Reasons to Hope, Reasons to Live

Chapter Eleven: An Early Birth

Days and weeks passed, eventless for the royal couple as their life became routine. Most of their days, they would attend official affairs and meetings, and then when finding the time, they would have a short walk in the gardens with their friends. However, as Legolas' pregnancy progressed into his tenth month, the blond Elf's movement became more graceless, and everything seemed to exhaust him so fast. Soon, he stopped attending royal affairs and spent most of his time in his chambers or the company of his brother, the twins, and the fellowship members. In contrast, Aragorn attended to his royal duties with the help of Lord Elrond and Lord Glorfindel, who had arrived a month after the wedding.

Legolas' day would usually begin in the late morning. After breakfast, he would take occasional walks in his private garden. Lunch and dinner were mainly held in his private chambers since appearing for official arrangements had become torture on his swollen body.

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Legolas sighed contentedly as he gazed at the gardens beneath the living room's balcony. Winter had arrived weeks ago, and the lands were all covered with white snow, yet the climate held a slight warmth to it as if it was still reluctant to let go. The sun shone brightly in the sky, although it was now positioned slightly more to the west. A cool breeze softly stroked against Legolas' face as he stood there, one hand caressing his growing belly gently. A laugh escaped him when he suddenly felt his baby giving him a slight kick.

'Yes, little one,' he whispered. 'It is a beautiful day, indeed.'

It was a rare moment of peace that Legolas was determined to enjoy. The blond Prince took a deep breath as his mind drifted away. Two months had passed since he was crowned as Gondor's Prince Consort, and many things had changed. After the wedding, Legolas found himself trapped with many sudden obligations. He had never thought that being the Prince Consort would hold many responsibilities. All he wanted was to be left in peace, but due to Aragorn's decision to grant him the same privileges as the King, Legolas found himself obliged to attend meetings and official affairs in court. At first, he tried not to interfere much, but after an incident at one meeting only three days after their wedding, Gondor's Prince Consort decided not to remain silent.

FLASHBACK

Legolas fought the urge to roll his eyes as he listened to the continuous arguments of the council's Lords. In his opinion, it was useless since they couldn't hear what the other had to say, and they all kept talking simultaneously. The blond Elf indeed came to appreciate Aragorn's unlimited patience.

Soon, the yells subsided as they finally decided to move on, much to his relief.

"What's next, Faramir?" the King asked his steward.

"The restoration of Ithilien."

"Yes," Aragorn nodded before looking at the Lords. "My Lords, the restoration of Ithilien is a crucial matter. Legolas had suggested asking the wood elves for help. They would—"

"I fail to see why we should ask the elves for help," Lord Mortardur interrupted, shooting Legolas an undignified look before continuing. "I, as well as most of the Lords, am not eager to allow other races to take over our lands."

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Everyone nearly jumped from their seats when Legolas' hand made hard contact with the wooden table as he stood up, glaring at Mortardur. Aragorn was about to calm the enraged Elf, but Legolas didn't give him a chance. "I have never witnessed such disrespect from a subject towards their ruler in my entire life," the blond Elf hissed. "Not only did you rudely interrupt your King while he was speaking, but your implication that Elessar would surrender part of his Kingdom to others could be considered an act of rebellion." Legolas breathed heavily as the fire of his anger blazed anew. "I have suggested lending Gondor the help of the wood elves to create a place where elves and men can live together in harmony. The joint efforts of all races freed these lands. Thus, I wanted the Elven race to contribute to restoring Gondor's formal glory just as well." Legolas glared at the stunned Lords. "When Aragorn and I first joined, I had expressed my wish to never interfere with Gondor's ruling because I knew that Aragorn was more than worthy to lead his people to prosperity. I had never imagined that his people didn't have the same faith in their King, who risked his life more than once for the sake of Middle-Earth and led his troops into victory at the Black Gates of Mordor." Legolas took a deep breath before continuing. "Every step that Aragorn had taken was for the benefit of his people, yet you," he glared at Mortardur, "dare to imply otherwise. I—"