it in a long gulp. He gave back the glass to Arwen, who stood beside him. "It is incredible to see what you looked like as an infant," she told him.

"The Valar have blessed me," he replied, his eyes never leaving his brother.

"The Valar blessed us," Legolas corrected. He did not like the way Elrond was talking about his brother. Valerie had carried Elros for many months, and he was the father. Did Elrond think that they would go back to Greenwood leaving Elros in his care?

He walked to stand beside Arwen. "My Lord," he said, "Elros is hungry and Valerie is ready to feed him."

"She is feeding Fingolfin," the Imladris Lord replied.

"My wife is used to nursing twins. She can nurse two elflings at a time. Please give me my son."

"Later..."

"Lord Elrond, give me my son immediately!" Legolas commanded in an unpleasant voice.

Arwen put a hand on Elrond's arm. "Father, are you feeling alright?"

Elrond looked at his daughter. "I feel quite tired suddenly."

"Give me Elros, I will take good care of him."

Trusting his daughter above all, Elrond gave her Elros before heavily falling back in the couch. "I am so tired," he mumbled. He fell asleep shortly after that.

"I am sorry," Arwen said to Legolas, giving him the precious child. Legolas brought him to Valerie who started nursing him too while admiring two of her new sons.

"Will Glorfindel be such a pain too?" Valerie asked out loud. She was a little scared by Lord Elrond's reaction and was wondering if Glorfindel would be as spooky.

"I heard that!" Glorfindel replied from the window. But shortly after, he was standing by Valerie's bed, Ecthelion still in his arms. "You have to forgive Elrond," he said. "It was such a shock to him. He will get over it. In the meantime... Thank you. All my thanks to both of you. You have no idea how I longed to know if my friend had been reborn or not in Valinor. But to know he will grow in Middle Earth? I never imagined such a blessing was possible."

Valerie caressed Elros' little head. "You think Elrond will let us leave without making difficulties?"

"Yes," Glorfindel said with assurance. "It is the shock. He will recover."

Fingolfin soon showed signs that he was full and Legolas took him to burp him. He was replaced by Ecthelion on Valerie's breast.

"I think we should write to my father," Legolas said while rubbing Fingolfin's back. "I was told by Elladan that two great eagles arrived earlier today."

"Let me write to Thranduil, you can write to Lady Galadriel," Valerie decided.

OoOoO

A servant entered the room where Miniel was teaching Hadrian, Oropher and Gil-galad how to read. In a corner of the room, Sean was practicing his piano and scribbling hurriedly on parchments as he wrote the notes of the symphony he was creating. A few years back, he had gone from interpretation to creation, and the melodies he created, more to their elven taste, were very popular in the fortress.

"Miniel, may I speak to you... in private?"

"Children, I will come back in a few minutes," she told them. In his corner, Sean had not even noticed the interruption.

"Can we take a break, Mini?" Oropher asked, the laziest of the three. Hadrian and Gil-galad kept their eyes on their parchments but she could tell they had stopped reading. They were hoping that she would give a positive answer to Oropher's demand.

"Yes, take a few minutes to play." The three children left the table and went in the corner of the room where their wooden toys were being kept.

She left the room with the servant and closed the door behind her.

"An eagle brought this," the servant said, showing Miniel a parchment with the king's name on it.

"Why did you not bring it to the king?"

"We fear... it is coming from Imladris."

Miniel blanched. These were the news the entire population of Greenwood had been waiting for. Had their princess survived the birth of the three elflings she was carrying? If she had not, the king would forever associate the bad news bearer with the tragedy itself, and no one felt like taking the chance. Miniel was closer to the king since she had spent the last six years in close proximity of the royal family. The elves felt she would be the best support to the king should he read dreadful news in this missive.

Miniel took a deep breath and took the letter in her hand. She was immediately possessed with the irrepressible desire to break the seal and read it, but the king would not forgive her this trespassing of the family's intimacy.

"Please keep an eye on the children," she ordered to the servant. She turned around without another word and walked in the direction of the king's office. A few more deep breaths were necessary before she found the courage to knock on the door. She entered when he gave her permission to, and he watched her ashen face warily when she walked to his desk.

She offered him the letter, remaining silent. What words could she have said?

The king grabbed the letter from her hand and broke the seal in a flash. Once he was done though, he looked at the folded parchment as if it was his worst enemy. He looked up and saw Miniel's expression. He had to know. She had to know. The children had to know. They all had know, and they would not unless he unfolded the darned letter.

Miniel nodded, showing him she understood his dilemma. He unfolded it, his eyes still fixed on Miniel's. He eventually looked down and immediately recognized Valerie's strange handwriting.

Father,

you now have three more grandsons, and I am well...

Thranduil dropped the letter on his desk and weeped. Immediately, Miniel fell to her knees and started to cry.

"She is in the Halls of Mandos then," she mumbled, hiding her face behind her hands.

Realizing that his relieved reaction had been misinterpreted, the king immediately walked to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"She is alive, she is well," he said, showing her the letter with Valerie's handwriting. It was easily recognizable as the unsure handwriting of someone who had not been taught the elven characters from childhood. It would take her a few more decades to master it.

Miniel continued to cry, in relief this time. Knowing that the king probably wanted to read the letter in private, she eventually stood and told him she was going to tell the wonderful news to the children. She left him alone, closing the door behind her. He went back to his chair and started reading the letter again.

Father,

you now have three more grandsons, and I am well... Legolas says your prayers have been heard by the Valar since I was blessed with a swift and relatively pain-free delivery. The elflings are small but very healthy despite their size, and they are voracious little creatures that sleep a lot during the day between feedings. Which made me decide that we have the perfect opportunity to leave Imladris quickly, since they will sleep all the way back to Greenwood and the nursing will be swift every four hours...

Of course, your son is totally against my plan and fights it adamantly. He believes I should rest a few more weeks. You can safely bet that we are already on our way back as you read this letter. That is, if Lord Elrond does not lock us in his prison cells in order to keep us here.

What happened? the king thought. Why would Elrond be so angry with Valerie and Legolas to lock them in his dungeon?

What has Valerie done again to deserve such faith? I can read the question in your mind as you read my words. Rest assured that I have done nothing wrong! It has everything to do with my new children. One child more specifically. For I have given birth to Elros Eärendilion, twin brother of the Imladris lord. He spends most of his time with the child, to a point where I am no longer comfortable with his presence, I must admit. Legolas was most adamant with Lord Elrond when he told him that Elros would be raised in Greenwood with his siblings. This clarification was necessary after the lord's barely subtle attempts of convincing us to give him custody of our son. Legolas and I show great patience in our dealings with him, for we know that if Oropher had been born in another realm, you would probably have attempted the same thing.

She was right about that. He could not imagine living while knowing his father was being raised without his involvement in another realm. Poor Elrond. It would be a trial for him.

Elros is a quiet child, he reminds me of Gil-galad. So is Ecthelion, Lord of the Fountain, the youngest of the triplets. Glorfindel spends almost as much time in my apartment than Lord Elrond. I am glad to tell you that Allison is expecting. Please tell the children that they will have a cousin in a few months.

The first of the triplets is Fingolfin Finwëion, Galadriel's uncle. This elfling is not quiet like his brothers, he is a whiner like your father. I hope you are ready to spend many a sleepless night with him while I comfortably sleep in my bed!

It is obvious that the Valar wanted to strengthen our alliances with Imladris and Lothlorien with these last prophecy children. We can expect more regular visits from these realms in the near future, on top of Elladan who will, of course, join us again as we travel back to Greenwood. He is determined to stay with Phoebe until her majority.

Speaking of Phoebe, your little sunlight is doing very well here. So is Liam, who spends all his time in Elrond's library. The incredible selection of history books keeps him there, along with a certain dark-haired elleth who fascinates him. You can ask your son more details about this, I certainly will not get involved in your male stories.

Phoebe and Liam miss you, and so do I. There, you have it. I miss you. Please keep this letter for safekeeping, you might need to show it to me should we fight again when I return. A reminder

that I missed you once might help me forgive you whatever frustration you will cause me in the near future.

Please tell the children that we are on our way back home, and that I miss them. Do tell them about their three new brothers, and have Miniel prepare the children for Gwelwen's arrival in their lives.

Valerie and Miniel had determined that Miniel would help Valerie with the newborns, and that another governess would be joining them in the care of Phoebe, Hadrian, Gil-galad and Oropher.

I will see you soon, Father.

With all my love,

Your daughter,

Valerie

Thranduil folded the letter, still smiling like a lunatic. Valerie's style was highly amusing and he understood why Arwen and Gilrin liked to exchange regular correspondence with her. He was still smiling when a knock was heard on his door. He could hear many little voices and knew that his grandchildren wanted to hear about their parents and family.

He let them in and Sean and Hadrian sat in front of him while Oropher and Gil-galad sat on his lap. Miniel stood in front of him, proud that her charges were behaving so well.

"I have some good news," he told them all. "Your mother has had three sons, and she is well."

"What are their names?" Oropher asked.

"Fingolfin, Elros and Ecthelion." Miniel's eyes widened.

"We will talk about it later," he told Sean who was about to ask a question. The older child closed his mouth and nodded.

"When will they come back?" Gil-galad asked.

"They will come back as soon as they can. Travelling with little elflings is not easy, it will take longer than usual."

Thranduil could tell that Hadrian had a question. He was more comfortable around the king lately, and he smiled at him encouragingly.

"What are the children looking like?" he asked.

"They all have black hair." Thranduil had never met Fingolfin and Ecthelion since they had died before his birth but he remembered the legends about them. But he remembered Elros, whom he had met a few times.

"But..." Hadrian said. "Naneth has red hair and Legolas blonde hair, how could they have black-haired children? No one has black hair here except Elladan!"

"I will tell you why later," he promised. It was time to let Hadrian know about the prophecy, the child was too clever for his own good.

"Is Elladan coming back?" Sean asked. He liked Elrond's son, who was funny and keeping his tiresome little sister out of his way.

"Yes, he is. He intends to stay with us for many years to come. Now I think it is time to let our people know of the goods news. We will celebrate tonight!"

"Can we have blueberry pie for dessert?" Oropher asked, hopeful.

"Yes, you can. I will ask a servant to ask the kitchen staff-"

"I will do it," Sean cut Thranduil. "I need to... go to the kitchen today."

The king looked at his grandson, wondering why he wanted to go to the kitchens. Dismissing the thought, he kept talking with the youngest ones while Sean left the room to order blueberry pie.

OoOoO

Liam was lying in his bed in the apartment he was sharing with his brother Sean. How he had missed the fortress and the Greenwood people! Although he had appreciated spending time with the Imladris scholars, he much preferred being at home instead of being a guest in another realm, even if this realm had breathtaking architecture and landscape. He had missed his grandsire, now more than ever. He had met a few very old elves in Imladris, and had now a better understanding of their wisdom and how they were in symbiosis with their surroundings. He had always found that Thranduil was too serious, too worried about his realm, too cold... But how could such an ancient elf, who had seen so many events, so much darkness, so much death, not become less lighthearted? Lord Elrond was as tormented, and his mate Celebrian had not even passed! Thranduil did not even know if his mate was still in the Halls of Mandos or if she was reborn in Valinor. Liam had always liked the king, but after his journey to Imladris, he had developed much admiration for this grandsire.

He recalled the moment when Thranduil had been introduced to his new grandsons. Cold in public as usual upon their arrival at the fortress, he had shown great tenderness for the three infants as soon as they had been in private. It had been a noisy moment, when Hadrian and the twins Gil-galad and Oropher had seen their parents for the first time after their journey.

Liam had missed his sweet, innocent little brothers, so different than his insufferable sister Phoebe. He would never forget his sister's face when their mother had determined that she was a better warrior than he was and that therefore, he would be carrying one of his infant brothers while Phoebe protected the escort with the other warriors. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that his mother was absolutely right. But it didn't make his humiliation any easier to bear. Not when Phoebe had smirked every time their gazes had crossed.

His mother had done a rotation with his little brothers, nursing them under a blanket even while she was riding. Lady Arwen and Liam had carried the other two babies. Lady Arwen had decided to visit Greenwood for an undetermined amount of time. It had been the only way for them to leave Imladris without leaving Elros behind in the care of Lord Elrond. Since his mother and Elrond's daughter were friends, it had been an easy compromise that had made everyone happy.

His thoughts returned to his sister. He would not forgive Phoebe anytime soon. It was a good thing he was sharing his apartment with Sean!

He heard the soft click of a door and the footsteps of his mother entering his apartment. Was she visiting him or Sean? He followed her progress and determined that she was going to see Sean, who was probably not sleeping either in his room. He heard their quiet whispers for a while, without being able to understand their words. But the tone of their voices went up quickly, and Valerie stormed out of the room after telling Sean that they would discuss this later with his father and grandsire.

Sean's room was silent after this. Liam wondered if his brother was sleeping or not. Certainly not after a fight with their mother!

"What happened?" Liam asked out loud, unsure if his brother would answer him.

"She read my mind." Sean's voice was shaky at best.

"You want to talk about it?" Liam offered. He had always been Sean's confidant.

"Have you ever... been attracted to an elleth?"

"Yes. I met an elleth in Imladris. She was a scholar, absolutely beautiful with her black hair."

"What happened?"

"We talked, mostly. She thought I was too young. But... I stole a kiss before leaving!" Liam said triumphantly. "Why was Mother angry with you? Do you have... an elleth you are interested in?"

"Yes."

"And?" Liam was very curious to know if it was an elleth he knew.

"And what?"

"Did you kiss her?"

"I... Yes. We kissed. We... more than kissed."

Liam was speechless. His 15 year-old brother, one year younger than he was, had actually kissed an elleth. In fact, more than kissed her. What did Sean mean by that? He jumped out of his bed. This conversation was worth getting out of bed to see his brother in person while he answered his questions. Sean didn't seem surprised by his appearance in his bedroom.

Liam sat on his brother's bed and looked at his brother with new eyes. Sean had a strangely superior but uncomfortable smile.

"Tell me what happened. How far did you go?"

"We almost made love... She caressed me, kissed me everywhere, if you see what I mean..."

Liam's jaw dropped. "Did you see her naked?"

"Yes. I went in her bed..."

"And you did not make love?"

"No. I am not 18 years old yet. It would be a severe transgression. She wishes to wait."

"Do you love her?"

"I do not think so... I mean, she is beautiful, but she is not what I want in an elleth."

"I understand why Mother is angry!"

"She is more angry about the identity of the elleth than about my sexual experiences."

"Who is it?"

"It is... Amareth."

Liam groaned. "Sean! Really! Of all the ellith you could have explored your sexuality with, you had to choose Adar's former lover?"

"She offered! Who was I to resist?"

"And why do you think she offered? Because you are some incredibly attractive and mature ellon? Or because she wants to secure a place in the realm, a place she lost when Mother married Ada?"

"Maybe," Sean replied, shrugging. "I did not quite think about this. I am not planning to bind myself to her. If she hopes to ensnare me, she will be disappointed."

"Mother must be so angry!"

"She is. She did say it was absolutely distasteful. She also said she would have a talk with grandsire about how he watched her children while she was away. But mostly, I think she wants to have a serious discussion with Amareth..."

Sean had a dreamy look that had Liam wish he could read minds like his mother.

"How was it?" he whispered, hoping his brother would share some insight on his sexual experience with an experimented elleth...

OoOoO

Thranduil was awakened by the sound of his bedroom door opening slowly. Only a family member would dare enter his bedchamber without knocking. Was it one of his grandchildren? He heard the distinctive footsteps of his daughter-in-law, even if she was trying to be quiet.

"Valerie? Is one of the babies not sleeping?" It was their first night at home since the birth of the triplets, and she had told him that Fingolfin was not sleeping well at night.

"No. The babies are asleep," she replied, sitting down on a corner of his bed. "Miniel is with them."

She stayed there, silent, immobile, for quite some time. The king knew Valerie would eventually talk once she was ready. But after long minutes, he started wondering what was wrong and became worried. Had something happened in Imladris, something that had made her unhappy? He got out of his bed, put a robe on and invited her to sit with him in his boudoir.

"Tell me what is wrong," he said, insisting gently. "Why are you sad?"

"Sad? I am not sad! I am trying to calm down!"

"What made you angry then? Was someone disrespectful with you in Imladris?"

"No, someone did it here! In Greenwood. In my own home!

"Who?"

"Sean experimented... his sexuality."

"He is a 15 year-old ellon with a passionate character. It was to be expected that he would experiment self-pleasuring..."

"He experimented with an elleth." Valerie's tone was almost condescending, reminding him that she would not be angry if Sean had discovered his sexuality alone, in the privacy of his own bed.

"What? With whom?"

"Dear Father, can you not make a guess? Who, Father, who in this fortress would dare expose herself to your wrath and mine in order to avenge her honour?"

"Impossible! She is not without intelligence!"

"Maybe she thought Sean would be ensnared in such a way that she could gain his heart and a place in the royal family as soon as he is of age?"

"Is he? Ensnared, I mean?"

"Thank the Valar, no! He is incredibly pleased with himself, but he does not love Amareth. But I am angry with him also! This whole thing is distasteful! How could he not realize how stupid the idea was?"

"Valerie, this is not Liam we are talking about. Liam would have analyzed the situation with his head. Sean is all passion and emotions. He was not one who could resist her advances. She chose well."

"She knew exactly what she was doing! Do I have to tell you what I want you to do with her?"

"No, I am sure my punishment will meet your expectations." Thranduil prayed the Valar that she would not read his mind.

"No! No! Please tell me I am dreaming!" Her absolutely shocked expression was a sure sign that the gods had not answered his prayer. "Did she succeed?"

"Absolutely not! My dear Derenil had been in the Halls of Mandos for a few centuries when she attempted to seduce me by hiding in my bed one evening. I asked her to get dressed and get back to her bed. She left, she was utterly humiliated, I think."

"Does Legolas know about this?"

"I never told him. I was surprised to eventually discover that she had become his lover. I tolerated their liaison because it seemed convenient to him."

"Well, she seems to be on a roll!" Valerie's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "May I remind you that I have six other sons that she will try to seduce next?"

"I will take care of it."

"You better, Father. Because if I do, I am sure the consequences for her are going to be much worse."

OoOoO

Amareth had just gotten to bed, her duty in the kitchen had kept her up late. Fortunately, when she worked late, she could spend more time in bed the next morning. She closed her eyes and tried to relax before falling asleep. Her mind was full of images of little Sean, the passionate second child of her rival. The young ellon had fallen in her trap quicker than she had thought he would, eager to discover the pleasures of the flesh. Maybe he would join her in her room in the morning? He had done so a few times in the past weeks, when his grandfather was not around. The king had been very busy with Legolas and his wife being away. Unfortunately, they had come back too early for her to be really done with her plan. She had not hoped for the princess to die during the birth of her triplets, but she would not have cried if the Valar had decided to end her life. But the princess had come back more beautiful than ever, with Legolas' gaze still focusing on her and only her, even after almost seven years of marriage. She doubted he had spared a look in her own direction more than ten times in these seven years and she resented that fact deeply.

Legolas had been hers for five decades and she had been the princess in all but in title until he came back and put the red-head in her place. But after seeing how Valerie was involved in the administration of the realm, how the king treated her like his own daughter, and how Thranduil even let her be the regent when he was away, Amareth had realized that she had been nothing but a bed mate for Legolas. She had loved him, but she had also loved the privileges that her position had offered her. And she wanted these privileges back. If she could not get them with Legolas, her former lover now had plenty of sons she could gain them back with. If Sean loved her and proposed marriage when he officially became an adult, she would become a princess of Greenwood and be an equal to Legolas' wife.

If Sean did not come to see her in her room tomorrow morning, she would -

A knock on the door interrupted her musing. Could it be Sean, risking his mother's wrath to visit her in the middle of the night? How delightful!

"Enter," she purred.

But the ellon that came in was not the one she had expected. In front of her stood the king, more haughty and cold than she had ever seen him. He closed the door behind himself and glared at her.

"Put a robe on," he ordered, looking elsewhere when she came out of bed to comply with his command. Why was the king here? She suddenly realized that Sean might have spoken to his grandsire. Or maybe his mother had read it in his mind? Did Sean defend her? Did he tell them he loved her?

"Amareth, you have once again shown me that you have very little respect for the inviolability of elven binding and for our customs. Not only have you tried to seduce me after the passing of my mate, but you conspired to make my daughter's life miserable by seducing my grandson who is not even of age yet. What do you have to say for your defence?"

"I love him."

"Do not add liar in the list of your shortfalls."

"He loves me."

"Then I must add delusional to the list. My grandson is an ellon in his puberty. You were nothing more than an experiment to him. I am stopping this little experiment of his immediately. And I will not give you the opportunity to start again on another one of my grandsons."

"What do you mean?"

"You will remain in your room until further notice. As soon as I can spare a few warriors, I will send you to Lothlorien... permanently."

"You are condemning me to exile? You cannot do this! Please, my Lord, please! Greenwood is my home! My offence cannot be so great that you would send me away from my home!"

"I will hear no more of this. I suggest you spend the next few weeks reflecting on your mistakes and try to amend your ways. The Lady of Light will not appreciate an elleth like you in her realm if you do not change."

The king turned his back on her and walked to her door.

"This is because of this human!" she spat, unable to contain her anger and immense disappointment. "If she had stayed in her world and left us alone, our realm would be none the worse."

The king stopped and slowly turned in her direction again.

"Is that so?"

Amareth held her tongue in check. She had already said too much.

"Even if she is half-elven, she is a thousand times a better elleth than you are. Should you ever say a bad word about her, I swear to the Valar that I will cut your tongue."

Amareth knew he was serious. She swallowed with difficulty.

"You should know better than to bad mouth the people that your king loves, my poor child. I am almost thinking of letting my daughter take care of you..." He smiled pensively. "No, you are better off with my punishment. I am afraid she would be less merciful than I am. Goodbye, Amareth. This is the last time we will ever speak."

He closed the door behind himself, leaving a stunned elleth behind him. She fell to her knees and started to cry.

Please leave me a little note to tell me if you like my choice of elves for the last prophecy children. We have two new arrivals as compared to the other story, which will allow me to have some different plot lines!

In the next chapter, Legolas leaves on a mission to save Middle Earth and the war starts... Do you think Valerie will be happy with Legolas going away as part of the fellowship? I think not!

I am sorry for the late update, I have been horribly busy in the past weeks. I will try to make it up to you this week!

Thank you to Sterolinelovely for your first review, it was great to hear from you. The birth was really an easy experience for Valerie...

WMaldonaldo89: how did you figure out that Ecthelion would be one of the children? I guess Valerie reading about him was not a very subtle clue!

Abbyforth: I guess you had also figured out about Ecthelion, right?

Glory Bee: Elrohir will soon find his destiny... Just a little more patience!

Hannahhobnob: did you find that Sean was a little too interested in girls? He obviously didn't use his head this time around!

Faye50free: Gandalf is roaming in Middle Earth, but this time, his presence was not required for the birth of Valerie's triplets...

Paperlanterns86: we will see Erestor again, he will try to seduce Phoebe once she is an adult... That kind of ellon cannot take no for an answer...

gginsc: were you disappointed to see Amareth back? Anyways, she is gone for good this time!

Cecilia2985: it was noce to hear from you for the first time. Erestor will come back later in the story, what do you think Phoebe's reaction will be the next time she sees him?

Aureleis: Yes, Erestor is back, with the same personality as in the other story. But Phoebe is not like Emily was... the ending will be very different!

Aralinn: in the next chapter, the events of the fellowship of the ring are starting...

Airbender42: were you happy with my selection of reborn elves?

Angel: yes, Elrohir's mate will make an appearance in a few chapter. It will be a life changing event for him! He will finally understand his brother!

Motoko the red Queen: thanks for your reviews. I am glad that you still like the story!