Legolas was jarred awake by the sensation of a bouncing mattress. He wearily opened his eyes to find Estel leaning over him, bouncing excitedly.
"The suns up! The suns up!" Estel declared, clapping his little hands.
Legolas rubbed his eyes and rolled his shoulders, sitting up and groaning.
"Quel amrun, (good morning) Estel." He said slowly; sleep still hanging on his voice
"Quel amrun Nana!" Estel bounced eagerly, no evidence of tiredness in him. "The sun is up! The sun is up! It's time to get up, get up, get up!" he grinned and clapped his hands again.
Groaning, Legolas threw his gaze over to his window. The morning was still young. Sunlight was just bleeding into the crisp cool sky. Legolas sighed. Estel seemed to always be full of energy and he was running him ragged.
"Estel, it is very early. Too early to get up. Please go back to bed" Legolas lay back down, turning over and hoping against all hope that the young boy would see sense and comply.
"No, Naneth!" Estel clasped the fabric of Legolas's nightshirt and tried to pull him back into sitting up. "It's time to get up!" Estel got in behind Legolas, trying to push him out of the bed. "Get up!"
Wearily, the Mirkwood Prince swung his legs out of the bed and planted his feet. He ran his hands over his face and rubbed his eyes in an effort to convince feeling back into his face and clear away the desire to sleep. Estel tumbled nosily out of the bed and sprang back to his feet. While Estel danced around, grinning and clapping his hands, Legolas shuffled tiredly out the door. None of the serving staff had risen (no one sane had) so Legolas made his way to the kitchen and prepared Estel's breakfast himself. Raisin and cinnamon bread soaked in warm buttermilk. Legolas poured himself out a cup of warm spiced wine, assuring himself he both needed and deserved it. Estel reached up to snatch the bowl away but Legolas, acting on experienced instinct held it out of reach. "Not until you're sitting at the table." He said, mouth moving automatically. He wasn't completely connected into the real world yet, he wasn't awake enough. But, even on auto pilot he was a parent. Every day he found himself becoming more and more of a parent, watching out for Estel, keeping him safe, making sure he was behaving. And he loved it, he really did. It was a strange experience, having a de-aged 88 year old ranger think you're his mother when you his long time best friend. But he didn't begrudge the responsibility, not at all. However, he did find himself wishing that Aragorn would be restored to the man he was and that he could go back to living unhampered by parental responsibilities. That he could sleep in. That he could sit down and read a book without having to keep constantly looking up to check on someone. That he could go a day without stooping, running or yelling.
"Naneth!" Estel's insistent little voice jarred Legolas out of his thoughts "I is sitting down at the table, like you said"
"Amin hiraetha (I'm sorry) Estel, here you go" Legolas set his bowl down and flopped down beside him, taking a healthy draught of his wine.
"Naneth, Amin fauka. (I'm thirsty) Can I has some of what you got?"
"You can't have some of this Estel. It is wine and wine is only for grown ups"
"Why only for growed ups?"
"Because it makes children's tummies sick"
Estel pulled a frown, slapping his spoon on the table.
"Eat up your breakfast quick or you won't have time to practise archery" Legolas hurried Estel, gesturing for speed with his hands.
Estel jumped and gasped, quickly bolting the rest of his food. In his hurry some of it dribbled down his face and night shirt. Legolas took a deep breath and shook his head, reminding himself that because Estel was going to change very soon the mess did not matter. He scooped Estel up and parked him on his hip, leaving the dishes for Elrond's servants. So began the daily wrestling match to get the boy dressed, holding him down and dodging his kicks. After a struggle Legolas finally changed him from his night shirt and woollen under wear into a silver long sleeve tunic, blue sash, black breeches and brown moccasins. This done the boy got to his feet and moved to run out the door. Legolas anticipated this and wrapt his legs around him, trapping him. He held him fast as he oiled and brushed his hair.
"Why do you have to do my hair? I don't like it" Estel grizzled, wriggling and pouting.
"You know why, Estel. It's an elvish custom. Part of respecting Eru is respecting his creation, which is ourselves. It's important to look your best."
Estel screwed up his face and blew a raspberry, showing how important HE thought looking your best was. Legolas smiled despite himself. Estel's little wrinkled nose was so cute. Legolas turned him around and looked him over. He looked very smart, almost as neat as any elven child.
"Okay A'maelamin. I'm all done. You can go out and play now"
By now, enough time had passed for others to have awoken and Legolas could hear the young ones moving about. Estel planted a wet kiss on Legolas's cheek and ran outside, whooping and shouting. Legolas began to get to his feet when someone appeared at the door. The Lord Elrond, no doubt awakened by the commotion.
"Lord Elrond" Legolas scrambled to his feet, suddenly ashamed. He'd been focusing on getting Estel ready so he'd temporarily neglected himself. His hair was undone and unkempt and he was still in his rumpled night clothes. "I beg your forgiveness my Lord, I was not aware you intended to visit me" Legolas struggled quickly to his feet bowing several times as he spoke.
"Oh Legolas!" Lord Elrond laughed "Please do not trouble yourself. You are a prince, not one of my subjects. You are under your own ruling not that of mine. And you are raising my son. We are more kin than lord and subject. I do not expect you to be well kept, not when taking care of a rascal like Estel. I myself struggled even to keep a hold of my sanity!"
Legolas laughed and the shame and tension left him
"But he is a joy isn't he?" Elrond added, smiling fondly
"He's lit up my life no end" Legolas agreed "but I do wish for my old friend back"
"And soon you shall have him. Everyday Gandalf gets closer to perfecting his cure. Your burden will not remain long on your shoulders" Elrond placed a reassuring hand on Legolas's shoulder "You have done well Legolas."
"Estel!" Legolas called. The boy was way out on the plains of Rivendell's estates and did not hear him. He leaned over the balcony railing, placing his hand around his mouth and yelling, in a most un-elven fashion. Thankfully, the little boy heard him and came running. As he got closer, Legolas's heart sank. All his hard work had been undone. The boy had been neat as a pin when he'd begun the day and now he looked like the son of a common vagabond. His clothes were dirty, grass-stained and torn. His legs, arms and face were streaked with mud. His hair was thick with dirt, grass and pondweed. He picked the boy up, careful not to hold him too close. He called for a servant to run a bath. On hearing the word "bath," Estel panicked and began thrashing in Legolas's arms but the Mirkwood prince had a strong and steady grip. Physically holding him down (and getting a few sharp kicks in the gut for his trouble) he removed the boy's clothes and lowered him into the tub. Pouting in defeat, Estel slapped at the water, packing a sulk.
"If you didn't get so dirty, I wouldn't have to bathe you so often. In fact it would be a lot easier for everyone" Legolas chastised the boy, picking pond weed out of his hair. Estel blew a raspberry. Legolas smiled.
"Close your eyes, I'm washing your hair" Legolas opened a bottle of hair lotion.
"Me do it!" Estel seized the bottle, squeezed out a dollop and attacked his hair with it
"Tira ten' rashwe! (Be careful)You'll get it in your…"
"Aaaahhh!"
"…eyes" Legolas finished lamely, looking to the heavens in exasperation. "I did say to be careful"
Estel scrubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm. "It stingeys!"
"No don't rub them, you'll make it worse!" Legolas pulled his hand away and dabbed at his eyes with a cloth. The boy pulled away, whining and crying.
"Estel, you've got to let me get it out of your eyes or it'll get worse."
"It hurts!"
"I know, hold still so I can clean it out!"
"Mmmmm!" Estel wiggled and moaned through a closed mouth as Legolas daubed gently at his eyes.
"Is that better, A'maelamin?"
"Yeaaahhh" Estel said softly, leaning against Legolas mournfully.
Legolas kissed him gently on the forehead. "Let's get you lathered up and clean before the water gets cold, ay?"
Soon the water was a murky greenish brown, but Estel was lovely and clean. Legolas fished him out of the water, quickly wrapping him up in a fluffy towel. He scrubbed him dry, tickling him and planting a raspberry on his bare tummy. Estel giggled and squirmed in Legolas's arms. Laughing, Legolas set him down and tousled his hair.
"Time to get dressed, tithen pen" Legolas indicated for a maid servant to hand him Estel's breeches and night shirt. Estel's eyes widened and something flashed across them. Legolas's heart dropped. He wouldn't run naked… would he?
"No! No dressed!" Estel jumped up from the floor and ran out the door. Stark naked! Legolas felt like screaming in horror as the nude little man child made a break for it. Picking his jaw and up off the floor, Legolas ran off after him.
"Estel! Tampa!" (Estel, stop!)
"No! No dressed!"
Estel slipped through a gap in two massive wooden doors. Wrenching open a bigger gap, Legolas followed him.
"Estel! Tula sinome!" (Estel! Come here!)
Round and round an expansive table they went, Legolas yelling desperately for Estel to stop and Estel refusing, pumping his little legs. It was only when the sound of a hand being slapped down on the table echoed around the great hall, that the man child and Elven prince looked up. Several pairs of eyes looked back at him, with looks ranging from thinly veiled amusement to total and utter shock. Mortified Legolas looked to the head of the table. And saw the shocked stony face of Lord Elrond.
"Lord Elrond, I… I'm so sorry! I was just… he ran aw… I was trying to… excuse me, please I beg… I'm so sorry!"
There was a moment of electrically tense silence. The atmosphere was thick enough to swim in. Then, Elrond's mouth twitched. He smiled. He beamed. He chuckled. He laughed. The tension broke and everyone began to laugh. Legolas breathed an audible sigh of relief and used the moment of merriment to nab the distracted Estel. He lunged, throwing the shirt over Estel's head, and then swept him up, slipped the trousers over his legs and put him back on the ground in one swift movement. Hurrying him out of the room, Legolas thanked the Valar that Lord Elrond had a sense of humour. Inside the council room, the merriment continued.
After the clothes debacle, Legolas did not have the nerve to take Estel into the main dining hall. So he had dinner brought to him. He sat on the floor, leaning against the bed and sat Estel on his lap. He set a bowl of stew in front of him and gave Estel pieces of buttered bread. Estel was content with these for a while but when he tired of them he reached for the stew. Legolas made sure he blew on it before offering it to him, not wanting the little lad to burn himself. It had become an easy system to Legolas now, feeding both the little one and himself. He completed his duty without thinking, easily coaxing Estel's greens into him, a task that had taken him an age when this whole debacle first began. Just the right mix of tender words, silliness and sternness got the job done. The meal was warm and pleasurable, a wonderful combination of cuteness from Estel, caring from Legolas and plenty of mirth from the both. The two were both so absorbed with each other they did not see that they were being watched. Both Lord Elrond and Gandalf stood in the door, fondly watching the goings on of the "Mother" and his child. They smiled as Estel giggled and leaned into Legolas, touching his face lovingly. By and by they drew away, walking down the corridor together, hearts still warm from what they had seen.
"Legolas will make a very good father one day" Gandalf murmured
Elrond nodded. "Hopefully so will Aragorn"
The wizard's brow furrowed and he became pensive "yes…"