Author's Note:

Thanks to multiple anon reviewers, ATP, Sky, JJ, Mirkwood warrior, LadyLindariel, Raider-K, Certh, horseyyay, Pip the Dark Lord of All, BrightPath2, Elleth of Mossflower, Knights-of-Ni, Teapot of Transformation, Jesus' girl 4 ever, Myvanwy, Silver Ink Pen, SmileyXs Ice-cream Sprinkles for their reviews.

As always, thanks to the WG forum for their support.

Special thanks to WoodElfJedi and Raider-K for their help.


Chapter 3

When Thranduil rested the side of his head against the window and looked out, he met the scenic view of skyscrapers kissing the sapphire-coloured sky. Coruscant had a beauty of its own. It was a bustling city that never slept. There was always some form of activity going on, whether it was in the lowermost slums to the dwellings of the highborn dignitaries. As the centre of the Republic, it had wide diversity of species and culture.

Aside from the Senate building, the Jedi temple was the next most famous landmark of Coruscant. On the outside, the temple looked more like a fortress than a sanctuary for meditation and teaching. But Thranduil knew better.

His escort lowered the transport down at the edge of the temple. Thranduil thanked him before getting off, his outer robe hitting the back of his calves once he hopped down. The transport whizzed away and Thranduil fixed his eyes on the looming building in front of him, the very core and beating heart of the Jedi Order.

The even steps leading up to the entrance of the temple were narrow and many, but well-maintained. Better known as the processional way, it led up to the open doors of the temple. These were guarded with four larger than life statues of the Jedi who founded the Jedi Order.

This time of the morning, the inhabitants of the temple were wide awake. He found the elderly sitting in the shade, conversing in low tones. Some of the older Padawans sat in small clusters with their study materials. Thranduil stifled his smile. As much as he enjoyed his time as a Padawan, Thranduil was happy to leave it all behind, particularly when it came to studying.

As he neared the great statues, he found a reasonably large group of Initiates using the Force to play with a crystal. Thranduil slowed down. Initiates were Force-sensitive children, younger than the Padawans. The group in front of him was very young, the youngest being human barely six or seven years old. Thranduil stopped in his tracks and watched them. Such children were too dangerous to be left untaught. So once discovered, the children were brought to the temple for early training.

They showed remarkable restraint with the Force, Thranduil thought. The crystal wobbled in the air but bounced safely from one child's hand to the next. They giggled amongst themselves, every once in a while a child would protest if he or she went without the crystal for too long. Smiling, Thranduil leaned against the wall and folded his hands in his wide sleeves. He judged he spent good ten minutes there but he wasn't inclined to enter the temple yet.

Then one of the children, a Twi'lek with light blue skin and wide eyes, pushed the gem too hard. It sailed over their heads and hurtled straight at Thranduil in high speed.

The crystal would have smacked his cheek had he not raised his own hand, and used his Force to stop it. Now the crystal hovered over the palm of his right hand, shining brightly with the strength of his Force. He looked down at the younglings with an impassive face and a single raised brow and nearly laughed to himself. They all looked ashamed.

He did not say anything. He managed to hide his amusement. Some children shifted on their feet and mumbled apologies. Others looked downright frightened of him. He could not blame them. His height was good six foot six inches. He was towering over them.

Finally he could not resist. Thranduil's laugh startled them. Some looked up at him hopefully. Others were wary.

"Well," Thranduil said lightly, his eyes twinkling in mirth. "We can't have the crystal bumping and poking everyone who passes us by. How about we go inside and I show you how to control the Force better?"

He was fully aware that Yoda was waiting for him, probably with Mace Windu. But then, he wasn't one to follow orders immediately.

And he was sure they knew it too.


Mace looked out the half-shuttered window. The window overlooked the indoor square gardens of the temple but the beauty did little to sooth his heart this time.

"Worried, you are." Yoda's voice rasped behind him. Mace did not look.

"I am." He answered evenly. He heard Yoda's steady breathing behind him. When the Grandmaster spoke again, it was just as peaceful as before.

"Consider Thranduil capable, you do not."

"That isn't precisely true." Mace protested. He finally tore his gaze away from the gardens and looked at the elderly Jedi. Yoda sat cross-legged on a cushioned circular seat, one of the many arranged across the small meditation room. Mace sat down on one opposite to Yoda. He folded his legs and wrapped his arms around them. He studied the Grandmaster in brief silence.

Yoda did not seem to be disturbed by Mace's scrutiny. His eyes remained closed, his chest heaving slowly and steadily in meditation. His gnarled, long-nailed green hands rested on his knees. The cane rested horizontally in front of Yoda.

"I don't know what to make of him." Mace said with a sigh. Yoda surprised him with high-pitched laugh.

"Admit it, finally, you do." Yoda remarked. He opened his eyes and grabbed his cane, all the while chuckling. Mace looked at him perplexed. He never liked being mocked. He never liked his sentences to be taken in humour when they were so seriously given. So when faced with this absurd situation where Yoda seemed to be amused with his statement, he retreated into practicality.

"He follows the Jedi Creed and yet shows blatant disregard for protocol or orders," Mace protested. Yoda hopped down from his seat and began to make his way slowly to the door. His wooden cane tapped on the floor as he walked. Mace quickly got off his seat and followed him, trying to continue the conversation. Yoda, much to his surprise and exasperation, seemed more amused. "He is an able swordsman, capable of battling in the front lines and yet chooses a quiet life overseeing his own system-"

"Misses home he does." Yoda interrupted. Mace tried a different tactic.

"He could have studied the Force and found more ingenious ways to harness and use it-"

"Content with his position he is."

Refusing to admit defeat, Mace found himself repeating.

"He doesn't follow orders or protocol."

"Enjoys teasing you he does."

Mace skidded to a halt and stared at Yoda. Then the Grandmaster sniggered at him.

"Amusing it is to watch."

"It isn't." Mace muttered. "And where is he? He is supposed to be here half an hour ago."

"Open to the Force and you will find him. Right there he is." Yoda said. He lifted his cane and pointed with it at the faraway balcony. Curious, Mace glanced at Yoda before making his way there.

He heard children's laughter, mixed with the masculine laughter of an adult. Mace could feel his own heart lighten at the sound of the latter, as if he wished to hear more of it. He walked up to the balcony and looked down. The sight that met his eyes was unbelievable. The figure dressed in green robes with dull golden embroidery was unmistakably recognizable, his braided golden hair gleaming in the light. He was nestled in a large crowd of Initiates, all of whom seemed perfectly at ease with him.

"Waylaid he was by the children." Yoda said, chuckling.

Mace saw that it was true. A long, thin, finely cut crystal hovered above them. Mace recognized that crystal as one of the many that Jedi instructors used to help the children harness their use of the Force. It hovered from one child's palm to the next before eventually passing on to Thranduil. The Elf seemed focused in his task, so much so that he didn't notice the gathering up at the balconies to watch him. He animatedly gestured with his hands as he instructed them with bottomless patience. Mace noticed how he was particularly gentle with the children, his sharp Elven features softening unlike Mace had ever seen before. He gave even the weaker ones his full undivided attention. He even managed to coax the shyness out of one of the apprentices.

"He is good with younglings." Mace said in wonder. He didn't know what he thought of Thranduil but he never expected this.

"He is, indeed." Yoda rasped. He didn't hop over the banister to look down. Rather he peered through the wide gaps in the tempered flat steel running along the balcony edge.

"Why didn't he choose the path of a Jedi Instructor?" Mace asked without looking at Yoda. Mace had to admit; this side of Thranduil was… refreshing to see. One of the children accidentally used too much Force to propel the crystal. It hit the unsuspecting Elf at the back of his head before falling on the floor with a clutter. For a moment Mace wondered how he would react. Again, his suspicions were unfounded. The Elf picked up the crystal and told the child to try again. Mace could not help but softly smile. Many of the initiates did not know how to control their use of the Force. Almost all of them were frightened by their own strengths. They needed gentle instructors to teach them.

He then became aware that Yoda had not answered his question. He looked down but Yoda's eyes were on the Elf, his lips slightly pursed.

"Something happened, didn't it?" Mace guessed. Yoda took in a deep breath before he rumbled.

"Yes."

"When?"

"One year after Knighthood."

Mace wondered whether he should press further but decided the knowledge was enough for now. Yoda did not seem bent on sharing either.

"But where is their instructor?" Mace wondered. He craned his neck more to see and found her, standing over the balcony nearest to them. Feeling their eyes on her, she strode up to them, elegantly dressed in altered robes as a gown.

"I meant to step in," she said. "But he handles them so well that I was not needed."

"Take them you should. Speak to Thranduil we must." Yoda said. The instructor agreed and quickly went down the steps. Mace and Windu followed her. With a quick word for Thranduil, the instructor gathered her students and led them away. Mace playfully ruffled the hair of an apprentice as the Initiates passed him by. Thranduil bid them goodbye with a friendly smile.

Mace turned his attention to Thranduil. The Elf suddenly seemed to notice the crowd hovering over the balconies and lingering on the steps. Mace tried not to smirk when he caught the faint dusting of pink across Thranduil's cheeks. He briefly considering teasing him, but decided to have some pity on the already embarrassed Elf. Besides, he was not close to the Elf for him to have such freedom.

Such scrutiny was uncommon, but then Thranduil was among the first people chosen from Arda system. Men, Elves and Dwarves had difficult time settling in. While there was no outright hostility, it caused slight disruption in the normal functioning of the Order. But as Mace and Yoda approached the Elf, many of the Jedi looked upon the Grandmaster and had the sense to withdraw. Those that didn't stayed and diverted their attention elsewhere.

"Good to see you, it is." Yoda said warmly. He stopped short of Thranduil, placed both his wrinkled hands on the top of his cane and peered up at the Elf. "Persuade you still to teach youngling I can."

Thranduil placed his fists on his hips and laughed.

"Never," Thranduil vowed. "That was more than enough."

"Useful you would be. Like you, Initiates will." Yoda tried again. But judging from the playful smiles the two exchanged, Mace assumed the conversation followed both humorous and serious tones. But Thranduil folded his arms and shook his head.

"The answer is still no, Master Yoda."

Mace couldn't believe what he was hearing. Thranduil had a gift of teaching. He interjected without thinking, "You have a way with younglings. Your contribution will be perfect in teaching them."

A slow lazy smile crawled on Thranduil's face. Mace suddenly realized he was trapped.

"Were you watching, Master Windu? Curious, I never thought your heart could be so gentle."

Mace stiffened.

"I never said I enjoyed your tomfoolery when we were kept waiting." Mace said gruffly. He tilted his head downward, his posture straightening. Much to his silent dismay, Thranduil's smile grew wider. He was enjoying the fact his feathers were ruffled. "Come. It is time you answered the summons that brought you here in the first place… unless of course you decide to be a child again and undergo knighthood once more."

"I would love to but I think I have imposed on the masters long enough the first time around." Thranduil retorted. Mace opened his mouth to reply but his mind was utterly blank. So he closed his mouth and turned around, his robes whirling about him, and stalked off. Yoda kept a pace beside him and Mace was dimly aware of Thranduil following close behind.

Mace could have sworn he caught a smile on Yoda's face but when he looked, Yoda's expression was firmly impassive.


The Grand Convocation Chamber was a formal chamber built resembling the inside of a sphere. Multiple balconies jutted into the chamber, counting up to roughly a thousand. At the moment, all the balconies were filled. These balconies were in fact pods, capable of hovering in the air, and as such Galadriel's pod floated steadily around the chamber. While she was several feet off the ground, she did not feel unsteady. The pod was completely flawless in design and all pods were checked for any trace of sabotage before a meeting.

At the moment, though, Galadriel's own focus was on keeping her temper in check. Her elegant, flowing white dress accentuated by white gems scattering on the rich cloth made her already glowing, immortal form seem ethereal and otherworldly. Her hair, a perfect blend between gold and silver, was loose over her back and gleamed in a smooth sheet. A circlet rested on her brow. While she presented an image of a superior being and left many tongue-tied in her wake as she approached the chamber early that morning, it was clear there were some who were less than impressed and very eager to point out flaws.

One of them was a very vocal politician belonging to the species of Twi'leks. These were humanoids with skins coloured in various shades; green, blue, yellow among others. They had two long protrusions from their heads that were extensions of the brain and various coloured irises set in whites. They all had bony, lithe structures… well except for the one before her. Senator Orn Free Taa was his name, an obese male Twi'lek who had more love for food than his worth in politics. He decked himself with the most expensive jewellery and clothes to flaunt his wealth, and his snivelling ways made his corrupt heart all the more obvious.

"I admit I am not convinced, Senator Galadriel," Senator Taa said. He raised his hand towards Galadriel, his bony knuckles and long nails prominent. "What does your system have to offer that the Republic doesn't already have?"

Galadriel clenched and unclenched her jaw before replying coolly, "You forget, Senator Taa, that it is through the Arda system that the Republic is able to chart safer routes through the Outer Rim." The Outer Rim was distant from the Republic. There, the Republican laws did not apply. To have a foothold in that part of the galaxy run by drug dealers, slavers, renegades and outlaws was a feature Republic could not hope to lose… which is why Galadriel found this conversation meaningless. Nevertheless, she entertained it for the sake of decorum.

"But we cannot simply accept your system, given its past," Senator Taa said. He turned his attention to the rest of the senators. "The history of the Arda system is bloody indeed."

There were murmurs of agreement around Galadriel. Without moving her head, her eyes fluttered around, marking the nods and whispers. This was dangerous. Once the notion took root, she would have a difficult time proving them otherwise. For one thing, the Senate was stubborn. She had to nip this threat from the bud.

Galadriel trained her eyes on her opponent. Senator Taa's large lips were spread up in a smile. It looked unflattering on his massive face with sagging fat below his chin. She breathed in evenly. Behind her, she was dimly aware of Haldir's presence; close but not intrusive. It oddly seemed comforting and supportive. It was an effect Galadriel knew Haldir was not aware of. He always exuded this fine quality of protectiveness and loyalty while he was on duty. It was trait that made him valuable.

Returning her attention back to the sneering politician opposite to her, Galadriel lifted her head and pursed her lips lightly.

"There are many renegades hovering in your own system, Senator," Galadriel said. "And yet you are here unquestioned." The senator's planet Ryloth was harsh and dangerous environment to live in.

There was a brief silence as the fat humanoid narrowed his eyes at her, but Galadriel turned her attention to Chancellor Palpatine. There was a ghost of a smile curving his lips. Past his shoulder, her eyes met those of Senator Organa for a split second before she addressed the Senate.

"My fellow senators," Galadriel said. "Our system has a rich and vivid history much like any other system present in the galaxy. No race is without fault, and our species are inexcusable to this fact. What matters now is the decision we will take in the Senate today. We stand before one another to forge a new alliance that could well turn into friendship, a friendship that will benefit all parties." Her eyes swept over the numerous faces around her. Senator Taa remained silent, his protest now useless. "The attack on my life has made it there are war-mongering bodies out there unwilling for our alliance." With the note of finality echoing in her voice, a whisper of cloth sounded behind Galadriel as Haldir moved towards the control panel, ready to recall the pod back to its docking bay.

"Just a moment, Senator Galadriel," Vice Chancellor interrupted, halting Haldir's hand over the control panel. Haldir's eyes caught Galadriel's in a query but she shook her head ever so slightly. Haldir nodded and left the panel, returning to his original position behind her.

"Yes, Vice Chancellor," Galadriel said pleasantly. "What is it?"

"The attempt on your life, Senator, calls for a grievous concern to your security," He said. Galadriel regarded him with some disgust, even though she kept her face pleasantly impassive. This humanoid was well-known for wiggling his way into matters that did not concern him, and twisting them to his own devices. Still, since he was on a powerful seat, many tried to steer clear of him… and let him have his way. "We will bring the Senate Security Committee to discuss your protection and investigation."

Galadriel raised her head and kept it high. Her lips slightly pressed in a line.

"I believe I will not meet the committee." Galadriel's words reverberated through the chamber. "I have no confidence in the security the Senate provides to their senators given the welcome I have been given."

The silence that met her curt words was so loud she could hear it ringing in her ears. She did not flinch or any way show a weakness. In that moment, Galadriel felt powerful at the sight of stunned dignitaries from around the galaxy. She raised her eyes to meet that of Chancellor Palpatine. He too looked stunned and… vengeful? She did not know how to describe the latter emotion that passed his face ever so briefly. Needless to say, she knew Palpatine was a very dangerous man.

Haldir reached out a hand over the control panel and quickly summoned the pod back to the dock. Galadriel did not wait for them to recover their silence. Clutching her long sleeve in one hand, she whirled around and stalked out the chamber without waiting to be dismissed.


Author's Note:

Now, what are Galadriel and Organa concocting?

Feel free to ask anything causing confusion. :)

A lot of reviewers have been asking since the start of this story; will I take this all the way to the Third Age? The answer is, it all depends on your response. :) I have planned this up to the end of the Third Age. If you are interested, then who am I to argue? :)

Help List:

-Initiates: A rank lower than that of Padawans. These are Force-sensitive children, too dangerous to be left on their own, taught before becoming Padawans.

-Crystals: These have varying uses. Some are used for harnessing the Force, others are used as a main constituent for lightsabers and still others are used for healing.

-Twi'leks: A famous species throughout the Star Wars plotline. Their planet is a desert and a harsh land to live in. Their females, known for their beauty and elegance, were often the target of slavery. The politicians hailing from this planet play a large role in the Star Wars politics.

Replies to Anon:

(Thanks to all guest reviews who did not sign their names. It is very hard to tell who is who without a specific name. ;)

JJ: No, that's alright. Feel free to ask. :) Celebrimbor is related to Gil-Galad depending on Gil-Galad's parentage. I prefer him to be the son of Fingon. Fingon and Celebrimbor's father Curufin were cousins. Gil-Galad resides on the planet Rivendell. As noted in the previous chapter, Thranduil saw the planets were names poorly, since the explorers named the planets on the first place they landed on. Yes, he is the High King of Elves. I will be following both timelines; that of Star Wars and of LOTR. Hope this helps. :)

Sky: Why thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing this!

ATP: Then let us agree to disagree. I am not here for a debate. It is open for you to interpret. I am sure there are other stories more to your liking.