When Belegur entered the hall, he froze at the sight of the king lying on top of his daughter and the sound of her irrationally fast breathing. His first reaction as a father was that of blood-boiling rage. The king had looked up upon hearing his voice, yet he did not move an inch away from panting Tinnueth. Belegur had almost crossed the entire distance from the entrance to the back of the hall when Thranduil finally rolled off of her. It was only at that moment when Belegur noticed the wound on her flushed cheek and her bloody clothes. He looked at the king reproachfully before he knelt by his daughter and checked upon her condition. He helped Tinnueth to her feet and, without uttering a single word, walked with her out of the hall.
Thranduil stood still as his gaze followed them until their figures disappeared in the dim light. He tried to figure out what had just happened. The king headed to the healers' ward to get his wounds cleaned and bandaged, surprised to find that Belegur and Tinnueth were not there. Gladhriel eyed the king slightly upset when he entered the healers' ward and informed him that Belegur had requested for Lord Elrond's help. The Lord of Imladris had come to her in order to pick up what he needed to heal her wounds. Thranduil, almost absent-mindedly, sat on a chair and Gladhriel began to unbutton his wet and dirty tunic.
Elrond meticulously stitched the wound on Tinnueth's left breast. The sharp blade had cut deeply into her flesh and the wound was bleeding profusely. His eyes returned repeatedly to hers as she winced in pain each time the needle penetrated her delicate flesh. Elrond was greatly displeased when he realized the state her suffering body was. He understood Belegur's fury. Thranduil must have fought her madly. Her mother Riniel sat at her bedside and held her daughter's hand while she spoke calming words to her.
Belegur stood at the end of her bed as he watched the old elf stitching his young daughter's wounds. He had not believed Esgaron's words when he had met him earlier that night. Esgaron had told him that the king was furious about his relationship with Tinnueth. He had forbidden him to practice fencing with her, and had left in a fury to find Tinnueth while he held his sword ready in his hand. Belegur had then believed that the young ellon had exaggerated, needlessly worried. He had known the king for so long and knew that he would not harm anyone for such ridiculous reasons. Had Thranduil tried to arrange Legolas' marriage to his daughter, as Esgaron had claimed earlier that night? After what he had seen, he now considered it possible. This would explain the king's mad behaviour in attacking his daughter. Tomorrow he would go to Thranduil and speak to him. The only thing he wanted to do right now was to be with his daughter.
When the king appeared in the dining hall in the morning, he drew everyone's eyes on him. The cut on his chin and the large bruise on his cheekbone were clearly visible. Esgaron and Maldor smiled at the sight. Tinnueth had apparently beaten him up. Enjoying their breakfast, they waited for her arrival, however this did not happen. Towards the end of the breakfast, the brothers had got concerned about the possible reasons for her absence. None of Tinnueth's family had been present at the table, as well. Perhaps the king had caused her a terrible injury? They would have to find out what had happened the previous night. And they knew exactly whom they would ask.
Esteleth left the dining hall and headed towards the corridor. She had to pick something up for Tinnueth from the healers' ward. She was still in shock, having seen her friend in pain caused by the multiple cuts on her slender body. This was new to her. Tinnueth had not suffered any injuries since she had turned ninety-two years old. The king must have been a good opponent. But why had they fought to the degree of injuring each other that much? She had seen the king's face and understood that Tinnueth was not the only one who had suffered injuries. Smiling at this, she was about to turn around a corner when she was suddenly pulled into a niche. Esteleth smiled at the ellon, only to realize that it was not the prince who had pulled her into seclusion, but Dogion's sons. Her smile vanished.
"Lady Esteleth, what happened to your precious smile? Did you expect someone else?"
She blushed and lowered her face towards the ground. Maldor touched her chin, and moved her head up again, making her look into his eyes.
"Don't be so shy. We only wish to be given information on Tinnueth and her famiy's whereabouts. What can you tell us?"
Esteleth shook her head. She had never liked the brothers, and could not understand why Tinnueth had suddenly been so close to Esgaron. She had not yet told her friend about this, but she was greatly displeased by her behaviour.
Maldor stepped closer towards her, making her take a step backwards. She felt the cold stone wall behind her and lay her hands flat against it, looking up in fear at the large ellon whose figure towered above her. Maldor took another step towards her, leaving no more space between their bodies. She felt his breath on her forehead and her hands began to shake. He touched her cheek gently before he turned her head to the side, then he pressed her face roughly against the cold wall.
"Answer my question!"
Esteleth's body trembled in fear and she opened her mouth to speak when she heard a familiar voice.
"Get your hands off her, or I will cut them off."
She sighed in relief. Legolas had come.
The prince had seen her leave the dining hall and had followed her at a distance. He had listened to them and stepped in when Maldor cornered Esteleth. He drew his dagger and pointed the tip at Maldor's throat. Maldor reluctantly let go of Esteleth and turned around to the prince.
"We were just talking."
"I see. Talking is what you call this? Frightening an elleth? Touching her against her consent? You forget your place. You are in my father's halls. This type of behaviour has never, nor will it ever in the future be tolerated. Neither by me nor by my father. Stay away from her and if you approach her once more, you will be provided with new accommodation, and that will be in my father's dungeons. Now get out of my sight, before I change my mind and use my dagger!"
Legolas removed the blade from Maldor's throat, who hissed at him.
"You speak sharp words, prince. But was it not your own father who broke these very rules you speak of? You speak proudly, yet little do you know about your own life."
Maldor walked past Legolas, and stepped out of the niche. He noticed the king's presence. Thranduil looked at him in a calculating and cold manner. A shiver ran down Maldor's spine and he quickly walked away along with his brother. The king turned his gaze towards his son. Legolas was standing in front of Esteleth, who was still leaning against the wall. His hands cupped her blushed face and with his thumbs he wiped away her tears of distress. He spoke soothing words to her and touched his forehead onto hers. They stood there together, she weeping and he trying to comfort her. Thranduil's gaze turned cold. He straightened his back and walked away.
*****
Esgaron and Maldor reached their chambers, and Maldor laughed out after he had closed their door. Esgaron looked at him in confusion.
"What is so funny? You have brought the king's wrath upon us because of your stupid words."
Maldor continued to smile widely and embraced his brother. "You can't recognize love when you see it, can you?"
Esgaron shook his head, still baffled. "What are you talking about"?
"The prince loves Esteleth. And she loves him back. There is no obstacle in your marriage to Tinnueth anymore."
His brother's words made Esgaron grin. Yes, if the prince truly loved Esteleth, Tinnueth would be his.
"But the king, you have infuriated him with your words."
Maldor shook his head. "Even if I did, who cares... You and Tinnueth have come closer to each other than you have ever been. Our purpose here is fulfilled. We only have to decide on how you are going to ask her to marry you. It should be done in a private manner, with only the two of you present."
The brothers lounged in their settee and forged their plan. It all sounded good until Esgaron began to voice his doubts.
"I am sure that Tinnueth will find out about the incident with Esteleth today. And I was part of it. What if she is displeased and distances herself from me?"
As much as Maldor disliked his brother's words, they had to expect this to happen. The two ellith had always been close friends. Tinnueth would have known what they had done by now. Maldor rose up from the settee.
"Yes, you are right. Let me go now and see what I can do for you. I will return later."
To Esgaron's surprise, Maldor left the chamber at once. He hoped that all would go well. His brother's and mother's advice had brought him very close to his beloved Tinnueth. They might be able to fix this, after all.
Meanwhile, the king was sitting in his study behind his enormous desk, staring at the large painting on the wall. This had been too obvious. He drummed his slender fingers on his desk and occasionally sighed. That elleth had deliberately attracted his son and bewitched his heart. He should punish her for this. Apart from that, she had lied to Legolas. There was definitely a bond between his son and Esteleth. Thranduil could not deny it. But would he ignore it? Such kinds of bonds were everlasting. His eyes grew large and his expression darkened. If he accepted it, he could... possibly... in case of...
Sighing deeply he got up and walked to the window, looking out over the forest. A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts.
"Enter."
"You owe me an explanation as to why you injured my daughter to that degree!"
Thranduil turned around and looked at Belegur with a amused expression.
"I fought her mercilessly, as she fought me in the same manner. Should I merely let her cut me down?"
Thranduil studied every move of Belegur. He needed him on his side. Belegur smiled at the king.
"Well, I am well aware of her passion when it comes to fighting. She is unstoppable, fierce and dangerous. I would not wish to face her as an opponent in battle. I understand the situation."
Thranduil felt relieved as he smirked at Belegur.
"But..."
The king's expression changed to an almost visible frown.
"I went to see the brothers yesterday, that's why I came down to the practice grounds. They said that you had forbidden them to leave their chambers. Esgaron said that you did not approve of his and Tinnueth's relationship, because you aimed to marry your son to my daughter. Well, now I wish to hear your view and your version of what happened last night."
Thranduil, amused this time, smiled at Belegur. "What else did the young ellon fantasize about?"
Belegur laughed out loud. Yes, it sounded ridiculous. He should have known.
"Legolas is in love with Esteleth. I saw it with my own eyes, just a few hours ago. And she reciprocates his feelings."
The king's words came as a surprise to Belegur.
"But I wish that you do keep this little secret of theirs to yourself."
Belegur nodded in agreement.
Understanding Tinnueth's father's thoughts and concerns, the king clarified another point which Belegur would surely mention next.
"Your daughter is a terrific fighter. She is strong and quick. Can you imagine that she brought me down on my back after I held her in a grip which I thought it would be impossible to escape from? She brought me down to the ground and after that she straddled my waist and pushed my arms on the ground, as if I were a young ellon at his first self-defence lesson. Yet she underestimated my strength and I pushed her over, pinning her down onto the ground. Lying there with no chance to escape, she still tried to get away. But I did not let her."
It was not entirely the truth, but Belegur seemed to believe every word.
He laughed at his daughter's stubbornness to accept defeat.
"Yes, yes... This sounds just like my daughter. Come with me, let us visit her. I have forbidden her to leave her chambers today, and we had a long argument with her this morning, which made all of us miss breakfast."
Thranduil followed him. He was satisfied that Belegur had believed everything he had told him. They were in a very awkward position the moment Belegur beheld them. Now all had been clarified. And Thranduil had used the facts of his son's and Esteleth's love to his advantage. The question was, what did he actually want? He sucked on the inside of his cheek and smirked.
Tinnueth stood at her window and looked down, trying to spot Esteleth. She had seen her earlier, walking along a narrow path outside. Thranduil and Belegur walked into her chambers. The king looked at her with regret. He had caused her a lot of injuries.
"My lady Tinnueth, please accept my sincere apology. I am truly sorry for the injuries I have caused you."
Tinnueth gave him a sincere smile.
"My king, I accepted your offer to fight. And I have immensely enjoyed it. I have finally met an ellon whom I cannot defeat, and as for the injuries my body has received, I am proud of them. Do not worry about me. In fact, I hope that once our wounds are healed, we will find time to practise sword fighting again, if my father permits it."
Belegur smiled in satisfaction. Everything was alright.
*****
A little while later, Thranduil was standing in his balcony, enjoying his wine. His thoughts roamed over the previous night. It had been a rather peculiar night for him. He sighed and looked up to the new moon. How many times had he stood here and had watched the moon wax and wane, always alone with his thoughts...
He walked back into his chamber and decided to pay Legolas a visit.
Esteleth was sitting with Legolas on his settee, talking about themselves and the world when the door burst open and the king stepped inside, unannounced as always. He stopped abruptly when he saw Esteleth sitting on the settee together with his son. That liar was in his son's chambers. Esteleth rose up quickly, and bowed to the king.
"My king, please accept my respects."
She turned towards Legolas. "My prince, I am leaving now, let us finish this conversation another day."
Before she could leave, Thranduil shook his head and approached them, sitting down on an armchair opposite the settee.
"Please my lady, stay with us and finish what you were talking about."
Legolas swallowed hard, detecting anger in his father's voice. He eyed Esteleth with worry. They had discussed all kinds of things, but not about Tinnueth. But she was a clever elleth. She knew his plight, and was more than ready to protect him.
"I am worried about her."
Thranduil furrowed his eyebrows.
"You worry about whom?"
She looked over to the king.
"About Tinnueth. She has never before been interested in Esgaron. But now she has changed. I sometimes wish that we had not come to this festival."
The king smirked at her. "This is love, you can't change those things."
Legolas hoped that his father would have the same opinion when it would come to Esteleth and him. He dreaded the day when he would have to speak to his father about his profound feelings for her.
Esteleth did not believe that it was love that Tinnueth felt. "What makes you think that she is in love with him?"
Thranduil leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, and gazed at her with a serious expression on his face. "I have seen love many times. It is obvious that they have feelings for each other."
Esteleth looked very unhappy.
"It would disturb me greatly if they got married. It would somehow not seem right."
The king nodded and looked at them expectantly. "My prince, you see that my worries are based on facts. But what can I do to prevent them from marrying? Some things are not in our hand. I just hope that she will be happy."
Legolas nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Thank you for your trust in us. It is time for you to leave now."
He rose up and walked her to his door, closing it after she had left. His father stood up and with a nod of his head, invited his son into the balcony. Thranduil was angered at Esteleth's lies, but decided to pretend that he did not know about them. He would also ignore their feelings for each other, because he believed that he could use Esteleth for his purposes.
"I see that none of your endeavours to win her heart have been successful. Do you have any idea why?"
Legolas shook his head. "No ada, I don't know. But I fear that she has given her heart to the wrong ellon."
"Exactly."
Thranduil turned his son toward him and placed his hands on his shoulders. "He is the wrong choice. But how are we going to make her understand it?"
Legolas shrug his shoulders. "I do not know. I guess that I lack experience with these kinds of things.
*****
Later that night Legolas lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Maldor's words echoed through his mind. '... but was it not your own father who broke such rules? You speak proudly, but little do you know about your own life...'
What was he referring to? Legolas had spoken about scaring an elleth, touching her against her consent. Maldor's words indicated that his father was guilty of such deeds. But how? What had his father done?
Legolas shook his head. Perhaps Maldor had simply bluffed.