The Prince's Visions

Chapter Forty seven

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You are worth more than many sparrows. -Matthew 10:31

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Epilogue

"Nana."

I shift in bed, sighing tiredly.

"Naneth?" a tiny voice questions again, and I open my eyes to see my beautiful, curly haired son standing by mine and Legolas's bed.

"Yes, my darling?" I ask him, reaching over the bed to pull his tiny body onto my lap. "Did you have a bad dream again?"

"Yes," he replies in his sweet voice, clinging to me.

Legolas moves beside me, sitting up slowly. "What happened?" he asks, barely awake.

"James had a bad dream again," I whisper, "Go back to sleep, meleth nin (my love)."

Legolas ignores my command, scooting closer and pulling us both into his arms. He runs his fingers through our son's crimson curls, smiling to himself. "Do you wish to speak of it?" he asks him, and James shakes his head quickly.

"Alright then, you can sleep between Naneth and me," Legolas replies, pulling him out of my arms and placing him between us, and he tickles him, causing James to erupt in giggles.

"Alright, alright, both of you need to go to sleep," I say, settling back into the covers, "You will wake your siblings."

"Yes, Nana," James replies, curling up by my side, and Legolas rests his arm over us both, giving me a secret smile over James's head. I smile back at him, knowing that he adores these moments with our children just as much as I do.

The next morning I carry James back to his room to help him dress for the day. Legolas agreed to name him Elred James after my little brother back on earth, but only close friends and family members call him James since it is not an elvish name. To everyone else, he is Elred.

"Nana, what are we going to do today?" he asks me as I tug his white tunic over his head. He gazes at me with his wide blue eyes that remind me so much of Legolas's, and I smile, leaning forward to kiss his head.

"King Aragorn is coming to visit us," I tell him, and my heart becomes sad as I think of him. Aragorn is aging every day, it seems. It has been fifteen years since the defeat of Morgwais, and when he visited last year, his hair had become more gray and his face more aged. It hurts me deeply to know that he will not live out all the years that Legolas and I will, but I feel blessed to have known him for so long. Aragorn is so very dear to my heart.

"I will get to see Estrith?" he asks, grinning widely.

"Yes," I reply excitedly, taking his hand, and we walk to his sisters' room.

When I open the door, Faylen and Elanil are sleeping soundly in their cribs. I gently lift Faylen, bringing her over to the table in her room so that I can change her soiled cloth diaper and change her pajamas for a nice dress. Her little eyes flutter open, drowning me in their green depths. She yawns, cooing softly, and I lean down to kiss her tiny nose.

"There, there, little Faylen," I whisper, sitting her up and tying the back of her silky green dress. She begins to whine as I do so, and when I am finished, I lift her in my arms and bounce her up and down carefully. "Shh, little one. 'Tis okay. Nana is here," I continue to tell her as fat tears roll down her cheeks.

The sound of her distress wakes her twin, and soon Elanil joins in with her crying. I close my eyes tightly, sighing.

"Nana, they are making my ears hurt," James exclaims loudly in his tiny, childish voice whilst covering his ears, and I laugh.