Leaf, Hope and The Little One - Chapter 1/4 +epilouge
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Title: Leaf, Hope and the Little One.
Author: Saga 'Sagaluthien' Chriztine
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: mpreg, slight au from book and film verse
Beta: balrog, all reminding errors is my own
Summary: There are more hope among lovers, and the coming of the world than it first can be seen. It does not matter in time when things decides, just that they are and the weave of it make sure that sometimes the treads are crossed.
Author's Notes: Things does not follow the timeline exactly as we knew. Sorry if this get a compressed story, but I wanted to get a lot in it. In the future there might be a longer version of it. I'm not that sure if it follow the assignment that good… but hope there would be something you like.
General information and Disclaimer: You find here
Previous Chapters: Prolouge
Chapter 1
3018 October
Aragorn had arrived earlier with the hobbits to Rivendell, tired and worried of where the world seemed to be headed. Elrond had told him that delegations from the other realms were on their way as they would hold a council to what to do against the increasing darkness that the Dark Lord had woken up. He had asked if the Mirkwood elves would take part and Elrond had confirmed that the prince's escort was on their way and would arrive shortly.
Learning that Legolas was coming made him feel better, since he missed his friend and lover. There had been all too few times together over the years. Things that seemed more important had come in between, their feelings and shyness, especially when Aragorn first wouldn't confess that he was deeply in love with the elf. He also suspected that Legolas was hiding something. It had grown deeper and deeper every time they meet. Though he didn't want to pry, he decided to let the elf tell him when the time was right. Maybe he, too, was weak…
There was no more time to waste. Even if there probably was a bad time to acknowledge his feelings for the elf, he had to do it, before they would need to separate again. All he could wish for was that Legolas was willing to make the best of their relationship and in the time the future would promise them to be together.
Still weary from the journey, Aragorn had went to his bedchamber early and that way missed the late arrival of the Mirkwood elves. He heard about it when he ate his breakfast. He would have wanted to search for his friend, but as he had promise Elrond to do a quick errand he wrote a message to be left for Legolas.
It was easier to do the errand knowing that as soon as he had done it he would be able to see, feel and hear his lover. Aragorn got a little frustrated when it seemed to take longer than he first thought, but better late than not at all. He tried to hurry as fast as he could. Arriving back he was met by Elrond and Mithrandir. He left the packet to his foster father, that hurried away quickly with it. Aragorn just lifted his eyebrow and thought the older men behaved odd.
On the way from the stable Aragorn came across elves that were on the archery fields, training their skills with the bow. He was surprised that the blond elf seemed to have lost some of his perfection, Aragorn remembering him have years back. It wouldn't be like Legolas at all. Though he wasn't certain his brothers hadn't anything to do with it, it looked like they taunt him while he was shooting the arrows. He smiled, knowing how his elf brothers could be. He would ask Legolas later how it went.
A few minutes later he entered the south garden, where he had decided to meet with Legolas for the reunion. He thought that he would be alone when the elf had been busy at the archery field. Happy for the respite as that would give him a moment to freshen up. Heading towards the fountain he became aware that there was someone already there. Looking around he saw in the corner the elf that was to meet him there.
"You got here fast, Legolas. What path did you take?" Aragorn said to the elf.
Legolas turned around hearing the voice and Aragorn noticed that something wasn't right. He tried to figure out what was different, but was broken by Legolas' reply, "I have been here for the last hour, waiting for you as you send the note telling me to meet you here. Where was it I would have been?"
"I saw you less than ten minutes ago at the archery fields with Elladan and Elrohir. Was it not you?" Aragorn felt confused and only took a few more steps into the garden. He expected that the elf would come to meet him, but Legolas didn't show any movements.
"That can not be true…" Legolas began and then he must have understood what happened, "Oh you must have seen them with Tithdareon, he mentioned he wanted to go and practise."
"Tithdareon?" Aragorn asked, vaguely remembering that he heard the name when he had been in Mirkwood leaving Gollum, though he had not met the elf. "Is he your brother? I did not know you had any."
Legolas lowered his head, some of his hair fell to shade his face. "I have not."
"But he looked exactly like you. Hair, posture and he had similar clothes..." Aragorn started.
"You were not very close, were you?" Legolas broke him off.
"No, not as close so I could talk to him. Why?"
"We have our differences." The elf admitted. "You would have seen it if you had stood in front of him."
"I saw most of his back, so if he is not a brother, who is he?" Aragorn wanted to knew.
Finally the elf looked up at him. "There is something I need to tell you." he said, looking away. Aragorn seen the elf was fidgeting, but he still didn't indicate he would move.
Aragorn couldn't stay away from him any longer so he took the last steps between them and drew the elf into his embrace. Legolas really seemed to need assurance that whatever he had to say to Aragorn, the man would be at his side. He had never felt Legolas that tense before, so a slight worry crept into him. After a moment he started to stroke the elf's hair when nothing seemed to happen.
"What I have miss you." Aragorn said in Legolas ear.
"I have missed you too." was the elf statement and followed by a kiss.
'So there is some of our love left.' Aragorn thought. He had been scared that it had gone to long since they had been together. He had always worried that what they had wasn't enough when life often made them be apart from each other. There where times he cursed both of their heritage and also their stubbornness.
Aragorn continued to kiss the elf and his constant feelings woke up anew. Every time they met and could be together he would fall in love with the elf and wished to never have another. For so long he had to be satisfied with what was offered. Now with Legolas acting strange and the seriousness between the words he couldn't deny that he would be confirmed by the elf that they couldn't continue.
"If that is so essential… maybe it is best that we sit down. I would not want neither of us need to catch the other." Aragorn said. The elf nodded. There was a bench at the other side of the fountain, so Aragorn took Legolas hand and walked over.
Reaching the bench, they sat down. After doing that Legolas took his hand away. Aragorn wanted to hold Legolas hand, but the elf seemed to be so nervous that it didn't calm him at all. This wasn't the elf Aragorn thought he knew, but he didn't want to destroy anything so he decided to wait hoping that the time would help.
"Melamin, what is it you have to tell me?" Aragorn finally asked when the moment seemed to stretch all to long.
Legolas swallowed and really tried to get his courage up to say what he had on his heart. Instead of picking on anything close to him Legolas sort of wove his fingers back and forth in his hands.
"I do not know where to begin. What I do know is I should have told you years ago. When time went by it got harder to do and it has not helped that we seen each other so little through the years." Legolas finally got it out.
"What is it that you have kept for so long?" Aragorn's worries started to press down to his stomach. "What has that to do with…" Aragorn tried to remember the name of the elf he seen earlier, "Tithdareon?"
"It has everything to do with him." Legolas swallowed and took some deep breaths, "I do not know how much you are aware of elves and our bondings."
"I know a lot.” Aragorn said. “I was raised by elves, remember."
"Yeah I know, but they are different,” Legolas countered and to clarify he added, “Elrond is a Peredhil, a Half-elven."
Aragorn moved an inch from the elf so it was easier be able to turn towards him. Never before he had heard Legolas say any depreciate words about any elf whichever heritage they might have.
"There can not be much difference. I will not think like that.” Aragorn had to defend his foster father and family.
Legolas stared harder into the ground, like he tried to dig a hole with pure thought. "I do not know, maybe… maybe it does apply to those too."
There went a long moment of silence again. Aragorn wanted to know why the elf made such comment.
"Legolas, please come to the point of what you really have to tell me. Right now I do not understand you.”
"Sorry, but to understand everything you need to know the history. If you do not, I think you would not take it well."
"You do know that I do love you… It can not be that awful, can it? So why do you think I would not take it well?” Aragorn really tried to put everything in his voice of what he always felt for Legolas since the very first time they meet.
“Please just listen and when I am finished we would know how you have reacted. I can not change things and you would learn why.” Legolas broke the eye contact with the ground and dared to look at Aragorn, now with a pleading glance.
Of course Aragorn weakened, “Okay, then it is best you continue."
"Perhaps I would ask you what you might have read about us elves, our bonding and things, though I can not remember you ever have been that found of reading.” Legolas started.
“There has not been time for doing much reading when we were together, being with you has been more important. When I was here there were times when Elrond had me locked in the library for months and I have enjoyed reading from time to time. So what did you think I specifically read about?”
“Oh. Sorry I should not have assumed you had not learned to read…” Legolas eyes were flickering around again. “Is there anything about the elves you reacted on? Something you thought is unusual?”
Aragorn thought a moment about what he read before he answered, "I do not think so, nothing really other than you is immortal. In a man’s view that is unusual and also many that is not; they wish for it. Is that what you mean?”
“No, it is not what I was thinking about. I thought you might have read it… but maybe you forget about it. I would feel better if I can tell it in my way.”
Aragorn didn’t say anything this time he just nodded. It was probably best Legolas had to tell it to make sure he heard everything. For a quick moment it looked like the elf was about to rise to start to walk, but sank down instead.
“You know that we have more males than female's elves. It has been so for a very, very long time. There are stories that sometimes maybe are taken as myths. You also know that we… do not breed that often. Not near as often as men does." He paused, which seemed to be common this day. "What I am trying to say is that to increase our population birthed by females is not enough. So during the centuries there has been males that have fallen for each other and when they had a big connection in their bonding that they were able to become pregnant as well."
"I can not remember that I ever come across any writing that told about males have the ability…" for a moment Aragorn stopped and then connected the things, "Is this the way to tell me that Tithdareon who I thought was your brother is your son? That would be the only reason I could think of that you are so alike and… who is your bond mate?"
Legolas had taken up his hands twisting and then confirmed what Aragorn had put together. "Yes, Tithdareon is my son and I am also the one that carried him when I only have been interested in males."
"Why have you never told me that you had a bond mate? Or is he dead? How old is Tithdareon?" Aragorn just fired of the questions.
"Calm down, please let me finish telling the story for you." Legolas tried to keep his calm, but his movements revealed that he was not very comfortable.
"At a point in time we in Mirkwood were losing many of our kind to Dol Guldur, spiders and the darkness, so a lot of more of the male elves were able to birth children. It was likely to keep up a constant amount…" Legolas tread his hands through his long hair. "I did have a few liaisons through my years, though there was only one that I really felt to be my bond mate and he is long from dead…yet."
Finally it was like Legolas searched for some contact as he stretched out his closest hand to Aragorn. "I meet my bond mate when he was very young and was exploring Middle Earth. He had something earthly over him and I felt that I was drawn to him at once. He had something special that I have not met in anyone else. For a time I did not thought I would have find that unique qualities in some that was not from Mirkwood. Though you would never know what the Valar have in store for you and I would never want it to change. Maybe if it could be done so that we could have been more together. I know it might have been different if I had get my courage out much earlier and wanted to follow him irrespective of where he wanted to go, I should have done it. Though one of my fears was what would have happened to Tithdareon. If it had been a wandering life I could not think to bring up an elfling."
"Are you so sure that if you had told him what you felt and what happened that you would have a wandering life?"
Legolas moved his hand to hold Aragorn's, pressed it. "No, I am not, but I believe he probably would not felt matured to settle down either. It can be just my imagination, but then no one of us has really admitted what good we actually are to each other."
Aragon saw how a light began to shine in Legolas eyes the moment he started to talk about the mate. There where more than love that emerged from him.
"Legolas tell me… is your mate an elf or a man?"
Aragorn's question made the elf to smile. "As that you do not know who I am talking about. I thought we know what we have." The elf took hold of both Aragorn's hands. "I would say he is a man, nevertheless he is a very special man."
It was what Aragorn guessed and from a fearful moment he now could breathe out. There was no one else that hold Legolas heart. Not as much as he did.
"Melamin, Ce i veleth o chuil nîn." [You are the love of my life] Aragorn kissed the elf. "What you said between the lines warmed me endlessly and makes me so much more determined of to tell you what I had in mind when I asked for this meeting."
Aragorn looked around to see if they still were alone and not seeing any he moved of the bench, keeping the hold of the elf and sinking down on his knees. For his elf he would do anything even if it looked ridicules.
"Nin melithach an uir? Nin bestathach?" [Will you love me for eternity? Will you marry me?] Finally asked what have been so long in his heart, with all of the affection he was feeling for his lover it felt so good to have done it.