Hour 13:

The elf and the boy had been riding through a forest for some time, and Legolas was quite relieved when they reached a large clearing. The real reason behind his relief, however, were the numerous white, black, brown, or colorful spots his keen eyes could easily distinguish among the grass. Cows. At last.

Legolas dismounted quickly and gently placed the now sleeping Eldarion on the ground, whispering to his steed to take care of the child. Then he emptied his waterskin and walked towards the cows, planning to return it filled with milk.

He looked around, hoping to find the cowherd, but there was no one around. The elf guessed that the cows were left on their own. He wanted to leave something in return for the milk he had taken, but he would think of that later. His urgent task was to find food for Eldarion.

All cows had copper bells tied to their necks, and they were jingling merrily. Legolas smiled and walked forward. His heart was light. He had completed the task at last – he had found milk for Eldarion, and now he would feed the boy, and would return to Minas Tirith. The elf looked towards the sun and smiled triumphantly. Only eleven more hours remained.

He could easily survive just eleven more hours…

Hour 14:

Legolas immediately noticed one of the cows. It was white with large black spots and was grazing peacefully under an oak tree. The animal looked healthy and well fed, and its hair was glistening in the light of the setting sun. But what attracted the elf's attention the most was the full udder. Yes, this would be the cow to feed the king's son.

The elf crouched by the cow and called to her softly. The animal approached him trustingly and turned around, so that he could easily reach her udder. Legolas squeezed it gently and moved his waterskin in the way of the trickle of milk.

Suddenly Legolas heard a strange sound behind him. As he turned, the elf found himself staring directly into the dark eyes of a very angry cow. This cow was entirely black except for a little white spot on her forehead.

The dark eyes were shining with cold fury and the elf wondered what he had done to anger her. Perhaps she was jealous that he had preferred another one and had not chosen her to feed Eldarion. Well, he could change that perhaps. The animal looked large and healthy and probably had a lot of milk. Legolas looked down to see her udder and froze in shock.

There was something wrong with that cow. It did not have an udder. It had something else instead.

And then realization slowly struck him. This was no cow.

It was a bull.

What was a bull doing there?! The elf knew that bulls were kept separately from the cows and were brought together only for breeding. Perhaps he was there by mistake? Or perhaps he had escaped and had come to visit the cows? But all this mattered not.

What really mattered was that Legolas had picked the same cow as the bull. Ah, he was growing tired of jealous men! Certainly the bull couldn't be thinking that he could have some intentions towards this cow!

And yet, the dangerous glimmer in the bull's eyes was the same as the glimmer in the eyes of the man, when he had asked, "What do you think you are doing with my wife?"

Unfortunately, a bull was stronger than a man. And stronger than an elf. Legolas had only one option.

Run.

As he ran towards the trees, he could see the sun disappearing behind the hills. He had to return Eldarion to Aragorn in ten hours.

But at that moment Legolas doubted that he had more than an hour left to live…

Hour 15:

The elf found his way easily through the now dark forest. Often he had to jump over a log or duck to avoid a lower branch, but so far his senses had served him well. Unfortunately, he was not faster than the bull. The massive animal was gaining on him and he did not need to duck to avoid the branches since he could easily crash them with his weight.

Legolas' heart was heavy although he could not say why. And yet, he had the feeling that he had forgotten something, something important. The elf tried to remember what he had left behind, but it always eluded him and he decided to concentrate on his escape.

He could almost feel the bull's hot breath on his neck. He had to seek another escape! Legolas stretched his arms upward and grabbed a branch. Then he jumped and grabbed a higher one, and then a higher one. The branches moved to accommodate the wood-elf and soon he had reached the top of the tree. The bull stood down, glaring at him.

The elf moved his hand to wipe the sweat off his brow and looked down in relief. He had escaped. No matter how stubborn this bull was, he would give up waiting quite soon and would return to his beloved cow.

When he thought about the cow, he suddenly remembered what he had forgotten. The shock of seeing the bull had made him drop his waterskin. He had left it behind and now he was unable to feed Eldarion. But as bad as this was, it did not explain the mysterious worry in his heart. And then he realized that it was not only the milk that he had left behind. Eldarion! He had forgotten Aragorn's son!

He glanced at the stars and froze in horror. An hour ago! Eldarion had been alone for an entire hour!

Legolas could only hope that both he and the child would survive the next nine hours.

Hour 16:

The elf tried to calmly access how bad his situation was. Eldarion was left all alone, with only a horse to guard him, among the cows and probably even among some insane bulls. So far this did not sound too good. On the other hand, night had fallen and Legolas suspected that the cowherds would come to collect their stock. What would they do when they found the baby? Surely they would take Eldarion with them and would take care of him. But how would he find these people after that? The cowherds would have no way of knowing who the boy's parents were – the baby bore no signs that identified him as the King's son! And what if someone somehow learned that Eldarion was the Prince? What if someone of ill intentions learned the boy's identity and decided to use this against Gondor or the royal family? This would be even worse!

Legolas tried to control his growing panic. He had to return to Eldarion as soon as possible, but how would he escape that bull?

Just when the elf decided that his predicament could not possibly get any worse, the bull ran towards the tree and crashed his huge head into it. The tree shook and Legolas nearly lost his grip. The bull crashed into the tree again and again until a soft cracking was heard. The elf froze. If the animal continued this mindless assault, he would make the tree collapse!

Legolas looked at the trees around him. One seemed to be close enough to risk a jump, and a look downwards told him that he had nothing to lose. He jumped and managed to grab a higher branch and pull himself up. Unfortunately the bull noticed this and moved to his tree in another stubborn attempt to crash it. The elf looked wildly around. The trees were quite sparse and he could not keep jumping from tree to tree forever! He had to jump down and face the bull! Just then a cry sounded through the forest and it almost made him fall off the tree.

"Strider!"

Legolas gaped in shock. What had he just heard? Who had called?

"Strider! Can you hear me?" The same voice shouted.

Legolas tried to organize his thoughts. The voice was unfamiliar to him, but it was apparently someone who knew his friend well if he was using his ranger name. However, there was something more important than who the man was. Obviously Aragorn was in this forest. But what was the King doing here?

Legolas sighed. The answer was quite simple – Aragorn had discovered that his son was missing, had grown worried and had gone to look for the boy himself, taking his most trusted men. Apparently he had managed to follow his tracks and was now looking for him and the young prince in the woods. Legolas hoped that he would manage to get down and find Eldarion before his father did. If his friend found the boy left by himself in the wilds, the elf would never be able to face him again.

"Strider!" The voice sounded once again. "Strider, are you here?"

I hope he is not, Legolas thought grimly.

"Ah, here you are!" The man called again, and to the elf's horror the voice was coming from very, very close. "You love hiding from me too much."

Suddenly a tall man walked towards the tree, and the bull turned towards him, looking almost ashamed. The stranger prodded him with a stick, and the animal obediently lowered his head and moved behind his master.

Legolas frowned in surprise, but decided to use the bull's change of mood and jumped from the tree. The man looked at him and shook his head. "Ah, Strider," he said and patted the bull's head. "How many times do I need to tell you not to chase strangers like that?"

The elf stared in shock and his eyes widened until they became the size of Eldarion's little fists. "The bull's name is Strider?" He finally managed to mutter.

"Yes," the man said and proudly caressed the animal's back. "This is my finest bull! So strong, such muscular legs and a broad back! A natural leader! I wanted to name him after our good King Elessar, but I thought it would be disrespectful. But then I remembered the legends that told us how our king used to wander through the wilderness hiding behind the name 'Strider' and I thought that it would be a fitting name for my bull."

Legolas was still in shock and needed a few moments to collect himself. When he was finally ready to speak, his first question was about Eldarion. "Did you pass by the place where the cows are grazing?" He asked worriedly and the man nodded. "A child! There was a child left there! Did you see a child?"

The man nodded surprised. "Yes, I found a child. Worry not, the little boy is well, I left him with my wife and she said she would feed him with cow milk. The poor lad seemed starved. Was the child with you?"

"Yes," Legolas whispered, relieved. "My friend asked me to look after his son for a day, but when I accepted I had no idea how hard this would be."

The man smiled sincerely. "It is good to see that men and elves can be such good friends as to trust each other with their children. Come, Master Elf. My name is Ralin and I will take you back to the child." He prodded the bull with his stick once again and walked forward.

Strider followed, bowing his head as if in shame. Legolas would have almost believed him if not for the occasional moments when the bull raised his head to glare daggers at him and bowed it again before Ralin could notice.

"This is incredible," the elf muttered. "I was almost killed… by Strider! No one would ever believe me!"

"I must apologize for his behavior," the man said. "We keep him locked, but he often finds a way to escape and goes to visit the cows." He patted the bull with a grin. "Good old Strider, always ready to do anything for love."

Legolas suppressed a grin at that statement. It was a pity he would never be able to tell Aragorn of this little adventure. But he had confidently persuaded his friend that he was able to look after Eldarion by himself, and he was not about to admit that he had been wrong.

"He is quite a bit of trouble actually," Ralin continued. "Several times I have been tempted to turn him into steaks, but the cows he mates with always give birth to the best calves, and so I keep him."

While they were talking, Legolas, Ralin, and a very angry Strider reached the clearing where the elf had left Eldarion. The stars were shining brightly in the skies above, and Legolas looked at them gratefully. In only eight hours he would return the little prince to his father.

Surely he would survive eight hours…

Hour 17:

A woman was holding Eldarion in her arms, rocking him gently. Ralin walked to her and quickly explained the situation. She stood up and walked to Legolas, who was trying to stay as far away from Strider as possible.

"He is fed now, Master Elf," she said and handed him the sleeping child. "You can take him home."

"You have my gratitude," Legolas said and nodded slightly. "I will have to leave you now. This boy's father lives in Minas Tirith and it is more than an hour ride away."

The couple bid him goodbye and Legolas mounted his steed. Before he left, however, he suddenly turned and looked at the man with a slightly panicked expression. Apparently he had realized something he had forgotten before.

"Ralin, may I ask you for a big favor?" He muttered insecurely. "It is very important."

"Of course you may!" The man replied surprised.

The elf paled, then blushed, but finally found his ability to talk. "If… if ever King Elessar comes to your village… please… please tell him nothing of this."

Ralin's surprise only increased. "Why would I tell the King anything of this?"

"Ah, no particular reason," Legolas murmured, blushing more extensively. "Just in case. Please, you must promise me!"

"As you wish, I promise," the man said.

The elf smiled in gratitude and rode away. He knew not how long he had ridden in the darkness, under the bright stars and the pale moon, when the child in his arms began to stir.

Legolas looked down and was greeted by two huge and curious silver eyes. "It is good to see you again, little one," he said with a smile. "Did you have a good meal?"

Eldarion decided that the best way to respond was to once again spray the elf with a thick mixture of milk and stomach acid. Legolas froze in horror, staring in dismay at the laughing little face.

The stars above him were twinkling merrily, as if heartlessly mocking his plight. But at the same time they brought him hope as they always did – looking at them he could clearly see that only seven more hours remained until he would be parted from this little monster.

Surely he would survive seven hours…

Hour 18:

Legolas stared at his filthy clothes in dismay. He had none to change, and so his best option was to wash himself in a stream and hope that his clothes would dry during the ride. Fortunately, Eldarion's clothes were completely clean and only the child's face was covered with the sticky substance. Who said life was ever fair?

The elf started desperately looking for a river or a lake, but the darkness was not helping at all. The horrible stench coming from his clothes seemed to be constantly growing and once again Legolas cursed his superior elven senses. He was sure he did not need his sense of smell at the moment.

Just when the elf thought that he would throw up himself if he did not wash away this odor anytime soon, he spotted a small stream in the distance. Legolas urged his steed forward unable to wait even a moment more.

Eldarion did not seem to mind the mess and kept giggling happily during the ride. The sound made the elf's mood even fouler, which only seemed to increase the baby's mirth. But it was all over now. Even this horrible little monster was unable to fight the cleaning power of pure water.

Eldarion's huge eyes widened even further in horror and disapproval when the elf washed his face with a smug grin. "And now you are clean again," the melodious voice said happily. "You do not seem too cheerful. If I did not know any better, I would say that you enjoy being filthy. Now, doesn't that remind you of someone? Once upon a time I knew a ranger who was always covered with dirt and grime from head to toe. Your father would be proud of you, Eldarion! You are following in his footsteps quite well!" The elf left the clean and grumpy baby on the shore and jumped into the water to wash himself. The wonderful feeling of cleanness surrounded him and he was reluctant to leave.

When he finally crawled out of the water, the baby was glaring at him with pure rage. "I am sorry, Eldarion," the elf said. "Do not trouble yourself. Once you are in your father's care, you will have plenty of opportunities to get filthy. But now you have to bear me for a while, and you will need to live with being clean at that time. Look!" Legolas pointed upwards, noting the position of the stars. "In six hours I will be returning you to your father. Surely you can survive six hours…"

Hour 19:

The child did not seem placated, and Legolas picked him up with a sigh of resignation. The elf walked to his steed and mounted quickly. They still had almost an hour ride to Minas Tirith and they needed to hurry. Legolas yawned. Not only had he not slept during the entire time he had been caring for Eldarion, but he had spent most of the previous day riding hard from Ithilien. He had been so worried after reading Aragorn's letter that he had taken no rest. Even though he could usually go days with no sleep, the past hours had been indeed exhausting and he looked forward to handing the baby back to his friend and going to bed.

When he finally saw the gates of the White City before him, Legolas wanted to jump from his horse and kiss the ground. While he was being chased by that bull he had doubted that he would ever live to see them again.

As he walked towards the royal chambers to leave Eldarion in his cradle and change from his wet clothes, he nearly bumped into a maid. Legolas froze when he recognized her – the same one who had slapped him! He was not sure how she would react to seeing him again and took a protective step backwards. Why was she still awake anyway?

The girl, however, smiled as if nothing had happened. "Ah, Lord Legolas! There you are! I have been looking for you for hours!"

The elf blinked in surprise. "Looking for me? Why?"

"I know that you needed milk for the prince. Well, the milk supplies arrived exactly after you left! The man bringing the milk entered literary when you walked out of the door!"

Legolas froze in shock, for a moment unable to comprehend all that he had heard. And then understanding hit him with full force. All had been in vain! The desperate search for milk through the city, the crazy woman and her jealous husband, his nearly fatal encounter with the angry bull, the ride through the night covered with unbearable stench – he could have avoided all this!

His knees suddenly felt weak and Legolas realized that he was falling down. The last thing he saw were the bright stars smiling at him through the window. And 'five more hours' was his final thought before the world went black.

Hour 20:

"What is wrong with him?" The maid asked worriedly. She was holding Eldarion in her arms, looking down at the bed where the elf lay in the Houses of Healing.

"Some sudden shock has made him faint," Ioreth explained. "That in itself is nothing to worry about and he should have regained consciousness easily. The problem is that as he fell, he has hit his head on the stones on the floor. I can feel a large bump at the back of his head. Apparently he fell suddenly and nothing stopped him."

"I couldn't catch him," the girl explained. "My first concern was Prince Eldarion! I had to catch the child."

"You have done well. No one thinks you are at fault," Ioreth comforted her and opened one of the elf's eyes and brought a candle close to see if it reacted to the light. "I am trying to find out how bad it is. If he has a severe concussion, I am afraid we need to wake him up immediately. Otherwise he might lapse into a coma and never wake."

The girl gasped. "How can we awaken him?"

Ioreth was thoughtful. "The easiest way is to bring some very strong and very foul smell close to him. The shock might wake him up."

Upon hearing this, Eldarion giggled cheerfully and happily provided said smell. The maid wrinkled her nose and held the baby far away from her. She was thankful that at least the brownish substance was kept inside the child's clothes and was not spilling out, but the smell was still quite bad.

Legolas immediately bolted upright and looked wildly around. Where was this horrible stench coming from? His head was throbbing and his vision was blurry. Was he in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by stinking trolls? Only this could explain the foul smell.

"Where… am… I?" He whispered weakly and paused briefly as the words made him feel nauseous. "And how… how long… how long have I been unconscious?"

"You are in the Houses of Healing and have been sleeping for about an hour," the maid replied cheerfully and trust the child into his arms. "And now that you are awake, I am afraid the prince needs changing."

The two women smiled at each other and left the room. Legolas stared tiredly at the child in his arms, trying to control the trembling of his hands. The stench made him gag.

He had been unconscious for about an hour, the maid had said. This meant that he had been entrusted with this horrible creature twenty hours ago. Only four remained.

Surely he would survive four hours…

Hour 21:

Legolas tried to stand up but swayed unsteadily on his feet. His vision was still blurry and the world seemed to be swimming around him. The elf sat back on the bed and sighed in defeat, looking resignedly at the stinking baby in front of him.

"Why are you doing this to me, Eldarion?" He asked. "Do you hate me so much?"

The little prince put his thumb in his mouth and looked at Legolas with his huge and innocent eyes. The elf shook his head. "This look cannot fool me, little one. I know better! You are an evil creation of Morgoth, dressed in a most deceiving disguise."

Eldarion giggled and grabbed the elf's hair, pulling it forcefully. Legolas hissed in pain and tried to untangle the little fingers from his golden strands. He could stand the stench no more and walked out of the healing wing and towards the royal chambers.

The changing and washing of the baby was an experience he did not wish to remember and tried to erase all memories forever from his mind. His own clothes, which were in fact Aragorn's clothes, had dried enough, so he decided to keep them. They were obviously too large for him, but at the moment the elf could not care less about his appearance.

"What are you laughing at?" He cried at the stars, which were twinkling merrily through the window. When he noticed their position, however, the elf grinned widely. Only three hours remained until he would get rid of this curse.

Surely he would survive three hours…

Hour 22:

Legolas collapsed in a chair and yawned. He had not had a decent sleep in more than a day, and this child was draining all of his energy. There was no time to rest in the moment, however. He had to make Eldarion fall asleep, and then he could rest himself.

The elf placed the little prince in the cradle and started to sing. He sang until his throat was dry, until he had sung all lullabies he knew, and until he was drifting into sleep himself. And this horrible little creature from Mordor was lying in his cradle staring at him with silver eyes wide as ever.

The unfortunate babysitter was beginning to think that it could not get any worse when the baby started crying. The elf sighed in frustration. Apparently Eldarion was hungry again.

"You do it on purpose, do you not?" He cried angrily. "Will you never give me a moment of peace, you little son of an orc?!"

When he realized what he had just said, Legolas blushed slightly. "Eldarion," he said, calmly this time, "one day you will grow up and learn to talk. Never, do you hear me, never tell your father I called you 'son of an orc'!"

Eldarion raised a little eyebrow as if asking what he would get in return. The elf glared at him. "If you do not promise me, I will not feed you and you will stay hungry!"

The baby blinked innocently and started crying even lordlier. Legolas gasped and covered his sensitive ears. This was torture!

"As you wish, I give up!" He cried angrily and picked up the baby. "We are going to have some milk, but this is the last time I am feeding you!"

As he left the room, he threw a glance through the window. The sky was not so dark anymore. A new day was coming. In two more hours he would be rid of his little tormentor.

Surely he would survive two hours…

Hour 23:

When Legolas entered the kitchen, he nearly groaned. The maid who had slapped him and who had seen him collapse was still there, cleaning one of the tables.

"Why are you not sleeping?" He asked in a yawn. Was he the only one here who needed sleep?

"Ah, watching you take care of King Elessar's son is too entertaining to miss," she replied. "Do you need anything, my lord?"

"Yes, the baby is hungry again," Legolas said, choosing to ignore the comment. "May I have some milk?"

The girl's face twisted in regret. "I am sorry, Lord Legolas, but we are out of fresh milk once again. I do not know how long it will take for the supplies to arrive."

Legolas felt his knees grow weak and the world tilted around him. His throat seemed too tight to breathe and the walls seemed to be closing around him, pressing him from all sides. This was a nightmare! It could not be happening!

It the midst of his terrifying confusion he could hear the girl's merry laughter. "My lord, I was only jesting! We have plenty of milk. I will go and fetch some. Oh, you should have seen the look on your face!"

The elf sat on a chair, his legs too weak to support him anymore. He could not feel anger at the cruel joke, he could not feel relief, nor could he feel anything else. All he could do was stare blankly as the maid brought him back the milk.

"I want to ask you something," he whispered tiredly. "Could you please promise me not to tell King Elessar a word of what happened today? And tell Ioreth to keep it a secret too."

The maid hesitated. All this was too good a story to miss, but finally she took pity on the elf. Apparently he had suffered enough so far and did not need further humiliation. "As you wish, my lord," she said and left the room.

Legolas fed the baby mechanically, and returned to the royal chambers. He was about to place the child back in the cradle when the first rays of the rising sun caught his eye. Only an hour remained!

Surely he would survive one hour…

Hour 24:

…Legolas thought hopefully. And then it happened.

Eldarion grinned at him wickedly and the elf froze. He knew that look too well. Legolas tried to duck to avoid what was coming, but it was too late. The familiar white and sticky substance was spread all over him.

The elf could only sigh resignedly. He had grown so accustomed to this situation that he could not even feel disgust anymore. And he proceeded with washing himself and the boy, a task he now knew too well.

When Legolas finally came out of the bathroom, he threw his old clothes into a bucket to be washed later and started rummaging through the royal clothes he had found earlier to find something to wear. The ones he came across were even larger than the ones he had worn before, but at that moment it mattered little. His gaze moved from Eldarion, who had finally fallen asleep in his cradle, to the sun that had risen higher above the horizon.

It was time.

-:-

There he was! He was done! Finished! This horrible, near death experience was left behind him forever! And what was even better, Aragorn would never learn of his misfortunes. He had made all servants promise that they would not say a word to the King.

Aragorn was coming his way, and the elf met his friend with a proud smile. He was on the verge of collapsing but nothing in his appearance betrayed this. "So soon?" He asked bravely. "Time flies when you are having a good time! I enjoyed looking after your son, my friend, and I am grieved to part with him, but it is time to hand him back to you."

Curiously, Aragorn appeared far more refreshed than he had been the day before as if the long meetings and negotiations had not affected him at all. Also, the King looked strangely happy, but Legolas was too exhausted and too concentrated on appearing alright to notice that. "I am glad to hear that," the man said and gazed at the sleeping child with a fond smile. So he didn't give you any trouble?"

"Oh, not at all!" Legolas said cheerfully. "It was my pleasure to look after him!"

"Good!" The King said and suddenly frowned. "Legolas, why are you wearing my clothes?"

The elf shrugged. "Ah, these clothes? I thought that Eldarion would feel more comfortable if I reminded him of his father."

"This is a fine idea," Aragorn said approvingly. "Although I am sure you would have done well anyway. I knew you would be good with children, mellon nîn, and such a simple task would be easy for you."

Just then Eldarion awoke and looked around in curiosity. When he spotted what he was looking for, he stretched his little hand, grasped Legolas' hair and gave it a strong pull. The elf smiled, bravely suppressing a grimace of agony.

Aragorn laughed. "I see that your prediction was right, Legolas! Eldarion liked you so much that he does not want to be parted from you."

"I do not want to be parted from him either," the elf said with a sad sigh. "Alas, I must!"

The man looked at him searchingly. "Are you sure he was not any trouble?" He asked again.

"I told you already. Looking after him was a true pleasure."

Aragorn hesitated for a moment and looked intently at his friend's eyes, as if looking for something. When he did not seem to find it, he nodded satisfied. "I am asking because I wanted to ask you to look after him for one more day. I was reluctant to ask this much of you, but if you have enjoyed it so much it should not be a problem. Legolas! Are you alright?"

The elf had suddenly paled and swayed on his feet. He swiftly managed to collect himself, however, and put on a brave smile. "Of course! I was merely surprised. But why would you need someone to care for him for one more day?"

The King sighed. "The negotiations did not go as well as planned. We did not manage to reach an agreement on certain points and will need to have a few more meetings to discuss them. I am sorry, Legolas, I have no one else to ask and you seem to be enjoying it."

The elf nodded slowly. "I see," he managed to say. "In this case I will gladly help you." A part of him was cursing his stubborn pride, but it was too weak, as weak as his entire body at the moment. And so he said the first words that came to his mind. "I will look after your son for one more day."

Aragorn looked at him carefully. "Are you sure you can do this? Did you manage to get enough sleep? Eldarion can be very demanding sometimes."

"Ah, he is not demanding with me. I can do this."

Aragorn smiled gratefully and grasped the elf's shoulders. "Thank you, my friend! I am in your debt!" He walked out, leaving the stunned elf behind.

-:-

As Aragorn left the room, he almost immediately found himself in the arms of a certain Queen who was supposed to be visiting her brothers. "How could you do this to him, meleth nîn?" She asked, sounding slightly reprimanding.

"I had indeed no one else to ask," the man explained. "And I needed someone to look after him at least for a day or two. Since Eldarion has been born you have done nothing but look after him except for the rare times when I have been looking after him! I needed some time with you and with you alone! I would have left him with his nurse, but since she is ill-"

Arwen put a hand over his mouth to silence him. "Shh, there is no need to give me excuses, Estel," she said with a smile. "Did I say I was complaining? On the contrary, I am most satisfied with the current arrangements."

She bent forward to kiss him and when she finally pulled back, her eyes were shining. "I am glad you found someone to take care of Eldarion," she said but a slight frown was marring her brow. "I am just worried about Legolas. He had not taken care of a child before. Are you sure he can manage? Perhaps you are asking too much of him."

"I was worried too," Aragorn admitted. "But he seems to be doing very well. He claimed that Eldarion had not been any trouble at all."

Arwen shook her head. "And you believed him so easily? You know Legolas – he would not admit any weakness. He would want to appear good at babysitting as he is good at so many other things."

"I thought so too," the King said. "And this is why I questioned all servants how he had been faring. They all said that he had done very well and had not had any trouble at all."

His wife smiled in relief. "All is well then. But I think you did not need that negotiations story. Legolas would have helped you with Eldarion even if you had told him the truth."

"True," Aragorn admitted with a smile. "But if I had done that, I would have missed the look on his face when I tell him the truth tomorrow."

"So you will tell him tomorrow?" She asked and he nodded. "Then for your sake I hope he will enjoy his second day with Eldarion."

"I also hope so," Aragorn said and pulled her forward to kiss her once again. "I hope he will enjoy his second day with Eldarion as much as he enjoyed his first."

-:-

Meanwhile, Legolas was standing in the royal chambers, staring forlornly at the bed he was sure he would not get the chance to touch although his only desire at the moment was to collapse on top of it and forget everything. His gaze moved towards the cradle, from where Eldarion was staring at him with his little lips curled into what the elf could have sworn was an evil grin. With a sigh he looked through the window, where the bright sun greeted him happily. In twenty-four hours, when the sun returned to this same position, he would hand the baby back to Aragorn.

Surely he would survive twenty-four hours…

The End