The old ways

The snow was slowly starting to melt and carefully the first spring flowers pushed their heads up through the ground to seek out the warming rays of the sun. Patches of soggy grass shone through the thinning layer of white and birds were getting increasingly restless.

Gimli leaned leisurely against one of the door frames, that led to the atrium and enjoyed the breaths of fresh air. It was time for warmer weather. Time to move around in the open again. Everybody in the house was getting restless. The rest of the winter had been rather cold and grey and even though he and the elves had enjoyed the company of the Hobbits and their human friends, it was time for a little peace and quite now.

A faint gurgling and squealing could be heard from targearge room at the end of the long corridor and immediately after it an annoyed shout “Amanhír, no! Don’t pull the blanket again! Please, no. Stop.” Legolas’ voice was getting more and more aggressive. It obviously didn’t stop Amanhír at any rate and his only reaction seemed to be a high pitched giggling, shortly after joined by his twin brother.

The dwarf grinned and closed the door to the atrium again, turning towards the children’s room. Legolas was desperately trying to change Thaurdae’s nappy and Amanhír had crawled over to his bed and was now steadily pulling out his blanket that was hanging over the edge. It wouldn’t have been to bad, hadn’t Legolas placed their clothes he wanted to put on them out there on that blanket just a short while ago. Part of the clothes were already scattered on the ground, much to Thaurdae’s enjoyment.

With swift strides Gimli entered the room and as soon as Amanhír saw the sturdy form of the dwarf approaching let go of the blanket looking as innocently as possible. Legolas sighed with exasperation and glared at the younger twin. “Why won’t you listen to your Ada? How come you only behave when Gimli is around?” Shaking his head, the elf finished dressing up Thaurdae and gratefully turned to Gimli “Could you hand me the light blue shirt? Thank you.”

To Legolas’ amazement his children had turned out to be the absolute opposites to their names. Thaurdae was the quieter on, the one watching and waiting. Very much more like Haldir. So unlike the heir to his name. Thaurdae was a name that came down Thranduil’s line and unlike his father Legolas, who had been full of mischief and wicked ideas, Thaurdae never ever so much as pulled his father’s hair.

Amanhír on the other hand had so little in common with the ancestral name of Haldir’s family. He was the wicked one. Having his tantrums, teasing both his fathers and demanded a lot more attention than his twin. Only when Gimli was around he was mysteriously well behaved.

Having finished with Thaurdae, Legolas turned and picked up Amanhír, who immediately squealed in delight and grabbed a handful of shining blond hair, trying to stuff it all at once in his small mouth. “Oh, no not again. Amanhír please let go of Ada’s hair. Thank you.” Legolas smiled and pecked his son on the cheek laying him down on the small table that sat against the wall and was covered with a soft woollen blanket.

“When will Haldir be back?” Gimli’ voice made Legolas turn his head shortly before quickly turning back to Amanhír who had in the meantime started to stuff a corner of the blanket into his mouth.

“Soon, hopefully.” Legolas replied undressing his son and fetching a fresh nappy, dropping the soiled one into a basket beside the table. “He told me that he would stay for a few days in Minas Tirith and wanted to be back at the end of this week.” He took the light green shirt off Gimli’s hand and struggled to clad his son.

Some hours later the young elf and his sturdy friend were sitting on the floor before the fire and Legolas was watching as Thaurdae was happily laying in the lap of Gimli’s crossed legs, playing with the braids in his beard, while he himself held Amanhír in his arms, gently rocking him into sleep, after their dinner. To his surprise Amanhír was quiet and let himself be held in the gentle embrace, making his father very happy.

“Oh, I miss Haldir.” Legolas suddenly whispered.

“Anything that is news to me?” Gimli countered with a smile, mocking his friend and his endless complaints.

Blushing Legolas looked up at his friend and mumbled under his breath “We haven’t been intimate ever since our children were born. I can hardly remember what it feeike ike to be held and loved.”

Gimli faintly cleared his throat and wondered at Legolas sudden bluntness. Of course he knew all to well what Legolas and Haldir more than frequently indulged in when they were alone, but now, nothing for over five months. No wonder Legolas was in such a bad state. Was Haldir afraid he might harm his husband, or was Legolas afraid of becoming pregnant again, even though he had told him that the could now control it.

“But why? Legolas, you still are loved. And I believe Haldir is holding you whenever he can, but what keeps him and you from coupling?” Gimli tried to sound not to inquisitive.

“I think we lack the time. I am too tried when we go to bed and during the day we hardly have the time for it. Neither Thaurdae nor Amanhír are too keen on a nap during the day and they demand a lot of us. I just wish we would have a bit time for ourselves, just for one or two hours. Sometimes I fear that Haldir is getting even more frustrated than I am. What if he feels the need to have someone pleasuring him and now that he is in Minas Tirith and what if he has too much whine with Aragorn and Arwen and what….”

“Stop, Legolas. Stop this instant. Remember when we were all in Minas Tirith and you thought something alike, and you blamed it on your bulging body. Haldir, would never, never do something like that. How do you think did he manage all those thousand years when you were apart after you two separated? Just you wait and see. He will be back soon and back in your arms before you know it.” Gimli looked at the elf sternly.


Later that night Legolas lay awake in his and Haldir’s bed, his whirling thoughts and worries not letting him rest. He knew of course that his words to Gimli had been folly, but his heart ached so much and his body screamed for attention. I was true, that at first Haldir had been reluctant to make love to Leoglas because of the still fresh wound, later Legolas had indeed worried if that what Elrond and the Lorien healer had told him was really true and that he wouldn’t become pregnant again without his consent. But a few weeks later those worries had been thrown overboard and the wish to be as close to Haldir as possible had been imp important. They had tried a few times, each as unsuccessful as the next. Either one of the twins had woken up, or Haldir or he himself couldn’t relax enough and so nothing became aroused enough for what they were up to or they were simply choosing the wrong time altogether. Anyway, nothing too eventful had happened and after a while they just gave up on it.

“This can’t be it!” Legolas threw his coversde ade and padded barefooted out into the hall and all the way to the other side of their house were the guestrooms were. Hesitantly he knocked at the heavy wooden door and was surprised to receive an immediate answer.

Slowly Legolas opened the door, peering into the darkness. “Come in my son. What brings you here in the middle of the night? Is something amiss?” Thranduil’s deep and sotto voice rang clear through the darkness of the night.

“Not really amiss, father. But can I have a word with you?” Legolas felt like an elfling, but he took a steadying breath and entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He could make out his father’s form on the bed and noticed him leaning over to the right, obviously about to light a candle on his bedside table.

“No, please not light father. I would prefer the darkness.” Legolas stopped Thranduil’s movements. He knew that his father was unquestioningly raising an eyebrow in the dark but it couldn’t be helped.

Carefully Legolas made his way over to his father’s bed and sat down beside Thranduil, leaning against the headboard.

After some minutes of mutual silence, Thranduil knew that his son would not start the conversation, so he nudged him gently and asked “Now, what did you wanted to talk about?”

Legolas cleared his throat and muttered under his breath “Well, it is a very private matter.”

“Alright, so then let’s whisper the words needed” Thranduil lovingly mocked his son.

“Oh, Ada!” Legolas punched the older elf beside him on the arm, but felt himself relaxing enormously. The tension he had felt drained out of him and so he mustered all his courage and asked bluntly “After my birth, for how long did you and mother not engage into sexual intercourse?”

“What?” Thranduil asked bewildered.

“I ….., I meant …. I know, I shouldn’t …..” Legolas stuttered helplessly.

“I know what you meant, son. But why put it in such complicated words? You wanted to know for how long we didn’t have any sex, right?” the King of Mirkwood smiled into the darkness.

Thranduil more felt than saw his son nodding. “Is there a problem between you and Haldir, my son?” he inquired.

“No! No, there is no problem between us. Honestly. It’s just, that we don’t seem to have either the time or energy for it.” Legolas sounded honestly upset.

“When you were born, there were times when your mother and I just didn’t feel like it and of course you demanded quite a lot of attention as well. But we took the time we needed. Sometimes we would ask someone else to look after you, or we waited until you were fast asleep, or…..”

“Thaurdae and Amanhír never seem to sleep at the same time.” Legolas sighed in defeat.

“Ask someone to take care of them and take Haldir to bed.” Thranduil suggested.

“No, I don’t want to go to someone and ask him to take my sons away, so I can bed my husband. It’s like asking someone to help me bedding him. I would feel embarrassed to no end.” The young elf shook his head vehemently.

“Legolas, stop acting so foolishly. Your mother and I waited only for three weeks until we lay together. I know that your sons are a lot more demanding than a single child, but that shouldn’t stop you. How do you want to cope in the future? It is a natural thing, what you and Haldir want to do and your children will learn that. Do you really think, that there is no place or time during that you two can share your passion?” Thranduil crossed his stretched legs into a more comfortable position.

“Every time I think that we might have some time for us, I grow nervous. Sometimes we even get as far as undressing the other, but I always have one ear open towards their room. Haldir told me I go all rigid and tense. And mostly that’s that then.”

“Legolas, son. You need to relax more. What would you say, if I or Gimli, or maybe we both take Thaurdae and Amanhír for a little trip. It’s getting warmer and you could prepare a nice welcome for Haldir when he comes back from Minas Tirith.” Thranduil put an arm around his son’s shoulders.

“Do you think that this is such a wise…….” Legolas started but was immediately interrupted.

“Stop fretting. You know, the longer you ignore your wants and needs the harder it’s going to get. You will get more and more nervous, willwill get unbearably grumpy and …”

“I get the picture, father! It just will look like I planned everything.” Legolas sounded terribly unsure.

“Of course. Of course it will be planned. And why not? Now, go get some sleep and think of a few nice things you could do to your husband.” Thranduil gently pushed his son off the bed and slid down into a laying position again, indicating that he wanted to be left alone to sleep again.


t.b.c