Authors Note: Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone's getting what they wanted and having a safe and happy holiday. I'm sitting at home with my cat and writing, but I'm totally okay with that XD
So since I couldn't find another way to wish everyone a merry Christmas, I wrote this instead! I actually struggled a bit trying to stay in the 3rd Age with this story and fitting the Christmas theme into it as well. But hopefully it all fits and works out, and ya'll enjoy it!
Brown eyes turned to the gray sky, watching as the snow flakes falling gently from the sky and blanketing the earth below.
Holding out a hand, Bard watched as a snowflake settled into the bed of his palm, almost instantly melting into nothing.
An uneasy feeling began to wash over him, watching how easily something could be lost to him, his mind immediately thinking of Sylwen.
Glancing up from his current distraction, he came to realize that she was no where in sight.
"Sylwen?" He called, turning around once as his chest began to tighten when he didn't see her anywhere in the immediate vicinity.
Sylwen looked around quietly as she watched the small frozen flakes of snow fall gently around her. She couldn't even remember the last time she had seen snow; The closest she could think was back when she had been in Dale. But even that was just a faint memory by now.
"Sylwen?"
She heard the faint voice call out to her, glancing over her shoulder as she hadn't realized she had wandered away. "Over here!" She called, gaze drifting around as she took in the scenery before her.
Bard followed the voice as the snow piled around them like a soft blanket. He soon found her standing within the trees, completely still and gaze focused in front of her. He stopped there for a few moments, watching her quietly before he smiled softly.
It seemed like it didn't matter what she did, or which situation he found themselves in, it was just something about her that fit in with the beauty of nature around her. The snowflakes settled on her ginger hair, making it seem as if they had an unnatural sparkle to her luscious locks.
"Sylwen?"
She seemed to snap out her thoughts, turning around as their eyes met. He felt the tension leave his body all at once, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "I was wondering where you wandered off to." He said, chuckling softly as he walked over to her.
Sylwen laughed softly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she looked up at him. "Sorry, I was just so mesmerized by the snow I kind of just, wandered." She admitted bashfully, letting out a breath of air as it fogged in the air before her.
"Its been awhile huh?" He asked, noting that they had been out here for a few hours already, taking her hands between his own as he rubbed them together. "You're freezing." He said with a light chuckle.
Sylwen felt the heat trickle to her cheeks, a small smile crossing her lips as she felt the warmth radiating from his hands, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. "You worry so much for me.." She said softly, leaning into his touch as she leaned down, pressing her forehead against their hands. "And I'm grateful for that." She lifted her gaze to his, shaking her head. "I don't know what I can do to ever repay you Bard.." She murmured softly.
Bard looked down at her, watching as her green eyes seemed to glisten in the daylight. He shook his head once. "You don't have to." He replied finally, removing his hands from hers as he replaced them on her cheeks, his thumb gently ghosting across her skin. "You being here is enough." He spoke softly, before leaning down as he capturing her lips in a soft kiss.
"Syl?" The small voice caught her attention, Sylwen cursing under her breath as she slipped up and poked her finger with the needle. Quickly covering her current project, she turned around to look at Tilda with a small smile on her face.
"Hey Til." Sylwen replied, cupping her wounded thumb in her hand as she sat on the edge of the bed, watching as she walked over to her and sat on the bed beside her.
Tilda seemed to have something on her mind as she sat on the bed, swinging her legs back and forth for a few moments.
"You...you aren't going anywhere right?" She asked finally, looking up at her with her bright blue eyes.
To say the least, Sylwen was caught off guard by the question. "What would give you the idea that I was going anywhere?" She asked, turning to face the youngest as she gently brushed some hair from the child's face.
Tilda shifted a bit on the bed. "Cause Da is really happy." She stated finally. "Since you came, he's been happy. I can tell. Like he was happy when Ma was around. So, I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay with us cause I really like you, and Bain and Sigrid do as well. And it'll make Da really happy. Please Sylwen, promise you won't leave?" She asked, staring up at the woman.
Sylwen felt moved by the girls plead, feeling the warm tears building up in her eyes as she couldn't help but smile.
Home. This was her home now. She could feel it more now than ever.
"I'm not going anywhere." Sylwen told her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I promise I won't leave. Nor do I want to Tilda." She whispered softly, feeling her return the hug as her small arms wrapped around her waist. "I love being here. I love you, and Bain and Sigrid." She reassured her, running her hands through her silky brown hair. "And nothings going to ever change that."
Tilda pulled back a bit as she looked up at her once again. "And Da? Do you love him too?" She asked eagerly, the curiosity shimmering in her eyes.
Sylwen couldn't help but laugh softly, tapping her finger on her nose. "Of course silly. I love you all." She told her.
A grin split across Tilda's face, falling against Sylwen once again as she hugged her tightly.
Sylwen returned the hug, resting her chin atop her head as she shut her eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of protection wash over her. These children, this entire family. They were just someone who saved her life and gave her a home, they were her family now. And dammed be she if she were to let anything happen to them.
Bard stepped into the bedroom, his gaze falling upon the scene as he felt a small smile tug at his lips. Tilda clung to Sylwen as a duckling would follow its mother around. It was true enough, he missed his wife dearly. He always would, but fate had met them and Sylwen was brought to him and he couldn't quite imagine his life anyway else as it was right now.
"Tilda, your sister needs your help in the kitchen." He spoke up finally, alerting the two females of his presence.
Tilda glanced up at her father, though albeit reluctantly, she let go of Sylwen and slid off the bed. "Kay." She said, glancing back at Sylwen once more before shuffling into the kitchen.
Bard patted her head as she passed, chuckling softly before sitting down on the edge of the bed beside Sylwen. "She really likes you." He said, looking over at her.
Sylwen smiled softly as she looked up at Bard. "I love her as if she were my own." She said softly, glancing down as she brushed her fingertips across his fingers. "I'm not trying to replace your wife Bard.." She said softly.
Bard watched her for a moment. It was clear she was struggling still to fit in, but not feel like shes trying to replace his wife and the children's mother.
"You aren't." He told her, sliding his hand against hers as their fingers laced together. "No one could ever replace her." He said, making her look up at him. "But no one could ever replace you either." He told her, leaning his forehead against hers. "You are your own person. I know that, the kids know that as well."
Sylwen kept her gaze downcast, her grip tightening on his hand slightly.
"Sigrid may have been a tough cookie to crack, but she has her mothers stubborn streak. She knows now though that you're not replacing her, and that you're staying here. We all love you Sylwen. You just need to let the guilt go."
Her green eyes finally lifted to meet his deep brown ones, feeling her heartbeat quicken as she smiled softly. "You really are too good to me." She whispered softly.
Bard couldn't help but chuckle enough. "And you my dear, are too hard on yourself. Someone's gotta make up for the latter don't they?" He said, sitting back once again as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Sylwen couldn't help but laugh softly as she smacked his shoulder, causing him to laugh at her reaction. Her stomach did somersaults at the sound, throwing her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly. "Than you." She whispered softly.
Bard wrapped his arms around her without question, burying his hand into her long ginger hair. "There's no need for thanks." He reminded her, resting his chin on the curve of her shoulder as he held her tightly.
Perhaps it was fate that took his wife from him, but he felt it was also fate that he were to have found Sylwen that day on the lake as well.
When Sigrid awoke the next morning, upon entering the kitchen she was surprised to find Sylwen at the kitchen table, asleep. Beside her lay 4 boxes, wrapped in parchment paper with their names on it. Sigrid stepped over to the sleeping elf, shaking her shoulder gently. "Sylwen?"
The ginger haired woman stirred a bit from her sleep, her emerald green eyes fluttering open as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Huh?" She looked over at Sigrid, who looked down at her with a concerned expression on her face.
"What were you doing sleeping at the table?" Sigrid asked, sitting down beside her as she glanced at the boxes, which ranged in size.
Sylwen followed her gaze to the boxes beside her, sitting up straight. "Oh!" She panicked, looking around. She had stayed up a little later than normal, finishing up her projects and packaging them. "I was going to make breakfast for everyone, and I fell asleep." She said, running a hand through her disheveled hair.
"Breakfast? Syl, are you feeling alright?" She asked, reaching over as she placed the back of her palm against her forehead.
Sylwen was caught off guard by the gesture, feeling a small smile cross her lips as her cheeks warmed slightly from embarrassment. "No no, I'm fine. Its just something my mother and I used to do when I was young." She shook her head as she tried her best to explain. "It was near the end of the year, she'd decorate the house and we'd exchange gifts. We never really gave it a name, but it was something between just the two of us. I haven't done it in years, and I suppose this is sort of a thank you to you guys as well. For everything." She laughed softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Sylwen, how many times have I said there's no need for thanks?"
The voice startled her as she turned around, watching as Bard walked into the kitchen, his graying hair a little haywire, causing her to laugh softly. "At least once more." She said, standing up as she walked over to him, standing up on her tiptoes as she fixes his hair a bit. "But I wanted to do this. One last time, and then you won't hear about it again. I promise." She told him.
Bard watched her fuss over him, the smile on his lips never betraying his emotions as he kissed her forehead once. "Alright. One last time." He told her, before looking over at Sigrid. "Go wake Tilda and Bain." He told her.
Sigrid couldn't help but smile softly, witnessing first hand just what Tilda was always going on about. Their father, really was happy. Happier than she had seen him in a long time. "Yes father." She replied, standing up as she headed to her siblings beds to wake them.
"Do we get to open them now?" Tilda bounced in her seat, watching Sylwen as she gathered the empty plates from the table.
Sylwen laughed softly, balancing the plates on her hand. "Right away Tilda, be patient." She said, returning the dishes to the kitchen. In all honesty, she was a bit nervous to reveal them to her. She had hand made all of them, despite being fairly certain she had never actually crafted anything in her entire life.
Returning to the kitchen, she picked up the four boxes and set them on the table. Fidgeting a bit, Sylwen picked off Tilda's box from the top, handing it to the girl. "For the most eager of them." She laughed softly, watching as the girl tore into it to reveal a brand new stuffed doll with soft wavy red locks.
Tilda gasped as she held up the doll, grinning as she looked at Sylwen. "It looks like you!" She exclaimed, hugging to close to her before hopping off the chair, running to her side as she hugged her tightly. "Thank you!"
Sylwen felt the grin stretch across her face, picking the girl up as she hugged her tightly, feeling the small arms wrap around her neck. "This way I'll always be with you even when I have to leave for a bit." She said, smiling.
Bard felt his chest swell with pride as he watched the two, cupping his hands in front of him as he struggled to hide the smile that broke out on his face. It was like no matter what she did, he found himself falling even more deeply in love with her than he first imagined.
Sylwen set down Tilda as she wiggled into the seat beside her, stroking the dolls hair. Setting onto the next gift, she handed Sigrid the slightly more bigger box. "I'm sorry if its not the best fit, but I tried to gauge from observing." She explained nervously, twirling her finger around a strand of her hair as she watched Sigrid open the box. Out she pulled was a beautiful new dress, made with a soft green fabric with branches stemming across it.
"Oh it's beautiful." Sigrid whispered, holding it up against her as she felt the tears build up in her eyes. Sylwen did all of this for them, even after she had been so cold to her in the beginning. Just as Tilda had done, the emotions getting the better of her as she rushed to Sylwen and threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much.."
Sylwen fought back her own tears as she hugged Sigrid tightly, just glad that everyone was loving their gifts as much as she had loved making them. "I'm so glad you like it." She whispered, running her fingers through her soft blonde locks.
Sigrid pulled away, rubbing her eyes as she choked out a laugh. "Of course I do!"
Sylwen couldn't help but grin, as Sigrid returned to her seat, handing over the next box which was marked as Bain's. "Now I'm a bit better at choosing things for girls, so it may not be as great as I hoped it would." She admitted.
Bain only laughed a bit as he tore open the paper. "I'm sure it'll be awesome." He grinned, opening the box as he found a deep blue scarf, unraveling it as he found nestled inside, a hand crafted dagger. "Woah." He picked it up, unsheathing it as he stared at it.
"The scarf I made myself, but I felt like it wasn't enough so I bought you the dagger to go along with it." Sylwen smiled. "That way you can protect your sisters while your father and I aren't around." She told him.
Bain slid the dagger back into the sheath, before wrapping the scarf around his neck. "It's warm." He said, nuzzling into it a bit before looking up at her. "Thanks Sylwen."
Sylwen couldn't help but laugh, reaching over as she ruffled his hair a bit. "You're welcome kiddo." She said, before looking down at the final box on the table, taking a breath before sliding it over to Bard.
"No speech this time?" Bard asked curiously, watching as her cheeks turned red.
"I-I thought about it but I couldn't really put anything into words." She said, fidgeting a bit as he began to open the box. Sylwen watched in anticipation as he pulled out a pair of rabbit skin gloves. They were similar to those he already had, but she had sewn on a cover that he could pull up over his fingers to save them from the cold.
Bard couldn't help but smile, sliding them onto his hands as he wiggled his fingers. "You really are amazing you know that?" He asked, looking over at her. "Not alot of people would go to such lengths.."
Sylwen brushed her hair over her shoulder as she laughed softly. "Well for the ones you love, no lengths are too great." She admitted, receiving a small laugh in return.
Upon walking into her bedroom, Lucy immediately noticed something different. Stopping in the doorway, she stared at the picture frame that laid on her bed. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked around the house.
Alfrid wasn't home. So who put it there?
Walking over to her bed, she picked up the picture and turned it over. What she found almost made her drop the picture. It was her mother. A picture of her mother. She was sure she had only ever seen a picture of her once in her lifetime, and that had been when she was still young.
So where did this come from?
Running her fingers across the painting, she could feel the smooth strokes that had been put in when it was made. She had never seen the resemblance between her and her mother, but as she gazed at the photo now, she realized it now.
"It was the last photo of your mother before she died. I thought you ought to have it." A voice came from behind her, startling her a bit as she turned around to see Alfrid standing in the doorway.
"You had this?" She asked, more than a little surprised. Lucy couldn't recall a time Alfrid ever actually spoke of her mother, so hearing the words come from his mouth was a little surprising, to say the least.
Alfrid shifted a bit in the doorway, unused to having this long of a conversation with his daughter without one of them raising their voice or throwing something. "Yeah. Just keep it, its what your mother would have wanted." He offered awkwardly, feeling a bit uneasy as he gave a wave of his hand before retreating from her bedroom door and out of sight.
Lucy stood there for a few extra moments, gazing at the spot her father stood seconds ago before shifting her gaze back down at the picture. She guessed even Alfrid had his own reasons for doing what he did. Even though, she couldn't bring herself to forgive him for turning his back on her when she needed him the most. No child should feel shunned by the only parent they had left.
Alfrid made his choice and they both knew that he would now live with the consequences of that choice for the rest of his life.
Bard sat at the table as he watched his children flock around Sylwen, Tilda sitting in her lap, Sigrid and Bain sitting on the bed with her as Sylwen recalled old stories of her childhood. They were all so intrigued by her tales. A small smile played on his lips, listening to her words as he felt himself relax a bit.
The day quickly turned to afternoon and neared evening, Sigrid parting from the group as she began to prepare dinner for the family. Bard excused himself as he stepped outside, feeling the chilled air nip at his exposed skin. Leaning against the railing, he looked up at the sky.
"Valar, what did I ever to do deserve this?" He whispered quietly. His children were safe and happy, Sylwen stayed loyally at his side without question, even giving him her love. Despite everything, he felt as if his life couldn't get any better than this. This, was what he wanted. He was happy.
"Bard?"
Sylwen's soft voice reached his ears, so lost in thoughts he hadn't even heard the door open behind him. Glancing back over his shoulder, his gaze settled upon her as he smiled softly. "Hey you." He greeted quietly.
Sylwen felt the smile that stretched across her lips at the sight of his own smile. "What are you doing out here?" She asked curiously, stepping in beside him as she leaned against the railing, tilting her head up as she looked at him.
Bard watched her, lifting a hand as he gently tucked her hair behind her ear. "Appreciating the small things in life." He replied with a quiet chuckle.
Sylwen felt her cheeks warm, leaning into his touch as she closed her eyes. "I..didn't give you you're entire gift yet." She said after a few moments, opening her eyes again as she gazed up at him.
Bard raised an eyebrow curiously as he brushed his thumb against her cheek. "There is no more that you could give me that you already have." He told her softly.
Sylwen shook her head as she stood up straight, lifting her hands as she cupped them around his hand, squeezing it tightly. "There is." She spoke softly, his gaze boring into her own as she took a deep breath.
It had taken her awhile to piece together what she was meant to do, but as the pieces began to fall into place, she realized what she needed to do.
"My Elven blood..." Sylwen chose her words carefully at this point, wanting to make sure she said what she meant. "Bard..." Pressing her lips together, she swallowed once before continuing. "I don't know entirely what happened in my past, but after meeting you and being here, I care not about what happened or what I've forgotten. Nothing makes more sense to me than being here with you, and the children. I couldn't imagine my life anyway else rather than this. Right here." Her heartbeat hammered in her eardrums. "Melon le." She spoke in Elvish, seeing the confusing sweep across her face, causing her to laugh softly.
"I love you." She repeated in his language. Sliding her hands from around his, Sylwen lifted her hands as she placed them on his cheeks. "I choose to cast away my Elven blood and live the path of that of a mortal."
Her words came out like a whisper on the wind, but Bard heard everyone that left her mouth. And with those words, came the overwhelming emotions that hit him soon afterwards. A quiet chuckle left his lips. "And here I thought I couldn't fall anymore in love with you than I already was." Bard whispered, cupping her face in his hands as he brought her into a kiss.
Sylwen felt her heart burst in her chest, feeling all the emotions portrayed through that one kiss that he couldn't put into words, and she returned it with just as much, her arms wrapping around her neck as she pulled herself closer to him.
"I love you Sylwen." Bard whispered against her soft lips.
"And I you." She murmured back.
This is where she was now, and this is where she was to stay.