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Many thanks to ellisk, L.A.H.H, Miss Feanoriel, Dancing Chestnut, Glorelwen, No, candycanesrox101, GreenGreatDragon, Melethril and Floating Leaves for reviewing Chapter 1.

Part II: Recess

"Were you out of your mind, Saeldur?" Aeroniel snapped. "What possessed you to run to Míron's son with your complaints? Are you the only one of us who somehow failed to realize that Míron and Arahael are not to be trusted?"

"I was foolish," Saeldur said, though he did not look at her, busying himself instead with crouching in front of Legolas and pushing his tunic up to examine his ribs.

He, Aeroniel, Rochendilwen and Legolas were in the Elf-prince's seldom-used study. It was near the Council Chamber, and none of them had been in any frame of mind to return to the warriors' quarters.

"Foolish?" Aeroniel asked incredulously. "Foolish? Is that all you have to say for yourself? This was not folly, Saeldur! For as much as Míron claims you said to Arahael, you could well be accused of fomenting sedition!"

"How much did you actually tell him, Saeldur?" Rochendilwen demanded. When Saeldur looked up long enough to glare at her, she went on, "We must know. Then at least we will know what else to expect. Did you say anything to him about the Queen or –?"

"Do you think I would have done?" Saeldur demanded angrily.

"A month ago I would not have thought you would have forced Legolas into battle injured because you were throwing a tantrum! Elbereth help me, Saeldur, if you said one word to Arahael accusing Legolas of Kinslaying –"

"I did not!" Saeldur turned to Legolas. "You cannot believe I would betray you like that."

Legolas sighed. Much as he wanted to reassure his friend, at that moment he did not know what to think.

"Tell me what to believe, Saeldur."

Saeldur, who had not been expecting that answer, stared at him in shock for a moment. Then he straightened enough to rest his arms on Legolas' knees and look his friend in the eye.

"I told Arahael that you and Lord Thorontur would not let me fight. I told him that I feared you did not trust me. He asked me why. I said I should be trusted to know my readiness for battle better than you and Lord Thorontur did." He paused, biting his lip. "He said I might have been better off had I… not had you as my commanding officer. I… I did not refute it." Legolas' expression shuttered, and Saeldur reached for his hands. "I was not thinking, Legolas! Please. My bow is yours. It has always been yours. You know that. Please. Do not hold what I said in grief against me."

"So now you admit you were grieving?" Rochendilwen muttered.

"What would you have me say, Rochendilwen? I was wrong, and grievously so. And Legolas has suffered for it. Do you think anything could be more of a punishment to me than this?"

She met his eyes for a moment, and then she nodded. "I did warn you."

"You did, and I should have heeded you. I was consumed by grief and guilt and I said more than I should have done to Arahael." He turned back to Legolas. "But I did not accuse you of Kinslaying –"

"You accused him of having felt threatened by Candnaur," Rochendilwen pointed out. "In my presence, I might add."

"What he said to Legolas in your presence is regrettable," Aeroniel interjected, "but we can worry about that later. It would have been better if he had said far more in your presence and far less in Arahael's. What we must know now is what more we can expect from Arahael and Míron. Saeldur –"

She broke off when someone rapped sharply on the door.

Saeldur got to his feet, helping Legolas up, as Rochendilwen went to open it.

Lord Míron stood outside.

"Well, well," he said, with an unpleasant smile at Rochendilwen. "An Elf of the darkness. You do keep extraordinary company, Legolas."

"Is there some way I may be of service, Lord Míron?" Legolas asked curtly. "Or have you come here to insult my archers?"

"I think the very fact that they are forced to serve under the brat of a Wood-elf is insult enough. For some of them anyway," he added, sneering at Rochendilwen. He took a step closer to Legolas. "It is hardly surprising that our troops have been pushed back at every border if this is how we lead them. If you did not look so remarkably like Thranduil, I would doubt –"

He stopped speaking abruptly when Saeldur took an angry step forward, hand going to the hilt of one of the knives tucked into his belt.

"Please continue, Lord Míron," Saeldur said lightly. "We are eager to hear what you have to say."

"Saeldur." Legolas' voice was quiet, but firm. Saeldur lowered his hand, but he did not step back. "Is there a reason you are here, Lord Míron?"

"As it happens, Legolas, there is. You will have to forgive my distraction. I was insufficiently prepared to encounter the halfblooded filth that masquerades as the youth of the Sindar." Míron met Saeldur's glare with a tranquil smile. "Your mother wishes to speak to you, Saeldur. She thought you might be here, but she was understandably reluctant to subject herself to the society of… Well, we need say no more of that. Saeldur."

"I will go nowhere with you," Saeldur snapped.

"Lady Celephindeth asks for you, Saeldur."

"Go, Saeldur," Legolas said.

Saeldur turned to him. "Legolas, please –"

"I am not sending you away, Saeldur. Go find out what your mother wants of you. I think we will leave as well. Aeroniel and Rochendilwen are both in dire need of rest before this afternoon, and I must speak to the King." Saeldur still looked a little unsure, so Legolas pulled him aside to murmur, "Go with him, please, Saeldur. I do not want to give the Council more cause for complaint. I will see you afterwards."

Saeldur met his eyes, nodded, and left, Míron following.

"Do you want us to leave?" Rochendilwen asked when the door had closed behind them.

"You should get some rest, both of you. There is little you can do here. There is little any of us can do about any of this until we know what Lady Celephindeth intends."

"And Míron?" Aeroniel asked.

"What of him? He has never been fond of me. He can abuse me all he pleases, but unless he has a legitimate complaint, there is little harm he can do."

"I fear you speak to soon, Legolas. His son tried to turn Saeldur against you. And he came close. What he has tried once…" Aeroniel looked at Rochendilwen for help. "I am not saying you should not trust Saeldur, Legolas, but…"

"What would you have me do?"

"Be careful," Rochendilwen said. "Saeldur would never knowingly betray you, Legolas, no matter how much he was grieving – we all know that. But Arahael is clever. We have seen evidence of it. If he and his father can find the smallest chance to do you harm, they will take it."

"That has been true for centuries," Legolas pointed out. "What has changed now?"

"Now they know something of which they could not have been certain earlier," Aeroniel said soberly. "That the most loyal of friends might do unknowingly what they would not under any inducement do willingly."

"We will leave you now." Rochendilwen patted his shoulder. "Your father will want to speak to you, and I do not doubt that he is waiting down the corridor desiring our absence so that he may come in and see for himself that you are well. But, Legolas, think on what we have said."

The ellith left.

As Rochendilwen had predicted, not a moment later, there was a knock on the door. When Legolas opened it, he was confronted by his father and Thorontur.

"Are you all right, Elfling?" Thorontur asked without preamble.

"I am well, my lord. Are you not needed in Council?"

"The Council is in recess," Thranduil growled. "Celephindeth left –"

"I think she was ashamed," Thorontur added. "She never intended matters to go as far as they did. That was fully Míron's doing."

"That misbegotten son of –"

"Thranduil!"

"I can curse before Legolas now, Thorontur. He is old enough."

"Thranduil, for what you planned to say, not even you are old enough." After a pause, Thorontur added, "I do not say I disagree with the sentiment. We would all have been happier if Míron had taken ship to the Blessed Realm after the Dagorlad. Or if he had been sent there in irons. Either would have done. We saw him coming here, Legolas. What did he want?"

"He came to take Saeldur to Lady Celephindeth," Legolas said.

"And to continue what he started in the Council Chamber, I do not doubt," Thranduil muttered. "He makes Norgalad seem reasonable!"

Thorontur laughed, but he sobered quickly. "Do not let him upset you, Legolas. He has always been a fool, and the Council knows better than to believe a word spoken by him – or any of his friends!"

"Saeldur believed him," Legolas said quietly. "There will be others who do."

"I doubt Saeldur truly believed a word Arahael said – and certainly not anything he said about your mother, Legolas. Saeldur heard what he said and tried to provoke you with it. That was all. You do not doubt him, do you?"

"I… no," Legolas said. Then, more firmly, "No. If I cannot trust Saeldur, I cannot trust a single one of my archers."

Thranduil smiled and patted his shoulder. "We will be with you, Legolas, as will your friends. I would dearly love to send Míron to Mandos for what he has said today, but Thorontur tells me that would cause comment in the Council."

"It would be pointless to kill him. It would make people feel sorry for him. I still say you should let me have him for archery training," Thorontur muttered. "Just for a month, Thranduil, a year at most, and at the end of it he will know not to waste the time of our warriors with ridiculous accusations and groundless threats."

Legolas laughed, and Thranduil and Thorontur exchanged a pleased glance.

"I told you he could still laugh," Thorontur said.

"And I did not doubt you for a moment," Thranduil assured him. "But it is nice to see all the same." He took Legolas by the shoulders. "You are my heart's joy, penneth. Never doubt that. The day does not pass when I do not thank Elbereth that you were spared to me – you could so easily have been killed with Lindariel. I could not have borne to lose you both."

"Do not be troubled about Míron," Thorontur added. "All he has done is make the Council regard you with greater sympathy."

Legolas would have responded, but a sharp rap on the door interrupted him.

Thranduil raised his eyebrows. "I do not believe your study has been used as much in the last thirty years as it has in the last thirty minutes, Legolas."

Thorontur opened the door to let Arbellason in.

"Are you all right, Elfling?" he asked, looking Legolas over critically. "You look well enough, though Feredir will not be pleased that you have torn your stitches again. I do not envy you, Thorontur. Your son will not soon forgive you for this."

"My son has still not forgiven me for letting Legolas go to Ellaurë before he had recovered. And just last night Celebwen was kind enough to remind me of the time I sent him on patrol with broken ribs, four summers ago. Those who think warriors are violent have no experience of the grudges healers can bear against those who hinder the recovery of their patients."

"You had best go to the Healing Wards now, Legolas," Arbellason told the Elf-prince. "We can try to spare Thorontur from some of Feredir's anger."

"Nothing can do that today," Thorontur said grimly. "Until I induce Celephindeth to give up her complaint, I must be resigned to the displeasure of my wife and children. The sooner we get this over with, the better. But Arbellason is not wrong, Elfling –"

"Truly?" Arbellason asked. "I never imagined I would hear you admit that I was right."

"I did not say you were right. I said you were not wrong. I have sent for Feredir, Legolas. There is no need for you to walk all the way to the Healing Wards now when you must return in the afternoon in any case."

"I am not an invalid, Lord Thorontur."

"No, Legolas, and I have no desire to be one, which is why neither of us is going to do anything to displease the healers. And now we must return to the Council. It is dangerous to leave those fools to their own devices for too long. We will see you later."

Legolas expected to be left to himself after the three older Elves left, at least until Saeldur returned after seeing his mother. That might take some time; Lady Celephindeth did not often attend sessions of the Council, and had attended that morning's only to see her grievance addressed. She would, no doubt, return in the afternoon, but until then he expected her to use the time to persuade Saeldur to speak against him before the Council.

Legolas sighed. He did not for a moment suppose that any argument Lady Celephindeth might make would persuade Saeldur to turn against him, but the entire situation was unpleasant.

He was startled from his thoughts by a knock on the door.

He frowned. Saeldur could not have returned already. Perhaps it was Feredir here to scold him for tearing his stitches.

But when Legolas opened the door, he saw Lord Míron.

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