Mean Gamble
"Inside the armory, really? With unlocked doors, for every one to enter?" said Findel, with suspiciously squinted eyes, as soon as the door closed behind Legolas. "The two of you might want to be more discrete." Irony growled. She had naively wished that her...thing with Legolas would not be discovered. At least not so soon.
As she began lacing her dress properly so no one would notice she had lost it at some point, she spoke, "I know not what you speak of." She sounded very convincing, she knew. But Glorfindel had seen way too much to believe that.
"Oh, you do." he started again, half laughing. He came closer, and helped tying the ribbons over her shoulders. She thought it strange for an elf to initiate physical contact, no matter how small it was. Though, it did not feel uncomfortable with Findel. It felt like they were family, like they had known each other forever although they only had roughly spent four months in each other's company. "I can tell a secret." He grinned. "Oh, my. My tongue slipped. I meant I can keep a secret."
By the tone of his voice, Irony knew he had faked the 'slipping' of his tongue. What she could not tell was if he was being serious or not. "That is not amusing, Glorinfdel!" Her brows furrowed as she waited impatiently fro him to say something. But he was not saying a word, and smirked still like defiant child. "Well, will you keep the secret or not?" she insisted.
He pretended to be thinking about it and when she snorted, he finally spoke."I will." he assured her, smiling warmly. His grin was incredibly annoying, but his gentle smile was always comforting for some reason. It inspired trust, a thing Irony was not used to give away so easily. "But if any of the king's guards were to find out, know they won't remain silent about it." he said on an aggravated tone.
"And what is it to the king if his son and I - tripped?"
Findel laughed at that. But quickly regained his serious. "He has only one child. Legolas is his only family." He furrowed a brow. "King Thranduil will not let him pledge himself to a human, let alone a low born. He wants what is best for Legolas." he explained. The arguments did not quite suffice for one to oppose to the union of two consenting adults, thought Irony. "Plus, it would mean bidding farewell to his only heir."
Irony remained silent for a second, thinking. If the king desperately wanted a heir, then why not find himself a new wife and make another? She remembered the man with the Red beard saying something about 'one woman for life' and all she was told about the 'bond'. But even if it were all true, if the king's 'one woman' had died, or had left him, surely he was now free to take another?
She wondered why Glorfindel seemed so eager for her to call things off with the prince. She was certain her guard had no romantic interest towards her, so why? Why was he trying to make her change her mind? There must be something he is not telling me. Maybe I could go around it somehow.
"Tauriel?" she threw at the elf, wondering why, if the king was so strict about it, Legolas had showed his love for her so blatantly.
"She liked the prince not the way he did her." he reminded her. "And even if she had, I heard the King had told her he would not allow their union."
"But she is captain of the guard!"
"She is no less low born." insisted Glorfindel. "Welcome to the court of the Woodland Realm: the strictest out of all the elven realms. Yet it is said these elves are the wildest upon middle earth. Sinda and silvan make a most peculiar team."
"You seem to listen to gossips more often than you actually do any work." she teased. "So much for the hero Legolas tried to make be believe you are."
"I have elven ears; I need not listen to hear, my little friend."
Irony shook her head smiling slightly at her friend's reply. "You did not truly walk in on us, did you?" she asked him as they headed to the doors.
"It was no coincidence, no." he confirmed. "I followed you, then stood outside, in front of the doors to ensure no one would walk in on you."
Irony raised a brow. She had underestimated him. "You are smarter than you let people think you are." It sounded more like reproach than a compliment. Glorfindel's lips curled a little on the sides. "Were you even truly sent here to help with the spiders?" She was beginning to think it an excuse for something else. But what?
"The king may yet grant you to bond with his son; you speak the same accusations he does." The balrog slayer's words were said with no bitterness in them, but made Irony shiver in annoyance all the same.
(Glorfindel POV)
The party organized for the winner was going more than well. After having had too much to drink and showed off his talents with the harp, the King had discretely ran away from his guests, leaving his tired son at the mercy of the Lords and Ladies political questions. Only Irony and the dwarf had not come. Or rather, had not been invited, although, Glorfindel had no doubt if either one of them had felt like joining in, they would have. But Irony had said that she was meeting with Galdor for one of their lessons. Glorfindel had thought it strange that a human would arrange to stay up so late in the night when they needed sleep, but Irony had explained that she was changing her sleeping habits so that she could observe elves live at night. The balrog slayer was only half convinced.
He focused on a pretty maid with the bright red hair of the wood elves, and kind brown eyes just like his. She was prettier than the others, he thought. And laughed more too. However, the prince, who sat near her, did not seem to care much for her company and excused himself as soon as the opportunity was given to him.
Slipping out of the conversation he was having with a couple who would soon leave for Rivendell, Glorfindel followed Legolas through the dark corridors of the castle without being noticed. When no one was around to hear them, he pushed the prince against a wall.
Startled, the younger elf was neutralized in no time. The Balrog Slayer would have laughed at that for the prince reminded him very much of his much younger students at the moment, but it would have defied the purpose of what he was planned on doing.
"I helped her tie up the ribbons of her dress once you had left." he told the Sinda. Legolas' face turned red almost immediately, and showing a strength Glorfindel had not expected the prince to have, the younger elf freed himself and tried to punch him. The Balrog Slayer avoided the fist, and was glad for it would probably have broken his nose. "Knowing that makes you angry, doesn't it?"
The prince tried to hit him a second time. Aware that they would not be able to have an actual conversation if the wood elf kept swinging at him, the Noldo grabbed the other ellon's fist the next time it was thrown in his direction, then locked his arm behind his back. "Anger will do you no more good than your newly discovered 'impulsions'." he told the prince nicely this time. He was done toying with him, he trusted the prince's feelings were real for he had chosen not to ask too much from Irony today. "You ought to be more discreet about your feeling."
"I can control them no more than I can her." replied Legolas, calming down. When his gaze had softened, Glofindel released him, and the prince rubbed his wrist frowning. Still an elfling, thought the balrog slayer. A gentle-hearted elfling in love with a clever girl who's loyalty has yet to be cleared.
"Then you must learn to control them. Or make a decision." he started again. He did not mean to put more pressure on the prince than he was already under, but if he truly loved Irony, like she seemed to love him, the prince had better bond with the mortal before his father found out and offered the poor girl to the spiders as a peace treaty. " The longer this remains a secret, the more eyes will fall upon it, and it will be used against her."
"Against her?" The prince seemed not to grasp how ugly things could turn.
"Your people are not so fond of outsiders, and most are half convinced she is a spy of the dark lord, for she was able to retain the spider's venoms in her mouth without being hurt." he reminded the younger elf. "It would be suspicious if suddenly, the prince who has passed the common age of marrying was to fall for the mortal, who has spent four years living along with orcs in the dark lands." Legolas's face closed. Yet Glorfindel could read both anger and worry on it. "If your father was to hear of it from the wrong mouth, it is not just your relationship that will be in peril, but her life as well. Unless... you two bond before he hears of it and giving him no other choice but to let her live."
"King Thranduil would nev-"
"He would." interrupted the Balrog Slayer, hating to be the one to bring the bad news. "Not to hurt you of course, but for the realm. You are his sole heir. If you were to bond with the wrong person, or with a mortal, there will be no other to maintain what him and his father have built here." Trying to be comforting, he patted the back of the elfling's shoulder. The contact felt awkward. Contrary to Irony, Legolas was not someone Findel could befriend 'naturally'. "Surely you understand that."
The prince rubbed his forehead, seeming desperate for a solution. And he eventually came up with one. "If we had children, Irony and I." he suggested. By the sound of his voice, Glorfindel could tell that the younger elf was excited at the prospect of it. He wondered if the prince had actually met Irony. Letting her be a mother would be a life long punishment for the children coming out of her. She was mature enough to mother a babe now and then, but too independent and solitary to raise a child of her own.
"Tell me then, will they be mortals or immortals?" Findel could hear the prince's heart break in two at that. "It is a mean gamble. Either you will see them die shortly after her, or they will see their mother age and die, before they are ready to let her go." The prince sighed nervously, obviously unsure of what what to do next. "If it is her that you choose: bond, and quickly. But if you choose the realm, please, do not take what little time she has away from her; it is precious. And surely another could give her what you cannot."
"Why tell me all this?" asked Legolas. He is an ingrate, Irony was right about that.
"I love Irony." The other elf went pale. " Like a sister." he added so the prince would begin to breathe again."I will not allow her life go to waste."
(Legolas POV)
Annoyed and lost, Legolas decided it was time for this talk to come to an end. The older ellon had made his point: it was time to choose, and he wanted Legolas to let Irony go. That was no longer an option for the prince; there was already too much he wanted to share with the human. However, putting her life in danger was not an option either. He sighed, and began to walk away, his head full of unanswered questions yet again.
"One last thing." called Glorfindel. Legolas reluctantly stopped to listen to his elder for it was the polite thing to do, but he did not turn around to look at his face. He chose not to turn so that the half Noldo would not see all the doubts written all over his face for the hidden threat in his last sentence still rung inside the Sinda's head like a bell. "Was she allowed to leave?"
The queer question caught Legolas's curiosity, making him resign to turn to face the other ellon. "She has seen how our guard is organized; she knows the castle's defenses too well for my father to take the risk of granting her leave before having heard back from the healer's experiments." answered Legolas with monotone voice. The awkward silence that followed his reply, as well as Glorfindel's furrowed brows worried him. "Is there something I am not aware of? Do you suspect Irony might be a spy?"
The balrog slayer raised a serious brow. "I do not believe her a spy, but her insatiable thirst and the way she avoids the sun do not help improve the public opinion of her." Legolas frowned upon hearing that. It seemed that he was the only one who gave Irony the benefit of the doubt. "However, what worries me more is the fact that in addition to having Galdor teach her about human realm's current political status, including the ones nearing your borders, she has asked me to teach her self defense." Glorindel bit his lower lip for a second. "She may be planning to escape." he told Legolas.
The prince blinked several times, feeling alarmed. "Why would she want to leave?" he asked. During the first few weeks she had spent in Greenwood, it had been obvious that she had only one thought: leaving. However, recently, she seemed to enjoy the freshness of the breeze kissing her skin when the wind blew, the smell the woods at night, the comfort of her room during the day...she had even made a friend: Tauriel's dwarf. Him and Irony would be seen 'exploring' the wine cellars and the castle's kitchens quite often.
"She has everything she needs here." insisted the prince.
"No." Glorfndel shook his head. "She has you here." he told Legolas. "And she cares for you deeply, but no one can live of love only."
"Do you think she loves me?"
"I think so, but I will not lie: I know not how humans love."
Just dropping this quickly!