Of roses and frost

by Nuredhel

Thranduil tries With the help of Elrond to find a suitable wife for his son, the one elleth they chose seems to be Perfect but Legolas cannot know of their small plan, neither can she. She is as stubborn as a mule, as temperamental as a she-dragon and has a Secret of which nobody should ever know, not even herself. If she remembers she'll die, if she doesnt everything will be lost.

11. Like a snake in the reeds

Chapter 11: Like a snake in the reeds…

Mariliel had never felt thus in all of her life, she was shaking with tension and anxiety and Aeniel was chatting away like mad just to keep her mind occupied. She didn't hear a single word of it though, her mind was elsewhere. Legolas had told her of his father's unexpected reaction and she had grinned at first and then she had felt rather angry before she cried with relief. So Thranduil and Elrond had been together on this? Those scoundrels! She would shake her mentor really hard the next time she met him. She had gotten a dress that was just wonderful and some jewelry too that had belonged to Legolas mother and it made her feel very humble indeed. Now Aeniel was doing the finishing touches, adding some makeup and putting some nice gold clasps into her hair. She did hardly recognize the elleth in the mirror. Aeniel was beside herself with joy. "Look at you, this realm has never seen a more beautiful princess. They will all adore you"

She tried to smile, felt how her nervousness made her stomach cramp up. " Are you sure?"

Aeniel nodded solemnly. "Absolutely, to know that the prince finally is married and a father to be will turn this celebration into something truly special. There is hope yet again, and light. And we will see that the family of Oropher will live on."

Mariliel took a deep breath. " I am surely going to make a fool out of myself"

Aeniel shook her head violently. "No you are not, you are going to be the perfect lady tonight and everybody will be in awe of you and they will worship the very ground on which you tread."

The healer spun her around a few times. "You are perfect, just wait while I get dressed, and then we will go. Your husband and father in law are waiting."

Mariliel managed to smile, but she still felt terrified. She could only hope that Legolas safe presence would calm her down.

Meanwhile Aiwendil and Glorfindel too got ready for the feast, the balrogslayer had gotten some clothes that probably were made for the king, they were a little tight around the shoulders but not too bad and at least they were long enough. He felt quite ready for a feast and wanted to enjoy himself. Aiwendil had refused to change his clothing, the only difference between now and before was that he had washed some of the bird poop of his face. Glorfindel had to shake his head when he saw it, the istari would probably never change. They went together to the great hall and were seated rather close to the king and Glorfindel did notice that Thranduil looked absolutely radiant this evening, his eyes were shining and he was smiling all the time and those smiles were real, not just the normal fake ones. Was he that happy about the fact that the forest was cleansed and that Legolas had returned home safely?

Aiwendil leaned over towards him and whispered. "I sense danger still, it is not close as of yet, but it will rear its ugly head soon enough."

Glorfindel frowned. " I have no idea of what you are talking about old friend, look, everybody is happy, and content, and there is such joy here"

Aiwendil nodded. "And in joy darkness hides, like a snake in the reeds. We will be needed"

Glorfindel swallowed, he didn't like the things Aiwendil said, could the wizard be wrong about this? He sensed no danger whatsoever and his instincts were keen after millennia of war and fights.

When everybody was there Legolas entered and sat down next to his father and Glorfindel did notice that there was an extra chair there, and it was empty. The crowd saw it too and some looked a bit curious about it. Thranduil seemed to get a signal from his butler and stood up, everybody went silent and Legolas got up too and walked down to the entrance. When he returned he was holding Mariliels hand and he brought her with him up to the royal table. Thranduil was beaming, Glorfindel had never seen him thus ever. "My beloved subjects, my people. Today we have many things to celebrate, our forest is yet again safe and sound and the darkness is lifted from our realm."

Many cheered and clapped and Thranduil hushed them with a gesture. "There is yet more great news to celebrate, two wonderful things that I have learned off."

He turned towards his son and Mariliel. " My son has found his one true mate and they are married by the laws of the valar and Eru. I present to thee, princess Mariliel of Imladris"

There was a shocked silence, then there were shouts and loud cries of joy and the noise was deafening. Thranduil grinned even wider. "The valar has blessed my family, for she is already with child, by this time next year we will have a new heir"

Glorfindel just gaped and Aiwendil did clap vigorously. "I was expecting that yes, if the prince is as virile as his father there are gonna be a lot of elflings before they are finished."

Glorfindel just stared, Mariliel was more beautiful than ever and she stood there blushing, receiving the congratulations and joy of the entire realm. Legolas held her hand firmly and she dared to raise her eyes and meet the ones staring at her with pride. She would be a perfect spouse no doubt, and Legolas was one lucky ellon for sure. Thranduil lifted his goblet. "A toast for the newlyweds, and for my grandchild, may it be the first of many"

Legolas blushed and everybody drank and Mariliel giggled behind her hand. Legolas held the chair out and she sat down and Galion poured her some juice. There would be no more wine for her until the baby was born. The atmosphere within the hall was suddenly ecstatic and Aiwendil grinned widely. "Oh I bet there will be more elflings born in a year's time than just the one Thranduil just told everybody off. This night will be fecund I am sure"

Glorfindel had to grin and he did notice that quite a few very pretty ellith was giving him very suggestive glances. Yes, it would be a night to remember for sure.

The feast turned into one of the really wild parties the wood elves were infamous of, food and drink were plentiful and there was singing and dancing and much merriment and soon most of the crowd were drunk and happy and had lost all restraints. Glorfindel found himself being escorted back to his chamber by three very sweet ellith and he just knew he was a very lucky ellon for sure. Legolas and Mariliel retreated to his rooms now since they were married and spent the night in the best possible way and at daybreak even Thranduil had had enough and was escorted to his bed by a very annoyed Galion who knew that he for the next days would have to nurse a very hung over and irritable king back to good health.

As the entire realm tried to sleep and recover from their excesses a figure was gliding down the stairs deep beneath the great hall. It was covered with a dark cloak and its steps were light and nervous. It went by the dungeons and into a tunnel few ever used, it lead to a small underground lake that was used as a water source in times of drought and the lake was rather shallow but cold. On the other side of the lake there as a sort of small peninsula, perhaps a few square meters of almost naked rock with one exception. A small patch was covered with moss and on the moss there grew some mushrooms. The figure didn't hesitate but waded into the cold water, kept its course with great determination.

A hand quickly gathered a few of the pale mushrooms and put them into a bag, then the figure waded back, swiftly and silently. The hands were shaking a bit but if anyone had seen the eyes they would have been astonished by the cold angered look in them. The figure disappeared in the maze of tunnels, and the palace was silent and peaceful. It would be done, there was no way back, it was no reason to hesitate.

The next days went by in a haze, Legolas rooms were redecorated and better fitted for two persons, Mariliel got a whole new wardrobe and there were hundreds of elves dropping by to congratulate her. The amount of gifts was astounding and she received everything from cookies to baby clothing. She felt completely overwhelmed and Legolas stayed with her most of the time, she was starting to get very emotional and Aeniel had warned her that she soon would feel the less than charming effects of carrying new life.

Thranduil was beside himself, showering the couple with attention and love and Legolas was overjoyed to see that the cheerful bright ellon he remembered from his childhood had returned. The whole palace had suddenly transformed itself completely, the shadows were gone and light was everywhere, and the elves were doing their chores with song and laughter. Three more couples had gotten married the night of the feast and there were more unions on the way and the realm vibrated with life. It reminded everybody of the old days when darkness seemingly was vanquished and the world safe.

Mariliel was suddenly royalty and thus she was given chamber maidens and servants and it was quite a shock to her. Her two chamber maidens were both silvan and very merry and funny ellith who made her laugh and relax. She suddenly had duties and to her dismay Legolas forbade her from finishing the work with the library until the elfling was born. He believed that the dark damp room would be bad for her in her delicate condition and Mariliel felt like smacking him over the head. She didn't feel delicate at all! Her appetite for those new pleasures hadn't diminished even a bit and Aeniel had told them it was alright so they spent almost every night in each-others arms.

Then one morning she woke up feeling nauseous and sighed, Aeniel had warned her about it and she was prepared but it was darn irritating and not at all pleasant. She went through the heap of gifts she had received since the day before, it was custom that a mother to be was gifted with all sorts of stuff she would need and the givers were often anonymous too. She had gotten some nice pieces of embroidered cloth, a wooden ring with a pretty pattern engraved into it and also some trays of healthy food. It made her grin, the chefs already did their outmost to spoil her but the locals didn't believe that they were capable of tending to the needs of a pregnant elleth.

Legolas was out checking on the palace horses, there were mares due to give birth that spring and everybody was excited about it. The king had bought some very fine stallions and everybody was curious about the foals and if they would be as good as they expected. Legolas owned one of the mares and had promised that their child would be given the foal as a naming present and Mariliel liked the idea. Her chamber maidens were washing her hair and braiding it when she all of a sudden felt very weird. Her head spun for a moment and she got a bit dizzy too but it let go and she just shrugged. Her body was changing a lot, it was to expect. She didn't say anything but then she was hit with a wave of nausea and had to sit up, feeling slightly green. What was this? It was past mid-day, her morning sickness had stopped hours ago. "My lady? Are you feeling alright?"

Mariliel tried to analyze her feelings, the dizziness returned and she suddenly felt terribly heavy, like she couldn't support herself. "No, Teniel, go get Aeniel now!"

The chamber maiden ran off so fast her braids stood out behind her and the other one, a brunette named Logonde helped Mariliel get out of the bathtub, she was shivering slightly and the nausea was intense. Mariliel gasped and Logonde wrapped a thick towel around her, the brunettes eyes were dark with worry and Mariliel felt as though she was about to faint. Logonde shouted and one of the other servants entered the chambers, he stared down at the floor since the princess wasn't properly dressed. "Go get the prince, now! Tell him she is unwell"

The servant ran off too and Mariliel suddenly felt as if something terribly heavy had settled onto her chest, she had problems breathing and panic struck. She clawed at Logonde's arms and the elleth whimpered but didn't let go. "Easy my lady, Aeniel will be here soon"

Luckily Aeniel had been working not far from the royal chambers and came swiftly. Mariliel was terrified and gasping for air and Aeniel grasped her hand and felt her pulse, stared at her eyes and knew that this was something bad. It was surely nothing brought on by the pregnancy and she was getting worried right away but was careful not to reveal her fear to Mariliel. "Breathe deeply, just relax, I need to examine you carefully"

Mariliel nodded but her eyes were filled with panic and Aeniel swore. She had no idea of what this could be! The heart was racing like crazy but that could be due to the fear and her breathing was extremely labored. Logonde and Teniel stood there looking as if they were about to pass out. "She was nauseous, she didn't say anything but she did turn green!"

Aeniel didn't feel any fever, and Mariliel wasn't bleeding so she couldn't be losing the baby, at least not yet. Legolas came running, he was pale and he threw himself down onto his knees beside the chair. "What is wrong with her, answer me!"

Aeniel tried to seek through Mariliel's hroa with her own energy but something blocked her, it didn't feel right at all and Mariliel had started to shake, as if in spasms. Some servant had gone telling the king of this and he and Galion burst into the room, Thranduil was pale and Legolas looked as if he was about to burst into tears. Aeniel was a good healer but she had never come across symptoms like these, they didn't seem to match any disease or illness she had encountered. Mariliel moaned and suddenly her body bent in an almost impossible angle, as if her heels and the back of her head tried to connect and Legolas let out a wail of despair. Aeniel gasped. "Get her onto the bed, fast, I have to stop those cramps"

Thranduil was holding Legolas, his eyes were dark. "What is happening?"

Aeniel bit her teeth together, they put Mariliel onto the bed and she was no longer conscious. "I have no idea, this happened fast?"

The chambermaidens nodded in unison and Aeniel saw that Mariliel had gotten a nasty blue color around her mouth. Eru, they were losing her.

Just then a servant came running into the room, his eyes wide as saucers. " My lord, Elrond of Imladris and his sons are outside of the gates and demand entry"

Thranduil let out a strange wailing sound. "Thank Eru! He is sent from the valar for sure, bring him in, and tell him that Mariliel has fallen ill!"

Elrond had ridden through a forest that was utterly changed and it amazed him but it didn't slow them down. There were no more spiders or orcs and thus they could ride hard and he felt a tugging sensation as they got closer to the palace. Time was running short, he had to hurry. When they stopped outside of the gates the horses were panting and he felt as if something was digging claws into his mind, urging him on. The servant who had gone to notify the king returned, looking pale. "My lord, you are most welcome. Mariliel is taken ill, she is with child and we all fear for her life"

Elrond felt as if a huge stone had been dropped onto him, he just gasped and the twins stared with wide eyes. "With child?!But…."

The servant nodded. "She married the prince the night the forest cleansed itself, she is a princess now"

Elrond swore to himself. So the plan had worked after all, and she would never have married for anything but love but ill? Elves do not fall ill easily and he dismounted and ran after the servant. Elladan and Elrohir followed him like shadows and they were taken directly to the royal chambers. Elrond entered the room in a hurry and stopped abruptly, Mariliel lay on a bed in convulsions and Thranduil tried to restrain his son who was screaming in fear and anguish. An elleth who had to be the healer he had written to stood by the bed, trying to get some sort of liquid into the princess. Thranduil stared at Elrond. "My old friend, the gods have sent you, we need your help!"

Elrond nodded sternly. "Indeed you do, I felt that I would be needed soon and left as soon as I could."

He saw that the healer was in despair, her eyes were dark and she was sweating. "My lord, please, help. I have no idea of what the problem is"

Elrond touched Mariliel's forehead, let his fëa reach out to hers and he jerked back, gasping. "This is truly serious, she is fading fast."

Legolas whimpered and his eyes were huge. "If she dies so will I, I cannot lose her."

Thranduil's eyes were filled with a deep despair and Elrond knew that if Mariliel died the entire royal family would become a memory and naught more. Thranduil wouldn't survive losing his son, not now.

Elrond got up, stared at Aeniel. " We have to get her to the infirmary now, and I need all your equipment and herbs"

Aeniel just nodded and the chamber maidens whimpered. "She was fine my lord, and then…it just happened."

Elrond took a look around the room, there was a huge pile of things on a table and he frowned. "What are those?"

Teniel answered. " Gifts, she had gotten a lot of them every day since we learned of the marriage"

Elrond got up as Aeniel shouted for some servants to get a stretcher. He walked over to the table and stared at the heap of clothing, textiles, toys and trinkets. There was a lot of nice stuff there and he felt as though Mariliel already had to be rather well liked by the population.

They carried Mariliel to the infirmary at break neck speed and Elrond administered some herbs he knew would make the muscles relax. Still her breathing was labored and she didn't wake up. The whole palace knew of it now, there were elves praying for the princess everywhere and Glorfindel and Aiwendil stood outside of the infirmary looking tense. The balrogslayer already knew that Aiwendil had some clue about the nature of the situation. He just refused to speak of it yet.

Elrond poured all of his energy into her, and Elrohir helped him. Elladan helped to calm Legolas since the two had been good friends for many centuries. Aeniel too tried to aid him and Elrond got a feeling of standing there pounding his head against a wall, they weren't getting anywhere. It was Elrohir who did notice it first, it was getting dark and they lit some lamps and the twin grasped Elronds sleeve and pointed. "Ada, look, her eyes"

Elrond saw it, immediately, and cursed because he hadn't seen it himself. Her pupils were dilated, way more than normal. Elrond felt cold, he immediately knew what this was and Thranduil sensed the change in his body language and leaned forward, eyes pleading. "What is it?"

Elrond sighed. "Does she have any enemies here? Would anyone want to harm her?"

Thranduil frowned. "No, she is loved by everyone, why would anybody wish her anything but the best?"

Elrond took a deep breath. "She has been poisoned, that is why!"

Thranduil just gaped and there was horror in his eyes and then Teniel let out a squeak. "There was a bowl of porridge among the gifts this morning, she ate it for breakfast."

Elrond swore. "Where is that bowl, get me it now!"

Teniel just ran and luckily the servants responsible for collecting table ware for washing hadn't been there yet. The bowl was unwashed and she ran back to Elrond with it, holding it on an arm's length, as if it could bite her.

Elrond sniffed the bowl, it smelled just like ordinary porridge but there was a very faint scent underneath it, a sort of moldy woodsy smell. The king stared and Legolas sat shivering in a chair, Elladan was trying to put a blanket around him but he just kept pushing it off. "What?"

Elrond bit his lower lip. "This was no accident my king, it was done deliberately. I recognize the smell"

Thranduil looked stunned. "You do?"

Elrond nodded and grasped some jars from Aeniel's storage shelves, he started mixing powders and ground up herbs with a lot of energy. "I have encountered this poison once before, when I was young and still learning. I was at the court of Gil-Galad when one of the courtier's wife suddenly collapsed and died. It was a terrible tragedy."

The healer turned to Aeniel. "Do you have any ground up roots of elderberry? Or dried blue lilies?"

Aeniel nodded and ran to find the items and Elrond continued. " The elleth had been poisoned by a rival, another elleth jealous of her social status. The poison was one the Naugrim uses to rid themselves of vermin."

Thranduil was blinking. "Dwarves?"

Elrond nodded. "Yes, there was much trade with dwarves for a while, before Doriath that was. The elleth had gotten the idea from them, and the method of making the poison."

He mixed the ingredients with wine and Aeniel returned with two jars. He added some from both of them and then he put the bowl over the fire. "You need a very rare mushroom to make the poison, it grows in very dark and wet places with little light."

Thranduil swallowed hard. "There are some odd mushrooms growing in the small lake underneath the palace, they are pale green and very pointy."

Elrond nodded, his face stern and his eyes ablaze. "That sounds like the right kind yes, they are dried and ground up and sprinkled onto food. The dwarves put it on grain or other tempting food and leaves it for the rats to devour. It is efficient."

Thranduil just growled. " I doubt thee not, so, what now?"

Elrond stirred the concoction in the bowl and Elrohir got a small bag from his father's equipment. "There is one cure for this poison, it is very devious and makes it impossible for the victim to breathe. I have made a mixture that ought to flush the poison from her body but her pregnancy makes it harder to do anything well."

He removed a sort of syringe from the bag and added a needle. Then he filtered the mixture through several layers of fine cloth. The result was a very thin liquid with a bright blue color. He filled the syringe with it and found a vein on Mariliel's arm, injected it slowly. "This will hopefully stop the damage but I cannot be sure."

Aeniel swallowed, she felt a wee bit jealous of Elrond's skills. "Is there anything else we ought to do?"

Elrond nodded and washed his hands. "Keep her hydrated. Get as much fluid into her as possible. "

Aeniel nodded. "Water?"

Elrond shrugged. "They say that milk is better."

Aeniel smiled swiftly and got to her feet. "I am right on it"

Legolas was still shivering. "Will she live?"

Elrond sighed. "She does have a chance, she is a strong young elleth with a fiery fëa so she will fight. We can just wait and pray"

Elladan stared at the unconscious Mariliel with dark eyes. "Who would want to hurt her?"

Thranduil stared at the peredhel with narrow eyes. "That is a good question, we have to find out"

Elrond touched Mariliel's forehead again, his gaze was distant. "It takes days to prepare the poison, perhaps even two weeks if the air is moist."

Thranduil growled. "Whoever did it must have started the day we announced the marriage."

Elrond nodded slowly. "That makes sense yes, the news triggered it and that speaks of either jealousy or envy. Mariliel haven't spent much time among the others here now has she?"

Aeniel shook her head. " My lord, I received your message and no, she has kept to herself most of the time, understandable now that we know, but I cannot imagine that anyone would become jealous of her? I know that the prince is popular and many ellith have been trying to catch his interest but I cannot imagine that anyone would want to murder her because of it?"

Elrond sat down and Thranduil did the same, he looked very tired and Elrond waved his hand at the servant by the door. "Let Glorfindel and Aiwendil enter, I fear we will need their help here"

Legolas sat down by Mariliel, she was breathing easier by now but she was still very pale and sweaty and she didn't look good at all. "Will the baby be alright?"

His voice was pleading and Elrond tried to smile. "Her body will protect it, worry not"

The king cocked his head, the iceblue eyes were calculating. " Could the goal of this have been to induce a miscarriage?"

Elrond nodded. "It is very possible yes, but the smell is strong, whoever did this used a lot of ground up mushroom. It could be that the person is very inexperienced and overdid it a lot or it could be that she was the target after all"

Thranduil bit his lower lip and Glorfindel and Aiwendil came and sat down, a servant threw more wood onto the fire and Aeniel sat by Mariliel to keep an eye on her. Glorfindel saw that Elrond was worried and he touched his sword almost lovingly. "The one who did this may try again, I think it would be wise to not tell anyone of how Mariliel is faring. If they think she is dying it would be safer"

Thranduil sighed. " I will place guards outside of these doors, nobody is to enter without my permission."

Aiwendil blinked, he did look a bit like a squirrel who has spotted a nice nut, guarded by some fearsome beast. "Come on, we are bright people right? Elrond told you that this is a type of poison used by dwarves, the guilty person has to be one with knowledge, not some nitwit. And he or she has to have a reason to bear a grudge against Mariliel, however small"

Thranduil tried to think but his worries were too great, he couldn't relax at all. "There are some elves here who have had contact with the dwarves, I have had envoys sent to Erebor and some have lived there too for a while, to establish trading and stuff"

Elrond was thinking hard. "Then I would investigate them first and foremost but remember, it has to be discrete. The dwarves didn't share the secret of that poison with everybody, it was a very well kept secret and I only learned of it because I healed the son of a dwarf of some power."

Thranduil got up. " I will have my best look into it, there can be no secrets within this realm of which I remain ignorant."

Elrond knew that Thranduil was a very strict ruler but one who truly cared about his subjects and this had scared him to the bone. What if Mariliel wasn't the only target? Elrond got up too and shook the king's hand. "From now on, have some taste all your food and drink and that goes for the prince too. It could be that the royal family is the target as a whole"

The king sent Elrond a very stiff grin. " I hope not, but we are prepared."

Elrohir and Aeniel sat by Mariliel's side that night, she got better and they force fed her milk as often as possible and her color got better but she didn't wake up. The king informed that the princess was suffering from some sort of complications and that she would be fine and people were relieved but the rumors were already flying. Was she losing her child? Aiwendil and Glorfindel got called to Elrond's room, the healer looked very grim. "She has been through a lot my friends and I fear for her safety. Glorfindel, there is only one warrior here able to compare himself with you and that is the king. He cannot be seen leaving his duties behind so it falls on you to guard Mariliel and the prince. Aiwendil, you are capable of sensing it if anyone use some sort of dark powers, shelter the palace. If anyone leaves this place, let us know!"

The wizard nodded and Elrond stared at the flames of the hearth with narrow eyes. "We will find the one responsible for this and punish that person hard."

Thranduil couldn't sleep that night, his mind was raging and he was on this third decanter of wine when Legolas entered his chambers. He looked terrible and Thranduil embraced him hard. " Oh ion nin, I would never wish for you to feel such pain, never. I wish Eru could strike me instead, Mariliel is the light of our lives now"

Legolas sobbed. "She is ada, I am so scared. We have guards and everything but when can we stop being afraid? We have to find the culprit, what if he or she goes after our child whence it is born?"

Thranduil shuddered. "I know, Glorfindel and Aiwendil have already gotten their orders from Elrond and the twins are joining them. They are smart, they will find the solution and find the one behind this"

Legolas just sighed and pressed his face against his father's shoulder. His ada's scent did always calm him down, he felt safe like this. Thranduil embraced him firmly, held him close. "It will be alright, she will make it, and the baby too. The valar aren't that cruel"

Legolas didn't answer, he just hoped that his father was right.

The next day the palace was very quiet and Elrond and Aeniel spent much of it with Mariliel, she was still unconscious but Elrond believed that to be a good thing, her body was healing itself and needed the energy. He gave her more antidote and Aeniel rubbed her arms and legs and monitored her breathing and heartbeat all the time. Elrond was impressed by the silvan healer and as the day went the two developed a very nice friendship. Aeniel was curious about the noldorin knowledge of the healing arts and Elrond was curious too about Aeniels ancient knowledge and they quickly realized that they were working very well together. Elrohir took his father's place when Elrond went for breaks and Aeniel had plenty of time to get to know the twin too. Elladan was out with Glorfindel, trying to see if anyone had noticed anything out of the ordinary and Thranduil's counsellors and servants were questioning the elves who had been to Erebor.

Thranduil received a rapport from Galion early that evening, everybody who had ever been in contact with the dwarves of Erebor had been asked and nobody had revealed any knowledge of the poison nor any wish to harm the princess. Aiwendil had been there during the interrogations and nobody had been lying, they all told the truth. Everybody in the palace were nervous on the princess behalf and there were still prayers being sung for her. Legolas didn't leave the palace at all, he was in her room or close by the whole time and Galion was working like a horse trying to make him eat.

Mariliel was recovering but it went so slowly, and Elrond realized that the dose of poison had been huge, almost ridiculously so. It had been enough poison to kill at least five adult elves and he believed Aiwendil when he claimed that the fëa of her unborn child in fact had saved her. That elfling would be born with powers none of them could even hope to comprehend and that made them all feel rather humble. But they didn't at all understand who had poisoned her, or why! Thranduil's servants didn't find even the slightest clue and all the ellith in the palace were interrogated by order of the king. None of them revealed a wish to kill Mariliel, a few were disappointed of course and some angry but they would never turn to kinslaying just because the prince had married someone else than themselves.

It was a mystery and one that just deepened and then Mariliel woke up again and was so weak and frail she had to stay in bed for at least a month. Elrond would not leave until she had given birth, he wanted to make sure that her baby was strong and healthy and Mariliel was very grateful but also very scared. She understood that she had been close to dying and Namo would not let her off the hook one more time for sure. Aeniel was trading knowledge with Elrond and Elrohir and Elladan were secretly trying to make the two healers spend as much time together as possible, they thought that Aeniel was good for their father and he had gotten a bit more joyful after he met her.

Aeniel was going through her storages and showing Elrond the herbs and medicines she gathered from the woods when she suddenly did notice that one of her closets were left ajar. Inside of it she kept her letters and notes and she frowned and saw that things were out of order. She got angry and shouted at her assistant who were responsible for keeping everything tidy. "Have you made a mess of this?"

Elrond had already figured out that Aeniel was very fond of tidiness and he liked that. The assistant shook her head. "No my lady, I found that closet like that weeks ago, I haven't touched it since."

Aeniel blinked, her eyes got huge and she opened the closet again, there were letters in there regarding patients and she didn't want that sort of information to be publicly known. The letter she had received from Elrond was on top of the pile, it had arrived just before Mariliel and Legolas returned and she had just skimmed through it. She grasped it and saw that the seal had been left open, she had closed it, she always did.

Elrond saw her expression and frowned. " What is wrong?"

Aeniel stared at him, she let go of the letter. "We have been fools Elrond, we have all been fools. We thought this was about love, about someone jealous of Mariliel."

Elrond got confused. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Aeniel spun around on her heel, her expression frantic. "It is about hate Elrond, ancient well-groomed hate!"

Elrond cocked his head. " I am afraid I don't quite follow you?"

Aeniel grasped the letter, shook it in front of his face. " She is a descendant of the Fëanorians Elrond, and this letter proves it! Somebody wants her dead because of her forefathers!"

Elrond blinked twice, then he went pale. " Oh Eru! We have to tell the king"

Aeniel grasped him by the hand. " Yes, and right now! The silvan never had much dealings with the kinslayings and the oath and all, but the sindar did, and there are sindar here who survived Doriath!"

Elrond ran with her. "The councilors!"

Aeniel nodded. "Exactly, and they can go wherever they like too, without arising suspicion"

The two elves ran as fast as they could, the culprit could be someone they knew and trusted.