Chapter 11 ended with:
On these cryptic yet supportive words, Varda disappeared, leaving him alone in his room. He was worried about the trials she had mentioned, but he had so much more important matters to take care of. First on the list, an audience with the king before the situation became even more convoluted.
Chapter 12 – He said
"You know very well that I do not trust the others," Thranduil said while sipping his wine. He had planned to visit Valerie this afternoon, and he would be with her at the moment if the wizard had not paid him an untimely visit.
"Do you not trust me, at least a little?" Gandalf asked.
Thranduil stared at the wizard for a long time. "Of all of them, I trust you the most. But you must know that this confidence is extremely limited."
"And I will endeavor to earn more of it, your Majesty. I am on your side."
"On my side? Truly?" Obviously, the king was not buying it.
"Let me correct my previous statement. I am on Valerie's side. I have yet to decide if that puts me on your side too or not."
"That, I can believe. How is she?"
"She is upset. You lied to her. Did you expect anything else?"
"She threw a glass of wine in my face and called me a bastard. In public. That should be enough compensation for the minor inaccuracies and unstated facts. I expect a little remorse on her part for her odious conduct."
The wizard stared at the Elvenking, trying to assess if Thranduil believed his own words. "I am afraid she does not consider this enough. She asked me to tell you that she is expecting a formal apology."
Thranduil's face clearly expressed that he was not intending to apologize at all. "Then she will wait a long time."
"Your Majesty, I beg you not to play with her. She was greatly offended and she needs that apology in order to forgive." Mithrandir waited for the reply, but it never came. He sighed. "I will give you time to think about it. In the meantime, may I ask what your intentions are?"
"No."
"Sire, please… I like Valerie very much."
"I realize that. This is the only reason why you are here sitting in my tent, instead of having been sent back to Orthanc without an audience like Saruman, who came to my camp before you did."
"She is innocent..."
"Believe me, and I speak from experience, she is not innocent. She knows exactly what she is doing."
"This is not what I meant. She is young, mature for a human, but immature for a half-elf. I want to protect her. The last thing I want is for her to be treated as your concubine in Greenwood, without the respect of your people, being exposed every day to hurtful judgments. And what of any children you may have? Will you let them be treated as bastards, born out of wedlock?"
"I would never let her be exposed to shame," the king replied, attentively watching the movement of the wine he was swirling.
"What would her status be then?" Gandalf was trying to make eye contact with the Elvenking, but the ellon was refusing to.
"I have not quite decided yet."
"I am sorry then."
"About what?" This time, the king looked at the wizard.
"Until your intentions are clear and in Valerie's favor, I will not support your cause, nor will I encourage Valerie to soften her position. You will find me in your way, everywhere you go."
"She is not a child. I am certain that she will not accept your control."
"You forget something important," the wizard said, standing up, knowing his audience was over. "She trusts me. I have always been there for her. You, on the other hand… in her eyes, you are just a liar. A king with a bad reputation, who used his status to take advantage of her. An ellon with whom she shared an ephemeral night, one that she does not intend to repeat. She got what she wanted out of you. She will move on to her another potential suitor, Glorfindel. I will strongly advise her to explore a relationship with him. At least, the Lord of the Golden Flower is willing to bind himself to her and treat her with the respect and love she is owed."
The wizard left the tent without looking back, leaving a disgruntled king behind. Thranduil was wondering if Valerie was truly going to get closer to Glorfindel, if she had only wanted to have sex with him without planning to follow him to Greenwood. That would be quite a blow to his ego in front of all the elven leaders.
OoOoO
After her conversation with Gandalf and Radagast, Valerie had gone from disappointed to angry. She knew the grey wizard had decided to pay a visit to the Elvenking, and pass on her message that she expected an apology for his deception. He had told her not to expect this admission to come quickly, that the king would more than likely think that he was allowed to treat her this way.
She had seen Gandalf come back from the Greenwood camp but he had not visited her yet. He was probably giving an account of his conversations to Saruman. She paced in her room, impatient and bitter, yearning for a way to spend that angst into a different manner. If she had been in her world, she would have taken her car and driven at high speed, craving for the adrenaline rush that would make her forget Thranduil and his schemes. Under her current circumstances, a horse ride would have to do.
Orthanc was a colossal tower with many levels, designed with rooms in the middle and an endless staircase encircling the outer walls from the bottom to the complete top of the tower. Valerie had attempted to climb all the stairs one day, but she had not been able to finish the odyssey in one go. The architect had thought about this challenge and had planned for little hidden alcoves on each floor. Valerie's apartment was on the tenth floor and therefore, she had to pass many floors and alcoves on her way to the stables. She was half-way down when she heard a few people climbing up. One of them had the voice of the ellon she had spent a few evenings with. She hid in the nearest alcove to watch them go up the stairs in the direction of her rooms.
"Mithrandir says she wants an apology. Maybe you should consider apologizing."
"I do not recall asking for your opinion."
The sound of their footsteps was getting closer, but the two ellyn remained silent.
"I do not owe her an apology," the voice of the king eventually said. "She should be honored that I have developed a certain interest for her. Not many ellith have been able to say the same in the past."
"Somehow, I do not believe she will favorably accept that argument."
"I want to speak to her before Mithrandir does. I know he is with Saruman at the moment. He promised that he would protect her against me. I must see her before he can put ideas in her head."
Valerie could now see the two ellyn whispering to each other. She obviously knew one of them was Thranduil, but she now saw that he was with his son Legolas. Memories of her passionate night with the king came back rushing to her. He was so gorgeous, why did he have to be such a jerk?
"Ideas?"
"To demand that I bond with her. Or to marry Glorfindel."
"Adar, I never asked you what your plans are. Are you planning to bind yourself with her?"
They were now out of her sight, but she could still hear their whispers, although more faintly. She absolutely wanted to hear the answer to that last question. She came out of her hiding place and went in the stairs, listening attentively but the king must have murmured because she didn't hear anything. She only heard his son's reply.
"She will not like that."
Valerie huffed, even angrier if that was possible. She ran down the stairs and reached the stables, determined to go for a long ride out of the ramparts of Isengard, and to only come back when she had made a decision on a course of action. Neither Gandalf or Saruman, and certainly not Thranduil, would have a say about her life from now on.
When she arrived in the stables, she walked to the stall where her mare usually was when she passed in front of Radagast's sled, parked in a corner. The cute little rabbits usually pulling it were around, unafraid of the multiple horses nearby. Was this sled truly going as fast as the weird wizard claimed it did? It seemed unlikely that the rabbits could run faster than a horse. Why not test it now, when she was in dire need of adrenaline and in the mood for rebellion? She was not angry with Ragadast, but she knew her actions would drive Saruman insane. Yes, borrowing the sleigh was definitely the way to go.
"Hello, little cuties!" she whispered to the rabbits. They looked at her as if they understood her words. "I really need to get away from this place. No one here truly cares about me. I need time to think, and I don't want anyone to follow me."
They kept staring at her.
"Would you mind… I don't know, bring me somewhere where I can have some privacy? I would prefer if that could be quick, Saruman will probably want to see me soon. I do not like him, you understand?"
The rabbits looked at each other, seeming to agree on something. They positioned themselves in some sort of order in front of the sled, and she tentatively stepped on the fragile wooden structure, grabbing the bar. The moment she did that, the rabbits started moving slowly the sled out of the stables, and in the direction of the gate. They gained a certain speed quickly, but it was much slower than the speed of her mare. She was not impressed so far. It was only once they passed the gate that the rabbits' speed increased significantly.
At first, Valerie was thrilled to go as fast as a car for the first time in a year. Her hair and her dress were flowing in the wind, the feeling of freedom was exhilarating. Until she realized that she was actually going as fast as a car without any protection, and that she remained on the sleigh by her sole grip on the bar. She went from being exalted to scared, seeing how fast the landscape was passing in her side vision. She held on for dear life on the bar, having no idea how to command the rabbits to slow down or even stop. They no longer were cute little bunnies, they were evil little things that were putting her life in danger. Could they not tell that she was inexperienced in riding their sled? Could they not tell that she was terrified? She yelled at the top of her lungs when they got closer to the edge of a forest, realizing that they were planning to go in there instead of staying in the valley.
She was right to be frightened! They did not even slow down, but started zigzagging between the trees, the sleigh barely missing tree trunks every now and then. It was during one bigger sway that her hands slipped off the bar and she went flying to her right, her body hitting a tree at full speed. Pain exploded in her shoulder, and it was the last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness.
The rabbits encircled her, wondering why she had let go, but knowing something was wrong with her. Radagast had never fallen from the sleigh, and they were not sure what to do. They instinctively surrounded the unconscious Valerie, wondering why such a beginner had tried to ride their sled.
How will Valerie come back to Isengard after this? And what will everyone think of her little escapade?
Stubs1101: The Valar would have to change their plans about the prophecy, but they can always find something that would gain the interest of the king… They can be creative.
Lyryenn: Did you like her little excursion outside of Isengard?
Princessnera: Thranduil didn't say much, but I think Mithrandir gave him plenty to think about!
AHealingRenaissance: at this point, the king is still set in his old ways – but I think Mithrandir will throw a stone that will cause major ripples in Thranduil's quiet little pond!
Earthdragon: Valerie (and Mithrandir) would never accept that she becomes his concubine only – but he is only starting to realize that. And you are right, Glorfindel is still interested and could steal her away!
Maggie: When I decided that in this version, it was the Istari that were going to get her in her world, I was thinking that she needed one to be emotionally closer to her, more affectionate and protective of her. Mithrandir was the obvious choice, after all, no one can imagine Saruman being like a father figure to someone. It would be quite scary. So yes, Mithrandir will have a special place in this Valerie's life...