Title: Elessar & Eldarion: It Hurts!
Author: Sivan Shemesh
Beta: Aranel
Disclaimer: LOTR isn't mine, I just write it for pure fun.
Rate: K+
Warning: Family/Friendship, angst/humor, AU.
Summary: Eldarion is in pain, and Elessar thinks of way to ease the pain and Legolas get in the middle… grin…

A/N: This bunny came to me about Teitho theme - excuses, but only now I find the courage to write it… though poor Eldarion is only a child… evil grin…

Gondor

"ADA…" Eldarion called, as he curled under the blanket, his hands covering his cheeks.

Elessar hurried into his son's bedroom, fear showing in his gray eyes. The king ran towards the bed, stopping as he reached.

"What is it, my son?" Elessar asked, but received no response except a boy crying beneath the blanket, "What are you hiding from, my sweet Eldarion?"

"It hurts…" The boy sobbed.

Elessar removed the blanket from his son, and, noticing the tears that rolled from Eldarion's eyes, he wiped them off with his hand before he asked, "What is it, my son?"

"My teeth." Eldarion replied, while wrapping his hands closer around his cheeks.

"Oh…" Elessar said sympathetically, as he embraced his son.

"Come with me, my son, and let us find you something to soothe your pain for awhile before the morning comes…"

But when they left Eldarion's room, both of them were surprised to see Legolas staring at them with an indescribable expression on his face.

"Legolas, is that you?" Aragorn asked his friend.

"Who did you expect to be?" Legolas asked his friend with a frown, not even knowing if he were welcome.

"Nobody." Aragorn replied and smiled.

Legolas turned around, but stopped when he heard the boy calling for him.

"Uncle Legolas," The boy called out, his teeth still hurting, "I missed you."

Legolas smiled and walked toward the boy, ruffling the boy's hair. "I missed you too, Eldarion."

It was then that he noticed the pain behind the small smile the boy gave him.

"What pains you so much, Eldarion?" Legolas asked. His heart clenched just to see the boy in pain.

"My teeth."

Legolas stared at Aragorn as he asked him, "What do you plan to give him?"

"Something to ease the pain, so he can pass the night, and then we will deal with it in the morning." Elessar replied.

"What is it exactly?" Legolas asked his friend as he could not think of what might help.

"Ice." Elessar simply replied, in that way that always made Legolas a little angry.

"Where did you get this ice?"

"Faramir gave it to me once. He told me that it will chill my drink in the heat, and it works. Since then, I kept asking him to bring us more." Elessar explained to his friend with a grin.

Noticing how the pain eased for the boy as Aragorn administered the ice, and how, finally, Eldarion could catch some sleep, Aragorn and Legolas sighed in relief.

--

In the morning…

Eldarion woke crying, his hands gripping his jaw.

The king hurried up, and when he entered his son's room, he noticed the tense jaw, and knew that he had to remove the tooth that was causing it all.

"My son," Elessar embraced him while Legolas stood in the door frame watching and wondering what his friend would do. He certainly could not stand seeing this precious child tormented by aches.

"The only way to deal with it is to remove the tooth that bothers you."

Eldarion started crying again, as he understood what his father told him, but he was reluctant to do it.

"I don't want to do it, ada."

"You must, my son, or the pain will grow worse." Elessar tried to coax the boy.

"But… but… it will hurt more than it does now…" Eldarion started to find any excuse he could think of.

"No, it will not!" Elessar told him, and then he turned to look at Legolas, a certain gleam in his eye.

Legolas stared at him, and then glanced at Eldarion.

"No… Don't you dare…" Legolas said, hoping to escape from whatever the king planned for him.

"You must do this Legolas, for Eldarion." Aragorn told him, and Legolas could see the pain and the plea in the man's gray eyes.

"Fine, I will do it, but you owe me one." Legolas told him, not wanting to suffer for nothing worth it in return.

"Alright. Now can you please do as I say?" Elessar grinned as he asked the elf.

As the elf nodded grudgingly, Elessar felt a tug on his clothes, and noticing the worry that showed on Eldarion's face, he asked, "What is it, Eldarion?"

"What are you doing with Uncle Legolas?"

"Legolas is there to demonstrate that removing the pained teeth will not hurt." The king told his son.

"Where?" Eldarion asked.

"Outside, where the nature will give him comfort." Aragorn told his son, leading the elf where he wanted.

Legolas shot his friend a glare. Aragorn had better remember this, because if it was going to be hurt, well, he did not know what he would do, but he knew someone would pay for it - sooner or later.

"I hope I am not going to regret it." Legolas said soft enough so only Aragorn could hear.

"I hope so too," Aragorn grinned at him, as he moved his tools closer to Legolas and motioned for him to open his mouth, "Forgive me, my friend, if I cause any pain."

Legolas only glared in return. 'You are a dead man, Aragorn.' The prince thought as he felt the first stab of pain as Aragorn tugged on the weakest tooth in his mouth. And when the man pulled his otherwise healthy tooth to show his son, he had to hold back his scream. That tooth had better grow back.

Meanwhile, Legolas could feel the blood flowing from his sore side.

"I will be right back." Legolas said hurriedly and left father and son alone while he hurried inside to wash his mouth of the blood. 'Why did I have to demonstrate in the first place?' Legolas thought berating, 'I should have stayed at Ithilien!'

--

While outside…

Eldarion wanted to wait for his Uncle Legolas, but his father only wanted to get the tooth out and have this over and done with.

"Can grandpa can do it?" Eldarion asked his father.

"If you wish, I can send a messenger to invite him over."

"I will like that," Eldarion told his father and stood where Legolas had vacated. Looking at the drops of blood on the ground, and then at the blood in his father's hand, where he had held the removed tooth. Shuddering, he added, "Then grandpa could take care of us."

"Who is us?" Aragorn asked curiously.

"Me and Legolas," Eldarion replied and then, noticing his ada's frown , he added, "He is hurt, just like me."

"I can do that well enough," Elessar said after he sighed heavily, and then he stared at his son with concern, "What will you do till Elrond comes here, son?"

"I will share the ice with Legolas until then." Eldarion replied.

"Very well." Elessar told him resignedly.

The king now knew not to tug on the tooth but yank it out in one motion. He poised his hand and took a deep breath. Eldarion looked suddenly worried. Then a scream pierced the stiffened air and the silence.

"It seems that we've forgotten about Legolas. We'd better check on him." The king said hurriedly, a guilty look on his face as he quickly turned back into the house.

Eldarion followed on his heels, his eyes accusing, even as he struggled to keep up with his father.

"Poor Uncle Legolas…" Eldarion mumbled through a pain-numbed mouth.

The End?