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Title: What Thou Lovest Wel.. (#481)
Author: LadyAranel
Chapters: 2

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Archive: Tolkien
Category: Lord of the Rings
Description: 9 years after the War of the Ring, Legolas has built a life for himself in Ithilien. Explores Legolas's relationship with Faramir, Eowyn and their son, Elboron. Also will included an OFC, introduced later. Multi chapter work in progress.
Published: 26 Dec 2003
Updated: 28 Dec 2003
Warnings:
Type: Drama
Characters: Legolas;Faramir;Eowyn;Elboron;OFC


Chapter 1 - The Apple Tree

~What thou lovest well remains,
the rest is dross
What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee
What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage
Whose world, or mine or theirs
or is it of none?
First came the seen, then thus the palpable
Elysium, though it were in the halls of hell,
What thou lovest well is thy true heritage
What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee ~ (EZRA POUND, PISAN CANTOS, LXXXI)


****

Eowyn awoke to the sounds of birds singing and the rich laughter of her husband coming from the courtyard below her window. She smiled, stretched, and prepared to meet the day. As she rose from her bed, a melodious voice joined Faramir’s in a low murmur of conversation and then the laughter began anew, both voices joining together. She recognized the timbre of the second voice immediately.

Legolas.

She pulled her dressing gown on and stepped to the window to open the shutter slightly, curious as to what her husband and the elf were doing. The sight of the two of them coaxed another smile from Eowyn. Though Faramir was broader in the shoulders, he and Legolas were of comparable height and build but there the similarities ended. Where Faramir was dark, Legolas was fair. As they stood, face-to-face with heads bowed in some unknown confidence, they were a startling contrast. Faramir’s raven hair hung loose and long past his shoulders, while Legolas’s golden mane was braided in the traditional Elvish manner, away from his face and exposing the points of his ears.

In a graceful movement, the elf squatted and scooped up what appeared to be a handful of soil and held it up to Faramir, his face open and trusting. Faramir looked serious for a moment, as he touched it and nodded. Legolas dusted his hands, wiped them on his tunic, then stood and clapped Faramir on the shoulder. Faramir smiled and clasped his hand over the elf’s. Truly Eowyn understood Gimli’s comparison of the ladies Arwen and Galadriel. Here was the evening and morning presented below her window, and while her heart was given to the evening, the morning was no less beautiful to behold.

As Eowyn dressed she thought about Legolas and the affection he had won from both her and her beloved in the years since their marriage. After Grima’s betrayal Eowyn had been guarded against any new friendship, even one wreathed in Legolas' kind ways and soft manner. Faramir, though in awe of the Elves, had remained uncertain of the success of the proposed settlement in Ithilien. However, as Legolas sought out the Steward’s counsel on the details of the community, more out of respect than necessity Eowyn suspected, Faramir’s opinion of both the elf and his plans slowly began to change.

The sharing of ideas began when Faramir asked Legolas’s advice on the planting of the gardens at Ithilien. Soon after, it became customary for them to consult each other prior to undertaking a project of any magnitude and a deep abiding friendship was born out of common purpose. Legolas’s unobtrusive presence had gone a long way toward softening Eowyn’s wary heart as well. The elf seemed to transcend all boundaries of class amongst Men: planting gladly along side the gardeners Faramir had hired at his direction, bringing herbs to the cook for the meats and stews and often stirring the pots himself, and tending to his horse without assistance when he visited. Eowyn knew that Legolas did these things not because he believed any of the servants to be incompetent but because he took pleasure in the tasks for themselves.

She often came upon the elf in or around Emyn Arnen, performing some simple chore while he sang softly in his language. In the beginning, he had only inclined his head slightly and greeted her with a smile, calling her "malthenil", which she had found out from Faramir meant "golden one" in Elvish. She smiled at the memory. These days she often found her son along with Legolas. When Elboron was not tagging along behind Faramir he shadowed the Elf and Legolas was ever tolerant of the child’s never-ending questions about gardening, archery or horsemanship. None of them had ever been startled or uncomfortable with Legolas’ unexpected presence nor had they ever found a rhyme or reason for the timing of his visits, only that he seemed to appear when he was needed and disappear again when he was not.

In the evenings, after Elboron was abed, the three of them would sit in Faramir’s anteroom. With an open book on her lap, Eowyn would read while Faramir and Legolas talked, occasionally joining in when the conversation captured her interest. Lately, more often than not, she simply took pleasure in listening to the cadence of their voices or enjoying the companionable silence when there was naught left to say.

In those quiet times she studied them and wondered what unspoken thoughts occupied their minds. Faramir would sit with his legs stretched out before him, twirling a goblet of brandy absently. The firelight that bathed his profile turned his hair blue black and caused his eyes to appear like molten silver. Legolas would be curled childlike into a chair, his unbraided hair spilling over the arm and his ancient Elf eyes narrowing to slits as he contemplated the fire. He might stare unblinking for an hour or more, his body so still he appeared carved of marble, yet when he arose from the chair his movements were fluid as if he had only rested for a moment.

At times, the only sound besides the crackling fire was Legolas's low humming. His soft voice seemed to soothe them all and, just as she felt a languid sleepiness begin to steal over her, she would catch Faramir looking at her and she would smile. Eventually Faramir would rise from his chair and take her hand and they would go into the bedchamber, closing the door. Afterwards Eowyn sometimes wondered if Legolas had returned to the suite they had provided for him or remained in the anteroom, where the soft sounds of their lovemaking could easily be heard. It surprised her a little to realize that the thought did not repulse her.

Even after ten years friendship, The Elf and his ways were still an enigma. His life seemed solitary and filled with an unexplained restlessness as he roamed between the Elven settlement at Aderthad and Emyn Arnen, Minas Tirith and Algarond. She had overheard more than a few females express their keen interest in Legolas, yet he always remained aloof - though kind - to the attention. Eowyn couldn't help but wonder why he was still alone and if he envied the closeness that she and Faramir shared. Even in the darkest times in Rohan, she had never imagined a life without love or without children.

And now…

Her hand fluttered to her belly. It had been two months since her flow had come. She had been afraid to tell Faramir in case she was wrong, but now she was sure. After all this time… another child. She smiled.

The laughter wafted up to her again. Not wanting to be left out of whatever they were planning she waved her maid away and quickly finished dressing, plaiting her hair in a heavy braid before she descended the stairs.

As Eowyn reached the courtyard, Faramir and Legolas both turned and smiled at her. She stood on tiptoes to kiss Faramir quickly, and would have laid a hand upon Legolas’ arm, but she found he held them both behind his back.

"Legolas?" She tried peering around the elf’s shoulder but Faramir moved to block her view.

"We had not expected you to be up so early, my lady," Faramir looked pointedly at Legolas. "We are… working."

"In the courtyard?" Eowyn smiled and blinked coyly.

The man and elf exchanged a look. There was little they could do to stop Eowyn when she was determined and well they knew it.

Faramir smiled, resigned. "Legolas has brought us a gift."

Faramir and Legolas parted to allow the elf to bring forth from behind his back what they had been attempting to hide. It was a very small plant with delicate green leaves atop a slender stalk. The soil-covered root ball rested in the palm of Legolas’ hand.

While Eowyn took pleasure in the beauty of the gardens her husband and Legolas had created, she had to admit her knowledge of the different types of flora was still lacking.

"It’s a…" she looked from Legolas to Faramir and back to the elf again. "A flower?"

Legolas smiled and shook his head. "It is galadh. A tree," he said proudly.

"A tree?" she questioned. Legolas nodded. Eowyn looked at Faramir. She was very unsure that the tiny sprig before her could possibly be a tree.

Legolas knelt down near a hole that had been carved out of the soil, then took her hand and tugged her after him. "It will bear fruit when it is grown." He answered her unspoken question automatically. "Apples."

He placed the tree in the prepared site and filled the space around its roots with a handful of loam. "Its blossoms will fill the courtyard with their scent." Tenderly, he traced the outline of one tiny leaf with his finger. "It may be only a sapling now, Brennil nín. But soon it will grow tall and strong." His hand dropped away from the sapling and he faced her, smiling broadly. "Like the new life within you."

Eowyn’s eyes widened and her hands instinctively covered her belly. "Oh!" she said softly.

Legolas’ smile faded and he looked to Faramir, who paled. "New life?" Faramir looked down at his wife. "Lady, are you with child?"

Legolas stood, his face filled with dismay. "Faramir, I…" he began. Faramir held up a hand to silence him.

Faramir squatted down next to Eowyn to better look her in the eyes "Lady?" he questioned, clasping both of her hands with his.

Eowyn bowed her head. "Yes... I mean… I believe so."

Faramir’s face filled with wonder. He tilted her chin up with a finger. "Eowyn, why did you not say?"

"I did not wish to...disappoint you." she swallowed hard.

"Disappoint me?" Faramir smiled and rose to his feet, bringing her with him. "You being with child could hardly be a disappointment, Eowyn."

She looked into his eyes. "It has been so long… What if I was mistaken?"

Faramir took her into his arms and kissed her tenderly, holding her close for a moment. "Well, it seems you needn't have worried on that account. If only you had known to ask our Elvish mid-wife here," Faramir chuckled, indicating Legolas.

Legolas stepped forward and took a deep breath. Faramir had seldom seen the Elf flustered and he would have almost enjoyed it except for the concern that marred Legolas’ otherwise smooth features.

"Faramir," the elf began. "I did not know. That is… I did not realize that you did not know." he faltered.

Eowyn turned to face the Elf. "Legolas," she said puzzled. "How could you know what I had only suspected?"

Legolas’s face colored as he searched for the words to explain. "Malthenil, I think you forget sometimes that I am Elf-kind. We notice things that Men do not." He cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Faramir. "I mean not to offend, mellon nín." Faramir inclined his head and motioned for Legolas to continue.

"Last month, I saw the changes of nature in you." His gaze lingered briefly on her breasts then moved to caress the curve of her hip. He glanced back up to meet her eyes, and took her hand again. "And when we touch I feel the fëar of two separate beings." He turned her hand palm up and cradled it gently in his. "And the pulse that lies here," He brought his other hand up to graze the inside of her wrist with his fingertips, "speaks of two hearts sustained by one."

Legolas met her eyes again, dropping her hand. "I am sorry, Brennil nín," his eyes were sorrowful," I did not wish to spoil your announcement." He looked again to Faramir. "Nor to over step our gwend."

"Ú neithan, Legolas," smiled Faramir, clapping Legolas on the back. "I shall tell the cook to put on a feast such as Ithilien has never known." He turned to Eowyn, picked her up and swung her around, which caused her to laugh in delight. "Let us celebrate!"

Eowyn and Faramir were caught up in their joy and each other. They did not see the disconcerted look that crossed Legolas’s features; although if they had, they would not have guessed the reason for it.

___________


elvish translations

malthenil - golden one
galadh - tree
Brennil nín - My lady
mellon nín - my friend
fëa - soul or life force
gwend - friendship, bond
Ú neithan - no wrong [has been done]

The name of the Elven settlement at Ithilien, "Aderthad" is of my own musing. The word is Sindarin for "reunion".


Chapter 2 - Edhel

At Faramir’s request, Legolas rode to Aderthad with invitations to the feast. He also carried a missive for his cooks to come to the Prince’s kitchens and bring the ingredients needed for several Elvish specialties. That accomplished, Legolas gathered some clothing and other personal items before he rode back to Emyn Arnen to bathe and ready himself for the occasion.

Upon returning to the hall, he stopped in the kitchen to deliver some herbs to the cook, who had glowered severely when Legolas reached around him to taste the sauce for the venison. Legolas smiled and nodded his approval, to which the cook answered him with one arched eyebrow. He continued to glare as Legolas swept gracefully up the servants’ stairs to his rooms.

Legolas had chosen his clothing meticulously for the celebration. He had donned a green silk tunic and was about to place his silver circlet on his head, when a light tapping at the door interrupted him.

"Edhel?" a small voice said.

Legolas smiled at the endearment. Elboron had been quite young when his innate curiosity had started to emerge and he had begun to question the world around him. Legolas remembered an evening when he and Faramir had returned from archery practice. They were still standing in the entryway when Elboron and Eowyn came in from the garden. The toddler ran to kiss his father, then turned and reached up to Legolas who accommodated the child by sweeping him up in his arms. Legolas greeted Eowyn and continued to talk with Faramir when he began to feel a tugging on his ear.

"Daddy! Leg’las has pointy ears!" Elboron giggled. He touched Legolas’s cheek, his chubby hand forcibly turning the Elf’s face toward him "Why?"

Faramir and Eowyn had laughed at Legolas’s surprised expression. "Because he is Edhel," Faramir tried to explain. "Elf-kind."

"Oh?" Elboron said amazed. After exploring Legolas’s ear quite thoroughly, the child said curiously, "Edhel? Like in the stories in Daddy’s books?"

"Yes," said Legolas, trying to pry the toddler’s fingers from the point of his ear as gently as he could without causing either of them undue pain. Legolas grimaced slightly as he finally managed to lift the small fingers free. "I am an Elf, little one."

"Edhel," Elboron said solemnly still staring at Legolas’s ear. After a moment he tilted his head a little and looked directly at Legolas again. "Do you eat children?"

Legolas raised his eyebrows in astonishment at Faramir, who was grinning in delight at the Elf’s discomfort.

"Elboron!" Eowyn reprimanded. With an apologetic look at Legolas, she took the child from his arms. "Elves don’t eat children!"

"Only the little ones," Faramir leaned in to whisper in the child’s ear. Elboron’s eyes went wide.

Eowyn glowered at her husband. "Don’t encourage him!" she said, slapping at Faramir playfully. He easily dodged the blow, laughing.

Faramir ruffled his son’s hair. "Your mama’s right, Elboron. I’m sorry if I frightened you." The child looked doubtfully at his father then back to his mother.

"Elves don’t eat children. I promise," Eowyn said. "Kiss your Daddy. Then it’s off to bed with you!" Elboron leaned over Eowyn for a kiss, but he kept one wary eye on Legolas.

Legolas smiled at him and nodded. "Good night, Bori."

"Good night, Edhel," Elboron said. He returned Legolas’s smile, seemingly satisfied with his parents’ reassurances.

The child had called him Edhel ever since. Legolas also remembered how Eowyn had smiled brilliantly at him when she had returned from putting Elboron to bed, suggesting that the Sindarin word was close enough to the sound of "uncle" in Westron and could be used as an honorary title without the risk of offending Eomer.

"Edhel?" The tapping came again and brought Legolas out of his reverie. He rose to open the door and smiled at nine year-old Elboron standing in the doorway. It seems like only yesterday…

"Minno, Bori," Legolas said. Come in. Faramir was teaching the boy Sindarin and he enjoyed speaking it with Legolas.

The child stepped into the room, then stopped and turned his gaze to his own feet.

"Minno!" Legolas smile faded as he motioned Elboron further into the room. It was not like the child to be so hesitant. "Bori? What is the matter?" Legolas dropped to one knee in front of the child and took hold of his arms gently.

Elboron sighed audibly, then raised his head to look into Legolas’s eyes. "Mama is going to have another baby." He said the words matter-of-factly.

Ai. So that is it. "Yes."

"Isn’t she supposed to be happy about it?"

"Well, yes," Legolas said. He wondered what could have happened to make the boy ask such a question. His mind flitted briefly through a few possibilities but the Elf could settle on nothing that made sense. "Why do you ask?"

"I-I saw her crying in her room today," the child stammered. His eyes began to fill with tears. "Edhel, why would she cry if she is supposed to be happy?" All hesitation gone, Elboron launched himself into Legolas’s arms.

Legolas was alarmed at this revelation but, for the child’s sake, he tried not to show it. "I don’t know, meleth." He stroked Elboron's hair in an attempt to soothe him. The Elf's brow wrinkled slightly. He was sure that Faramir and Eowyn had always wanted another child. Had he misunderstood?

Another thought occurred to him. Perhaps Bori had misunderstood? Legolas disentangled the child from him gently, brushing the hair back from his forehead. "Maybe they were happy tears?" he said. Legolas smiled but he knew he could not conceal the worry in his eyes. He was more than concerned that Eowyn had been crying in her room alone. Happy tears were usually shared with another.

Elboron’s own tears had calmed to sniffles. "Maybe." Elboron said. He still sounded unsure.

The Elf stood and held out his hand. "Come, Bori, let’s get you cleaned up."

Legolas drew Elboron over to the writing desk and sat down. He motioned for the boy to turn around and he began dragging a comb through Elboron’s raven locks. "If you go downstairs in this state, your naneth really will have something to cry about!" The Elf tried to sound light-hearted, but in his years of friendship with Faramir and Ewoyn he knew that tears were not shed lightly, nor often, by The White Lady.

"There." Legolas said as he finished. "Would you like me to braid it for you?"

"No." Elboron shook his head. "I will wear it loose today. Like Father. And you."

Legolas smiled. "Very well." The Elf finished dressing, placing the circlet on his head and slipping on his soft leather shoes. He stood and gave the boy a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he crossed over to the bed where his leather jerkin lay."Edhel?"

"Yes, Bori?" Legolas said absently as he fastened his jerkin.

"Will they still love me?" Elboron said. "I mean, after the baby comes?"

Legolas froze momentarily, then turned to Elboron. "Oh, meleth!" The Elf sat down heavily on the bed, meeting the child’s eyes. "Of course they will! How could they not?"

Elboron looked away. "Will you still love me?"

Legolas reached out and touched the child's cheek gently, turning Elborn's gaze back to him. "Just the same," he reassured him.

"But, what if it is a girl?" Elboron finally smiled. "She’ll make those moon eyes at you, like the ladies do in court!"

Legolas laughed. "She may," he said, "but I promise I shall try to remain immune." Legolas placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head, still smiling.

Elboron returned the gesture. Then, impulsively, he hugged Legolas.

"Le melan, Edhel." Elboron said fiercely. I love you.

"Let’s go down to the feast together, shall we? That way neither of us has to face those moon-eyed ladies alone." Legolas pulled a face at Elboron and they both laughed as they headed for the door.

-------------------------------------

notes on Sindarin elvish:

Edhel - elf
minno - come or come in
naneth - mother
meleth - love
le melan - I love you
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