An elfling's curiosity

The tight embrace of waves

The two elves spent the rest of the evening amongst the trees with their food, Thranduil watching his son from afar with a small amount to nibble on, leaving the majority of the food for Legolas to eat. Despite him only being young, he didn't seem fazed by the amount at all. In fact, most of it was gone by the time the King had finished his small bits.

Legolas was in an incredibly good mood after finally having the answers to his questions and was still enthusiastically bouncing and running around even on a full stomach. He was a little disappointed that his ada wouldn't join in his games with him and wanted to stay all quiet and contemplative on the side lines, but that didn't put anything more than a slight damper on his enthusiasm. He kept up his antics until, eventually, Thranduil stood up and put everything away into the basket before calling his son over to his side.

"Come, ion nin. The sun is setting now, it's not safe to stay out any longer" The elfling clearly wasn't thrilled by his outing coming to an end, but he trudged on over to his father's side anyway and, though he did whine a little, didn't protest as he was lifted up into the saddle.

In no time at all, they were on their way home. Despite Legolas arguing that he wasn't tired, only ten minutes into the journey the young elf was fast asleep against his father's chest, hugging part of his cloak closely. Thranduil made sure that he would remain safe by holding an arm around him, and slowed the gait of his elk too so that they could avoid any unnecessary swaying and have time to react to rocks or things that would make the path more uneven.

His efforts clearly paid off, for they arrived safely back at the stables. Yes, it had taken almost an hour and a half on the return journey, but Legolas had remained soundly asleep throughout all of it.

Normally, Thranduil would have passed his son over to a maid to be taken and tucked away into bed, but that felt wrong in this situation. They had spoken properly together and had their first outing in a long time. Even if Legolas was asleep and wouldn't know that he had done it, it would help his own mind a great deal. So, he made sure to get out of the saddle as carefully and gently as possible while using one arm in order to keep Legolas in his other. Then, after taking a moment to shift the child so that he was being cradled safely, he began to walk from the stables to the Royal wing of the palace and their two bedrooms.

Knowing how heavily the elfling usually slept, Thranduil took the chance to walk the long way to their wing of the palace. He still needed to use his staff as an aid, but the extra trouble was more than worth it when it ended up taking him over the flowing river twice and directly past the waterfall. Not even the roaring water could disturb his son, and it did wonders to relax him hearing it's natural flow. Soon enough, they rounded the corner and went over one last bridge to come to their quarters. It was a more private area kept that way by a pair of guards, meaning that both he and Legolas were safe at all times from any unexpected visitors who may disturb their rest. Nobody got in there without express permission from the King. In his current emotional state, this area was often his saving grace.

Tonight was no different. He felt an immediate sense of peace as he stepped past the guards and got to Legolas' door, his shoulders relaxing significantly when it opened. Something about the look of the space instantly put him at ease. His Son had always loved the colour green, and as a result his room was painted in the most beautiful shades of emerald and deep fern, silver and gold vines snaking around every piece of furniture. It didn't match the rest of the Kingdom's autumnal scheme, but that somehow made it significantly better. It was like a safe space, a place away from everything else, a secret little haven, and he was incredibly glad that it was his son who owned it.

After standing in the doorway for a few moments longer, he stepped in and walked straight over to the small bed, laying Legolas down. He paused briefly, then shifted the blankets and cushions around him, making sure that he was cuddled up tightly on every side and covered with furs. The elfling remained sound asleep through all of it, though he did stir slightly to grab at a small elk shaped toy and clutch it to his chest. He looked adorable like that, surrounded on all sides and curled up into a tight ball. It was almost enough to convince the King to seat himself in the chair at his bedside and stay there, but his drooping eyes and exhausted body persuaded him otherwise.