The Royal bedroom normally intended for just two occupants was currently playing host to five. The Royal couple King Elessar and his Prince Consort, Legolas of Mirkwood lay on the bed, the Elven Prince beneath the covers, and his husband on top. In the elf's arms lay a tiny baby, Gondor's new crown prince. Seated by the window was Legolas' father King Thranduil of Mirkwood, and near the bed stood Lord Elrond of Rivendell, Elessar's foster father.
The two Elven Lords were in attendance to assist their children since they had recently awoken. The previous night had been fraught with much danger as the young King had attempted to save the life of his husband, who had gone into labour after being kidnapped by a dark sorcerer. Many thanks had been offered to the Valar for the lives of all three members of Gondor's royal family and now the small family simply wanted to rest and recover from their ordeal.
Legolas looked down at his small son as Elessarion began to shift restlessly. He shifted the baby slightly trying to soothe the infant but Elessarion just seemed to grow more fractious. Finally the baby let out a small wail. The Elven Prince immediately looked to his father.
King Thranduil frowned in thought. "Try to feed him. I do not think he has been fed since his birth. Much of the night he spent sleeping at your side. I think he is most likely hungry."
Lord Elrond moved to a side table and picked up a bottle of water before handing it to Legolas. The young Prince took it gratefully placing the narrow end, with the specially constructed teat at Elessarion's mouth. It seemed to work as the baby immediately began to suckle. The young Prince shared a smile with his husband, but the smile soon disappeared as Elessarion stopped drinking and began to cry again.
"What is wrong? Why will he not feed?" the young elf queried.
"Perhaps it is the water he objects to, here try some of the fruit juice," Elrond said handing a new bottle to the Elven Prince. "Some elflings prefer the juice to the water."
Again Legolas placed the bottle to the baby's mouth and Elessarion immediately began to suck hungrily. Yet as before he did not drink for long before rejecting the bottle, his face scrunching up as his cried began anew.
Lord Elrond shared a concerned look with Thranduil.
"Perhaps it is my mortal blood," Aragorn offered finally, looking from the crying child to the anxious look of his mate. "The children of men are often fed milk from their mothers when they are born."
"Indeed, but Legolas is not like mortal women. He cannot feed Elessarion himself," Elrond pointed out.
"I know, but perhaps we can obtain some milk from the kitchens and try to feed that to Elessarion," Aragorn stated.
King Thranduil quickly left the room to find some milk for his grandson, leaving Legolas to try and soothe Elessarion's cries with quiet support from his husband and father-in-law.
A short time later King Thranduil returned holding a bottle of warm milk. He had gone down to the kitchens himself to obtain it. He quickly passed the bottle to his son who was still trying to calm the now red-faced, screaming baby.
Legolas accepted the milk gratefully and pressed the bottle to Elessarion's lips. The child's cries ceased instantly and he began to drink the milk from within the container. The adults collectively held their breath as they waited to see whether the infant would accept this offering. After a few moments Legolas sighed in relief. Elessarion showed no sign of ceasing his almost frantic suckling and his red face was now returning to its normal colour.
The elven prince gently wiped the tears from the baby's face and he smiled at his husband and the two elf lords. "I think we have found out what he wants to drink," he said dryly.
They all sat in silence watching the newborn drinking his milk until there was no more left. King Thranduil approached the bed and sat on the side as he watched his son.
"He looks very much as you did when you were born my son," the King remarked. "I think that since you have grown very much to look like your mother, that your son too will become very handsome."
"I wish Naneth had been here to see him Adar," Legolas said softly, his eyes shimmering slightly with tears.
Thranduil smiled and gentled raised a hand to stroke his son's head. "Your mother would be very proud of you and your son Legolas."
"I miss her still," Legolas murmured and sank back into the supporting arms of his husband.
"As do I my son. Your mother is an elf without comparison, she outshines even the stars themselves, as soon as I looked upon her I was blinded to all other beauty," the King said with a dreamy sigh.
Elrond snorted, "And thus came the downfall of Randy Thrandy."
All eyes flew to the Lord of Rivendell, two pairs widened in astonishment and the other narrowed in fury. Lord Elrond looked at Thranduil and wisely decided to volunteer to go down to the kitchens to obtain some more milk in case Elessarion was still hungry.
"Adar..." Legolas began, his curiosity unleashed.
"Not a word little one, or you will find that at two millennia I can still find punishment to make the rue the days you spoke words in haste. Now come, tend to your son. You need to lift him up onto your shoulder now. Aragorn get a spare cloth and lay it across Legolas' shoulder," Thranduil said calmly, and young couple in all their young wisdom held their tongues and obeyed him. "Now my son, Elessarion cannot yet regulate his own digestion you must help him get rid of any trapped wind, gently rub his back. He should burp a little and this will help him feel much better after the feeding."
Legolas did as he was told gently rubbing the tiny infant's back as he held him up against his shoulder. Elessarion finally let out a burp, a small trickle of milk escaping from his mouth. Aragorn laughed a little and used the edge of the cloth to wipe the liquid from the baby's mouth. Elessarion looked back at him with a sleepy expression.
"I think my love, that he will need to take a rest after all that exertion," the young king pointed out, and Legolas nodded gently lowering the child to the bed at his side.
"Well done young ones, you have just survived the first feeding of your son, this is but the beginning of a much larger adventure," Thranduil said smiling, and he rose to leave the young ones alone once more.
As soon as the Mirkwood king had left Aragorn turned to his husband letting out a snort. "Randy Thrandy? Why do I get the feeling that your father would gladly give up his collection of treasures in order to keep the history behind that name a secret?"
Legolas laughed. "I do not know, but I am sure there are ways in which we can discover what sordid details of my father's past he is trying to hide."
The couple laughed together at the thought of this new diversion.
Legolas looked at his new son resting on the bed between his parents and frowned. Elessarion's face seemed to be screwed up into a mask of concentration and had turned a strange shade of red. He almost appeared not to be breathing, and the elven Prince felt fear clutch at his heart. Then his sensitive nose picked up a strange aroma.
He gasped slightly and his face became tense. Aragorn immediately noticed the change in his husband.
"Legolas what ails you?" he asked in some concern.
"T'is nothing," Legolas said quickly and then gasped again, a look of pain swiftly crossing his face.
Aragorn looked at him disbelievingly. "It is not nothing beloved, please tell me what is wrong," he pleaded.
Legolas looked at his husband, the King of Gondor and bit his lip. "It is just a small twinge in my belly. Perhaps just a sign of fatigue. I think that if I were to rest for a while I should feel much better," he said finally.
Aragorn nodded quickly in agreement. "Indeed. Your body has been under much strain these few days past. A rest will certainly be an improvement."
"Thank you for your understanding my love. Why don't you take Elessarion and visit with your father?" he suggested. Aragorn nodded and gently plucked Elessarion from the bed before placing a swift kiss on his elf's lips and leaving the room.
Legolas sighed and lay back with a grin.
Aragorn had almost reached his father's rooms. He wanted to consult the Elven Lord about Legolas' condition, to ensure that nothing would set back his recovery. A breeze flowed gently down the corridor but Aragorn was taken aback by the odour that suddenly assaulted his nostrils. He sniffed turning his head one way and then the other trying to identify from where the smell was coming. He looked down in sudden surprise and suspicion at the sweet face of his son.
He held Elessarion close to his face and took another cautious sniff.
"Argh!" he exclaimed coughing as he tried to gasp for fresh air. He looked again at his son and wondered suddenly how something so angelic looking could create such a foul stench.
He held Elessarion as far from his body as he could, turning his head to avoid the now noticeable smell emanating from the baby's nether regions and he continued swiftly to his father. When he reached Elrond's door he was unwilling to pull Elessarion close to him in order to knock the door, instead kicking it sharply.
The door was opened quickly by a surprised looking Elrond. The surprise quickly turned to disgust as Elrond's nose caught the scent wafting from the baby in front of him.
"Ada, I need your help," Aragorn said striding into the Elf Lord's rooms and holding Elessarion out to his foster father.
Elrond took a fearful step backwards. "What can I do for you my son?" he asked ignoring Aragorn's attempts to hand over the baby.
"Father please take him, I do not know what to do," the young man said with a panicked expression.
"I should have thought that to be quite obvious," the elf said his hand moving to cover his nose.
"But how?"
"Why ask me. My own children have not been so helpless in many millennia, besides Celebrian looked after their needs and you were brought to me already house broken. I have no experience of these matters, and for that I can only thank the Valar. Legolas was wise to leave Elessarion with you, his sense of smell would have been swiftly overwhelmed," Elrond said with a grimace.
"Nay, that is why I came to you. Legolas was feeling some pain still in his belly, he asked me to leave him to rest and take Elessarion with me..." the young man broke off as realisation dawned, and a look of outrage settled upon his features.
Elrond gave a quick laugh at the cunning of the young Prince. "I think that perhaps you ought to speak to one of the serving women my son, I am sure they will be able to guide you in this matter, now please go before the stench becomes a permanent fixture of this room." The Elven Lord moved swiftly to the door skirting widely around his foster son and the baby before opening it and gesturing for them to leave.
Aragorn looked helplessly between the elven lord, and his serene looking son, before sighing and admitting defeat.
Aragorn wandered the halls in search of Danea, the head of Aragorn's vast number of personal servants, muttering under his breath and drawing looks from the many people he passed as he continued to hold Elessarion at arm's length. It was becoming more difficult to maintain a firm grasp on the child as the baby became more uncomfortable in the cloth wrapped around him. Finally Aragorn was forced to hold Elessarion with both arms close to his body.
He encountered Danea as she was leaving a meeting with the heads of various heads of staff. She took one look at his pleading expression before ushering him into the room that served as her office.
"Your Majesty, how can I serve you?" she asked politely.
"Please, it is Elessarion, he has soiled his wrappings and I do not... I cannot..." he trailed off miserably.
The experienced woman hid a smile. "Come Your Majesty, first we must obtain some fresh wrappings for your child." Danea walked to the door flagging down a passing squire and instructing him to run to the laundry for fresh cloth.
Whilst they waited Danea led the young King over to a clear table. She spread out an old worn blanket and instructed Aragorn to place Elessarion upon it. She then obtained some scraps of cloth and some water and brought them over to the King's side.
"Now my Lord, you must unwrap his soiled wrappings," she explained gently.
The young King raised panicked eyes to meet her steady gaze. "Must we? Won't that make the smell worse?" Danea said nothing, and the young man sighed. "Could you not...?" he gestured towards the baby lying beneath them with one last desperate look.
The old servant allowed a small smile to grace her weathered features as she gently shook her head.
"I could command you," Aragorn pointed out but they both knew he would not. He sighed again and with great foreboding reached for the cloth covering his newborn son.
He pulled back the wrappings around the child's lower half and nearly gagged at the combined sight and smell that reached him. He dropped the cloth and took a step back breathing deeply.
"I cannot do this," he said in despair, looking again pleadingly at Danea.
The older woman simply continued to watch him, and with an air of resignation Aragorn turned back to his newborn son. He took a deep steadying breath and immediately regretted it when his nostrils were again assaulted with the smell of body waste. Taking a smaller breath the young king steeled his nerve and reached for the wrappings again.
"When you pull away the cloth you must take care to keep as much of his waste in the wrappings and attempt to wipe some of the waste from his bottom. You can then place it in this pail for cleaning," the old woman offered kicking a pail across to the young king.
Nodding Aragorn obeyed her instructions, his face twisted in disgust as he pulled the wrappings away from the baby's bottom, attempting to wipe off some of the excess before dumping the cloth with a dull thump into the waiting pail. He then looked up questioningly for further instructions from Danea.
"Now My Lord use some of these extra rags and the water to clean the rest of him, you can throw the rags into the pail as well. I will see to it that they are cleaned for your continued use."
Aragorn did as she bid and he soon felt better when he saw the clean evidence of his handiwork. "There Elessarion that must feel better hmm?" he said peering down at his son.
Elessarion's mouth stretched in what appeared to be a little grin as his blue eyes gazed calmly at his father. Aragorn could not help grinning at the little being beneath him.
"Very good My Lord, you have done well. Now you need to dust him with this powder, it will help keep his skin from becoming too damp which often leads to an uncomfortable rash. Then you can place the clean wrappings on him," Danea explained as she handed him a small pot of white powder.
Once Elessarion was safely covered once more Aragorn turned to the head of household in respect and gratitude. "My thanks Danea, I could not have done this without your aid."
"T'was my honour to serve My Lord. Now I shall expect you will wish to return this little one to his other father," Danea said, and Aragorn realised with amusement that he had been dismissed.
Laughing he tightened his arms slightly around his son. "Come now Elessarion, let us see if your Adar has recovered," he said dryly, and the baby murmured in what could have been agreement.
They made their way back to the Royal Chambers, and in passing the young King flagged down his Scribe. He quickly had a new order proclamation written, to be passed to all staff. No help was to be offered to the Prince Consort in changing the wrappings of the Crown Prince Elessarion on pain of severe punishment, and smiling happily he continued on his way.
As Aragorn approached the Royal Chambers he carefully quietened his steps as they entered the private sitting room. He snuck quietly over to the bedroom door and eased it open to peer inside. He grinned to himself as he spotted Legolas propped up in bed with a book on his lap. He opened the door wide open and strolled in, hiding another grin as Legolas attempted to close the book and lay back down.
"My love, you are awake, I hope this means that you feel much recovered," he said in a solicitous tone.
Legolas flushed slightly. "Yes, yes, I feel much better Aragorn, my thanks for allowing me a small measure of peace," he said and the young king watched his mate sniff the air delicately before seeming to relax slightly.
"I am glad, I should not like to think of you suffering my love, especially after all you went through so very recently to bring our son into this world," Aragorn said, this time with genuine sincerity as he remembered how close he had come to losing his mate.
Legolas' eyes softened and he held out his arms. Aragorn moved forward and passed Elessarion to his elven parent before climbing onto the bed beside his husband. The Elven Prince gazed down at their son before looking up at Aragorn with love filled eyes.
"I am so very happy my love," he said, and the young man overcome with emotion leant forward and placed his lips against those of his beloved.
"So am I," Aragorn said finally.
Aragorn looked down at Elessarion, he noted the frown on the child's face as a small grunt escaped the baby. Realising what this signified he quickly got up from his resting place on the bed.
Legolas looked up and frowned in concern. "Is there anything wrong Aragorn?" he asked.
"Nay, nay, there is just something that I forgot, that I must attend to, it is really quite urgent," Aragorn said quickly moving towards the door. "Do not worry Legolas, I shall return before long," he stated and left the room quickly.
He stood in the sitting room breathing in relief and trying to hold back his chuckles.
In the bedroom Elessarion let out another grunt and Legolas looked down in concern. He noted the red face of the infant and moved closer to see what could be wrong. Then an odour drifted up from the wrappings the child wore.
"Aragorn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Aragorn was mid way down the corridor when he heard Legolas' panicked call, and he could restrain his laughter no more.
The End
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Elessarion: Day One by Soar
Story notes: I would like to say a word of thanks to my beta reader Tsunami, and dedicate this story to Tam. Think of it as therapy.
