I know, I know; I have way too many stories going. But I could not shut up the plot dragons in my head. This story contains Leggy and Thrandy and Elrondy bashing- although, it's all in good fun and not because I don't like these characters. I do like them. Way too much. Heheh... This is a bit AU, so there are a few discrepancies with the films and book, but I will try to keep them to a minimum. Enjoy! :)
Chapter 1.
'Ah, there you are at last,' said Thranduil, letting a hint of annoyance creep into his voice. He turned to look at his son who had just entered, and lifted an eyebrow.
'You sent for me, Ada?' said Legolas.
'You're late,' said the Elvenking. He turned away again and examined his nail. 'I have received a message from Lord Elrond of Imladris. There seems to be a great to-do there, and he says he must hear news of that Gollum creature.'
'I suppose we'll have to tell him of our failure to contain him,' said Legolas.
'Your. Failure,' Thranduil corrected him. Legolas hung his head sheepishly. 'But there is more going on in Rivendell than meets the eye,' the king continued, walking to his throne and sitting down on it with a fabulous twirl. 'I have reasons to believe that Elrond has an unwanted guest.'
Legolas loved gossip. His pointy elven ears pricked up.
'There is a ranger. Of the north. Calls himself Aragorn, and is a complete jerk. Supposedly he thinks that the throne of Gondor is his for the taking. Although he hasn't said so outright, I can only think that Elrond is not happy with this state of affairs, since I've heard him hint on several occasions that he couldn't wait for the old steward's death so that he could claim the throne for himself.'
'But what has this got to do with us?' asked Legolas. 'You don't usually care what happens to Lord Elrond.'
Thranduil widened his eyes, but could not deny that fact. 'Truth be told,' he admitted, 'the real reason I care is because if we can solve his problem in this respect, he will not be angry at us for your foolish mistake with our captive. And besides-' Here the king gave a wicked chuckle- 'I have some plans of my own for the throne of Gondor.'
Legolas' eyes widened in shock. 'Ada,' he gasped.
'I know,' Thranduil gloated. 'And my plan is extremely clever, as usual. You see, a thousand years is as a day in my life, so I have plenty of time, as does Elrond. We can let Aragorn take the throne and live a long, peaceful, prosperous life as king of Gondor. But we cannot afford to let him have an heir. If an heir is produced, there is little chance of either of us getting the throne. We must keep him from getting married! And therein lies one of our problems.'
'Go on,' said Legolas, who never could stand suspense. Thranduil revelled in it, though, for much longer than his son liked.
'The ranger,' he said at last, 'is deeply in love with Elrond's daughter... what's her name... Aldy? Amber?'
'Arwen,' said Legolas, looking a little crestfallen. He personally thought Arwen's name rather unforgettable, as was the lady herself. He sighed.
'Oh, yes, that sounds right,' said Thranduil airily. 'At any rate, we must keep them apart by all means necessary; and that, my dear son, will be your job.'
'What?' said Legolas nervously.
'You will go directly to Imladris and pry the two lovers apart with all speed. I'm sure you'll do fine; all you have to do is make friends with the ranger and carry him off on hunting trips continually- in fact, if you could just get him accidentally killed, it would save a great deal of trouble. Now go at once, and Valar speed you on your noble quest.' Thranduil stood and prepared to sweep out of the room.
'But Ada,' Legolas protested, 'What if they find out what we're trying to do?'
'Am I relying too much on your cleverness?' The Elvenking sighed and turned back to his son. 'I will keep in contact with you, and if you have any questions just ask me in a letter. It's so annoying that letters take so long... I shall have to get Feren to look into an instant messaging invention...' And with that, the king swept regally out of the room.
Legolas frowned, then sighed. 'What have I gotten myself into?' he mumbled.
Review. That's an order, not an option. :)