Author's Note:

You may have missed one update before this.


Thranduil

"History?" It was Thranduil who echoed the word, and then the King of Eryn Lasgalen laughed. "Let me teach you, son of Eärendil, something about history."

Elrond raised both his brows but he gestured wordlessly to the King to continue. Thranduil gave him a wide grin that gave nothing away and with one flow, downed the contents of his glass before leaving his chair and stepping down the dais until he stood in front of everyone.

"I need something to write with and something to write on."

It was Lord Erestor who complied and brought him the things necessary.

And so, quarter an hour later, Thranduil twirled the piece of a chalk across his knuckles with surprising efficiency. He eyed the polished smooth blackboard in front of him and kept his silence until the anticipation of his audience grew till it was tangible.

"Allow me to introduce you to the intricate bloodline of the Elves," Thranduil said, finally facing his audience. Numerous faces watched him raptly. Laughter circulated in the crowd around him. He raised his chalk and began to write in lilting, quick tengwar. Sensing the mischief of King Thranduil, Elrond's face morphed into an amused smile he tried to keep away but it was unsuccessful. "We will start with the first Elves who awoke." Thranduil continued.

The blackboard quickly filled with pure white written letters until the entire board was filled. Thranduil's chalk was nothing more than a miserable stub between his index finger and thumb, now powdered white. He stepped back and studied the blackboard contemplatively.

"We haven't even reached the Silmarillion," Thranduil declared, eliciting another bout of laughter.

"You need to improve your writing!" Elrond called to him from where he sat, his chin resting on the palm of his hand. Thranduil grinned but refused to take the bait.

"We need another blackboard." Thranduil said to Erestor. Even the servants were grinning as they carried another blackboard and assembled it beside the already filled one. Thranduil began marking on the board again, some of which crossed comically through names and lines and even across blackboards. Thranduil stopped at Tinúviel and turned around, turning a new stalk of white chalk between the fingers of his two hands. Not once did his smile leave his face. Some would call his smile was impish, and that wasn't far from the truth. He was feeling very, very impertinent.

"And here I must claim the audacity to join our lines with that of Men, since there isn't much difference between the two Races," Thranduil gestured not too subtly towards Elrond, "and we have living proof among us." Laughter followed as usual, but Elrond buried his head in his hands breathless from it. Another blackboard was called and Thranduil mapped out the three households of Men. "And we should be grateful none of our Ellyth or Ellyn didn't decide to join with Dwarves or Imladris will have a shortage of blackboards," Thranduil added. Galadriel hid the lower half of her face in her fingers, her eyes crinkling in quiet mirth. Another blackboard was called, and yet another, until Erestor finally proclaimed he had no more to offer. But it was fortunate that Thranduil was finally finished before he needed another.

By the end of it, it was common for laughter to ring through the hall. And the blackboards were an impressive array links and interlinks between Elves and Men, before all of it finally ended down to Arwen and Aragorn.

"Someone knows their history well, your tutors will be pleased," Elrond jested. Thranduil raised a single brow.

"Tutors are entirely worthless on me, and I only learn through experience. And I can assure you I lived through most of these events written here." Thranduil said, throwing his arm back over his shoulder, thumb pointing at the tengwar. Applause echoed through the hall and Thranduil bowed with a flourish before returning to his seat beside Elrond.

"Well, at least the only blackboards that will be needed in the future will be the ones going down." Elrond commented after a sparse moment. Thranduil looked at him uncomprehendingly. Elrond twisted his wrist, his fingers pointing towards Aragorn and Arwen's name below.

Thranduil laughed.