Disclaimer: I don't own any of the LOTR characters. If I did, I wouldn't be posting here. So there you go! If you see an elven name that's not from LOTR then I took one of my friends' names and stuck it in a name generator. Enough said.
Chapter 3:
As Legolas was speaking with the healer, Thranduil was attending to routine matters of ruling, which allowed his mind to wander back to the issue of his son. Thranduil felt that he had tried everything, and hoped that the wisdom and insight of the healer would yield a different result. Not only did his heart ache at the discomfort of his son, but he could not help but feel his own discomfort at the possibility that his failings as a father may have led to this. He just shook his head as he affixed the royal seal to the papers on his desk and hoped that Legolas would return refreshed.
Refreshed! That reminded him...In the hopes of providing Legolas additional emotional support, he had secretly invited many friends and loved ones to a great feast in the palace to coincide with Legolas' visit to the healer. Little did Thranduil know that this did not bode well for his son. Thranduil thought that being surrounded by those who truly cared about him, Legolas would forget these recent events. But Legolas' father could not see himself falling into the same pattern that Legolas had spoken to the healer about.
Thranduil had delegated the arrangements for the feast to one of his many attendants, Sirithtarma. As Siri stood in the grand dining room he mentally counted the number of places that would need to be set in advance. "Well, let's see. The Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn will be in attendance, as well Elrond of Rivendell along with his twin sons. And surely King Elessar and Queen Arwen will make the journey from Gondor, along with their compatriots the Prince of Ithilien and Lady Eowyn. And I have never known hobbits to pass up a free meal, so we must save a...shorter...table for the Ringbearer and his three kinsmen." With a sigh, he continued with lessened patience, "And who else shows up at these damn things? Well, you have to figure that Haldir will make an appearance to make Legolas' life miserable, along with Rumil."
Shaking his head, Siri muttered aloud, "I don't know about those two," before continuing with the count. "And, of course, His Highness' dear friend, Gimli, Son of Gloin, and the ever-present Mithrandir." Just to be safe, Siri figured that there would be several other hangers-on and elves who he had never met. "And Eru only knows who the Prince himself will bring to dinner!" Siri almost chuckled to himself about the ever-revolving door to Legolas' bedroom, but out of honor for the royal family and pity for Legolas, he could not quite bring himself to do it. With that thought, Siri headed for the kitchen to see how the preparations were progressing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And, lo and behold, before long the guests began to arrive. Some in attendance knew what had been afflicting Legolas, and others did not grasp the severity of the problem. However, they all agreed that Thranduil threw great parties and, for now, that was enough. Some of the guests had urgent business of their own in Mirkwood, but it was so secret that even those traveling with them did not know the true reason for their journey. They just would not understand.
Naturally, the elves were the first to arrive. The first party to arrive at the gates was that of Galadriel and Celeborn, accompanied by Haldir and Rumil. Thranduil was dressed in his ceremonial best—robes, crown, and all—and, most importantly, wearing a broad smile to greet his guests in the main hall. He extended a hand to Galadriel as she approached and said, "My lady, you look radiant. How wonderful it is to see you! It has been far too long. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable. You must be tired after your journey." He then acknowledged the other three elves with a polite nod and added, "It is also my pleasure to welcome you into my home once again."
With her great wisdom, Galadriel could immediately sense that something was troubling Thranduil. Even without her wisdom, the other guests, and the elves of the household, could see that his smile was a little too large and he laughed a little too easily. But none of them spoke openly of the unease in the palace, and Galadriel merely smiled in return and said, "We thank you for your gracious hospitality and we are honored to be your guests. It is wonderful to see you again, too!" With a much less formal air, she continued, "It looks like you have made some changes to the palace since I was last here. You must show me!"
As they were conversing, the rest of the elves—Elrond, along with his twin sons Elladan and Elrohir—joined them. When Haldir caught sight of them, he slipped out of his current conversation and caught the twins' attention with a purposeful look. Elrond had pressing matters to speak of with his mother-in-law, and paid little attention to the private conversation among Haldir, Elladan, and Elrohir. With so many elves in the room, it was difficult to carry on a conversation without being overheard, but Haldir spoke as quietly as he could. "Are you two here for the same reason I am?"
Elrohir replied with a laugh, "Have we ever refused a free meal?" But dropping his smile instantly, he continued, "Do you refer to the Secret Council?"
Haldir nodded gravely, "I do." Inclining his head towards their elders on the other side of the room, Haldir asked the twins with a sense of urgency, "Do they know why we are here? And what of Legolas? How much does he know?"
The twins looked at each other before Elladan ventured, "No. I do not believe that they know of our secret purpose. As for Legolas... I have not spoken with him for some time and am not certain where he stands on the subject. I believe you know that he has been somewhat... busy...of late." Haldir nodded again but said nothing more about Legolas.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Aragorn and Arwen were making their way from Minas Tirith. Arwen could not help but notice her husband's disquiet. Faramir and Eowyn had spent most of the journey conversing between themselves, oblivious to everything, but Aragorn was deep in thought and had said little to his wife. Finally, she was so disturbed by the silence that Arwen reached out towards him and said, "My dear, what is troubling you? You have barely spoken the whole journey. Whatever it is, you can share your burden with me!" He turned his head to look at her, but she continued before he could respond. As if trying to read his mind, Arwen narrowed her eyes and asked, "Is there some other purpose for this visit than a banquet? You look as if you are ready to go to war."
Aragorn forced a smile for his wife and responded, "No, I am not going to war." After a rather long pause, he continued, "As for the visit, you only need to worry about enjoying yourself." Arwen was not at all satisfied with this answer, but decided not to press the matter further, at least for the time being.
On the other hand, Gimli was traveling alone and consequently had plenty of uninterrupted time to spend with his thoughts. He knew, perhaps better than many others, of the depth of Legolas' troubles. Gimli could sense his friends' inner turmoil, even if Legolas had only briefly spoken to him of the matter. Gimli desperately wanted to help, but had no experience of his own in matters such as these. The number of dwarf women was so fewer than the number of dwarf men, that it was unlikely for one man to be overwhelmed by too many women. Part of Gimli wished that he had Legolas' problems, but the thought fled quickly when Gimli truly thought about what Legolas was up against. When he received word from Legolas' father, Gimli immediately started for Mirkwood so that he could assist his friend is anyway he could. Even if it meant another quest to rescue one of those...women...that Legolas seemed to meet so many of.