My Little Greenleaf ~ Little Legolas - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

The next week went by slowly and fairly uneventful. Legolas stayed by his father's side almost nonstop except on several occasions. Thranduil realized his son needed extra attention and freely offered it. They were both going through a hard time and needed each other desperately.
Late one sunny afternoon, Thranduil dismissed everyone from the throne room and whisked his son away to the garden. They sat on the familiar stone bench after sharing some elvish delicacies together, casually watching the birds and insects around them.
Abruptly, Legolas turned to Thranduil, "Ada? Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Little Leaf. What is it?"
"What was Nana like?'
Thranduil froze, his heart already beginning to ache. He kept any memory of his wife buried in his heart for it hurt too much for him to relive them. He had never told Legolas about his mother and even from a quite young age made it clear that that topic was off limits. Thranduil rarely even spoke of her and tried to keep Legolas from doing so as much also. It was a touchy subject to say the least.
Legolas quickly tried to fix his mistake, realizing he shouldn't have asked that, "I'm sorry, never mind. I shouldn't have asked."
Thranduil searched his heart and came to a conclusion. It was time. He gently pulled Legolas upon his lap and looked at him seriously, "No, Legolas. I have been selfish. I should have told you about your mother long ago. You deserve to know."
Legolas still looked uncertain, "Are you sure?" he asked tentatively, absently fiddling with his hair.
"Tancave." (Yes) Thranduil answered, the barest of smiles beginning to form. "But where to begin...there is so much to say. Well, what would you like to know?"
"Hmm...what did she look like?"
"Well..." Thranduil began, pulling up deeply buried memories of his wife and ignoring the ache that followed, "She had the most beautiful blonde hair I have ever seen. It was incredibly silky and always smelled like the forest."
Legolas giggled.
"Her eyes were a clear blue and seemed to be able to look beneath who you were on the outside and see your heart deep within. She saw through my façade when I was merely a prince, Legolas. Your mother was very intelligent, although she detested reading and studying..."
"Me too!" Legolas interrupted.
Thranduil sent him a look, "And let me think...when I would ask her what her favorite color was, she always insisted that she had none. Your mother loved all of the colors and believed that not a single color was higher or more beautiful than the others, but that together they created a masterpiece. She enjoyed horseback riding, stargazing, and most of all...singing. Legolas, her voice was a melody in itself. When she sang, the whole Realm fell silent to listen. She was a big part of what kept the forest so healthy..." He drifted off, imagining his wife in all her beauty and grace.
A couple minutes slowly ticked by.
"...Ada?" Legolas broke through his thoughts.
Thranduil shook his head, coming back to the real world, "Oh, I...what was I saying?"
Legolas smiled, "It's okay Ada, you can think about her if you want. I'll go play."
Thranduil stared at his son, dumbfounded, "W-what?"
Legolas didn't answer and climbed off Thranduil's lap before skipping away. Thranduil watched Legolas kneel in the dirt and mess with the grass and flowers, in awe. It was the first time since Melhonin's death that Legolas had willingly been separated from his father. A sense of peace overcame the king. His son was healing.