~The family secret is about to be revealed. Can Legolas' and Lasriel's newfound marital bliss survive it?~

~♕~

"If there's any chance to set things
right, I simply got to try."

Cinderella

~♕~

35. Parent

His hair was shorter than she remembered, and he wore it in a human cut, but it was him, she was certain. How was it even possible? There was no way back from the Undying Lands.

The ferry stopped and Lasriel hurried out, but the waiting elf had not noticed her. He went straight to Legolas and bowed in a human greeting.

"You must be Prince Legolas. At last you are here! My master has sent me out to watch the ferry every day for the past weeks. Welcome to Tolfalas."

"Thank you. It is a pleasure to–"

"Don't you recognize me?" Lasriel interrupted.

He looked surprised, but then all color drained from his face. "L-lasriel?"

"Ada!" Her lips began to tremble. It was really him, after so long.

He opened his arms and she fell into them. His scent was the same, and his voice as he mumbled "Lasriel" over and over was the same too. It made her feel small like an elfling again.

Until now, she hadn't fully comprehended how severely she had missed her father. His absence had been a continuous sore spot in her heart, so deeply rooted she had gotten used to it.

Gently holding her at an arm's length, he looked her over. "My baby." His voice teemed with emotion. "A grown elleth already! I knew you would become beautiful."

Tears welled from Lasriel's eyes. There was so much she wanted to ask, so much she wanted to say. And not all of it was positive. Why had he betrayed her mother and her? Had the Valar forgiven him now, and was that why he had returned? But her chest was too full and she found no words.

Her father spoke all the more, in a rather nervous tone. No wonder, at that.

"As soon as I heard the news you were in Ithilien, Legolas, I wanted to meet you again after all these years and apologize for, well, the past. I had no idea Lasriel would be with you, but of course I should have known. I mean, after all, I was one of those who matched you two when you were elflings, haha!" His short laugh sounded forced. "And I see you brought your mellyn."

Galion dipped his head. "My lord, I–"

"Hush, hush." He looked over his shoulder, and then whispered: "I am not really Lord Ereb's servant – I am him. It is my alias, so to speak, and therefore I had rather not draw too much attention and risk exposure. I live nearby, so if you follow me there we can talk openly."

With Lasriel on his arm, he led them to a narrow walkway alongside the steep shore.

"I am sorry for the secrecy, but Tolfalas is such a small realm. If people knew what their lord looks like, I would not be able to go anywhere without them bothering me with their disputes, or wanting to sell me things, or a thousand other hassles, haha! Acting as my own servant gives me freedom."

Legolas was frowning in what appeared to be a mix of distrust and puzzlement. "Lord Ereb, you must have been back in Middle-earth for a long time – I know you were here during the war, for they complained in Minas Tirith you had not contributed with troops – then why did you not send word to Greenwood? To your own daughter, and your wife–"

"I will explain once we reach my house. And there is another too, who– but you will see soon. Almost there now!"

Lasriel felt numb. Legolas seemed to think Ereb was her father's real name, and that meant he still hadn't figured out who he was. Young as he had been, Legolas had probably not paid attention to his playmate's parents' names, which was why he had also never questioned Thuriniel's alias.

But that would not last long; the secret would be out any moment now. Poor Legolas! Everything he had believed was wrong.

Lasriel's father's house was large and a bit uninviting, with tall stone walls and narrow windows. Like a fortress. The tangy smell of salt from the sea was stronger here, and the wind too. She began to shiver but didn't know whether from the chill or agitation.

"You should plant trees and flowers around the house," said Nellas.

"Oh, it is you." He seemed to first now recognize his former subject from when he was King of Lothlórien. "Well, I would love to have a garden but this side of the island is too barren and windy, especially in the winter. It is nicer on the inside, though."

He opened a heavy gate that led into a dark hall. The floor, walls and ceiling were all stone.

Nellas stopped. "I am not going in there."

"It is not that bad, meleth," said Galion. "Let us take it slowly and give you time to get used to it." He turned to their host. "She does not like stone much, but you three go ahead and we will come after you."

He nodded. "Take the time you need."

Inside was a corridor that ended with a set of stairs, and to Lasriel's surprise the smooth floor felt warm under her feet. Even now, such a novelty made her curious and she crouched to touch a flagstone. Yes. decidedly warm. How was that possible?

"I see you have noticed my heated floor," said her father proudly. "My own invention. It keeps the house warm and cozy."

"How does it work?"

"There are copper pipes with hot water below the tiles. I have a large tank in the cellar where I boil it."

"That is very clever. What fuel can you find out here though?"

"Mainly fish oil, and sometimes dried seaweed. Smelly but effective!"

Legolas unexpectedly started to chuckle. "I can see now where my wife gets all her ideas from. Clearly it runs in the family."

He grinned. "Is that so? You must tell me everything about that, but first let us go upstairs and meet... a mellon of mine."

Above the stairs he opened a door and entered a large living room with a dining table and two settees by the hearth. An elleth sat in one, reading, but when they entered she jumped to her feet.

Though it had been a very long time, Lasriel immediately recognized her. It was Legolas' mother.

"Legolas... ion nín. I am so, so sorry!"

~♕~

"Nana!" Legolas hugged his mother hard, clinging to her so she wouldn't disappear again. He was blubbering like an elfling but it didn't matter. She was here. She was back!

It was surreal to hold her. She felt smaller than he recalled and her slim frame was shaking.

"I can't believe you are back," he mumbled into her hair. "I missed you so much. I even wanted to sail west to find you, but now I don't have to. When were you reborn?"

"Reborn? I, uh..." She took a step backward, out of his arms. She was trembling worse now. "What did your adar tell you about why I left, exactly?"

"Only that you died. He never wanted to talk about it so we avoided the topic; his grief was too immense I think." Seeing her worried look he started to feel uneasy. "Is anything wrong?"

Instead of replying, she looked at Lasriel's father, and something unsaid seemed to pass between them.

Legolas was suddenly afraid to hear the answer. His father couldn't have lied about something that important! Or... could he?

"Legolas, if your adar said I died, what he may have meant was I was dying. That I left Middle-earth to find healing in Aman." She smiled shakily but didn't look happy at all.

"But you didn't leave," he concluded. "You stayed here, all these years! And you too?" He indicated Lord Ereb.

"Uh, aye, I had also planned to sail west, but.... Well."

"When I got here I felt better," said Mithrellas. "The sea air was good for me."

"Aye, I felt the same," he said quickly. "And when we later met each other we decided to renew our friendship. To be elves in a land of men can be very lonely." He was looking at his feet, acting uncannily like Lasriel when she was lying about something.

"You could have sent us a letter and explained. Then Ada and I could have visited you." Legolas had to restrain himself not to raise his voice in anger. None of this made sense.

"Times were dangerous, and it was war, and we feared the Dark Lord..." Tears trickled down Mithrellas' pale cheeks. "As I said, I am so sorry, ion nín. I should have... stayed."

"But I was here!" he exclaimed, unable to hold back any longer. "I was with Aragorn and the Grey Company, passing through Pelargir. And then we stayed in Minas Tirith after the war ended. I was so close! Why didn't you send for me then?"

"You were?" Mithrellas looked genuinely surprised. "I had no idea. Of course I would have contacted you sooner if I knew! Immediately when the news of your project in Ithilien reached us we sent that letter to Prince Faramir."

That made sense, he supposed. But then what was Ereb and she hiding? Legolas didn't know what to think; it was too much to process.

"So you were in Elessar's company? I am very proud to hear that. My little boy, a war hero!" She took a step closer and her voice became beseeching. "There has not been a day when I did not think about you, and wonder how you fared. I missed you too. Very, very much."

Fresh tears pooled in Legolas' eyes. "Nana..."

"Legolas!" She hugged him again, and now she was the one clinging hardest. "I am happy we are finally reunited. You live so close too, and my health has greatly improved. I can visit you again, or even move nearer if you want. Or you can come here. You are always welcome to visit me and... my mellon Amroth."

Legolas stiffened; the name sent an icy chill down his spine.

Amroth. That Amroth? Then the tale... Nimrodel, their tragic love story, everything must be a lie.

~♕~

Lasriel couldn't endure this. They were deceiving Legolas, feeding him lies to hide what they had done. How could they? How could his own mother do this to him?

It was not right.

Those two had wronged so many: her mother, Thranduil, Legolas, herself... even the people of Lothlórien who lost their king. There was no excuse for what they did. None.

How dare they lie about it?

HOW DARE THEY?

"Stop lying!" she yelled. "Both of you, just stop! You are a disgrace. Liars, cheaters, bad elves who ought to have gone to the Valar to repent and seek forgiveness like you promised!" Angry tears were pouring from her eyes. "You ruined everything. Sundered our families. Broke Legolas' and my friendship. And Nana and I had to live in exile for centuries because of what you did!"

The ensuing silence was almost palpable. Mithrellas' eyes were wide with alarm and Amroth's face paler than a corpse, his mouth open in a wordless plea. Legolas alternated between staring at them and Lasriel, looking hurt and angry and shocked.

Mithrellas began to sob loudly. "I am sorry. So sorry. Forgive us. Please forgive us..."

"I do not like this stone house, nor its inhabitants." Nellas and Galion had joined them so silently they hadn't noticed. "I want to go home now."

Legolas took a step backward, and another one. Then he caught Lasriel's hand. "Aye. Let us go home. I have no need to associate with the likes of Lord Ereb and his mistress."

Amroth stretched out his hand toward Lasriel. "Sell nín, please let me explain..."

But she ignored him.

The walk back was so fast she had to run and Legolas squeezed her hand so hard it hurt, but she didn't complain. He was entitled to being upset.

The ferry still lay moored at the harbor, waiting for some final goods to be loaded.

"Thank the Valar we didn't have to wait for tomorrow's boat," Legolas' muttered. "I couldn't stand another moment in this horrible place!"

Lasriel anxiously peered at the path they had come from, expecting to see her father and Mithrellas appearing at any moment and fervently wishing they wouldn't.

She hated quarrels. Yelling like she did before was completely unlike her, but she had had to protect Legolas from their lies. She feared she couldn't do it another time, however, nor resist her father's pleading eyes.

Legolas didn't release his tight grip on her hand until the ropes at last were untied and the vessel rocked away from the island.

"Finally." He drew a long breath as if to calm himself.

Galion put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry about this. I wish your adar–"

"You knew." Legolas angrily shrugged him off. "All of you! Don't deny it."

"I knew what they did, aye, not that they lingered in Middle-earth," he replied calmly. "And their infidelity was not my secret to tell."

"But it was mine," Lasriel said. "And I wanted to tell you, but the time never felt right... I am sorry."

Legolas shook his head. "It was not yours either; it was my adar's. Hiding something like this from me all my life was beyond cruel! No wonder he wanted to hinder me from sailing to the Undying Lands." He turned his back to them and went over to the railing in long strides.

Lasriel hurried after him, anxious to explain. "Your adar wanted to spare you the hurt. I agree it was not right to hide it, but he meant well."

There was no reply. Legolas was looking west again, silent and brooding like on the journey here, but obviously for another reason now.

"That was why he agreed to my suggestion," she continued; she might as well spill everything while she was at it. "For, it was only my idea we should marry. Procuring an heir to Thranduil was an excuse... I figured a family of your own would comfort you once you knew the truth." Saying it now, she heard how strange and stupid it sounded. "I feel awful about deceiving you. And when you told the tale of Amroth and Nimrodel that time... Nimrodel is my naneth's real name, and I should have said so right then, but I... am a coward."

He tightened his jaw and clenched his fists around the railing. At first she thought he was angry, then she realized he was struggling not to cry.

"Please... talk to me. Yell at me. Anything..."

"Nay." He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. "I am glad you did what you did. You are all the family I have now."

The angst in his voice tore her heart to pieces. "Don't say that. Your ada loves you... you have to forgive him or it will break both of your hearts."

"I don't know if I can." He swallowed a sob. "But don't blame yourself, it was not your fault; you only wanted to comfort me and heal the damage done by my parents."

After another moment of silence he said in a calmer voice: "I shudder to think of what would have happened if I went to Aman and found my naneth wasn't there, and then when she finally arrived, and the secret was revealed... I would have become utterly alone there then, forever. With you I have the chance to start a new family." He pulled back, allowing her to meet his misty, swollen eyes. "Gi melin, Lasriel."

He loved her. Despite everything that had happened, he loved her and didn't blame her. "Gi melin," she returned, falling back into his arms, letting his presence comfort her.

His forgiveness made her hopeful that somehow they would work this out and heal the rift between him and his father too. But the rift between his mother and him – and between Lasriel and her father for that matter – had become more unrepairable than ever.

Angrily she smothered the last thought. She had managed with only one parent most of her life and didn't need Amroth.

It was Legolas and her against the world.

A/N:

Again, thanks for reading, and extra thanks to those who give feedback. Your comments mean so much!

Translations: Mellon = friend, mellyn = friends, meleth = love, ion nín = my son, sell nín = my daughter, gi melin = I love you.

Disclaimer: My translations are taken from Parf Edhellen (www.elfdict.com) and Eldamo.org, and since Tolkien only wrote a few complete Sindarin texts I will occasionally use words and phrases constructed by the Tolkien language scholars those sites quote (the noun "meleth", for example, and the phrase "gi melin").

Image Credits:

Finrod from the Rings of Power. (I just think he's cute and I imagine Lasriel's father could look like that. :)