Child of the Stars

Gilriant set the pile of pots in front of the patch of aggressive plants eyeing them carefully. “Okay friends, we need to have a bit of a talk.” They perk up, the rattling of the leaves quieting to a minimum. “So I’m sure you noticed it's the cold-sleep time for plants here soon. A grumpy rattling answered him, with several of the mouths snapping. “I’ve been talking with the gardeners, and the elves responsible for the food storage. They are willing to accept you inside the warm-house or by our food storage in return. The deal is you can’t hurt any elf, or their pets. What you get in return is a warmer place for the winter and those guarding the food storage can eat all the rats that you catch.”

While the Venomous Tentacula couldn’t understand his words exactly they could grasp his general meaning and sentiment. It helped that Gilriant extended his magic to help convey his meaning. Any other elf would need much more time and patience. It could be done even if you had not a drop of ability, just more applications of time and patience. The young elf gave the plants time to consider his offer.

“If you want to stay outside for the cold-sleep that is okay too. When it warms again, I will take those that like staying outside and find places for them in the wilds. I just need to introduce you to some friends first so you know who not to hurt.” The skin-changers would be one such folk. He also had a vague idea of possibly bringing them to the hobbits. As border-guards they could help the small peaceful folk. Just as long as they knew who not to attack. Haldir, Legolas, and a few of the more adventurous gardeners moved up behind him, setting more pots of various sizes down. Each contained fresh soil that had been mixed with fertilizer that would be good for the plants, but still gentle on their roots.

“Alright, if you want to guard the warm-house or the food storage, pick out a pot. If you want to stay outside for the sleep-cold, don’t grab a pot.” As vines started snaking out towards the pots he gave a warning. “Remember, if you take a pot, you are agreeing not to hurt any elf, not even the one you don’t like, or their pets.” There was a brief hesitation, and then the vines reached out again to snatch up pots.

“Let me guess, they are still holding a grudge against my father.” Legolas’s amused voice called out as he waited at the edge of their reach. “Very much so, I’ve been working on it though.” A not quite sigh escaped the young elf. “While plants can shift when needed, they are also very stubborn and persistent so that they can thrive.” Haldir offered with a slight smile. “I think the best we can hope for is that they keep to the agreement not to hurt any elf. Though I doubt the King will be in the greenhouse often, or the food storage at all.” The greenhouse was a possibility, due to its warmth oasis of greenery in the winter.

One of the vines wrapped around Gilriant’s wrist and tugged. Curious he turned in the direction of the pull and let the shrub’s pull guide him. As he moved through the plants, he noted less than half had a pot they claimed. The smallest of them, the most vulnerable to the winter so the most likely to decide the trade was worth it. The vine that guided him from one of the biggest, and when the pull stopped the clump of the larger plants drew their branches back to make a small clearing. Then he saw why he was drawn here. There were pots set down by a number of tiny plants. “Seedlings!”

Haldir deftly moved through the shrubs, one of the gardeners that had taken the time to acclimate the plants to their presence with him. “These certainly need to go in the greenhouse,” The gardener commented calmly as they kneeled down on the ground. “If we hadn’t made the offer, it's likely the largest plants would try to shield them.” All knew that their best hope for survival would be the greenhouse. The trio started to use trowels they had brought with them to carefully dig up and transfer the plants.

“I’d like to take a few to my brother. We have greenhouses in Imladris and at this age, they will be the easiest to adapt to a new place and situation.” The gardener considered for a moment then nodded. “Aye, I think most of the seedlings you should take there. Imladris has more than one greenhouse. The mature plants should stay in the Greenwood.” There was a faint rattle of agreement from the shrubs around him. Which left Gilriant with the impression they agreed with the plan.

Glancing back at the elves gathered at the edge of the patch, he noted Tindil had appeared at Legolas’ side. As he was the most vulnerable to the plants, he agreed with his magic’s decision to show up. “Go ahead and the plants that have pots are the ones you want to help. They’ll let you assist in the transplanting into their chosen pot.” Just to be safe, Gilriant sent a gentle pulse of power to the shrubs to remind them not to harm the elves. When it glided over Tindil, the light of his antlers shone brightly. The older prince had an arm around the deer’s neck and gave a sharp look over at the younger elf’s back at the same time. When the deer moved forward, so did he, refocusing on the task at hand.

Swiftly, if gently, the deed was done, moving the shrubs that volunteered into pots and out of the patch. Dividing them into groups as to which would suit what area best. The seedlings would all go into the greenhouses, even those that Gilirant would eventually take to Imladris. The larger and hardier of the volunteers would go among the various food storage areas. They were the ones that could most easily handle any large rats that snuck in. The greenhouses had some pest control runes built into them.

Gilirant helped transfer the most vulnerable into the greenhouse, only to be stopped when he tried to leave. One of the plants, one of the smallest that was not a seedling, had wrapped a vine around his wrist. “Is there something I can help you with little one?” Turning back to the plant he addressed it politely. Only to have a few more of its vines wrap around his arm, tugging insistently. “Oh, no, you need to stay right here, not come with me.” Gilriant raised his eyebrows even as the plant refused to release his grip. “I do not need a guardian plant.” The little shrub rattled its leaves loudly. The young elf sighed.

“Oh go ahead and bring your new friend.” Haldir seemed amused as he moved over to observe. “As long as they obey the rules, there would be no harm in it. Plus it may be a good deterrent for any you do not wish to see.” “You just want to see the King’s reaction. You really shouldn’t be encouraging this,” Gilriant leveled a look at the marchwarden. “Why not? It's just one plant.” Legolas’ amused voice chimed in. When the young elf felt Hedwig’s weight settled on his shoulder he knew any argument against it was lost. He eyed the plant which continued to cling to him. “Fine, but the rules doubly apply. The elf you do not like is sometimes in our rooms. You cannot hurt him, you cannot harm my cat or any of my friends.” When he picked up the pot, only then did the vines loosen their grip on his arm. “If this goes badly I will blame both of you.”

*

It was a dream. A nightmare-like warning echoing through his greater connection to the world. He knew this even as he struggled to break free of it. Many things could have been the trigger. Seeking out what the corrupted haze that had infiltrated the mountain. He had been unable to find the source of it after all. It could be the fact he sought out orcs to destroy. Or his own brush with corruption when the arrow grazed him. Whatever the cause now that he was settled and felt safe, now his subconscious mind was open to the possibilities.

With an anguished shout he finally wrenched himself free, shooting upright in bed. Haldir nimbly shifted out of the way from where he had leaned over his form. Scrambling out of bed he managed to make it to their bathing chambers. Hunched over a container in there he lost the remnants of whatever remained in his stomach. Haldir kept his hair out of the way. There was a murmur of voices in the background no doubt attracted by his cry. The marchwarden eased him away to sit on a bench, even as a cup of water was offered to him. Gratefully he took it, sipping to clear his mouth as he closed his eyes.

“Is he alright?” He could recognize Legolas’ gentle query of Haldir. “It depends on your definition of alright.” Though the marchwarden’s voice was serene, he could feel the concern there. “He would say he is fine. I would say, he will be so. He’s too stubborn not to get there.” Gilriant’s lips quirked up in a smile. “You know me so well.” Opening his eyes he turned towards Haldir, the smile falling away from him.

“T’was a warning, and a reminder.” A low voice in response told him more had been disturbed by his sleep than he wanted. “What kind of warning?” It was either his cry, or the stirrings of the power that had brought the King to investigate. Not caring that he had an audience, Gilriant tipped his head to rest his forehead against Haldir’s. “While all that anchors me remains alive, free, and uncorrupted, so do I. Without them I am lost.” He closed his eyes briefly before reopening them. “There may come a day I must leave you behind for that reason alone.” When Haldir opened his mouth to protest, he continued.

“The term anchor is quite literal, you are what binds me to Arda as well as allows me to use my gifts to balance the land.” He pulled back and smiled. “Which means no matter what, I always can and will return to you.” With a sigh he turned to look at Thranduil, feeling the warmth of Legolas seated on the other side of him. “I must be careful in stirring the balance of power. Too little, and I have lost my purpose. Too much and I will be noticed before I am ready. What I saw was . . . not pleasant.”

“Your reaction alone told us that.” Thranduil’s voice was even. He knew at least some of what had the potential to cause Gilriant to react in the way he did. If he thought he could keep the young one from such dangers he absolutely would. Yet even he knew if you clipped the wings of a bird, even for their own good, it could simply pine away. “Which is why I try to keep you from your foolhardiness.”

Feel of paws on his leg had Gilriant scooping up the kitten. As soon as Weasley was in his hands the ginger started to purr. Legolas reached over to rub a finger between the cat’s ears. Which drew another from the deluge of images to the surface of his mind. “I am not the one you need to worry about in regards to foolhardiness.” The blond looked up to see the young elf glaring at him. “Me? What did I do?” With a huff Gilriant took the kitten and stalked into the other room.

“Well, it may be a matter of something you have yet to do. Which is much better than if it had been something you already did.” Haldir’s voice held a trace of amusement. “Some of this is a reaction to help him burn off the fright.” He got up to follow Gilriant into the other room. The young elf had set the kitten on the bed and was yanking out some of his ‘working’ clothes from the armoire. “What did you See?” Yanking off the sleep shirt the young elf balled it up and threw it at Legolas.

“Giant bats bred by the enemy are not acceptable transport especially during warfare!” The older prince had a bemused expression as he caught the shirt. Completely unsure of what to do. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” Still uncaring of their audience Gilriant started yanking on the work clothes. “Haven’t done it yet then, or possibly things are changing enough so it won’t happen,” Haldir explained. As Legolas expression didn’t clear he continued with the ghost of a smile. “Just be grateful it is not something you already did. Glorfindel had to hide from him for a week.”

Whirling in the marchwarden’s direction Gilriant jabbed a finger in his direction. “I’m still mad at you!” Haldir inclined his head in acknowledgment. “And I continue to pledge that I will not go fighting alongside men in any kind of keep without you.” Haldir eyed the young elf’s hands when he sat on the side of the bed and tried to wrestle his hair into submission. Knowing what was needed he grabbed a few things from a side table and moved over to stand next to the young prince. While still tense, he relented and shifted sideways enough for the blond archer to tend to his hair.

“I promise not to use giant bats for transport?” Legolas tried in an uncertain tone. “And don’t jump down on giant trolls using a sword in their brain to steer them!” The kitten had decided it was better to climb under the pillows when his person was so angry. Haldir noticed it but continued twisting Gilriant’s hair into braids, and then the braids into a bun. Easing a pair of hair sticks to hold everything in place. “I won’t?” The young plant sitting near a window was rattling its leaves in approval for the apparent hostility coming off of their person.

As soon as Haldir squeezed Gilriant’s shoulder, signaling that he had finished, the young elf surged up to grab something out of one of the chests. “See that you don’t!” Grabbing up a small container he headed out the door. “Where is the kitchen in this place?!” The marchwarden just grabbed up an outer robe and moved to follow. “And we have reached the stress baking stage. The good news is that this will finish calming him down and we will get something very good to eat. While I am not allowed to do anything in the kitchen, it's worth following for two reasons.” His gaze flicked between Thranduil and Legolas. “It assures him that you are here and safe, and you get to be a taste tester.”

As he vanished through the doorway Thranduil reached to put a hand on Legolas’ shoulder. “I do believe we should discuss tactics, later. Follow if you like.” The prince nodded. “Yes Ada.” After the statements being made, that decree was entirely predictable. The King let his hand drop away.

“And Legolas, I hope you recognize the significance of the trust in us he showed.” More than the fact he did not send them away the instant he realized they were in the room. More than the fact he exposed his vulnerability to them. The fact that he disregarded their presence when changing was hardly anything compared to the fact Haldir fixed his braids in front of them. While some might think that was rude, or treating them as unimportant. When it was anything but.

His son just offered him a smile. “Ada, I’ve always known. From first meeting us he always showed us trust. It’s only grown deeper as time passed.” As Legolas left through the door, Thranduil pondered the words of his son. There was a great deal of truth in what he just said. He had simply failed to understand it until now. Or perhaps it was the fear of what the young elf could represent. Hope, yes. But also conflict.

Gilriant’s goal was to cleanse the land of corruption. In his experience the Enemy wouldn’t give up easily. Which meant conflict was on the horizon. Too much elvish blood had already been spent. Too many lost to the west not to return. This was balanced by the protection he laid over the land. Keeping it safe and free from that which would destroy them. Unless he was very much mistaken, no matter what happened, his son would follow the young elf. Even, or perhaps especially, into danger.

He could only hope that the day never came that he regretted any of it.

*

Haldir watched the red-headed elf as she sat cross-legged in an armchair in their rooms. Positioned out of the line of sight of the door and wearing clothes that could be adjusted if she needed to shift back quickly. Weasley perched on her shoulder and Bob the Second in his pot in her lap. Why Bob the Second, had yet to be sufficiently explained to him, but it made her laugh and that was enough for him. Tauriel was teaching the young plant to recognize their magic no matter what form they took, and on what was connected to them.

The endeavor was a good thing, the thread of anxiety present within her was not. It was likely that Tauriel didn’t even know she was feeling it as Haldir had sensed her pushing it to the side before. The young elf had no issue with being able to switch genders. Was comfortable doing so and exploring all that it meant. The anxiety came not from that, but from the fear it may be just one too many odd things for those that she cared about to accept.

Tauriel cared very little for what most people thought about her, friends and family were the exception. There she very much cared, and as much as they tried, the long ago instilled fear had never gone away completely. It was one of the things she had difficulty letting go of, and a source of frustration to those that cared about her. Likely also the root of her wanting to keep this new ability a secret. She had yet to visit Imladris to talk about it.

While Haldir understood why it would be best to discuss in person, and not via letter, the delay frustrated him. Unlike most, Tauriel had access to instantaneous transportation home. This was something she needed to address if only to stop causing herself harm with her emotions. He had given her weeks. While normally he would allow her to take as long as she needed, some instinct said it should be done before the Festival of the Stars, which would be coming soon. The young elf kept dismissing his concerns, or downplaying them.

There was something he could do to nudge the process along. It wouldn’t even involve him disclosing the information directly. One could even call it a sort of prank. While Haldir knew it would likely anger her, this was one of the times he would meddle. It was all a matter of timing. Now would be excellent. The marchwarden retreated to a side room.

“Fawkes,” Haldir called out softly. It didn’t take long for the fire phoenix to show up in a flash of flame. He trilled a question as he landed on the marchwarden’s shoulder. “Could you please take this letter to Elrond.” Cheerfully Fawkes grasped the upheld letter in his hand before launching off his shoulder and flaming away.

*

Elrond looked up from his desk when Fawkes appeared in a quick flash of fire. The phoenix deftly landed on his desk, offering up a letter held in his beak. “Well thank you.” Taking it, the elf opened it up to read a short missive. The contents had his eyebrows shooting up. For some reason Haldir was congratulating him on a recent addition to the family. That made little sense, so there had to be a deeper meaning here.

That it came from Haldir, told him it had something to do with Gilriant. It could not be the traditional meaning for the use of those words, as his brother had not wedded anyone. Elrond would know almost instantly if that happened. Their bond was close enough to tell him that. That he sent the note via Fawkes instead of one of Hedwig's regular mail deliveries told him that it may be an issue that needed addressing. At least that Haldir felt that way.

“Fawkes, would you be so kind as to bring Gilriant here?” When the phoenix rustled his feathers uncertainty and gave a questioning trill, Elrond inclined his head. “Yes, I will take responsibility for the request.” Considering what happened the last time Fawkes had brought his brother to Imladris, it wasn’t difficult to guess what concerned the fire phoenix. Looking much happier the bird launched off the desk before flashing away.

It didn’t take long for Fawkes to return, depositing a red headed elleth in one of the comfortable chairs in his office. He immediately flapped over to land on Elrond’s shoulder. The cat on her shoulder was a surprise, as was the potted plant with rattling leaves. The biggest shock though was her appearance. The strong resemblance to his Atto threw him for a moment. Long enough for that shock to reverberate through him.

The elleth flinched before her vivid green eyes latched onto the fire phoenix. “Fawkes! I told you not to just grab me and take me somewhere!” With an apologetic trill, the phoenix drove off his shoulder and flew through the open doorway. While the appearance was unfamiliar the presence which was laced with charged anxiety was not. Elrond was long accustomed to the wildly unlikely happenstance which occurred around his sibling. “Flying away isn’t going to help you!” The shock was fading in favor of concern for the flinch and anxiety coming off the red-head.

Swiftly he got up and paced over to the chair. “Gilriant? Perhaps I should have a word with Haldir about how he words his missives.” Elrond could hear the faint creak from the pot she was holding tightly. The kitten was looking about with curiosity even as the plant’s rattling leaves grew louder. The elleth chose to look down at the plant. “Bob no! This is my brother.” He didn’t miss the quick anxious look that flicked to his face and back to the small shrub looking plant.

“Bob? That is an interesting name for a plant.” Elrond commented calmly. “It’s Bob the Second actually.” The elleth’s anxiety was still present, but she answered, her gaze flicking from him to the plant and back again. “The Second? Dare I ask what happened to Bob the First?” “He was left behind to guard a garden.” Maglor was now in the doorway, Fawkes on his shoulder. He stared at the elleth, a little pale, yet slowly moved towards her. “I do hope this one doesn’t like to eat cutlery as well, hinya. You have an interesting effect on plants.”

“Atar.” The elleth’s voice was quiet, even as Elrond spotted the faint tremble from her lower jaw. Spotting the signs, when she sprang up to hug Maglor he deftly scooped up the kitten and caught the potted plant, setting it on a side table. The older elf simply wrapped his arms around his child, tucking her under his chin. “I missed you hinya.”

Hedwig appeared in a swirl of snowflakes. She took one look at the scene, gave Fawkes a scolding trill before popping back out again. Less than a minute passed before she returned, bringing Haldir with her. “Ah I see you have met Weasley and Bob Lord Elrond. I couldn’t decide which was the reason Tauriel declined the last few family dinner invitations.” The marchwarden declared calmly. The Lord of Imaldris regarded the plant. “I do believe it must be Bob the Second, as Atya said Bob the First liked to eat cutlery.”
The annoyed huff had Maglor pulling back just enough to look the elleth in the face, “Tauriel?” Her expression softened and she gave him a short nod. “Suits you, as does this new braid in your hair.” A smile crept up her face. “Grandmother taught me.” Her gaze flicked over to Elrond. “She taught me a version you can use if you like Elrond.” Her brother stilled and then smiled. “I would be honored.” Then the elleth’s attention turned back to Haldir. “I’m mad at you!” Unrepentant he replied mildly, “You seemed stuck. Besides I thought you might enjoy challenging your nephews to an archery contest.”

Glee lit up her eyes. “Yes!” Pulling away from Maglor she shot out of the room, Hedwig flying after her. “Ro! Dan!” Haldir watched her go with an air of satisfaction. “And that should help her settle her nerves.”

“I thought Gilriant was terrible at archery?” Elrond lifted an eyebrow as he looked over at the marchwarden. “Gilriant is still terrible at archery. Tauriel is a natural at it. Which they find most perplexing and vexing. I’m sure she will explain more. I sent a note to King Thranduil apologizing that Gilriant forgot to mention a family dinner and we would be back in a few days. Which will undoubtedly make Legolas moody but he’ll get over it.”

The squeaky mew from the kitten had Elrond petting him even as he considered everything Haldir did and did not say. “Is that so? Interesting.”