The old ways

Haldir and Legolas followed Gandalf a few minutes later to the house of healing, Legolas barely being able to restrain his impatience to see his father again. Even though he had known that he was in the best hands and on the mend, it had troubled him deeply. And then Gimli’s manoeuvre. It had nearly cost him his life. But then again, if it hadn’t been for the stout little dwarf, his father might not have survived that night.

They found Thranduil sitting uprign hin his bed, while a Gondorian healer was just treating the King’s feet with a thick yellowish substance. Gimli was laying on his cot, laughing at the face Thranduil was pulling because of the smell the substance emitted.

When the door opened Thranduil looked up and a warm smile graced his features. “Ion nìn! Legolas, come here, let me look at you!” he stretched his arms out and took the slim hands of his son in his. “You were there that night, weren’t you? Why? So much could have happened to you. If you would have been wounded, I can’t bare the thought of it,olasolas, why?”

“Father nothing happened to me and what if you would have died that night? What if I had lost you?” a slight tremor shook his hands.

“My son, I am an old elf. But you are young, you carry your cren.ren. You….”

“Now, now. Nothing happened, well anyway nothing too bad. You are both here now. Thranduil you are healing fast and Legolas is thriving. Maybe you should stop fretting and enjoy the fact that you will be father and grandfather in a few days.” Gandalf interrupted.

Much to Thranduil’s embarrassment he felt a blush making its way across his face. Grandfather. He still couldn’t believe it. Ever since Legolas had shown more interest in his own gender, Thranduil had almost lost his hope ever to have grandchildren and when Haldir had shown up and Thranduil had understood that his son would never give up his love, he had in the same moment given up his own hope. But now he was going to have grandchildren. Two at once. He felt a giddiness rise inside of him he hadn’t felt for millennia.

Suddenly Legolas let go off his father’s hands and turned around to Gimli, strode over and took hold of the dwarf’s sideburns and shook him gently. “Gimli, my dear Gimli. My ever valiant dwarf. My friend, my most trustworthy little mountain dweller. How can I ever thank you?”

Gimli grumbled into his beard and smiled up at the elf. “Now, now, laddie. You would have done the same thing. It was the only thing I could do.”

“But what were you doing out there anyway. In the middle of the night?” Legolas let go off Gimli’s beard and sat at his bedside.

Gimli’s eyes turned away to Thranduil and the dwarf raised a questioning eyebrow.

The King cleared his throat nervously and pointed to Gimli “Your friend wanted to show me the beauty of Ithilien’s woods and its waterfalls, we wanted to start our sightseeing early in the morning, so we headed out from here in the early night.”

Elrond snorted and interrupted “i, Ti, Thranduil, don’t you think it is time to tell them the truth?”

Legolas shot his father and then Gimli a worried glance, but before he could say anything he heard Haldir’s voice “The truth? That does sound a little strange. Anything we need to worry about? I for myself could well do without any more disturbing fights and dangerous situations. And I think Legolas as well. So I pray thee, what have you two been up to?”

Gimli, threw his arms up a little and sighed. “Alright, I was planning a surprise for Legolas and you, Haldir, something to show you how much you two mean to me, and maybe something that will keep you here in Middle earth a while longer. I needed Thranduil’s help and your father,” the dwarf turned his eyes to the still worried looking blond elf “was so kind to take over a few of the tasks that were to be done. Last night, we were on our way to your ….. well, your surprise to check on the progress and lay hand on the last finishing touches, when we were ambushed. I fear that we won’t have it ready in time now, for I wanted you to see it before, ….. before….., you know, before the babies are to be born.”

Legolas’ eyes had lit up during Gimli’ speech and a wide smile graced his features “A surprise for us? Because you care so much? Oh, Gimli, that is wonderful. But why worry so much? Why can’t we simply ride there and still have a look at it?”

“For one, my young Prince,” Elrond’s deep voice brought Legolas quickly back to the ground “you are in no condition to ride and your father won’t be able to travel for the next few days.”

“Of course I can ride.” Legolas shot Elrond an angry glance. “I only did so last night.”

“I now, and it worried me deeply. I don’t want to risk anything. Your babies are due any day now and it would be most irresponsible to go for such a long ride now. What if they decide it is time for them to come into this world right there in the middle of the forest? No, we cannot risk it.” Elrond sounded final.

Haldir nodded in agreement and put an arm around Legolas’ waist.

“What if we let Legolas and Thranduil travel on a litter?” Gandalf had seen the sad look on the Prince’s face and wanted to help.
“A litter?” Legolas and his father chorused. “No way!”

“Do you remember, when you made me travel all the way back from the black gate on a litter because…..” Legolas fumed

“Yes,” Gandalf interrupted “because we were all worried about you children, as were you! Think, my young elfling, do you want to see the surprise now and make an old dwarf happy or would you rather stay here and wait untou aou are fit to travel again?”

“I agree, that Legolas should not ride, but honestly, I don’t need to be carried like an invalid. If I don’t use any stirrups, which I usually don’t do anyway, I can sit on a horse.” Thranduil tried to look smug.

“Oh, sure,” Elrond mocked “and the deep cuts on your legs and arms wouldn’t hinder you in any way, now would they?”

“Stop! All of you!” Haldir barked “Either both agree to be placed on a litter, which means they will both be at the end of our riding party, so they can mutter and whine as much as they like without annoying us, or we will quit this right here and now. I for myself, would love to see what Gimli has been up to and believe that Gimli is at least as excited about it as we are and I think so is Legolas. So why don’t you two just pull yourselves together and for once forget about your royalty and let us pack for the travel?”

It was not only Haldir that laughed at the sight of Legolas’ and Thranduil’s defeated looks, but Gimli’s laughter was the loudest of all.


Rumil rushed form one end of the makeshift camp to the other. “Orophin! Orophin!” he yelled on the top of his lungs. “Brother where are you hiding?”

“I am right here you big oaf!” Orophin grinned from one ear to an other as he rounded one of the tents. He had seen his brother some time ago rushing around, as hysterical as he could possibly be, but had enjoyed the sight so much that he had decided to wait just a little more. “So what is up? What makes you so nervous?”

“They are coming here. Elrond has sent yet another messenger, telling me that they are on their way here. Everyone is coming. Legolas, Haldir, Thranduil, Elrond, Gandalf, Gimli and even the Hobbits. We have to get everything ready. Or atst ast as far as we can get.”

Now it was Orophin who was growing steadily more and more hectic. “But, ….., but there is still so much to do! When are they going to arrive, you think?”

“The messenger says about tomorrow afternoon. So we have nearly a day left.” Rumil turned and started off in direction of the large building that now stood where there had been only a plain clearing within the woods before. Orophin rushed after him panting “Yes, and one whole night.”

Both elves rushed all over the place. Sending some of their fellow elves to gather some early spring flowers that surly were to be found in the deeper woods, underneath the snow. Due to the warmth of firesides and closed doors, maybe they would open their buds just in time for the arriving party. Others lay finishing touches at the fixed and put up cradles, laying out furs, pulling blankets and table cloths straight or arranging other decorative items within the place. Firesides were lit and last specks of dust cleared away.

After hours of work, during which Orophin and Rumil had continuously clapped themselves on their shoulders, remarking how pleased Gimli was going to be when he arrived, everything was as ready as it could be in such a short time.

All elves and dwarves had sat down heavily within the rather lofty entrance hall, stretching their long or short legs and now enjoyed either some malt beer or some of the succulent Mirkwood wine Thranduil had brought along from Mirkwood himself. He had given some barrels to the hard working people for their continuous efforts to give the best.


The large riding party moved slowly through the narrow path that led through the vast woods of northern Ithilien and Faramir, who rode up front beine one one knowing every path and winding passage, smiled out of sheer joy and of course because of the ceaseless complaints coming from the two blond elves, somewhere at the rear.

Due to the slow advance it took them several hours to get to the clearing Gimli had beforehand described to Faramir. Every way was feeling the same tension of anticipation. Whether it were Gimli or Thranduil, who knew what they were going to see in a short matter of time, or Legolas and Haldir who were nervously grinning at each other every time Haldir looked down to his husband, lying comfortably on his litter.

The sun was about to set when Faramir called for a halt. He could already see the clearing from his position and had made out a rather large shape standing in the middle of it. “Mayb sho should get Haldir and Legolas up to me now.” he said and Legolas was only too happy to oblige. He struggled up from the litter and took Haldir’s hand, who had dismounted, in his.

Anxiously the two elves walked up to Faramir, who only pointed ahead and smiled at them. As soon as Legolas and Haldir had walked off the rest followed, not wanting to stay behind for too long.


Haldir could feel Legolas hand trembling faintly in his. They kept their eyes straightad aad and what they saw when they stepped out of the towering forest onto the clearing took their breath away.

t.b.c


More tomorrow. A later easter egg, so to say.