Welcome to the World, Little Legolas.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or its characters. Amrod and Lillian are mine, no takies! Or I'll sic my rabid hamsters on you.

Genre: Drama/General

Rating: T for Teen

Summary: This is my take on how Legolas was born. Yippee! Awww, baby Legolas! And Amrod's back. Yeehaw! And this time it is to stay, I won't kill him this time. He's too cool to die! Amrod is 16 in this story.

Author's note: I do not know how elves give birth so this is my take on how elves deliver their children.

It was a happy time in Mirkwood, every elven heart was light when a message was given to every elf that lived in the palace of King Thranduil, their beloved queen, Lillian, was soon going to have a child. They loved the king and his family, especially his son Amrod. And now another member was going to be added to the family, and every heart was brimming with anticipation of its birth.

It was on one day that Lillian and Amrod was ridding their horses around the borders of Mirkwood when Amrod decided to stop for awhile and give the horses a rest. They found a place beside a beautiful waterfall. Amrod helped his mother off of her horse and she stood underneath a willow tree. Its branches waved above her head as it whispered a greeting to her.

Amrod was letting the horses drink from the river when he heard his mother laugh gently aloud.

"What is so funny mother?" he asked curiously.

"The baby, it kicked." She put a hand on her protruding stomach, laughing again as the baby kicked once more.

"Come here, son, I'll show you." She gently took his hand and placed it on her stomach where last the baby kicked. Amrod smiled as the baby gave a really strong kick.

"Seems like this baby is a fighter all ready."

"Yes, and it hasn't been born yet. You were the same before you were born. I remember spending many sleepless nights while you were kicking inside my stomach." She smiled at the thought.

"Well it seems that it might happen all over again." He laughed a gentle laugh, its musical like notes floating through the air. Amrod helped his mother sit on the ground and he stood near the horses, watching for any danger or enemies. Lillian leaned against the tree sighing contentedly, singing a gentle song. Amrod sang along with her, his deep voice enhancing the song. Everything seemed to stop and listen to the pair, even the birds.

Lillian smiled, "It seems that our song put the little one to sleep, it stopped kicking."

"Then it will be dreaming sweet dreams." Lillian looked lovingly at her son.

"So what are you hopping this baby will be, a boy or a girl?"

"It doesn't matter as long as you and the baby are healthy." He suddenly tensed, as he felt that something was terribly wrong. Lillian saw the look of worry on her son's face.

"What is it my son?" he looked around, his hand on the blade of his curved elven sword.

"Orcs, I can feel them approaching." A clear look of fear crossed Lillian's face.

"How many my son?" she asked with great worry.

"Three or four at the most, you must hide mother."

"But where my son?" he looked around until he found some bushes that where big enough to protect his mother from the eyes of the orcs.

"Hide behind those bushes mother." She looked with frightened eyes at her son.

"Don't worry about me mother, I can handle them, just go hide." And with a quick kiss on her son's cheek, Lillian hid herself, hopping and praying to Valar that her son would be safe.

One of the horses bolted in terror as the orcs busted onto the scene. Amrod cursed his bad luck and drew his sword, instantly killing one of the orcs. This angered the orcs and they fought the elven prince with more ferocity. The other three surrounded the prince, making him feel that there was no way out. But Amrod was an experienced fighter and knew not to give in and with an elven rage he stabbed one orc in the heart and beheaded another one.

While the battle between elf and orc was going on, Lillian gasped when an intense pain raced through her abdomen. "Oh no," she thought, "The baby can't be coming now. It is too soon." But much to her dismay she felt her water brake and then she knew it to be true. Oh Valar, she prayed, protect us and my unborn son.

Meanwhile the fight was picking up in ferocity. Amrod was trying with all his might to fell the last orc but with no luck. He tried to hold back a scream of pain as the orc's blade cut into his side. Amrod wavered slightly on his feet, ready to collapse any minute. The orc laughed cruelly, thinking that he had won.

The smell of blood reached Lillian's nose. She didn't know whose blood had been spilled and was too frightened to find out, but it sickened her and she quietly got sick in the grass. She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming out in agony as a strong contraction tore through her body. Why does this happen, why now? She was about to have a baby and her son was fighting for her life and the life of her unborn child and could be possibly wounded.

Amrod clutched his hand to his side as blood flowed freely from the wound in his side. He felt the world spinning around him and it took all the reaming strength he had in him to keep from falling down to his knees. No matter what he had to keep the orc from reaching his mother, even if it meant dying himself.

The mocking tones of the orc angered him and with cry of great rage, he charged the orc completely taking it by surprise. The orc tried to stab Amrod again but was too late, and with a clean swift stroke, he lost his head.

Lillian heard her son's cry and mistook it for a cry of agony. Her blood turned cold at the thought that her son must have been killed and she was left alone to have the baby by herself. Her abdomen contracted again and she gritted her teeth against the pain, hopping that it wasn't true and that her son was alive and that he would take her back safely to the palace where she would have her child.

Amrod closed his eyes, trying to gain back his composure and to hold down the feeling of nausea that suddenly overwhelmed him. He slowly walked over to where his mother was hiding and his face paled when he saw the beads of sweat on his mother's face.

"Amrod," she gasped," you are wounded."

"It is just a scratch mother, nothing serious. The baby, it can't be coming now."

"Yes my son. My water broke not too long ago." She screamed as a really strong contraction raced through her. Amrod picked his mother up gently and carried her to his horse. He didn't know how he did it because every now and then the world would spin violently around him and his legs almost buckled underneath him.

"Amrod, the wound must be serious. You feel warm with fever and you almost collapsed." Amrod knew this to be true and that the orc blade was possibly poisoned, but getting his mother home was more important, for he knew that it was not safe for the mother or the child if it was born here.

With great effort he finally got to his horse, he silently thanked Valar that at least one horse stayed. He carefully got on so as not to drop his mother who had sometime passed out from the pain and told his horse to go at a careful but fast gallop. The horse sensing the danger that his master was in quickly obeyed. Amrod held on as tight as he could to keep from falling off, the pain in his side intensifying. And with the wind at his back and a prayer on his lips, Amrod raced to the gates of Mirkwood.

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Thranduil was in his study when a servant bursted through the door.

"My lord," he gasped, "your son and wife have returned and it seems like you wife is hurt or ill." Without saying a word, the king rushed from his study and ran to the entrance of the palace, where his son and wife just arrived.

Amrod was wavering a little in saddle as his father approached him. Thankfully the bleeding had stopped but he knew that his fever had grown higher.

"My son, what happened?" the king asked with great concern.

"We were attacked by orcs ada. I managed to kill them all. Mother has gone into labor." A small moan escaped Lillian's lips.

"You there," he commanded one of his servants, "take my wife to the birthing room and inform the midwifes, she is going into labor." With great care the servant took Lillian from Amrod's arms and took her to the birthing room as Thranduil instructed.

Amrod dismounted off his horse with great difficulty, closing his eyes as the sudden movement caused pain in his side. He felt the gentle hand of his father on his shoulder.

"You are wounded my son, you should go to the healers."

"I am fine Ada, it just a scratch, nothing more." Now where did I hear that before, he thought. His father looked like he was about to argue but didn't say a word. And with great effort, Amrod followed his father into the palace to await the birth of his brother or sister.

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Lillian squeezed Amrod's hand as a strong contraction tore through her. He took a cool cloth and pressed it on her forehead, comforting her as he waited for the contraction to pass. He was lucky that the healers let him be with his mother but after much arguing on his and his mother's part they allowed him to stay. He wanted his father to be there too but the midwives said that too many people would cause commotion, so his father had to wait outside.

Lillian's grip lessened as the contraction ended. The labor had gone on for many hours and she had not felt the need to push. This worried the midwives somewhat but did not audibly tell their worries to the laboring mother. Amrod leaned back in the chair that was sitting beside his mother bed and closed his eyes. The nausea that he was experiencing before had come back; in fact he had to excuse himself at one time saying that he had to relieve himself when in fact he was violently throwing up.

"You shouldn't be here my son." whispered Lillian, "you are wounded and ill and need healing."

"I can't leave you mother, I want to be by your side when the baby is born." Lillian sighed; Amrod was stubborn, just like his father.

"You can stay on one condition. That you will leave when feel like you are on the edge of collapsing, it would be no good for me or you if you passed out on the floor." She gave her son a small smile and he laughed gently. Then he suddenly realized that he had never seen a baby being born before. Lillian noticed the look of worry on her son's face.

"What is it my son?"

"I have just realized that I have never seen a baby being born before. I'm afraid I might do something wrong or fail you mother." Lillian placed a comforting hand on her son's cheek.

"You will not fail me my son. I know you are strong and will be there for me even when your father can't." and with those words Amrod comforted his mother and waited, praying that his mother was right.

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It was when the moon rose in the sky that Lillian's labor intensified. Her screams tore through the palace and at one point the king threatened to tear the door down to get to his wife. Amrod held his mother's hand as she drew quick panting breaths, just like she remembered. The midwives busied themselves, knowing that soon their queen would be ready to push the baby out and deliver it into the world.

Amrod watched in curiosity as the midwives got a small tub and laid blankets inside of it.

"What is that for?" he asked.

"This is a birthing tub, to catch the babe when it is born."

"Was I born the same way?"

"Yes, I remember it well," said one of the midwives, "you were a breech baby and we didn't think that you or you mother would survive. But by Valar's grace you both did."

"And became the fine strong man you are today." Whispered his mother, she paled suddenly as her abdomen contracted violently and gasped for breath.

"Amrod my son, it is time. I feel the need to push." She grasped the sheets on the bed and groaned, pushing against the pain. The midwives helped her out of bed when the contraction was over and with her son behind her to catch her if she fell; they guided her over to the birthing tub.

It pained Amrod to see his mother in so much agony, but he knew from what the midwives told him that this part of the birthing process and that the worst was yet to come. Putting her arms around the shoulders of the midwives for support, she slowly went into a squatting position over the tub. Sweat poured from her body, drenching her ebony black hair. Amrod continued to put a cool cloth on her forehead and swept the sweat-drenched hair from her face.

Much to Amrod's shock, his mother let out a blood-curdling scream. She used all her strength to push as her stomach contracted with every push. The midwives told Amrod to rub her back, to help ease her pain some. He rubbed her back in smooth circles as she panted with each effort of pushing.

Her body relaxed a little and she let her head slump against her son's shoulder. This worried Amrod because he knew that his mother needed all her strength to push the baby out. His thoughts were broken by his mother's weak voice.

"Riana, I feel like I'm going to throw up." Amrod quickly got the basin for his mother and she did indeed got sick. After it was over he wiped his mother's mouth for her as she shivered violently.

"Is mother all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Don't worry our prince, it will soon be over and the babe will be born soon." As if on cue Lillian screamed as her abdomen contracted again and she began to push. At first Amrod thought that his mother was going to knock the midwives down as she pulled at them with every effort of her pushing, groaning and screaming as the pain intensified.

Finally with great relief for the midwives Lillian screamed. "I feel burning, it's coming the baby is coming." And with a great effort of pushing she felt the babe enter the birth canal.

She got sick once again and with all her might, bearing down and screaming till she could scream no more, she pushed until she felt the babe leave the birth canal, her child was born. Amrod got up rubbing his legs after being numb for kneeling in one position for so long. He heard the baby cry and knew it to be all right, even though it was born early.

He went outside to where his father was waiting, pacing the floor like a madman.

"She had the baby, mom and babe are fine." Suddenly the room started to spin around him and before his father could do anything he collapsed to the floor and everything went black.

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Thranduil sat beside the bed of his ailing son. His wife and newborn son were asleep in the birthing room so as soon as it was possible he went to the beside of Amrod. His eldest son looked deathly pale as he laid there, his breath coming in quick gasps. It had taken all the efforts of the healers to bring his fever down and several stitches to close up his wound.

Amrod moaned in his sleep and the king put a cool hand on his son's fevered brow. His son risked his life and his health to save his mother, and now he laid here in the healing rooms, no one knowing that he was going to live or die. Tears fell down the king's face as he knelt beside his son's bed, and he prayed that Valar would spare his son and let him live.

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Amrod woke with the sun shining through the windows. At first he didn't know where he was but then realized that sometime last night he collapsed and so he knew that he was in the healing wards. He turned his head and saw his father asleep in a chair, with a bundle of blankets in his arms.

"Ada," he croaked. The king awoke with a start, causing the babe that was sleeping his arms to cry. Thranduil quietly talked to the baby and it finally calmed down, gurgling and cooing happily to itself.

"Well, I guess you know that you baby brother has already made his presence known. How are feeling son?"

"Still a little tired and weak." Thranduil put a hand on his son's forehead.

"Your fever is gone too." The newborn cooed again, his little fist grabbing some of his father's hair.

"Can I see him father?" The king leaned down and Amrod pulled down the blanket. The babe had a head-full of blond hair and Amrod couldn't help but smile at the infant's beautiful blue eyes. The babe clasped his tiny fingers around his brother's and laughed.

"What is his name ada?"

"His name is Legolas, which means Greenleaf." Amrod looked on lovingly at his baby brother and before closing his eyes in sleep again he whispered lovingly. "Welcome to the world, little Legolas."

The End.

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