The Return

Disclaimer: All belongs to Tolkien except for my characters Roslyn and Maethor – they are my own creations and are not meant to resemble anyone else's OCs in any way.

A/N: Well it looks like my updates may not be quite as quick as they were before, but hopefully I can at least keep posting once a week. I'm in the middle of job interviews so please be patient with me :)

Chapter 10: Unexpected Surprises

(Figure It Out – Royal Blood)

One week. It had been one week since Tauriel had told her about the engagement, which, for whatever reason, they were keeping under wraps for the time being.

It had been one week since she found out about the Elven tradition of binding. And it had been one week since something had changed. Something was off with her. Something was not right. At all.

Roslyn sat now cross-legged on her own bed, nervous and wired. She chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at the offending object. Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling as she tried to remember.

"Nooo…that can't be right."

Her eyes drifted back to the floor as a small whine escaped her lips. She shook her head and began to count on her fingers.

"Ugh! Why can't I remember?!" she cried out to the empty room.

Getting up off the bed, she began to pace, her gaze constantly drifting back to the object. She felt her stomach start to twist painfully and her mouth grow dry.

"No," she said firmly.

"No, no, no."

She paused in the middle of the room and began to count again. A slow panic began to build inside of her as her eyes flickered back to her duffle bag once more. Unable to take it any longer, she walked over and yanked the zipper shut with more force than was necessary. Storming out of the room, she tried to forget about the unused box of tampons that was now safely hidden from view.

She didn't know how long she had been aimlessly walking the halls, but it hadn't helped. She was still unbelievably shaken and was no closer to digesting this new realization. Taking in a deep breath, Roslyn turned on her heel and speed walked in the opposite direction. She arrived at her destination in no time. Rapidly banging on the door, she waited impatiently, shifting her weight from foot to foot. A moment later, the door cracked open. Roslyn moved to push her way into the room before realizing that it was, in fact, Maethor who had opened the door.

"Oh," she stepped back, slightly shocked.

Surprise registered on his face as he took in her frazzled appearance.

"Um… I think I'll go make myself busy… elsewhere…"

"Thank you!" she breathed out as he stepped aside to let her in.

"Who was that…?" Tauriel trailed off as she spotted her friend.

"Hey! Where'd Maethor go?" she asked confused.

"He realized that we needed some alone time," she fidgeted with her fingers.

"Tauriel, I…oh God…I have… a big problem…"

"What happened?"

Roslyn began to pace, unable to sit still. Tauriel watched her, waiting patiently for her to speak.

"I…I…ohhhhh!" she whined, unable to get the words out.

"Ok, take a deep breath. Come and sit down," Tauriel patted the bed beside her.

Roslyn did as she was told. The two friends sat cross-legged, facing one another. Finally looking up from the bed, they locked eyes.

"I think I'm pregnant."

There was a long stretch of silence as they just looked at each other.

"WHAAATTT?!" Tauriel cried in delight as a huge grin spread over her face.

"What are you so happy about?!" Roslyn wailed.

"What is there not to be happy about?!"

"Everything! I-I'm not ready for this! And we've just planted our feet on solid ground. Things are finally good between us. I don't want to ruin it."

"What in the world makes you think that having a baby will ruin things? Oh gosh, Roslyn, you're carrying Thranduil's baby…you're carrying Thranduil's baby!"

"Yes. I know. You don't have to keep repeating it. And anyway, I'm not positive. I can't remember the last time I had my period…"

"So you haven't been to see the healers yet, to confirm the pregnancy?"

"…No."

"What are you waiting for?"

"My period?"

Tauriel stared at her blankly for a moment.

"I think you already know the answer. And you just don't want solid proof."

Roslyn made a face.

"I'm not ready to have a baby…to be a mother. What's even worse is this…"

She reached into a pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope.

"What is that?"

"Another letter from my boss, asking if I'm still alive. I got it yesterday. He's starting to get frustrated with me and I'm afraid that any day now he's going to tell me I need to come back or I'm fired."

"You're going back? Again?"

"Yes! Maybe? I don't know. We haven't talked about it. We haven't talked about anything. And that's the problem. I don't know where we stand. I'm basically living with the elf and I have no clue what we are. I mean, what am I? His girlfriend?"

Tauriel giggled.

"I've told you before, you need to just sit him down and have a heart to heart. Tell him what you're telling me."

"You know it's not that easy with him."

"It can be. He might surprise you."

Roslyn took in a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"I don't know. I just…I can't do this alone Tauriel. Can you imagine what it would be like if I went home with a half elf, half human child? To a world that has never seen elves before? It would be some weird and freaky attraction for everyone. And I…I can't be a single mother. I'm too young. I never saw myself having children at this age. Maybe in five years, but not now."

Taureil sat silent for a few moments.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying…I don't know if I want to keep it."

"You should really tell Thranduil. So the two of you can make this decision together."

Roslyn's face contorted in frustration.

"Why? It's my body. Why does he get a say?!"

"But it's his child too."

"Tauriel! You're supposed to be on my side here! I need your support. This isn't easy for me. It's my body…not his. And a baby shouldn't be brought into this world by a mother who doesn't want it."

Tauriel's face fell.

"So I guess you've already made your decision then," she spoke quietly.

Roslyn felt like she was on the verge of tears. The lump in her throat was hard to swallow and she felt her heart ache. Tauriel was supposed to be on her side. She was supposed to make this easier for her, to tell her it was going to be ok no matter what she decided to do. She was supposed to be there for her.

"I should go," she said softly without meeting the elleth's eyes.

"Just think about it. Please. You have some time, so think about it."

…

Roslyn finally returned to Thranduil's chambers late that evening. She had skipped dinner and spent her time wandering the gardens and hiding out in the library. She thought through every scenario and each one scared her more than the last. She walked inside feeling drained.

Thranduil sat in the bed reading, his chest already bare. He glanced up at her from his book, his expression softening.

"Hello there. I missed you at dinner," he stood up from the bed and approached her.

"I wasn't very hungry."

He brushed some hair out of her face and leaned down, kissing her softly on the lips. She kissed him back, pressing her palms against his warm chest. He deepened the kiss, placing his hands lightly on her hips and drawing her closer. Her stomach twisting with anxiety.

Just relax. It's fine. Everything's ok.

But she just couldn't shake the feeling. She pushed against him. Thranduil drew back and looked at her, brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. I'm just not really in the mood."

He cocked his head in confusion and watched as she looked everywhere but at him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm just tried. Please don't be mad."

He stroked her arms gently.

"I'm not mad," he told her softly.

"Come, let's get into bed."

She nodded and began to undress slowly. Crawling into bed, she rolled over onto her side and faced away from him. Thranduil resumed his seated position beside her and picked up his book again.

…

Roslyn awoke to the weak morning sun shinning on her face. She stretched languidly before getting up. Throwing on a robe over her shoulders she padded out into the antechamber. Thranduil was already seated at the table, eating breakfast and looking over a scroll.

"Morning."

"Good morning. Are you feeling better?"

"Um, yeah. I guess."

She sat down across from him and filled her plate. She was famished after skipping dinner the night before. Wasting no more time, Roslyn dug into her food. Not even halfway through her plate, she felt a sudden wave of nausea. She put down the strawberry that she had been holding and sat back. Thranduil set down the scroll and looked over at her.

"Are you becoming ill?"

She shook her head 'no', not daring to open her mouth for fear of what might happen. She grabbed her glass of orange juice and sipped on it gingerly, thinking the citrus might help. But as soon as the liquid entered her mouth, she felt the vomit start to come up. Throwing her chair back she sprinted to the bathroom. Her knees hit the cold stone floor as she leaned over the toilet and retched.

She had eaten so little that it did not take long for her stomach to empty. She rested her forehead on her arm and whimpered lightly. A moment later she felt Thranduil pull her hair back and start to rub slow and soothing circles on her back. Without warning she felt herself heave again. There was no food left for her to throw up so she sat there and dry heaved, spitting out bile. Her stomach finally seemed to settle and she slumped down against the toilet.

"Maybe you are sick after all?"

Roslyn only whimpered in response. He handed her some napkins and she sat back and cleaned herself up. Slowly, he pulled her up onto unsteady legs.

"Let's get you over to the healers."

She jumped back in surprise, "No!"

Thranduil looked taken aback, shocked by her reaction.

"I mean…I'll be fine. I'm not that sick, just a stomach bug. I probably just need to rest a bit more."

He stared at her for a moment.

"Very well. But if you start feeling worse…"

"Yeah, yeah."

He grasped her by the elbow and led her back to bed.

…

Several days had passed and Roslyn was honestly surprised that Thranduil had not picked up on her morning sickness. She tried her best to hold it down, or make excuses and eat after he left, but there had been a few more episodes of her running to the bathroom to empty her stomach. And yet, he seemed to buy the lie that she had some strange stomach flu.

Maybe it's because he doesn't really get sick himself.

Roslyn pondered this as she made her way to Thranduil's study. Tauriel had told her that she and Maethor had finally set a date for their binding and would be announcing it to the kingdom soon. And that meant one thing – a new dress. She walked in and found him seated behind his desk, working on something that looked awfully boring.

"Hey, do you have a minute?"

"Of course."

"Soooo…I need a new dress. A nice one. Like that one you had made for me before."

She smiled up at him and batted her lashes. Thranduil leaned back, folding his hands across his stomach and smirking at her.

"Oh? And what might you need a nice new dress for?"

Roslyn looked at him, never for a moment imagining that Maethor had not told him of his impending binding.

"Well…for Tauriel and Maethor's binding ceremony of course."

He blinked at her a few times, processing what she had just said.

"For their…what?"

"Um."

He stood up sharply, looking thunderous.

"And when is this happy event taking place?"

"In two weeks?" Roslyn responded meekly, her blunder quickly apparent.

"How long have you known about this?"

"Well the date was just set this morning…but he asked her to bind with him some time ago…" she trailed off, suddenly afraid of the look on his face.

He took in a deep breath through his nose.

"Excuse me."

He stormed out of the room, his regal robes billowing behind him. Roslyn stood there in shock for a moment.

Oh man. What have I done?

Without another thought, she sprinted out of the room and after the Elven king.

…

(Re-Offender – Travis)

Thranduil paced back and forth, furious. He glared at Maethor as the younger elf sat on his bed.

"What the hell were you thinking?! How can you bind with her?!"

Roslyn stopped dead in her tracks right outside of Maethor's chambers. She could hear the king yelling at him and instantly felt bad for accidentally divulging their secret.

"I love her! That's how!"

"She is a Silvan elf," he growled lowly.

"That is exactly why I didn't tell you! I knew this was how you'd react! Which is ridiculous! You know Tauriel. She is a good fighter and an excellent captain. Yet you can't get over the fact that she's a Silvan elf. Well guess what? I'm the one binding with her and I don't care!"

"I won't allow it!"

"You don't have to! No one is asking for your permission!"

"I am your king!"

"Don't you dare pull that on me Thranduil."

He was on his feet now. The two stood almost nose-to-nose, fuming like enraged bulls.

"You are like my brother. And though I do not require it, I would like your blessing."

Thranduil balked.

"She is not worthy of you."

"I love her. And you know that is a lie."

They stood there, staring at each other for a few long and silent moments. Finally, Maethor backed down and turned away.

"I wouldn't think twice about supporting you if you were binding with Roslyn," he spoke softly now.

"She is a human, but I know you love her. I know how happy she makes you. And that makes me happy. I would want you to follow your heart. And so I would stand by your side with pride as the two of you bound your souls together. I only ask that you do the same for me, brother."

Roslyn stood outside and beamed at Maethor's words.

I always did like him.

Thranduil felt disoriented and like the wind was knocked out of his sails at the elf's words. He couldn't wrap his brain around it all and he couldn't accept what Maethor was telling him. So he lashed out. Throwing his head back, he let out a cold and mirthless laugh.

"Bind with Roslyn? Are you insane? I am not binding myself to that girl! And you are not binding yourself to Tauriel. And that's final."

They glared at each other, neither one aware of the suddenly heartbroken woman standing outside the door.

Roslyn felt her heart splinter right then and there. Her hand slowly drifted to her stomach as the tears stung her eyes. She felt the sudden panic welling up inside of her. Not waiting around to be discovered, she took off for her own chambers.

…

She made it safely inside before collapsing on the floor, her back to the door. She drew her knees up to her chest and sobbed.

You fool. How could you ever think that maybe he would want you to stay this time? That having a baby with him might actually be a good idea? That he might actually want that?

Her heart ached painfully in her chest as she realized that deep down inside, she wanted to keep the baby. She wanted to tell Thranduil, and she wanted him to be thrilled about it. But now all illusions were shattered and she was left with the cold and ugly truth.

You were never anything more than a plaything for him.

…

Maethor shook his head as a sad smile formed on his lips.

"You are so blind. Why do you do this to yourself?"

Thranduil bristled at his words but Maethor held up a hand, silencing him.

"Let me finish. You are destroying your life, and hers as well. You can't keep doing this – pulling her in every direction. Enough is enough. Tell her you love her. We both know that you do. And we both know that you want to bind with her. And that's ok."

Thranduil's shoulders slumped as he sat down heavily on the bed. Maethor walked over, placing a reassuring hand on him.

"Why is this so difficult for me?"

"Because it is not turning out the way you always imagined. You thought you would have an elven queen at your side, one of noble birth. And here you are, hopelessly in love with a silly human girl," Maethor chuckled fondly.

Thranduil ran his hands down his face, mulling over his words.

"Do you think the kingdom would ever accept her as my queen?"

"Without a doubt."

"I love her."

"I know… but does she?"

Thranduil swallowed hard.

"You and Tauriel will be happy together."

"I know," Maethor smiled.

A/N: Ok, I know there are some very controversial topics in this chapter. Please understand that I did not write this to start a pro life/pro choice debate, so take it easy in your reviews. ^_^