Round Robin (new)

(author : Jennzah)

A rider cloaked in forest green rode fast towards the gates of Gondor. The guards at the gates were alarmed by the speed of the horse; for it did not seem to be going the speed of a normal horse, but much faster, travelling several leagues in mere minutes. In fear they opened the gates for the rider, but did not catch a glimpse of who rode upon the quick silver horse. They ran in behind the horse to watch as it sped towards the castle in the center of the city.

The rider slowed the horse once inside the gates, closer to the castle, down to a canter, and rode ever onward towards the castle. When they reached it, they stopped the horse and dismounted. The guards at the doors to the castle now watched as the rider leaned in to pet the horse's head, and seemed to whisper to it. As if by magic, when the horse was released by the rider, it turned and began to walk towards the immense stable that was behind the castle.

The rider turned to walk up the steps to the castle, it's face still cloaked by the hood they wore. The guards were now on edge as the figure came closer to them, and then stopped in front of them, head cast down.

"Who goes there?" One guard asked, a hand on his sword as his side. The figure was smaller than he, by a head, but still he kept his hand on his sword as he walked closer to it.

The figure raised it's head, and lifted the hood off. The guard was almost blinded by the waves of blonde hair that shone at him once the hood was removed, before him stood a small woman.

"I wish to speak with King Elessar." she said to him softly, her clear and reflective amber eyes looking at him hard. The guard looked at her with amusement on his face, his hand now relaxed on his sword.

"Lady, not just a commoner can speak with King Elessar." he said, smiling at her, taken by her beauty. She reminded him of the Queen, with the way her eyes were reflective and her skin luminious.

"I am no commoner," the woman said, her eyes searching his. "I am an old friend of the King. Please take me to see him."

The guard did not believe her, though she looked quite like the Queen, who he had heard had been an Elf. But he could not see her ears, and her beauty did not speak for her. Beautiful or not, she was not going to see the King.

"An old friend, did you say, my lady?" he asked. "And who should i say is here to see him?" He was mocking her, he planned on going in and telling other guards to remove her from the castle at once.

The woman's eyes stared into his. "I am Jairah, Lady of Ithilien, wife of Legolas Greenleaf, Lord of Ithilien. I am a friend to both the Queen Arwen and the King Elessar. Now please, take me to see the King."

The guard did not believe his ears. The Lady of Ithilien was spoken of as a great warrior of immense beauty, an elf that had fought at many battles with King Elessar before he'd been crowned. But no elves had been seen in Gondor for quite some time; and the guard was hesitant to believe her.

"How do i know you are telling me the truth?" he said, now a bit uneasy. The woman smiled at him, and he heard her voice coming at him in his mind.

"You do not." he heard it as if she was speaking with her voice, but her lips did not move and she was staring at him. "But i am who i say. Please take me to the King, or allow me entrance to the castle."

The guard nodded, scared by her voice inside of his head, for none that he knew in Gondor had the power to do that, and he moved aside and she went through the door, smiling at him again as she entered. She left him standing dumbfounded, outside of the castle.

She made her way through the darkened hallways, lit by torches, untill she came upon the room where she'd felt her old friend Arwen Undomiel, who was sitting, reading by the fading sunlight of the late afternoon. She looked up and saw Jairah standing in the doorway, and a smile came across her face.

"Jairah!" she said, and rose from the chair to embrace her. "Long has it been since we have seen you here in our home. How it pleases me to see you!"

Jairah smiled at her as they broke away from eachother. "Has Legolas come with you?" Arwen asked, looking behind Jairah. Jairah shook her head.

"No, I come alone." she said quietly, but that was all she spoke of it. "And i am afraid, my dear friend, that i am not here for long. I wish to see your husband. Might you know where to find him?"

Arwen nodded. "He is in his study, of course," she said, her eyes sparkling. "He is forever reading, or writing. Now that peace is in the world, he has time for such things."

Jairah smiled, squeezed Arwen's hand, then turned and left, bound for the study.

Quietly she crept into the study, where she found Aragorn also reading, his back to her. He was engrossed in what he was reading and did not hear Jairah come into the room.

"King Elessar," she said, bowing to him, before he could see. He turned abruptly and looked at his intruder, then smiled.

"Jairah Greenleaf." he said, rising from his chair and going around his desk, and stopping a few paces from her. "It has been a long time since I have seen you." He said after a moments silence, and moved forward to embrace her as Arwen had.

"That is what your wife also has said," Jairah replied, smiling as she stepped back from him. "I apologise for that." He smiled back at her.

"Come, please!" he said, motioning to the chair across from his desk. "Sit." He sat in the chair opposite from the one he'd motioned to, and she removed her cloak from her shoulders, revealing a dark blue dress, letting her hair tumble forward, then she sat.

"Does your husband come with you?" Aragorn asked, and Jairah shook her head.

"No." she said, her eyes averting to him. "He has not. In fact, he does not know that i have come, for i have come to see you on a matter concerning him, and on one other." She looked up at him.

"Is he in danger? Is everything in Ithilien well?" Aragorn asked. "I have not heard of any trouble there."

Jairah shook her head again. "No. Everything is well, the matter is with Legolas. I have come to ask for your advice, for i cannot think of what to do myself, and it has been many years."

"What is it?" asked Aragorn, concerned, for Legolas was a dear friend of his.

"He is unhappy." Jairah said simply. "He has been for many years, restless. I do not know what to do to remedy it. I have tried many things, but none of it seems to work. It is the sea-longing, Aragorn, i fear. All of my kind at some point recieve it; he has had it since before we settled in Ithilien, since before the fall of Mordor. He longs to go over the sea, for his days on Middle Earth seem stretched, and he feels as though his time upon it is over."

"So you have come to say goodbye, then?" Aragorn asked her, looking sad. "You will leave for Valinor soon?"

"No." Jairah said. "I am not ready to leave this earth yet, and he stays because he does not want to go over the sea without me. It has long been our agreement that we would go together, but the sea-longing came for him sooner than it did for me. He has hoped for many years that i would also long for the sea, but i have never. And so he has stayed. But he grows ever unhappier. And now, I have come to you for advice."

"Lady Jairah, I do not know how to cure your beloved of the sea-longing. I remember long ago, the warning he recieved from the Lady Galadriel herself; that if he heard the cry of the gull upon the shore, his heart would no longer lie in the forest." Aragorn looked at her sadly.

"Yes," Jairah said. "In South Gondor, after the battle of Pellenor Fields, he saw them. I remember his reaction to them. And long has he stayed upon this earth from that moment on. But his heart has always longed for the sea. We visit it, he and i, frequently. And every time i know he wishes to build a boat and sail to the Havens. And not long ago, i was ready to tell him that I would go with him, though i was not ready, to the Undying Lands. But then two things happened that stopped me." She looked at him, her eyes intense.

"What were they?" Aragorn asked, his eyes full of wonder. He was saddened to hear that his friend suffered so with unhappiness. And he could feel the strife in Jairah, knowing that her husband suffered so.

"One night, about a fortnight ago, i dreamt of Frodo. He is also preparing for a journey over the Sea. But something is amiss with him, something dark has descended upon him and i fear it, and i fear for him, Aragorn. But i do not know where I can find him, or what it is that has descended upon him. But i know he must not go over the sea with a darkness descended upon him. I also dreamt of a power emerging, a white, blinding power. Why i do not know, and whether this power is of a good or evil, i also cannot say. But it troubles me, it troubles my mind. I come to you because you are the Elfstone, because you are the leader of the free peoples, and because you are my friend."

"I will help you, we will contact Gandalf and seek his help." Aragorn said. "What is the second thing?" he asked, and to this Jairah dropped her eyes.

"I will soon bear Legolas a child." she whispered, to this Aragorn reached forward and took her hand.

"That is wonderful news, is it not?" Aragorn asked. "Does he know?" Jairah shook her head.

"The child was concieved less than a week ago; i have not told him. I knew immediately after the child had been concieved. But i did not tell him because I was not sure how to, for he wishes to go over the sea. Now with a child he will be upon Middle Earth for several more years. Legolas has wished to go over the sea since before we were married, for we were not married untill after you were crowned. We have never thought of children. And now one is upon us and i do not know how to tell him." Jairah's eyes filled with tears.

"You must tell him. You cannot keep this a secret from him." Aragorn squeezed her hand. "Above anything else he loves you, Jairah, and any child you bring into the world to him will be cherished, of this i am sure. You should not doubt that. He will find joy in this news."

Jairah smiled at him, his words somewhat reassuring. She patted his hand. 'This is why I came to you, my old friend. You have always been able to advise me." She rose from the chair now and he did the same, and she moved to embrace him. "Thank you."

He smiled. "You are most welcome, Lady Jairah. And you must promise me that you will come to visit more often. Ithilien is not so far away that you cannot come more than once every six years!" He laughed. "It is just across the river."

She nodded, and then they walked towards the door. "I must be going now," she said. "Legolas does not know that i've left, and it has been a long journey here, no matter how close it is."

He walked her to the doors of the castle, where they found Arwen waiting to say good bye to Jairah as well.

"I will come again," she said.

She bid them farewell and found her horse waiting for her outside, at the bottom of the stairs. She mounted it and took off towards South Ithilien, where she and Legolas made their home.

(Author: Alasia)

What is this feeling? She sat there, staring off into the distance, not really seeing it. Her thought were muddled and confused as she tried to understand what it was that she was feeling. Maybe Athair can help....

She closed her emerald eyes and took a deep breath, allowing herself free from her body and into the Web, the maigc that held the earth together. She appeared in the Center, clad in white, her deep crimson hair pulled back in a low tail. She took a moment then, to regain her senses before she turned a small circle, looking for a sign of her mentor.

Off to her right she felt a tug, and she felt the presence of the spirit-sword. She blinked. Odd, he seemed to be near or at the stones of Callanish. She sptepped carefully out onto the ley-line that moved in that direction.

Soon she stood directly beneath the stones, seeking for Athair once again. He seemed to be on the surface, another odd thing for him. She blinked, and concentrated, allowing herself to appear in the center of the stones, still clad in white, transparent as a ghost. She turned another small circle. About twenty yards away, Athair sat on a large rock looking out over the jagged cliffs of Scotland. He was also clad in white, his long white hair flowing around him on the breeze.

She moved toward him, sitting next to Athair and waiting for him to acknowlege her presence. He turned to her slowly, gazing at her with intense silver-blue eyes. "Reighn."

"What is it Athair?"

Trouble brews over the horizon, daughter of my heart."

"What do you mean?"

"Time itself seems to wait with bated breath, hoping against hope that what will come to pass, will not." Athiar said cryptically. "The past is torn dear-heart. The Undying Lands are pure, white as snow, but an evil comes ever closer. It is the Third Age in Middle Earth, and this Frodo Baggins is carrying an evil with him."

"Athair?"

Athair had turned to gaze out over the rocky cliffs of Scotland, waves thundering against them. "He has been touched by the dark lord, and shall forever carry a piece of him within his being... You must go and stop him from going to the Undying Lands - even if it means you must kill him."

"Why me?"

"You are the only one among the Celts with the abilty to time-travel. You must go, and you must figure out what is gonig on."

"Very well."

She stood to leave, but Athair stopped her. "Reighn."

She turned back to him, curious. "Yes?"

"There is one there with the Power.. You must protect her and the child she carries... Take Clover with you... she can do this task." Athair said before slowly fading away to nothing. The woman stared at the placed the spirit-sword hade been just moments before. She blinked, then turned to leave.

"Clover?"

"Yes Reighn?"

"Go saddle the horses... and pack for a long trip. We leave at dawn."

"Where are we going?"

"The past... Something has happened that requires my attention, I am taking you with me."

"Why?"

"You are my apprentice Clover, you must see these things on order to do them... Also, there is a woman there with the Sense... I wish to to watch over her." Reighn replied, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"Me?"

"Yes... Think of it as a test to see if you are ready to recieve the Order."

Clover nodded and dashed out the door, leaving Reighn to herself. She took a deep breath and turned, moving into the bedroom. She walked over to an old trunk, opening it and kneeling down before it. Within its bound lay a pair of soft black leather breeches, magically enhanced to protect her. Over those lay a tight, tall necked, long sleeved under-tunic, alongside a black belt. A pair on black boots rested over a blackened shirt of mail, tall in the neck, and loose in the sleeves. Resting next to the mail lay a long mahogany box, this, she reached for. She lifted it from the trunk and placed it on the bed, showing the Celtic coat of arms for the royal family. She lifted the lid to reveal a pale sword. It was the length of a normal longsword, with runes etched into the base, seeming to glow all on their own. She sighed and placed her most prized possesion into its sheath before rising and dawning the armor, the belt sinched tight over the mail. On her left shoulder rested a pair of black straps that crossed diagonally over her back to end on the right side of her belt, to this she attached the sword. She then pulled her hair into a low tail with a black band before pulling on a pair of black leather gloves - soft for riding and shooting, but strong enough for sword-work.

Reighn stood, closing the trunk and moving to the desk. She opened a drawer, lifting out a knife case and opening it to reveal a long silver knife, which she tucked into her right boot. She looked at the clock on the nightstand and sighed. It was time to go... And they had a long trip before them.

The stones of Callanish glowed with an unearthly blue light as the sun began to appear, casing colourful hues across the sky. In the center, before the remaining archway stood two horses, one a huge black stallion, the other a dark brown. On one of them sat a woman clad in black armor, her hands held in the air. She was chanting something in Gaelic, and the stones seemed to reply. A slow glow began in the center of the archway, explanding to cover the entire arch, revealing itself as a portal.

"Go Clover."

Clover swallowed before urging her mare forward. Reighn followed closely behind on the stallion, aware of everything gonig on around her as she passed through the portal.

(Author: Krissy)

"I wish you wouldn't go," a woman spoke, wiping her hands on her apron. "Can you not just try and stay, for everyone's shake."

"No, I'm leaving my mind has been made up," the Hobbit countered, not looking up from his parchment. "I have seen too much to stay."

"But it is all over, it has been over for years, there is peace.."

"Peace that came with our sweat and blood. Peace at the cost of the lives of very dear friends. Peace that gave scars that do not go away with time, you, Gwen, of all people should know about that," the Hobbit cut her off angrily, turning to face her.

"I managed to find a way to be happy, can't you?" she sank into the chair next to him.

"No," he replied, going back to his letter.

"Please stay ,Frodo, I do not know what I shall do without you," her voice was a soft whisper, emotion conveyed in every letter.

"You are doing just fine without me. Pippin will take care of you, he has done a good job so far," Frodo pushed away from the table and stalked into the next room.

Gwen got up, ducking under a beam, she followed him into the next room, "You made the choice Frodo Baggins. I wanted to marry you but you shut me out. Do not blame your unhappiness on me."

"You do not understand," he mumbled not looking at her.

"That's right I do not understand you. I do not understand where the Frodo Baggins I fell in love went."

"He died, he died the day you were taken away," tears misted in his eyes.

"But I came back."

He turned around and gazed at her, tears running down his face, "Come with me then. Pack up and let us go now, there is room enough for you."

"I can't you know that. I can't leave my husband, nor can I ever enter the Undying Lands, not after," her voice faltered. "Not after what almost happened." She undid her apron and laid on the top of the couch, "I must go home, enjoy your supper." She turned and walked out of the room, tears falling from her eyes.

Frodo sat down on the couch, tears welled up in his eyes. He closed his eyes to shut out the world, to shut out the brightness of the happy world that seemed to taunt him.

He touched her face, paler then the slate grey of the stone slab she laid on. Her skin was cold to the touch, sobs caught in his throat. She was barely breathing, her chest did not rise in fall in the rhythm of life, but in a desperate call for life. He pressed his lips to her forehead, in a cool kiss. He felt her arm around his neck, pulling him down. He kissed her lips, then she moved to kiss his neck. He felt pain shoot threw his body, he jumped away in shock. His hand went to his neck, blood soon covered it. He looked at her, her lips were bloody. One of her hands held fast to his, bring him back toward her....

Frodo opened his eyes, it was dark. He put his hand to his forehead, how long had been asleep, how long was he going to have this nightmare?

Gwen sat on the edge of the bed. She was braiding her long ebony hair. She heard her husband moving around in the a joining study. He had just said goodbye to Sam and Merry, they had come for supper and drink. She retired early, complaining of a headache. She had changed into her blue cloth nightgown over an hour ago. She had written in her diary, then sat down to braid her hair.

"Darling, are you okay?"

Gwen looked up smiling at the voice of her husband," Yes, just tired."

He kissed her forehead then sat beside her, "You have been pale ever since you returned from Frodo's, did he upset you again?" The protective male instinct was kicking in.

"No," she lied. She hated lying to him, she loved him so much.

"Gwen?" his eyes bored right into her soul

"Yes, we fought again," she dropped her head down.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, "Its alright."

Tears were forming in her eyes, "Pippin, could please stay the night instead of going out?"

"I was already planning on it," he put a finger under her chin and lifted it to meet his gaze. "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled at him. A Hobbit and a human, who would have guessed. No one, she knew this was rare, something she wanted to keep, despite the tugging of her heart about Frodo.

He bent down and kissed her. She kissed back, putting her arms around her husband's neck, losing herself in him and forgetting about the past, for the moment.

(Author: Jennzah)

it was late when Jairah rode into Ithilien, the moon was waning and the stars were twinkling in between the trees as she slowed her horse to a walk and hopped off of it, so that she might walk herself. The horse lived free here in Ithilien, she did not keep it in a stable, so the horse went off on it's own as Jairah walked towards the trees, where beyond them lay the city that she and Legolas had helped to found so long ago.

After Aragorn had been crowned King of Gondor, Legolas and Jairah had travelled back to Mirkwood, their birthplace, and had been married. It had been the wish of Legolas' father, King Thranduil, who had raised both of them, though Jairah was not his daughter, to see them married before he went over the Sea.

It was after, that Legolas, along with Jairah, had led a group of the Mirkwood elves down to South Ithilien, to rebuild what was there, and settle. The land was close to Mordor, but it was now very beautiful and inhabited by the elves. The city where they dwelt was somewhat secluded, but was styled in the fashion of the elves, much like Lothlorien or Rivendell.

Because Legolas was the prince of Mirkwood, he had been named Lord of Ithilien, and Jairah as the Princess of Mirkwood by birth had been named the Lady, as she was also his wife. They had lived there for several years now, and in peace. Jairah sighed as she thought of how much peace they'd had, and Legolas still remained unhappy.

She walked through the brush into the city, and was immediately hit by the voice of her husband in her head.

"Jairah..." it called. She sighed again. No doubt she'd worried him, she'd left abruptly and without telling him, early in the morning while he still slept, and now she returned late in the night.

She made her way to their house, which was built into the trees near the center of the city. She sensed his worry, that he was pacing the room inside, as she walked up the steps to the door of her house.

No sooner was she in the door when he came to her and took her in his arms. He kissed her forehead.

"Jairah!" he whispered. "Where in the name of Eru have you been?" He drew back and looked into her eyes, the worry now leaving his face, but still troubled.

She reached up and brushed some fallen strands of hair out of his face, then smiled at him. "Do not be troubled, Legolas." she whispered, and kissed his cheek, then gently unwound his arms from around her and moved away from him. She went to take off her black cloak.

"How can I not be troubled when i wake to find my wife missing, and not a soul has seen her, nor knows where she is?" he asked her as she removed her cloak and turned to face him. "Where did you go?"

"I rode to Gondor." she said, and moved past him and avoided his surprised gaze. She walked back to their bedroom, where she began to pull her hair out of the restraints that it had been in.

He followed her. "Gondor?" he asked. "By yourself?"

She stopped unbraiding her hair and looked at him indiginatly. "You speak as though i am a child, Legolas, which I am not. Of course i went by myself."

He looked at her curiously. "But why Gondor?" he wanted to know. "We have not ridden there in several years; why would you need to go there?"

Jairah went back to her hair, her fingers working fast, unbraiding the hair that had been braided into the rest of her hair that morning. She gazed at herself in the mirror as she responded, "To visit Elessar." She looked at him in the mirror as she finished unbraiding her hair. Her hair, long and wavy, tumbled over her shoulders as she turned to him and took his arm.

"Do not be troubled, Legolas" she said again. "I went to speak with him, for i sought his advice on matters concerning my mind." She smiled at him again and moved towards her wardrobe, walking with his arm in hers. But she released him now and went into the wardrobe, closing the door behind her, leaving Legolas to stare at the door.

"What advice could he give you, that i could not?" He called after her, after a few moments. "And why did you not tell me you were going?"

The door opened and she re-emerged, wearing her gossamer nightgown, and her eyes sparkled at him. "I wished to go alone." she said simply as she passed him, enjoying the way he stared at her admiringly, though the confusion was still written on his face. She went to brush her hair.

He watched her as she did this, his eyes sweeping over her, as they did most nights when she prepared for sleep. They did not speak untill she was finished and laid the brush down, and turned to gaze at him. He was still staring at her.

"Next time, do not go without me," he whispered, coming to her now and kissing her cheek. "And do not make my heart worry so; i feared for you."

She touched his face. "You need not fear for me, and you know that." She said, teasing him a little. "These are times of peace, and i am not endangered on a simple ride to Gondor." She kissed his nose, and he smiled at her, though his eyes were still a bit cloudy.

"Even so," he said, taking her hand and leading her to their bed. "I do not wish to wake up to find you gone, please do not ever do that again."

"Forgive me," she said, as she sat down on the edge of the bed, him next to her. "I will not do it again."

He smiled at her and took her hands and kissed them, then caressed them with his own.

"Jairah," he whispered. "You are one of the few joys i have left in this world." He was looking at their hands, their fingers intertwined. Jairah looked at him sadly, because he was again speaking of his sea-longing, of how he felt his time upon the earth was at an end and that his happiness was fading. She shuddered when she thought of telling him the secret she kept, but she knew she must.

He felt her shudder and looked up at her. "What is it?" he asked, his eyes searching her.

She shook her head, then looked down. "You are speaking of your wish to go over the sea again." she said. "Every day you grow more and more restless with this world, i feel it in you." She looked up at him now. "You have wished to go over the sea for many years now, Legolas."

He looked at her, the sadness she knew he felt creeping into his eyes. "Yes," he whispered. "It has long been my desire to go over the sea. More so in the last few years than ever, Jairah. But you have known that."

"And i am the one keeping you here, in Ithilien." she said. "For I am not ready to go over the sea. I have not felt the sea-longing."

He nodded. "I know. I will stay here with you untill you are ready, no matter how my heart desires the sea." he said, tightening his grip on her fingers with one hand and with the other going to stroke her hair, and she smiled sadly at him.

"And you will grow ever the more unhappy, i fear, Legolas." Jairah whispered, tears coming into her eyes. "I do not wish for you to suffer. I would go over the sea with you now if it were not for certain things."

He took her face in his hands, and kissed her softly. "Why do you cry?" he whispered. "Do not trouble your heart with my sea-longing." He kissed her forehead as she shook her head.

"Legolas," she whispered back, as he pulled his fingers through her hair. "It will be years before i am ready to go over the sea." she said to him with her mind, her eyes closed. She laid down on the bed, and he lay with her, wrapping his arms around her.

"i'm sorry, but i know not what could keep you here, though i understand. i feel guilty distressing you with such talk of the sea," Legolas said.

"It is the least i can do for all those years you remained with me in Lorien when i was ill, and all the years you have spent by my side. I will not leave you, and I only hope you will not leave me." Jairah said, her eyes still filled with tears that were fading.

"To leave you would be to truly send my soul to Mandos and never find peace," he replied. They lay there for a while until he spoke again. "Though i wonder what keeps you here. it is not as if we will leave anything behind. We have capable people and kin to leave the kingdom to and no children to care for. we may leave when we wish and be at peace. what here makes you stay, Jairah?" he asked.

"It is not a large matter that keeps me here, but at the same time, neither small nor insignificant," she replied as she held his hand tighter. she looked at his eyes which brightened with curiousity as he silently wondered what it was.

"Tell me, Jairah," he whispered to her as he kissed her cheek. "For i feel it weighs heavily on your mind."

She took his head in her hands and pressed her forehead to his. "I will soon bear you a child." she said to him with her mind.

She felt his hands come up over hers, and his eyes fly open, for they had been closed. He leaned back from her so that he could look her in the eyes.

"What did you say?" he whispered, speaking with his voice, his eyes wide.

Jairah looked at him, her heart thrumming, for she was afraid he was displeased. "I will soon bear you a child, Legolas. You are to be a father." She whispered back, searching his face for any reaction.

He did not move for a moment, as if the thought were registering in his mind. He looked at the top of her head, then moved his eyes to hers again.

"When?" he whispered, his face still devoid of emotion, which frightened Jairah.

She looked at him, fear in her eyes, tears coming into them again. "By the next midsummers." she replied softly.

"I know not what to say," Legolas said in almost disbelief.

"Surely you did not think that it could never happen," she replied, and he shook his head.

"Of course not but... a child... what misery comes upon me!" he cried out, and Jairah sat up quickly and stared at him.

"Misery?" she asked quietly with wide, shocked eyes.

"Oh, love, it is not misery, not really, but... wait. What if we go to Valinor so the child may be born and raised there?" Legolas asked.

"But this is our home," she said softly.

"My father has a house there as well, and would delight in having a grandchild," he replied.

"You don't understand, this is our home, where our lives are, and how cursed would I be to be forced to adjust to an entirely new life as well as have a child?" she asked.

"My sweet," he said softly as he took her hand and kissed it. "You forget that Valinor is the land of eternal peace-- you can feel no pain there, or unhappiness, only utter contentment," Legolas said.

"Perhaps you may, but I am not ready to abandon my life yet," she replied in a harsh tone, and lay back down, her back to him.

He reached out to touch her back, but she recoiled away from him. "Jairah.." he whispered, trying to find words to comfort her, for he knew that he'd upset her greatly. As he searched his mind, silence descended up on the room. His fingers were stroking her hair even though he knew she was upset with him.

Jairah shuddered as she felt his hands touching her, but she did not warm to him. Tears fell down her face as she thought of what she could do, but no thoughts came to her.

An odd sound pierced the silence, and Legolas froze as he touched Jairah, his fingers tangled in her long hair. It came again, far away, and yet very sharp and clear in his ears. It was the sound that had tortured him for many years. The cry of the gull.

Jairah heard it as well, and the tears began to fall faster, and she began to sob. The cries of the birds made her remember when Legolas began to long for the sea; and made her think even more about how much he longed for Valinor, and what she could not provide for him because of the life that was now growing inside of her. She did not wish to raise a child in Valinor, because even though what Legolas had spoken about the Undying Lands was true, she wanted her child to experience life outside of that of the elves, just as she had.

She curled into a ball and sobbed harder, her hands over her face. Legolas lay beside her, not moving, listening to the cry of the gull as it faded, his mind completely blank except for the despair he felt in his heart. He did not hear his wife crying beside him for a moment, untill the cries of the birds were completely gone and he was pulled out of his reverie, and heard Jairah sobbing uncontrollably, her hands over her head, her body wracked and shaking.

He looked at her body as it writhed beside him, and immediately the despair in his heart was replaced by guilt for making her so upset. So he reached for her now, and drew her into his arms, and pulled her to face him, moving her arms from about her head, and kissing her cheeks.

"Jairah," he whispered. "I am sorry." He hugged her close, stroking her hair, and closed his eyes. His suffering made her suffer, and his heart ached. He knew not what to say. It was not that he was not delighted of the news that she would bear a child, just bearing a child in this world that he knew he could not stay in was what made him say the things he did.

He opened his eyes and kissed her forehead, tears in his own eyes how. He loved her so much, and to see her cry like she had not cried in many years hurt him. She had quieted down now, and was looking at him, her eyes full of tears still.

"I do not wish to see you suffer," she whispered, hiccuping. "And I know that this child, bearing it here, will make you suffer even more, so that you might even die. I cannot live with myself knowing that i am the reason for this suffering."

He kissed her cheek, and shook his head. "Jairah, no..." he whispered, but she put her fingers to his lips.

"I will go over the sea with you." she said, staring him in the eyes. "I will go, because i cannot bear to see you suffer. And i have watched you grow more and more unhappy as the years have passed. So we will go over the sea and bring our child into the world. I will go with you whenever you feel ready."

"I cannot ask you to do that." he said, the tears in his eyes ready to spill over, for he knew what she was saying was hard for her, but she shook her head again.

"You stayed with me those long years when i was ill in Lorien. You have stayed by my side all these years when you have wished for nothing more than simple peace in your heart, peace that i could not provide. I can provide it now, along with happiness. My mind is made up."

The tears ran down his face, and she leaned up and kissed him softly. His heart felt lightened from the despair he'd felt only moments earlier, and he felt nothing but love for her, more so than ever. She was willing to sacrifice this for him.

"I promise you, Jairah, that our child will know nothing but peace, and happiness, and most of all love." he whispered to her as she lay next to him again. "And i am delighted that you will bring a child into this world to me." He leaned in and kissed her gently, and she nodded, and smiled at him slightly.

"No more talk of this tonight," she said to him, as he stroked her forehead. "For i am weary, and i wish to sleep." She kissed his cheek gently, then nestled her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He sighed, kissed the top of her head, then closed his eyes as well, and fell into the most peaceful sleep he'd
had in many years.

Legolas seemed to wake up within a white room, full of light, he himself sitting a hard chair, while in front of him he saw a familiar face he had not seen in years-- that of Lord Elrond the Peredhil of Imladris. Since he had gone over the sea with the other Ringbearers, no word had been heard of him, and in times of crisis he sometimes wondered what counsel he could give to him. Now was a time in which his wonderings would come to life.

"Legolas Greenleaf, Lord of Ithilien, we meet once more," Elrond's voice said, and Legolas found it almost soothing, and without the harshness he had known.

"Indeed we do, my lord," Legolas said.

"I am no one's lord now, though I suppose habit should dictate itself so," he replied.

"What brings you here Elrond, if you do not mind my query?" Legolas asked.

"I once again take the role of counselor to you, and wish to warn you against a grave mistake you are to make," Elrond said.

"What? Please, tell me more," Legolas said pleadingly.

There was a pause in the silence as Elrond somewhat shifted where he sat and looked at Legolas carefully in the eyes. "Do you find me much changed from how I was in Imladris when you knew me?" he asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose. Yes. I find you very much changed. Much happier, I think," Legolas said after looking at him.

"You are very right. I am much happier. But for hundreds of years, I was unhappy. This is the first time you have ever seen me how I once was," Elrond said.

"The change in you is remarkable, and I hope that when I go to the Undying Lands, which will be soon, the same change will come over me," Legolas said, but Elrond simply sighed.

"Dear boy, no. It is like an old saying, things will get very much worse before they become better. You cannot be selfish at a time like this and take your wife away from the only true happiness she has known-- her life in Ithilien with you as her husband and now with this child of yours," he said.

"But what kind of a father would I be to that poor innocent child, a shadow upon me all my days until Jairah feels fit to leave?" Legolas asked.

"A normal father. Children may be blessings but they are also the robbers of youth, and may I say, you will be getting worse before getting better. But a good father is one who can put aside his feelings and sacrifice himself for his children. If you can do that, then you have nothing to fear." Elrond leaned closer and continued to speak. "You have always been the only child, the only keeper of Jairah's heart. Now you must learn to share, and you will find that as your child grows... you will as well."

"So I must not go over the sea? I must.. stay here and support my wife? And my child?" Legolas asked, and Elrond simply nodded.

"It will be hard. When Celebrían left for the West, I felt as you do. Alone and despairing, but when you have a child... you are obliged to give up everything necessary for them. Child, you know not how many times I wished to leave Imladris and simply go to Mithlond and sail to be with their mother. But I could not. Their fate was bound to me. I could not leave them alone and unguarded. Do not do to Jairah what Celebrían did to me, and do not make the wound worse by doing it purposely."

"Lord Elrond?" Legolas asked after a long lull in the conversation. "What do I do about the gulls? They constantly call me to the sea, to follow my heart to my eternal resting place."

Elrond simply smiled. "Take an arrow and shoot them. They will make a good meal for your household," he replied and laughed. The white room swirled and disappeared, and Legolas awaoke gasping for breath, almost on the brink of laughter.

He chuckled softly as he stared up at the ceiling, collecting himself, blinking. His chest moved with his laughter, and he felt Jairah sigh and shift slightly. He looked down and saw the top of her head resting on his chest, one of her hands curled next to her face, her small fingers resting on his skin. She moved so that her body was closer to him, and he leaned down and kissed her forehead, gazing over her, and the amusement on his face left him as he thought of what Lord Elrond had said to him in his mind.

As he thought of it, he stared at her facial features as she slept. Her eyes were closed gently, and her face was tearstained from her crying earlier. He reached down and gently rubbed the dried tears away from her eyes and off of her cheeks, and she sighed again and turned her face into his body, before turning over in her sleep and laying on her back on the bed next to him, deep in slumber.

Legolas sat up, and stared down at her, still deep in thought. "a good father is one who can put aside his feelings and sacrifice himself for his children..." said Lord Elrond's voice in his head. Legolas reached down to stroke Jairah's hair as he pondered his thoughts.

Sacrifice in this case meant staying here, in Ithilien, with Jairah. Lord Elrond had been correct, she was happy here and he could not be selfish and rob her of this happiness. Though she had offered to sacrifice her happiness for him, he now saw what Elrond had meant. Jairah wished to give the child the full life that she and Legolas had been given, and to know the happiness that she felt here, with him.

His eyes swept over her sleeping form again, and they came to rest on her torso, which was rising and falling as she breathed. He furrowed his brow, and then slowly reached over and lightly placed his hand on her stomach, then closed his eyes.

Tears pricked at the insides of his eyes as he did this, for he could feel the spirit of the child growing within her. Though concieved merely a week ago, the spirit had already formed and felt much like that of Jairah. He knew now that he must be the father that Elrond spoke of, and push away the thought of going over the sea with his wife and bearing their child there.

He opened his eyes, and the tears slipped down his face, as he removed his hand from her belly and reached up and stroked her shoulder, kissing her cheek as he did so, then laying back down next to her and cuddling up to her. He held her close as he tried to go back to sleep.

(Author: Alasia)

What is this feeling? She sat there, staring off into the distance, not really seeing it. Her thought were muddled and confused as she tried to understand what it was that she was feeling. Maybe Athair can help....