The king was on the way to a early and unscheduled council meeting when he suddenly changed his mind and instead visited his son. He did not want to postpone this conversation any longer. Legolas and Esteleth sat in the princes chamber and studied a map of the north which Belegur had given them. The prospect to travel north in only a week delighted the prince immensely. He was eagerly looking forward to visit Esteleth homeland. Thranduil knocked and walked into his son's chamber "Legolas, I wish to speak to you in private". The prince rose his brows in surprise and nodded "Where will we speak"? Thranduil looked over to Esteleth "We will speak here in your chamber. And you my dear will have to leave now". Esteleth smiled at the king and bowed to him before she left the chamber. Thranduil walked out onto the balcony and Legolas followed him. They stood there silently for some time and gazed into the distance until Legolas spoke "Ada, aren't you supposed to take part in the council meeting"? Thranduil nodded without a word. "And why are you here? You said that you wish to speak to me. Please forgive me, but I am naturally curious about the reason. Has it something to do with the spontaneous council meeting"? Silence fell and Legolas gaze wandered over the forest far into the distance. He was not in a rush. If his father needed some more time before he was ready to speak, he would gladly wait. Finally Thranduil turned towards his son "I know that you decided to leave the kingdom, never to return". Legolas looked at his father in surprise "And who told you that"? Thranduil smirked at his son "You yourself told me". "Ada, I am sure that I have never said that to you". The king sighed "You said that if you left this kingdom, you would not return. At that point you had already decided to leave with Esteleth and her family for the north. Your decision had been made". Legolas nodded "Yes this is indeed the truth".
Thranduil turned around and looked into his son's face which was peaceful and happy "I accept your decision. But I must admit that I do not like it". Legolas felt pride fill his heart as he heard his father's words. He really meant what he had said. His father had changed greatly, even though he knew that the same nasty and cold king still slumbered within him. He might sometimes awake and his intolerable qualities might resurface again, but for the main part of the time his father was a pleasant elf to have around. Everyone had noticed it during the last week and rumor had it that the elven king loved the elleth which he had rescued. Everyone talked about it, but the king himself was unknowing about this fact. Legolas and Elrond insured that the king's privacy was maintained. They wanted to give Thranduil the freedom and the time which he would need to adjust to the change which his heart presently underwent. "I have come here to request you to help me". Legolas train of thought broke "With what can I help you ada"? A heavy sigh escaped the king's lips. He crossed his arms behind his back and looked deep into Legolas eyes "Help me by ruling this kingdom". The princes jaw dropped and he stared at his father in utter surprise "My wish is that you will rule it as the prince regent for a certain amount of time". Legolas cleared his throat "Ada, why... I mean..... the necessary qualifications...." Thranduil completed his son's sentence "will develop with experience and practice. As they did in my case. I was not a born king, even though my father had been the king before me. We all must learn and I want you to begin to learn now". Legolas actually blinked a few times, trying to digest what his father had just said. Prince regent? He had expected his father to come up with many different things, but not with the request to rule his kingdom as prince regent. That was indeed unexpected. Thranduil saw the doubt and hesitation in his sons eyes, and went on to explain his motives to his son.
"I wish to spend more time with other things. As you know my days are filled with council meetings, functions, correspondence, granting audiences etc. All this steals far too much of my time. It would be a relief if you could take over my duties. Who can tell, but the day may come when it will become your rightful duty to rule this kingdom".
Legolas remained silent and Thranduil continued to speak. "When I say that I wish to spend my time with other things I mean that I wish to develop my relationship with Tinnueth. I have ruled alone my whole life since my father's death and the time I had spent with your mother was indeed very short. I feel the need to have a wife by my side, to support me and to share the burden of kingship with me. My heart and fäe have chosen her. Perhaps Tinnueth will reject me. But what if not? I would like to marry her. And if the Vala allow it, I hope to see another elfling run through those halls one day". Thranduil lowered his gaze feeling visibly insecure and Legolas heart melted as he heard his father's honesty. This moment was so touching that it made him immensely excited. He remembered his youth when his arrow had pierced right through the center of its target for the very first time. He remembered that day very vividly. He had jumped into the air like a mad elf and his father's pride had been so obvious that Legolas had always carefully kept this memory. It had been a beautiful and precious moment with his father. Now he felt the same pride within his heart which his father had once felt. He placed his hand upon the king's shoulder and smiled widely "If you entrust me this kingdom, I believe that I will be successful. I accept your request gladly. But in the beginning I will need your guidance".
Thranduil looked into Legolas eyes and saw honesty and readiness. "I thank you. And I am sure that you will be a good ruler". Legolas grinned "If your words will prove truth, only time will reveal". Thranduil nodded "Let us go to the meeting and announce the change. Shall we"? The king stood proudly and was actually surprised that Legolas had accepted his request. Together they left Legolas chamber and headed towards the council chamber. The king's announcement was received with utter surprise and doubt but also with general acceptance. The prince had already agreed to the change, and he was in the general opinion of the council members ready to rule. It would be a good training for him, and everyone secretly hoped that a new air would enliven the kingdom. The once so urgent council meeting was postponed to the afternoon on Legolas request, who desired to inform Esteleth about the serious change immediately. No word about the change in rulership of the Woodland realm would leave the council until evening.
When all the council members had walked out of the chamber Thranduil turned around to his son "Elrond told me that Tinnueth's body is healing but that her fäe does not. That is exactly what I had feared. If she will wither away, I will certainly...." The king sighed deeply "I simply wish to be with her. I wish to sit by her side and hold her hand, make her feel that I am there for her if she needs me". Legolas stared at his father through wide eyes "I will speak to Esteleth and begin my duty. I hope that your endeavor to help Tinnueth will be successful and that she will appreciate it when she wakes up". Thranduil nodded "I hope so too". "Ada, what are you planning to say to her parents? How will you explain the reason for your presence at their daughter's bed side"? The king furrowed his brows " I have not yet thought about that. Do you think that I will have to explain that? Or will it be obvious"? Legolas shrugged his shoulders "I think it will be obvious. Just go in there and see how they react to your presence. I will leave you now and speak to Esteleth". When Legolas had gone Thranduil left the council chamber and headed towards the healers ward.
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The king found Belegur standing behind Riniel who sat next to Tinnueth's bed, holding and caressing her daughter's hand. Thranduil approached them hesitantly "With your permission, I would like to sit at your daughter's bedside". Belegur nodded and Thranduil walked towards the bed and set down on it, looking at Tinnueth pale face. She looked so peaceful when she slept. But behind that fassade lay a deeply troubled mind and fäe. He could sense it. He took hold of one of her hands and cupped it within his before he kissed the back of her hand gently. Tinnueth lay motionless, her consciousness far away from the place and time. Thranduil did not notice how Riniel and Belegur left the ward. He watched Tinnueth and sat quietly for hours with his eyes closed, searching for her fäe.
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A knock on the door caught Legolas attention and he looked up from the scroll which he had been reading. Two guards walked into the king's study. The prince had spend the last two hours here, trying to manage with his father's correspondence. It was a headache. This would certainly become one of his less favorite duties. "My prince, we have returned from the forest. We have brought every part of the two elves bodies which we were able to find. It appears that not all body parts have been found, but after searching the area for hours the brothers father Dogion decided that we should return. Lord Elrond who had lead the search party is now organizing the last rites, which will be performed tomorrow evening. He requested us to give to you this map which was found with the remnants of Maldor". Legolas took the bloody parchment from the guards hand and opened it. "This explains about the brothers knowledge of the secret passages. They must have found it in the grand library. Only a few of those maps exist today, and they are all in my father's keeping. Or at least that is what we had believed. Most of them had been destroyed long ago in order to keep this kingdom protected". The guards looked at the prince with expectation. "I want four elves to begin a new duty in the library from tomorrow morning on. They have to find other maps which might possibly exist and hand them over to me at once. This unfortunate happening with Lady Tinnueth could have been avoided, if not for this map". The guards left the study and the prince sat down behind the desk again. Legolas looked up at Galion who stood nearby "Am I doing well? Probably I'm nothing in comparison with my father". Galion smiled at him "My prince, you are doing very well. In fact I am impressed how you handle the pressure". Legolas chuckled "You may leave now. I will soon finish my duty here and meet with Esteleth. I will expect you tomorrow morning". Galion bowed to the prince and walked away.
Legolas sighed heavily and leaned back against the backrest of his father's large chair. He felt drained. To be the king's representative was tiring and he waited for the night so that he could leave the study and meet with Esteleth. He was glad that she had received the renewed change of the circumstances with an open heart. He had feared that she might be disturbed, but it had been the opposite. Esteleth eyes had widened considerably and she gaped at Legolas with disbelieve "Prince regent"? Legolas nodded, not sure how to read her expression. But to his happiness she smiled at him and held him close in a long embrace "I knew that your father's kingdom was out of the ordinary when we came here. But my stay here keeps getting more and more interesting. Is there something with what I can help you in your new duty? Legolas felt delighted to hear her speak. "Well, I guess that I will be enormously busy from now on. I will ask you only one thing, and that is to be patient with me for I will not have much time for us." Esteleth promised that she would be very patient and she walked away to inform her parents about the change.
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It was close to nightfall when Elrond walked into the healers ward to change Tinnueth's bandages. He smiled at the king and decided not to speak on the subject as he was actually very well informed. Legolas had visited him and Galadriel and Celeborn only a few hours ago and told them about the new situation. Everyone was quite pleased that the king admitted his feelings for Tinnueth. Elrond was busy to spread the ointment onto her wrist when Thranduil spoke up "What do you believe her prospects are"? This was a very difficult question and Elrond let out a sigh "I can not say for sure. But we have to be strong for her. What you do now is very wise". The king looked up at Elrond who was bandaging her hand now. When he dealt with her other hand which had only four fingers Thranduil felt greatly distraught. He wanted to speak to her. And the need to look into her eyes and to hear her voice was growing steadily with each hour that went by. When Elrond had finished he left the ward again. Thranduil sat utterly still and watched her intently. Thranduil thought deeply about his sons words. They held the truth. He was certain of that. He shared his opinion that too much sleep might prove fatal for Tinnueth. Her fäe needed healing and light, not darkness. There was already enough darkness in her. But how much? Thranduil sighed. He could not tell. But he knew that she needed light. A lot of light. Thranduil placed his hand on her forehead and hesitated. Sleeping regularly would be better than sleeping non-stop. He would try to reason with her. He would not loose her to the darkness which now engulfed her fäe. The elvish mantras were spoken in almost a whisper but that that did not diminish their power. Tinnueth stirred and groaned. She was still in pain and her awakening might prove different than the king hoped.
Tinnueth opened her eyes slowly and her face contorted. She could see the king's face in the candle light which illuminated the healers ward "I want to sleep. I want to sleep"! Her voice became more and more desperate with each word she uttered. The king's heart tensed and he took hold of one of her hands and caressed it with his thumb. He felt her emotions which radiated strongly from her weakened body. They made him feel sick and increased his concern for her welfare. She had suffered so much agony, which she had yet to overcome. "Let me sleep again. Pleeeease! Please let me sleep". Her hand gave his a weak squeeze as her eyes begged him to fulfill her desire "Please". Her voice was almost inaudible and she began to cry again. Thranduil took a deep breath and prepared himself for whatever her reaction might be to what he would suggest to her. His voice was soft and deep "Tinnueth, the darkness of sleep will only worsen your condition. The darkness in which you linger will dim your own light, more and more until you will fade away. What about your parents and brothers? They love you and they need you. I lo.... ahm..... there are many others which love you and need you. You have proven yourself to be very strong and resilient against the evil that you have faced within the last days. And I know that deep inside of you you have the strength to overcome this obstacle. The darkness which has crept into your heart and fäe must be destroyed. Please be strong. There are so many more beautiful things in your life that you can experience, and you will experience them. I want that you experience them". Tinnueth shook her head "I don't want to experience anything anymore. I want to sleep. Let me sleep. Please"! The king did not allow her piteous begging to touch his heart. He knew that he had to be strict. Thranduil took a inaudible deep breath and his expression became stern "If you agree to do it my way, I will be by your side and assist you. I will let you sleep regularly, and you will agree to stay awake for a certain amount of time". Tinnueth felt greatly distressed by his words, causing her body to shake in agony and pain. But she also felt a steady flow of energy coming to her body. It flowed from the king's hands into hers. It soothed her somehow or other. It reminded her of the darkness which she had faced while she slept. Could it be that the king had tried to sooth her while she had slept? She looked up into his eyes which were filled with sternness, but they were also caring and affectionate. Tinnueth felt her body tremble when she spoke "Can I sleep now and be awake later"? Thranduil looked back at her for what seemed like minutes before he placed one hand on her forehead "We have an agreement". He brought her back to the darkness of sleep.
It was in the middle of the night and she had slept for two hours when he woke her up again. Her face showed the same distress and she moaned out in pain. Her eyes begged him, but then she realized that it was the king that she was looking at, and she remembered their agreement "I don't want to be aware of ... my... my body, my pain... I feel incomplete and tired". The king nodded "Then let me entertain you". Tinnueth eyes widened and Thranduil began to speak to her. He told her of Doriath and she began to listen to him. His narration was so colorful, so full of life that she could see everything clearly in front of her inner eye. It brought color into the cold of her unwanted life, into the darkness which had spread throughout her being like blackish rain clouds which darkened the world during an early spring storm. The king continued while he held her hand at all times. As silence fell in the ward a peace spread between them and Tinnueth sighed. Thranduil felt that he had achieved a great deed tonight and placed his hand on her forehead. Tinnueth looked at him in surprise but the king shook his head "I said you will be awake and then you will sleep. Now the time has come for you to sleep again". He wanted her to stay awake longer, but first he had to gain her trust.
The king spend the following two days by her side like this, gradually filling her conscious mind with beauty, while during her sleep it was filled by darkness, which step by step began to wane. In the moments when they were alone he woke her and before someone would enter the ward, he let her sleep again. He wanted her for himself. Thranduil knew that it was selfish but he did not care. He saw the darkness that had crept into her being slowly wane and that was all that counted. In the morning of the third day Elrond walked into the ward to change her bandages. He had noticed a change about the elleth, but was not entirely sure what was going on. But today he was absolutely certain that her condition had improved. He suspected that the king had managed to reach out to her through the darkness which surrounded her fäe "I sense a change". He looked at Thranduil who eyed him blankly and remained silent. "Will you not tell me what is going on"? The king shifted on his seat and let out a sigh "I do wake her at times". Elrond's brows rose in astonishment "You wake her up?" Thranduil nodded "Yes, frequently. We have an agreement. She remains awake for a certain amount of time, and then I allow her to sleep again". Elrond was flabbergasted. He would have never suspected that. But then the king felt for her deeply. Much more than he had thought. "Well.....it is good." Thranduil watched as Elrond walked away and left the ward again. The king sighed deeply and continued to concentrated on the bond which he was trying to create between them.
The guards opened the gates to the king's garden and Thranduil walked towards a bench which was located near a small water fountain and surrounded by many beautiful and fragrant flowers. He placed Tinnueth on the bench and she sighed deeply. Her tired and exhausted mind was filled by the fragrance of the flowers and the cooling night air. She inhaled deeply while she leaned back against the backrest. Thranduil studied her face. It looked more relaxed now and he believed that he saw a faint hint of peace on it. Her eyes were closed and he felt tempted to cup her face in his palms and kiss her brow. He had done so many times during the last days, but only while she had been fast asleep. Her chest rose and fell slowly and he felt how the fresh air and the nature which surrounded her now did their own good to heal her wounded fäe. She had not uttered the desire to leave her bed. But the king had felt that the time had come to fill not only her ears with beauty, but her other senses too. So far it seemed that it had been a good idea. Tinnueth concentrated on the fresh air and inhaled it with pleasure. Her memory traveled back to her home land when she walked the forests at night with her brothers by her side. The large rivers on whose benches they had sat countless times, watching the water flow by fast, or cooling their heated bodies in its depths at the end of hot summer days. The glowworms which roamed the night air, illuminating the darkness with their small lights. The gentle night breeze which blew and moved her hair and dress gently, making her feel free.
Suddenly her memories were dragged away forcefully into the king's realm, running... running .... she ran for her life. Fear gnawed on her heart mercylessly. Maldor pulled her behind him, and she felt how the shackles cut deeply into her wrists because she had problems keeping up with him. Pain and fear invaded her mind harshly and exhaustion spread through her body. She wished to rest. The sound of the orc which followed them, far distant, but nevertheless loudly stomping and threatening. ... Tinnueth got up abruptly from the bench as her senses were overwhelmed by the memory of her plight. The king had noticed the change in her immediately. Her breath quickened and she whimpered at times. A deep and dark distress radiated from her body and she suddenly got up and began to run. He was quick and catched her only strides from the bench on which she had been sitting on. Her knees gave way and he lowered her slowly onto the soft grass where she knelt down. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks and her sobs were frequent and piteous. The king knelt down in front of her and held both of her hands within his own. Thranduil placed a kiss on her brow and rested his forehead on hers. He relieved her memories by blending their minds into one. He saw what she had seen in the forest and Tinnueth began to shudder as he controlled her memory now. She pulled away but he cupped her face with his hands and rested his forehead on hers again. "Shhh, wait, it will help you". The king entered her mind again and his heart was tortured when he felt the physical as well as mental pain she had gone through. He shared her dark memories as well as her pain. It eased the burden of her heart and she was less reluctant to his presence now than she had been when he had begun. When Thranduil had seen it all he straightened his back and created a distance between them. Tinnueth looked around the garden and her face saddened considerably "I want to go home". The king cupped her face again with his large hands and looked into her eyes. This was not going well. He took her hand in his and eyed her fingers, his gaze lingered on the short stump where her finger had been. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles while he gazed deeply into her eyes, trying to read her reaction. There was none. She stared back at him blankly. Thranduil did not feel that he had much to loose. If she would reject him, both of their fates would have been sealed already beforehand. They may never become lovers. But love might give her a reason to want to live on in her body. He closed his eyes for a moment reflecting on what he wanted to say to her. Tinnueth stared at him still when he opened his eyes and she repeated her desire "I want to go home". Thranduil nodded, his voice was soft and kind "Your home is by my side". He saw deep confusion stir within her eyes and a sigh escaped her pale lips. Confusion changed to deep concern and he spoke before her thoughts could drift into the wrong direction "Your place is by my side. I will protect you and make you enjoy each moment of your future life if you decide to stay with me". Tinnueth closed her eyes and tried to grasp his words while Thranduil continued to speak "I give myself to you. Let me make you complete again". The king took a deep breath "Please know that you have all the freedom you need. I will accept any decision which you will make". Tinnueth opened her eyes and looked up at him before she sighed heavily. This was totally confusing and unexpected. Thranduil watched her reaction carefully but he could not see where this situation was leading to. Deep inside of her she felt so free in this moment. A freedom which she had never before felt. What was that? She swallowed and continued to look into the king's eyes. She knew that he had sat at her bed side at all times while she had been asleep. The darkness had been thick and threatening until a small light had appeared. And she knew that he had been the light. It had been his energy which had reached out to her. His energy which had eased the suffering which she had felt even when she was deeply unconscious. His endeavor to help her had reached her even there, where no one else could reach. He had encouraged her to confront the darkness and she knew that she had begun to gradually overcome it. All because of him. But how could she stay with him? Her place was by his side....? This could only mean that he intended to marry her? The king saw her doubting expression and gave her hand a gently squeeze. Tinnueth felt tired, very tired and she leaned against his broad chest. She inhaled his masculine scent and Thranduil wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Tinnueth felt his hand cover her forehead and she closed her eyes. Sleep claimed her instantly.