The throne hall echoed with silence. Already Thranduil missed the memory of his freedom riding Royal in Mirkwood as he passed by the open doors and entered the hall on a rich red carpet.
Oropher and Natelle rose from their thrones at the head of the hall to greet him, their silk robes sighing. The leaves behind their chairs had uncurled at the tips, offering rich hints at summer.
"My King," Thranduil bowed. "My Queen." His peach silk tunic shifted across his shoulders.
"We are glad you have returned," Natelle said. Her head reared back. "I have heard tell of the silver moose you captured."
Thranduil's blue eyes met Natelle's cold blue gaze. He forced his hands to unclench. "I beg pardon, but I did not capture Royal."
Natelle laughed. "He has a name? How charming."
Oropher gestured and his black sleeves billowed. "Let us see the spoils of your travels."
"If you will accompany me to the stables," Thranduil invited. He walked straight, listening to the king and queen's feet behind him; Oropher's boots were steady and Natelle's heels clacked.
Natelle summoned a servant to hold a shade over her and Oropher before she picked up her full skirt and ventured out onto the smooth path from the eastern palace gate toward the stables. Here the land was carefully tended and kept and not a single acorn allowed to lie among the flower beds. The path ended at a handsome building under a grove of trees.
Thranduil knew no horses lived in the building; the building was a façade so royal eyes might not rest upon such unsightly things as mud and dung. Here the horses of nobility were brought saddled from the main stables so their owners might depart in style.
Oropher and Natelle entered the shade of the building's main corridor. Thranduil stood outside on the grass and whistled for Royal.
A tree line at the end of a field of waving grass to the left hide the main stables from view. From this tree line Royal emerged at a run. He leapt the fence in one easy stride and trotted up to Thranduil.
Oropher's eyes were greedy as he gazed at the animal taller than Thranduil and he tugged at his braid. Natelle pressed a curl off her cheek and twirled her sunshade.
Royal bared his teeth and rolled his eyes. He lowered his head and made a charge at the King and Queen, his antlers bristling. Natelle screamed and Oropher's sword flashed from under his robe.
"Royal!" Thranduil cried. "No!" He grabbed one of the moose's antlers and pulled.
As Thranduil pulled, Royal calmed and backed off. Thranduil let out his breathe and patted Royal's side.
"Do not encourage him!" Natelle cried. "Beastly animal ought to be muzzled or slain!"
"Do not forget, my queen, this is what you asked for," Thranduil said. "I will stand with Royal if you try to harm him."
Royal tossed his head. Proudly he strutted out of the barn and plunged across the field into the woods.
Natelle took Oropher's arm with a final snort and sallied back toward the palace. Thranduil walked beside them.
"There is a ball this evening," Natelle said. "We expect you to be there." She did not wait for an answer; she stepped through the eastern gate. Thranduil watched the hem of her skirt flutter as she disappeared down the long hall.
Thranduil turned on his heel and walked to the kitchens. Nimrethil pressed a dish of small cookies into his hand before he had even greeted her. She pressed him into a seat at an empty table.
"I can tell by your face the meeting with the King and Queen is not one you will remember," she said. She slid into the seat opposite him and flung down her white cap.
"They do not understand me," Thranduil answered gloomily. He nibbled a cookie.
Nimrethil leaned her elbows on the table. "I have cooked for many ignorant people. Absolutely no appreciation for flavor!"
"Some of your flavors tease the mouth," Hyrondal remarked. He appeared behind Nimrethil and grinned as Thranduil sprang up to hug him.
"I hear the hunter is ever successful," Jailil said, right behind Hyrondal.
"And here I was daring to think all these cookies were for me!" Thranduil teased, as his friends sat down to the table.
"Pity Ailunai could not be here," Nimrethil said.
"Tell us all about your travels." Jailil said hastily.
"First tell me what I have missed!" Thranduil insisted.
Jailil, in a white robe with a black belt, answered first, "I have reset at least a dozen bones. It is painful to—to see unnecessary hurt."
"Another woman abandoned her baby," Hyrondal said. He put a hand on Jailil's shoulder.
"She was barely a woman," Jailil said softly. "While I am glad the child goes to the care of Briar Ridge Orphanage, there ought to be some justice in line for lords who take such advantage of their servants!"
Thranduil pursed his lips. "I know."
Hyrondal, a few inches taller than Thranduil now, broke the tension by announcing, "I ride out on another orcs hunt with Yuai this afternoon. Onyx keeps coming by to duel in his spare time."
"Has he been fortunate enough to win any duels yet?"
"Plenty!" Hyrondal laughed. "He learns quickly." He hesitated. "He—he wants me to teach him my way with the sword."
"That is a high honor," Thranduil said. "Well?"
"He is coming on the hunt," Hyrondal replied.
"Since we all insist on sharing dour news," Nimrethil said, "Oropher has upped taxes again."
"No!" Thranduil exclaimed. "What for?"
Nimrethil broke a cookie in two thoughtfully. "The official reason is that the working class does not contribute enough to the economic growth of the kingdom. The wiser among us know it is to pay for expansion into the southern territories."
"The southern territories are not fully safe yet!" Hyrondal said. "Onyx did his best clearing out the orcs, but there are reports of renegade orcs slaughtering the builders. Yuai and I are riding out there on a purging mission."
Thranduil sighed. "I will talk to Oropher about the taxes. I cannot imagine how he could justify raising them with them being so high already."
Nimrethil said sympathetically, "You miss Ailunai too."
"There is a dreaded ball tonight," Thranduil replied snappishly.
"I know!" Nimrethil clapped her cap back onto her head. "I still have tables of food to prepare for it." She sallied away.
"Alas that I cannot do justice to my travels right now," Thranduil told Jailil and Hyrondal. "I must ready myself for the ball."
At the cusp of dusk Thranduil walked into the ballroom. The many bracketed candles threw their reflections into the marble floor. Here were lords and ladies and the palace's explosion of nobility moving in billowing circles of silk on the dance floor.
Thranduil took two steps and heard a rustle. Marseille' s cool, slender hands closed on his elbow and her glittering green eyes stared into his.
"I rejoiced, my lord, at news of your safe return," she said softly.
"It is good to be home," Thranduil answered dutifully. Her black curls were looped around her head in the same manner her skirt belled around her legs.
"I note you are fashionably late," Marseille said, as she strolled beside him. They reached the edge of the dance floor and Marseille stepped to face him, sliding her hand up his arm onto his shoulder.
Thranduil moved smoothly into the waltz. The music was gentle and mellow. As the dancers went in circles, he spied Oropher and Natelle on the floor.
"I hope, my lord, you will take me to see the silver moose you so bravely vanquished," Marseille said low.
"I like to think of it more as an understanding between the moose and I," Thranduil answered.
"How prettily you put it!" Marseille said. She paused. "My family has been granted a generous piece of land in the southern territories. Perhaps you would enjoy visiting it with me and admiring the developments to our new summer home."
"I am sure an arrangement could be made," Thranduil answered coolly. He spun Marseille around, turning to face the ballroom door as he did so. A smile illuminated his face.
"I am pleased the idea excites you," Marseille said.
Thranduil tactfully moved toward the tables at the far end of the room. He escorted Marseille to sit on a silk divan, furnished her with a silver plate of refreshments, and slipped away, murmuring about wine. He skirted along the walls quickly, glad the dancing figures hid him from view, and reached the left corner by the door untroubled. There a woman in blue waited for him.
Thranduil wrapped her in a hug. "Ailunai!"
"Miss me?" she inquired, her blue eyes laughing at him.
"Every night," Thranduil answered. "May I have this dance?"
Ailunai tilted her head. She wore a dress of forget-me-not blue and her hair in a careless braid. "Perhaps just one quick dance. I am not invited to this ball, after all."
"We will stay on this side of the room," Thranduil promised. "I invite you to this ball."
Ailunai's feet sidled alongside his as they moved in semi-circles.
"The night you reached out to me through the trees gave me courage," Thranduil said quietly.
"Dear thing! How I startled you."
Thranduil chuckled. "How go your studies?"
"Delightfully. Ravia is a masterful teacher. I have perfected many a tree dance alongside her. Thranduil, as my connection to the forest grows, I cannot ignore its grief. Elves are suffering, more so with the increased tax. So many elves are troubled, and the forest senses their unrest."
Thranduil nodded and his braid tapped his back. "I intend to speak to Oropher about it."
The music wound down to its final breath. Thranduil and Ailunai stopped near the door.
"I must be off," Ailunai said, holding his hands. "You know where to find me." She leaned in for a kiss.
As Thranduil raised his head and Ailunai walked away, Thranduil glimpsed Oropher's face through the parting heads around him and his heart sank at the fury in the King's eyes.
Perhaps I ought to escape with Marseille to her summer home, Thranduil thought, as he rushed to find her.
Opinions on Marseille, if you please? Do the ladies of the court have souls?
Thank you all so much for reading; that you all keep coming back to this story despite the events of the world is so heartening to me!
Dreamplane: Thanks so much for reading! Love you for sharing your thoughts.
Next Chapter: One elf ignores Hyrondal. Another listens to him. Guess which is which?