King Thranduil sat on his throne, trying to control his temper. He was not expecting visitors, much less the ones that were making their way through the cavern under full guard. The full glass of wine he had in his hand was gone in an instant, and he stood to watch Lady Galadriel in her long flowing white gown and Lord Elrond in a dark blue robe cross the narrow pathways to the throne, their jeweled circlets glinting in the lamplight.
"And to what do I owe this very unannounced and mostly unwanted visit?" Thranduil's voice was deep and clear as it rang out before his guests could even walk up the steps to the lower dais.
Galadriel's expression gave nothing away, but Elrond's face darkened and furrowed at Thranduil's rudeness. They stood together, looking up at the king, and the guards that had escorted them quickly filed alongside the dais.
"It is good to see you, Lord Thranduil." Galadriel was a peaceful and calm presence, her gentle smile only adding to her ethereality. "Will you come down and speak with us?"
"Yes, would you please?" Elrond's voice indicated he had already had enough, and they had only just begun.
Thranduil stayed perfectly still, as if carved from ice, staff in hand, his greenish-yellow robe wrapped around his lithe frame, his cruel wooden crown perfectly placed on his golden head. After a long, painfully silent stand-off, he slowly made his way down the steps, his arctic stare burning into his guests. He stood in front of Elrond and Galadriel, each of them as tall as the other. A rush of whispers, a deep distant rumbling, and the soft glow became a dazzling white- Elrond looked sideways at Galadriel, who remained peaceful and smiling in her growing shroud of light.
"King Thranduil, son of Oropher. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Stop trying to get into my mind, O Lady of Light." Thranduil narrowed his eyes at her, his voice a stream of poison. "If you have a question, you have but to ask."
Galadriel's voice echoed in the chambers of the cavern, and of the mind. "Do you forget my mirror, my lord? I have but one question to ask you...who do you think you are?"
Thranduil snorted, turning away from the elves. "I have no reason to answer you. You keep that ring of power with you...a piece of the very deceit that has brought us to war over and over! And you dare come to my halls to question me?!"
Galadriel moved slowly, gliding towards the king, her hand outstretched. She clamped down on his shoulder before Thranduil knew what was happening, and she easily brought him to his knees, his staff falling to the ground as he whimpered, the glamour torn away to reveal his wounds anew, blood welling and oozing out of them. The guards moved to protect their king, but one wave of Galadriel's hand and they were unable to take another step.
"You forget yourself, young one. I was there when you most needed me." She looked up at Elrond, whose face was a shroud of alarm. "Lord Elrond and I healed you. We gave you your life back. Do you not remember?"
Thranduil, still on his knees, fought to hold his head up high and stare at her, one eye milky white and the other a flashing blue sapphire. "And you left my wife and father to die! For what purpose did you bring me back from the brink? So I could suffer their losses? I would have rather died with them!" His voice was a thunderous roar, even as he trembled under Galadriel's might.
"You already know we did everything we could, Thranduil." Galadriel's voice was soft and soothing, even as she had the king cowed at her feet. "And for you to wish your life away is not what was intended." She took her hand from his shoulder, but Thranduil could not rise. His entire body trembled, sweat poured from his skin. The pain of his wounds was fresh, as if it had just happened not long ago, and it weakened him considerably. He was hunched over, panting, trying to regain control of himself.
"How dare you..." His voice was a throaty growl. "Is this what you wanted? To see me weak and on my knees? It is only by force that I am so debased. You dare humiliate me in front of my people! Would you allow such a thing in your halls, witch?"
Elrond took a step towards the king. "We did not come here with any ill intent, Thranduil. We were sent in Mithrandir's stead."
Thranduil scoffed. He slowly rose to his feet, the tremors in his body visible as he stood. He turned to look at his guests, and Elrond could not hide the horror he felt when he looked at the king's face- fresh blood had run from the wounds and clotted at his neck. The bare tendons of his face shone and pulsed, and the white eye dribbled fluid and mixed in with the blood and ooze on what was left of his cheek. Thranduil saw the concern and shock on Elrond's face, and despite the fact that it hurt terribly, he smiled ghoulishly at them.
"Do you think I want to see either of you? What would possess you to come all this way, completely unannounced? The wizard and I had business together that is none of your affair-"
"But you see, my lord Thranduil, that is entirely not the case. I have been watching your skinchanger for quite some time. There is plenty cause for all of Middle Earth to be concerned. Should she fall into the hands of Sauron it would only further the doom of every known species that walks Endor. And you let her go." Galadriel's voice echoed through the chamber, and Thranduil felt he was standing on the edge of a cliff. One more step and he would lose his temper altogether.
"She was found in my forest. She had been lost out there for Eru knows how long. If you had been watching her then your abilities are failing as she was under constant attack! If you knew of her, how could you fail her so?" Thranduil shuddered as he struggled to regain his glamour. He faltered, catching himself on a guard, and he strangled a moan as the magic did its work. "I sent her to the Carrock to learn control of her wolf. She was shifting in her sleep- escaping the caves was only a matter of time. And then doom would truly be upon us. Would you have me risk such a thing?" Finally he was able to stand without falling, and if it weren't for the blood everywhere, he looked like himself again. Galadriel took another step forward, and Thranduil shrank back. "Not any closer."
"I am sorry to have reminded you of past hurts, but you are far too arrogant, and we mean you no harm." She lowered her voice as she searched his expression. "You may have saved us after all."
Thranduil's expression showed the scorn he was fighting to contain. "What do you mean?"
She smiled, and the very air around her changed, reflecting her white glow as a misty fog. "You and Cael...found something together, did you not? Are you not bound together?"
Elrond's voice shook as he spoke. "Is it true? Are you wed?"
Thranduil considered them for a moment. "You are dismissed," he said to the guards, and quickly they filed up to march out and away from the throne chamber. It was then Thranduil spun on his heel and approached his guests as if to attack. "Are you completely out of your minds? You have no sense of propriety or decorum whatsoever. It's truly disgraceful."
"There is no time for decorum. I want the truth, my lord." Galadriel wasn't smiling anymore. Thranduil eyed her comtemptuously.
"Though it is not your business, I have. And this is as far as it goes. My kingdom is not ready for any sort of union."
Now Galadriel smiled, like the cat that got the canary. "Why, my lord? Because her father was a man, or her mother a Noldor? Or is it that she is a skinchanger?"
Thranduil shook with rage as he bit his tongue. "As I have already said, it is none of your business. Nor anyone else's. Why should it concern you if I chose to risk damnation?"
Elrond shook his head slowly. "She will have to decide. She cannot remain with a foot in each world."
"Do you think I am not aware of that, Lord Elrond? She does not remember anything, not yet. She cannot claim anything until she rediscovers herself."
"She was to remain chaste." Galadriel interrupted. "It was the only way for the dark magic to work. She had to be...a virgin. Even if she were captured, she could not be used by the enemy. But she would be killed, that is for certain."
Thranduil stood, unmoving and breathless, as the realization of this washed over him. "How could you know such a thing?"
"It was in my mirror. I had to piece much of it together, as always. I was hoping that what I had seen grow between you and Cael was real, and not something I was wishing for. Her heart belongs to you now. She has something of this world to keep her from washing away. She could endure any torture if she knew you would save her."
"I fail to see how I could make any difference. The enemy could break her again. She had to have hope before, hope that her mother would save her-"
"No, Thranduil. You cannot imagine the horrors committed against her poor mother. And she witnessed much of it. It was part of the torture and brainwashing she endured, all of it with the single purpose of breaking her mind. The enemy was marking her with hexes to bind his power to her and seal them together, to use her as a spy, and a weapon...but her changing skin was what saved her from the final act, the one she would never recover from." Galadriel touched Thranduil's arm, and even though he recoiled, she did not let go. "The enemy did not expect her to change skin. All the torture and horrors she had been through forced her into it. Somewhere in her father's line, I suppose, there was a skinchanger. And she slipped away in the night, and ran as fast and as far as she could." She smiled kindly at him, and took her hand back. Thranduil shivered. "She could never be broken again. She has found love, and she knows you will never abandon her."
There was silence for a long while. Thranduil was absorbing all the information. The three elves stood together in a quiet spell, and then finally Elrond spoke.
"We will journey to the Carrock to visit her. She must be told of this. It may help her to remember."
"What if she doesn't want to remember?" Thranduil tried to repress his snarl. "You have no right to interrupt her there. You could set her completely off course. And I will not be there to help her. The Carrock is a rough place-"
"As I am well aware-" Elrond started.
"But you do not know her as I do. Your mirror could not know the things I do. I have walked in her mind. The truth is trapped there, guarded by her very soul." Thranduil sighed heavily as he looked away and down. "I do believe you, Lady of Light. But you must realize this. She is delicate. She will need the comfort only I could bring her after hearing such news. I tried to stay my heart from feeling anything for her...but it was fruitless. And I would not let her go to the Carrock alone. I wed her to me for many reasons, but mostly to keep her safe."
"No one blames you, my lord Thranduil. In fact, I am very glad, for both of you. I am well past my judgmental youth. And it turns out to have tremendous meaning, for both of you and for the entirety of Middle Earth. But she must be made aware of this-"
"No!" Thranduil grasped Galadriel's arm. "Please. Do not do this. Wait a little longer. She is only just now arriving. You must give her some time." He released her arm, but his expression still bore his desperation. "Please. Let me go to her."
Elrond looked at Galadriel, questioning her silently. She looked down and closed her eyes as she thought it over, and Thranduil felt her cool power drifting into his mind. He had only to lower his defenses, and she swept right in.
'I see your heart, Thranduil Oropherion. It may surprise you to know it still beats blood red. You are madly in love with her. But do not let that cloud your judgment. If I promise to stay away from the Carrock, you must promise to exercise your due diligence. You will go to her and tell her all you know, and you will tell her I will be expecting her when her time at the Carrock comes to an end.'
Galadriel looked up at Thranduil now, a small playful smile on her lips. He was blushing, but his face gave nothing away. Poor Elrond looked confused.
"So we have a deal." Thranduil's voice was deep and commanding as before.
"Yes, my lord." Galadriel smiled wider now. "We shall see each other again."
"Not too soon, I hope." Elrond regarded Thranduil with an arched eyebrow, and then he smiled. "Stay strong, my friend."
Thranduil watched them leave without a word, his body still as a statue and his eyes glassed over. It was all he could do to hold himself together, as he was exhausted from the effort of regaining and holding his glamour. He needed wine, and much of it. He needed to recover, and he needed to pack.