Thorin was startled as Grundbar announced that Lady Amayla had a petition to present before him. She approached him on Balin's arm, puzzling the King even more.
"Lady Amayla, before you speak, I must ask if this has anything to do with your impending nuptials, because, if so, I must warn you that I am under strict orders not to have anything to do with your wedding plans," Thorin stated.
Confused, Amayla looked to Balin for an explanation, who replied simply, "Dis' orders."
Nodding in understanding, Amayla spoke up, "No worries your majesty, my petition only relates to my wedding in what I plan to do with the money I'm requesting. That said, I request the salary that I was promised for accompanying you on your quest to retake Erebor. Balin is my witness that you agreed to pay me the standard soldier's pay for my service. I ask now that you fulfill that agreement."
"I owe you far more than a simple salary Amayla," Thorin responded.
"I ask only what we agreed to, your majesty, nine months' pay."
Thorin turned to Grundbar, "Write out an order for Lady Amayla to take to the treasury."
.
Balin turned Amayla over to Strider and the elves so that she could go to the treasury and he could stay behind with Thorin. The first stop was the treasury where Amayla received a sizable sack of gold upon turning over the king's voucher. The second stop was the Parthum's leather shop where she had visited the day before. There, she reacquainted herself with Parthum's son Walum who was working on the leathers for her. The two discussed in some detail the style she preferred and Walum took some additional measurements. All the while, the two guards grew more and more agitated, before Ithram finally broke and insisted that Amayla not keep Thranduil waiting any longer.
"Adar will understand, Ithram. There are things that I must take care of before going to Dale. He will just have to be happy that I will do my work in Dale and not here."
Amayla selected some material and paid Parthum for the goods she had ordered the previous day and loaded down the two guards with her purchases. He also assured her that everything else she would need could be found in Dale.
.
.
After the quick trip into Dale, Amayla was led to King Bard's throne room. Dale was still in the middle of rebuilding but the King's Hall had been completed and the throne room was beautifully decorated with tapestries. Amayla grimaced with guilt as she thought that Caileen's tapestry was more beautiful than anything handing there, but she quickly pushed that thought away when she saw Bard and Thranduil waiting for her. She curtseyed before the two rulers causing Thranduil to give her a quick smirk which Amayla quickly shrugged away.
"Lady Amayla, l trust that all goes well with the wedding planning?" Bard asked politely.
"Aye, your majesty. Princess Dis seems to have everything in hand," she responded.
"No doubt," Thranduil stated before turning to Bard. "Your highness, I think we have accomplished what we needed today. If I may take your leave to discuss things with the bride?"
"Of course, your highness. I will see you at dinner. Amayla, Tilda is most anxious to see you at your earliest convenience. Please go see her as soon as you can." Bard's extra emphasis on the word please made Amayla smile, wondering what Tilda was up to.
.
.
Thranduil led Amayla out and down toward the stables, "I am certain that you will want to see the horse I picked out for the general."
"Aye, I'm very excited!"
"You seem very happy."
"Aye. Dis is taking care of almost all the preparations. I can't wait!"
"Good. I am happy that all is proceeding as planned."
Thranduil led her into the stable and to the stall of a magnificent grey gelding with a black mane and tail. "What do you think, Amayla? His name is Osp, but of course you can rename him whatever you want."
"Osp, smoke, that makes sense and is a fitting companion to Mist," Amayla remarked as the horse allowed her to rub his velvety nose. "He is very friendly, and seems very fit. Has he seen battle?"
"Yes. He has been used on patrol for the past few years. He is six years old. Do you approve?"
"Aye, Adar. Thank you. You have chosen well."
"The saddle is over there. I trust you have brought what you need to adjust it?"
"Yes. It may take me all night, but I'll get it done. We go back to Erebor tomorrow, right?"
"That is what the Princess has told me, and I do not dare upset her plans! Sometimes I think that she forgets that I am a King," he complained half-heartedly.
"At least she trusts you. She's not letting Thorin have anything to do with the planning."
"Smart dam."
Amayla rolled her eyes and shook her head at Thranduil.
.
Taking her arm, Thranduil led Amayla toward their quarters. "I hope I can use her trust to discuss a very important issue for the wedding."
"What would that be, Adar? You're scaring me a little."
"You'll see in a moment," he said as he opened the door.
"Tauriel!" Amayla shouted as she ran to her friend. "I'm so glad you're here!" Amayla gushed as she hugged her much taller friend. But as Amayla pulled back, she noticed who was missing. "Where's Eliril?"
"That's the issue," Thranduil stated. "She can't make it."
"Why not? Is she alright? What's going on?"
Thranduil sat down at a chair and poured himself a glass of wine, "The good news is that she is pregnant, very recently pregnant. But the bad news is that she is having pregnancy sickness. It shouldn't last long and is nothing to worry about, but right now she cannot go very long without being sick. Neston has forbidden her to travel right now. She sends her deepest regrets."
Amayla stood frozen for a moment, "I am happy that she is pregnant, and very sorry that she won't be here, but now what will I do for a third attendant?"
"That is why I asked Tauriel to come," the king answered calmly.
"M'lord?" "Adar?" Tauriel and Amayla questioned together.
"My intention is to talk to the Princess and get her permission to allow Tauriel to stand with you, daughter."
Amayla and Tauriel stared at each other, before Amayla finally took her hand and spoke, "Adar, you know that I want Tauriel there with me, but not if it affects her agreement with the Princess. They have waited so long, I won't have them wait longer just for this."
Tauriel gave her a squeeze and simply looked at Thranduil.
"Agreed. But I will do my best to make certain that the waiting period will not extended."
"Adar, I will not let Tauriel stand with me if Dis does not agree!" Amayla insisted.
A familiar voice spoke from the back of the room, "Sister, do you really think that Adar cannot stand up to a dam? He has had some experience in negotiations."
"Aye brother, but you met the Princess. She is quite the force!" she answered as she went to embrace Legolas.
"I have full confidence in our father."
Thranduil raised his glass toward his son, "Thank you, Legolas, but I also do not look forward to discussing this with the Princess. I will do my best," the king said, hand on his heart to both Amayla and Tauriel.
.
A knock on the door and a very excited voice shouting, "Amayla! It's me, Tilda!" brought smiles to all in the room.
As she opened the door, Amayla was immediately swallowed in an enthusiastic embrace by Tilda. "I'm so excited that you are here! I can't wait for you to see my dress. If there's anything you don't like about it, the seamstresses will change it. I'm so cross at da for not letting me attend your send-off party. I've never been to one, but da said that I was still too young. I am sixteen! What does your dress look like? I'm sure it will be beautiful. I can't wait to see it. Where is Eliril? I can't wait to meet her. I'm sure her dress is beautiful too. Did Strider come with you?"
"Breathe Tilda!" Amayla begged, laughing. "Eliril is sick, pregnancy sickness actually, and can't make it. Instead, King Thranduil has brought Captain Tauriel, and if Princess Dis agrees, she will stand up with me at the wedding."
Tilda looked around Amayla and spotted Tauriel, who bowed her head to the Princess.
"Tauriel!" Tilda squealed as she ran to give her an equally enthusiastic embrace. "It's so good to see you again! I've missed you since you left! I'm so glad that you're going to be in the wedding! But what about your dress? Is there time for one to be made? Of course, there is! But there's no time to waste. I'll have my seamstresses start working immediately!"
"To that end, I've brought one of our seamstresses along with the dress that she was working on for Eliril. Tauriel and Eliril are close enough in size that alterations should not be too difficult. I'm certain that the seamstress would appreciate working with the seamstresses of Dale," Thranduil smiled indulgently toward Tilda.
Strider came forward, bowing to Tilda, "I did indeed accompany Amayla, m'lady. Very kind of you to ask after me."
Tilda blushed prettily, "I would be happy to show you around Dale, if you would like, m'lord."
Strider bowed, "This is very kind, your highness. I would enjoy that if there is time, but and I'm afraid we won't be here very long."
"After the dresses, I need to start working on my gift for Dwalin," Amayla stated.
Tilda tore her gaze from Strider and turned to Amayla, "What is the gift?"
"Adar will be giving him a horse and I am working on adjustments to the saddle to make it more fit for a dwarf. I have all the leather I need, but it will take some time to attach it to the saddle."
"I'll show you to our saddler," Tilda said helpfully, "But not until we visit the seamstresses! Come on, ladies! Follow me!"
.
.
While neither Amayla nor Tauriel was especially comfortable with trying on dresses, Tilda's enthusiasm was contagious. She preened and twirled, asking the two their opinions on the trim options. When Tauriel started making suggestions, Amayla looked at her as if she had grown a horn. Tauriel shrugged and whispered in Elvish, "She would be hurt if we said nothing," Amayla nodded at her wisdom and joined in. When it was Tauriel's turn to model, Amayla increased the suggestions with plenty of help from Tilda. By the time they were done, it was time for dinner, a small affair in the family dining room.
.
.
During dinner, Bard brought up the topic of the patrol outpost. He supported the idea fully and was anxious to start planning.
"Much to my future husband's dismay, I fully intend to be involved in the planning and building of the outpost," Amayla assured him. "I hope you're willing to wait a few days after the wedding, but after that, it will have my full attention."
Bard chuckled, "I can imagine the General was not too pleased with your plans."
"You could say that," Amayla smiled in return, "But he also knew that I would not be deterred."
"Your father and I have also discussed your idea for a joint patrol," he mentioned.
"And was it a positive discussion, I hope?" she asked, glancing at Thranduil for confirmation.
"Yes, it was. If King Thorin agrees, we believe that we should try it out," Bard said.
"We think it would be best if you would lead the patrol, daughter. I believe I could get some of my
guards to join the patrol if they were under your command," Thranduil commented.
"That would be good because I would only want volunteers. If the soldier is not willing to fight side by side with another race, I don't want him, or her. In fact, I would prefer that only the most capable soldiers be considered for this patrol. I would like it to be a badge of honor to be in the patrol. That might lead to more volunteers, until we have enough to make all the patrols stationed there fully integrated," Amayla stated.
"You are very ambitious, my daughter," Thranduil remarked lightly.
"I agree with Amayla, your majesty," Bain spoke up. "It would be best to have the entire outpost integrated and since it is one the first lines of defense for all three kingdoms, it should be the best warriors deployed there. And Amayla, I hope you will consider me for the patrol."
"As long as you fix your little problem Bain, I would be happy to have you. Speaking of which, have you worked with Farrak yet?" Amayla asked.
"Not yet. I'm afraid we had to put it off until after your wedding. Apparently Farrak is being kept busy by the Princess," Bain sighed.
"Farrak?" Tauriel questioned. "How is he doing? Did he fix his problem?"
"Tauriel!" Amayla nearly shouted, slamming her hand on the table.
"What?" Tauriel answered, spooked by Amayla's tone.
"Sorry my friend, didn't mean to shout, but I'm an idiot. Here I am trying to arrange for Bain to work with Farrak since he learned so well from you, when I should just be having you work with Bain directly!"
All eyes turned to Tauriel, who breathed a sigh of relief, "Of course, Prince Bain. It would be my honor."
"Whatever you did with Farrak worked wonderfully. In fact, I need to watch and learn your techniques. I never managed to fix Farrak," Amayla admitted.
"If you are not busy after dinner, Captain Tauriel, I would be at your disposal," Bain stated gallantly.
"I'd be happy to join you, since I taught Tauriel everything she knows," Legolas offered.
"No, you can't, dear brother! You need to be helping me!" Amayla stated firmly.
"What are you talking about, dear sister?"
"I need to work on fixing Dwalin's saddle like mine. I've got to get it done tonight while I'm in Dale and I'll need some help!" Amayla said, almost begging.
"I'd be happy to help, Amayla," Strider offered.
"Me too!" Tilda immediately followed.
"Thank you both," Amayla answered, "but it has to be my brother. I really should be doing it all by myself, but given the time constraints, family members are allowed to help make the wedding gift. So if you would please, Legs?"
"Since you said 'Please" I guess I have no choice, but you can't call me Legs!"
"Alright, I promise not to call you Legs all evening, brother!" Amayla smirked at him.
"Well then perhaps I can watch the training?" Strider asked.
"Me too!" Tilda said again, causing King Bard to close his eyes and gently shake his head.
"If the prince doesn't mind, I certainly don't. Estel is a most formidable warrior, you can learn much from him also," Tauriel stated.
"Estel? That is one of your names?" Tilda asked, eyes laser focused on the tall man.
"Aye. It is most often used among the Eldar," he replied. "Among men, I am usually Strider."
"I like Estel, it's so . . . exotic," Tilda answered dreamily.
"Tilda, my dear, you will see that Prince Legolas and Lady Amayla have all they need to work and then you have duties to prepare for our stay in Erebor. I don't believe you have time to spend watching your brother train," Bard stated firmly.
"But da . . . "
"No buts, Tilda."
"Yes, father,' Tilda muttered dejectedly.
"Well, with that all decided, I will take my leave. I am riding to Erebor this evening to discuss things with Princess Dis. I will return in the morning with news. Legolas, Amayla you will accompany me," Thranduil said as he stood to leave.
.
.
After saying their good-byes to Thranduil, Amayla and Legolas spend the rest of the evening with Dale's saddler, who was more than willing to follow the requests from the King and Princess. Tilda arranged for him to open his shop to the two so they work as long as necessary. Upon seeing Amayla's skills with his tools, the saddler had no worries about leaving the two alone, especially as Amayla insisted that he was not allowed to assist them.
As they worked together, Amayla brought up what she feared might be a sore subject with Legolas. "Brother, will it bother you to see Tauriel and Kili together at the wedding, assuming adar is successful?"
"No worries, sister. I told you years ago that I accepted that she and I were not meant to be more than companions."
"I know you said it, but it's another thing to see the two of them together in front of you."
"I admit that my ego was slightly bruised when she chose a dwarf over me, but you say he is worthy of her and I trust your judgement. Besides, I plan on using your wedding as a chance to judge the dwarf myself."
"I'm sure Kili will pass, just please don't do anything to purposely or even accidently stoke his jealousy. Dwarves aren't known for holding their temper when it comes to dams."
"I will endeavor to not cause a scene at your wedding, my sister," Legolas replied, overly dramatically.
"Just be nice! And that leads me to another subject regarding Kili. One that Strider and I discussed," Amayla paused to make certain she had Legolas' full attention.
"What would you think if Kili took my place in the rangers?"
Legolas was silent for a time, seemingly concentrating on punching some holes into the saddle. Finally, he spoke, "Is he good enough?"
"He is very good with a bow and his sword work has improved enough for me to say yes."
"Can he ride a horse?"
"He tried riding Mist and took to it like he was raised in Rohan."
"Does he want to, or is this just something that you have cooked up?"
"Actually, just me right now. I promised Fili that I would let Kili bring it up himself; but, seeing how things are playing out with Fili and Caileen, I expect that Kili may want out of Erebor for a time. I would not expect him to want to do it for much more than a year. It would merely be a way for him to keep busy while waiting for Tauriel. Strider seemed agreeable."
"What about King Thorin and more importantly Princess Dis? Would they allow it?"
"That I don't know. But would you?"
"I suppose so. It would be an even better way to make certain that he is worthy of her."
"Oh, you are a big sweet heart, you're getting a hug for that!" Amayla squealed while Legolas rolled his eyes.
It took a few hours, but by working together, Amayla and Legolas managed to attach the extra handholds and straps that Amayla created to help Dwalin mount and dismount his horse. They returned to their quarters where Amayla begged to go to sleep while Tauriel and Legolas stayed up and to talk.
.
.
******* NOTES *********
.
If anybody is reading this in Florida - please stay safe! Everyone is praying for you!
.
Kind of a filler chapter, but I wanted to get it posted while I could. I'm going to see Hamilton in NYC this weekend. I'm so excited! But it will keep me away from writing for a few days. Big surprise next chapter. I promise. (Well I hope it's a surprise.)
Poor Tili has it bad for Strider. It happens to the best of us and is fun to write. I'm also proud of Legolas. I needed brother and sister to discuss the subject of Kili and Tauriel. I didn't want jealous Legs.
