A/N: The Test of the Hidden Shadow mentioned in this chapter is, of course, totally made up off the top of my head. I'm not crazy about its name either, but I needed to call it something that sounded dangerous without giving away too much of its purpose.
Many things could be said about the late Steward Denethor – perhaps not all of them flattering – but at least he'd always been punctual. A trait that King Elessar seemed to believe was unimportant, at least for dealing with the political nature of his title. Cirion drummed his fingers on the long wooden table and returned Belecthor's disapproving glower with a cold glare of his own. Intolerable old fool! It made him nauseous to see his fellow lords excuse the king's disdainful treatment of them while laughing and discussing baby names like a bunch of witless wives. How he longed for the days before the return of the king, when the advisors' council supported the authority of Denethor and he gave them – and the rule of Gondor – his almost undivided attention! Now Cirion was forced to endure the neglect of King Elessar, who was clearly bewitched by that elven prince.
A sneer curled his lip as Legolas' face popped into his mind. How could the king of Gondor betray his own kind by wedding a male elf of all people? Of course, Cirion could not deny that the prince was beautiful – possibly the most exquisite creature in all the lands – but one does not marry for reasons like that. A proper spouse was supposed to be quiet, demure, and above all else obedient and meek. She was meant to be pleasant to look at, but ultimately fade into the background when her husband had better things to attend to. A proper spouse would know to make her husband her world and not expect any affection in return. In other words, nothing like the willful and extravagantly lovely Prince Legolas. He'd been spoiled all his life by a shower of love and affection bestowed on him by his revoltingly doting father, the lovesick king, and even a dwarf. WasCirion the only one who could see that?
The greatest treachery of all, however, took place five or six months ago when Prince Legolas used his elven magic to conceive a child in an undoubtedly unnatural way. Now his daughter's chance at becoming the queen or even a preferred royal mistress was almost non-existent. 'Bah!' he thought in disgust. She should have been queen, for she was so mild and subservient. She would have made the perfect helpmeet for someone as busy as a king ought to be.
It wasn't as if Cirion would have insisted on denying King Elessar of is relationship with the elf entirely. It was a well known fact that men of noble blood were allowed – nay, expected – to take a lover on the side and it was obvious that Prince Legolas had all the traits of the perfect lover for anyone high born. Beautiful, lustful, smart – a fitting prize for a lord to tame. Even Cirion would not decline a night in his bed. But nothing had happened the way it should have and now the little strumpet was the king's spouse and inexplicably pregnant with his child. The old noble knew he had to be quick, savvy, and ruthless now if he was going to rectify this mess.
"Ah," said Faramir loudly at the sound of the door opening. Cirion looked up to see the king and prince enter the room. Legolas' clothing, he noted with disgust, was rumpled and worn in a slightly haphazard manner as if he'd put them back on in a hurry. Continuing to have intercourse after becoming pregnant – for what? The pleasure of the king? His own pleasure? How incredibly vulgar! Yet another reason why the elf would havemade a good lover; such base behavior would be expected and welcome in someone who filled that role.
The steward rose to his feet, followed by the advisors. "Welcome, my lords."
"Thank you," replied Aragorn politely but briskly, striding over to the seats reserved for him and his husband. He could feel Legolas' expectant stare burning a hole into the back of his head. The Man knew he thought that he should be making some kind of excuse for their lateness, but he refused to do so. No matter what Legolas said, Aragorn was determined to hold on to his stubborn belief that these Men had nothing to offer Gondor but a lot of hot air.
Legolas finally broke his gaze when Aragorn sat down quietly. "I apologize for our tardiness," he said as he took his place beside him. "We had pressing business in the Houses of Healing before seeing the Lords Elladan and Elrohir off on their journey."
"The Houses?" asked Lord Eärnil. "Is all well with the child?"
"Yes," Aragorn told them all a tad defensively. Did they – especially the ones like Cirion and Eärnil, who had unmarried daughters – have to act as if they'd like nothing more than to see Legolas lose the baby? How he hated having to deal with this lot of politically-driven Men! "My brothers just wanted to give him one final examination before setting out to Rivendell."
"Thank you for your concern," added Legolas. Aragorn shot him a barely disguised incredulous look, but the elf remained collected and impassive.
"Well," Faramir cleared his throat, wanting, as he always did at those meetings, to get this over with as soon as possible. He wished that the king could be a little more tolerant and the advisors a little less pompous so that they could actually work together for the good of the realm. Unfortunately, that was never the case and their behaviors inevitably became even more polarized, making the council meetings tense. "I believe we should begin by formally congratulating King Elessar and Prince Legolas on the impending arrival of their child."
A murmur ran around the table as the nobles, some more sincerely than others, offered their best wishes. Despite his rapidly deteriorating mood, Aragorn couldn't help affectionately taking Legolas' hand as his husband smiled serenely and nodded his thanks.
Cirion knew that he had to implement his plan as soon as possible before the business of the assembly got underway. He needed to plant this seed into the minds of the advisors – and into the mind of the king. "Sire?" he spoke up as the murmurs died down.
"Yes, what is it?" asked Aragorn.
"A matter of the utmost importance," Cirion assured him. "It concerns the child."
"As will everything we discuss here today," interjected Belecthor. Having spent years in the same circles as Cirion, the nobleman knew all too well of his ambitious nature. If he implied that he had any at all concern for the baby, it was even more cause to be suspicious.
The old noble's face momentarily screwed up into a look of contempt before returning to normal. "But I believe that this is the most important issue of all," he insisted, before adding silently, 'You insufferable dotard.'
"What would that be?" demanded Aragorn, shifting slightly in his chair. He couldn't take yet another war of words between his so-called political helpers!
This was it; Cirion took a brief pause to savor the moment before continuing. "I believe that Prince Legolas should undergo the Test of the Hidden Shadow," he asserted. "After all, one must be especially careful when it comes to the matter of the king's heir."
The suggestion, he noted wit delight, was met with blank stares from the advisors. Good; he didn't expect them to have heard of the ancient ritual. All they knew was that the name sounded ominous – something that needed to be taken care of immediately. Now all he needed was for the royal couple to consent. Once they did so, they could not back out of it without appearing as if they were trying to hide something. The plan was working; King Elessar wore an expression of stricken concern…
…But Legolas' face betrayed no emotion, with the exception of his now-stormy eyes. "I will not consent to any such test," he stated, his tone leaving no room for anyone to doubt his conviction. "And I would like to hear you explain why you would dare make such a request."
"My love," said Aragorn, sounding a bit shaken. He couldn't help remembering the effect that the shadow had before on male elves. While he understood that Sauron's evilprobablyhadn't directly robbed them of their ability to bear children, it did give him pause. What ifa lingeringmalice of the Enemy could harm Legolas and their son? "Perhaps we shouldn't dismiss this test so quickly. I know that you can defend yourself, but if any remnants of the Shadow…"
"This has nothing to do with Sauron or his darkness!" replied the affronted elf. A look of disdain crossed his face as Cirion started in surprise. "May I remind you, Lord Cirion, that what is ancient to the world of Men is just a memory of my childhood? Do you think I'm completely ignorant about the old customs of Gondor's nobility? I know what you're implying. If you're going to make such a bold statement against my fidelity, do so plainly and have the courage to stand behind your words!"
Aragorn bristled as he digested what he was hearing. "Cirion," he warned threateningly. "You'd best not be saying what I think you're saying."
Cirion cursed silently; this was not going according to plan! As he couldn't back down now without losing face, he would have to rely on the persuasiveness of his argument – a rather easy task, he reasoned, considering the royal couple's lustful relationship. After all, no true noble would ever fully trust his lover. "Sire, fellow counselors," he spoke in a dignified tone. "We must maintain our objectivity about this whole – affair."
"And what objective reasons to you have for wishing to subject me to the public humiliation of the Test?" demanded Legolas evenly, allowing just a hint of wrath to come through.
"It cannot be denied that you enjoy sexual activities," Cirion couldn't help but sneer. "I'm sure that's all well and good among the elves, but a king of Men has other duties to attend to. It is not absurd to assume, then, that you would seek out other companionship on more than one occasion. In such a case, it is entirely proper to question whether or not the child you are carrying was really sired by King Elessar."
A collective gasp rose from around the table, both from the accusation and at how quickly the king leapt to his feet and grabbed the lord. "You venomous wormtongue," he seethed, gripping the Man's shirt at the neck. "Did you think I'd actually believe your unfounded gossip? I ought to throw you out of Minas Tirith forever to free my city from such filth."
"Aragorn." Legolas' hands came down on top of his husband's, carefully prying his fingers loose. "You cannot do that now."
Aragorn stared at the elf in disbelief. "Did you not hear what he just said?!"
"I heard him, believe me," replied Legolas in a low voice. "As will the entire realm if you exile him from the city now. He'll tell everyone that I used some elvish trick to get you to banish a trusted advisor because he guessed correctly that our son really isn't ours. Some weak-minded imbeciles will actually believe him, causing a level of turmoil that none of us have the time to deal with right now. No, mela; it is easier to govern someone's speech and behavior if you keep him close."
Sucking in a deep breath, Aragorn growled, "Sit down, Cirion." The nervous lord started to obey, but the king's voice stopped him. "No, wait; first thank my husband for his merciful intervention on your behalf and then sit down."
The old lord looked ready to retch as he forced out, "Thank you, my prince."
"Now hear this," continued Aragorn in an authoritative tone. "I have known and loved Legolas for 81 years. I have known you for only four years and have never managed to work up even a grudging respect for you. It will take a lot more than your words – based in ignorance and utterly groundless – for me to even consider entertaining such a repulsive thought."
"What would it take?" muttered Cirion under his breath; still Aragorn heard him.
"Be quiet," the king snapped. "Your words are powerless here. Oh, you'll maintain your official position on the council but your voice will hold no more sway here than an unpleasant breeze - something to curse for bothering the proceedings and then forgotten." He turned his glower around the table. "And the same holds true for everyone present."
"King Elessar, Prince Legolas," said Eärnil in a shaking voice. Cirion's heart dropped at his old ally's tone. "I would just like to say on behalf of myself and my other loyal colleagues that Lord Cirion's accusation has outraged us all."
Aragorn opened and closed his mouth a few times. "I can't continue this," he finally spat out. "I can't casually discuss the rule of Gondor and my son's future after this affront to the honor of both myself and my husband has occurred. We'll reconvene at a later date, and at that time I want everyone to leave all petty gossip outside the room."
Legolas placed a hand on Aragorn's shoulder as the advisors milled out. "Are you all right?"
"I should be asking you that. I'm so sorry you had to hear that, Legolas, especially after what you went through in the Houses of Healing."
He surprised Aragorn by laughing. "I grew up in a formal court, my love," Legolas reminded him. "The first lesson I learned there was that any words – positive or negative – that come from anyone with that much hot air have nothing to do with the reality of the situation. I'll take a room full of people like Cirion over that healer any time."
To be continued…