Short one. Enjoy!
On the final day of the weeklong celebration, Legolas found himself walking in a procession with his relatives towards the festival grounds, where the ceremony would be finished with a feast. It was nearly dark, and everyone could feel the excitement hanging over the camp.
Over the last week, Legolas had gotten used to this new culture, and was enjoying himself thoroughly. Part of the marriage tradition was that the men in the procession would do an elaborate war dance with swords and whips. When they reached the festival ground, Legolas sat cross-legged on the carpet to watch the dancing as music played and food was brought out.
"So we dance and feast, and then what?" Legolas asked, leaning over towards Feisal.
"Generally, the dancing and feasting go late into the night, and then the groom enters the bride's tent and sees her for the first time." Legolas looked up as Wealdul appeared next to him and sat on his other side. The chief sat beside his son, looking very important in his dark robes.
"That doesn't sound very fun for the bride and the other women," Legolas said as Wealdul popped a small desert fruit into his mouth.
"They have their own traditions," the chief said, watching the dancing. "But we figured Tinwe wouldn't sit still for that, so we've changed things a little to accommodate her."
"How is that?" Legolas asked, looking around at the chief.
"You will see," Wealdul said, grinning broadly.
Legolas wondered what his future in-laws had in mind, but let it go and continued watching the dancing and enjoying the variety of food.
After the dance was done, the music continued, while the men around the clearing laughed and feasted. Legolas joined in, enjoying hearing tales about when Tinwe had last visited.
"She was the most stubborn and proud lady we had ever seen," the chief said while Wealdul nodded in agreement. "She refused to be left behind when the men went out on hunts. Many of the men resisted, unhappy she was there. At least until she shot that jackrabbit from a hundred yards with her bow."
"I remember the men were so impressed, they tried to teach her their ancient technique."
"What technique?" Legolas asked curiously.
"Tinwe said you'd be interested," Wealdul said, taking a sip of tea. "Our archery technique is very old. Our best archers are capable of shooting ten arrows accurately in the time it takes for the first to hit the ground."
"Impossible," Legolas said, sure that they were pulling his leg. "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but no elf can even do that."
"Not impossible," Wealdul ensured him. "Just very difficult. I do not have the skill to do it, but there are those in the camp who can."
"I must see this," Legolas said, still not believing it.
"I will arrange a demonstration for you tomorrow," the chief said with a smile. "But first you must watch."
Legolas had been too interested in the conversation to notice a change in the music. He looked up as the musicians played a fast paced song, and some men near them started chanting. As he watched, several women dressed in colorful outfits decorated with silver coins appeared in the center of the circle of men, and began dancing, waving thin scarves through the air in time with the music.
As Legolas watched, more women joined in, dancing and leaping elegantly around the circle. They were a blur of blues, greens, purples, and yellows. Several minutes in, the song changed, and all of a sudden there was a red blur spinning around in the center.
Legolas was dumbfounded as he watched Tinwe dancing along with the other women, dressed in a red gown covered in gold and silver trimmings. Her hair and face were veiled, but Legolas could not mistake the grace and skill of his wife as she danced barefoot around the circle. Unlike the other dancers, she held a large scimitar in her tattooed hands, which she spun around as the women did with their scarves. He could not take his eyes off her, taking in every detail.
At one point, Tinwe removed her veil, which she wrapped around her arm, never faltering in her dancing. She had danced quite close to where Legolas sat, and Legolas saw the gleam in her eyes as she paused, sticking the scimitar point into the sand as she leaned towards him and kissed him, before returning to her dance, laughter on her lips while the crowd cheered and whistled. Legolas felt like no one in all of Middle Earth was as lucky as he was, getting the chance to marry such a beautiful individual for a second time.
When the dance was over, the crowd cheered again. Legolas noticed that it was no longer just men, but women were now mingled amidst the group. Chief Darweal stood and took Tinwe's hand as she smiled and curtseyed graciously, before leading her over to take a seat between Legolas and Wealdul.
"You never cease to amaze me, limimaer," Legolas whispered to her as she sat beside him and the music began again. Tinwe just smiled up at him.
"I can't let you get bored of me, can I?" she replied taking a sip of tea.
"In a thousand ages I could never get bored of you," Legolas said, taking the opportunity to kiss her passionately. As they broke apart, he took her hands in his, examining the henna designs crisscrossing her skin. "I assume this is what I paid for earlier in the week?" he asked, tracing some of the brown lines with his finger. This made Tinwe laugh.
"I heard that you handed out some unusual gifts," Tinwe said, green eyes twinkling in the lamplight as she looked at him. "Most men give out copper coins."
"Well I didn't happen to have any on me," Legolas said with a smile as Tinwe put her hand through his hair and examined the few strands that were now shorter than the rest.
"Should I be the jealous one now, since you've gone around kissing ladies during my absence?"
"Only the one," Legolas assured her, kissing her forehead. Tinwe opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a scream.
Whirling around, both elves saw Atiya clutching her stomach as several women supported her. Tinwe was instantly on her feet, taking Atiya's arm as another contraction tore a gasp from Atiya.
"Legolas!" Tinwe called needlessly, as it took moments before Legolas was at her side, picking up Atiya and carrying her towards her tent. "Don't worry," Tinwe said, putting her hand on Weadul's arm as he rushed forward. "I will take care of her." With that, she rushed after Legolas and a small cluster of women surrounding him and Atiya.
"It's alright, Atiya. We've got you," Tinwe said as Legolas set her down on a raised mattress. Tinwe nodded to Legolas and he quickly left, leaving Tinwe and the women to tend Atiya.
"I'm sorry to ruin your wedding, Tinwe," Atiya said, breathing heavily, her face screwed up as with another contraction. Tinwe laughed, helping one of the women get clean blankets out as another began dabbing Atiya's forehead with a wet cloth.
"On the contrary, Atiya, I can think of no better way to end the night. I think the baby just wanted to join in the festivities."
Legolas stood outside the tent with Wealdul and most of his relatives, as the young man paced back and forth, waiting to hear news about his wife and child.
"There is no need to worry," the chief said reassuringly to his son. "Atiya is strong, and there is no better healer than Tinwe to look after her." Wealdul just nodded, not stopping his pacing. His other children were huddled around their grandfather, watching their father quietly. As a scream came from the tent, Yasmina looked up at her grandfather with worry.
"What's wrong with mama?" she asked. "Will she be okay?"
"She is going to be fine, little one," Darweal said comfortingly as he picked her up. "Just wait. Soon you will have a new baby to take care of."
"I hope it's a girl," Yasmina said, wrapping her arms around her grandfather's neck. "I don't like being the only girl."
"We will soon see, little one."
It was at least an hour later when one of the women appeared out of the tent. She smiled, beckoning Wealdul to enter, which he did.
"It's a healthy little boy," the woman said with a smile, primarily addressing the chief. "He was a hard one, but both he and his mother are fine."
"Darn," said Yasmina, crossing her arms and screwing up her face in a pout. Legolas smiled, squatting down beside her.
"You know, Tinwe is the only girl in her family," he said when Yasmina looked around at him. "And she is the fiercest warrior."
"Do you think I can be a fierce warrior?" Yasmina asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"I think you can be whatever you want to be," Legolas said with a smile. Yasmina grinned, hugging his neck tightly just as Tinwe exited the tent. Legolas stood upright, Yasmina in his arms as he looked at his wife.
"You will never guess what Weadul just proposed to name the boy," she said, brushing hair out of her face and looking up at Legolas.
"What's that?"
"Eldandil."
"Really?" Legolas said, surprised. Eldandil, elf-friend. "What did Atiya say?"
"She said that the boy needs a normal name," Tinwe said with a laugh. "But to us he can still be Eldandil. To the tribe, he will be Akeem." Just then, Yasmina gave a mighty yawn, which did not go unnoticed by the chief.
"You must by tired, little one," he said, taking Yasmina from Legolas. "I think it is time you went to bed."
"But I want to see the baby!" Yasmina protested, though her eyelids drooped.
"Alright, but then it is off to bed," the chief said, ducking down to enter the tent.
"Do you want to see the babe?" Tinwe asked, looking up at Legolas.
"I will see him soon enough. But you must be tired after all the excitement today."
"I feel like it is our first wedding all over again," she said with a smile, leaning on Legolas's arm as they started towards their tent. "Though the baby was unexpected."
"All of your brothers seem to be having babies at the most inopportune moments," Legolas teased as they entered their tent, grateful for the peace and quiet after the week's events.
"Rather strange, isn't it?" Tinwe said, starting to take off her numerous pieces of jewelry. "If we have a third wedding, maybe it will be Glennodad's turn to have another."