A/N: From all the feedback I have been having I was under the impression that some of the readers don't like the way Thranduil reacted to the financial advisor, Aranlin. Just a short note to warn you, make no mistake, that particularly elf is not to be trusted, as this next chapter will prove.
After Lindëlas had left Thranduil's room she went to Aranlin's office and knocked on the door.
"Enter!" the advisor called and she pushed open the door. "Oh, it's you" he sighed when he saw her enter the room. "What do you want?"
"I know we never saw eye to eye on things Aranlin" she started.
"That much is certain" the elf snorted.
"I have not come to ask you…," she paused. "I've come to ask you to allow the King to rest before you see him again."
"You are telling me not to go near him?" Aranlin asked frowning angrily.
"He needs to rest!" Lindëlas defended herself. "If you go near him again, he'll… I…"
"You'll what? Throw me out?" he asked standing up and walking towards her.
"No, not that… I… His injuries require him to rest, and when you go to see him his condition only deteriorates."
"Are you saying I'm hindering his healing process?" Aranlin asked again and started to stalk around her eyeing her from all sides.
"Yes!" she spoke wringing her hands nervously, Thranduil's financial advisor always made her feel unwanted and now he even scared her.
"So you want me to stay away from him? Is that it?"
"Yes, just until he can rest a while to let his wounds heal."
"Did it ever occurred to you that it is you who's keeping him from resting?" Aranlin asked still circling her as a vulture.
"I beg your pardon?" she asked frowning.
"I think it's you who's distracting his mind. That it is you who's keeping him from resting. You who's interfering with his decisions."
"What?" she asked feeling confused at his constant circling. "Will you stand still?" she asked angrily.
"Getting angry now are we?" Aranlin smiled wickedly and stopped when standing behind her. "The first signs of admitting are anger you know" he hissed in her ear.
Angrily she turned around and slapped him in the face.
"You know as well as I that I only take care of him because of his wounds!" she spoke angrily and waved her finger at him as he remained silent, surprised by her slap.
Snapping out of his surprise he grabbed her by the wrists and pushed her back against the wall pinning her wrists above her head.
"Never. Ever. Hit. Me. Again!" he hissed. "Don't even think about it! Remember I can have you thrown into the dungeons without anybody knowing about it!" he threatened.
She just stared at him with her eyes wide open unable to say anything.
"You are the one who makes him weak, you are the one keeping him from his duties! You mother him! He needs to snap out of it and start acting like a king! Injured or not! Our treasury will not be filled with care and love! We need money! I" he paused to stress his words, "NEED money! And you will NOT keep me from acquiring it!"
After speaking his mind he released her and walked back to his desk angrily. Half way towards it he stopped and turned around.
"I suggest YOU stay away from HIM!" he threatened again waving his finger, "or by the stars, I will have you tossed back into the hole you crawled out off!"
Still staring at him in shock she continued to rub her wrists and remained where she stood as he turned around and headed towards his desk again.
"And" he continued as he turned to face her once more, "If you tell a single soul about what I told you, I will have thrown into the darkest dungeons we have and nobody will ever remember you or come to look for you there! Do you understand?"
Lindëlas nodded and bit her lip trying to keep her tears back.
"Good!" Aranlin spoke and turned to walk around his desk to sit down again. "Now get out!" he waved with his hand not wanting to grant her one more look.
Lindëlas did as she was told and exited the room as quickly as she could and ran to hide herself in her room, determined never to speak to the advisor ever again, nor to go near him ever again.
Absently Thranduil drew circles on the piece of paper that lay on the table in front of him. As they had done so many days before his advisors and counsellors bickered amongst them selves on every possible item a kingdom had.
Aranlin held the highest voice, although after their private discussion a few days ago, the financial advisor regarded Thranduil with doubtful eye. He knew the King's private resources where almost drained, but he dared not to take on the confrontation with him again. Still he had put the item on the agenda for today's meeting, hoping they could treat it without the King's full attention.
"What do you say Sire?" Silas his father's favourite and oldest advisor asked him.
"Hmm?" Thranduil answered, "About what?" he replied pulled from his reveries and pushed the papers away from him.
"My Lord, we do require your full attention on these items" Silas spoke leaning closer to him. "Are you not feeling well?"
"I am well" Thranduil responded, but remained silent after that.
"If we are to rule Mirkwood, we need your full concentration."
"Concentration?" Thranduil asked and gazed up at the occupants of the room. "You all seem to handle everything without me" he said and stood to leave the room. Once he walked through the halls trying to get to the garden until Silas pulled him back.
"My Lord?" the older elf spoke, "I know you are still grieving over the loss of your father, but you have to snap out of it. Mirkwood needs a king!"
"To do what?" Thranduil asked. "To take more money from them? To ask them to die?"
"No my Lord," Silas shook his head, "they need you to look up to. They need you to look to when they are in need. There isn't a family left in Mirkwood that hasn't felt the pain of loosing a loved one. They now need you to be strong, or at least pretend to be strong. If their king does not, who will?"
"How can I be strong Silas?" Thranduil whispered and turned away not wanting the advisor to see his tears. "I can not forget."
"You don't have to forget, my Lord" Silas spoke and pulled his arm again so he'd face him again. "You have to remember them. Nobody really dies if we remember them."
"How do you remember somebody and not feel the pain of their passing?" he asked and grabbed Silas' arm. "They all left me Silas, every single one!"
"They did not leave you, my Lord" Silas spoke sternly, "They moved on, they moved on because it was their time! They did not die in vain!"
"Still they died" he snorted and turned away again.
"My Lord!" Silas called after him, "you already carry the burden of the living on your shoulders, do not take on the dead as well! They are not dead because of your doing!"
"Then why are THEY dead? And not me?" Thranduil shouted while moving away from the advisor backwards. "Why not me?" he sobbed and turned to run away.
"I believe our king is not ready for his duties" Aranlin spoke behind the elder advisor suddenly. Silas closed his eyes at the sound of his voice. He knew the financial advisor's intentions and he tried everything he could to stop him. Should Thranduil forsake his duties… , there were no other heirs to the throne and it would pass to he who rallied the most votes, which, at this time, meant Aranlin.
"He will" Silas sighed and turned around. "Give him time."
"How much more will he need? Until Mirkwood lays in ruin?" Aranlin asked looking down on the elder elf.
"Until he is ready!" Silas spoke sternly.
"That might take forever" Aranlin sighed.
