Thranduil bowed to the council members and slid into his seat at the council table. He had made a brief stop in his bedchamber to change into a clean tunic, smiling at the memory of Ailunai splashing him in the creek, before meeting the judging eyes of the council members. Now he shook up his inkbottle, uncorked it, and stuck his pen inside.

The high ceilings in the room were dustless though the stained-glass window opposite Thranduil glowed with colors only the forest could rival.

Two maids in black dresses with white cuffs and collars and demure caps perched on the back of their heads finished setting trays of biscuits and jam on the sideboard against the wall to Thranduil's right. Fine latticing dropped below the rim of the sideboard.

Thranduil stood with the council members as Oropher strode into the room, the wide sleeves of his robe fluttering. In a green robe with gold embroider and his hair tied back by two thin braids, Oropher wore a crown studded with rubies that matched the color of his eyebrows sailing above his snapping blue eyes. The King nodded to the room and, when he sat, Thranduil sat. A maid placed a filled goblet of wine at Oropher's elbow before stepping back. Oropher lifted the cup to his lips and drank before addressing the council.

"As you know, the tribe of humans at our northern borders have grown. More men join them as we speak, and I have just received reports of elven scouts slain by human hands."

Thranduil shifted in his seat. "Elves have died?"

"An outrage, my king!" a council member insisted. "Man dares invade Mirkwood and cut down our trees; I expect such atrocity but to kill our people—unthinkable! There was a time when man feared us and rightfully so."

"It seems," another elf said, "That the scouts were not warning enough to the humans to back away from Mirkwood. Since they refuse to budge, I propose we dispatch a company of the guard to remove them from our land."

"Do you mean to kill them?" Thranduil asked.

"Please, my prince, do not be vulgar!"

"I only say it as it is," Thranduil replied. "Killing solves nothing. The humans have nowhere to go. Surely we can allow them wood to build houses and fires to cook over; they have families too."

"Do not speak of things you have not seen and do not understand," Oropher said.

"What makes the humans any less deserving of a chance to thrive then us, my king?" Thranduil asked. "They live and breathe as we do."

"Man is destructive and disrespectful and cruel to nature."

"The forest does not belong to us, my king," Thranduil said softly. "Would it not be better to teach the humans to treat the forest with care?"

"Man only understands blood," Oropher replied.

"Well said, my king!" the council exclaimed. "With their brats running wild, humans grow at a disgusting rate. About the company I proposed—"

Thranduil closed his eyes and saw trees weeping at the blood on their roots. Unmarked graves. Land struggling to grow rich around murdered bodies.

Thranduil opened his eyes and the colors of the stained-glass window seemed clearer now. He stood up. "Maybe humans do have large families. Maybe they feel like they have to else their people will not survive. But we are no better; we have small families and yet we are too willing to hand our children into the care of nannies. I am an only child and my own sire does not love me."

Oropher's blue eyes dropped onto Thranduil and he shivered. Oropher said, "How dare you suggest we are no better then humans?"

"It is not right to spill blood when it can be avoided," Thranduil said. "Why are you all so ready to fling out violence without trying peace?"

Thranduil longed to be back under the trees with Harune, watching the white sauce from the sandwiches dribble down Ailunai's chin while she smiled at him without knowing it was there. But he was here, with elves who seemed to take all the violence from their childhoods and apply it to life.

"Unlike you," Oropher said, and his voice could freeze wine, "We have seen the world. When it comes to defending our homes—"

"We are not being attacked!"

"—Difficult choices must be made," Oropher said smoothly. "You will learn the importance of these decisions in time. Now you will be silent and listen."

Thranduil pinched his lips together and sat. He swiftly filled a page in his journal and titled it "false superiority of elves", taking care to tilt the page so Oropher could see it. He caught a glint in Oropher's blue eyes and smiled grimly.

By the time the meeting ended, Oropher's wax seal stamped close an envelope bearing the order to arms. Thranduil left the room with his heart in his toes and wandered down the stairs to the kitchen gardens, aware a company of armored elves would be riding toward the northern border soon and, unlike in history books, the thought gave him no reason to cheer.

Thranduil met Harune and Coral walking toward the kitchens. Coral swung an empty hamper and Nimrethil skipped behind her and Harune carried the quilt. Thranduil nodded goodbye to Nimrethil and accosted Harune.

"Ada," Thranduil said. "I need to tour Mirkwood."

"Why?" Harune asked.

"Oropher is right," Thranduil answered. "I cannot talk to him of things I do not know. I need to see the things I need to fix."

Harune nodded his head. "It is good to know what you are talking about."

"I know Oropher would be thrilled to let me go on tour," Thranduil said. "And none of my teachers would stand in the way of an educational experience."

"No," Harune agreed. "But I will, because I do not think a tour right now would do you better then harm. I think you are upset, Thranduil, and want to be able to shove something into Oropher's face. That is no reason to go on tour."

Thranduil looked down as he and Harune passed the raised herb beds. He nipped off a bit of oregano and chewed on. "You are right, Ada. I—I just want to go away."

"We can," Harune said unexpectedly. He put an arm around Thranduil's shoulders. "Onyx finished his apprenticeship and is to be awarded the title of Captain at his upcoming graduation. It is no grand tour but it is a few days' ride away from here; would you like to come with me to the ceremony?"

"Ada!" Thranduil cried. "You do not even have to ask!"

And so Harune and Thranduil rode from the palace two days later. It was two peaceful days on the road to the domain of Captain Urduil with no care in the world except to race their mounts and feel the wind unbraid their hair and make their heavy travelling robes grow heavy with air.

At a two-story inn built of solid logs and hidden from the road by a screen of autumn olive bushes with silvery leaves, Harune and Thranduil dismounted on a narrow path leading to the inn's door lined with hydrangea bushes flowering yellow and white.

An elf, leaning against the logs of the inn wall, stood up straight as Harune slid to the ground. Harune's robe was fringed with mud.

"Ada!" cried the elf. He flung his arms around Harune's neck. "You are late."

"Perhaps Thranduil and I lingered too long over the picnic we had for lunch," Harune replied. "It is good to see you, ion nin."

Onyx turned on Thranduil as the youth slid to the ground. Onyx had broad shoulders and his black hair was flung up into a knot where the dyed ends cascaded down from the fastening to touch the tattoos on his cheeks; the tattoos joined over Onyx's nose and resembled crow's wings.

"Kragim!" Onyx exclaimed, and smashed Thranduil in a hug. "You are almost as tall as me." He shook Thranduil by the shoulders.

"I only come up to your chest," Thranduil objected. "And that top knot gives you a good four inches."

The door to the inn opened and Jade breezed out, her dark hair in a bun at the left side of her head. She wore a green dress with buttons down the front and a blue stripe across her shoulder.

"Ada!" said Jade. "Your room is ready upstairs, though nana is fussing about the sheets; she brought a trunk from home."

Harune put the reins to the horses into Onyx's hands and kissed Jade on the cheek. "That is the welcome I get from you, dear daughter! I will see to your mother." He stepped into the inn.

"When do you graduate?" Thranduil asked, as he accompanied Onyx around the inn to a small stable with its back to a stand of hydrangea bushes.

"Tomorrow night!" Onyx replied. He gave the horses to Thranduil and flung himself on a strawbale.

Thranduil untacked the horses. "Do you have to pass through the ravine?"

Onyx waved a hand. "Did that years ago. I got through in two days."

Thranduil flung the saddlebags at him and Onyx grunted as they wacked his stomach. Thranduil said, "Lies!"

"No, really," Onyx insisted. He gathered the saddlebags into his lap. "I built a raft and sailed down the river."

"That is ingenious!" Thranduil cried. "Hyrondal would love to know you."

Onyx wrinkled his nose. "Ah, yes, your poor friend is training with Yuai. I never cared for Yuai."

"He is not all bad."

Onyx shouldered the saddlebags. "Let us go eat dinner; nana hired one of the best cooks in the region!"

"I will not mention it to Nimrethil," Thranduil teased.

Onyx marched from the stable. "Honestly, though, I have considered pursuing a dozen different apprenticeships just for the graduation ceremony."

"Being the Prince is the worst," Thranduil said sadly. "I am basically the King's apprentice, but he is the worse teacher in Mirkwood!"

"I hear you keep a blackmailing journal at the council meetings."

"I see nothing is a secret in this family!" Thranduil exclaimed.

"Never," Onyx answered. "You should write to me more often and maybe you would have something to fight back with."

The brothers entered the inn. A narrow corridor opened into a round room with a fireplace at one end and the start of a staircase beside it. Onyx tramped upstairs to be rid of the saddlebags and Thranduil slid into a seat at the round table in the corner opposite the kitchen door.

"Where is ada?" Thranduil asked Jade, for the table was empty save her and him.

"The cook nana hired decided not to come so ada and nana are scrambling together dinner," Jade replied. "They insist we do not join them." She stared at him a little longer. "How different this is from my ceremony; back then you were a babe on Sapphire's lap! Hard to believe you will one day wear a crown."

"Crowns are uncomfortable," Thranduil said. "What do you do? I know by your blue stripe you are part of the diplomatic service."

Before Jade could answer, Onyx dropped into his seat and said, "Oh, sister mine makes it her business to stop people from killing the king's appointees."

"An unfortunate description of my work," Jade said. "Soon I will do more; I will venture beyond Mirkwood for the sake of trade deals and treaties."

Onyx leaned closer to her. "I know all about the offer for you to travel to The Iron Hills."

"How dare you peep through my things!" Jade cried.

"Oh, come now! The messenger bird arrived while you were out and I thought the message might be for me."

"And who would be writing to you?" Jade demanded.

"You must go to the Iron Hills," Onyx insisted. He clasped his chest. "Surely I do not keep you here?"

"Do not fancy yourself," Jade replied. "When does Urduil arrive?"

"Who is he?" Thranduil asked, though the name sounded familiar.

"Urduil is my mentor," Onyx said. "Though, by this time tomorrow, we will be equals. I would not worry about him, Jade, he is always late. His wife is demanding, you see."

Sapphire emerged from the kitchen door in a pale green dress that swayed when she walked. She crossed the floor and set a decanter on the table, pausing to ruffle Thranduil's hair. "Dinner is served.

Family gatherings always make me smile!

Note: Apologies for the late update! You will be getting the next chapter a day sooner next week.

Next Chapter: Onyx graduates untraditionally.