Chapter Text
Thranduil looked upon his son, as with Tauriel, he still looked as how the Elvenking last remembered, but changed as well, new braids adorned Legolas’s hair, though looking now as though they had been hastily redone as he had no doubts that his child had made a mess of his locks before he had been informed of his father's arrival and had his dwarf redo the plaits as quickly as was possible.
Dwarven beads clasped the braids tight, some Thranduil recognized, warrior beads, marriage bead etc, though a couple were unknown even to him, perhaps a couple for deeds unknown to the Elvenking for he had ignored all news of his son up to this point.
It had been years after all.
Last time he had seen his son, it had been well Oakenshield’s spawn were still learning to walk properly, the news Legolas's intended was a dwarf, and a dwarf who proved to be the son of one of the company no less, had been nothing more than an annoyance at the time, figuring it was just a way to irritate him, to punish his father for past actions with Tauriel, to show him how much worse his choice of Heartsong could have been.
Then the two had gone back into the wilds together, after years of not knowing his son was alright in pursuit of Striders location, Thranduil was forced into that madness again far too soon, only now with the knowledge that his child was side by side with a dwarf, not simply a man whose heart and loyalty lay with a maiden that was beyond his reach, or, at least was supposed to be.
After another passage of time, the invitation to their wedding had arrived like a slap to his face, suppose he should have been grateful that the dwarf had the decency to wait till they were wed and settled before putting his seed to root inside Legolas.
The situation as it was proved already far beyond his nerves, much less news that a birth occurred on the road.
Thranduil slowly approached the bed, hand lifted up, yet not reaching, careful, cautious that if he overstepped Legolas would call for him to be removed, and the dwarves would gladly oblige the request with vigor and weapons.
“You look exhausted, is your pain terrible?” Thranduil dared to touch now that his son did not recoil, reaching his long fingers towards his son's face, feeling it damp from the exertion despite the younger elf visibly trying to keep his face calm.
“It hurts, yes, but not as badly as before, they are eager to enter the world…” Legolas knew a pain would be coming soon, and prayed that it would at least not send him screaming.
“So were you” Thranduil admitted and received a look of interest from both his son and the dwarves watching him, eager for a small distraction, talking about his wife hurt...but their son needed this “Your mother and I...were out in the garden, she looked right at me, and said that you were coming, I had barely the time to call for aid before I was forced to assist, her skirts had barely been out of the way before you fell into my hands”
It had been a feeling beyond all description, his son, all pink and squeaking, in his hands, warm and alive, suppose that is why his son had wanted this privacy, as Gloin had shouted out to him as he tried to shove the door in Thranduil’s face, to have his son or daughter delivered into the hands of his Heartsong, just like he had been so long ago.
Legolas smiled slightly at the story, coming to the same conclusion and turned slightly to put his hand over Gimli’s who smiled at him “I don’t ask that you understand us, or even that you accept our union, but please don’t let your pride deny you something good, because despite all of this...I still love you, and I love this baby, and I want you to love them too, Ada…”
Thranduil could not fight down the intake of breath.
Ada
He had not been called that in so long, ever since his son was little, still young even by human standards, reaching up to him with chubby digits, something that one of the servants had snuck him smeared across his grinning mouth, not caring if he made his ada messy too, only that he wanted snuggles in that moment, still fitting comfortably in the crook of one arm as Thranduil acquired a matching streak of chocolate across his cheek along with sloppy kisses, the action drawing a laugh out of him and his wife who would have committed the image to a full sized painting to hang in their rooms if she had half a chance to...
Something finally cracked.
And so did a pain across Legolas’s body.
Gimli held his Forged-One as he stiffened, hissing harshly as the elf dug his face into his beloved's shoulder.
“G-Gimli….this is it” Legolas said, he could feel it, a sudden shifting downwards, his body moving without needing his permission, knowing what it needed to do.
Everyone moved fast.
Gloin moved to get the pan of warm water as Oin and Odete set some towels on the floor.
“Do you want your father to hold you up? Or do you want to brace against something, or he could catch them if you would like that” Gimli asked as he helped Legolas move to the floor, even allowing Thranduil to take his other side.
Legolas had thought he had wanted it to just be him and Gimli, their own private world as their child entered into the world, but it seemed fate had better plans as he watched his family hurry around to help him.
“You catch, father can keep me upright”
Thranduil’s grip tightened slightly as he took in the words before moving to his son's backside to help him.
It was not forgiveness, not yet, but it was still more than he deserved after everything.
The Elvenking whispered words of comfort into Legolas’s ear as he heard his son groan, Gimli was already kneeling, hands in place, and just in time as another pained moan came before the dwarf let out his own shout of surprise as a tiny babe fell into his waiting hold.
Thranduil peeked over his son's shoulder, ears twitching as he heard nothing, that could not be right, newborn babies cried, and he nearly went to his knees seeing the infant was blue.
Why was his grandchild blue?!
Gimli rubbed the babe down with a blanket “Come on little one...it’s your birthday and your family is here to celebrate you”
Silence.
This could not be happening…
Legolas mumbled something weakly in elvish, trying to look down himself but Thranduil held him tightly, not wanting his son to see.
Suddenly a choking sound broke the cursed silence.
High pitched squeals erupted, as the baby squirmed in their adads grip making him chuckle ‘She’s a fussy lass”
Thranduil finally let Legolas look and helped him lay down so Gimli could hand the wriggling baby over as Oin gently prodding at the baby and her bearer.
“Babes turn the scariest colors when they come that fast” Oin stated “But she’s pink as a rose now”
Thranduil begged to differ as Legolas had most certainly not been that color when he flew out, but perhaps this is what happened when you mixed quick elvish births with dwarvish need for chaos.
“She’s more beautiful than all the stars in the sky” Legolas said, placing a soft kiss on his daughter's head “our little Gillyd”
Gimli smiled wetly “It suits her”
A dwarvish name Thranduil could not help but think a bit sourly, also noting her bright red hair, though she was dainty in frame, at least at the moment, had a button nose and her ears, well more rounded, did have a point to them.
Suppose she was alr-oh.
Bleary eyes opened up, her ada’s warmth calming her down enough to want to look at wider world, as little as she could actually see of it, showing them to be the color of violets, she had her grandmother's eyes.
Thranduil could not fight down reaching over to brush his finger against the babe's cheek making her curl up her nose at the prodding, but did not go back to crying, choosing instead that her most important task was to start rooting around for food.
All babies had that trait in common.
Gimli took Gillyd so Legolas could prepare to feed her, and their daughter proved how much she disliked this idea by grabbing hold of her father's beard and giving a hearty yank, but that just made the dwarf laugh even more “I know I am not who you want right now, but you have to wait”
“How about we move you to the bed? Think you can move?” Thranduil asked as Legolas nodded his head and this time it was Gloin lending a hand to get his son-in-law back into the bed.
“I’ll go get you something to eat, lad, you will need it” Gloin smiled, kissing his granddaughter's tiny hand that was not clutching his son's beard on the way as he headed out of the bedroom.
Gillyd only relented her hold on Gimli once Legolas had his hands on her and she had no problem starting in on her first meal.
Thranduil watched her, she was almost impossibly small, not even the full length of a human woman’s forearm, and her birth, well quick, had taken its toll on both her and Legolas, dwarf babies were delicate, he remembered that fact well.
He would stay here for a while, re-bond with his son and get used to his ...son-in-law, and assist with Gillyd’s care.
Now to just find a way to explain why he had brought an extra horse...