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“Um, Legolas,” Thranduil began, trying to figure out how to form his words in a way that wouldn’t make Legolas feel belittled, never mind the fact that a four year old was supposed to know they were small. “You know that those dresses are for girls, and not for boys?”
“What?” Legolas asked back, blue eyes widening slightly as he looked up to meet his father’s gaze. “Boys aren’t allowed to wear them?”he questioned with a confused frown and parted lips. “Why not?”
The father grimaced slightly at the question, knowing fully well that it was coming. He glanced slightly over his shoulder, trying to see if anyone was paying attention to them. There were a few people walking around in the store, but none seemed to have picked up on the way the man and his son were standing in front of an exhibition of princess dresses. They were all cute and sparkly, with small pictures of their respective princess on the front. What they were not, most certainly, was made for boys. His son didn’t seem to know that though, as he was carefully cradling a dark blue dress.
Thranduil had brought his son into the toy store on a special mission. As the president of his company, the father had many important duties which couldn’t easily be rejected. He’d had to go over seas to settle an important agreement, and even though he’d promised he’d only be away for a few days, he’d had to stay for over a week. This wasn’t something he hadn’t done before given the importance of his job, but it was the first time since his wife had passed away. It hadn’t made the departure easy for either of them, Thranduil knew. Apparently Legolas hadn’t done much other than cling to his babysitter Orion's leg at all hours after being retrieved from his preschool.
Thranduil had felt immensely bad hearing that, and had promised every night over the phone that he and Legolas would do something fun to make up for it. The day he’d returned, Legolas had flung himself around his father’s neck and refused to let go for a long time.
It was probably to be expected, Thranduil thought gloomily to himself. Of course his son would have some trust issues after his mother had one day left to never come back.
And so they spent that evening mostly cuddling on the couch with a children movie about some dragons or such. After Legolas had fallen asleep, the father had tucked him into bed and gone to figure out a plan for the next day. He figured that a nice way to make up for it was to take Legolas to their local toy store and have him pick something out. Thranduil knew it wouldn’t erase the betrayed and teary look he’d received from his son when he told him he would leave for a while, but at least it eased his conscience a little to actually try and do something about it.
He remembered he’d said Legolas could pick out anything he would have liked, and figured that would mean they’d head for the fantasy section with all the dragons and goblins and what not.
What he hadn’t expected was for Legolas to spot some princess dress or another, and with a wide smile say that it was so beautiful and that it was definitively the item he would pick.
Thranduil’s face had subconsciously drawn into a grimace, and so there he sat, crouched on the floor while trying to explain to his four year old why he should pick something else.
"Because that's just the way things are," he explained, hoping to cut the argument down short. But Legolas gave that defiant stare he always gave when he knew adults were treating him like the child he definitively was. Thranduil always got both proud and exasperated whenever the child did that.
“Gimli said only girls have long hair, but I knew he was lying ‘cuz you have and you’re a boy,” Legolas said while shaking his head.
Thranduil had to keep in a tiny snort at that, hand automatically reaching up to touch his hair, neatly pulled back in a tight braid. Gimli and Legolas had seemingly had a lot of difficulties on the playground. Maybe it was because of how badly their respective fathers had clashed when meeting up, as the two had met through work in a way that was less than stellar. Of course it was bound to rub off a bit on the children. After having heard about the way Gimli had pulled on Legolas’ hair more than once, Thranduil had decided that he didn’t like his businesses enemy's offspring either. The fact that Legolas had knocked Gimli over the head with a stick in retaliation was neither here nor there according to the protective father.
He had to admit that his son did have a point. Thranduil had received a fair share of comments about his long hair, mostly questions about why he kept it like that. The answer was simple: Thranduil liked it long, so to hell with those who thought it better if he followed the norm.
...And maybe that applied to Legolas’ situation as well.
But on second thoughts he decided that, no, if Legolas had his hair pulled on at the playground, who knew what other children or adults would say if he wore a dress. It was for his own good, Thranduil knew.
“Boys can have long hair if they want, but it’s not as common. But girls are the ones who wear dresses and boys wear pants,” he finally landed on, believing the answer to be simple and clear enough.
Legolas was a bright child though, and he immediately showed bigger confusion on his face. “But Tauriel wears pants all the time!” He said loudly about his best friend. “And Arwen and Miss Galadriel and-” Thranduil decided to cut the boy of as he noticed a head or two turn towards them.
“Well, yes, girls can wear skirts and dresses and pants, but boys can only wear pants,” he explained, reaching out to gently take the dress out of his son’s tiny hands. Legolas let him, but a sad expression came across his face.
“But that’s so unfair,” he said, turning away slightly from his father.
Thranduil felt his heart clench at the expression and immediately felt bad. Here he was, trying to cheer his son up for the lonely week he’d given him, and he’d just gone and made him feel bad.
Doubt pulling at his mind, Thranduil looked down at the dress in his hands, not reaching to put it back anymore. He instantly recognized the picture of the girl on the tag, with her unruly red hair and simple bow. It was the one from that movie Legolas liked more than any other.
Thranduil felt a smile twitch his lips up despite himself as he looked at it, knowing how glad Legolas had been to play archer with his father with an imaginary bow after seeing it for the first time. Knowing even better how much happier Legolas had been when he later got a toy bow from his mother, complete with small plastic arrows that were soon constantly littered around their home. Legolas had played more with the none functioning bow than with anything else, never having it too far out of reach.
After the boy’s mother had died some months back, Legolas hadn’t really smiled like that again. Thranduil remembered him being so much joyful. Now a days, he was much more careful around other adults, his playing around was rarer, and his real laughter so much rarer.
Thranduil knew he’d do just about anything to make his son happy, as happy as he used to be.
And if a silly dress could make his son glad, then why would he deny him that?
“You know what, Legolas, I think you are right about this,” he said, and his son curiously glanced at him, expression still dampened. “Everyone should be able to dress and look just about how they want.”
Saying it out loud, Thranduil realized that that was probably the truth. He couldn’t raise his son not to do what he liked because of other’s disapproval. If his son wanted to wear a dress, then why would he ever mean to stop him? It wasn’t a big deal at all, Thranduil realized, and knew it especially for sure as Legolas shone such a wide and delighted smile towards him.
“Really?”The boy asked, jumping up and down on his tip toes, looking from his father and to the dress. “Because Merida’s so cool! She can shoot right in the middle of her targets! And hit an arrow with an arrow!” He explained joyfully, and Thranduil found that his son's grin was most certainly infectious.
“Well that definitively sounds cool,” he agreed before taking his son’s hand in his own, starting to lead the boy to the cashiers as he jumped up and down in excitement.
Later that day, after they’d had a healthy helping of ice cream and bought home some groceries, Legolas proudly tried on the dress and twirled around and around in their living room. Thranduil had clapped joyfully, dancing around with his son before helping him set up some big plastic bottles as targets to practice his bow some more.
Looking back, Thranduil had felt pretty stupid for ever hesitating.