To Live Again {Lord of the Rings/ThranduilXOC Fanfiction}

4. Where is the Chocolate?

"Sit still! Or I will sit on you and squash your spleen!" I yowl as I trap a rather hyperactive and over-excited elfling in a sort of half head lock grapple.

"What is a spleen?" Legolas gasps breathlessly in between giggles, struggling with mammoth strength to escape my slipping grasp on his silken tunic.

"I don't know but it sounds important," I mutter as I tighten my grip, only encouraging a peal of infectious giggling from the imperious youngster.

This little skitter is going to be the death of me, I mean it I really do; I do not have the stamina for this! I forcefully drop to the ground pulling Legolas with me. He lets out a roar of laughter and I just about manage to slap him on the face with the sodden wash cloth, which I have been trying vainly to wash his dirty little face with. A morning of trudging through the depths of the wilderness, aka the garden, trying to catch 'yrch,' as he put it, has resulted in a not so clean little ruffian.

"Muhaha got you!" I cackle as I sloppily scrub his face. He grumbles incoherently and every time he attempts to complain I slap the watery cloth over his face, and nab his cute little button nose. "If your Ada sees you like this he will ban us from having anymore adventures, you are just lucky I have an extra tunic tucked away in here."

"He won't mind," Legolas quips nasally as I've still got the hold of his nose. "Can I have my nose back please?"

"Only if you promise not to get dirty in the next twenty minutes!" I scold but I cannot help the adoring grin I give him, he knows he has me wrapped around his little finger and plays it to his advantage all the time.

"I cannot wait to see him!" Legolas shrieks and hops to his feet bounding about with glittering eyes; "I cannot wait to tell him about our adventures and tell him the stories you tell me. I think he will like them, do you think he will Clara?"

I grin at the clearly delighted child and I echo his happiness. Although I was initially dubious about whether or not Thranduil would keep to his word and write to his child, it would appear I had nothing to worry about. The minute I handed over the thick parchment to Legolas a week ago, it was like all his birthdays had come at once. He read and reread the letter, soaking it all up and memorising it until it was implanted in his memory forever.

The letters came thick and fast after that and I was surprised at how tactful and truthful the Prince was with his little boy. Legolas was fully aware that his Ada was badly burned and that he may not look like his Adar, but was comforted by the fact that it was only a temporary thing. Thranduil had left the decision up to his son as to whether or not they should meet. Legolas naturally wanted too and had no concerns about what he might be faced with.

Today was D Day - very shortly he would be reunited with his Father and he could hardly sit still with the excitement of it all. I had kept him distracted and occupied most of the morning, at the request of the healers, while they changed Thranduil's dressings and helped him appear more elf like and less "monsterous," as Calanon had put it. I was baffled by the description, I did not see anything frightening or vile about the Prince? Yes it was a traumatic injury but he was recovering every day, he was an elf for crying out loud! At least he would heal and have no physical lasting damage, on the surface at least. I supposed their horror was because elves don't usually deal with this kind of trauma, it is a rare thing for them and more of a shock. Luckily I was made of much hardier stuff, try picking glass out of a guy's face after a pub brawl gone awry...eugh, now that is disturbing!

The King had arrived a few moments ago too, just in time to tell Legolas off for looking like the swamp monster. Okay, I admit he did not actually use that reference but it was implied, and it was the image in my head at the time.