Chapter 5

Thranduil, King of Mirkwood, sat quietly at the desk in his private chambers, studying the parchments laid out before him. They were maps of his kingdom, recently redrawn solely for the purpose of the change his land had undergone during the Dark Time of War. Orcs had at one time overrun his beautiful forest, killing everything they touched. When the One Ring had been destroyed, Mirkwood had almost been reduced to a barren wasteland.

With help from his council, a great undertaking of rebuilding their home had begun. There first task was to run all the remaining Orcs from the forest, an accomplishment that took just over a year. The next was repairing the land: tilling the soil, planting tree saplings and brush. And with the love only the Elves could possess for their land, everything had grown back beautifully.

There were still threats of evil in Middle-Earth, but Thranduil tried not to worry so much about them. Instead, he sent parties to investigate before planning any course of action if needed.

His son, Legolas, was on such a mission. Having only returned from his long travels, Thranduil had been hesitant to send him along with his band of friends. But, logic had prevailed and he knew that Legolas, as one of his best warriors, would thoroughly investigate the claims and quickly report back to him with the efficiency of any army command. His son was his pride and joy and he could not think of a time Legolas had ever disappointed him.

Thranduil sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Except for the time he vowed never to marry, he thought, chuckling to himself, remembering that day clearly. Legolas had 'come of age' five hundred years prior and had finally acknowledged the strange affect he had on the maidens in Mirkwood. With a large grin, he had told his father that he much preferred the company of several maids to just one. "Especially," he had added, rather cheekily, "If they insist on competing for my attention." Thranduil could not remember if he had laughed or shouted that day, but he knew he laughed now.

"Your Highness?" The voice from the doorway broke into his thoughts, halting his laughter. He turned to see his Chief Counselor standing in the doorway, waiting patiently.

"Ah, Jerec!" he told him. "Come in! Come in!" He stood from his chair and ushered him in. "I was just reminiscing. Forgive an old fool his sentimental tendencies."

His counselor, his most trusted confidant (besides Legolas), stepped further into the chamber and took the seat across from his king. "All good, I hope?" he asked.

"Of course, of course," Thranduil replied. He and Jerec had been friends since their elfling years and could never lie to one another. Their bond was much like that between brothers and it was evident to those who were able to witness the old friends together.

"I called you here as a friend, not as my counselor," Thranduil explained, once he seated himself back down. "There is a matter that I would like to discuss with you without listening ears."

Jerec leaned over, clearly interested. "And, what would this matter be, milord?" he asked, curiously.

"Our children," Thranduil answered, simply.

Jerec was puzzled. "Our children?" he repeated. "You speak of your Legolas and my Ziendriel?" When the king nodded, he asked, "What of them?"

"I do not know if you are aware of the fact that your daughter and my son have been spending time in one another's company," Thranduil replied, coolly. "Or so I've been told."

Immediately, Jerec became nervous. "A-And?" he inquired, quite nervously. He did not like the way his friend was apparently reacting to the news of their children together. Although the blood of nobility ran through his veins, he was nowhere near the royalty that his friend possessed. And the importance of Prince Legolas marrying an elf maiden of the same station was greatly impressed.

"I am merely wondering your thoughts on the matter," Thranduil answered with a shrug. He looked at his friend, suddenly noticing the sheen sweat on his brow. "Are you ill, Jerec?" he demanded. "What makes you sweat so?"

"I fear I cannot lie to you, milord," Jerec answered. "Even if it means earning your wrath." He lightly mopped his brow.

"'Earning my wrath..'" Thranduil repeated. Understanding dawned on his face and he roared with laughter. "No, no, no, my friend!" he exclaimed. "I am not displeased at the news! Truly!"

At this, Jerec exhaled loudly; he hadn't noticed holding his breath. "Forgive me, old friend!" he said, a bit sheepishly. "I should not have assumed."

Thranduil laughed once again laughed. "It is alright," he said. "Though it is amusing." He chuckled and murmured something to himself. He looked to his dearest friend and added, "But really, what say you of this information?"

"They are great friends," Jerec answered, after a moment's thought. "At least, that is what I understand from the little information Ziendriel gives me. She says they are simply friends who enjoy one another's company."

"Friends," the king murmured, once again stroking his beard, thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose so…" He suddenly fell deep in thought, his eyes staring through the top of his desk.

Jerec recognized that look. It was the same Thranduil had gotten in their youth, right before getting them into one of their disastrous adventures. "What are you planning, Thranduil?" he demanded. "That familiar glint is in your eye!"

At this, the king smiled a smile of mischief. "Nothing, my friend," he answered. "Nothing at all...if our children are as intelligent as we believe them to be." He winked conspiratorially at him.

Jerec glared at him. He knew the wheels in his friend's head were turning; he could almost hear them. Despite his reassurances of no plans, Jerec knew Thranduil better than he thought. And, he was sure that whatever he was planning—like the adventures of their childhood—would certainly backfire in his face.

"What are you mumbling about over there?" Elyse Silverstream demanded, turning away from the mirror that hung on the wall over her vanity. She glared at the elf maiden sitting on her bed, her head lowered down, her hair flipped over her head as she brushed the long locks that fell to the floor.

At the annoyance in her friend's voice, the maid flipped her head back over and proceeded to brush her hair off to one side. "I said, I have some interesting news to share with you," Adrianna Roseleaf said, ignoring the glare Elyse was giving her, "It is about the prince."

At this, Elyse's fair features lit with delight. For as long as she could remember, her heart had always belonged to Legolas, and she suspected it always would be. If she could only get him to notice her! You would think that would be easy! she thought to herself. Father is one of the king's counselors. Surely the prince would know me by association! She pushed the thought aside and went quickly to sit with her friend on the bed.

Adrianna swallowed hard. "Well, perhaps it is not exactly the news you would like to hear," she admitted, slowly, and immediately felt bad when the delight began to fade in her friend's blue eyes.

"Is it really that bad?" Elyse asked, her mind immediately bombarded with horrible thoughts.

"Well, is seeing him with another maiden count as 'bad news'?" Adrianna returned.

At this, Elyse's eyes darkened with anger. "It was that Ariel Yalith, wasn't it?" she screamed. "Ooh, that scheming little she-Orc!" She stood from the bed and began to pace her bedroom floor, muttering as she went along.

Adrianna quickly shook her head. "If it was Ariel, it would make sense!" she said, trying to calm her friend down. "But it was not Ariel I saw him in the gardens with."

The other maiden's eyes clouded. "Who else is there that could grab the attention of Prince Legolas?" she demanded. "I see Ariel as my only competition!"

Adrianna inwardly groaned. Humility was never her strong point, she thought. In fact, it was comments like this from Elyse that made her wonder why she remained friends with the sharp-tongued witch. Better to be at her side than in her path, her brain screamed at her, and she agreed. Aloud, she said, "You will not believe it, for I did not when I saw it. It was Ariel's older sister, Ziendriel!"

Elyse ceased her pacing, her face registered with shock. Then, she began to laugh. She laughed for what seemed like an eternity before she stopped to daintily wipe the tears off her cheeks. "Oh, you are the deceiver, Adri!" she exclaimed, smiling as she mopped up her pretty face with a silk handkerchief. "I felt threatened for a moment, but no more. Not when I know the prince would never waste a single moment with someone as boring as Ziendriel Yalith." She smoothed down her dress, then frowned prettily. "Ariel, on the other hand.." she trailed off.

Adrianna sighed and watched as Elyse returned to her vanity. A smile began to grow across her face as a wicked thought entered her head: Should I tell her that I witnessed two encounters between Legolas and Ziendriel? Surely the prince would not waste two moments of his life on Ziendriel! She glanced at her friend and stifled a giggle.

No, I'll save it for a rainy day.