Title: Until We Reach Valinor

Chapter 23: School Begins

NOTE: This story is sequel to "A Teacher's Duty" and you'll have to read that one first to understand this. Also, this story does not contain slash, and it is not a romance, despite what the first chapter might suggest.

SPECIAL THANKS to Cassie, for beta-reading, and for her great advice. And thanks to Kellen, too, for helping me to name Alannna.

…

The day after Legolas and Alanna had discovered that they were going to be parents, the fifteen students who had been handpicked by Aragorn arrived from Gondor. There were twelve boys and three girls, escorted by two of Aragorn's most trusted guards and the mother of one of the girls. Three of the boys were from the wealthiest and most respected families in Gondor, members of nobility; and these clung together and looked down their noses at the rest. The other boys were the sons of farmers or blacksmiths or stable hands who were in search of the better life they could have with army pay. The girls were without exception the daughters of men who had served in Gondor's army for decades, and had, in some cases, even been decorated for their actions in battle. They were much respected and moderately wealthy. Naturally, Legolas thought, it was such men, who had seen the things that happened to women if they were captured by the enemy, who would most want their daughters to learn self-defense from the best of instructors. Legolas greeted everyone, introduced himself and Alanna, and then told the servants to take them to their rooms.

Two days later, the Elven students also began to arrive in droves. Many of them were accompanied by extended as well as immediate family; who were all eager to pay their respects to Legolas, and to meet their new Queen. Alanna did not do well under scrutiny even at the best of times, and now, with her pregnancy wreaking havoc on her hormones, she was even worse. She was not actually rude to anyone, for which Legolas was very thankful; but her face showed her irritation plainly. Everyone who had come expecting to see a breathtakingly beautiful, elegant, and soft-spoken She-Elf, someone who in their eyes was a fit companion for their, handsome, aristocratic King, went home sorely disappointed.

The thirty students from the first batch of were also curious about who their teacher had chosen to marry. They had seen him only two months ago, and as far as they knew, he hadn't even been courting anyone. And now, here he was, not only married but also their King. Many of them had also heard of Legolas's furious defense of Alanna and his treatment of Aradhel, and the girls, at least, had taken it into their heads that he was madly in love with her. That was, at least, the only reason Legolas could think of to explain why they all kept giving him knowing smiles and giggling to each other whenever they glimpsed him and Alanna walking or talking together.

Alanna had a difficult time dealing with the sudden increase in noise and activity levels in the palace. Legolas was unsurprised, even though Alanna herself had been convinced that she would only find delight in being surrounded by laughter and chatter. Yet the fact remained that she was unaccustomed to so much noise after all her isolated years, and as he had predicted, was constantly getting startled and dropping things. But she was inherently warm and friendly by nature, so she was able to put aside her discomfort fairly quickly. Her first lesson was a rousing success. Legolas had thoughtfully scheduled it to three days after his classes actually started, by which time she was much more used to being constantly surrounded by groups of chattering children. He had also made sure that her classroom was close to a bathroom in case she was overcome by morning sickness.

She was understandably nervous when she entered the classroom for the first time, even though she had spent days preparing. Legolas watched from outside the window, standing among the shadows so he wouldn't increase her anxiety. The children, an assortment of about thirty Elflings, were seated. They watched her, their gazes measuring, and Legolas winced, knowing it would only make her more on edge. And when Alanna was on edge, Legolas knew from experience, accidents tended to happen. Sure enough, not a minute before she'd entered the classroom and nervously asked everyone to introduce themselves, she had managed to send the vase on her desk crashing to the ground. All the students froze, Legolas groaned silently from where he was standing, and Alanna cringed, squeezing her eyes shut. For a few moments, no one moved.

Then Alanna opened her eyes and said, rather sheepishly, "You'll have to forgive me. I tend to be rather clumsy, and it's worse when I'm nervous. I would advise you to keep any breakable items far away from me in the future." Then she laughed; nervously, but with a grace that showed that it was not the first time she had laughed at herself.

Legolas, in the meantime, was watching the unfolding scene in mild horror. Had she actually just…admitted to being nervous? Alanna, you never show your students your vulnerabilities! You may not be perfect, but you have to make them think you are! But the children didn't react as he expected them to. Instead of the thinly veiled disrespect and mild contempt for Alanna that Legolas had expected, the atmosphere became relaxed and friendly. Rather than making the children think they could intimidate her, the familiar, almost conspiratorial tone she had addressed them in disarmed them. And when the introductions were complete, and Alanna began to talk about what she intended to make them learn over the next year, her cheeks glowed and her eyes sparkled with animation, and she forgot her nervousness, and her students fell completely in love with her.

Legolas watched in amazement, incredulity and some wonder as Alanna managed with no effort at all to do in to two hours what he had taken two months to achieve. Her methods were so radically different than his that had he tried them, they would have failed miserably. They did not suit his personality; but they suited hers. She had a very soft, unassuming way of disciplining them. If someone wasn't paying attention, she would catch their eye and give them a mildly reproachful look, and they would fall silent at once. Once, when someone was distractedly tapping on his desk with the tip of a quill, instead of saying anything to stop him, Alanna moved slowly across the room without breaking the flow of her words, and gently pulled the quill out of his hand and placed it onto the desk. Then she moved away, never having actually reprimanded the boy, but having made her point just the same.

When the class was over, Alanna requested, in the politest tones, that her students revise what she had taught them that lesson, and dismissed them. They all trooped out at once, but with somewhat less eagerness than usual; they had all clearly enjoyed the lesson. Alanna followed after them, but turned in the opposite direction as them…and stopped short when Legolas guiltily stepped out of the shadows near the window. He hadn't intended to spy on her for the entire lesson, but the way she had interacted with them had been so fascinating that he had stayed against his better judgment. But rather than being offended, she walked straight up to him, all her nervousness returning tenfold as she awaited his judgment.

"How did I do?" She asked, clasping and unclasping herself in her anxiety.

Legolas shook his head, amazed that she could doubt herself after that performance. "Wonderfully," He said, "I think you were born to teach, Alanna, really. That was a thousand times better than my first lesson. Trust me, that was nothing short of incredible."

"Truly?" Alanna asked, and then, not waiting for his answer, "It felt amazing," She said, "I enjoyed it so much. Teaching. I didn't think I would, but I did." The childlike excitement in her tone made him smile.

"You were very good with them," He said; and then, on an impulse, he said what had been flashing through his mind ever since she had started the lesson. "You're going to make a wonderful mother some day, Alanna." He froze; then shook off the discomfort. He hadn't intended to say the words, but he had meant them. And hadn't he promised himself only last week that he would be less impersonal in his interactions with her.

Alanna looked stunned for a moment, and then her face melted into a warm, grateful smile. "You don't know how much that means to me," She said softly. "Thank you."

Legolas smiled back with equal warmth, feeling a pleasant, but momentary closeness to Alanna, the likes of which he had never felt before. "You're welcome," He said.

…

Legolas sighed in frustration. It wasn't the first class he had had that year, for school had started a week ago. So far, it had been far better than the previous year, because Legolas had learnt from his mistakes. Rather than jumping straight into lessons, or starting to discipline the students immediately and win nothing but their indignation, he was much more patient with them. Though they hadn't warmed to him as they had to Alanna, at least he hadn't made enemies out of them.

But this class, this particular class, was proving to be more difficult. It was the first time he was actively teaching the fifteen human teenagers some basic moves with the sword. He had first asked them to spar with him and then, based on their individual skill levels; he had paired them off…or tried to.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I cannot spar with a lady!"

"Please call me sir, Doroth, and allow me to point out that you'll be fighting with wooden swords," Legolas stated, for the fifth time. "You couldn't possibly hurt them."

"We could still give them bruises, perhaps even broken bones," Doroth said adamantly. All the other boys looked equally adamant- although Doroth had been the only one brave enough to defy Legolas openly. That was another problem he was facing; everyone, including some of his older students, were hugely intimidated by him since he was the King, and no longer just the Prince, teaching them.

"And what do you think?" Legolas asked, turning to the girls. For the seventh or eighth time that day, they leaped nearly out of their skins, still unaccustomed to the swiftness with which Elves moved. "Would you find it equally repugnant to fight with them?" He asked.

"I would not, sir," Eliya, the most feisty-looking of the lot, replied immediately. The other girls shot her looks of disapproval, but she ignored them. "I am here to learn how to defend myself, and I hardly think I'll ever have to defend myself against women."

"That is an excellent point, Eliya; thank you," Legolas replied. It was actually the reason he was being so forceful on this particular issue; ordinarily, he wouldn't have gone against their customs and culture. He turned to the boys, having already seen that the other girls would brave fire and brimstone before they agreed to fight with members of the opposite sex. He would have to give them time to get used to the idea. "In that vein, are any of you willing to be paired with Eliya?"

There was a long silence, and then one of them very hesitantly stepped forward. "Only as long as we are using wooden swords so I won't be able to hurt her," He said, casting Eliya, and then Legolas an uneasy look. Legolas touched his shoulder reassuringly, and Eliya stepped up to his side, looking very pleased with herself.

Doroth, however, was not so easy to convince. He was the son of one of the richest nobles in Gondor, and Legolas, in spite of his resolution to try not to make lasting impressions of his students based on their first few weeks with him; had been unable to help taking an instant dislike to him. He scrupulously hid it, of course, but there was something very petty and mean-spirited about Doroth which made him think of the upcoming years in which he would have to teach him, and heave a mental sigh. The better part of the class had taken a similar dislike to their haughty, aristocratic classmate, but he did have a small following; unsurprisingly it was made up of the other two boys who came from similar backgrounds.

"Sire!" He exclaimed now, and Legolas noted with irritation that even after repeatedly telling him otherwise, Doroth still insisted on calling him that. "You cannot tarnish the reputation of a respectable maiden like Eliya by forcing her to engage in close contact with a mere peasant!"

"You be quiet!" Eliya retorted swiftly, her black eyes flashing with sudden fire, "Peasant or no, it's my choice whether I wish to spar with him or not. And I have no objection at all to partnering with him."

The 'peasant' in question, a tall, strong lad by name of Eranon, flushed in embarrassment, though not so much because of Doroth's insult. That had become fairly run of the mill over the last few days. No, he was more embarrassed by Eliya's choice of words, particularly the use of the word 'partnering' with all it's connotations, in relation to him. He made as if to step back in line, but Legolas grasped him firmly by the shoulder. "No," He said, "You're staying right there." He turned to Doroth, his face stern. "While you are under my roof, you would do well to bear in mind that I will not under any circumstances tolerate discrimination over birth or rank or the occupation of your fathers. Here, you are all equals in my eyes. And I will expect you treat each other as such while you are here. If you do not," He added in an ominous tone, his eyes on Doroth, "Then bear in mind that there will be consequences."

A rather stunned silence followed this reprimand. Looking at the pale, downcast faces around him, Legolas suddenly wished he had used a less threatening tone. He quickly resumed the lesson, not wanting the silence to grow too long. But even though he gentled his tone and made sure not to chastise anyone else for the rest of the lesson, the atmosphere remained charged and even a little fearful. He was distinctly uneasy when he left the classroom that day.

…

That evening, Legolas was catching up on some paperwork in his study when Aragorn knocked on the door. "Could I have a moment, please, Legolas?" He said, "I would speak with you."

"Yes, of course, Aragorn. Sit down. What's the matter? Why are you looking so...?"

Aragorn sighed, "Doroth told me this morning that you threatened to cane him for calling one of the other boys a peasant."

"He said I did what?!" Legolas exclaimed, shocked beyond measure. "I did no such thing! Aragorn, you know I would never…"

"Yes, I know that," Aragorn interrupted hurriedly, "I'm not accusing you. I was merely wondering what you said to make him think that you would do such a thing. He was quite scared when he came to me, and I could tell that he believed with all seriousness that you had threatened him. I reassured him that you were incapable of beating anyone, let alone a child, and that even if you were capable of it, I would never let any harm come to him. But even so, he's vowed to write to his father, Legolas, and that will cause problems for me because he is a member of my royal council. What on earth did you say to him to make him think such a thing?"

Legolas looked at Aragorn in dismay. "I just told him that I wouldn't tolerate discrimination from anyone living under my roof," He said, "And that if he didn't adhere to that, there would be consequences."

Aragorn's face cleared. "That explains it," He said. "You are clearly unfamiliar with the ways of Gondorian schoolmasters," He added, when he saw Legolas's look of continued confusion. "In Gondor, and even in Rohan, it is fairly commonplace to use the cane to discipline schoolchildren. But it is used with moderation, and never on children as old as these. As you know, sixteen and seventeen among humans is fairly close to adulthood. I suppose Doroth thought that you meant to cane him when you mentioned consequences."

Legolas groaned. "Wonderful. Now they'll think I'm some sort of cruel, violent-"

"No, they won't," Aragorn interrupted, "Give them another week with you and they know you would never do any such thing."

But Legolas shook his head. He was shaken by what he had accidentally conveyed to because of some ill-chosen words. He had thought that he would be insulated from cultural misunderstandings because of how many years he had spent in the world of Men, but apparently it wasn't the case. "I will have to make it quite clear in tomorrow's class what I meant when I said that," He said, "And still they will probably think it's because you spoke to me about it, and continue to fear me in the back of their minds. As it is they are intimidated by the fact that I am King. And now this…"

"Oh, Legolas don't exaggerate. You talk as though the world is coming to an end," Aragorn said, trying to lift his spirits. "This is far better than last year. Count your blessings; at least you've managed to keep from making them all hate you… so far," He added teasingly.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Legolas answered dryly, not amused.

But he was cheered all the same. So the year was proving to be more of a challenge than he had originally anticipated. But when had that ever stopped him? In fact, he thought sardonically, he practically lived for challenges.

…

TBC…

I know it's shorter than usual, but I thought this was a logical place to stop.

I'm so sorry it's been so long since my last update, but I couldn't help it. I was out of town, holidaying in England with my family, for two weeks. I'm back now, though, and I immediately started working on this so I could post it as soon as possible. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Please review!