They walked silently through the great halls of the palace.
Raina and Ethiriel who shared with Bellethiel a guestroom for the night till things were fixed in Bellethiels room had left earlier and Bellethiel had not memorised the way back to it.
Thranduil had kindly offered her his help.
"Thank you for accompanying me."
They bowed and Bellethiel opened the door.
"Bellethiel." Thranduil looked at her and smiled.
"I enjoyed your company tonight."
"So did I." The prince smirked.
"I wish you a good night."
"Thank you. I wish you a good night as well."
With a shy smile Bellethiel entered the room and closed the door.
"Dearest cousin who was it?"
She jumped lightly as she saw her two cousins standing next to her.
"It was the good looking elf with whom she had spent the entire evening." Ethiriel thought out loud and looked at Bellethiel with a smirk.
"Marilla said it was Thranduil, the captain of the guard." Raina added as she followed them to the other side of the room.
"Right and he is way more handsome than what was his name again? Lathron."
Bellethiel sighed and pressed her hand against her forehead.
If she would not stop them right now she would have to endure it the rest of the night.
"Fine. Yes, I spend the evening with him for my loyal companions left me alone. Yes, it is Thranduil. And yes, he is better looking than Lathron. Good night."
She walked into the room next door getting ready for the night.
"Oh c'mon do not be such a spoil sport." Raina said with a grin.
"I am tired. The journey was exhausting and the feast challenging. We can talk tomorrow." Bellethiel said and laid down on her bed with her back to the room.
She smiled.
She did not know why she had been so calm about Thranduils look the entire day.
She would never argue with someone about him being handsome for he definitely was good looking.
With those ice blue eyes, the clear cut face and the long nearly silver looking hair.
She closed her eyes trying to remember everything from the evening.
The music, the merry songs, the laughter and every other so little detail.
The face of her new acquaintances.
His smile and curious eyes which had watched her the entire time.
The feeling of holding his hand during the dances.
"Do you not think we should tell her who Tranduil is?"
Several days later Ethiriel and Raina strolled through the palaces gardens and talked quietly.
"No. I guess she would think that he just spends time with her because he has to and not because he wants to. We had this issue already."
Raina nodded.
"Poor Lathron. Such a pity but Thranduil would be a better choice. I would not say no if he wants to spend some time with me." Both giggled.
"Certainly not but I think our chances are very little. Even Marilla seems to give up."
"Marilla?" Ethiriel looked curiously at her younger sister.
"You should have seen her tense as I asked who he is and she realised that it was the prince himself." Raina simply replied.
"Do you not think that you are reinterpreting something here?"
"I have been barely wrong about those things." Ethiriel shrugged.
"That's true. What do you think? Is Bellethiel going to allow herself this friendship?"
"I hope so. He seems to take her seriously and to be honestly interested in her. He is." Raina stopped midsentence as she saw Bellethiel and Thranduil slowly approaching them.
"Speaking of." The sisters stopped their stroll and watched the couple.
"I cannot agree on that. Why should we think of us better? We are a part of this world as well as the dwarfs, men and the other creatures." Bellethiel looked serious at her companion.
"I did not want to say that we are better. I simply think that there is a difference between us and them. No dwarf or men has the same abilities as we have."
"There are some." Bellethiel comment softly.
"I know but still they are few in number."
Thranduil understood what she tried to tell him and did agree on many points but he could not fully agree.
Bellethiel saw her two cousins admiring the gardens.
"Ethiriel, Raina. I see you found our beautiful gardens." Thranduil greeted them.
"They are beautiful indeed. We had to come and see them." Ethiriel replied while she looked at her cousin with a small smile.
Her cousin was more than happy to finally have her own room and was able to avoid those comments and looks from the sisters.
It was enough for her to know that the other elves were watching and talking about her.
"It is different to home but still you have a little feeling of being home."
"I am glad to hear this. We were on our way to the stables. Would you like to join us on a ride?" Thranduil asked politely.
"Thank you for the kind offer but I am afraid that we have to decline it. We were on our way to meet with Rilion and Marilla." Bellethiel understood the hidden message and shook smiling her head.
"Well than we do not want to hold you up to delay."
They said their good bye.
"Their riding out will only cause more talking at the palace."
Ethiriel nodded.
