Once he had observed the niceties with regard to the Council, Thranduil - more out of habit than anything else - asked his mother leave to retreat to his private chambers for a few hours, to which the Queen softly replied that he was lord of the halls now and could do as he pleased. He did not respond to that, but kissed her tiredly on the cheek. "Until tonight, Mother."

"The King wishes to retire?" Galion, the butler, snapped his fingers and at once a young elf in uniform appeared. "This is Aegas, Your Grace. He will be your personal valet."

Aegas bowed so deeply that his nose almost touched his knees. "My liege, your chambers have been prepared in anticipation of your arrival. If you and the lady would follow me?"

As they made to depart, Arasien experienced a moment of embarrassment. It was no secret that she had frequently shared Thranduil's bed for many years, but to leave together so openly, as though they were already man and wife? Thranduil had no such scruples; he even took her hand as they silently followed Aegas along the lamp-lit corridors. Ah, then again, to Mandos with decorum. All had heard his proposal, and surely the preparations for a wedding feast were getting underway even now. It was only a matter of days, hours maybe, before she became his Queen in the public eye. Today, she would take that title in the privacy of his bed.

Aegas unlocked and opened the door to Thranduil's rooms, stepping aside to let the pair enter. "I hope you will find everything to your satisfaction. The rooms have been cleaned this morning, fresh linens have been brought up, and you will find wine, cool water and refreshments in your bedroom. I have personally overseen the preparations."

"Thank you," Thranduil said. "I am sure we will be wanting for nothing." He unhooked the cloak from his shoulders with a look of relief. He was still in armour, although his weapons had been taken by his squire earlier.

Aegas rushed forward to take the cloak from Thranduil's hands. "Do you wish for me to help you undress? I can take your armour for cleaning and repairs."

Arasien smiled, amused by the young elf's diligence, but Thranduil barely suppressed a sigh. "I have dressed and undressed myself these many years, Aegas," he said, not unkindly. "If I need anything, I'll not hesitate to let you know, but for now, you may leave us."

Once the door clicked shut behind the valet, Thranduil let a sigh escape him after all. "I had forgotten about all the fussing. I suppose that is one thing I haven't missed on those godforsaken plains."

"They want to take care of you, Thranduil," Arasien said. "Your return is a blessing from the Valar, one we stopped expecting a long time ago." She cupped one side of his face gently. "I want to take care of you, also. Will you allow me that?"

He nodded, leaning into her touch slightly and closing his eyes. Now that they were finally alone and he was no longer pretending, she was beginning to understand just how physically and emotionally drained he was. Her heart went out to him, and she wished she could reach inside and take away his pain. What ugliness had he seen before the gates of Mordor? What evil deeds had he witnessed, and how many foes had he himself killed? She reached for his arm and began undoing the fastenings of the leather vambrace he wore over his tunic. A squire she was not, but gradually, layer by layer, she stripped him of his armour, putting each piece aside with care. When she got to his tunic, she opened the buttons - some were actually missing - and peeled the faded, threadbare fabric away from his shoulders.

At this point she took a moment to study him, feeling a need to reacquaint herself with his physique. Tall as a tree, slender yet muscular, he was everything she thought of as perfection. No mark or scar could change that, and she saw quite a few new ones on him. Reminders of the war- she would have to get used to them. When she looked up and saw his self-conscious, almost apologetic expression, she put a hand on his chest and gave him a smile to reassure him. "Come, you'll feel better after a hot bath."

They spoke little, and that was fine. She knew that now was not the time to ask him about the years that lay behind him; one day the stories would come on their own account, when they were ripe for the telling. For now, it was enough to be near him, and to take care of his unspoken needs.

She stayed with him while he sat in the tub, sponging down his chest and shoulders and scrubbing his back. She also washed his hair, which had become uncharacteristically dry and dull, gave it a long overdue trim and spent a considerable amount of time drying and combing his hair until it shone once more. He sat passively in the tub, staring into space, but when she started a gentle massage of his shoulders, his sighs told her that he was enjoying it. After a few minutes, however, he indicated that she had pampered him enough and that he was ready to come out of the water.

While he climbed out of the tub, she took a soft towel from the linen closet and brought it back to where he stood, dripping water on the tiled floor. When she started rubbing him dry, however, something seemed to break in him. "Rasi," he said hoarsely, "you treat me too well. I don't deserve it."

"Today, you deserve all the care I can possibly give you," she replied softly. She looked into his eyes and saw the desolation within. "You poor sweetheart."

He grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to her fingers. "My love," he whispered, "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can and you will," she told him calmly. "You have all the makings of a good King, a great King, and don't you forget it. I know you feel overwhelmed, but give it time. I will always love and support you, and I promise you that between these walls, you will never have to be King. In the privacy of our chambers you will only be Thranduil, my husband, and I your wife."

He closed his eyes and released a deep sigh, and she felt his unspoken gratitude.

"Would you like to lie with me now?" she asked him then. "You can, if you want to."

He met her eyes, looking uncharacteristically embarrassed. "I... I don't know if I should," he replied haltingly. "It's been so long, I don't trust myself to- I'm afraid to hurt you."

"You'll not hurt me." She took his hand and gently led him into the bedroom. "We can have a cup of wine first, if you like."

He shook his head and croaked, "Later perhaps."

She began to undress while he watched, not trying to seduce - at least not yet - but simply shedding items of clothing that would only be in the way. When she stood before him in only her undergown, she hesitated, for the first time. "Before we go further, Thranduil, I have a request to make."

He licked his bottom lip. "Name it… name it."

"I would have you teach me." She looked into his eyes earnestly. "I know that... your lovers pleasured you in ways I could not, but if we are to be married, I would have that amended. Show me what it is you craved from those ellyn, and I will seek to satisfy your needs in their stead."

A sound of anguish escaped him, and he reached out to touch her cheek. "You are sweet, Rasi, so sweet, but my desires have changed. I cannot share with you what I shared with them- it would be wrong to use you in that way. These past years, it was you who was with me when I laid myself to rest in my tent, your face that haunted my dreams. I never once thought of them, and I would not have you believe otherwise. Rasi, you were the one all along, and it shames me now that I couldn't say it before. It shames me that I couldn't be faithful, and I'm sorry, so sorry..."

"Don't apologize, for you have not wounded me," she said truthfully. "My request stands. You are soon to be my husband, and I want to know what gives you pleasure."

Without waiting for a response, she took his hand and guided it to her breast. "Touch me, my love," she told him softly. "You have won the war, now claim your prize. Do not fear the flame of passion, but let it burn freely. What happened in the past no longer matters; our lives start anew, here and now."