Archive of Our Own ^beta

Adar was drawn to the excited chatter and laughter of his children, it was rare to hear such joy in the cold months, and to hear them laughing brought warmth to his chest. He expected to find a sparring match or some typical game that was played to cure the boredom, so when he rounded the corner and came face to face with a large group of uruk huddled around their resident elf who was showing them how to make little embroidered ornaments, he was surprised. He watched as she patiently helped one of the younger ones untangle their thread and showed them how to hold it, so it didn't get tangled again, she showed Glug how to make little stars, and helped with making a tassel for someone else, all with an easy smile. He felt warmth bubble in his heart when a child proudly showed her his lopsided star, and she examined it exclaiming how beautiful it was and sent the little one bouncing away with a bright grin.

"Oh, other way my dear, don't want the needle to poke you! There you go!" she directed, too focused on the uruk to notice Adar approach and only popped her head up when Glug greeted him. "Oh! Adar! have you come to join us?" she flashed him a bright grin, her eyes sparkling and cheeks slightly flushed from the cool air, he shook his head "I don't know, what are you doing?" he asked, feeling a grin of his own tilt his lips when the whole group excitedly told him that they were making ornaments, showing him what they had made, (Y/N) laughed, bright and clear. "As they said! We're making yule ornaments out of cloth scraps, a good way to enjoy a break. Are you joining in?" she asked, the Moriandor sat down crossed legged next to her "I fear that I am inexperienced when it comes to embroidery. I'm rather poor at it." he said, (Y/N) shook her head "Nonsense! That's only because nobody taught you! Here! I'll show you!" she said and handed him a needle and thread. She showed him how to do simple stiches and how to make little stars and leaves, laughing with him when he managed to knot the string and guiding his hands gently until he got the hang of it, before turning to praise a warrior who had made a little ornament in the shape of a sword, giggling when he puffed out his chest in pride, Adar watched as she fell back into the chatter of those around them "Why are we making ornaments anyway? It's fun, I'm just curious." he asked and had the pleasure of seeing the tips of her ears turn red.

"it's my family's tradition. Every year we'd each make ornaments and hang them on the evergreen in our yard, for yule. It was always something that we had done. And well..." she blushed brighter and looked down "There's an evergreen on the edge of town, and I wanted to share the tradition cause' you're my family." she trailed, Adar melted and he was sure that the others did the same, she saw them as family, loved them enough to share a precious tradition with them. A fond smile tilted his lips as he watched the shy elleth fidget with the ornament her hands for a moment before taking her hands in his own "We are honored that you would share this with us. We would be honored to hear more of your traditions if you're willing to share." he said and the uruk around them cheered their agreement, that got her distracted and she launched into all that her family did during the season, from making sweets with her mother to how she snuck around in the late hours of the night and left little gifts for her younger siblings. Her eyes sparkled as she excitedly told them of her people's songs and dances, the mulled wine with cinnamon and cloves and the candied pecans, and Adar fell deeper on love with the woman next to him, as she sang silly little tunes about snowmen and jingling bells told his children about her life and culture, she softened his heart when she stitched a little Warg wearing a silly scarf, he fell even deeper when she pulled a little girl into her lap to show her how to stitch a snowflake, praising the little one when she got the hang of it, the perfect representation of someone whose heart was full of joy and kindness. He laughed when she gasped in mock offense and launched the stuffed Warg at a teasing Glug's head, they sat and stitched until the dinner bell rang and the crowd raced off for their share of the warm stew.

It was later when they were walking back to their home with a handful's worth of ornaments each, that Adar brought up a thought he had "What if we pulled the evergreen into the center of camp tomorrow, that way everyone can see it." his proposal had the desired effect, (Y/N) seemed to shine with her joy "Really!" she asked, her tone going a pitch higher with her excitement, he nodded as they entered their home "I think it would be good to start new traditions now that we're settling. Winter has always carried cruel memories, it's time to change that, I think." (Y/N) gave an ecstatic squeal and hugged him "Oh! Thank you!" she cried before skipping off to put away the ornaments. Adar watched her go with a fond smile; she truly was the greatest gift he had ever been given.

They settled, covered by a warm blanket with a book in hand, basking quietly in each other’s presence warmed by the fire that casted a gentle orange glow throughout the room. "You know, I left one tradition out." (Y/N) suddenly said from her place curled into his shoulder, he looked down at her and saw the mischievous grin that only worn when she had planned something, he raised an eyebrow "Oh?" she lifted her arm above them. He looked up and saw the single sprig of mistletoe and felt his own grin take over his face and bent down to kiss her. "I believe I like this tradition most of all." he breathed when he pulled away for air, before pulling her in for another kiss.