Jewel In The Palace(Lord Of The Rings Fanfiction)

A Simple Conversation

~~O~~

Two months have passed since the queen returned from Lorien.

Legolas was meekly washing the plates that morning when Mirialia walked into the kitchen. His tall sturdy frame tied in green apron that she made for him a few weeks ago, he certainly was a sight to behold. His cheerful whistling and humming and all could be heard.

"You weren't able to rest and sleep again, Legolas?" she asked smilingly, placing her basket of fruits down on the table.

He immediately looked up, face stretched in his usual cheerful grin. "My queen. Good morning."

Her eyes went to the bubbly sink. "Hmm.....you poured a lot of soap again. Didn't you?"

The elf blinked. Not missing a beat, he held one soapy hand up and cupped his mouth. "Don't tell him?"

The helpless look on his boyishly handsome face made her giggle. "Thranduil would still notice."

He looked crestfallen. "Oh no. What will I do now? Father will kick us out definitely. We won't get to meet the villagers anymore and we'll lose our requests. We won't be able to get out of the kingdom anymore..... and Calen will be relieved of his duty."

Mirialia was doubling over in laughter, but somehow a part of her was admiring him. Even in his gloom and doom forecasting, what he still worries for wasn't himself. It was always 'we' and 'us'.

He is.... a very kind-hearted elf.

"Well for that not to happen..." She rolled the sleeves of her dress. "We'll wash all the dirty plates in this kitchen, and then your father wouldn't mind that we used too much soap, alright?"

Legolas paused, then smiled cheerfully. "Yes, mother!"

He had to like this lady's attitude-- always ready to help anyone out even without being asked. The first time they met, he already sensed that she was one of the few people with a wonderfully warm heart to give for all those in desperate need of it.

"Legolas, you have soap on your forehead." she sighed, and then took the hem of the apron he was wearing.

Carefully, she tiptoed and rubbed gently the part of his face slightly covered in soap.

A smile slowly formed on his face, especially when he saw the concentration on her face, as if what she was doing was the most important thing in the world for her right now.

Legolas knew at that moment that she will be a wonderful mother someday.

~~O~~

"So why are you doing this all by yourself?" Mirialia decided to ask while Legolas was scrubbing the bottom of the frying pan enthusiastically; she was thinking it would divert some of his vigor into the conversation. She didn't want him to get too energetic and shatter the cooking utensil in the process. One sachet of soap would be enough trouble to deal with for someone like.......Thranduil.

"Well, actually, it was my fault also." he said sheepishly, scratching his cheek. "See, Calen and I decided to have a drink last night and a few guards joined us. But then, as the night goes by, more and more guards came to drink with us." he paused for a moment. "Until I turned it into.....a drinking game. Calen refused."

"Calen? Are we talking about the same Calen I know here?" she asked, unable to suppress a raised eyebrow. "He refused?"

"He won't admit it," His smile widened. "Calen was too shy to take the challenge."

She nearly choked. Calen? The chief guard? The great champion of a tournament?.......Shy??

She would have taken it better if he told her that the earth was square instead.

Yet there was an amount of truth on what he said. Even with his snappy attitude towards everyone, Calen was undeniably gentle, and quiet at times. His duties as a captain may protect the windows of his soul from baring that fact, but the rest of him was an open book to the people who watched him. Especially when he was with his closest friends, Legolas and Tauriel.

"What happened then?" she asked.

With a sigh, Legolas continued. "I still urged him to join....and he did. But unfortunately, they all passed out. So I was left alone, cleaning up the mess and here I am now."

The prince accepted the next pot she handed to him, and changed the topic. "My father's active lovelife can help him a lot so he would stop being so grumpy!"

"But you are never grumpy," she mused out loud. Her face turned crimson when she realized how tactless she may have sounded. "Does that mean you're....." she squinted her eyes on him.

His crisp laughter filled the room. "A love life is only one of the many things that can make a person cheerful." He tipped his chin with his soapsuds-filled finger. "But I can say with all honesty that I love a lot of people. I guess that makes me happy."

She recovered from her earlier embarassment. Nodding quickly, she passed onto him the next cooking pot. "As everyone loves you too."

The next minutes passed in silence, when Mirialia spoke again. "Well, I guess some people have strange ways of expressing love sometimes."

"No arguments about that." said the other.

"I grew up in a place where believing is a sin. Everyone there lives to deceive and to lie. But even then, a part of me believes in something wholly." she said.

Legolas looked at her, smiling serenely. "Freedom. New life."

"And love." she added. "It's like a breathe of fresh air. And I found it all here...with your father."

The amusement on his face was unmistakable. "Yes. I believe you." he said softly. "Do you want to know where you're really good at?"

"Hm?"

"Taking care of people." A tender look crossed his face. "What a blessing you are to us, mother."

Mirialia felt that he had just paid her the highest compliment of all, and for that, she couldn't think of any appropriate reply. Just then, Thranduil barged into the kitchen.......stunned.

"Why wasn't I consulted when someone built a pool in my kitchen?" His gaze went to the sink overloaded with soapy bubbles, dishes, and overflowing water from the continuous running of the faucet. "What Legolas? My halls will now include a pool in its amenities?"

"My....my love.....actually..." Mirialia racked her mind for possible alibis to explain the mess.

"Actually, I had decided that after washing all the dirty utensils, I will begin scrubbing the floor!" His son announced proudly, with a little laugh. "That way, mother and I could get another request from you, oh great king."

Thranduil didn't look like he believed his son, but he relented. "Fine. The mop is at the back of the door. I'll start appraising your work after an hour. Happy scrubbing." The door slammed behind him.

The young queen chuckled and could only smile inwardly when Legolas turned to her and grinned widely. Her eyes went back to finish the few remaining plates, not wanting to cause more delays.

Legolas was like a maze, she thought, with only too many different hidden twists and corners within him. He was the king's son, yet he was an elf immortalized by his mere enigma. And for that, she's only too willing to discover the elf behind the labyrinth. Now that she's loving and treating him as her son.

~~O~~