Legolas and Thaliniel married before all of the kingdom less than a fortnight later. Thranduil presided over the ceremony and festivities with his typical aplomb, and took great delight in the planning of the wedding feast. He attended to all the details with gusto, forcing even the most skeptical courtiers to agree that the prince's bride looked immaculate. Praises were heaped on the palace staff, and Galadhor bore the compliments to his king, who lamented later that he did not know when he would have another chance to plan something so extravagant again.
Narylfiel and Thaliniel's father stayed on at the palace through the whirlwind of those days, fittings and breakfasts and luncheons, though Belchuil would later confess to his friends that things moved so quickly in the palace, half the time he hardly knew what was going on. He would be glad to return to the much slower paced life of his vineyard, where time and patience so often brought the greatest rewards.
Narylfiel, however, took to palace life like one born to it. In half the time, she had already learned most of Thranduil's courtiers' names and how they liked their tea. She became a darling among all the royal guards and made so many visits down to the stables to visit the baby elk that Thranduil said she might as well name it, and so it was decided that Narylfiel would stay on at the palace with Thaliniel and Legolas after they married. She fully planned on holding King Thranduil to his promise that she might join the Forest Guard one day.
Legolas, on the other hand, delayed joining the ranks of the Forest Guard. His bond with Thaliniel was just too new, and he simply could not bear the thought of leaving her alone at the palace while he went on month long patrols into the forest. He was more than fine with this outcome and continued his training in his father's halls. He gave up the keeping of the palace accounts entirely; it was a glad day for Legolas Thranduillion when he closed the cover on the Royal Ledgers for the last time.
Thaliniel, of course, shirked at the idea of Legolas delaying his commitment to serve in the guard; after all, he had wanted to join for so long. Of course, she hated the idea of him leaving for those patrols and all the training, but she never wanted it to be said that she was the reason he stayed and was miserable.
Surprisingly, Thranduil actually recommended a happy alternative, although some at the palace might add with a sly smile that he had little notion of the idea until after he took tea with Narylfiel one day.
The elder's council had been wheedling incessantly for months about wanting to send an entourage to the next meeting of the white council, and Thranduil had always gleefully ignored their wishes. He wanted little to do with Galadriel or Saruman or Elrond, least of all, and was loathe to go himself. He would be hanged if he would ever go himself, but...the journey would be the perfect opportunity for Legolas to brush up on his skills of diplomacy and have an opportunity to travel and bond with his new lovely wife. Narylfiel had called it a 'honeymoon'- no doubt some silly romantic idea she learned from one of those silly fairytale books that Thaliniel and she were always poring over.
So it was that Legolas and Thaliniel stood looking out together on the great bridge before the Elvenking's hall. The whole wood was wide and green before them, the meandering forest path curling around the line of trees like a question mark.
The prince checked the tack on their mounts one more time and gave the signal to their guards before offering Thaliniel a hand up to mount her horse.
His grin was infectious as he caught her eye. "Can you believe we're doing this?" he asked her.
"Which part?" she joked. "Leaving the palace with permission this time? No horse name aliases? Traveling as ourselves?"
Legolas cut his eyes to the guards. "We could still try to ditch them," he whispered conspiratorially.
Thaliniel's only answer was a knowing smile. It looked like she was going to have a few more things to cross off of her List of Very Important Things to Accomplish.
The guards scarcely looked up from their preparations to see that the royal couple had bolted on their horses into the woods!
Legolas and Thaliniel sailed through the forest, their laughter ringing behind them, now that they had given that familiar pull tugging both their hearts free rein.
Wanderlust.
Together they would travel to the ends of the forest, to lands far and unknown, riding unfettered, flying, face in the wind, gusted by exhilaration, surfeited by every imagined desire unleashed.
Free.
The End
- . - . - . - .
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story this year! I had so much fun dreaming and writing this out. Please leave a comment and let me know any suggestions/feedback.