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“Ada!”
Thranduil woke and he was already standing upright, his feet moving for his bedroom door seamlessly without even waiting for the command from his brain to do so.
“Ada!”
His little leafs voice was louder this time, and far more frantic. The wavering in the voice told him that his poor son was seconds away from losing all composure. He quickened his steps but still, somehow Legolas managed to call out one final time before Thranduil reached his son's door,
“Ada!”
He turned the corner and breezed into the room, finding Legolas squished against the far right corner of his bed and into the wall, cover pulled over his head and stuffed toy elk from Galion clutched in a death grip against his chest.
The second he saw his father Legolas flew to the end of his bed, blanket and toy both forgotten in a patch of moonlight by his pillow in favor of a much more secure and safe hiding place. Thranduil felt Legolas’ arms wrapped around his neck, and his legs around his stomach and a few terrified but also relieved sobs shook his body as he clutched him almost at tightly as Legolas had been doing to his toy seconds earlier.
“Ada’s right here, my little sunshine. Right here.” He rubbed a hand up and down his sons back in a hop of calming a few of the hiccuped cries, “Always here.”
“What,” Legolas hiccuped again, “What if you get taken from me too?”
Thranduil’s own heart clenched and he closed his eyes as he kissed Legolas’ head. Painfully aware that his beloved Mereneth had been gone nearly three years now. Somehow already too long, but not long enough to even begin healing the wound in his or Legolas’ broken hearts.
“I won't.” He made sure his voice was adamant, because he was. He would not be leaving this world while his sweet little Greenleaf still walked upon the soil. If it really came down to it, Thranduil was not above arguing and bartering with Mandos himself.
If Luthien could get her way and walk of the halls, then he could as well. He was very convincing when he wanted to be.
“But what if you do?”
“I won't.”
Thranduil briefly let go of Legolas with one arm, but only long enough to grab at the blanket and the toy, and then returned it once more around his elfling. He made to leave the room, thinking briefly of returning to his own bed but decided against his swiftly.
“But what if you do?”
Nothing made the two of them more aware of their loss than having the empty spot next to them. And so he went to their sitting room instead. But even that seemed to suffocate without her.
“I simply won't allow it.”
And so he left their room altogether, his feet taking him down to the kitchen before he even knew what was happening. Legolas continued to cling to him with the occasional sniffle.
“Can you do that?”
But it was warm down here, and it seemed cozy and homelike without also feeling lonely. The fire giant fire still burned warmly in the hearth, and all else was quiet. This seemed a good of a place as any.
“I’m the last Elven King east of the sea, I daresay I will do whatever I like.” Thranduil easily pulled one of the chairs that had been stacked against the wall away and towards the warmth and sat down, pulling Legolas gently from his neck so that he could see his beautiful face. He wiped the tears that stained it. “Have I ever lied to you before?”
Legolas didn’t even have to think about it, even as a few more tears leaked from his eyes. “No.”
“Exactly. So believe me when I say that I simply,” He touched his finger gently against Legolas’ nose, “Won’t allow it.”
He sniffed again, and thought about it for a few moments. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Really sure?”
“Really, really sure.”
With a sigh, Legolas leaned his head against his father's chest, and Thranduil held him close once more and said in a small voice, “That's good, then.”
“Remember this next time Galion says I’m too stubborn.”
“Alright, but Galin says it's illegal to argue with him.”
Before he could stop himself Thranduil snorted with deep amusement, and Legolas looked up at him quizzically, “It’s okay. You’re the Prince, something is only illegal for you if I say it is.”
“So arguing with him isn't illegal?”
“Oh, it is.” Thranduil certainly did not intend to gather the full wrath of his attendant, only an absolute fool would openly risk such a personal danger. But he would willingly annoy him, just a little bit. “It just isn’t illegal to help me convince him I’m not too stubborn for my own good.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Thranduil pulled Legolas close again, tucking his head under his chin and began rubbing his back in soothing circles. “Do you want to hear a story before we go back to bed?”
Legolas gasped with surprise and excitement, he was usually only allowed one story at bedtime, otherwise, there would be no getting him to sleep at all. But two stories was an uncommon treat, that he eagerly wanted. “Yes, please!”
Thranduil laughed a little again, “What story would you like to hear today, then?”
Legolas hummed in thought for a few moments. “Yesterday while it rained, Uncle Ferdan told me about you and Lady Luthien trying to learn a dance for your coming of age celebration. Something like that?”
“Oh, Valar.” He had forgotten about that. He had forgotten so many things over the years. He tried to think of something else he might have forgotten about. Something good, from a time where the world didn't seem determined to burn around him. “How about… I tell you of the time Lady Celebrian, Galion and I snuck to Dale for their Yule celebration?”
“Yes, yes, yes please!”
“Alright, and then after this, we go to bed.”
Legolas nodded eagerly, “Alright, I promise. Can I hear the story now?”
“Many, many long years ago…”
0.0.0.0.0
“Ada?”
The voice was hesitant and whispered from his door, and Thranduil woke immediately and shot upright. “Legolas? What is it? What's wrong?”
He inched into the room and closer to the bed, “I’m sorry to wake you..”
Thranduil rubbed at his eyes, at a little past halfway to his majority it was becoming a much rare occurrence that Legolas woke him at night. But he wasn’t certain that meant Legolas was sleeping better. “Nonsense. Never apologize for something like that.”
And then he heard his son sniffle.
Automatically he opened his arms and Legolas crossed the room in a few steps and scrambled across the bed at high speeds, crashing into them. Thranduil held him close against his side, rocking them both back and forth slowly.
“I’m sorry. It just seemed so real and I had to come and check to make sure you were okay.” Legolas muttered miserably, and sniffed once more.
“Legolas, you can always wake me. Always. No matter the reason, you know that.” Thranduil felt him nod, “Good. And as you can see I’m perfectly alright.”
He felt him nod again, but Legolas didn’t loosen his grip, and Thranduil could still feel his heart thudding solidly in his chest. “What story do you want to hear tonight?”
“Have you ever fought a troll, Ada?”
“I have. A few times.”
“Tell me about the most exciting one.”
Thranduil thought about it for a few seconds, “Well. As I recall, I had just had a fight with my own Adar and had left Menegroth with all haste and anger..”
0.0.0.0.0
He startled awake as another body came to rest on the other side of the bed from him. The only thing that kept him from startling further was the knowledge that the tree’s or his body would have woken him had it been anyone except for Legolas or Galion.
“What's wrong little leaf?”
“It was a dream, a really, really, dark dream.” He heard Legolas take a shaky breath, “I tried to forget it… I tried to read.. But…”
Thranduil interrupted, “Come lay down, my sunshine.” Legolas slid under the covers as instructed, the only one that was allowed to fill his mother's space in the bed. Coming to lay so that he was not quite pressed against his father, but close enough he could feel his warmth.
After a small hesitation, Legolas laid his head against his father's shoulder.
Thranduil smiled a little into the darkness, pleased that the Legolas’ shivering had already nearly stopped. “Can you tell me more about Doriath?”
0.0.0.0.
A healer appeared in his study doorway, face flushed with the rush to get here. “My King? He woke in a panic and we can’t get him calmed ba-”
Before the sentence was finished Thranduil was out of his chair and halfway out the door, and then broke out into a full sprint towards the healer's ward. The plants shouted a warning to the others so that his path remained clear, and he arrived in hardly a full minute.
Easily brushing past several injured and asleep warriors in the first room he made for the end where the more grievous injuries were treated in private. He didn’t knock before pushing open the door he knew to contain his son.
Legolas still laid on the bed, halfway distraught with a room full of about four healers. “Out!” Thranduil ordered, and they all scrambled for the door. The last closing it on their way out.
“Ada.” Legolas voices sounded small and heartbroken, and Thranduil almost fell towards the bed, coming to sit on the edge of it as Legolas melted into his arms. “I hate the pain herbs. I hate them. I got stuck in a dream, and I couldn’t get out, and all I could hear was your screaming- and- and- and”
“Shhhh, my little leaf.” Careful not to hurt any of Legolas many injuries, adjusted how he was sitting so that he would gather more of his son in his arms, “It's okay. I’m right here. I’m always, right here.”
Legolas struggled to take calming breaths,“Because you’re the king and you’ll do whatever you want?”
Thranduil kissed his head, “Yes, exactly.”
“Even refuse to die?”
“ Especially refused to die.” Slowly his breaths grew to be more even, and Thranduil adjusted them one last time so that they could both fit comfortably on the bed for a long period of time, “What was your first hunting trip like?”
“An absolute disaster. I nearly speared King Thingol, and Adar was laughing too hard to do much to help.”
0.0.0.
Hope you liked it!!