Fellowship of the Dynasty - And He Lived Happily Ever After...

[Shewolf13]

Awww!  Poor Boromir!  Great update.  lol, I snorted when I saw him getting married in the wetsuit XD

[Niana]

Whoops! Late starting this, but happy I found this now. Like everyone else, I love the theme And your babies are adorable! RIP Boromir...

Also - eternal summer has drawbacks too - they get suntanned, then sunburned, then overheat and have a chance of bursting into flames! You would've had to have built some kind of a shelter anyway, so glad it all worked out!

[Tiamet]

Awww!  Poor Boromir!  Great update.  lol, I snorted when I saw him getting married in the wetsuit XD

I'm gonna miss Borrie.  Merry runs around in the wetsuit all the time, I love it!  I don't usually change anything in the clothes department, unless it's for the story, I'm trying to keep the file size down, but the flippers crack me up all the time!

Whoops! Late starting this, but happy I found this now. Like everyone else, I love the theme And your babies are adorable! RIP Boromir...

Also - eternal summer has drawbacks too - they get suntanned, then sunburned, then overheat and have a chance of bursting into flames! You would've had to have built some kind of a shelter anyway, so glad it all worked out!

I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it!

I decided against summer for those very reasons, but didn't realize just how cold spring could be.  But it's all good now, (I hope).  And speaking of babies...

Chapter Eight - Fellowship Family Life

Boromir was gone, leaving only happy memories and the faint smell of pumpkin in the air.  The rest of the family, busy with the babies, soldiered on, consoling those without stone hearts.

Grammie Lesley and Granddad Aragorn muscled out everyone to bring the babies to the cakes, where they proved that Merry's good looks would continue another generation.




Gandalf was bald, not surprisingly, since his grandfather had also been.



Elrond had hair, to everyone's vast relief.  It meant they could tell them apart.



This generation got to explore a whole new child care option, the playpen.



Tia was delighted that the twins could play peek-a-boo, while Lesley, Nikia and Aragorn were grateful that their needs went up while playing in it.  But they also got a lot of outside time, playing on the spring riders.



All too soon, it was birthday time.  Lesley and Aragorn took the twins to the cakes.



Lesley was holding up well, over a hundred and still going strong.  The twins aged up well...



Although Gandalf was still bald.  Tia marched him off to the mirror to get some hair. 

Elrond had the awful muscle shirt, so that was changed. 



Auntie Galadriel had sent special friends for the twins.  Gandalf started sitting in front of things, the dishwasher, the shower, anywhere he was sure of causing someone to yell that they couldn't get past him, and singing to Snuggles.



Aragorn missed his brother terribly, and in an attempt to cheer him up, the family decided to get rid of the Just-In-Time monstrosity that kept breaking down and no one ever remembered to use, and use the room for a practice area for him.  Aragorn found that practicing without Boromir hurt, but also brought back good memories. 



The twins were curious about Granddad Aragorn's secret room, since the door was firmly bolted against them, and Legolas explained that certain skills were for certain people.  He also explained why Gandalf couldn't have his constant wish to be a Vocal Legend.  The twins began to understand part of the strange family they were part of.



But it was Saturday, and it was a warm, sunny day, and they still had two days to be children.  They made the most of it.



Lesley was a big part of the boys lives, helping with homework, and fixing their favorite snacks.  At one hundred and eighteen, she was a lively old lady, full of fun.  But after a few days at home, having water balloon fights with Nikia and reading bedtime stories, the inevitable happened.

She got the Stir Crazy moodlet.

Tia begged her to stay home.  But she had been asked to present a cheque at the local school, in aid of a charity she had worked long and hard for.  Nothing was going to stop her.  She said goodbye to everyone and headed off, a spring in her step and a light in her eye.

Grim was waiting.



He had the courtesy to wait until after she'd made her speech, and then they shook hands.  Lesley had never been afraid of new things, and this would be a new adventure.  Legolas quietly collected her headstone.

While this was going on, Nikia and the twins had their birthdays. 

Gandalf



Elrond



Everyone dealt with their grief in different ways.  Merry painted, Aragorn broke boards, but Legolas had a different strategy.



Very different.

[Shewolf13]

Awww!  Another faithful helper passes on.  I do like Legolas's way of dealing with it though.  Gotta love the bikes XD

[LivvieLove]

I'm in love with this story! It's been bookmarked!
You've inspired me to keep going in my attempts as I now realized what I've been missing in all of mine - meaningfulness! I really need it to be meaningful, the names the reasons why there is a legacy/dynasty! Thank you for inspiring me, and I hope you do continue this story, as it is a wonderful read! I can't help but say I've laughed out loud (very literally) several times!

[Rhoxi]

Whoah, the thing with the pumpkins was certainly weird. I've never seen a sim do that! Poor Aragorn; it's like he's having a mid-life crisis!

[Tiamet]

Awww!  Another faithful helper passes on.  I do like Legolas's way of dealing with it though.  Gotta love the bikes XD

Trust me, he does!  I got Gimli a bike in another file, and Lasse promptly stole it and wouldn't give it back.

I'm in love with this story! It's been bookmarked!
You've inspired me to keep going in my attempts as I now realized what I've been missing in all of mine - meaningfulness! I really need it to be meaningful, the names the reasons why there is a legacy/dynasty! Thank you for inspiring me, and I hope you do continue this story, as it is a wonderful read! I can't help but say I've laughed out loud (very literally) several times!

*blushing*  Wow, thanks, I don't know that I deserve so much praise!  I do like to play with a theme of some sort.  It helps keep the long term picture fixed.  I have great respect for all the people on here who have done this, especially the ones who did it without all the new expansions.  Keep trying, find a story/theme that you like, and keep going.

Whoah, the thing with the pumpkins was certainly weird. I've never seen a sim do that! Poor Aragorn; it's like he's having a mid-life crisis!

The pumpkins blew me away, seriously.  Just one after another.  It was so weird!  Aragorn's going to be okay, but Legolas is starting his Mid Dynasty Crisis a little early, Gen 4 is only a teenager.  It comes up in the next update. 

[Tiamet]

Chapter Nine - Legolas and the Mid Dynasty Crisis

"This place is awesome!" Merry exclaimed, in tones of breathless wonder.  "Why don't we have a house here?  I could spend weeks just painting the play of light across the sand, or trying to capture the way the green of the oasis flickers..."



"Meriadoc, when all this is done, we'll talk about vacation houses.  In the meantime, find Farouk and give him that painting!"  Tia scolded.  "Every time we leave home I break out in hives.  Just finish the opp, do the shopping and get back on the plane.  Please?"

Merry grumbled, but he knew there was more to Tia's worry than him picking up a traveling bug.  He'd had all his shots, all precautions had been taken, but it was still risky.  They were willing to take the chance if it meant he could complete his Opps.

The real problem was a current that ran underneath the smooth workings of the family.  This was more than grief at the loss of his mother.  It was more than the way his father sometimes tilted his head and laughed softly to himself, as if Uncle Boromir had just told him one of his famous jokes.  They were a weird mob, to be sure, but this was something different, something darker.  It was beginning to show itself in small ripples that could wreck the solid relationships that had been the foundation of his life.

There was something wrong with his grandfather.  And Legolas was the heart and solidity of the Dynasty.  Unflappable, focused, and with steely determination, he led them along the path he had set out.  But lately, he was strange, off, somehow.  If Legolas were to give up hope...

He straightened his shoulders and ran off to find Farouk.

*****

He returned to find Legolas and Aragorn engrossed in the chess table.



"How was Eygpt?" Legolas asked absently, as he considered his next move.

"Amazing!  We have got to go there one day."  Merry told him, as he kissed Nikia and tugged Elrond's cap off.  The boy shrieked and pulled it back over his messy blond hair.

"And?" Aragorn asked, a world of import in the question.

"It's done!  I'm finished my Opps!"  Merry said with quiet pride.  Aragorn left the chessboard to join the group hug that surrounded Merry.  Nikia was so happy she instantly forgave Gandalf for being brought home by the police for breaking curfew.  The family looked across to their founder, who rocked back in his chair.

"Well done, Merry," was all he said.  He stood up and answered the incessant ringing of his phone.  Speaking quietly, he nodded and hung up.  "I have to go out."  He paused only to pat Merry on the shoulder and they heard the unearthly rumble of the Beast as he sped away into the night.

"Don't worry, Merry," Aragorn said, gripping his son's shoulder.  "I'll talk to him in the morning."

*****

"Dad, I'm worried about you."  Aragorn said the next morning, as his father, looking the worse for wear, rolled in.  "What's going on?"



"Nothing that concerns you!" Legolas snapped at him and made his way to the fridge.

"Who was it this time?" Aragorn asked, concern and disdain mingled in his voice.  "Nellie?"



"Tamara?"



"That little fairy cutie from the consignment shop again?"



"People are starting to talk, Dad.  It's going to make it harder on Merry and the boys..."

"They talk about you passing out anywhere and everywhere in that sleeping bag, too!"  Legolas exploded.



"That's not the same and you know it, Dad."

"Aragorn, I've done my bit."  Legolas said, pulling out the juice.  "I've got a splitting headache, I'm tired, and if I want to meet new people and have some fun in my retirement, where's the harm?"

"But that's just it, Dad.  You never retired.  You haven't touched the garden in days, though.  You're not around to help the boys with homework, you don't want to do family things, it's like you're trying to distance yourself from us."  He paused and looked steadily into his father's icy blue eyes.  "What's really going on, Legolas?"

Something seemed to crumble in the other man.  He shook his head, unable to speak for a moment.  Then he blinked hard, and led Aragorn out to the greenhouse where they could be alone.

"It's Elrond," he said, a waver in his voice.

[Shewolf13]

Ack!  Trying to kill us with suspense!  Poor Legolas... great update though ^^

[Tiamet]

Chapter Ten - What's a Nice Elf Like You Doing in a Place Like This?

"Elrond?"  Aragorn asked in surprise.  "What's Ronnie got to do with this?"



Legolas rubbed his temples.  "Please, Aragorn, don't call him that!  Not right now!  It's complicated.  I understand why we needed another helper, I don't like it, mind, I understand it.  But why would he send Elrond?" 

"Maybe because he's a great artist?"  Aragorn asked him, trying to fathom why it would bother Legolas so much.



"Faramir or Eomer would have done just as well.  But Elrond, well, he's an elf, you know, on the other side."

"I know that, Legolas, and so are you.  I would think that would make you closer..." he broke off as a horrible thought crossed his mind.



"He's going to die in this Dynasty!  And you'll have to watch it happen, not be able to stop it!"  he gasped, reaching out to hug his father, his friend.  "Why didn't you say anything to us?"

"What could I say?" Legolas mumbled into Aragorn's shoulder.  "At least with Boromir, it was the only way all nine of us could get here.  But Elrond?"

"Elrond has always been a friend to this Fellowship," Aragorn told him gently.  "Perhaps it was his choice."

"A little vacation from the Halls of Mandos, you mean?"  Legolas snorted.  "He's going to get old, Aragorn."

"So did you," his son told him.  "Talk to Elrond.  Don't pull yourself away to avoid getting hurt later on.  We need you."

"I just feel old and useless and frightened."  Legolas said.  "The town is full of old supernaturals and people with no homes.  Where are the boys going to find spouses?  What if we fail on Ops?  And there's nothing I can do."



"Don't give up on yourself, you're a vital part of things.  We'll talk to Tia about the spouse situation, but in the meantime, you had better talk to Elrond and Merry.  You really let Merry down when he got back from Egypt."  Aragorn pulled out his phone and texted the pair.  "Don't hold things in, Legolas.  We need you here.  And stop running around with all those ladies, you've got a Manipulator reputation!  What's all that about?"

Legolas looked down at the ground.  "I miss Kat," he said simply.  Aragorn looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

"Mom was a marriage of convenience, but what you had with Kat was special."

"And over.  She's not an elf, Aragorn."

"Let's just concentrate on getting Merry to Ambrosia in the next week, shall we?"  Aragorn said, as he heard Merry and Elrond come crashing through the door.

"Matching wetsuits?"  Aragorn said, raising an eyebrow.  "Legolas has a few things to say to you," he told them, turning away to give them privacy.



Legolas swallowed.  "I'm sorry for the way I've been, well, acting the past little while.  But I have to know something.  Elrond, how was it that you were sent here?"

Elrond started.  "Did you really think I'd let anyone else go with Gandalf?  One of my dearest friends in all the worlds?  There was no question of who it would be, I insisted."  He looked long and hard into his great-grandfather's face.  "Is that what's been worrying you?  I wondered."

Relief broke out over the old man's face like sunshine after a summer storm.  "I've been such an idiot!" he chuckled, shaking his head.  "As if even he could order you about."

"Thanks for you concern, old friend," Elrond told him, wrapping him in a hug.  "It will all be well."

"And you, Meriadoc!"  Legolas laughed, pulling the lad to him.  "I've been beastly to you as well!  Well done, lad, finishing all your requirements with nine days before you turn Elder.  Impressive!"

He hugged him fondly.



"I wanted to make up for the last time, with the whole horse business, you remember."  Merry told him, laughing.

"How shall we celebrate?"  Elrond asked.  "I've just learned a few new recipes."

"I've got something better in mind," Legolas said, with a return of the light that had been missing in his eyes the past weeks.  "Grab Gandalf, Aragorn, and let's teach these boys to drive!"





(I promise the funny will be back next update, this bit just had to be got over first.)

[Shewolf13]

Awww! Poor Legolas!  Very nice update Tia!

[Tiamet]

Thanks, Shewolf!  It's not all nectar and skittles at the Fellowship homestead.  But things are about to get, well, interesting?

Chapter Ten - A What Now?

"Hey, Dad!"  Gandalf called, as the doorknob refused to turn in his hand.  "The music room is locked!  Can you do something about that?"

"Try the other one!" Merry called back.  "You've been skilling up too fast in there."

Grumbling, virtuoso Gandalf tried the door to the room that had been locked since before his birth.  It opened to show him an old book resting on a stand and a fully stocked cupboard. 

"Yes!" he cried, pumping his fist in the air.  He rushed over to the book and began scanning the secrets in its pages.



"IwannabeanAlchemist!IwannabeanAlchemist!Iwannabean..."

"Fine, fine," Tia told him, as the LTW not only popped up immediately, but four times as well. 

"That's him sorted for the next while," Nikia said, fixing the dishwasher.  "Any ideas about girlfriends?"

"I've got one," Elrond said, pulling out his phone.  Three hours later a giggle of teenage girls descended on the gates for a slumber party.

"What?" Elrond said, as his parents stared at him.  "I know them all from school anyway."

The slumber party was doomed from the beginning.  For some unknown reason, Elrond and Gandalf couldn't talk to any of the girls.  The best they could do was not snub them, but other than that, no interactions were available.

Then, to the delight of the gnomes, the girls all camped out in the garden, oblivious to the sprinklers that soaked them as they tried to sleep.



"That's the worst party I've ever seen," Aragorn muttered to the other adults as they stared out the window.  One after another, the girls declared how lame everything was and left.

But intrepid Elrond had another idea up his sleeve, er, wetsuit...



"You've got to be kidding me!"  Merry told his son.  "You do realize that in a few days everyone in this house except you and your brother will be an elder?"

"It's bound to work, Dad.  Listen, Mom and Great-grand already have Family Oriented.  We've got a ton of stuff in storage.  Gandalf is learning elixirs so quickly..."

"Your Great-grandad has been very specific about those, Ronnie.  Friendship, Potent Cure and Invigorating only.  He says anything else feels like cheating."

Elrond shook his head.  "Old fashioned ideals.  Anyway, with a couple invigorating elixirs, and four people in the house, it ought to be a cakewalk."

Merry shook his head.  "Never tempt fate.  Let's go talk to them."

Meanwhile, Gandalf had made progress of his own.

"Oi, Great-Grand!  Check this out!" he yelled, pitching the bottle.



"Hey, I feel great!  Thanks, son!"  Legolas said, as the invigorating elixir revived him.  "Think I'll head out to the garden!"

"Wait a minute, Granddad."  Merry said, as he and Elrond came in.  "The boy here has an idea."

Elrond sketched out his plans, and a broad smile broke across Legolas' face.  "I think you're on to something here.  At least we know we'd be able to interact with them."

And so, after a quick family meeting, Legolas went to the library and used their computer to register the new business.

Thus the Sunshine Senile Senior Sant came into being.

[Shewolf13]

A daycare!  Very cool ^^

[LivvieLove]

Hmm, let me be honest I'm still stumped... a daycare? I guess I'm a little slow. Maybe it will come to me in a few minutes 

Great update!

[Tiamet]

Thanks, I thought a daycare would help get the townie population back up again, and bring in some young people.

Chapter Eleven - The Immortal Hobbit

CRASH! Nikia jumped out of her rocker, startled by the tinkling of broken glass.

"WAHHH!" All the babies in the daycare started screaming.

"THANKS FOR LOOKING AFTER BOBBIE AND CARA!" The Prices yelled at Legolas, collecting their children.



"Nobody said anything about how loud this was going to be!" Nikia muttered, her nap ruined.

"Gandalf!  Hit Merry now, he's getting tired!"  Aragorn yelled over the bedlam.

CRASH!

"How long is this going to last?" Nikia asked her grandfather-in-law.

"He's only got to throw 50 bottles."  Legolas told her, handing over the last toddler to it's parent.

"How many is that?" she asked, nodding over to where Merry was feeling revived.

"Seventeen." Legolas told her.

Later that night, when everything had quieted down, and Nikia was tucked up with a good book, Gandalf stopped his conversation about Martial Arts with his grandfather.

"I feel strange, Granddad," he said.  "Like I've finished something, but I don't know what."



They heard the roar of the Beast, as Legolas came home.  He slapped his hands together to warm them, the night being chilly spring.  He beamed as he looked down at Gandalf.

"Well, my lad, that's your Alchemist career taken care of.  Level 10 and not even finished high school.  Impressive."

"How long have you been collecting potions against this day, Dad?" Aragorn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Since we figured out there aren't any Alchemy Ops."  Legolas told him.  "Think about another career, Gandalf.  Once you graduate, you can join one until you get your Ops."

"Sly elf," Aragorn told his father, with a chuckle.  "Nice to have you back."

Graduation was a bust this generation.  For some reason, the school wouldn't let them go.  The boys changed into their robes, and then ran around the yard to celebrate instead.  Nikia beamed with pride at her boys.  Young adults now, they discussed their priorities and options.



"Fishing has some good points."  Gandalf said.  "But I think I'm going to join the music career."

"I'm going to be a chef," Elrond said, chalking up his cue.  "It would be great to have the fridge that keeps things fresh forever, just so you guys don't need to cook."

A few days later, after the screaming children had gone home, Gandalf had thrown all his bottles for the day and Aragorn had been shoved into the shower, (he had been trying to teach the children to spar and had worked up quite a sweat), Nikia served dinner.

"Where's Merry gone?" she asked Legolas, putting down the vegetarian grilled salmon.

"He went to pick up a cake."

"Wow, is it tonight then?"  Gandalf asked, counting up days on his fingers.

"Already?" Elrond added, grabbing a plate.

"Yep, and we're not waiting a second past midnight.  Helen looks like she's going to drop on the front lawn any second."



So as soon as it was legal, Merry blew out the candles and became an elder.

"We match again," he said, hugging Nikia.

"Later!" Legolas said.  "Painting, now, please!"



"Remember when we were so worried about not getting his Elder portrait done?"  Aragorn said, in an aside to his father.

"Don't get snippy" Tia said.

"Oh, you're back?"  Aragorn said.  "Where've you been?"

"Inventory.  Do you guys have any idea how much stuff everyone was carrying around?"  Tia said, watching the artists with pride.  She kept one eye on Helen the paparazzi who continued to complain at the front gate.

Paintings hung, requirements complete, Merry's name was added to the ambrosia room door, and the three immortals sat down to their meal.




Meriadoc Fellowship (Gen 3)
Traits: Loves the Outdoors, Artistic, Bookworm, Charismatic, Ambitious
LTW: Renaissance Sim (Painting, Charisma, Guitar)
Property: Adventure Landing
Building: Wells Book and Bath
SuperMax: Painting
Career: Master of the Brush
3 LTR: Extra Creative, Legendary Host, Transporter
6 Black Ops: A Public Speaking Event, Best Food in Town, Painting the City, Deliver a Painting to France, Interior Decor, Deliver a Painting to Egypt
6 Best Friends: Nikia Fellowship, Ralf Christiansen, William Parnell, Sonia Diehl, Grace Willis, Helen Meza
Portraits: Toddler, Child, Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Elder