12

The Wood of Greenleaves

I awoke to my first bought of morning sickness early, three days into the trip. Someone (I suspected Eowyn) had graciously provided a bucket, and I took advantage of it.

The caravan was not moving, and Estel was stooped beside the hobbits.

"Morning Sickness?" Estel guessed. As if he even needed to guess.

I nodded, "You know, it's not as bad as I—"I was cut off, though, as I gaged again, bringing up only water this time.

"Do you think you can eat? You must keep up your strength."

I accepted the soft bread from him and nibbled it for a few minutes. I no longer felt sick. It seemed like I could keep the food down. I took a small drink of water from my waterskin.

"Do not push it, Myraneth, see if you can keep it down."

"Estel, I am going to ride Black for a little while. I cannot survive another day in this carriage."

I was wondering when you were going to tell me that. Keep it simple. You know what you can and cannot do. No going faster than a brisk walk. No jumping. And absolutely no tricks."

I rolled my eyes and grinned, "How is Legolas? Has his foot healed again?" The bone in Legolas' foot that he had broken at Helm's Deep had re-broken in the Final Battle.

"He is still driving me up the wall. Him and the entire caravan of injuries."

"And what of yours? Do you think I do not see that your finger has not yet been properly set?" He laughed sheepishly, avoiding my glare. I looked to the broken finger I hadn't known he had received.

"I'll set it later, don't—AHH!" he yelped. As he had tried to make an excuse, I had taken his hand. I re-broke the finger—it was the only way to help it set properly—and then reached inside myself for the trickle of magic. I couldn't heal his finger, but I could reduce the swelling and mute the pain.

Before I hit the magic, though, I hit something else.

A trickle of new power, as green as the emerald on the third finger of my left hand, and very, very strong. And very, very young. I reached past it, knowing immediately that it would belong only to my daughter when she was born. I did not touch it.

The shock of it must have showed on my face, for Aragorn asked, "What is it, sister?"

I looked at him, finally reaching my own magic, "It is not something that will hurt me, Estel. I just found my daughter's magic."

"Truly?" He asked, just as shocked as I was, "Can Elves do that?"

"Estel, you grew up among Elves! You should know this," I laughed.

"For your information, Elves don't disclose all of their secrets to humans! The youngest Elf in existence is Leggy over there. I have never seen a pregnant Elf!"

A blonde head popped up by the open doorway. A hand reached out and slapped Aragorn's head. Then Legolas disappeared.

"He seems to be moving around quite well. You'd think after being slapped by him every few days for eight decades, you'd know not to call him that."

Estel's grey eyes shone, "You know it's too much fun to give up, Myraneth."

"MERRY!" Someone cried.

I looked at Estel, "That is not Pippin."

He jumped up, and I was close behind him. Outside, we found one who I had not seen in many months, and Aragorn had not seen in even longer.

It was Arwen, astride her white filly. She looked decidedly frantic as her eyes combed those present, "MERRY!" She cried once more.

"Arwen!" I called, "You haven't called me that since Mother sailed!" Her eyes found mine, and in seconds I was in her arms.

"Merry, Merry, Merry!" She chanted in her silky voice, "Let me call you it, just for a little while longer. I know it was Mother's special pet name for you, but I just about lost my whole family, including you. Please, Myraneth?"

I hugged her even tighter, "Arwen, yes, of course you can."

I passed her along to Aragorn. She and him did not embrace—that would happen when they were alone—but somehow, the moment was so intimate that I had to look away.

Eryn cocked his head beside me. It took me a second to remember that he had never met my sister. One would not think we were sisters, as Arwen and I looked almost nothing alike. She was pale—almost as pale as Everlas—whereas I had the tanned skin of too many days under the sun. The only traits we shared were our eyes (they weren't the same colour, but the same shape. Arwen had Father's eyes, whereas I had Mother's eyes) and our noses.

I looked back at Arwen. Her intimate moment with Estel had ended. Wordlessly, I flashed my engagement ring to her.

"Oh, Merry!" She cried once more.

"Arwen," I gestured to Eryn, "This is my fiancée, Eryn Lasgalen."

"The Wood of Greenleaves," she translated effortlessly, "Have you spent time in the realm of Thranduil, Lord Lasgalen?"

Eryn kissed Arwen's fingertips, "Lady Arwen Everstar, you do not call me 'Lord.' I am just Eryn. And yes, I spent a few years on the edges of the realm of Thranduil. Over there, they called me 'The one who never sleeps.' But more often I was called KnightLeaf, or Enanlas."

Legolas limped over, "You are Enanlas? We had no idea Enanlas was a Fairy!"

Eryn laughed, "Of course not, that would completely ruin it, that would."

"Why?" Legolas asked simply. Before Eryn could answer, however, we were interrupted.

"Did someone call?" Merry panted, as he screeched to a stop in front of us, Pippin hot on his heels.

"See, Arwen, that is why I don't use that nickname now," I laughed, hugging the two hobbits.

Merry looked at me questioningly, "Nickname?"

I smiled at him, "Merry Myraneth, that was what our Mother used to call me. And Arwen, as well. Arwen stopped when Mother sailed."

"Our?" Pippin seemed to have, over the course of the war, retained his innocents.

I gestured to Arwen, "Pippin, Merry, you remember my sister, Arwen, right?" By the way they were staring; I could tell they had not forgotten the beauty that was my sister.

"It's somehow complete," Elrohir said.

"Aye," Elladan continued, "The three sons of Elrond, and the two daughters."

"Almost complete," I corrected, "We only have three of the thirteen Princesses of Eryn Lasgalen with us."

My family grinned around me.

Estel said, "We must move on. Myraneth, I think we put Danny in charge of Black—"

"Nay, Everlas had him. You know that, Estel, do not bring me into this." Danny said.

Everlas cut him off, "I left him with Merry and Pippin."

Merry and Pippin looked sheepish, "He was tied up where we left him!" I started in the direction that they pointed. How many lead ropes had Black chewed through? I'd lost count after the first five dozen. I didn't even bother to tie him up anymore. I knew that he would never run away.

But still, when he was left tied up, he tended to lose his head.

Even then, there a loud cry in the distance. It seemed Black was coming to me instead of me going to him. As he charged towards us, I caught his great white head by the halter and brought him close to me, stroking him and murmuring in Elfish all the while. He calmed right down.

"Come along, morroch," I said, "Let us go home."

#####

"It was completely and utterly irrelevant!"

"You think the fact that you, a Wood Elf, were right under a tree in our last sparring match did not help your chances of winning?"

"Legolas, she has you there. If you go into the trees, you can move much faster than even our fastest horses."

"Shall we decide, then? With a rematch, my Lady?"

Behind me, Arwen and Everlas slapped Legolas at the same time, "Yes, we will have that rematch, but only after I spar for a bit with Myraneth," Arwen told him.

"Save it, you three," I reprimanded, "Maybe when we reach home."

"You spar often with your sister?" The new voice was Eowyn. Her normal cotton dress had been shed in favour of a Rohan warrior's garb.

"Whenever I am home," I smiled.

"Can I watch next time? I'd love to see you fight another Elf."

"Eowyn, you will be a guest in my Father's house. A visiting Princess. You may come and go as you please." Faramir, Steward of Gondor, rode beside her. A romance had formed between them. They would make a good couple, and it made me happy that Eowyn's heart was being repaired after Aragorn's rejection, "And you, Faramir, shall be welcome as well. Nevertheless, I wish you had seen Rivendell a few hundred years ago, when it was in its prime. There was never once an empty hall, and music rang in every corridor. There was more laughter. We constantly had visitors from other realms. It was better than amazing. Your brother used to speak frequently of how you had always wished to visit the Elves. I truly wish your chance had come sooner. I know not how many of us will be left." That was when I was attacked by the blur that was Matilda Shadowleaf.

"Maty?" Legolas cried, "What has happened? Has Ada the news of the end of the war? Matilda, why are you here? Ada only sends you out when something has gone wrong!"

Matilda cocked her head, "That is a great way to greet the sister you haven't seen in ten months, little leaf. My, I believe Estel may have more tact than you, and more manners."

Aragorn dismounted, "Princess Matilda, welcome. Now, you know Legolas' words are true. You barely ever leave Mirkwood."

"Eryn Lasgalen," Matilda held up her hand, "Leaf, Star, you will not remember, but our home lost that name when the shadow first encroached upon it. Ada has renamed us, for the last year of his reign."

"The last year?"

"Ada is stepping down and creating a twin throne, you idiot-fool, Legolas. You knew that."

"Matilda," Everlas rode forward, starring down her older sister, "What is wrong with Ada?"

"Ada means to sail within the next half century. Just last week, he rode to the ocean and felt the sea-longing. Even now, he is a shadow of his former self."

"Has he summoned us?"

"All of you, including the hobbits, the Lord Aragorn, the Lord Gimli, and the Lady Eowyn and the Lord Faramir. He expects us within the next few days."

"But Frodo and Sam must be taken to my Father!" I cried, "Matilda, does Thranduil not know what they have gone through?"

Maty smiled at me, "Myraneth, the Lord Elrond has been summoned to Eryn Lasgalen. He is waiting for you there, along with Gandalf."

With only a slight deterrence in our course, we made for Eryn Lasgalen.

In the fortnight that it took us to reach Eryn Lasgalen, Eryn became even more protective of me. Nevertheless, he bonded with Arwen and the rest of my family. Everlas and Arwen even went so far as to slap him upside the head, just as they would have for Estel or Danny or Ro.

In turn, Eryn told me more of his homeland, Andelage. He talked of his late Mother, Lady Etalianna, and his Father, Otoraan. Also he spoke of the Elf his Father had fallen for after Etalianna had died, Destimona. I had remembered her, as she had been a frequent guest in the Hall of Fire when I had been younger.

Eryn spoke of his sister, Myna, and his brother and half-brother, Kestrel and Devlin. He hadn't been at home when Devlin had been killed, and that still tore at his heart.

But, he told me, I was beginning to heal his heart.

The cry went up, "Let it be known that Crown Prince Legolas Greenleaf and Crown Princess Everlas Starleaf have returned!"

An echo, "Our Prince and Princesses have returned! Send word to the King! The Royal Family is once again complete!"

A new, female voice, "Welcome the Lady of the Wolves, the Lord Gimli of the Lonely Mountain, the Lord Faramir of Gondor, Shieldmaiden Princess Eowyn of Rohan, the Lords Peregrine, Meriadoc, Samwise and Frodo! Welcome the Lord Estel and Lords Elladan and Elrohir and the Lady Arwen Everstar! Welcome home the Princess Matilda!"

"Megan, Kendara, if you do not get down out of that tree and present yourself to those you are welcoming, I will have shoot you!" Legolas cried.

Two black-haired blurs landed in front of us, laughing, "Las nin, Ever nin, you two are due in an audience with Father in a few hours. You must bring the Fellowship of the Ring with you. I trust you can lead them to rooms. Everyone else must follow us." I'd almost forgotten the speech patterns of May and Dara. They spoke so fast one almost couldn't understand what they were saying.

I laughed, "May, Dara, do you not have something for the Crown Prince and Princess?"

They grinned, and Legolas and Everlas glared at me as they caught the two circlets that marked them as Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

They were a bit more elaborate than the circlets the twins were already wearing.

Legolas nudged his horse's sides and beckoned for us to follow. And follow we did, down all the beautiful paths of the forest, to the familiar palace of Thranduil, rising up in the distance.

"Lady Wolf, welcome! You bring the Fellowship? Wonderful! Your Father is already here, and your daughters are waiting with the King." The male Elf hanging upside down in front of us was none other than Senan, one of the King's doormen.

"Mae govannen, Senan, mae govannen!" I called. Pippin sat unsteadily behind me, his arms tight around my waist. He asked the question most everyone was thinking, "What does he mean, your daughters?"

"Most in the Palace of Mirkwood consider the Princesses my adoptive daughters, as I helped raise all of them from babies," I told the group, "In fact, I even nursed Legolas and Everlas, and Minny and Ganna."

Merry spoke, "I thought you didn't have any children. How would you nurse them if you had not given birth?"

"We were desperate. Ada gave me something that simulated pregnancy, and from that I was able to nurse them. He did that twice. They needed a close relative, and as I was the closest relative that was old enough, I got the job."

"Well then," Pippin muttered, "Who're Minny and Ganna?"

"Princess Minerva! Princess Morgana!" Estel cried. It was obvious that he had not heard Pippin's question.

The two dark-haired girls slapped him from both sides.

"We have enough of our title, living in the Palace, Estel. Our friends must call us by our nicknames, please. You know we hate our full names."

He grinned. Beside him, Legolas twisted free one of his bone-white knives, sheath and all. The opposite hand of Everlas was in an identical movement.

"No," the twin on the right said.

"Leaf, Star, they were a gift," said the twin on the left.

"And besides, it is not as if we go unarmed. Ada's forge is just behind us, and they have a store of beautiful weapons." Minny and Ganna were identical twins, just as all of their siblings were—except Legolas and Everlas—but they were the only ones who were not mirror twins, "Your horses shall be taken care of. Myr, let Black go," Morgana's eyes zeroed in on my left hand as I dismounted.

"Myraneth! You didn't!" Minerva cried, grabbing the same hand, "Oh Ganna, she did!"

"The eternal bachelorette has finally been claimed! Myr, who is it?"

Estel laughed, "Around here you know him as Enanlas."

Minny and Ganna shrieked so high and in unison that I once more felt my eardrum burst. Before I even felt the pain, though, I healed it up with magic.

"One moment," Ganna muttered, "Enanlas got you PREGNANT?"

I laughed, "Enough dithering, Ganna, your Father is waiting for us. We shan't keep him waiting any longer," I paused and looked down, "Is it really that obvious?"

"Ada will notice in a heartbeat," Matilda spoke for the first time, "And then I believe he will attempt to relieve Enanlas of his genitals, so he can no longer illegitimately impregnate anyone out of the wedlock, especially Ada's valordaughter."

"Hey, we were going into a battle with a small chance of walking away! How was I supposed to know Eryn would get me pregnant our first time?"

Both Ganna and Minny waved a hand in my direction, "Marry him quickly, Myraneth, before Ada meets him."

I looked down sheepishly, "Too late, as he came with us."

"Your mate better run for the hills, Myr," Matilda said. Matilda, Minerva, Morgana, and Everlas fell into line, two on each side of Legolas. By the looks on the Company's faces, I could tell that however used they were to the few differences between Legolas and Everlas, seeing him beside three more of his sisters was surprising, to say the least. I could not wait until they met the rest of the family.

We were announced by Senan as soon as we got through the door.

"The Lady Wolf, Princess Matilda, Minerva, Morgana and Crown Prince and Princess Legolas and Everlas. The Lord Aragorn, and the Lords Meriadoc, Peregrine, Samwise, and Frodo Ringbearer," he cried.

Fifteen thrones were set out in front of us. All except for four were occupied. Thranduil, my Valorfather, sat in the most elaborate one in the middle, a beautiful crown of green paper-thin metal leaves upon his brow. The girls around him wore straight metal circlets with a single leaf in the middle of their forehead, silver if they were the older twin and gold if they were younger. Legolas' and Everlas' were much the same, except they had three leaves. Everlas wore silver outlined in green, and Legolas wore gold outlined in green.

The thrones immediately to Thranduil's right and left were vacant, as they belonged to Everlas and Legolas. Anastasia Twilight sat tall and regal in her throne, just next to Legolas' on Thranduil's right. Her twin, Tatyanna Dawnbreaker, was much the same on her throne next to Everlas', on Thranduil's left. Beside Tatyanna on her other side was Alianna Goldenwood. Ally's twin, Eleanor Silverleaf, was on the other side of Anastasia. Both Ally and Elle were smiling at us, but they were the only ones who were. Next to Elle was Princess Megan. When my eyes locked on hers, she flashed me a quick smile. Megan's twin, Kendara, sat easily beside Alianna. Kendara leaned over and whispered something to Princess Ginny, who sat to her left. Ginny's twin, Victoire, was on the other side of the row, next to Megan. Matilda walked forward with no provocation and took her seat next to Victoire. As she did this, she shot a smile to her twin, the sickly-looking Elevra. Elevra's hand rested on her throne in a detached way. Minerva broke away from the group and took up her place beside Elevra, taking her sister's hand. Morgana sat silently next to Matilda. The thrones of Minny and Ganna were the last in the line.

Legolas and Everlas knelt in front of their Father, and the rest of the Fellowship followed. I however, remained standing, grinning at the raised platform that my Valorfather sat on.

"Mae govannen, Valorada, you do not look well," I told him. And he didn't. His robes sagged in places where they had previously fit him well. His eyes were cloudy, not clear as I had grown used to seeing them. The crown had slid sideways on his head a little, and he had not bothered to fix it. His hair was dark as I remembered, and I was forced to believe that Anastasia had taken a hand in it, as it was the only part of him actually presentable.

"There is a ring on your finger, Myraneth," his voice was as much like sandpaper as was possible for an Elf, "that is only an engagement ring. And yet you are pregnant. Tell me, child, were you raped?"

I laughed out loud. There was no way I had expected that! "Would I be here, Thranduil, if I had been? No, I would be in the Hall of Fire back at home with Evrasenan, Ada, and Arwen. Now, you have known for weeks the outcome of the final battle, and you have known that your family is in one piece. Now why have you not been eating?"

He chuckled a bit, "It is the sea-longing, Myraneth. It hits harder than I thought it would."

"Yes, it certainly has. But would your daughters agree with you? Or is there something else?"

"Myraneth," Elevra scoffed in a voice like china, "He missed you, you idiot, as he missed my brother."

I grinned at her, "Elevra, you do not look much better. Did you miss me and Legolas, as well?"

Elevra propelled herself to her feet and rushed to me. As I hugged her, I felt little more than skin and bones.

"Has my Father been to see you?" I gasped.

"Do you know how many times I have seen him for my illness in all my years? Many more times than Leafy has after he's been shot! I lost count after the first three hundred."

"Eight hundred twenty-two," I laughed.

She pulled back and starred at me incredulously, "You've counted?"

"Nay, that is how many times Ada has left for Eryn Lasgalen or you have ridden past our borders. I did not count every meeting within the two realms."

Her laugh was like china, too. So fragile.

"Elevra, return to your seat. I must see to my son." Elevra did as her Father bid.

Thranduil turned not to Legolas, but to Everlas, "Everlas, take up your seat. You left with my leave." I did not like the emphasis he put on the word with. Everlas stood and took up her throne, directly to her Father's left.

Next the King turned to Merry and Pippin. Upon arrival, Frodo and Sam had been taken immediately to the healing wing, and my Father had been summoned.

"Rise, Lord Esquire Meriadoc, Lord Citadel Guardian Peregrine. You bow not to me, nor anyone else."

Next to fall under the King's scrutiny was Aragorn.

"Is my son in one piece?"

"For the most part."

"What do you mean, Estel, for the most p—"but Thranduil silenced his only son.

"Why did you let him go?" Thranduil exploded, "You of all people are very much aware that he—"

"—comes with his own ransom note, yes, I know. I remember the last time. But he made his pledge before I could stop him!"

Legolas glared at Aragorn.

"Well, it's true, Princeling."

The glare intensified until the point where Aragorn's hair was almost curling.

"It was that or Leggy!"

Legolas leapt at Estel, catching him by surprise. They grappled for a few moments before I cried, "After all you two have been through, together might I add, you're going to tear each other apart over a small, not to mention true, comment?"

The two stopped, but resorted to the most basic of human (and apparently Elven) insults.

"Human."

"Elf."