Coming Home

Lydwina Marie

"How about this one, darling?"

Galadriel dangled a yellow ribbon before her little daughter's face, smiling as Celebrian snatched at it with both hands.

"Ribbon! Ribbon!"

"This one, then," she laughed, tying it deftly about the slender braid twirling down the side of her daughter's face. "Now turn and face me! I wish to see my lovely daughter."

Celebrian jumped to her feet and spun around, giggling in delight as her dress swirled about her legs. Galadriel laughed as well, steadying her carefully and looking her up and down with pursed lips. Celebrian stood still, watching her mother with a worried expression in her blue eyes, but her face broke into a happy smile as Galadriel nodded contentedly.

"I am sure your adar will not recognise you when he returns, you have grown so!" she exclaimed. "I will have to watch you carefully, in case you are swept away by crowds of admiring ellyn, hmm?"

Celebrian giggled, hugging her mother's knee as she jumped up and down. "I am not leaving you and adar ever. You will need me!"

"So we will," Galadriel agreed with a smile, but it widened as she heard footsteps outside the door. "Is that your adar now, darling?"

Celebrian scampered for the door, her ribbons forgotten as she tottered precariously on tiptoe to reach the knob. It turned before her groping fingers could grasp it, though, and the door swung inwards and almost knocked her over. Galadriel's involuntary gasp was lost in her daughter's scream of delight as she beamed up at the intruder.

"Adar! Adar!"

It was Celeborn, but to Galadriel's eyes he had never looked more completely spent than he did now. It was all he could do to manage a smile for his wife before his attention was torn away by the dancing elfling clutching at his knees.

"Who in Arda can this be?" he asked in wonderment, crouching stiffly so he could meet his daughter's eyes. He glanced back up at Galadriel. "You did not tell me so lovely an elleth would be staying with us, my angel!"

"Adar! Do not be an..." Celebrian paused as she searched her memory for the word her mother had taught her that evening. "... ill-illit-erate...?"

Celeborn's eyebrow flew up before he recovered and returned it to its normal position above his eye, but he did not say a word. Celebrían's eyes widened and threatened to overflow, her plump lips trembling ominously. "You... you do know who I am? I am not too old, Adar?"

"Of course I know who you are, sweetheart," Celeborn assured her, pulling her into his arms for a hug. Celebrian gave an exaggerated sigh of relief before she surrounded her father's neck in a strangling grip, almost knocking him backwards.

"Val... ar..." Celeborn gasped, loosening her arms with an effort and regaining his balance at the same time. Galadriel smiled as Celebrian stepped away from him, but her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She had not missed the flash of pain that crossed her husband's features, and one would have to be blind not to notice his exhaustion.

Hiding her concern, she crossed the floor swiftly and leaned down to help Celeborn up. He met her questioning gaze with a grimace, and nodded warningly towards their daughter. Celebrian now sat on the floor digging in his pack, handling his daggers with supreme interest.

"Nana!" She let out a howl of delight. "Knives!"

Galadriel was already on her knees, carefully setting the daggers on the table well out of Celebrían's reach. Celebrian scowled, but her interest was soon peaked by the quiver of arrows that lay beside the pack. Celeborn sighed, leaning down to pull that, too, from his daughter's hands.

"Careful, sweetheart, you'll hurt yourself."

Celebrian raised her horrified eyes to the heavens and let out a scream of protest. She broke off when she remembered how she was generally punished when she made similar noises, and sat silently for a moment. Then she attempted to break her parents' hearts with soul-shattering moans, crouching on the floor as her fingers crept towards the pack once more. Celeborn and Galadriel were, for the moment, unaware of her.

As Celeborn slowly straightened, Galadriel touched his shoulder lightly, feeling her heart tremble even before his arms closed about her. His lips were gentle on hers, and she melted into his embrace, filled with joy and relief.

He had come home.

"I missed you so much, meleth-nin," she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder once they finally broke apart.

"You knew I would come, hiril-vuin," he answered with a weary smile, burying his face in her soft hair. Then a shriek split the air, and they both jerked upright.

"More knives!" Celebrian was on her feet, jubilantly waving yet another dagger in the air. "Knife, knife, knife!"

"Ulmo's beard!" Celeborn gasped, diving for his daughter with a panicky look on his face. Celebrian danced lightly away from him; then she stopped and assumed a fighting stance.

"Come and get me, spawn of Morgoth!" she yelled, stabbing fiercely at her father, who jumped out of the way just in time.

"Celebrian, Celebrian, Celebrian..." Celeborn gasped. He was beginning to hyperventilate. (It was highly unpleasant, as hyperventilation generally is.) He could ignore the... ahem... ejaculations... for now.

"Aha! Thlay me, would you?" Celebrían's lisp became more pronounced as her excitement mounted. "I'll teach you!"

Before either of her panicking parents could intervene, she aimed the dagger, tongue poking out the side of her mouth in concentrated deliberation, and hurled the dagger straight at the wall. She tottered on her toes until the knife hit the wall with a satisfying 'thwack', and then sighed in relief. "I got him!"

She turned again to the bag and squatted down, turning it upside down and shaking all its contents out. "More knives?"

Fortunately for her parents, but unfortunately for Celebrian, no more weapons were to be found. She stifled her shrieks, though, and smiled as she held up a grey tunic that would have trailed at least a foot behind her. "Oh... dress..." she sighed contentedly.

Celeborn leaned against the wall, his head in his hands, while Galadriel walked composedly to the door and called calmly for Celebrían's nurse. Then she turned and gave her husband a collected smile.

"No more knives!" she said brightly, lowering her voice so their daughter would not hear.

"Spawn of Morgoth!" Celeborn managed in a strangled gasp. "Flames of Utumno, how did she pick that up?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know," Galadriel said pointedly. "I thought you might, though."

Before Celeborn could reply, an elleth entered the room and curtsied. Celebrian glanced up and squealed in delight.

"Tallë! Tallë!"

The smiling maiden bent down and lifted the elf-maid onto her hip, hugging her tightly. That Celebrian adored her was obvious, and that the adoration was reciprocated was also plain.

"Come, meleth-nín," Galadriel said softly, taking her husband's hand and guiding him out of the room. Celebrian did not notice their departure, so engrossed was she in displaying her father's possessions to her nurse.

"Dress... dress..." she rambled on. "Dress, clips – oh! Tallë! Tallë! Rope!"

The last Galadriel heard was Tallë's panicked shriek. "No, Celebrian! You'll hurt yourself! Take that away from your neck!"

She cast a sideways glance at Celeborn as they entered their bedchambers, all too aware of his exhaustion. Now they were alone, he dropped any pretence of energy and leaned tiredly against the wall.

"Celeborn?"

His wife's soft voice, fraught with thinly-veiled worry, roused him and he lifted his head.

"My legs will not hold me anymore," he admitted ruefully. "I am more weary than I thought."

Galadriel's concerned frown did not fade, and he reached out his hand again. "Do not fear, Galadriel. I will be well, I promise."

"If you would reassure me..." Galadriel paused, taking his hand and drawing near again.

"I would," Celeborn said quietly.

"Then I would feel the strength of your arms," she whispered, leaning into him as she raised her head to kiss his cheek. "And I would see you smile upon me, and call me Artanis as my family did so long ago... I would have all this, and more, till my heart is satisfied that you are well."

Celeborn smiled, his eyes dancing as he bent his head to hers. "I will do all in my power to set your fears at rest, my Artanis."

He released her hand and wrapped his arms instead about her waist, pulling her closely to him. She reached up to twine her arms about his neck, sinking into his embrace with a sigh of contentment.

"Have I relieved your worry somewhat?" he asked, smiling down at her as she nestled comfortably against his shoulder.

"A very little," she answered with a gentle laugh, lifting her face to his, "but a little goes a long way, or so it is said."

"Then what would you suggest?" he questioned softly, gazing into her smiling eyes.

Galadriel cupped the back of his neck with one hand, drawing his head down to hers. "This," she said simply, and pressed her lips to his.

THE END