A/N: I haven't updated since forever! I'm so sorry! I got stuck in a
snowstorm and I was just too tired. Okay, well, here is the next chapter.
Beth flew from the gardens. 'How could he have done something like that?' she asked as tears streamed down her face.
She burst into the halls. Abruptly, the music and chatter stopped as all eyes turned to her. Quickly she rushed toward the stairs and ran to her room.
Her mother looked worriedly after her. She was about to go comfort her when she noticed that Rhiannon was already climbing the stairs quickly after Beth. She looked over at her husband sadly as the music and talking started up again.
King Thranduil frowned. Somehow, he knew that his son was the cause of the young maiden's tears. He knew how his son would speak without thinking. He sighed and waited for Legolas to walk through those very same doors.
***********************************
Beth collapsed on her bed and wept loudly. She sobbed and cried. Her makeup was messed up and her hair was a mess. But she did not care. She threw her face into the pillow and screamed as loud as she could.
During all of this, she did not hear the door creak open. "Beth?" Rhiannon asked timidly as her elven eyes skimmed across the dark room. Finally she spotted Beth's shaking form lying on top of the bed.
She immediately sat down on the bed and stroked Beth's back. "Mellon, what is the matter?" she whispered softly.
At her touch, Beth calmed down a bit. However her body was still racked her sobs. "Mellon, let us talk a bit," Rhiannon urged softly. She was determined to help her friend. However, to do so, she must get Beth to tell her what happened in the gardens that distressed her so.
Slowly, Beth sat up. Rhiannon would've smiled at the sight if it was not for the expression on Beth's face. Her make up was mussed all over her face and her hair was disheveled. Beth sighed. "I do not know what I did wrong," she whispered sadly.
Rhiannon frowned. "What happened tonight?" she asked.
Beth stared right past Rhiannon. "I do not know what I did wrong," she repeated.
"Beth, answer me. What happened tonight at the ball?" Rhiannon asked more sternly.
Beth ignored Rhiannon's question and whispered, "I thought he loved me for who I was. I thought he was different from Rialor."
Rhiannon froze at the name of Beth's former lover. "Who has harmed you, Beth?" she asked alarmed. When Beth gave no reply, she raised her voice a bit louder. "Who has wronged you?"
At the last question, Beth finally looked into Rhiannon's eyes. "I have wronged myself," she murmured.
Rhiannon took both of Beth's hands into hers and shouted, "Stop speaking in riddles, Beth. It is not funny. Tell me, what happened tonight?"
Beth's eyes watered again and a new pair of waterfalls found their way down her cheeks. "He said that he loved me! He promised me that he would never hurt me! He broke his stupid promise!" she shouted.
Rhiannon, alarmed by this sudden outburst from her friend, put her hands on Beth's shoulders firmly to stop Beth from shaking. "Tell me, who is 'he'?" she asked.
Beth stopped shaking violently but continued to tremble slightly. "Legolas," she whispered venomously as if the very word brought poison to her tongue.
Rhiannon frowned. 'What did he do this time?' she asked herself exasperatedly. "Tell me what happened, Beth."
So Beth recounted everything that happened that fateful evening. As Rhiannon listened to her friend's occasional sobs, she grew angrier. 'That blockhead! How dare he!' she though to herself.
After Beth finished, Rhiannon hugged her tightly. "Do not let yourself worry over him. He is one of those impudent oafs that do not know what is good for them. You just forget about him and move on in your life. Don't look back," she said through gritted teeth.
'I'll take care of him in the morning,' Rhiannon added silently to herself.
*********************************************
Legolas spent the rest of the evening in the gardens. Arwen left him after giving him some advice. Aragorn also came out of the great halls to cheer him up to no avail. He spent the time sitting on the stone bench in the gardens whispering to himself over and over again, "What have I done?"
The wind and trees groaned softly as they watched the poor misled prince. The garden itself seemed to agree with him, seeing as how they were the most familiar of this tale. 'What have you done?' it whispered quietly into the young prince's ear.
King Thranduil, seeing that his son was not coming back to the ball and that he needed some time alone, restricted all maidens from entering the gardens. Finally, when all the guests had gone home, he himself wandered innocently into the gardens.
He made his way through the maze of flowers and trees and finally found his son sitting on the stone bench, his face hidden in his hands.
King Thranduil decided to start off with a friendly conversation. "Ah! Nice evening it has been, has it not?" he asked cheerfully.
"Yes," Legolas said with a melancholy tone, still not looking up.
King Thranduil frowned at his son but continued, "Mirkwood has received a blessing, have we not? The weather is fine every day. The rains have brought a plentiful harvest, has it not?"
"Yes," Legolas simply answered with the same sad tone, still not glancing up.
King Thranduil sighed and seated himself next to Legolas. "Legolas, what have you said to Lady Bethany tonight to make her so sad?" he asked, finally getting to the point.
To his satisfaction, his son's head slowly rose from his hands. "I have said something terribly wrong," he said sadly, looking at the floor.
King Thranduil shook his head. "Yes, my son, I know that. But what did you do?" he asked impatiently.
Legolas, eyes still glued to the ground, answered, "I have wronged her greatly. I have inflicted pain upon her for my own selfish reasons."
King Thranduil put a gentle hand on Legolas' shoulder. "What is it that you have done to hurt her so?" he asked gently.
Legolas finally looked up into his father's eyes. King Thranduil was taken by surprise by the sight. Legolas' usually merry blue eyes were now dull and melancholy. "I have used Lady Bethany to make Lady Rhiannon jealous," he finally confessed.
King Thranduil frowned. "Legolas Greenleaf, I had never thought I would live to say this but, you are one dense elf!" he said sternly.
Legolas, taken by surprise, looked at his father bewilderedly. He opened his mouth to defend himself but his father held up a hand to stop him. "Let me finish, my son." Legolas closed his mouth. "You must know that a she- elf's feelings are not something to be toyed with. You must take her seriously. If you truly love one, you must respect her feelings. You can not use her to get back at another. Not only have you wronged Lady Bethany, but you have also wronged Lady Rhiannon."
Legolas asked, "How so?"
King Thranduil explained, "You have wronged Lady Rhiannon by hurting her friend, Lady Bethany. Knowing her as well as I do, Lady Rhiannon will probably yell at you tomorrow morning."
At this, Legolas groaned and buried his head into his hands again. "I do not think I can handle two angry she-elves!" he exclaimed.
King Thranduil smiled slightly at the distressed prince but continued, "You have wronged yourself too."
Legolas' head snapped up again. "How? How have I wronged myself?"
King Thranduil answered, "You would've revealed to Lady Rhiannon that you had feelings for her, would you not?" When Legolas nodded, he asked, "I'm sure you have noticed Lord Elihor's attachment to her, have you not?" When Legolas nodded again, he continued, "Well, then you would've made her choose between you and Elihor. Then, one of you would've been hurt tremendously. If she chose Elihor, you would've been broken hearted. However, if she chose you, Elihor would've been broken hearted. So you see, this is a cycle. In the end, you would have ended up hurting many people."
Legolas groaned and hid his face again. "How could I have been so thick?" he asked himself. Then he asked his father, "How should I mend this?"
King Thranduil sat thoughtfully for a moment before answering, "I suggest you talk to both Lady Bethany and Lady Rhiannon. If you truly love Lady Bethany, you would apologize and beg her to take you back. However, if you do not love Lady Bethany, I suggest you apologize then leave her available for the best elf."
Legolas nodded as he looked into his father's eyes again. "Thank you, Father. You have been helpful." A thought struck him. He asked, "Tell me Father, do you advise me from your personal experiences or just wisdom?"
King Thranduil's eyes twinkled as he answered, "Pure wisdom. I would never be so dim-witted as to do what you did."
Legolas smiled slightly at his father's little joke. His father placed a hand on his shoulder as he stood up. "Well, I must be going to bed now. Duty calls tomorrow," he said. Legolas stood up with him. After walking a couple of steps, King Thranduil turned around and suggested, "If I were you, I would get some sleep too. After all, tomorrow, you will be dealing with two angry she-elves."
Legolas nodded and answered, "I will heed your advice." After watching his father disappear, Legolas made his way back to his room.
A/N: Short chapter, I know! Sorry! Well, Review please!
Beth flew from the gardens. 'How could he have done something like that?' she asked as tears streamed down her face.
She burst into the halls. Abruptly, the music and chatter stopped as all eyes turned to her. Quickly she rushed toward the stairs and ran to her room.
Her mother looked worriedly after her. She was about to go comfort her when she noticed that Rhiannon was already climbing the stairs quickly after Beth. She looked over at her husband sadly as the music and talking started up again.
King Thranduil frowned. Somehow, he knew that his son was the cause of the young maiden's tears. He knew how his son would speak without thinking. He sighed and waited for Legolas to walk through those very same doors.
***********************************
Beth collapsed on her bed and wept loudly. She sobbed and cried. Her makeup was messed up and her hair was a mess. But she did not care. She threw her face into the pillow and screamed as loud as she could.
During all of this, she did not hear the door creak open. "Beth?" Rhiannon asked timidly as her elven eyes skimmed across the dark room. Finally she spotted Beth's shaking form lying on top of the bed.
She immediately sat down on the bed and stroked Beth's back. "Mellon, what is the matter?" she whispered softly.
At her touch, Beth calmed down a bit. However her body was still racked her sobs. "Mellon, let us talk a bit," Rhiannon urged softly. She was determined to help her friend. However, to do so, she must get Beth to tell her what happened in the gardens that distressed her so.
Slowly, Beth sat up. Rhiannon would've smiled at the sight if it was not for the expression on Beth's face. Her make up was mussed all over her face and her hair was disheveled. Beth sighed. "I do not know what I did wrong," she whispered sadly.
Rhiannon frowned. "What happened tonight?" she asked.
Beth stared right past Rhiannon. "I do not know what I did wrong," she repeated.
"Beth, answer me. What happened tonight at the ball?" Rhiannon asked more sternly.
Beth ignored Rhiannon's question and whispered, "I thought he loved me for who I was. I thought he was different from Rialor."
Rhiannon froze at the name of Beth's former lover. "Who has harmed you, Beth?" she asked alarmed. When Beth gave no reply, she raised her voice a bit louder. "Who has wronged you?"
At the last question, Beth finally looked into Rhiannon's eyes. "I have wronged myself," she murmured.
Rhiannon took both of Beth's hands into hers and shouted, "Stop speaking in riddles, Beth. It is not funny. Tell me, what happened tonight?"
Beth's eyes watered again and a new pair of waterfalls found their way down her cheeks. "He said that he loved me! He promised me that he would never hurt me! He broke his stupid promise!" she shouted.
Rhiannon, alarmed by this sudden outburst from her friend, put her hands on Beth's shoulders firmly to stop Beth from shaking. "Tell me, who is 'he'?" she asked.
Beth stopped shaking violently but continued to tremble slightly. "Legolas," she whispered venomously as if the very word brought poison to her tongue.
Rhiannon frowned. 'What did he do this time?' she asked herself exasperatedly. "Tell me what happened, Beth."
So Beth recounted everything that happened that fateful evening. As Rhiannon listened to her friend's occasional sobs, she grew angrier. 'That blockhead! How dare he!' she though to herself.
After Beth finished, Rhiannon hugged her tightly. "Do not let yourself worry over him. He is one of those impudent oafs that do not know what is good for them. You just forget about him and move on in your life. Don't look back," she said through gritted teeth.
'I'll take care of him in the morning,' Rhiannon added silently to herself.
*********************************************
Legolas spent the rest of the evening in the gardens. Arwen left him after giving him some advice. Aragorn also came out of the great halls to cheer him up to no avail. He spent the time sitting on the stone bench in the gardens whispering to himself over and over again, "What have I done?"
The wind and trees groaned softly as they watched the poor misled prince. The garden itself seemed to agree with him, seeing as how they were the most familiar of this tale. 'What have you done?' it whispered quietly into the young prince's ear.
King Thranduil, seeing that his son was not coming back to the ball and that he needed some time alone, restricted all maidens from entering the gardens. Finally, when all the guests had gone home, he himself wandered innocently into the gardens.
He made his way through the maze of flowers and trees and finally found his son sitting on the stone bench, his face hidden in his hands.
King Thranduil decided to start off with a friendly conversation. "Ah! Nice evening it has been, has it not?" he asked cheerfully.
"Yes," Legolas said with a melancholy tone, still not looking up.
King Thranduil frowned at his son but continued, "Mirkwood has received a blessing, have we not? The weather is fine every day. The rains have brought a plentiful harvest, has it not?"
"Yes," Legolas simply answered with the same sad tone, still not glancing up.
King Thranduil sighed and seated himself next to Legolas. "Legolas, what have you said to Lady Bethany tonight to make her so sad?" he asked, finally getting to the point.
To his satisfaction, his son's head slowly rose from his hands. "I have said something terribly wrong," he said sadly, looking at the floor.
King Thranduil shook his head. "Yes, my son, I know that. But what did you do?" he asked impatiently.
Legolas, eyes still glued to the ground, answered, "I have wronged her greatly. I have inflicted pain upon her for my own selfish reasons."
King Thranduil put a gentle hand on Legolas' shoulder. "What is it that you have done to hurt her so?" he asked gently.
Legolas finally looked up into his father's eyes. King Thranduil was taken by surprise by the sight. Legolas' usually merry blue eyes were now dull and melancholy. "I have used Lady Bethany to make Lady Rhiannon jealous," he finally confessed.
King Thranduil frowned. "Legolas Greenleaf, I had never thought I would live to say this but, you are one dense elf!" he said sternly.
Legolas, taken by surprise, looked at his father bewilderedly. He opened his mouth to defend himself but his father held up a hand to stop him. "Let me finish, my son." Legolas closed his mouth. "You must know that a she- elf's feelings are not something to be toyed with. You must take her seriously. If you truly love one, you must respect her feelings. You can not use her to get back at another. Not only have you wronged Lady Bethany, but you have also wronged Lady Rhiannon."
Legolas asked, "How so?"
King Thranduil explained, "You have wronged Lady Rhiannon by hurting her friend, Lady Bethany. Knowing her as well as I do, Lady Rhiannon will probably yell at you tomorrow morning."
At this, Legolas groaned and buried his head into his hands again. "I do not think I can handle two angry she-elves!" he exclaimed.
King Thranduil smiled slightly at the distressed prince but continued, "You have wronged yourself too."
Legolas' head snapped up again. "How? How have I wronged myself?"
King Thranduil answered, "You would've revealed to Lady Rhiannon that you had feelings for her, would you not?" When Legolas nodded, he asked, "I'm sure you have noticed Lord Elihor's attachment to her, have you not?" When Legolas nodded again, he continued, "Well, then you would've made her choose between you and Elihor. Then, one of you would've been hurt tremendously. If she chose Elihor, you would've been broken hearted. However, if she chose you, Elihor would've been broken hearted. So you see, this is a cycle. In the end, you would have ended up hurting many people."
Legolas groaned and hid his face again. "How could I have been so thick?" he asked himself. Then he asked his father, "How should I mend this?"
King Thranduil sat thoughtfully for a moment before answering, "I suggest you talk to both Lady Bethany and Lady Rhiannon. If you truly love Lady Bethany, you would apologize and beg her to take you back. However, if you do not love Lady Bethany, I suggest you apologize then leave her available for the best elf."
Legolas nodded as he looked into his father's eyes again. "Thank you, Father. You have been helpful." A thought struck him. He asked, "Tell me Father, do you advise me from your personal experiences or just wisdom?"
King Thranduil's eyes twinkled as he answered, "Pure wisdom. I would never be so dim-witted as to do what you did."
Legolas smiled slightly at his father's little joke. His father placed a hand on his shoulder as he stood up. "Well, I must be going to bed now. Duty calls tomorrow," he said. Legolas stood up with him. After walking a couple of steps, King Thranduil turned around and suggested, "If I were you, I would get some sleep too. After all, tomorrow, you will be dealing with two angry she-elves."
Legolas nodded and answered, "I will heed your advice." After watching his father disappear, Legolas made his way back to his room.
A/N: Short chapter, I know! Sorry! Well, Review please!