The War of the Ring was over and Middle Earth's inhabitants lived happily in the newly won peace. Since elves do not bond during wars or times of tragedy, many ellyn and ellith had remained unmarried. Due to this fact, a special festival where elves would gather together was held by the elven lords of Middle Earth every five years for the duration of one month. They hoped that this would provide better chances for unwed elves to find a partner.
This year the celebration would take place in Mirkwood for the first time. Thranduil had great hopes of finally getting Legolas married. He had already set his mind on one particular elleth, Lady Tinnueth, daughter of Lord Belegur. He had known Belegur since his youth and they had fought many wars together. Side by side, they had survived many battles. It was when Belegur's wife, Riniel, was with child that Belegur decided to move to the north and establish an elven settlement far away from Middle Earth's battle grounds. Many elves had joined him and Thranduil had not received any news of him ever since.
He had sent two messengers to the north. That was two summers ago. They had returned one full year later. Their report was very much to Thranduil's liking. The messengers spoke of beautiful elven settlements in the north and Lord Belegur and, most importantly, of his daughter, Tinnueth. Thranduil had become very enthusiastic upon hearing this news. Belegur and Riniel were both full blooded Sindar. That made their daughter the best candidate to marry his son.
Galadriel had suggested various spouses for Legolas in the past, yet Thranduil had been repulsed by her suggestions as the elves she had proposed were mostly Noldor. Beautiful ellith, but not what he had in mind for his son. He strongly wished for a Sindarin elleth and Belegor's daughter seemed to be the one.
Thranduil had sent invitations to Belegor and Lord Istor, who was in fact a Sindar as well. They had agreed to be present at this year's festivities in Mirkwood. Thranduil knew that Tinnueth was still unwed and he would make sure that this would change soon. His invitation had not only been for the occasion of the festivities. He had invited them for an unlimited amount of time. That would give him more time to arrange Legolas' betrothal with Tinnueth.
It was one week prior to the inauguration of the festivities and Lord Elrond had already arrived. The preparations were in full swing and Elrond was discussing the guest list with Thranduil. There would be about forty elves of Lothlorien and thirty from Imladris. The elves from the north would soon get there and Mirkwood also had its own inhabitants who were looking for a spouse. The festival had proven a success over the past forty years. However, a great number of elves had remained single.
Elrond was standing before the king's throne dais, looking up at Thranduil. "I have received news from Lord Dogion".
Thranduil rolled his eyes in disgust. With absolute disinterest the king asked, "What kind of news are you talking about"?
Elrond smiled knowingly at the king's reaction. He was aware of Thranduil's hatred towards Dogion and he would certainly become furious if he found out that Dogion was planning to attend this year's festival.
"He wrote to me and informed me that he is going to attend this year's festivities".
Thranduil rose abruptly from his throne and looked down at Elrond with fury and disgust.
"He is going to do what? Attend the festival? He is already married and he should stay away. I don't want him here".
Elrond smiled. "The only reason for his attendance is his son, Esgaron. The young ellon is looking for a wife. They have the right to come here as every other ellon and elleth has."
Thranduil walked down the steps of his dais fast and with ire, halting before Elrond. "Why does he have to come now? Why he did not attend one of the previous festivals in Imladris or Lothlorien? He has no place amongst us".
Elrond shook his head. "I know of your hatred for him, but this is about his son. He has nothing to do with his father's deeds. He was not even born at that time".
Thranduil looked at Elrond in utter disgust. "He chose to leave the battlefield before the war had even begun. He left us all to die. How many elves of our realm were slain in that battle? If he had stayed with his army, many elven lives might have been saved! Don't you dare defend this coward"!
Elrond shook his head once more. "His decisions were his own. You should not judge him. My Lord Gil Galad was killed in this battle as well as your own father. We have every right to be angered at Dogion's deed. But we should not interfere in his son's happiness. I expect from you that you will not direct your hatred for Dogion towards his son".
Thranduil was seething with anger. "Then you had better keep them away from me. It is enough kindness on my part to accommodate them within my halls".
Thranduil walked out of the throne room, leaving Elrond standing before the empty throne. He had expected that kind of reaction. No one particularly liked Dogion. But Thranduil himself had also been hiding away in his realm for ages and little did he care about others, including elves. This could of course not be compared to a retreat from the battlefield which had caused immeasurable pain and death to others.
------ A week later ------
Legolas walked into his father's study. "Ada, the first guests have arrived. Will you come and greet them"?
Thranduil looked up at his son with disinterest. "And who is that"?
Legolas stepped closer to his father's desk. "The elves from Lothlorien. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn are among them."
Thranduil sighed and got up. He had to go and greet them. Before leaving his study he turned to his son. "Legolas, you know the purpose of this festival. This year I am planning to find a suitable elleth for you to marry. Keep your heart closed and your mind open for my decisions. You will do as I say."
Legolas swallowed hard and followed his father who had already left the study. Together they walked to the guest chambers.
Galadriel and Celeborn had just reached their own when Thranduil met them. Their encounter was friendly but distant. Thranduil had never been able to comprehend why Celeborn had married Galadriel. He and Celeborn had been very close to each other before Celeborn wedded. But when Galadriel came into the picture, Thranduil's relationship with the Lord of Lothlorien started to face difficulties.
Ending their brief meeting as quickly as possible, he politely excused himself and headed towards the main gate with Legolas. More guests had arrived. Thranduil greeted them as politely as he possibly could engaging in small talk, but secretly he used this wasted time to keep an eye on the gate. He was in anticipation of Belegur's arrival.
His hopeful expectations were all but ruined when Dogion rode nonchalantly through the massive gates. Thranduil's expression stiffened and he felt deep anger boiling up inside him. How could this coward smile so confidently? Thranduil wished to wipe that disgusting grin from Dogion's face, using a dead orc's limbs. He clenched his hands in fury, making his knuckles turn white. He stared daggers into Dogion. He recognized Dogion's wife, Amariel, and also spotted two ellyn who had apparently inherited their father's unpleasant features. Breathing excitedly, the king of the Woodland realm walked over to his newly arrived guests.
Dogion spotted Thranduil and dismounted his horse. Opening his arms to embrace the king, he approached him with a wide grin.
Legolas and Elrond were standing at a distance as they watched in anticipation of what would happen next. Dogion had actually dared to embrace Thranduil and speak a few words to him. They noticed Thranduil's tensed jaw during their embrace and the few words that he had exchanged with his guest through gritted teeth. The king quickly turned his attention to other guests whom he considered to be of greater importance.
Maldor and Esgaron dismounted their steeds. They watched their father embrace the king and marveled at the beauty of the Woodland halls. They had heard many rumours and tales about this ancient elven realm. They were glad that they had the chance to behold the elf king's halls with their own eyes.
A servant of the king's household approached the family.
"Welcome to our king's halls. I am here to guide you to your chambers. Please follow me".
The servant led them to the guest chambers that had been reserved for them. Maldor nudged his brother's side. "Let us quickly unpack and refresh ourselves before we set out to find your lady."
Esgaron beamed in anticipation. "Yes, let us hurry. I do not wish to miss out one single moment which I could be spending with my future bride".
Their chambers were on the same corridor where Elrond and the Lady and Lord of Lothlorien had been accommodated. Galion, the king's advisor, had suggested this accommodation to be more suitable as Dogion was a lord as well. Thranduil had reluctantly agreed. The two brothers entered their room and unpacked their belongings.
Legolas was busy greeting the guests at the gates. He could not help but notice that many ellith kept their eyes on him in expectation and smiled shyly. He sighed. He was unmarried but his father had his own plans for him. He did not have a choice. Keeping a friendly appearance on the outside, Legolas concentrated on his task as prince, which was to greet their guests.
It was late at night and Thranduil was standing in the hall near the main gate. He was slightly annoyed. Belegur had still not arrived. This was unusual as Thranduil had always known Belegur as a punctual elf whom he could rely on under any circumstances. When midnight had long passed, the king decided to retire to his chambers. His guards would inform him of Belegur's arrival in case he turned up during the night. As he was walking along the long, dimly lit corridors, his elven ears picked up a conversation.
"No one has seen them. But do not worry, your lady will arrive safely. Her father has never turned down an invitation. They must have been delayed. Let us rest now and tomorrow you will surely meet the lady of your heart. She must be delighted to meet you again. A great deal of time has passed since the Festival of the Stars when you danced with her".
Thranduil rolled his eyes in annoyance. Why had they not wedded already? Why did they need to attend the festival if their hearts were already bonded? He was about to leave when he heard the name of the elleth he had claimed for his son.
"Do not worry, Esgaron. Lady Tinnueth has not yet accepted a particular ellon to marry. There have been many requests, but she has turned them all down. She is surely waiting for you to finally propose to her."
Thranduil strode towards the direction where the hushed voices came from. He stopped abruptly at the sight of Dogion's sons. The young ellyn saw that it was the king and Maldor said, "Your highness, it is our honour to see your halls and to be in your presence".
Both brothers bowed to the king with respect.
Thranduil felt as if he were going to explode with rage. He could not believe his ears and eyes. One of Dogion's sons wished to marry Lady Tinnueth? He would not permit this. He would surely not allow this to happen. She would marry his son. Thranduil's nostrils flared and he gave the brothers a slight nod before walking away. This was not going according to his plan.
But he would finally get what he wanted. And that was the marriage between Lady Tinnueth and his son Legolas.