Legolas had withdrawn with Esteleth to his chambers. The prince did not speak for the rest of the night, nor did he utter a single word during the whole next day. He just lay in her arms, drowned in a raging sea of thoughts. Esteleth sat on his bed, leaning against the headboard while Legolas lay between her legs, his head resting against her flat belly. She caressed his head and face and gently combed her fingers through his hair, which she had freed from its small side braids earlier that day. He just lay there deep in thought, while she silently kept him company. Esteleth was relieved that his expression had calmed, though it now seemed blank. His face had displayed different forms and stages of anger throughout the entire night. But with the rising of the sun, his foul mood had eased and presently he looked indifferent.
The words spoken the previous night were still echoing in his mind, along with mental images constantly flashing before his eyes, never for a moment ceasing to remind him of the scene between his father and Maldor, making it hard for Legolas to calm down. He felt her fingers run gently over his hair and her fingertips draw invisible patterns near his hairline before they reached his sensitive ears. Her delicate hands stroked him lightly behind them before they cupped his face, her thumbs gently brushing his nose, then sliding downwards to caress his chin.
He sighed and turned onto his side, placing his cheek on her upper thigh. Her comforting presence had helped him to finally overcome the darkness which had invaded his heart and mind the night before. Her gentleness had increased in him the desire to get through this experience as calmly as he could. He had to begin to make decisions not only for himself, but for her, too. She would be his responsibility soon, his to protect. He had to offer her security and for this he had to be strong. This situation was a good opportunity for new resolutions. As he felt her slender fingers run smoothly through his hair, his tensed body relaxed gradually.
Esteleth felt deeply sorry that she had previously caused Legolas to worry. If it was his desire to live in his father's kingdom and to perform his duties, she would gladly share this burden with him. But did he still want to live with his father after all that had occured the previous night? Whatever he decided, she would stand by his side and support him. The previous night's events made her realize that love was something too precious to be bought at any cost. To find true love was a blessing. And she and Legolas had found it. One day she was going to become Legolas' wife and together they would share their suffering and bliss.
When the sun went down, there was a soft knock on the door. Esteleth looked up, whereas Legolas continued to lie motionless, partially covering her body. The king peeked into his son's chambers. Seeing them on the bed together, he walked inside and sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked at his son and sighed deeply. His face seemed strained and bore an indefinable expression.
Thranduil slid over the edge and sat down on the stone floor with his back against the bed frame. Together they sat there in silence until late at night, while no one spoke, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
A sudden touch on his shoulder made Thranduil look up over his shoulder. Legolas had laid his hand upon his shoulder, but his eyes remained closed.
"Thank you for coming."
Thranduil was surprised by his son's words, having expected to hear something angry or accusing. He answered Legolas by placing his own hand on top of his son's, which was still resting on his shoulder.
After a long silence, the prince stirred for the first time in hours. "Did you love my mother?"
The king nodded. "Yes."
"Did she love you?"
Thranduil shook his head. "No. My love for her had blinded me and my judgment."
"Where is she now?"
Thranduil sighed heavily. "Your mother sailed to the Undying Lands a long time ago. She found an opportunity to escape from me and she took her chance to do so."
A long silence lingered between them before Legolas spoke again. "Ada, I would have preferred to hear about all this from you and not from some witless ellon."
Thranduil nodded and sighed. He wished he would have told his son about his mother earlier. But he had always avoided the topic, fearing it would cause a larger chasm between them than they already had.
"I know that I have made a grave mistake by withholding the truth from you. And I am truly sorry about that."
Legolas opened his eyes and his gaze fell on his father, his voice cold and hard. "I am disgusted by your deed. And I will not forgive you. First of all you have wronged my mother greatly, and secondly, you have withheld the truth from me. I am not sure whether I wish to live in this kingdom any longer, as I do not believe in its king anymore. If I leave, I am not going to return."
Thranduil swallowed hard and his gaze darkened. This was exactly what he had feared all along.
*****
After leaving the king's chambers, Tinnueth had asked her parents to take her to theirs, hoping that they would keep everyone away from her. After she had taken a long bath, Tinnueth dressed herself and walked back into her parents' chambers. She lay down on their bed in exhaustion and closed her eyes, enjoying her mother's loving hand which gently caressed her tired body.
Tinnueth heard her mother's soothing voice. "Lord Elrond was here a few minutes ago and said that you might fall asleep soon. And it would be a good thing if you did so."
Tinnueth simply nodded and let sleep claim her. When she opened her eyes in the late afternoon, she was delighted to find herself surrounded by her parents and brothers, all gathered together on the large bed. It was comforting to wake up from a peaceful sleep among those she loved, hearing about tales of her homeland. Tinnueth slowly sat up and looked at them with a faint smile that bore a hint of the deep frustration she still felt inside her.
Belegur caressed her back and pulled her close to him into his arms. "Are you going to punish him? Or revenge his deed?"
She sighed deeply and closed her tired eyes. "Is he worth it?"
His daughter's question moved Belegur's heart greatly. He held her closer to his chest and sighed. "My opinion is that he has made a big mistake. We all commit mistakes in our immortal lives, but some mistakes weigh heavier than others. You should not condemn him for his misdeed, but he has lost your trust and he definitely does not deserve your love."
She nodded and closed her eyes, falling asleep once again, this time in her father's protective arms.
*****
Dogion walked into his sons' chambers without knocking. The brothers were sitting on their beds in a gloomy mood. His father's angered voice made Esgaron wince.
"Have you any idea, what you have done? Whose foolish idea was it?"
Maldor lifted his hand up and Dogion shook his head in disbelief.
"You knew that the king had bewitched his own wife. One who has witnessed this kind of magic before, can tell if someone is under a spell. How could you two be so foolish and think that this could escape his attention? On some days I am having trouble to believe that you are in fact my sons. That was unbelievably stupid."
Maldor looked at his father feeling angered by his words. "We only wished for the best for TInnueth."
Dogion thought he had not heard properly and shook his head agitatedly. "You wished for her best? Do you think that this is the best? Did you see her suffer? It broke my heart to see her in pain. Esgaron!"
He now looked at his youngest son. "How can you be so stupid and think that you can win an elleth's heart by the use of magic tricks? You should have followed your mother's advice! Tinnueth had been developing feelings for you, slowly perhaps, but she had changed her attitude towards you. Why do you two always have to cross the line?"
The brothers continued to listen to their father's furious ranting without saying a single word. When he finally left their chambers, silence lingered between the two brothers for a very long time. Each of them pondered over their own dark thoughts.
After a long time, Maldor looked over to Esgaron, slyness shining in his eyes.
"I have one more plan."
Esgaron's eyes widened as he looked at his brother in disbelief.
"Have you lost your mind?"
Maldor shook his head. "No, my brother. But you have lost the elleth you have loved all your life. There is nothing in this world that you can do to fix this. Her heart is now closed for you. But we could try to approach this situation from another perspective. There is one more way."
Esgaron looked distraught. What could he lose? Nothing. It could not possibly get worse, or could it? He sighed deeply and looked at his brother, his eyes filled with doubt, yet there was a tiny spark of hope flickering in them.
"What is your plan?"
Maldor grinned at his brother and revealed his final plan. In his mind he had it all planned out, down to the smallest detail.
Esgaron listened to his brother attentively while his gaze wandered to the open window. "You have had a second plan from the very beginning, in case the spell did not work?"
Maldor nodded proudly. "Yes, it is always good to have a backup plan. Something you can get back to and rely on if things don't turn out the way you want them to. My brother, what do you say?"
Esgaron studied his brother's face and sighed deeply. "What if it is not successful?"
Maldor was annoyed. "What if, what if... If every elf in Middle Earth hesitated as much you do, we would have been extinct a long time ago. I am telling you that this plan is going to work. Believe in me brother, I know what I am talking about. I have spent a lot of time in the library and have found all the information we need to make this plan successful."
He got up from his bed and walked over to the closet, returning with a piece of parchment. "This piece of parchment bears all the information we need". He walked over to Esgaron and unfolded the parchment.
Esgaron's eyes grew wide and he looked up at Maldor. "Will you make another back-up plan in case that this one does not work out?"
Maldor patted his brother's shoulder. "There is no need for another plan. I am sure of this."
Without hesitation Esgaron nodded and stood up. "What am I supposed to do this time?"
*****
Tinnueth awoke when the sun went down. She stretched her aching body and snuggled up into her father's chest again. Her family was still there and she felt safe and secure. She felt considerably better.
"How did you find out that I was under a spell?"
Belegur tightened his hold around her. "It was not us, but the king himself. He suspected that something was wrong and set his spies onto Maldor and Esgaron. It all came to surface last night and he called me in order to reveal the facts to me."
Tinnueth looked up at her father. "What happened last night?"
"When the king's trackers found out that the brothers had visited the sorceress, they brought her to the king. She admitted that she had cast a spell on you before she removed it, and that's why you are in pain now. But Lord Elrond said that you should not worry. You will soon feel better again. Everything will be alright."
Her expression was concerned as she began to voice her fears. "I have no memory of the past few days. What happened? I mean did he... ahm... Did Esgaron come too close to me?"
Tuven sat up straight and shook his head. "No! He did not kiss you, if that is what you mean. But he tried to do so on many occasions. Me and Barhador, along with Amathon and Celegon had been watching over you at all times. Whenever he tried to kiss you, we interrupted you, not allowing the kiss to take place."
Tinnueth blushed and was shocked. "I was willing to kiss Esgaron?"
"Yes. More than willing, in fact. It was awful to watch. You followed him literally everywhere."
Tinnueth shuddered at the thought. She felt ashamed of her behavior.
Belegur pressed her firmly to his chest and kissed the top of her crown. He told her everything that had happened during the previous days.
"Once, the king called me in the middle of the night and I had to pick you up from his chambers. He had caught you red handed while you were trying to sneak away from your chambers to meet with Esgaron. You openly admitted that you were on your way to meet him. Even though I had given you strict orders to remain in your chambers, the king caught you and Esgaron again a while later in the common gardens, the moment Esgaron was about to kiss you. His spies had informed him about your secret meeting."
Tinnueth covered her face with her hands in shame. This was truly awful. What must the king have thought about her? She was horrified, especially because she could not recall any of the mentioned incidents.
The family began to discuss what their next steps would be. They pondered over the possibility to travel home within the next few days. Tomorrow Belegur would speak about their possible departure to Istor, who would certainly wish to stay here in order to attend his daughter's betrothal ceremony. After that conversation they would make their decision.
*****
A guard knocked on the king's door and waited for a reply. To his surprise, the large doors swung open and the king walked out into the corridor.
"Why are you disturbing me that late at night"?
The guard bowed to the king. "Please forgive the late disturbance my king, but Esgaron has requested that he is accommodated in another chamber. He said that he cannot stay with his brother any longer."
A smirk spread over the king's face. "Is that so"?
Thranduil pondered over the fact that the brothers seemed to have a difficult time and was quite amused by it. He grinned at the guard.
"I will grant him his wish. Give him another chamber. I know there is a spare chamber down the corridor, where he has stayed until now. That should create enough distance for the brothers."
The guard bowed and left. Thranduil returned to his chambers and walked towards his balcony, picking up his wine goblet from his desk. He drank a large gulp of wine and felt satisfied that Dogion's sons apparently experienced difficulties in their relationship. This was indeed good. Maldor had been the mastermind behind their silly plans. Now Thranduil did not have to worry anymore about Esgaron, who was not part of the game anymore. Thranduil licked his lips, savoring the last drops of the delicious wine. He had drunk a lot after he had left his son's chambers.
On the one hand, Thranduil was glad that Legolas had asked him about his mother. But on the other, his son's last words had turned his mood dark. He was very much aware of the fact that Legolas might leave him never to return. Thranduil had tried to calm his son's anger and frustration by telling him that he would accept any decision he would make. The expression in his son's eyes had changed upon that. Thranduil had noticed it immediately. But he had failed to perceive Legolas' deeper thoughts and intentions. The king was not entirely sure that he would simply accept Legolas' decision if that was not to his interest. He was his son. Thranduil drained the goblet and looked out over the forest as he thought about his son. He furrowed his brows and his expression darkened.
Legolas had made his decision already. He had said that if he left, he would not return. And Legolas was leaving with Esteleth after the betrothal ceremony to spend a year with her father. That meant that he would not return. Thranduil's grip onto the goblet tightened and his expression turned grim. He walked back towards his desk to refill his goblet once more and walked towards the opening doors. He called out for a guard and had emptied the goblet before one appeared before him.
"Go to Thalawest and Thurinor. Inform them that their service is no longer needed. They will receive their reward tomorrow night."
The guard bowed to the king and left. Thranduil returned to his desk, and refilled his goblet again. Sipping on his wine, he sat down in his large oaken chair and let one of his legs hang lazily over the armrest while he stared at the doors. He had to change his plan. Lady Tinnueth would probably be in a foul mood after all that had happened. He wondered how the family was handling the situation. He had not seen them since they had left his chambers the previous night. Tomorrow he would visit them and try to find out how Tinnueth fared.
Tinnueth... Thranduil licked his lips and tried to restructure his plan. Now he had a bit more time and less pressure. He should not endanger the relationship with his son any further. If Legolas planned to leave for good, he might let him go, at least for some time if that was consistent with his plan.