Tauriel opened the wardrobe and found the contents not at all as she left them the night before. "Eryniel?" she called to her daughter in the next room, "Did you not see me place my least favorite dress in the wardrobe before I turned in?" She shut the doors and opened them, again, but the dress she wanted did not return. With a sigh of disgust, she closed the doors harder than was strictly necessary and turned her back on it.
The golden haired Woodland Princess appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Ama. I brought it from the laundress myself with my dresses."
"Look," Tauriel growled, waving a frustrated hand in the direction of the traitorous piece of furniture which ate her dress. She expected this sort of nonsense at home, but they were hours down the coast at the new harbor city they built at the northern border of Avathar.
Her daughter dutifully opened the doors and gave an adorable squeak of surprise which was quickly followed by a gushing, "Oh, they are beautiful! But, three new dresses in one night? Have we forgotten a feast day or something?"
"I do not know."
The elleth looked over at her mother and grumbled, "This is unfair. We used to share dresses until your hems became too short for me."
"I guess they are all mine," Tauriel smirked. "I also wonder why I need three and what purpose hiding my sturdy work attire serves. I cannot wear any of these to inspect the construction progress at the southern end of the docks. I will be filthy in less than an hour."
"Someone doesn't want you to get dirty today."
Tauriel rolled her eyes. "Obviously."
"You should wear the pale green one with the gold embroidery. I am truly envious of that one."
Tauriel hugged her, and pressed a kiss to her cheek, "I will wear it today and I'm sure we can let the hem out if you really want it after that."
"I wonder if I got a new dress..." She darted back into her room and moments later let out a whoop of joy. She came back into Tauriel's room frowning, "I only have one new dress."
"Greedy child," Tauriel chastised her, but it was half-hearted. "We should dress and break our fast before your brothers devour everything on the table."
One of the workers, Tauriel did not know his name but she knew his face, entered the Pavilion tent where Tauriel was examining the latest changes to the plans, "My Lady," he interrupted her work with a pained expression, "I am sorry to disturb you, but there is a ship which has docked."
Tauriel blinked up at him, not sure she heard him correctly. "A ship docked? The docks are not even completed. There are no storage facilities or shops, yet. Why are they here?"
His pained look intensified. "The Captain asked to speak with you, my Lady."
"This is Lindir's project. I know he was down at the docks earlier..."
"The Captain... he was quite... insistent. He would speak with you, my Lady."
With a sigh and a shake of her head, Tauriel straightened up and followed him out of the tent and down the newly paved cobblestone path to the docks.
A small crowd gathered along the stone sea-wall to see the port's first arriving ship.
The sleek design of the vessel and colors it flew were not ones Tauriel recognized, but she in no way claimed knowledge of all the ships which sailed the seas around Aman.
A tall figure in a long deep blue cloak, his face obscured by the hood, turned to meet them as they approached. He lowered the hood and Tauriel barely had time to whisper his name in disbelief before Legolas was lifting her into the air and kissing her. He spun her around several times as they kissed, his arms crushing tight around her lower back.
"How are you here?" Tauriel moaned against his lips.
Legolas smirked at her and kissed her, again. When their lips parted, he said, "I sailed."
"Someone would have warned me," she told him. "Lord Ulmo... One of the other Valar. Surely, someone would say something to me. They like me."
"I asked them not to," Legolas confessed. "I wanted my arrival to be a surprise."
Tauriel's eyes narrowed at her husband, and she huffed, "I am certainly surprised." This time, she fisted her hands in the collar of his cloak and kissed him.
Legolas pressed kisses to her brow and cheeks and chin, before reclaiming her mouth.
"You can put me down, now," Tauriel told him, completely breathless and rumpled.
"Have you always been this tiny, wife?" he teased her.
Her response was a light, playful kick on one of his shins with her soft slipper, "Release me, my Lord, people are watching your shameful lack of propriety."
"I do not believe I want to," Legolas told her. "I'm not entirely certain you will not turn into fog and disappear if I release you."
"Oh no, if you are really here in the flesh, it is I who am not letting you go. Not again."
It was his sigh into her hair that proved to her Legolas was indeed real. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and clung to him, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "Never again. Never ever again." It was a chant she repeated over and over.
"When are they going to stop that?" a voice grumbled somewhere behind them.
"It took Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian years..." Eryniel told her younger brother.
The boy made a choking sound of disgust, as only boys can. "It's revolting," Tharanden concluded, waving a hand at his kissing parents.
His brother and sister laughed at his pronouncement.
"It will not always be so, little brother. Someday you will want to press your lips to those of a fair elleth and I will remind you of this day," Legoliôn pledged.
Eventually, Legolas and Tauriel parted and turned to look at the faces around them. Tauriel smiled as Legolas wrapped his arms around Eryniel and hugged her. He had a harder time with his son, who was a head taller than he, but Legolas managed to hug him around the ribs.
His eyes scanned the faces around them, looking for his other son.
"Ada?"
Legolas looked down, and it was then that he saw Tharanden for the first time. His eyes widened in shock and it broke Tauriel's heart to see his long legs folded under him as he sank to his knees on the cobblestones before the boy. "Tauriel?"
"Yes, Legolas, this is our baby. This is Tharanden."
He reached out a hand to touch the boy's cheek, fingers barely making contact with skin, as if he wasn't sure the boy wouldn't bolt at the first opportunity. "Tharanden."
"Yes, Ada," the boy who looked so much like him nodded.
Legolas threw his arms around the boy's shoulders and pulled him to his chest in a hug. When he was able to form words again, he whispered, "Ú-chenion. I've been away for so long... I was expecting an ellon grown, your youth long behind you, but you are still a boy, yet. How is this possible?"
"Time moves more slowly here, because Aman is set apart from Middle Earth by the magic of the Valar," Tauriel struggled to explain.
"Díheno nin, Tharanden. For being away so long from you when you needed your father most," Legolas told his son. "The Valar are merciful, but I have still missed too much of your life."
The boy frowned, "Lord Elrond says you represented all of the Eldar in the Fellowship of the Ring, and fought bravely in many great and terrible battles. You helped destroy Sauron and save all of Arda from terrible evil. And Lady Galadriel says you helped rebuild the cities of Men and served as most trusted advisor to the new King of Men who is your beloved friend and near brother." The boy's voice was full of awe and pride.
Legolas was stunned to find his son knew so much of what kept him away. "All of that is true."
"It is good you are here, now. I have wanted to meet you," Tharanden told him, solemnly. "Everyone says I look like you."
Eyes brimming with tears, Legolas nodded, "You do." He hugged the boy, again. "By the moon and stars, you really do."
Tauriel lost what was left of her composure and started to weep openly with joy and relief and too many other emotions for them all to be named.
Legolas gave the twins each another hug when Tharanden squirmed to get loose from his embrace. "How old are you, now?" he asked them.
"We are eighty and three, Ada."
Legolas did the math and turned to frown at Tauriel, "Thirty three years? I was gone..."
She bit her lower lip, quickly nodding, "Too long, but it hardly matters, now. You are with us at last."
They shared a meaningful look. There was a time and a place for husband and wife to discuss the one hundred and twenty five years he lived apart from them in Middle Earth, and they would.
Tauriel noticed the Dwarf because of the bright red and silver of his hair. "Gimli, son of Gloin?" she asked, blinking in disbelief. "How do you come to be so far from the Lonely Mountain, son of Durin?"
"By the grace of Mahal, my Lady," the Dwarf told her. " I couldn't let the Elf go off on an adventure without me. He'd get into trouble on his own."
Tauriel surprised him with a hug. "Thank you, Master Gimli, for keeping my husband safe in my stead. I could ask for no better companion to watch his back. You are truly a Dwarf of much courage and honor. You do the line of Durin proud."
"We looked after each other's backs, my Lady," Gimli blustered, his cheeks flushed.
She nodded. "You are welcome in our home, and in all the new lands of the Woodland elves here in Aman, as we would welcome any kinsman, for family is what you are to us."
Others exited Legolas' ship while they were occupied, and the walkway was clogged with bodies. Tauriel led them away from the docks and into main avenue of the city proper, which was nearly completed and very close to having it's first occupants.
Many of the Wood-elves came forward to offer the Prince welcome and greetings.
"Well met, Lady Tauriel," one of the sons of Lord Elrond greeted her.
"Welcome to the mostly finished port of the Woodland elves," she returned with a smile. "Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian are currently in Eryn Essë, our settlement a few hours north of here. Lady Celebrian is a member of the governing Council there."
The twins looked at each other and shared a puzzled look. "Our mother is on a Council?"
Tauriel grinned, nodding, "For the last three years, and she is a force to be reckoned with. We rotate Council members every decade, so no one person is burdened for too long. Either of you are more than welcome to try your hand at it."
It was only then Tauriel noticed the black haired elleth with them. "Who is this you've brought with you, Elladan? Though, I think I can guess for I see much of both Aragorn and Arwen in her face."
"This is Amariel, youngest daughter of our sister and King Elessar." He put a protective arm around her shoulders, "Both are gone and we've brought her here to live with us. Sharing the burden of grief, I've found, lessens the pain of it more quickly."
It broke Tauriel's heart, and all she could do was nod, as that was her experience as well. "Well met, Lady Amariel. You will find there are many young people among our Woodland Eldar. My own twins are near to your age, and if there is anything you need, we would be happy to see to it until you are delivered safely to Lord Elrond. He has missed his children greatly since coming here, and having you here is just what he needs. He has volunteered his time to instruct our young people in basic healing and the histories of the First Age. You are welcome to join the lessons."
As they continued their walk, with quite a huge procession following in their wake, to the main square, Legolas admired the city. "You told Elladan your settlement is north of here?"
"Yes. It was all Lindir's idea to build a port city here in this wide bay, and his hard work which has seen it nearly complete in less than two decades. Of course, ships would come with more of our people eventually, so it seemed logical once we realized the area we colonized first would never support everyone from the Woodland realm. They will arrive here, as you did, and use this city as a staging area for people and goods. When the King decides where he wants to settle and build his new Halls, this will be our chief fishing and trade port."
Legolas smiled wickedly at her assumption, "The King sends his regards. And he sent supplies and his survey teams and Master-Builders."
Tauriel let out a whoop of joy, and then she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I knew he would come," she gloated.
"Of course, he would."
"Are you hungry?"
Legolas shook his head, "We ate about two hours ago. What I could use is a hot bath..."
Her eyes darkened and she lowered her voice, "So could I."
"A nap would be nice, too."
"I have a private bath, and a large bed, in my room."
He winced, "I wish we could just slip away."
"You can," Lindir told him, appearing out of nowhere, as he always managed to do. "I will see to everyone. Tharanden and the twins can stay the night with me. I doubt anyone will sleep much tonight. And Lady Tauriel has more than earned this reunion."
They looked at each other and smiled. Before anyone noticed, they disappeared into the crowd.
Ú-chenion - I do not understand.
Díheno nin - Forgive me.