Happy Valentine's Day from Frodo and Helo
And for you non-Faculty people...,
AND a repost of a gentle Too Long to Wait episode
Frodo cradled the sleeping baby, rocking him as he kissed his brow. He smoothed a stray dark curl out of the baby’s closed eyes.
“Suppose he’ll be hungry when he wakes, Master Baggins?” Alia, Ellohir’s nurse, whispered.
“He’s just slipped off to sleep,” Frodo said. “Please…Feel free to take some time to yourself. I will stay with him.”
“Certainly.” Alia curtsied before scurrying eagerly out of the royal living quarters. Frodo sank into his cushioned rocking chair, the only one built to his size. He was so grateful that Aragorn had insisted on commissioning the chair two months after Ellohir was born because now his back ached fiercely and his legs trembled, which often happened whenever he exerted himself too much. Holding the healthy and rather chubby ten-month-old certainly qualified as exertion.
“I miss Aragorn,” Frodo said softly, kissing Ellohir’s head. Alia had just given the baby a bath and he smelled sweet, like rosewater and lavender. “And you probably miss him, too.”
Aragorn had not left the city, but for several weeks he had been occupied in a trying situation that involved the Easterlings. Tensions had been rising since before Ellohir’s birth, but the situation had escalated at an alarming rate after a band of Easterlings had attacked and slain twenty Gondorian soldiers on patrol in the newly rebuilt city of Osgiliath.
Frodo had barely seen Aragorn since the new trouble had begun. The king left their bed before dawn and came back to their quarters late at night, with barely the energy to plant a kiss on the sleeping Ellohir and to crawl into bed with Frodo.
Frodo rubbed the sleeping baby’s back, humming a Shire tune, to which he had forgotten the lyrics.
“Frodo.”
Frodo startled and looked up. He had not heard Aragorn enter.
“Shhhh,” he said, but he smiled, his heart glad that Aragorn had managed to spare time from the heavy business of a potential war.
“He is precious when he sleeps,” Aragorn murmured, placing a gentle hand over the baby’s head, but Frodo noticed how strained his lover’s eyes were. “It nearly breaks my heart to gaze upon him.”
“Yes,” Frodo said. “There is not a more precious boy in all your kingdom.”
“Let me take him.”
Frodo kissed Ellohir again before Aragorn took him and cuddled him. “Sweet Ellohir,” he kissed the baby. “Sleep well.”
He placed Ellohir in the crib. The baby stirred and whimpered, but he did not open his eyes. He let out a soft sigh and slid his thumb into his mouth.
Aragorn turned to Frodo. “How are you? I feel I have not spoken to you in weeks.”
“I am all right,” Frodo said with a tired smile. “But I should be asking you that question. You have faced much stress as of late.”
“I’ve come to escape it for awhile. I brought you a gift.”
“A gift? Why?”
“Do you know what day it is?”
“The 14th of February,” Frodo said, puzzled. Aragorn’s birthday was not for another two weeks. Why would he be giving him mathoms? “What of it?”
Aragorn blushed, which piqued Frodo’s curiosity all the more. “Among the elves, this day is very special. Translated from the Elvish, it is called “Star of Love,” and it is a day dedicated to doting on the one you love. I’ve not done anything to acknowledge it since my time in Rivendell -- but this year is different.” Aragorn knelt beside the rocking chair. “I came close to losing you last year, and there has not been a day since Ellohir was born that I do not thank the Valar that you are still with me.”
“Aragorn…” Frodo’s cheeks heated. He felt embarrassed whenever Aragorn spoke so frankly about his grave illness.
Aragorn set a box tied with ribbon in Frodo’s lap. “Open this.”
Frodo undid the silver ribbon. When he opened the box, he found two neat rows of coffee colored hearts that smelled like mint…and something else that was richly sweet. Frodo looked up with a bewildered smile.
“It is Elvish chocolate,” Aragorn said quietly.
“Chocolate,” Frodo repeated. “Is it for eating? I had chocolate ice on occasion when Ellohir was inside me, but this looks nothing like that.”
Aragorn chuckled as he picked up one of the hearts and held it under Frodo’s nose.
“It smells marvelous,” Frodo said, breathing in the scent. “Better than the chocolate ice.”
Aragorn gently nudged Frodo’s lips with the heart. “Take a bite.”
Frodo hesitated only a moment before biting into the soft brown heart. He gasped, his blue eyes widening in delight. Soft, creamy sweetness with the strong flavor of mint. “It’s delicious! Aragorn, thank you so very much!”
“Come,” Aragorn said, helping Frodo out of the rocking chair. “Let us take the rest to bed.”
Frodo clutched the box of chocolates as he crawled into Aragorn’s arms on their huge bed. He snuggled in the embrace of the one he loved…his back pain had faded into near nothingness…Dear Ellohir slept peacefully in the next room…His tongue tingled pleasantly from the aftertaste of mint chocolate. If ever a “star of love” existed outside of Rivendell, surely it shone over Minas Tirith this day.
Also posted at http://claudia603.dreamwidth.org/1538303.html with
comments.
AND a repost of a gentle Too Long to Wait episode
Frodo cradled the sleeping baby, rocking him as he kissed his brow. He smoothed a stray dark curl out of the baby’s closed eyes.
“Suppose he’ll be hungry when he wakes, Master Baggins?” Alia, Ellohir’s nurse, whispered.
“He’s just slipped off to sleep,” Frodo said. “Please…Feel free to take some time to yourself. I will stay with him.”
“Certainly.” Alia curtsied before scurrying eagerly out of the royal living quarters. Frodo sank into his cushioned rocking chair, the only one built to his size. He was so grateful that Aragorn had insisted on commissioning the chair two months after Ellohir was born because now his back ached fiercely and his legs trembled, which often happened whenever he exerted himself too much. Holding the healthy and rather chubby ten-month-old certainly qualified as exertion.
“I miss Aragorn,” Frodo said softly, kissing Ellohir’s head. Alia had just given the baby a bath and he smelled sweet, like rosewater and lavender. “And you probably miss him, too.”
Aragorn had not left the city, but for several weeks he had been occupied in a trying situation that involved the Easterlings. Tensions had been rising since before Ellohir’s birth, but the situation had escalated at an alarming rate after a band of Easterlings had attacked and slain twenty Gondorian soldiers on patrol in the newly rebuilt city of Osgiliath.
Frodo had barely seen Aragorn since the new trouble had begun. The king left their bed before dawn and came back to their quarters late at night, with barely the energy to plant a kiss on the sleeping Ellohir and to crawl into bed with Frodo.
Frodo rubbed the sleeping baby’s back, humming a Shire tune, to which he had forgotten the lyrics.
“Frodo.”
Frodo startled and looked up. He had not heard Aragorn enter.
“Shhhh,” he said, but he smiled, his heart glad that Aragorn had managed to spare time from the heavy business of a potential war.
“He is precious when he sleeps,” Aragorn murmured, placing a gentle hand over the baby’s head, but Frodo noticed how strained his lover’s eyes were. “It nearly breaks my heart to gaze upon him.”
“Yes,” Frodo said. “There is not a more precious boy in all your kingdom.”
“Let me take him.”
Frodo kissed Ellohir again before Aragorn took him and cuddled him. “Sweet Ellohir,” he kissed the baby. “Sleep well.”
He placed Ellohir in the crib. The baby stirred and whimpered, but he did not open his eyes. He let out a soft sigh and slid his thumb into his mouth.
Aragorn turned to Frodo. “How are you? I feel I have not spoken to you in weeks.”
“I am all right,” Frodo said with a tired smile. “But I should be asking you that question. You have faced much stress as of late.”
“I’ve come to escape it for awhile. I brought you a gift.”
“A gift? Why?”
“Do you know what day it is?”
“The 14th of February,” Frodo said, puzzled. Aragorn’s birthday was not for another two weeks. Why would he be giving him mathoms? “What of it?”
Aragorn blushed, which piqued Frodo’s curiosity all the more. “Among the elves, this day is very special. Translated from the Elvish, it is called “Star of Love,” and it is a day dedicated to doting on the one you love. I’ve not done anything to acknowledge it since my time in Rivendell -- but this year is different.” Aragorn knelt beside the rocking chair. “I came close to losing you last year, and there has not been a day since Ellohir was born that I do not thank the Valar that you are still with me.”
“Aragorn…” Frodo’s cheeks heated. He felt embarrassed whenever Aragorn spoke so frankly about his grave illness.
Aragorn set a box tied with ribbon in Frodo’s lap. “Open this.”
Frodo undid the silver ribbon. When he opened the box, he found two neat rows of coffee colored hearts that smelled like mint…and something else that was richly sweet. Frodo looked up with a bewildered smile.
“It is Elvish chocolate,” Aragorn said quietly.
“Chocolate,” Frodo repeated. “Is it for eating? I had chocolate ice on occasion when Ellohir was inside me, but this looks nothing like that.”
Aragorn chuckled as he picked up one of the hearts and held it under Frodo’s nose.
“It smells marvelous,” Frodo said, breathing in the scent. “Better than the chocolate ice.”
Aragorn gently nudged Frodo’s lips with the heart. “Take a bite.”
Frodo hesitated only a moment before biting into the soft brown heart. He gasped, his blue eyes widening in delight. Soft, creamy sweetness with the strong flavor of mint. “It’s delicious! Aragorn, thank you so very much!”
“Come,” Aragorn said, helping Frodo out of the rocking chair. “Let us take the rest to bed.”
Frodo clutched the box of chocolates as he crawled into Aragorn’s arms on their huge bed. He snuggled in the embrace of the one he loved…his back pain had faded into near nothingness…Dear Ellohir slept peacefully in the next room…His tongue tingled pleasantly from the aftertaste of mint chocolate. If ever a “star of love” existed outside of Rivendell, surely it shone over Minas Tirith this day.
Also posted at http://claudia603.dreamwidth.org/1538303.html with
comments.