The Prince's Visions

Chapter Forty seven

"They are babies, James; therefore, they cry," I reply patiently, smiling as Faylen begins to calm down a bit.

"Will my new baby brother cry, too?" he asks curiously, and I lay my hand on my swollen belly absentmindedly.

I raise my eyebrow at him as Legolas enters the room, lifting Elanil in order to change and dress her. "How do you know it will be a boy?" I question him, and he shrugs.

"Because I prayed for a brother," he replies simply, and I grin.

Legolas chuckles deeply, ruffling his hair. "Are your sisters really so horrible?" he questions, quickly changing Elanil's diaper and placing a green dress on her small body so that she is matching her sister.

James thinks deeply for a moment before shaking his head. "No, but I still want a brother."

"Well," my husband replies, walking over to me with Elanil tucked safely in his arms, and his kisses me once, giving me a loving smile, "Your Naneth will soon be overwhelmed with so many babies to take care of."

I smile amusedly, rolling my eyes. "Sometimes, I believe I already am," I say, touching my stomach once again, "But I cannot wait to look into his beautiful eyes."

Legolas laughs. "You believe it to be a boy, also?" he questions, his eyes shining despite his fatigue.

"I trust James's judgement," I reply, watching as Legolas swoops our son up with his other arm, and he perches on his Ada's hip happily.

James smiles, his cute dimple showing, and I long to run my fingers through his hobbit-like curls and kiss his adorable chubby cheeks. "I love you, Nana," he says, and a wide smile spreads across my lips until my cheeks are aching.

"I love you, too, my little hobbit," I say teasingly, leaning forward to kiss his cheek repeatedly.

He shrieks with laughter, pulling away from me at the tickling sensation.

A knock at the doorframe alerts us to the presence of someone else, and I turn to see Itylra, the girls' wet nurse, standing at the door. She smiles, dipping into a curtsey. "My prince, King Thranduil has called for you and Princess Eilonwy. King Aragorn and his family have arrived," she says, her gaze traveling to the babies, "I can take the little ones for you."

"Yes, thank you, Itylra," Legolas replies, placing Elanil in her arms, and I hand over Faylen reluctantly. Itylra is a nice elleth, but for some reason, handing over my children for her to feed them always sends a prickling sensation through my heart. For some reason with all of my children, I did not produce breast milk. With James, I had a little, but with the twins I had none at all. I was so worried both times, but Lord Elrond told me that it does happen to some women occasionally. I guess I just feel jealous of Itylra because she is able to feed her own children, along with mine, and I feel at a loss of what to do when my babies are crying.

I follow Legolas out of the room, watching as James pulls at Legolas's hair to get his attention. Legolas kisses his cheek, and he holds his arm out for me to take. His hand quickly travels down to my hand, giving it a tight squeeze. I glance over at him, attempting a smile, but he looks at me sadly and I know I am not fooling him. I have spoken to Legolas of my heartache over not being able to feed my own children, but he told me not to worry. It still hurts me deeply.

Legolas looks down at our hands for a moment, before noticing something very important. "James, ion nin (my son), where are your shoes?" he questions, and I burst into laughter when I see James wiggling his tiny, bare toes.

James giggles, kicking his leg happily. "Nana forgot to put them on me, and I did not tell her," he says, and I roll my eyes.

"James, you must tell me such things from now on," I tell him, laughing lightly along with Legolas, "Now you really are like a hobbit. Legolas, I think we should drop him off in the Shire where he truly belongs."