The old ways

Now, here as promised earlier, the new chapter. If anyone is interested; there is a melody mentioned, rather often, at the end of this chapter. I will place a link to it at the bottom of the page. So if you want you can go and listen to it while imagining the scene in the bedroom.

Now, on with the story!!


Face beaming with pride and happiness Haldir cradled his newborn children in the crook of his arms and moved towards the door. Thranduil rushed over to open it and gently placed a small kiss on the brow of his grandchildren.

Once outside the room, Haldir was immediately surrounded by their friends and relatives, congratulating him and showering the babies with kisses and gentle caresses.

Gimli ran a gentle and loving thumb over the brow of the firstborn and whispered something in Khazud. To every bodies surprise the small infant tried to focus its still grey eyes on the dwarf and kept its gaze at him. With a low rumbling chuckle, Gimli smiled at the child and moved over to the second baby, repeating the gently gesture, then he moved silently away, the smile still playing around his lips.

Arwen was elbowing Aragorn raising her eyebrows suggestively. The King of Gondor smiled at the babies with a dreamy expression and was courtly pushed aside by two smaller figures. “Hey, let us have a look too.” Pippin moved over to Haldir glaring up at the tall elf, motioning him to bend down a bit so that the smaller Hobbits were able to see.

Only minutes later the joyful group was quietly interrupted by Elrond. “Come my friends. They need some rest, just like their fathers. Let us venture into the garden and I am sure we will have loads of possibilities to enjoy their company later on.”


Haldir quietly moved back into the room, Legolas was lying in and carried his children over to their awaiting cradles. Laying them gently down, covering them up with a soft blanket. He felt Elrond’s presence before the older elf spoke softly “They will be hungry soon. Come let me show how to prepare their first food. Since we haven’t got a wet nurse you will need a nourishing substitute.”
“Wait, what about Legolas?” Haldir hesitated, glancing at his sleeping but rather pale looking husband.

“Let him rest.” Elrond answered quietly, leading Haldir out of the room, never noticing Gimli, who had silently entered the room and now crouched behind one of the cribs, hiding from view. The dwarf had felt so enchanted by the two infants, that he wanted nothing more than to watch them and dream of having children of his own. And maybe, because he felt nearly as proud as the two fathers themselves. He had played quite an important role during Legolas’ pregnancy. So when Haldir and Elrond had left the room, he stood up again and stared at the sleeping children, marvelling at their already serene faces, the tiny pointed ears and silvery blond colour of their wisps of hair.


A numb but constant feeling of pain disturbed his rest, steadily pulling him out of his sleep. Squirming uncomfortably Legolas desperately tried to regain his full conssnessness. He felt befuddled and just wasn’t able to open his eyes properly. A weird weight rested on his aching belly, but he somehow didn’t seem able to reach it.

Soft wailing noises pulled him further back into the waking land and with soft moans Legolas shook his head to clear his vision. Just as he was doing so, a gentle and soothing hand stopped his motions. “Shh…, love don’t move. Stop struggling. You need rest.”

Haldir’s voice filtered through the haze and calmed him. “Want …., want to see….our children.” Legolas croaked weekly.
“You will see them soout nut now you need to rest. Elrond and I have fed them and now they are supposed to be resting, just like you, but one is not the same opinion as you can possibly hear.” Haldir whispered lovingly to his husband.

A small smile touched the blonde elf’s lips, when suddenly the crying of the child stopped. Haldir’s head shot up and turned towards the crib in slight panic. But what he saw brought tears of silent laughter into his eyes and he turned back to Legolas to carefully lift his husbands head up a little so he could see it as well.

Hovering over the crib with the crying infant was Gimli softly humming a dwarvish tune rocking the crib. The child’s crying had died down and by now he was only cooing faintly from time to time, obviously enjoying the strange tunes.


Some hours later Elrond carefully lifted the blanket covering Legolas and without disturbing the Prince’s slumber removed the small sack filled with sand that had been lying right above the operational area, applying some pressure to help the womb to contract back into its original form and prevent a swelling of the freshly stitched cut. The wound looked far better than he had expected and he nodded approvingly to himself as he applied another thick layer of his special healing salve. He nodded softly in Haldir’s direction, who had watched him from an arm chair beside the bed and left the room as quietly as he could. Leaving the connecting door to the chin’s n’s chamber wide open, Haldir gingerly climbed into the bed beside his husband and snuggled up as near as he dared to without hurting his sleeping husband and let his mind drift off into the elven dreamscape.

Legolas felt far better rested than the last time he had awoken and as soon as his senses had fully readjusted, the first thing he noticed was a loud rumbling coming from his stomach. The second sound that reached his ears were the constant and rather annoyed sounding wails of his children and Haldir’s nervous muttering. Judging from the sounds Haldir was trying to feed one of the twins while the other was not happy with being ignored.

“Haldir?” his voice still a bit raspy from the long sleep, Legolas called out to his husband. Only seconds later Haldir appeared in the doorframe, in one hand holding a small bottle with a tiny nipple made out of sheep’s bladder attached to it and cradling one of the infants in the crook of his other arm. The long silver hair looked somewhat messed and a faint blush stained his cheeks.

“Love, you are awake!” A loving and bright smile broke out on the march warden’s features as he rushed into their bedroom.
With some strain Legolas pushed himself carefully into a halve sitting position and stretched his arms out to husband and child. Haldir immediately placed the tiny elf in Legolas’ arms and was just about to turn around to fetch the other as the bedroom door opened and Gimli strode in, clad only in soft dark linen and leather, giving him a softer and more fatherly look, waved one hand and moved directly towards the children’s chamber. Within moments the wailing of the younger twin stopped and subtle rumbling noises, no doubt Kazud were to be heard from the connecting room just before Gimli appeared again, gently cradling the child in his strong arms, constantly babbling to it wearing a slightly silly smile on his face.

“So, Master elf. Have you two decided on their names, yet?” Gimli looked up at Legolas desperately trying to put on a business like face as his firm, rough fingers ever so gently stroked the children’s cheek.

Legolas looked down at the older one in his arms as it suckled eagerly at the nipple of the bottle Haldir had meanwhile held out for the little elf, how its eyelids dropped slightly while doing so and softly said “In honour of my father’s family you will be named Thaurdae and your younger brother who will be your right hand and other half shall carry on Haldir’s family tree with the name Amanhír.”

“Ah, well. Yes, …..” Gimli stuttered a bit “You will have to write that down for me. Maybe I will have their names carved into the little stone tablets by tomorrow.”

Just then there was a soft knock at the bedroom door before Arwen entered carrying a second bottle. “I have the other bottle ready for you Haldir,” she started and stopped as she saw Legolas sting up and awake, holding one of his children in his arms feeding it and Gimli holding the other, while Haldir looked thoroughly relieved. “Oh, Legolas, you are awake again. I hope you are feeling better already.”

“Oh, give me that.” Gimli interrupted her and reached out for the bottle. Arwen handed it to him with a sheepish grin and turned to Haldir. “So my friend and brave defender of Lorien, it seems you have no duty occupying you right now, so why don’t you let the magic of your finger weave one of the lovely tunes, like you loved to do before this war?”

“Arwen, I thank you for your kind words, but neither do I have my harp with me, nor have my fingers touched a harp’s string in ages. I seriously doubt that my fingers are still able to weave their magic.” Haldir had blushed at Arwen’s words and now stared at his fingers, quietly stretching and bending them.

“Oh, sorry I forgot!” Arwen send her dark hair flying as she turned quickly back to the hallway and with soft step hurried from the room.

The two elves and the dwarf stared at each other in wonder, but before anybody could utter a single word, Arwen came back in, her robes billowing behind her, carrying a large object wrapped up in dark linen.
“There Haldir. Galadriel sent it to Minas Tirith with the last party that arrived last week. We had it delivered here, but we all forgot about it because more exciting things were happening.” She smiled warmly at Haldir and Legolas.

Haldir carefully took the heavy object from Arwen’s hands and unwrapped it. Inside he found his old harp, the only remembrance of his parents. Legolas’ eyes sparkled as he watched his love, lovingly running his hands along the old and dark words and its golden inlays. “Please, play for us, my love. Play for our sons.”

Haldir moved over to a large arm chair and sat down, unhurriedly setting the harp between his feet and leaning it lightly against his right leg. Unconsciously Haldir cocked his head slightly and strummed the strings lightly, intently listening to their tune. After some tuning and readjusting, he let his fingers move on their own accord, letting his heart pick the tune. Only moments later a soft and haunting melody filled the room. Soon the melody changed its speed and turned into a light and cheerful themull ull of pleasant and joyful memories.


Elladan and Elrohir, who had been wandering the corridors and halls of Haldir’s and Legolas’ house, heard the playful melody drifting out from the couple’s bedroom. They remembered it immediately and grinned at each other. With swift and long strides they made they way to the camp of workers, that still stood outside the house and quickly found the largest tent of them all. Sorting through different chests, that were placed at thek ofk of the tent, they soon found what they had been looking for and made their way back to the house.

Arwen was gently moving her feet in time with the music and watched Legolas’ eyes shine with love and merry spirit. The prince had his eyes on his husband and radiated so much gentle passion that it made her heart ache. Beside the bed stood Gimli, cradling Amanhír in his arms, feeding the infant, all the while staring into the tiny face.
Suddenly Haldir’s melody seemed to be picked up by a fiddle and a bodrahn, whose soft strain and warm beat perfected the tune.

With smiles on their faces the twins entered the bedroom, never ceasing to play their instruments. Soon the room was getting more and more crowded as the Hobbits joined them, their breath still coming in short pants, from having run all the way from the other end of the large house. Elrond stood silently smiling in the doorframe and Aragorn had moved behind Arwen, his arms lovingly wrapped around her slim waist.

t.b.c.


Link to the music: www.smirkwood.de/stivell707.mp3