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Legolas and Tinwe spent almost three years with the nomads. Watching his wife interacting with the men and women of camp, he could see why Tinwe had spent so much time with them previously. But Legolas missed the forests, and despite the close friends he made, he knew he could not feel like he belonged the way Tinwe did. He may have thoroughly enjoyed learning the new archery technique from the men of the tribe, but it wasn't enough.
One day when he was off on a hunting trip with the men for several days, Tinwe woke up in the early dawn by herself. She had decided not to go hunting with the men this time, as she had promised to give a lesson in Sindarin to Wealdul's children. With a sigh, she wrapped a cloak around her shoulders and went out into the village for a walk. It was nearly winter, and the nomads had arrived at their winter home only two weeks before. Most of the year was spent at this location, so a few permanent dwellings existed on the site and were being fixed for use during winter storms. Not much stirred in the gray light that blanketed the desert. Tinwe's feet led her up to the top of a sand dune to the west of the village. She stood looking out across the desert landscape, thinking about the last conversation she had had with Legolas before he had left.
"I know you don't want to leave, Tinwe, but we should be moving on soon," he had said, looking across the table at her as she sat drinking tea and weaving a bracelet for Yasmina.
"What's the hurry?" she had said, not looking up. "Your father said to take our time."
"Yes, but we still have not traveled south yet," Legolas said, watching her carefully. After a pause, he continued. "You seem to have become the domestic type lately."
"What do you mean by that?" Tinwe said, finally looking up at him.
"You haven't gone out hunting in over a month, you spend more time with the children then practicing your archery or swordfighting, and I cannot remember the last time I saw you wear your riding tunic."
"Is there something wrong with that?" Tinwe asked rather haughtily.
"No, but I can assure you, my father will not be happy if you decide to settle here and not back in the west," he said calmly, knowing that he had to risk her temper in order to get her to realize what she was doing. "You essentially have settled here, whether you realize it or not."
"I know," Tinwe said with a sigh, her lack of resentment surprising Legolas. "You are right. We should start heading south before the winter storms start."
"We can talk about it when I get back," Legolas said, standing and kissing Tinwe's forehead.
Now as Tinwe stood looking west, she realized just how much she had succumbed to the domestic life. She hadn't realized how easy it would be to slip into that role. Only a few years before, she never would have thought it possible.
She began walking back through the camp, intending to sit outside Wealdul's tent until his children rose. But she was stopped on the way by an elderly woman, who gestured for her to come join her by the cooking fire.
"Good morning, my dear," the woman said as Tinwe sat down beside her.
"Good morning, Leilah," Tinwe said, smiling at the woman. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"If you would be so kind as to cut those vegetables, I would very much appreciate it." Tinwe took the tray of vegetables Leilah indicated and began chopping them up, happy to be doing something besides sitting around, wallowing in her troubling thoughts.
"You should not look so sad, my dear," Leilah said, glancing up at Tinwe as she ground wheat for bread. "You should be happy."
"I know, but I love it here. I really don't want to leave."
"But you need to," Leilah said. "I don't think your family would like you to stay here forever."
"I know they wouldn't. But it is hard. Legolas is right, I settled down here. If we go south and I get the fever to travel again, I don't think I will be able to settle at home either."
"Well you best figure out a way soon, my dear," Leilah said with a smile. Tinwe looked up at her, puzzled.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Oh come now deary, I may not have seen as many seasons as you, but you can't fool me."
"About what?" Tinwe asked, genuinely lost now.
"You may be an elf, but I always know when someone is pregnant."
Tinwe was speechless. She stared at Leilah for a long time, the old woman still grinding grain as if she hadn't said anything more unusual than it looked like it was going to rain.
"I'm not pregnant," Tinwe said when she found her voice. "I can't be."
"It's your first child, my dear, you can't be blamed for not recognizing the signs. From the moment I saw you walking by I knew. You have that glow about you. I must say, I've never seen it so pronounced before. I suppose that is your elven nature."
"But I'm not pregnant!" Tinwe insisted, forgetting all about the vegetables on her lap. "I can't be!"
"Are you sure?" Leilah asked, grinning up at her.
"Yes!" Tinwe said, though the look on her face after she said this told Leilah a different story. "Well, I'm fairly certain I'm not anyway."
"Deny it all you like now, dear, but give it a few weeks and you will see. I'm never wrong about these things."
Just then, Atiya walked up to them, carrying little Akeem, Halil and Yasmina close behind.
"Good morning, Tinwe! I was going to ask why you were not outside the tent as usual, but I can see Leilah has put you to work."
"I'm not sure how successful she will be at teaching today," Leilah said, amused. "I appear to have given her quite a shock."
"Oh?" Atiya said, looking between the two of them. "How is that?"
"Leilah mistakenly believes I am pregnant," Tinwe said, glaring at the smiling woman. "I was trying to convince her otherwise."
"Oh my goodness, that is wonderful!" Atiya said happily, beaming at Tinwe. "I am so happy for you! Legolas will be so proud."
"But I'm not pregnant!" Tinwe said again, getting tired of repeating herself. "It's just not possible!"
"Leilah is never wrong about these things," Atiya assured her. "We will have to have a celebration when the men return from hunting."
"I don't know why you two are so certain about this," Tinwe said crossly. "I can assure you I am not pregnant."
"You are positively glowing, Tinwe. I did not see it before, but now that Leilah has pointed it out, I see it plain as day."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tinwe said grumpily.
"Here," Leilah said, standing up and abandoning her grinding as she moved over to sit closer to Tinwe. "Give me your hand."
Frowning, Tinwe obliged. Taking the proffered hand, Leilah placed it gently on Tinwe's stomach.
"Now close your eyes," she instructed.
"But-"
"Just close your eyes Tinwe," Atiya said encouragingly, setting her son on the ground. He looked up in confusion at his mother, while his siblings watched eagerly to see what was going to happen next. With a sigh, Tinwe closed her eyes.
"Breath with me," Leilah instructed, putting her hand over Tinwe's. "Look inside your heart. Your body knows if it is pregnant or not, you just have to be quiet and ask it."
Tinwe nodded, breathing slowly. She willed her body to tell her that she wasn't pregnant. She couldn't be.
"You need an open mind, Tinwe," Leilah said firmly, knowing exactly what Tinwe was thinking. "Open your mind to the possibility."
Tinwe continued breathing, and tried to open her mind. She felt her heart rate slow down, and she could feel things happening within her that she ordinarily could not. She could hear her heart beat in her chest, feel the blood running through her veins, and a small force, barely detectable, within her abdomen. In shock, Tinwe opened her eyes.
"By the Valar," she said breathlessly. "I am pregnant."
Legolas rode into the nomad camp with the men after four days of hunting. They had very little luck, bringing in only a few jackrabbits and desert birds. He dismounted the grey horse he had borrowed, patting its neck before some young boys took him away to join the other horses.
"How was the hunt?" the chief asked, coming up to him as the men began to disperse.
"Largely unsuccessful," Legolas said. "Nothing more than some small game."
"Oh well, I am glad you are all back," Chief Darweal said, clapping him on the back. "You'd best go find your wife and let her know you're safe."
Legolas nodded and made his way towards his tent. He noticed that many of the men who just arrived were in whispered conversations with those who had remained behind, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Puzzled, he continued to his own tent and entered, finding Tinwe sitting at a table, her maps laid out on the surface.
"How was the hunt?" she asked, looking up when he entered.
"We didn't get much," Legolas said, taking off his bow and quiver. "So you have you decided that it is time to head south now?"
"No," Tinwe said, looking back down at the table. "We can't go south."
"Why?" Legolas asked, walking over and looking at the maps. "What's in the way?"
"Nothing is in the way, but we still can't go south. I've already talked to Darweal. We will be heading west in two weeks."
"West?" Legolas asked as he sat down, very confused now. "Why west?"
"I would like to be home before the baby is born. Not something I would like to go through on the road."
Legolas paused, about to pull off one of his boots. He stared at Tinwe, not sure he had heard correctly.
"What?"
"I said I want to be home when I have the baby. As much as I love traveling, I would feel much more comfortable if my mother was present."
"Wait a minute," Legolas said, putting his foot down and standing up. "Are you saying you are pregnant?"
"Yes, Legolas, I am," Tinwe said, looking up at him and smiling.
Legolas just kept staring at her in shock. She smiled up at him calmly, waiting for him to say something.
"And, you are okay with this?" he asked hesitantly.
"Of course I am," Tinwe said with a laugh. "You should be the one who is upset. You don't get to see the southern forests now."
"How can I be upset?!" Legolas said, his excitement growing. "This is wonderful!" Tinwe laughed as he picked her right up out of the chair and spun her around.
"I'm glad you are happy," he said as he put her back down and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Because I don't think I will be able to stop smiling until the child is born."
"Well you may change your mind after tonight. The chief is hosting a feast to celebrate, and you are going to have to be smiling and waving all night."
The feast that night was smaller than the one that had celebrated the elves' wedding, but it was just as joyous as everyone in the camp offered gifts to celebrate the child's birth. Tinwe and Legolas were soon overwhelmed by the amount of things they had been given, from good luck charms to clothes to toys.
"We cannot possibly take all this back with us," Tinwe muttered to Legolas when they had a moment of respite.
"We will need another horse," Legolas said with a half smile.
To their surprise, the chief approached them shortly afterward, leading a chestnut mare, a smile on his face.
"Since you will shortly be leaving us, I wished to use this time to wish you a safe journey as well," he said, standing in front of them. "As I did last time you left, Tinwe, I shall give you a horse. Consider it a gift for the little one."
"That is hardly necessary," Tinwe said, shaking her head. "You have already given us more than we deserve."
"Nonsense," the chief said waving his hand dismissively. "Your horses are both getting on in years, they will appreciate not having to carry all your things back to the west. And I can't give you anything more special than the child you now carry."
"Your gift is very much appreciated, my friend," Legolas said with a smile. "I wish we could give you something in return."
"Tinwe gave me the greatest gift I could ask for. She kept me alive so I was able to see my son marry and have four beautiful children. I wish I could see the birth of yours, but I shall have to make due with the blessings I have already been given."
"I wish you could be there too," Tinwe said, hugging the chief as a tear slid down her cheek.
"And be sure to write this time," he said as Tinwe pulled away. "We have trading partners who travel into the west far enough that you should be able to get a letter to us. We will be expecting it."
"Alright," she said with a laugh. "I will be sure to write as often as I can."
When Legolas and Tinwe finally did leave, it was a bittersweet moment. Tinwe and Legolas were leaving their friends, who they would probably never see again, but they would soon have a child to raise and fill their lives with joy. They had an escort to the border of the desert, where they finally said goodbye to Wealdul and Malek, who was now old enough to travel with his father.
"We will miss you dearly, Tinwe," Wealdul said, hugging her tightly. "I have gotten used to having you around again."
"Well you have your brood to take care of, and soon I will have mine," Tinwe said with a smile, looking up at him when they broke apart. "Perhaps this isn't goodbye forever."
"I sincerely hope not," he said, nodding to Legolas as Tinwe mounted Alagos. "Be careful."
"We will," Tinwe said with a smile, looking down at him.
It took several months of riding through the grasslands and forests before Tinwe and Legolas reached familiar territory. They began heading north once they reached the southern edge of Gondor. By that time, Tinwe was starting to show. Legolas couldn't stop himself watching her ride happily next to him, talking excitedly about the child they would soon have. She had started coming up with names for the boy, for she was adamant it was a male child. When Legolas asked her how she knew, she simply said, "I just do."
"Will you let me do that?" Legolas said, taking Alagos's saddle out of her hands when they stopped for the night. "Just sit down and relax."
"I have been sitting all day," Tinwe said grumpily. "I am still perfectly capable of taking care of my own gear."
"I know you are, melamin, but I'm not going to let you," Legolas replied, just smiling as she scowled at him. "If you must do something, start a fire."
"I don't like the fact that we have reverted to gender roles," Tinwe mumbled as she grabbed her tinder box.
"Whether you like it or not, gender roles are necessary in raising a child," Legolas said, kissing his wife's head as he passed. "Better get used to it now."
"Fine, but I'm not going to be happy about it," Tinwe replied, getting to work.
A short while later, they sat around the fire as the darkness pressed in on them.
"I can't wait to see Minas Tirith again," Tinwe said as she leaned against Legolas. "I am sure there is hardly any sign of the war in the city anymore."
"I know Aragorn had already made a lot of progress when we left," Legolas said, his arm around Tinwe, resting on her stomach. "We should stay there for a few weeks, I think."
"Alright, but then we need to head home. I want to get settled again with plenty of time to get ready for the baby."
"I know," he replied, kissing her forehead. "Just enough time to rest and see everyone. Maybe I will send word to Gimli and he can come visit."
"I think you better," Tinwe said with a laugh. "He will be furious if we head home without seeing him, especially when he hears the news."
As Tinwe said this, she heard a whinny from Alagos. The chestnut mare that they had started calling Mireth was moving around nervously, tugging on her rope.
"What's wrong, Alagos?" she said, standing up and walking towards the mare. Suddenly, out of the dark trees came a hoard of Orcs. Legolas was immediately on his feet, reaching over to his gear and pulling free his knives. Tinwe ran towards her own belongs, unsheathing her sword and swinging it up, beheading an Orc.
"There are too many!" Legolas said, fighting his way towards Tinwe. "Let's go!"
They both fought their way to the horses. Mireth had managed to pull herself free and bolted, but Alagos and Arod were still there, and the elves quickly mounted and rode off, leaving behind almost all of their gear and possessions. Legolas had managed to grab their weapons and a single bag of food, but they had lost all the gifts they had received from the nomads, their blankets, clothes, and most of the food.
When they had put considerable distance between themselves and the Orcs, they slowed down. Legolas turned and looked behind him at Tinwe.
"Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly. "Tinwe?" He noticed her face was contorted strangely. It was a bright night, and as he watched her, he saw her pull her hand away from stomach. It was covered in crimson blood. Legolas's face went pale as Tinwe's eyes closed and she slid off Alagos's back.
"Tinwe!"
I know this chapter is a bit choppy, and about half of you want to shoot me now. Please review and let me know!