Chapter 35 ended with:
"I have nothing to hide from my mate," the Elvenking replied with contempt.
"Are you so certain, your Majesty?" Saruman asked threateningly, his voice unpleasant and his dark eyes burning with something akin to hatred.
So this was it. The time for the confrontation had finally arrived.
Chapter 36 - Saruman
The king did not reply to the barely veiled threat. Saruman sat in his chair with a nasty glint in his eyes and a satisfied smirk. "I seem to recall there was a secret that you wanted to hide at all costs," he said, putting emphasis on the word hide.
"The time where I would submit to your demands is now over. I have a mate with whom I share most of my thoughts and opinions."
"I am calling your bluff, Thranduil," the wizard said. "There is no way that I will believe that you told her."
"Oh, I did not tell her," the king said, standing and walking down the pedestal to get closer to Saruman. "I just showed her."
Saruman laughed, a nasty, evil laughter that Valerie had never heard from him in the year she had spent in Isengard. It was as if he was rotting on the inside, slowly but surely becoming a monster while remaining unchanged physically. He truly was a despicable man.
He stopped laughing and paled when Thranduil leaned over him, his ravaged face just a few inches away from his. He tried to control his movement backward but he still had moved a little away.
From her throne, Valerie tutted. "My love, do not scare the poor little wizard. He may have nightmares tonight. And who will rock him back to sleep? Certainly not me!"
Thranduil walked back to this throne, his real appearance still present as he sat back down. He simply had not put back the enchantment.
"Is that what you wanted to discuss, Saruman?" Valerie asked, intertwining her fingers with her husband's. "What did you think you could obtain from Thranduil by threatening him to tell me that he was disfigured by a dragon? Money? More power? Our reborn children?"
"How can you?" Saruman asked, bewildered. "Such a fragile elleth, how can you stand being with him? He is..."
"He is what?" Valerie asked, her hard expression now showing an anger he had never thought her capable of. There was something wrong with Valerie. This was not the elleth he had spent a year with. She had changed. He could feel in her the same darkness he had always felt in the king. Somehow, it had passed on to her too.
She stood when she saw the wizard was not replying. She then walked down the pedestal and sat on a chair beside Saruman, putting her arm around his shoulders with a familiarity that insulted Saruman to the core. He moved away from her and she smirked.
"Look at him," she told the wizard, "look at my bonded mate. This is who he is. He accepted himself and I accepted him. Do not mistake his usage of the enchantment as fear of what people would think if they knew. Not anymore. You see, my mate is stylish, he likes to look dashing, we would certainly not want him not to look his best when he stands in front of the crowds, right, Saruman?"
The wizard stared ahead of him. She could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.
"And then you are quite the opposite," she continued. "You are rotten inside, a real monster. Yet, your face looks perfect," she said, teasing him with gentle slaps on the side of his face. "Well, to each his own, I guess. You are not my type."
This finally provoked the reaction she had been expecting. The wizard jumped out of his seat while pushing her away from him so hard that she fell on the floor. She started laughing ironically, insulting him even further.
Saruman turned to face Valerie who was still laughing on the floor, pointing a finger angrily in her direction. "Your conduct is vile! How dare you disrespect me like this? After all I did for you!"
He was holding his staff as if he was going to use it. That was exactly what she wanted. She wanted him to hurt her just once, to prove that he had turned dark. Thranduil had reluctantly agreed to this plan, ready to intervene if the wizard was truly losing control. But he seemed to know it would be a major mistake, especially with Lady Galadriel in the fortress.
She stood to confront him. "I want you to leave Greenwood. Whatever power you thought you had over us, it does not exist. You will not control Thranduil's life, or mine for that matter. I am not certain why you are here today, but you are not welcome."
"Oh, I can imagine what his carefully designed plan was," Thranduil interrupted. "Saruman brought you from your world without your consent, wanted you to be wed against your will, and he was planning to have some control over you and a strong influence on the prophecy elflings. Their presence would change the balance of power in Middle Earth. Then we met in the gardens and Saruman thought things would be even easier! He had leverage against me, and he blindly assumed I would never be a loving adar. He thought I would not love the prophecy elflings, that I would refuse to raise them as my own. Between his threats of revealing my secret and my disregard for the reborn heroes, he thought I would entrust their education to him."
Saruman did not even deny anything. It was almost as if he still had hope that his plan would eventually come to fruition.
"You were wrong, horribly wrong," Valerie hissed. "These children are ours until they come of age. They will be raised respecting their previous heritage and the Greenwood traditions. And they will be loved by their parents. In fact, this may surprise you, but my mate is very much enamored with our reborn daughter. You will never have them. Never. I suggest you return to Isengard and stay away from us."
"You cannot ignore the power of the Istari!"
"I wonder what Elrond and Celeborn would think if they knew about your plans. Do they know that your soul is not as pure as they think it is?" Thranduil asked. "You have definitely crossed a line, if I were you, I would go back to my comfort zone and lead the Istari as you should. Know that I will keep an eye on you, Saruman."
"This is not the end of it!" the wizard cried angrily, although he was still avoiding to look at the king.
"Legolas!" Thranduil called calmly, the enchantment hiding his face still missing.
Saruman could not believe his eyes when the heir of Greenwood entered the room by the same hidden door Valerie had used before and looked at his adar straight in the eye without flinching.
"Please escort Saruman to the border," the Elvenking commanded. "His visit is over. Give him some food, we certainly would not want him to starve."
"Should I escort Mithrandir and Lady Galadriel at the same time?"
"No, they are still welcomed guests, until we decide otherwise," Valerie replied.
"It will be done as you command," Legolas bowed and stood beside Saruman, clearing indicating that they should leave the room. Saruman gave them one last hateful glance and followed the captain.
Once alone, Thranduil restored the enchantment and walked closer to his wife. "We may have made a mistake by angering him like this. We have a mortal enemy now, and no one will believe us that he has turned to darkness."
"I know," Valerie sighed. "The best we can do is secure an alliance with Mithrandir and Lady Galadriel. I will take care of that, if you do not mind. You do not have a great track record with them."
"You are mistaken, my dear. I spent an entire night with Mithrandir at your bedside. We became very close. We found we have an interest in common – you. We would both do anything for you."
"Are you ready for your secret to be revealed to more people, to ensure Saruman will not use it against you anymore?"
"I do not have a choice now. I do not think Saruman believed you when you said I do not care if people know. I do," he admitted. "I would prefer for this to remain the best kept secret in Middle Earth."
"I will see what I can do," she promised, caressing his face, still marveling at the normal feel of his fake skin.
A/N: in the next chapter – we know who Valerie's baby daughter is…
Lyryenn: did the whipping meet your expectations? Ha Ha Ha
princessnera: did you like how she handled him? I think it was the best she could do in front of a dark wizard trying to hide his true nature…
glassary: I don't think Saruman will try to manipulate Thranduil again. At least, not with this threat!
Thrndlwood: thank you, I really love writing and sharing all these ideas that occupy my mind at all times of the day!
Guest: you are right, although Thranduil allowed Valerie to take the lead this time!
Riddicks-gurl1988: Valerie took care of him, Thranduil enjoyed the show. I imagine he loved seeing how she reacts with that little darkness she has inside of her now…
AHealingRenaissance: Thranduil enjoyed watching Valerie confront the wizard, although he is not certain he wants his secret to spread all over Middle Earth. Will Saruman truly go home and keep quiet?