Maldor and Esgaron were standing at the open window in their chambers, having a discussion.
"I saw her in the healers' garden together with the prince. She seemed greatly entertained by his endeavour to please her."
Maldor touched his brother's arm and smiled at him.
"So what? Who is he? How long has he known her? Listen to me brother. I have noticed how the king watches her. His son wants to marry your Tinnueth. But I already have a plan. And it's very simple."
Esgaron walked towards his bed and sat down, looking frustrated and defeated.
"This is not simple. He is a prince. He will easily..."
"No, no, no. My dear Esgaron..." Maldor walked over to his brother and sat beside him.
"You know as well as I do that she does not care about titles of any kind. He will not be able to impress her that easily. She is simply being polite. That's all. But we have an advantage. And we will use it for our purposes."
Esgaron looked at his brother in expectation. "What kind of advantage do we have?"
Maldor smiled confidently. "We know her habits, and we will take advantage of them."
A victorious grin appeared on Esgaron's face. He nodded his head as he looked into his brother's eyes.
"Yes. But how will I know when I need to be ready?"
"I will help you. Do not worry. I am sure she will need a partner tonight. I am absolutely certain of this."
*****
Tinnueth walked down the long corridors of the king's halls. Vividly remembering their tour through the halls that day, she headed straight for the practice ground. Her shiny sword was ready in her hand. Her fingers curled around the hilt in a tight grip, making her knuckles turn white. She had changed her silly dress for black leggings and a dark grey tunic and the only thing she wanted to do right now was to hack into something hard. Very, very hard. She was infuriated by all that nonsense and by the fact that, one way or another, she would be expected to take part in the foolish festival.
Arriving at the dimly lit practice ground, her elven eyes spotted a figure on its far end. She was not alone. But she did not mind. As she approached the shadowy figure, she recognized Esgaron. He had brought his sword and he was standing near the tree trunk which was hanging from the high ceiling, still swinging by Esgaron's hard sword strikes. He turned and looked at her in surprise.
"My lady Tinnueth, what has brought you here at this late hour?"
She stood still as she analyzed his words. What did she hope to achieve by coming here?
"I have come to practice."
Esgaron looked past the elleth towards the entrance of the hall, and turned his surprised face back towards her.
"You have come here alone. How are you going to practice?"
Tinnueth sighed but remained silent. Esgaron knew all too well that she would hack into the tree trunk until it became unrecognizable. He was well aware of her temper. She had come alone.
"If you wish, I can be your opponent. I could not find rest and decided to practice my sword skills. It has been long since we last practiced sword fighting together. I have improved my skills."
It did not matter to her who her opponent would be. She had to release her anger and the easiest way was by fighting something... or someone. She raised her sword in acceptance of his offer. Without saying another word Tinnueth went into position and swung her sword at Esgaron. He blocked her stroke, though surprised by the force of it. He had forgotten her strength when it came to sword fighting. They began to swing at each other, their swords meeting with a loud clang, echoing through the large hall. She approached him swiftly and brought her sword upon him with full force. Esgaron jumped back just in time and fended off her strike. Her fast strikes could not be blocked easily. The fighting became fierce, and Esgaron began to sweat.
Maldor watched the fight from a far corner of the hall. He smiled in satisfaction as his plan had already begun to prove successful. Watching them fight, he marveled once again at her skill, and he was glad that his brother had improved his own sword skills over the years. He had become a fine opponent for lady Tinnueth. This would work for them. They knew Tinnueth and he was sure that they would meet her down here regularly. He had to make sure that those meetings under the cover of darkness would remain their little secret. The king should never find out.
Maldor's eyebrows rose. Esgaron was kneeling down on the floor, with Tinnueth's sword pointing an inch from his neck. His brother had been defeated.
Tinnueth lowered her sword and held out her hand to Esgaron, helping him up on his legs. With the back of his hand he wiped away the sweat from his brow and smiled at her. She looked beautiful. The dim light in the hall reflected on her sweaty face making it glisten. Fine strands of her long hair which were now damp from her sweat, stuck on her temples framing her lovely pale face. Her chest raised and sank fast by her rapid respiration, making the thin silver chain around her slender neck move and glitter in the faint light of the lanterns. Her eyes were now peaceful and calm, not angered and untamed as they had been when she had arrived.
Esgaron bowed to her.
"Thank you for the treat, my lady Tinnueth."
He walked past her and left the hall quietly. A piece of advice his brother had given him. Tinnueth, surprised, looked after him. This was new to her. She turned her gaze towards the tree trunk which hung motionless in the air, held up by thick and long steel chains. She approached it.
*****
Esgaron had bathed and dressed, awaiting his brother's return. He sat down by the open window and gazed at the stars. It took a long time until Maldor entered the chamber. He smiled at him and sat next to Esagron.
"Her eyes followed you when you left the hall."
Esgaron looked at his brother in joy.
"Did they?"
"Yes, my brother. And when you had gone, she got herself busy with the tree trunk. With her sword she hacked it with great force. She must have been furious tonight."
The brothers shook their heads and continued to talk about the lovely lady and her tantrums. They decided to stick to their plan and Maldor instructed his brother on his next step, which would be meeting Tinnueth in the next morning.
*****
The brothers were sitting on the table, waiting for Tinnueth's arrival. As soon as she entered the dining hall, they knew that last night's fighting had proven successful. She looked radiant and content. Esgaron rose from his chair and approached her.
"I hope you found your way back to your chambers from the practice
ground easily last night."
Tinnueth smiled at him.
"Thank you. I found my way easily, indeed. Thank you for the fighting, too. I was in great need to release myself from ....my ...anger and ...frustration."
Esagron laid his hand upon her shoulder, touching it gently.
"It was my pleasure. If you should ever feel alone and feel the need of a partner, please know that you can count on me."
Her gaze was tense and she remained silent. Esgaron realized what he had just said to her and he quickly corrected his words.
"I meant, if you need a partner to practice fencing."
Tinnueth's eyes softened and she laughed out aloud. She had misunderstood his words. Esgaron led her to the table, placing his hand on the small of her back.
Maldor had watched the king's reaction and felt greatly amused by it. Thranduil had looked over to his son, whose face bore a shocked expression. This only confirmed Maldor's suspicion that the prince wanted to marry lady Tinnueth. But he did not stand a chance, trying to woo her with flowers and tales of herbs' origins. She was a fighter. Those things did not impress her. But fortunately the prince was not aware of it. The king left the dining hall in rage and Esgaron sat down next to his victoriously smiling brother.
*****
Legolas went past the guards and walked down the corridor towards his chambers. He felt greatly disturbed by the incident in the dining hall. The prince did not mind that Tinnueth apparently favoured Esgaron, but his father had become terribly enraged seeing them together. He hoped that he would not see his father before nightfall. At moonrise there would be the official opening of the festival and all the elves would gather in the great hall to dance. Legolas would try to please his father by dancing with lady Tinnueth. He sighed and opened his door, stepping into his private chambers.
A hand grabbed him rudely by his collar, and pushed him fiercely against the wall. Legolas heard the door slam and looked up into his father's rage-filled eyes. Thranduil pinned his son against the wall and kept him there. His hot breath touched his son's face and he hissed at him in anger.
"I have told you that this is no game. Did you see how he touched her shoulder? Did you hear her laughter? How can you sit around and do nothing? How can you not be furious?"
Legolas did not care about what was going on between Esgaron and Tinnueth because he did not love her. But how could he explain this to his father? The prince sighed.
"What would you do in my case, ada? How would you react?"
Thranduil held his breath momentarily before he set his son back onto the floor. Legolas breathed in, filling deeply his lungs with air. He felt slightly nauseous. The prince regained his posture and looked at his father. The king eyed him thoughtfully.
"My son, this is a very good question. How would I react? What would I do?"
Thranduil walked out into the balcony and fixed his gaze on his seemingly endless forest. Holding his arms behind his back, he stood absolutely still. Only the gentle summer breeze moved his silver-blond hair and his crimson cloak. He thought deeply about his son's question. Legolas stood next to his father, trying to recover from the rude attack. He had known his father long enough. He should have expected that this would happen.
After a long time the king turned his head, looking over at his son.
"You will speak to her friend Esteleth and try to get as much information about lady Tinnueth as possible. It's the first thing we have to do. Once we have achieved this, we will decide on our next steps."
Legolas looked doubtfully at his father.
"How will I be able to speak to her in private? She is always with lady Tinnueth."
In his heart Legolas was thrilled by his father's brilliant idea. But he had doubts whether his intentions would remain secret. It would be all too obvious if he approached Esteleth and asked her for information about lady Tinnueth.
Thranduil smirked.
"We have to begin tonight. It's the opening of the festival. I am sure that Esgaron will ask lady Tinnueth to dance with him. You will use this moment to ask lady Esteleth for a dance. That is all. Let everything happen naturally. You must flatter her. Make her feel important and desired. I am sure she will tell you all you need to know."
Thranduil placed his hand on his son's shoulder.
"Do not disappoint me, my son. Just imagine that you are at war, and Esgaron and his family are your enemies."
The king turned and walked out of his son's chambers. Legolas looked out over the forest. His eyes were full of doubt and guilt. Now he had to flatter his beloved elleth and it would all be a show. Even if she opened up to him, he would eventually hurt her feelings. What if she fell in love with him?
He sighed deeply and shook his head with determination. No. He was not like his father. He could not do this. He would take this situation in his own hands, and do it his way.