Honour Before Love

Chapter Nine - Conflicts and Resolutions

Elrond was woken up from a peaceful sleep, his beloved in his arms,
by an urgent knocking at the door. He looked down at Legolas lying
on his chest and was relieved to see the younger elf had not woken
up. Judging by the dark circles he had noticed under his eyes, he
did not think Legolas had been sleeping well recently. Quickly, yet
gently, he disentangled himself and moved off the bed. Seeing a robe
hung up behind the door, he put it on, tying it tightly around
himself and opened the door, putting his body in the way so no one
would see Legolas. He felt both guilty and embarrassed when he saw
it was Jarab. Jarab, however, didn't look upset at all. In fact
Elrond thought he could detect a rather smug smile on his face.

'Elrond,' he said - their relationship was not yet so close that he
could call him anything else. 'Is my father here with you?' Jarab
pointedly looked up and down at Elrond's state of attire.

'He is,' replied Elrond. It was not quite the way he had wished to
announce his newly found relationship to their son, but he was not
going to hide it.

Jarab's smile turned into a broad grin. 'I knew you would work it
out!' he said delightedly. 'I'm so happy for you.'

'Thank you,' Elrond said. He then raised an eyebrow. 'Was there a
reason you were looking for him?'

Jarab's suddenly frowned. 'I'm afraid so. An unexpected visitor has
just been sighted coming into Minas Tirith.'

Elrond looked at him in confusion. 'Who is it?' he asked.

'My grandfather,' Jarab replied rather quietly. 'King Thranduil.'

Elrond stood there in shock for a moment until he was roused by his
beloved's voice coming from behind him. He turned around to find his
lover wrapped in a sheet and walking towards him.

'My father is here?' There was a slight tremble in Legolas' voice
and he was almost as white as the sheet covering him. Elrond
gestured for their son to come in and close the door whilst pulling
Legolas into a comforting embrace. 'Why would he come here?'

Elrond and Jarab exchanged dismayed glances. This was something that
Elrond had not yet had time to speak of with his young lover.

'I'm afraid it's mainly my fault,' said Jarab. 'Once I found out
Elrond was also my father, I travelled to Rivendell. I stayed there
despite repeated messages from grandfather to come home. Then...' he
bowed his head, 'just before we set out for Minas Tirith I sent him a
message saying that I had no intention of returning to Mirkwood.
That I did not wish to be the heir to the throne.'

He looked up to see his father staring at him in disbelief.

'You cannot do that!' exclaimed Legolas. 'You are my heir.'

'You did it,' Jarab retorted.

'I had plenty of reasons!' Legolas replied angrily. He turned his
accusing gaze to his lover. 'And you knew about this?' he demanded.

'We spoke about it yes,' Elrond replied levelly. 'Jarab now knows
what Thranduil is capable of and so decided the best way to keep away
from his manipulations was to never go back.'

Legolas sank down on the edge of the bed. 'And now he is here,' he
said dumbly. His blue eyes found his lover's concerned grey
orbs. 'Probably hoping to persuade both of us to return to Mirkwood.'

'I am so sorry,' Jarab said in a fi rec recrimination. 'I should
have just gone back when he asked. Now I've gone and brought more
trouble to you.'

'No, you were right,' Legolas said, reaching out and taking his son's
hand. 'I shouldn't have left you to cope with your grandfather. I
should have taken you with me in the first place. I hope you can
forgive me for that.'

Jarab looked at his father in surprise. 'There's nothing to
forgive,' he said generously. 'I can understand why you were so
desperate to get away.'

Legolas looked fondly at his son. 'I don't need to wonder where you
get your forgiving nature from,' he said softly, turning his loving
gaze to Elrond. Then he turned serious. 'My father will be here
soon,' he stated grimly. 'I think we might as well get everything
out in the open at once.' He turned to Jarab, who was looking
startled and puzzled. 'Jarab, can you take your grandfather to the
main reception room and get Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen and Aragorn there
as well? We will be along as soon as we are ready.'

Jarab nodded and quickly left the room, though not trying to hide his
confusion at the strange order. He had a feeling there were going to
be some spectacular fireworks in the near future...

*********

Jarab looked around despairingly at the three irate faces belonging
to his half-brothers and his grandfather and the calm, yet
apprehensive faces of Arwen and Aragorn. Though, from the look on
the Gondor King's face, he guessed that he knew more about what was
going on than he did himself. Despite having just met Aragorn, he
had heard much about him from Arwen and, in the brief time they had
spent together, he had also been impressed by the quiet authority he
exuded.

Jarab shifted uncomfortably, wishing his fathers would hurry up and
get there, so his grandfather would have someone else to glare at.
As soon as he had met Thranduil at the gate, he had been imperiously
demanding that he return to Mirkwood whilst also demanding to be
taken immediately to Legolas. Instead, Jarab had led him to a room
that contained three of the Peredhil that he loathed.

Jarab was almost relieved when the door opened and Elrond and Legolas
walked in hand in hand, even though he felt sure things were going to
get loud, anything was better than this unnerving silence.

Legolas tightened the hold he had on his lover's hand. He may have
decided on this course of action, but it did not mean he was looking
forward to it. His gaze swept the room.

'Thank you for all agreeing to be here,' he said, his face calm and
not betraying in the least his quaking nerves.

'Agree!' exclaimed Thranduil. 'I did not have a choice! I was
brought in here and not allowed to leave.'

'Aye,' said Elrohir sullenly, giving his half-brother a disgusted
glance. 'Jarab refused to let us go until we had listened to what
you had to say.'

'Well it's nice to find there is actually someone you will listen
to,' Elrond said dryly, looking reprovingly at the younger
twin. 'But I would appreciate it if you would also listen to
Legolas.'

Elrohir's eyes narrowed as he spotted the entwined hands of his
father and Legolas. 'You've taken him back, haven't you?' he said
accusingly. 'In spite of hiding your own son from you - our brother -
and causing you years of heartache and misery. You've *still* taken
him back.'

'I have,' replied Elrond quietly, his head held high, refusing to be
ashamed.

'This is nonsense,' Thranduil said angrily. 'Legolas has a wife and
he will come back to Mirkwood with me...and so will Jarab.'

'I'm not going back!' Jarab interjected, only to be quieted by a
stern look from Legolas.

'I will handle this,' he said. He returned his gaze to
Thranduil. 'Neither I nor my son will return to your cold and
heartless realm. As for my wife, you know that my marriage is over
and Alemi must accept that.'

'She already has,' Jarab said. 'It's why she told me about my real
parentage.' He bowed his head. 'She told me she plans to go West as
soon as the threat to Middle-Earth was ended. Her grief for my
brother is all encompassing and I think she will only find peace in
Valinor.'

Legolas nodded sadly. 'I miss him too, but he was the only son of
her flend nnd now there is nothing left for her here.'

'She is your wife,' Thranduil said almost desperately, feeling his
son slipping away from him. 'You could give her another child.'

Legolas looked sorrowfully at his father. 'I love Elrond and he
loves me. I won't allow you to split us up again.'

'And neither will I,' Elrond added.

Until this moment Aragorn had stood by listening, not wishing to
interfere, but now he felt it was time they told their biggest secret.

'I believe there is something that you need to tell everyone,' he
said smoothly, eliciting a surprised glance from his wife to be and
her brothers.

'Yes, yes there is,' Legolas said slowly. 'Before I left Rivendell
with the rest of the Fellowship I conceived another child.' He
looked around at the stunned faces, before his blue eyes came to rest
on Jarab. 'In six months time you will have a sister.'

'And Elrohir, Elladan and Arwen will have a half-sister,' Aragorn
stated.

The siblings reactions were widely divergent. Whilst Arwen and Jarab
could not contain their pleasure and were quickly congratulating the
couple, Elrohir and Elladan looked at their father in horror.

'You slept with him back then before you even knew the truth?'
Elladan asked incredulously. 'Why?'

'Because I still loved him then, as I love him now,' Elrond replied,
staring defiantly at his twin sons He could not prevent himself from
placing a protective hand over his beloved's stomach. 'And this is a
miracle of which I am extremely proud.' Elrohir and Elladan were the
first to drop their eyes and even looked a little ashamed. There was
no need to tell them that Elrond was about to lose one daughter to a
mortal life and so the miracle of a second meant an indescribable
amount to him. The twins exchanged a single, dismayed glance.

They all jumped at the sound of Thranduil's outraged tones.

'I will not stay and listen to this travesty,' thundered
Thranduil. 'Legolas, you are no longer my son. You are dead to me.
Never show your face in Mirkwood again.' He turned to Jarab. 'This
is your last chance. Return with me now and I will forgive you your
disobedience. When the time comes, you will rule our kingdom in my
stead.' He looked at the young elf expectantly.

Jarab shook his head slowly. 'I finally have a real family and that
is worth far more to me than *anything* you can offer.'

Thranduil looked at his grandson in disbelief. Somehow he had always
expected that Jarab being so young and relatively inexperienced would
eventually submit. Now, looking at that icy determination in his
eyes, he finally realised that this was truly a child of Elrond.

'Fine,' he said coldly. 'I don't know why I would want a Peredhil to
run my kingdom anyway. The same goes for you as your father, never
enter Mirkwood again or I will not be merciful.' With that parting
shot he turned around and strode out of the room, not looking back.

As the door banged shut, Elrond felt his lover beginning to collapse
against him. Quickly he helped him to a seat. 'Are you alright?' he
asked urgently, crouching down next to him and stroking a hand
through his blond hair.

'I'll be fine,' Legolas assured him weakly. 'It's just been a rather
exhausting day. I just need some rest.' He flushed as he realised
that everyone had gathered around him, all displaying identical
concerned looks - even the twins. Before he could fathom it
Ja
Jarab suggested that he would probably be better off lying down and
offered to help him to his room. Elrond immediately demurred that he
would look after Legolas, but then Elrohir put a hesitant hand on his
father's arm and asked if he and Elladan could have a word with him
in private.

Elrond looked to his lover and received a faint nodapprapprobation.
Then he watched anxiously as Jarab and Aragorn aided Legolas out of
the room, with Arwen trailing behind.

Reluctantly, Elrond turned to face his eldest children. 'If you have
more words of dissension or disrespect towards Legolas to utter, I
advise you to save your breath,' he said sternly. 'We have chosen
our path and no one will disrupt it now.'

'That's not what I wanted to say,' Elrohir replied quickly, his eyes
darting to his brother. 'I realise now how much Legolas means to
you...and the daughter he carries. I also realise how much he must
love you. It must have been hard for him to stand up against his
father like that and to hear Thranduil banish him from his homeland.
What I want to say is that I support you and Legolas.'

Elrond was extremely touched by the words from his son. He looked to
Elladan. 'And what are our feelings on this matter?' he asked.

Elladan smiled faintly. 'As ever, my brother and I are in agreement.
He just expresses himself more eloquently. All I can add that if
Legolas makes you truly happy, then it would be foolish of me to
disagree with your choice.'

'Thank you,' Elrond said, his mood lightened. 'And do not forget
that not only will I have a new daughter, but you will have a new
sister who will need her brothers!' He could not help but chuckle as
he saw by their expressions of surprise and delight, that they had
not thought that far.

'That's if Legolas will let us near her after the way we have treated
him,' Elladan said, a faint frown shadowing his pleasure.

'I'm sure he will be happy to hear that you are ready to accept him
as part of the family,' Elrond assured his sons. 'Though I do not
think it will hurt to repeat to him what you have said to me.'

'We will,' promised Elrohir. A sly smile crossed his face. 'Perhaps
we wleavleave it until tomorrow. I'd hate to get in the way of
your...reunion. Or was that why he was so exhausted just now?'

Elrond was mortified to discover his son could still make him
blush. 'That is none of your business,' he said, though he could not
hide a smile at the teasing he had never expected from Elrohir
concerning him and Legolas. It was what finally convinced him that
they would accept their love. 'Now if you will excuse me, I want to
make sure that Legolas is well.' He hurried from the room,
determinedly ignoring the wry smiles his son's were giving him.
Finally, all was well with the world...well except for Thranduil and
his temper tantrums. Frankly, he believed Legolas was better off
without his father. He just hoped Legolas felt the same way.

TBC.