Folks, my daughter and I have crawled back into town after an epic airplane journey that made Tom Hanks' stay in The Terminal look brief. I am seriously considering arranging to have Gandalf sucked into the Charlotte airport to see if he could straighten things out. That's what it would take, I think, a Maia (maybe even a Vala).
Beta reader once again Dragonfly, who caught a continuity problem as well as punctuation errors. ("Burzum!" grumbles Joee.)
Hello, Rae132/Tiniwiest. Yes, I think you have sent in at least one review, but there is no law against reviewing again—and again—and again…. Vampires subsist on blood; writers on reviews.
Grumpy: 'Quality time' must be hard for Celeborn and Galadriel to come by, given the open architecture of the Lórien flets.
Athena Diagon Cat: Actually, it may not be so hard to imagine after all. In the book, after Galadriel 'passes the test' when Frodo offers her the ring and she refuses it, she takes on a form that is much less daunting than the one in the movie. And even in the movie (extended version) you get a brief glimpse of a lighter side of Galadriel in her laughter, brief as it is, when she gives Sam the elven rope and he asks her if she's run out of the shiny daggers she presents to Merry and Pippin.
Azure Dragoness: Yes, you're right. More foreshadowing.
Kelly Kragen: Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm sitting here 'grinning like an idiot', which is an expression I usually reserve for my daughter's dance recitals!
Farflung: I see you have survived the graduation celebration(s). Everything went well, I hope? Hmm, speaking of celebrations, I haven't really described the Elves having a big formal party since the memorable dance at which Legolas got over his jitters at the idea of meeting elf-maidens. I've referred to some parties and feasts but provided no details. Time to rectify that omission, don't you think? After all, all sorts of hysterical events come out of parties when young Elves indulge themselves in Dorwinion wine.
Joee: What do you mean, 'poor Haldir'!? What about poor Celeborn and Galadriel!?
Dragonfly: Haldir will certainly try to be as noisy as possible in the future, although I think blowing the trumpet would be a bit 'over the top'!
Chapter 19: No Further Dallying
As soon as Celeborn and Galadriel received word from the Rohirrim of Mithrandir's rescue, they at once sent a missive to Mirkwood. The messenger arrived one day as Elrond, Glorfindel, and Erestor were discussing their plans for returning to Imladris. "That settles it," said Elrond. "We will take the southern route and make for Isengard. Given that Mithrandir has by now been taken to Edoras, that will make it easier for him to rejoin our company. He will then journey with us to Rivendell, and I shall compel him to rest for a time."
Glorfindel snorted.
"Oh, and how do you propose to do that?"
"Do not forget, mellon-nîn, that I am much more familiar with the healing properties of herbs than our wizard friend. The only herb with which he has a thoroughgoing acquaintance is pipeweed. Thus 'twill be an easy matter to garnish his meals with plants that are both tasty and soporific."
Glorfindel shook his head doubtfully. As for Erestor, he misliked the idea of journeying to Isengard, but, as he could think of no rational objection to the plan, he remained unhappily silent.
Elrohir and Elladan were not, however, so reticent about expressing their objections to the impending separation from Legolas. "But, Ada," argued Elrohir, "we have not even journeyed to Erebor. We promised Legolas we would go there with him. And we have spent very little time in Esgaroth. Surely you will not make us leave until we have thoroughly explored that town."
The Lord of Imladris was unmoved. "Elrohir, you ought not to have made such a promise without consulting me first. As for Esgaroth, true, you have seen little of it. On the other hand, the Lake-men likely feel that they have seen o'ermuch of you—aye, and of the other barrel-riders as well! If you and Elladan do not depart soon, enmity may grow between Man and Elf!" The twins protested that they had not gone barrel-riding since the ill-fated expedition that had cost Erestor his braids. Elrond, however, was inexorable. He had made up his mind that it was time to depart, and depart they would. It was now necessary, he decreed, to return their attention to maintaining the borders of their land. "We have been absent," he said, "longer than we ought."
The twins hastily hunted up Estel and sent him to try his hand at swaying the Lord of Imladris, but again Elrond proved obdurate. Indeed, by the time the audience had concluded, Estel was begging to return to Rivendell, for his foster-father had painted a truly woeful picture of Estel's dog wasting away out of longing for his master. The boy ran crying to the twins, swearing to them that they ought to depart even sooner than the day fixed upon by Elrond.
That left Legolas, who, in this matter wiser than the twins, knew that Elrond would not change his mind and so did not bother trying. Instead, he concentrated on Thranduil, trying to persuade him that at least he ought to be allowed to accompany his friends part of the way to Rivendell. Thranduil was horrified. He knew that three disasters had but lately occurred outside the borders of the land he still preferred to call Greenwood.
"Legolas," he objected, "first your friends were attacked in the Lórien pass. Then Mithrandir was spirited away by some fell creature, and he a wizard, no less. Next, Mithrandir was nearly slain by Orcs. Now you tell me that you want me to permit you to venture forth in the company of these friends who seem either to attract disaster or to rush off in pursuit of it!"
"But, Ada," Legolas argued, "we will not be going anywhere near the Lórien pass, which is where two of the attacks took place, and as for the latest attack on Mithrandir, it happened far to the south, almost at the borders of the domain of the Dark Lord. We will not be going anywhere near the land of Mordor."
"You will not be going anywhere near the land of Mordor, but that does not mean that the denizens of that land will not be venturing forth themselves. I would not have them come upon you. I do not wish you to pass beyond the borders of this land, for here I know that I can keep you well guarded."
"Ada," cried Legolas in frustration, "I cannot always stay within this realm. I could not bear it. I am accustomed to considerable freedom. Moreover, I have been trained as a warrior. If I am kept safe in Greenwood, all those years of training will have been wasted."
Thranduil was unmoved.
"Next you will be telling me that you wish for evil to befall Middle Earth so that all your years of preparation will be put to good use."
"Ada, that is not fair!" exclaimed Legolas. "I do not wish evil into being, but evil there is. I have been preparing all my life to counter the darkness that threatens Middle Earth. Would you render my life meaningless!?"
"Remember, Legolas, that I did not give permission for you to be trained as a warrior. That was Elrond's doing, and very high-handed it was of him to make such a decision without consulting me!"
Hitherto Thranduil had been careful not to speak ill of Elrond in the hearing of Legolas. He instantly realized that he had made a mistake, for the eyes of his son turned a blue the color of ice.
"I hope you realize, Adar, that you are speaking of the Ada who made himself available to me when you were—otherwise occupied."
Thranduil tried to recover from his blunder.
"Ion-nîn," he said humbly, "I did wrong in speaking so of Elrond, and I am in no position to criticize your upbringing at his hands. Absent any direction from me, he had to make the decisions that seemed most fitting. Had you remained here in Greenwood, no doubt my decisions would have been similar to his. I, too, would have seen to it that you were trained as a warrior. A prince must know how to defend himself and how to lead his forces into battle. I would not have neglected that aspect of your education. But a prince's life should not be ventured idly, and for the same reason that dictates that he learn how to defend himself and lead armies. A prince is the son of a king and destined to be a king in his own right. A king, for all his authority, lacks power in one respect: he is not free to indulge himself if by doing so he puts his kingdom in peril. And a king who puts his person at risk imperils his realm and all who dwell in it. For the selfsame reason, a prince must curb his desires, forgoing any pleasure that would put the succession—and thus the kingdom—at risk."
Legolas could not argue with his father's logic, but as he answered his voice nonetheless expressed his skepticism.
"And this is the reason you will not allow me to travel with my friends?—will you swear that this is so?"
Thranduil hesitated.
"It is one of the reasons," he said carefully.
Legolas frowned.
"One of the reasons? Is your second reason as 'unselfish' as your first?"
"No," admitted Thranduil. "I also do not want any harm to come to you because you are my son and I love you."
Legolas was now at a disadvantage in the argument. He could not upbraid his Ada for thinking of the welfare of the kingdom. Nor could he fault him for loving his son. He was not left altogether without arguments, however.
"Ada," he said, "a moment ago you said that a king is not entirely free to do as he pleases. I accept the truth of your words."
Thranduil's eyes narrowed. What sort of trap was his son setting?
"Sometimes," continued Legolas, "a king must surely be obligated to put aside his own feelings if by doing so he can better serve his subjects. Is this not so?"
"Ye—es," said Thranduil cautiously.
"So," Legolas went on, "a king, regardless of his love for his son, will sometimes be compelled to send him into battle if that son has the skills to beat back an immediate threat to the realm. The needs of the kingdom will in such a case trump the feelings of the king." Legolas shot a triumphant look at his father.
"You are correct," conceded Thranduil. "But," he quickly added as Legolas began to grin, "that is not the situation under discussion here. You would have it seem as if there is a contradiction between my first and second reasons for wishing you to remain in Greenwood. This point I will not concede. For you do not ride out against an imminent threat to the kingdom. Instead, you seek permission to depart on a pleasure jaunt. In doing so, you may encounter dangers unanticipated and come to grief purely by happenstance and not in the service of your subjects."
Vexed, Legolas retired from the field and betook himself to Edwen Nana. Perhaps he could prevail upon her to take his side. He'd never seen anyone stand up to the nursemaid, and perchance she could work her magic even upon Thranduil. Ai! In this matter she was of a mind with the King. "I don't always see eye to eye with Thranduil, mind you," she said to Legolas, "but in this matter I do believe he is right. You have just spent several weeks in the company of your friends. You have no cause to be gallivanting about in the wild just to spend a few more days with them. Say goodbye and be done with it."
But, Nana," protested Legolas, "I may not see them for years."
"Then any future reunion 'twill be all the sweeter," said Edwen Nana in her usual forthright manner.
Legolas now knew that he had less of a chance at changing Edwen Nana's mind than he had had at changing Thranduil's. He at once went off in search of Gilglîr. The Seneschal had often seemed willing to second Legolas in disputes between Thranduil and the Prince, for he was such a good friend with the monarch that he dared to contradict him, something no one else in the kingdom had the courage to do. Today, however, Gilglîr came down firmly on the side of the King.
"Legolas, you must say goodbye to your friends at some point. Why do you wish to drag things out by riding with them part of the way, only to have to turn back at some point? Bid them a gracious farewell at the entrance to the Great Hall, and then devote your energy to fulfilling your duties—you know that you do have some, don't you?"
"Of course I do," said Legolas, nettled. "But for a thousand years the kingdom got along very well without my being around to perform them, so I don't see why a few more weeks will matter."
"A thousand years?" retorted Gilglîr. "Then I think it is high time that you begin catching up on arrears!"
Disconsolate, Legolas retreated to his room, there to commiserate with Elladan and Elrohir. Tawarmaenas was there, too, but privately he thought that Thranduil and the others were right. He was careful, though, to keep his thoughts to himself.
Unbeknownst to Legolas, however, after he had parted from Gilglîr, the Seneschal had gone to see Thranduil. Upon the arrival of the Prince at the Great Hall, Gilglîr had indeed taken his side on several occasions when he thought it might help the young Elf adjust to his new home, but he was less willing to do so now lest he interfere with the developing relationship between father and son. He had no wish to undercut Thranduil's authority in the eyes of Legolas. Therefore he had lately resolved that when he disagreed with Thranduil, he would discuss matters privately with the King, without letting on that he thought the Prince had a case. Now he reclined upon a comfortable chair in Thranduil's private quarters, sharing a glass of wine with his friend just as Elrond so often shared a late glass of wine with Glorfindel and his other confidants back in Imladris.
"Thranduil, I understand that Legolas wishes to farewell his friends by riding a short distance with them."
Thranduil looked at his friend suspiciously.
"Allow me to venture a guess: Legolas has asked you to intervene on his behalf."
"He has asked, but I have refused. He does not know that I planned to speak to you about this matter. Which means, my friend, that should you happen to change your mind, you will not appear weak in the eyes of your son."
"How thoughtful of you," said Thranduil sardonically. "Of course, I know of no reason why I should 'happen' to change my mind."
"Thranduil, what harm would there be in allowing Legolas to travel with his friends? The scouts report no signs of danger—neither Orcs nor spiders—between the Great Hall and the very borders of Southern Mirkwood. As you know, those regions were thoroughly swept after the spider attack upon Glorfindel and Estel. You must therefore concede that Legolas is no more likely to get into trouble on this excursion than he would be whilst riding about nearer to the Hall. Moreover, if you give way on this matter, it would strengthen the ties between you and your son, for Legolas would be suitably grateful if he were to perceive you as respecting his wishes and feelings."
Thranduil pondered this last point. He was sure that his son loved him. Still he could not help but wonder whether the love was of the same depth as the affection that he knew the young Elf felt toward Elrond. Perhaps Gilglîr was right.
"Very well," the King said at last.
"Shall I fetch the Prince?" asked the Seneschal.
"No, I will myself go to his chamber."
Thranduil did not wish the Seneschal to fetch Legolas because he suspected that the Prince would guess that Gilglîr had spoken to him. The Seneschal divined as much, but out of deference for Thranduil's feelings he said nothing. He merely arose and bade the King goodnight.
As Thranduil approached the Prince's chamber, he heard the sounds of merriment. Apparently a battle royale was taking place. Suddenly he was very glad that he was taking Gilglîr's advice. "It is a hard thing that Legolas must be separated from those who are virtually his brothers," the King thought to himself. Smiling, he knocked on the door. Receiving no answer, at length he opened it. Just at that moment Elrohir let fly with a sticky bun, which sailed across the room and struck Thranduil square on the forehead. Of course, being a sticky bun, it stuck momentarily. As the horrified young Elves watched, it slowly peeled away from Thranduil's face, finally falling and coming to rest at his feet.
Tawarmaenas was the first to find his voice.
"Uncle," he said nervously, "I was just going to bed. Goodnight!"
He edged carefully around the King, who had not yet said a word. Other young Elves then politely bade the King good e'en and crept away, leaving behind one nervous prince. When all had departed, Thranduil at last allowed himself to smile.
" Well, Legolas," he said, "I see that you are determined to make the most out of your remaining time with your friends."
Legolas nodded glumly.
"However," continued Thranduil, "you may wish to save some energy for an excursion. I have after all decided that you may accompany your friends on the first leg of the journey. You may ride as far as the border of Southern Greenwood. There you must turn back with your escort."
"Thank you, Ada!" exclaimed Legolas. "You won't regret this decision, I promise you. I swear I will stay out of trouble!"
Thranduil was anything but convinced. However, as king he had had plenty of practice at steeling both his nerves and his face. So he smiled at his son, kissed, him goodnight, and returned to his private chamber. There he was shortly joined by Gilglîr, who, although he had earlier bade Thranduil goodnight, was so anxious to know how matters had turned out that he had been unable to sleep.
"Yes, I have granted him permission to join the riding," the king declared before Gilglîr had even had an opportunity to speak. "For that is why you have come, is it not, to find out whether or not I gave him my blessing?"
Gilglîr admitted that this was so.
"Do you suppose," Thranduil said, "that he would have run away had I not given him permission to join the company?"
Gilglîr shook his head.
"I think he has matured past the stage at which he would abscond in response to being thwarted. But it is possible that he would have been sullen and resentful, even though he is far from being naturally so."
"You will have to do me a favor," Thranduil went on. "You must agree to be one of the escort."
"Of course, mellon-nîn," replied Gilglîr. "I had assumed that I would make up one of the number. Will Tawarmaenas ride as well?"
Thranduil nodded.
"Yes. It would be hard on Tawarmaenas to forgo the merriment that will no doubt accompany the riding."
As it turned out, however, Tawarmaenas was not to be included. As soon as Thranduil's other councilors learned of the plan, one of them, Dûredhel, voiced vehement objections.
"You cannot let both your heirs absent themselves from court," he argued. "Either Prince Legolas goes and Tawarmaenas stays, or Tawarmaenas joins the riding whilst Prince Legolas remains."
Having reluctantly conceded that the journey was not very likely to imperil Legolas, Thranduil was inclined to let Tawarmaenas go. If one would be safe, so would be the other. But his councilor argued at such length that at last Thranduil reluctantly agreed. After all, there was some sense in what he was saying.
As the King had feared, Tawarmaenas was grievously disappointed at being denied the opportunity to ride south with Legolas. He badgered both Thranduil and Gilglîr relentlessly. Thranduil, however, having given way once already, was determined to stand firm, and so it was that one morning a forlorn Tawarmaenas stood beside the King to bid his cousin and his friends farewell.
"Goodbye, Elladan. Goodbye, Elrohir. I hope it will not be too long before we meet again."
"Perhaps," said Elladan hopefully, "from time to time we can rendezvous in Lothlórien. That will not be too far for any of us to travel, and Haldir and his brothers will be there as well!"
"If they are not out on patrol," Erestor pointed out, trying to interject some mature wisdom into the conversation.
"Oh," said Elrohir insouciantly, "if they are out on patrol, we will simply join them."
"And then no doubt Lórien will be overrun by Orcs," said Glorfindel sourly, "as you would be too busy swilling wine to notice even a Troll blundering about."
"Swilling!?" exclaimed Elladan indignantly. "Elves do not 'swill'! They imbibe, yes, and they indulge, but they do not swill."
"And I suppose," laughed Elrond, "next you will tell us that you never 'carouse'."
Everyone laughed, even Thranduil, who still felt uneasy at letting Legolas ride off with the Imladris Elves. The night before he had had a rather awkward conversation with Elrond.
"You have quite enjoyed seeing Legolas again, haven't you?" he had observed to the Lord of Imladris.
"Yes," replied Elrond. "He has been much missed in Rivendell."
"I suppose there are some who would be glad to see him once again at that place."
"Oh, more than some, I assure you," exclaimed Elrond. "Everyone will be happy when he returns. I mean, when he returns for a visit," he added hastily at the alarmed look upon Thranduil's face. "We all understand that he will never again dwell permanently in Imladris."
Thranduil relaxed a little.
"So, when it comes time for Legolas to part from you and ride north once more, you wouldn't—you would never—"
"Thranduil," said Elrond firmly, "I won't encourage Legolas to fly your realm, if that is what you fear."
"But what if he doesn't need any encouragement? What if he decides on his own that he wants to accompany you back to Imladris? Would you not welcome such a decision on his part?"
"I could not help but be moved at such evidence of his continuing affection for me and mine, but, no, I would not allow him to return on such terms. Be certain, Thranduil, that there are quite a few older and wiser heads in the company. I think between Erestor, Glorfindel, and myself, we would be able to talk sense into the lad. And Gilglîr will be along, too. Would I be right in guessing," Elrond said dryly, "that you have asked him to escort Legolas not only for his safety but also to serve as guarantor of his return?"
Thranduil blushed at realizing that his motives had been so patently obvious to the Lord of Imladris.
"Yes, I confess that such a consideration had been in my mind. I beg your pardon for my lack of trust in you, my friend."
Elrond shook his head.
"No pardon is necessary, Thranduil. Given what you have endured over the past millennium, your concern is quite understandable. You suffered the grief of losing a child and never again wish to experience such pain."
"Yes," Thranduil said to himself as Legolas rode off with his friends. "I never want to lose him again. I hope I am doing the right thing in letting him join this riding. But surely there are no Orcs or spiders anywhere near their path. The warriors have been much too thorough for any to remain."
Thus striving to reassure himself, Thranduil slowly reentered the Great Hall, Tawarmaenas walking sadly but loyally by his side.