Chapter 28 ended with:
"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.
Chapter 29 – The War of the Ring
Greenwood, 6 years after the birth of the triplets
Elladan was reading a letter from his father, asking him when he thought he would be back in Imladris, his true home. He had not seen his family since the birth of the triplets six years before, except for Arwen, who had spent three years in Greenwood before heading back to Imladris to reassure their father that Elros was a happy elfling who was loved by his parents, grandsire and siblings.
Elrond had always assumed that Elladan would marry Phoebe as soon as she turned 18 and bring her back to Imladris so they could live happily ever after in the Last Homely House. It was obvious that his adar did not know her at all.
There was one thing that Phoebe wanted to happen on her 18th birthday, and it was to officially become a warrior. She wanted tattoos like her mother, specifically the following three words on her left shoulder: archer, blades and sword. She excelled in all three disciplines, and at 17, had already killed an impressive number of foes. She was both making him proud and scared. How a youngling could be such a fierce warrior was beyond his comprehension. But she was after all the warrior of the prophecy, and the Valar had given her the skills to accomplish her destiny.
Marrying him and moving to Imladris were the last things on her mind. Elladan sighed deeply. Phoebe did not want to marry him, not yet. But it did not mean that she did not want to have a relationship with him. In fact, developing a relationship with him was a top priority of hers nowadays.
She was not of age yet, but like her brother Sean who had had experiences of a sexual nature before being an adult, Phoebe had tried to experiment with him in the past year. And unfortunately for Elladan, she had successfully dragged him in the grey zone of foreplay. It was constant torture. He certainly did not want to be exiled like that elleth who had fooled around with Sean when he was 15.
He dropped his father's letter on the bed and started to undress while still musing about Phoebe. He lied down on his bed, and his mind taking a turn to the wild side, he started imagining Phoebe was with him in the bed. His hand slowly travelled to his elfhood and he started stroking himself until his length was hard and aching. How would he survive another year before making love to her?
He did not even realize that his door was slowly opening and that someone was coming in until he felt the side of his bed dip. Shocked, he opened his eyes and saw his young fëa-mate on his bed, a predatory look on her face. She had dropped her robe on the floor and was only wearing a thin lace night gown that did not hide anything.
"Do not stop because I joined you," she purred.
He grabbed the sheet and swiftly covered himself. "Leave before your parents discover you came here!"
"Oh Elladan," she chuckled, "my mother gave me this night gown. She also... gave me a few tips for what I am about to do."
"What?"
She pulled on the bed sheet to uncover his body. "I want to touch you." She straddled him and started caressing his shoulders and his chest.
"Phoebe, please, your parents will kill me," he feebly fought.
"Are you deaf? My mother is aware. Turns out she was 17 the first time she made love... She thought I am old enough to do the same..."
"What about your father and grandsire?"
"Have you not realized who is the real head of this family? My grandsire might be king of the realm, but when it comes to this family, my mother is the one who makes the decisions." She smiled wickedly and slowly leaned over him, her lips getting closer to his. He thought she would kiss him, but she moved her mouth to his ear, and started licking its tip thoroughly.
"When Grandsire exiled Amareth, he followed my mother's order. She did not even have to insist, he did what he had to do to make her happy," she continued to purr in his ear. "The good news is, there is no chance that the same thing will happen to you. She really likes you. Therefore, we can make love as frequently and noisily as we want, and no one will say a word!"
Elladan groaned and grabbed her hair to move her face away from his ear.
"You want me to make love to you?" he asked, unable to believe his luck.
"No. I want to make love to you."
"And you think your mother told you everything there is to know? That you can take the lead in this?"
"Pretty much, yes," she replied with assurance. "I take the uncertainty in your eyes as a challenge." She started kissing and licking every inch of his body, carefully avoiding his length that was still as hard as before, if not harder.
"Oh gods, Phoebe, please!" he pleaded. He had not expected such sweet torture from an inexperienced elleth. He wondered if she would let him take the lead now, as he could not conceive that she would -
"Valar!" he cried when he felt her wicked tongue on his shaft. It had been exactly twelve years since the last time he had been with an elleth. It barely took a minute of feeling his penis engulfed in her warm, teasing mouth before he was overtaken by a powerful release that left him panting and lost. It had happened all too fast, with Phoebe taking control of his body while a few minutes before he had thought he would need to wait another year before he could be intimate with her.
"Your taste is quite pleasant," she said, smiling with a seduction he had not expected from a fierce warrior. She straddled his hips and removed her gown, throwing it carelessly on the floor of his bedroom. He scrutinized carefully every inch of her body, which he was seeing for the first time. He had touched her through her clothing in the past weeks, he had known that her body was absolutely splendid. Her stomach, legs and arms were muscled and firm, consequences of the rigorous training she submitted herself to every day. He had also become more muscular than before due to this constant training he was doing with her. But where she was more muscular than an elleth, her feminine forms were also more pronounced than the average elleth's. Like her naneth, Phoebe's breasts were high and developed. Her hips were also larger, making her body curvier than one would expect from an elleth. She was breathtakingly beautiful. He wondered if the Valier themselves were more enthralling than this.
"Do you like what you see?" she asked, observing him with a raised eyebrow. There was no shyness in her eyes, she did not even attempt to hide her forms with her long hair. She was gorgeous and she was well aware of that fact.
It was time for him to show her he would not be some bashful lover. She had taken him by surprise tonight, but he would show her who was the experienced lover in this bed.
His movement was so sudden that she cried in surprise before finding herself trapped underneath his weight. "Yes, I like what I see. You are ripe for the taking, and I intend to taste the forbidden fruit until I am sated. It could take a while," he warned her.
OoOoO
Legolas opened his eyes and looked around him. He had been awakened by a female scream, he was sure of this. Valerie was peacefully sleeping beside him, and she could not have been the source of the scream. He silently jumped to his feet, took his blades in the adjacent room and left his apartment. He met his father in the hallway. Thranduil also had his blades ready. They nodded to each other and waited immobile, until they heard a moan of pain coming from the area of Elladan's rooms.
They moved noiselessly until they were standing in front of his door. Another moan was heard, but this time, it clearly was not a moan of pain. Had they mistakenly interpreted the sounds they had heard before?
"You think he is with an elleth?" Thranduil whispered to his son. How could Elladan disgrace himself to the point of sleeping with an elleth while his future mate was sleeping a few doors away?
"Yes! Harder! Yes, like this!" This time, no mistake was possible. They both had recognized the female voice. Phoebe was in that room, and she seemed to be tremendously enjoying herself.
"This is not something I want to hear," Legolas mumbled, watching his father with a pained expression. "Not from my own daughter."
"You have forced me to listen to your own pleasure every night that you have been in this fortress in the past twelve years!" Thranduil replied with a haughty grin. "Now you know how I feel each time I hear your groans and Valerie's delighted cries."
"We are not as noisy."
"You are worse!"
So busy were they whisper-arguing that they did not realize that silence was now reigning in Elladan's bedroom. The door suddenly opened on a pissed Phoebe who was quickly closing her robe to cover herself.
"Can we have some peace and quiet please? Elladan and I are... busy." They all heard Elladan choke somewhere in the room. "Your astonished expressions tell me that you were not aware of this new development in my life. If you have an issue with this, you know who to speak to."
She gave a quick kiss to each of them and after looking at them with a fond smile, she closed the door in their faces.
"I think I will sail to Valinor shortly," the king groaned. "Life in this realm will become unbearable with your wife and your daughter."
"You are crazy about them, do not even try to deny it," Legolas laughed. "Well... I am going back to bed. Goodnight!"
Thranduil watched him walk back to his apartment with a spring in his steps. It was obvious that he was planning to wake Valerie. The king groaned. There would be no peace for him that night. He would make them all pay for this. If Sauron was ever defeated and they lived happily ever after in Valinor, and should the Valar have let his sweet Derenil out of the Halls of Mandos, he would show them that he too, had some stamina. His mood grew dark. How he missed his mate... He prayed the Valar once more that she was reborn and waiting for him, and that she would not have to wait too long before he could sail...
OoOoO
Greenwood, 5 years later
March 3018 of the Third Age
The royal family was having dinner in the Hall with their people like it was their habit. Valerie looked at all her children and suddenly felt intense motherly pride on her heart. Thranduil, who was sitting beside her, took her hand, knowing the feeling. He himself felt overwhelmed when he looked at them all.
For the first time in a few years, all the children were in the fortress. Liam, Sean and Phoebe were sitting at a separate table with the warriors that were not on duty in the forest.
At 27 and 26, Valerie's oldest sons looked liked mortals in their early twenties. Even if they were no warriors, they greatly appreciated the presence and conversations of the Greenwood soldiers. It allowed them to understand better the affairs of the realm, something Liam was more involved with than Sean.
Liam was now helping his grandsire and his naneth in the daily administration of the realm, while designing inventions of an engineering nature that were being built in Lake-town. After two new watermills, a drawbridge and a new town hall, the people of Lake-town were now used to his designs and creations. Liam had also reinvented the principles of printing, after having seen Elrond's scholars recopying by hand all the old manuscripts that were falling apart from old age. The forging of the small metal prints of elvish characters had taken months to the team of blacksmiths. A year ago, Liam had presented to his grandsire the first printed page seen in Middle Earth. During his spare time, he was painfully printing, page after page, a small children book in four copies. He wanted to give one to each of his youngest brothers and to his small cousin Rosswen, daughter of Allison and Glorfindel, who had been born in Imladris a few months after the triplets.
Sean had just come back from Imladris with Phoebe and Elladan. The three of them had spent two years in Imladris after Lord Elrond had quite adamantly demanded that his oldest son went back home. Sean had tagged along and spent two years with the Imladris minstrels, learning to play new instruments but also introducing them to the ones of his world. Phoebe had told her mother in confidence that Sean had probably slept with all the single ellith of Imladris, actively competing with Elrohir for their attention. He had come back quite satisfied with his trip, leaving behind him a few broken-hearted ellith. In this, he was different than Liam, who had had a few lovers in Greenwood and Lake-town, but always managed to remain great friends with them.
Phoebe, now 22, had officially been made a warrior of Greenwood four years before. She was a Greenwood Lieutenant now, at the same level than Hadron who had admitted that she was a better strategist than he was. Valerie's daughter was blossoming more than ever under the care of Elladan. Their relationship was as passionate as Valerie and Legolas', and even if they were not married yet, everyone acted as if they were. The couple had decided to get married with great pomp, after the war was over.
Hadrian, who was also 22, now looked older than all his siblings. He was wearing a short beard, an unusual style in a realm of elves that did not have facial hair. He spent a lot of time in Lake-town, supervising the building of Liam's inventions. Hadrian had never truly adapted to his adoptive realm, and was now stuck somewhere between being an elf and a mortal. He was more educated than any man in Lake-town, which made him stand out in the town of his birth, but was also different than the elves, who were slightly tip-toeing around him, unsure of his strange reactions and thoughts. Hadrian was really only comfortable with his adoptive family, especially in the privacy of the royal aisle.
Gil-galad and Oropher were now 17, and as true elflings, they were in the growth spurt that would bring them to looking like 10 years-old mortals. Both reborn kings were as different as possible character-wise, but they were extremely close and spent all their time in such close companionship that their family barely saw one without the other. Where Gil-galad was calm and level-headed, Oropher was impulsive and defying. They were idolizing their only sister, their hero, and were training with her as much as they could. Her two years of absence had been terrible to them, and upon her return, Elladan and Phoebe had had to endure young elflings in their bed for a few days. They had missed her that much...
The triplets Fingolfin, Elros and Ecthelion were 11 years-old, and would look like 5 years-old mortals for another four years before they entered a growth spurt. The triplets frequently leagued themselves against the older twins, and Miniel and Gwelwen, their governesses, were spending an awful lot of time managing their various crisis between a few lessons.
"I wish Legolas was here to see them all," Valerie told Thranduil. "It is a rare event nowadays."
A servant entered the Hall and walked to the head table where they were sitting. She whispered a few words to the king, who frowned and turned to Valerie.
"We are required in... We are required," he said calmly. "Keep eating," he told his grandsons while Miniel and Gwelwen were actively trying to convince them to finish their meals. "Valerie, please follow me."
Valerie stood and took the arm he offered, and they left the Hall while a few people wondered what was the matter. But since they were so calmly leaving the room, the elves thought it a matter not to worry about, and turned back to their dinner. Phoebe was not fooled, but Elladan stopped her movement. "My love, if they needed you, they would have asked for your help. Let us stay here, we can join them later."
Phoebe was tempted to disregard his advice, but Elladan was rarely wrong. If she arrived in the middle of a scene that was not for her to see, her grandsire and her mother would be very unhappy.
"Fine," she said, and her lover visibly relaxed. "But if they are not back in ten minutes, I am following them."
OoOoO
Aragorn had never entered the fortress of Greenwood. He had heard tales about it many times from Gandalf, but he had never imagined it was so impressive. If only he had visited it under pleasant circumstances...
He had been charged by Gandalf to bring the creature Gollum to Mirkwood and ask the king to keep it in their dungeons. It was very important that this creature was kept under tight control. Gollum had been in possession of Sauron's ring for many centuries, and when searching for the thief Bilbo Baggins, he had been caught by the orcs of Mordor and tortured to reveal all about the ring. The creature had been freed after, only to be caught by Aragorn later on. Gandalf had interrogated him, and after discovering that Sauron would probably send his orcs to the Shire and that Gollum was ready to do anything to get the ring back, he had decided to ask Aragorn to bring Gollum to Mirkwood.
He had walked for many weeks with the creature on a leash, and had reached the forest road of Mirkwood where he had met Legolas for the first time. The Captain of Mirkwood and Prince of the realm had accepted to bring him and the creature to the fortress. He had promised to convince his father the king to accept the task of guarding the disgusting creature.
And so they had arrived to the fortress around dinner time, and Legolas had led them directly to the dungeons, asking a servant to advise the king and the princess of his arrival. Aragorn followed him on the various bridges inside of the fortress until they took stairs going deep in the mountain. The dungeons were dark and bleak, and Aragorn felt the cold through his bones.
They put Gollum in a cell and locked him up. The creature started moaning and complaining about the cold and the dark, and how the bad elves were going to pay dearly for their treatment of their person.
"My father and my mate are coming," Legolas told Aragorn, speaking loudly to cover Gollum's screeches. "They were probably having dinner in the Hall."
"We are hungry!" Gollum screamed, shaking the bars of his cell. "The bad elf will let us starve!"
They started hearing footsteps in the higher stairs, and even the creature stopped whining to listen to the sounds of the approaching people. They appeared soon enough, enlightened by the torches, making the king's hair almost white and the princess' red as fire.
Aragorn bowed respectfully. He was seeing for the first time the infamous Elvenking, Thranduil Oropherion, and Lady Valerie, the well-known Princess of Greenwood. Arwen had told him about them, but it was something else to see them in person. While Legolas was a warrior that Aragorn felt was relatively approachable despite his reputation of fierceness, these two looked regal and watched suspiciously the stranger that he was and the creature in the cell.
"Vanima," Legolas murmured to the princess. Aragorn was amazed to see the prince's indifferent expression turn into awe and yearning when he looked at his wife. It was true that she was a sight to behold. But Legolas' admiration went beyond her incredible looks. Aragorn could almost physically feel their bond. It was there, vibrating between them, like an invisible string linking their shared fëa.
The princess came down a few more stairs while the king remained on his spot, towering over them in a haughty way. "Legolas," she murmured, taking the prince's face in her hands and giving him a tender kiss. Legolas kissed her back and caressed her long, curly hair. "You are home early, my love. Will you not introduce us to your guest?" she asked, turning to Aragorn.
"Father, Valerie, this is Aragorn, son of Arathorn," Legolas introduced him.
"Aragorn," she repeated, a new light of interest in her green eyes. "Arwen's dear, dear friend."
Aragorn almost blushed under her gaze while the king snorted. The princess was physically just like Arwen had described her. Beautiful, with both elven and human striking features. But it was her eyes that he noticed. Her eyes that seemed to search his soul, her eyes trapping his own into a trance. Arwen had mentioned that Lady Valerie could read minds, and she was obviously doing it now, not even attempting to hide it.
"Mithrandir is requesting our help in guarding this... this creature," she said, turning her eyes to the cell where Gollum was watching her with worrisome interest.
"Mithrandir always turns to Greenwood when it comes to handling the most odious of tasks," the Elvenking said with disdain.
Aragorn observed the progress of the princess who was getting closer and closer to the cell. She was staring at Gollum with both horror and fascination. "Your mind... your mind is filthy, creature!" she spat at Gollum.
"How long would we... detain this abomination?" the Elvenking asked.
"Gandalf believes Sauron knows the location of his ring, and that he is sending all his beasts after it. Gollum can only create more chaos should it be left wandering in Middle Earth..."
"Have a guard beside his cell at all times," the king told his son. "Come, my daughter, do not remain close to this... thing."
"The princesssss of Mirkwood," the creature hissed. "He wantsss her, preciousss, he wantsss her..."
Everyone turned in Gollum's direction.
"What did you say?" Legolas asked, swiftly taking a blade and applying it against the creature's throat through the bars.
"The mind reader, he wantssss her, precioussss. Will we be the onesss to bring her to him?"
Aragorn noticed how the princess' expression had turned to absolute horror. She kept staring at Gollum, her eyes growing with fear.
He started when the king ran down the stairs, and grabbing the princess by the waist, pulled her up in the stairs. "Valerie, stop reading its mind!" He stopped for a moment in the stairs and turned to Aragorn. "Shame on you, Ranger, shame on you for bringing this creature here!" he said, giving one last icy glare to Aragorn before disappearing with the princess.
"I will cut your tongue!" Legolas spat to Gollum.
"But she will sssstill read our mindsss, precioussss, oh yesss, she will! Even if the bad elf cutsss our tongue!"
Aragorn put a calming hand on Legolas' shoulder. "Gandalf says he still has a role to play in the war, Legolas. Please do not kill him."
Legolas glared at Aragorn. "Stay here until I send a guard. I have to find my wife." He left the dungeons without a look back, leaving Aragorn alone in the dark with Gollum hissing in macabre glee in his cell.
Phoebe had counted ten minutes in her head and stood from her seat in the Hall as soon as the delay she had accepted to wait had passed. Liam and Elladan followed her, both eager to know what had happened in the fortress during dinner.
They met the king and Valerie as they came out of the hallway leading to the stairs of the dungeon. The king was supporting Valerie who looked indisposed.
"Mother!" Liam cried. "Are you unwell?"
"What happened in the dungeons?" Phoebe asked, already knowing her mother never went in the lower levels of the caves unless there was dire necessity.
"Mithrandir sent us another gift," the king thundered. "One I wish I could return! Come to my office, I do not wish to discuss this in the hallways."
Legolas joined them as soon as they reached his office. He sat beside Valerie and took her hand.
"What did you read in his mind?"
"Whose mind?" Phoebe asked.
"Some creature called Gollum," Thranduil replied.
"Gollum? Gollum is here?" Elladan could not believe his ears. Everyone in Imladris knew the story of Bilbo Baggins, who had stolen a ring from a creature in the caves during his journey with the dwarves.
"You know Gollum?" Legolas asked.
"I have heard of him, I never saw him. Where was he captured?" Elladan asked.
"Aragorn found him, brought him to Mithrandir, who decided that Greenwood's dungeon were the safest place to guard him."
"Estel is here? Valar, I have not seen him in at least twelve years!" Elladan had not been travelling in Middle Earth with his adoptive brother to kill orcs since he had moved to Greenwood to remain with Phoebe.
"Why is Mother unwell? Is the creature so terrible to look at?" Liam asked.
"She read his thoughts," Legolas replied. "Gollum has been captured in Mordor and released later, but he heard the orders that Sauron had given his troops. He wants your mother to be captured."
"Not just me," Valerie sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"Sauron knows that the elves will be making a difference in the war. He wants to strike hard in all elven realms, but without many of his people involved. He found an easy way to break the spirits of all elves. He wants important ellith to be captured."
"Who did he order to capture?" Phoebe asked, frowning.
"The daughter of Lindon's captain since Lord Cirdan has no mate or daughter. He also wants Arwen, because her capture would be a blow to both Imladris and Lothlorien. He would like Lady Galadriel captured but he knows the chances of success are low. He suspects she has a ring of power."
"And for Greenwood? He wants you and Phoebe?" Elladan asked. These were the only two ellith of importance in the realm.
"Thank the gods, he does not want Phoebe!" Valerie cried. At least, her daughter was safe!
"As if Sauron wanting you is any better!" Liam remarked. "What does he want with you?"
"The orcs that Gollum has met were not sure if Sauron wants us for torturing or for... breeding. Once he has a body again, he might want heirs."
"We must send words to Lindon, Imladris and Lothlorien. As for you, Daughter, you are not leaving this fortress until the war is over. No more journeys to Lake-town or travel plans to other realms."
"Yes," Valerie agreed. She was too terrified of what her capture would mean for her. She would safely remain in the caves, protected by the Greenwood warriors.
OoOoO
June 20th, Year 3018 of the Third Age
Valerie's five youngest sons were playing in Phoebe's former playground, located in the Greenwood garden. It no longer was known as the late queen's garden, but it was now Valerie's after years of restoring it to its former beauty.
Valerie, Miniel and Gwelwen were sitting on long chairs, supervising their brotherly bantering and fights from afar while drinking fresh wine. The screams and laughter of the elflings could probably be heard from Imladris, but no one held a grunge against them as the princes were so adorable when they were quiet.
Brethilon and Brannor were standing behind the ladies, as Thranduil had demanded after the arrival of Gollum in their fortress. Valerie still could not leave the safety of the fortress without her guards, and although she liked them very much, their constant presence when she put a foot outside was getting tiresome.
The relative peacefulness of the afternoon was broken when they started hearing shouts near the great gate. Valerie immediately recognized the voice of one of her children in the yells far away. She would have recognized Phoebe's voice out of a million voices.
Brethilon and Brannor were also listening carefully, until they all distinctively heard the words Phoebe was screaming: "Get my mother to safety!" She was repeating this sentence over and over again.
The bodyguards immediately reacted. Valerie was lifted from her chair by Brannor and dragged outside of the garden. She fought him with all her might, screaming for her children, her youngest sons that were still in the garden while an unknown danger was getting closer to the fortress.
"My sons! My children! Leave me alone, Brannor! My sons!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Brannor had his strong arm around her waist and was pulling her forcefully, leaving her no choice but to follow him. She looked with despair in the direction of the garden where she finally saw Miniel running towards the entrance of the fortress with Elros in her arms. Gwelwen shortly followed, having grabbed the hands of Oropher and Gil-galad. Brethilon finally appeared at the garden gate, Fingolfin and Ecthelion under each arm.
Brannor reached the fortress door and shoved Valerie inside. He seemed to hesitate between closing the door or leaving it open. Phoebe arrived from the wall at that moment and immediately saw Brannor's hesitation.
"Execute your part of the plan, I will take care of the rest," she told Brannor.
Her guard immediately turned around, and grabbing Valerie by the waist again, he pulled her against her will as she shouted insults at him and viciously scratched his arm with her nails. They only stopped when they reached a part of the fortress she had rarely visited, the hidden exit on the north-east side of the fortress.
"I demand to know what is going on!" Valerie yelled at her guard.
"I have no idea, my Lady," Brannor replied. He was obviously stressed but did not seem to intend to apologize.
"Where are my children?"
"They will join us shortly. That is the plan. If a threat came too close to the fortress, you were to be brought here with your children and escape by this exit to find refuge in the forest. Your daughter initiated the execution of the plan."
A moment later, the two governesses and Brethilon arrived with her youngest sons. Valerie grabbed each of them and kissed them frantically.
"We cannot leave, we have nothing to take care of five elflings," Valerie argue with Brethilon once she had calmed down.
"This is Phoebe's responsibility, she will join us shortly." Brethilon started pacing until they heard footsteps in the dark hallway.
"Stupid, stupid Hadron!" Phoebe's voice was heard saying. "What a fucking idiot!" she said, swearing in English. She arrived a moment later, her arms full of bags that she threw on the floor.
"Here are the food and the blankets," she told Brethilon.
"How did you prepare this so quickly?" Valerie asked, bewildered, until she read in her daughter's mind that these bags had been prepared months ago. It had been part of the plan carefully designed by Legolas and Thranduil. "Where are Sean, Hadrian and Liam?"
"They can take care of themselves," Phoebe dismissed. "We are to take care of the weakest."
"Thank you!" Valerie replied, insulted to the core. She was a warrior, for the Valar's sake, why was she being treated like an elfling?
"What happened?" Brethilon asked while he was pushing the heavy door open with his son.
"He escaped! Gollum escaped!" Phoebe's tone of voice increased quickly, a consequence of her returning anger once she had seen that everyone was safe. "Hadron is brainless!"
"Phoebe, please tone it down. Lieutenant Hadron is a competent warrior who does not deserve to be insulted publicly, or even in private," Valerie told her calmly. Legolas' childhood friend had always been a good lieutenant. What had happened today?
"If he is not an imbecile, why did he think that Gollum needed fresh air? The idiot!"
"What?" Brethilon asked once the door was open.
"The creature has been whining for weeks that he wants to see the sun or the moon, and Hadron believed him. He took him out in the forest with two other warriors. There were orcs, we do not know where they came from, it was as if they had been dropped near the fortress by an invisible force! They were there as if they were waiting for Gollum, waiting to release him. Reinforcement arrived to help Hadron, but it was too late, Gollum was gone! And some orcs had remained behind, talking about attacking the fortress to bring my mother to Sauron! Do you understand now?"
Valerie felt her blood freeze in her veins. They were here to take her away from her family and bring her to Sauron! "Our warriors are still fighting them in the forest?" she shakily asked.
"Yes. Now, we need to get going. Adar will find us in the forest once the threat is gone."
With one last look at the dark hallway, Valerie took the hands of Gil-galad and Ecthelion, and left the fortress, knowing she had to escape to protect her children and herself.
OoOoO
"We are covered in shame," Legolas almost moaned as he paced in the king's office.
Thranduil did not reply. Legolas had used the right words. Mithrandir had given them a task, and even if they loathed it, it had been their duty to guard the creature. And they had failed miserably. Hadron, until then a reliable lieutenant, had made a colossal mistake by falling into the trap laid by Gollum, a creature they all had underestimated. And now, the creature was gone with some wandering orcs. At least, the ones that had stayed behind to abduct Valerie had been killed without mercy. None of these creatures would put a finger on his precious daughter-in-law.
"We have to let Mithrandir know," Valerie said. She had returned to the fortress a few hours before, having spent the night in the forest with her sons, Phoebe, her two bodyguards and the two governesses. Legolas had found them in the morning, and his sons had happily told him of their night of camping in the wild, as if it had been a planned and amusing activity.
"We can send him a message if the great eagles accept to carry it for us," Liam said.
"He might be in Imladris," Elladan said.
"We cannot send a simple message. Our shame is too great. I will have to go to Imladris and tell him in person," Legolas decided.
"No!" Valerie cried. "The mountain pass has become more dangerous than ever!"
"Valerie, I have to. I will go with my best warriors. I will be back in two months."
"Legolas is right," Thranduil agreed with his son. "But he cannot leave until we are sure that all orcs are gone. As soon as you give me that assurance, you can go. I will write a letter of apology to Mithrandir."
"What do we do with Hadron?" Phoebe asked.
"Can you take the leadership of our warriors?" Legolas asked her.
Phoebe lifted in chin in a prideful movement. "Of course, Captain! I will guard the forest and ensure the safety of our family and our people while you are away."
Legolas put his hand on her shoulder. "Then I leave all that is dearest to my heart in your capable hands, Daughter. You are making me very proud. Hadron is no longer a lieutenant of our army. I will inform him today."
OoOoO
Valerie was lying awake in her bed, unable to sleep. Legolas had been gone for weeks, and they had yet to receive confirmation that he had safely arrived in Imladris. Maybe the great eagles had not been around Elrond's realm to carry a message of reassurance to Greenwood?
She started when she heard the door of her apartment open gently. She hoped that whoever it was, they would not wake up the triplets who were sleeping in the next room. She heard quiet footsteps coming to her bedroom door. She turned her head in that direction, expecting to see Liam, Sean or Hadrian. But the person lightly knocked, and her sons would not have knocked. They would have come in, even Liam.
"Enter!" she whispered. Thranduil entered her bedroom, holding a candle. She sat in her bed, immediately worried, trying to cover herself with the sheet.
"Father! Did something happen?"
The king did not reply and simply sat on the corner of her bed, holding a parchment. He rubbed his forehead, his expression grim.
"Tell me! Did Legolas arrive safely in Imladris?"
"Oh that, he did!" The Elvenking spat, finally unleashing his anger. "My son... my son not only arrived in Imladris, but he swore an oath to be part of an expedition to go in Mordor with the goal of destroying Sauron's ring!"
"What? Please tell me you are jesting!" Valerie cried.
"I hope I was," the king said darkly. "They call themselves the fellowship of the ring. I bet Elrond came up with that name, this is so like him!"
"When will he be back?"
"They will be leaving on this mission in a few weeks, at Yule. Valerie... How can I say this? The chances that Legolas will come back... unharmed from this journey are... low at best."
"Why? Why did he do that? Why he is risking his life?"
"He explains his decision in this letter." Valerie grabbed the parchment and read it eagerly, crying during the part where Legolas was telling her that he was doing this to ensure their children would live in a peaceful world. That he loved them all and that she would be in his heart forever. He finished the letter by asking her to take good care of their children.
"Why does that sound like a farewell letter?" she asked Thranduil.
"He probably knows their chances of success are slim."
"Then why did he make sure to get me pregnant on the eve of his departure?" Valerie cried, her hand rubbing her stomach. "Why?"
"You are two-months pregnant? But it does not even show!"
"I guess there is only one elfling," she sighed desperately. How could Legolas have abandoned her like this?
"But... the prophecy is over!" Thranduil was puzzled to hear of this news, since he had thought Valerie and Legolas were not planning to have other children than the ones required by the prophecy.
"We wanted a child of our own, Father. And we thought that now that the triplets are 11 years old, it was time to have a son or daughter of your bloodline."
"I can only guess that he had no idea he would not be coming back immediately. He had originally planned to just announce to Mithrandir that Gollum had escaped, he had no way of knowing that the one ring had been found and that a council had been called to discuss what to do with it."
"I will kill him! If he comes back alive, I will flay him alive!"
Thranduil opened his arms and she found comfort against his chest. "I will flay him alive," she cried against his neck.
"I am sure you will," he said, caressing her hair. But she would have to get in line. He was himself planning to make his son pay for this most foolish decision. How could he have let down the entire realm, leaving behind nine children? True, only five were still elflings, but now that another was on the way?
"Did Legolas know about the pregnancy?"
"We both wanted it that night, but he was not around when I got confirmation that I was pregnant."
"Does anyone else know?"
"No, you are the only one."
"Let us keep it as a secret for now, at least until it starts showing. Our family and our people need to get used to the idea that he is participating in a suicide mission before we tell them about the baby."
OoOoO
Early January, Year 3019 of the Third Age, Western side of the mountains
Legolas was keeping watch while his companions were having dinner near a small fire. Once again, Samwise had prepared a decent meal with the rabbits Aragorn had caught. Legolas did not feel like sharing a meal with them, not tonight. Tonight, his spirits were low and he needed peace and quiet to restore his good moods, something his companions did not allow him to have most of the time. Sitting near the fire, the hobbits were talking too much, the dwarf was too grumpy, and Boromir was in a foul mood. Aragorn was telling them stories while Mithrandir was quietly smoking his pipe weed.
His eyes fixed on the horizon, Legolas left his thoughts wander to his mate and his family. He knew they must have received his letter. How had Valerie reacted? And his adar? He knew they must have been very disappointed. He was not absolutely certain, but he thought Valerie might be with child. He prayed that she was. Should his life end in this desperate quest, at least he would leave behind a true heir of his line.
Would his father and his wife understand his decision? He simply could not have let this small hobbit go on this quest without an elven protector. It was imperative that the ring, and Sauron by the same token, be destroyed. So that all living beings could live in peace. Including all his children, who deserved to live a happy childhood without risking being hurt by orcs or spiders. With his participation in the fellowship, he would help make Middle Earth a safer place. A world in which Valerie could leave the fortress without being scared that she would be taken hostage by Sauron's orcs and be used as a breeding mare by an evil lord.
His piercing eyes caught a small animal running out of its hole to hide in a nearby bush. Reassured that there was no danger, he listened to Aragorn who had finished his story by now and who was whispering words as if he did not want Legolas to hear. Even the dwarf and Boromir were listening carefully.
"I cannot believe you!" Pippin whispered-cried to Aragorn.
"Nine children, I met them all," Aragorn replied with assurance.
"Is that true, Gandalf?" Samwise asked, unable to believe Aragorn.
"Yes, Legolas has nine children," the wizard confirmed with a smirk.
"His wife must be very fat!" Pippin added.
Legolas' head turned in their direction and he glared at the foolish hobbit, who did not notice he had caught the negative attention of the fierce elven warrior. But Aragorn had seen his movement and nodded in apology in his direction. After all, he was the one who had accepted to answer the hobbits' questions once they thought Legolas was not listening.
"On the contrary, Princess Valerie is a beautiful elleth," Boromir said. "At least the last time I saw her, ten years ago. She had six children back then, one of them being adopted."
"Valerie is a Greenwood warrior," Mithrandir chuckled. "Should you ever meet her in person, do not dare telling her to her face that you thought she was fat unless you have a death wish."
"She is a warrior?" Frodo asked, interested.
"She is an archer, and she uses different weapons also, weapons that only her has," Mithrandir said.
"Her hair is like copper under the sunlight and her eyes are like emeralds, this is what the dwarves say about her," Gimli mentioned.
Legolas growled. The dwarves were talking about his mate! Why could they not remain in their mines and mind their own business?
"I never imagined that the elf had so many children," Merry said. "Legolas is so quiet! He barely speaks, I cannot imagine him in the middle of a group of children!"
Legolas rolled his eyes. He better go sit with them, at least they would stop talking about him as if he was not there!
OoOoO
Greenwood, early January
"I have received word from Elrond."
Valerie turned in Thranduil's direction. "Does he have news of Legolas?"
"They left at Yule, as planned. He has not heard from them since then, but it has only been a few days."
Valerie turned back to her letter. She had coincidentally been writing a letter to Arwen when the king had entered in her office.
"Mithrandir reported that Saruman has turned against us, that he even held him hostage a few months ago. Galadriel has seen in her mirror that Saruman is possessing the body of King Theoden of Rohan."
Valerie dropped her quill, leaving a splash of ink on her letter. "Why would he do that?"
"She believes that Saruman will soon launch an incredible attack against Rohan while Mordor will attack Minas Tirith."
"What can we do?"
"What do you want us to do? Do we not have enough trouble as it is in Greenwood?"
Thranduil is right, Valerie thought. Phoebe had her hands full with the constant skirmishes around the forest road. The activity in Dol Guldur was now constant, with a Nazgul said to be in permanent residence. The new Master of Esgaroth had also sent a request for additional protection, which the king had reluctantly allowed. As a consequence, Greenwood could not spare any warriors to help protect Rohan.
"I will ask Elrond and Galadriel to send warriors to Rohan."
Thranduil thought about it for a little while. It is true that Imladris is relatively protected by its current location. They have wandering bands of orcs, but probably no more than usual. They will not face an army of orcs anytime soon. As for Lothlorien, they have more warriors than Greenwood and Imladris combined. In their case, it is likely that Dol Goldur will also attack them now that the war is starting. But with the protection of a ring, Lothlorien will suffer much less than Greenwood. But why would Valerie worry about Rohan when we need to protect the elves?
"Because they are our allies," Valerie reminded him. Thranduil was so used to her reading his mind that he did not even react to the blatant proof that she had done so. "And that we both know that Middle Earth will belong to mankind one day. Not to the elves or the dwarves. The elves will sail and disappear never to come back. The dwarves will hide forever in their mines. If we do not help Men now, Middle Earth has no future."
"You think you can convince them?"
"Do I have a choice? If I do not convince them, so many people I love will die. Gilrin and her family, King Theoden and his son, niece and nephew, Faramir in Gondor... Are the eagles still around?"
"Yes. It is as if they expected to carry a reply."
Valerie pushed away her letter to Arwen. It was no longer time for pleasantries.
Elrond and Galadriel received her letters a few days later. Galadriel was able to communicate with her son-in-law Elrond, and they discussed Valerie's request to send warriors to Rohan in case the traitor Saruman were to attack the human kingdom. After much debate, Elrond decided to send Glorfindel and an important contingent of warriors to Lothlorien first, where they would join the wardens that Galadriel would send to Rohan to help King Theoden face the threat.
OoOoO
Valerie had no idea where Legolas was, but she knew he was still alive. She was sometimes getting a rush of emotions from him. During the month of January, she had felt immense grief coming from him, and she knew someone dear to him had died. Was it Aragorn or Mithrandir? These were the only two that Legolas had been close enough to grieve so much for. In both cases, their passing was a disaster for Middle Earth, Mithrandir being a great wizard, and Aragorn the last heir of Isildur. Denethor might become king after all.
A few weeks later, Elrohir had arrived near the forest road with a group of Dunedain Rangers. Galadriel had said that Aragorn was in dire need of the help of his people, and Elrohir had decided to ride with them to help his adoptive brother. Valerie had been glad to hear that Aragorn was still alive, but grieved with Phoebe when Elladan decided to join his twin brother. Phoebe would have loved to join them and fight in the war, but war was also coming to Greenwood, and she was in charge of the protection of the fortress. She watched her lover leave Greenwood with a cold mask hiding the turmoil in her fëa. Now more than ever, Phoebe regretted not to have mated with Elladan. At least, she would have been able to feel if Elladan was still alive or not like Valerie did for Legolas.
Towards the end of February, Valerie's younger children could not understand why their adar was not coming back from his journey to Imladris. They understood that their father had gone on a dangerous mission, but they missed him so much that they could not understand how this mission could be more important than him being with them. At least, Valerie was able to tell them that their father was still alive when she felt another powerful surge of grief in Legolas' fëa. Someone else in the fellowship had died again...
That night was the first time that she joined Thranduil during his daily prayers to the Valar. She prayed for Legolas' safety, for the destruction of the ring and the annihilation of all orcs and spiders. Thranduil on the other hand, also prayed for his granddaughter who was in the forest with his warriors, facing a threat getting greater daily. He had ordered the troops to abandon the forest road and come closer to the fortress. It was obvious that they would soon be attacked by Dol Guldur, and they needed their army all in one place instead of scattered along the road.
On day in early March, Valerie felt the battle lust in Legolas' fëa. She advised his father that there was a great battle somewhere. It lasted for hours, but after a moment of despair, she told Thranduil that Legolas had been part of the victors. His emotions had told her so.
"Do you think they won in Mordor?" she asked him.
"Impossible. They could not have made it by then. The battle must have been somewhere in Rohan."
And so Valerie started waiting again, happy that her link with Legolas was strong enough that she could feel some of his stronger emotions despite the distance.
In the next chapter, Greenwood is assaulted by orcs from Dol Guldur while Legolas fights in the Pelennor fields...
Sorry for the wait, I made an unexpected trip which threw off my writing schedule...
Sterolinelovely: as you can see, I have decided not to give the details of Legolas' journey with the fellowship. There has been enough written on this topic, and so much more to write about their reunion later on!
Foofie01: Yes, Amareth is probably gone for good, unless she inspires me for some more action later on... I will see how I feel about that later!
Hannahhobnob: I really see Sean as a boy experimenting with an experienced elleth, like most older teenagers would do if they could. He simply didn't think of how inappropriate that would be in the eyes of his parents!
Glory Bee: Thranduil and Valerie are very close, and I am writing a chapter when something will tear them apart – a little drama to come!
Blood-in-poison: he will probably simply find another elleth to have fun with – I do not plan for him to find a wife soon. :-)
purpleXorchid: has Phoebe and Elladan's relationship developed enough in this chapter? ;-) And Phoebe is now in charge of the Greenwood army, quite a promotion for her...
xcrazylife: thank you for your review. I hope you will keep following the story!
Glassary: Sean had always been a quiet child, I felt like he had to make a powerful impression on the readers with something quite unexpected. I assume he did?
WMaldonaldo89: as you can see, I wanted Legolas and Valerie to also have a biological child. The birth will happen in a few chapters.
Faye50free: Gimli will make a few appearances in the next few chapters, but no other dwarves are planned for the story as of now.
Motoko the Red Queen: thank you for reviewing each cahpter and giving me your comments. Sorry to have killed Cad, I thought it would not be realistic if only warriors not close to her die in battle. But I will have a surprise later on... Your comment about the reviews really cheered me up! A thousand thank yous!
Natasya Ivashkov: the fact that the children are different will allow me to have completely different family dynamics. And I really wanted to see Ecthelion being reborn this time!
Angel: unfortunately, Erestor isn't done trying to seduce Phoebe.
gginsc: and the 10th child is on the way! But they really wanted to have a biological child of their own.
Airbender42: I thought to give Valerie a few years with Legolas before he left with the fellowship. I would hate being stuck with triplets while my husband goes away on a dangerous journey!
cecilia2985: thank you for your review. I also feel that my writing is improving with experience. Plus, I now have a beta-reader, which really helps catching the annoying little mistakes!
Aralinn: I explained Elros' return in my other stories, but you are right, I skipped it in the Legolas edition. I will have to explain it somewhere for the readers who didn't read them all. My explanation was, for the two Peredhil concerned in my previous stories, that an elf is an elf, with an elven fëa. Even if they choose to become mortal, it is their body that is aging, and their soul still goes to the Halls of Mandos after their death, and they can be reborn at a later time. It gave me, in Children of the Prophecy, the possibility to bring back another elf that had chosen mortality...
Abbyforth: Fingolfin is still young, wait until her regains his memories!
Peridot Eyez: you are right, the scholar in Imladris will come back.
Paperlanterns86: the kids are growing up, and I will also write about them as adults, there will be a lot more about them later...
Keritiger: I am still thinking about a possible Glorfindel version. It would probably be a different story though. I already wrote a story about him in the past, not sure if I can create something different about him again... I will let you know if I decide to write another version...