Ailunai put her arm through Thranduil's, radiant in a pale blue dress with a low neck. "Definitely not." She led him away.

The party was in full swing. The double doors leading out into the gardens were held open by massive glass doorstoppers. The kitchen work tables, usually laden with cooling racks and batters, were covered in platters and baskets heaped with food. Candles and lanterns filled the place with a soft golden light.

Hundreds of elves congregated in small groups and large crowds over the tables, filling dishes with finger foods before wandering out into the cool air of the gardens. Fireflies flickered among the arches decorated with lights and the open patches of lawn between garden beds were cleared for dancing.

Thranduil strolled with Ailunai on the pebble paths past the barrels filled with wine, lemonade, iced tea, and punch. Jovial elves poured drinks and refilled glasses. Several impromptu bands funneled music into the far corners of the garden. Plentiful benches offered seating.

Thranduil and Ailunai joined Hyrondal and Jailil lingering near the red wine barrel. Hyrondal handed Thranduil a glass of wine who, in turn, offered it to Ailunai. Hands full, the four elves moved into a shaded alcove against the palace wall.

"Lovely party," Hyrondal said spritely. Dressed in his green and black uniform with a golden rank pin on his chest, he wiped a hand across his mouth. "It being held in celebration of you makes it even more delightful."

"I would not be here to be celebrated if it were not for you and Jailil," Thranduil said. He jostled Hyrondal's shoulder. "You two saved my life."

"All in a day's work," Hyrondal replied modestly, but he grinned.

Jailil downed his wine. "I was honored to be of service." He spied a dull red head and waved to her. "Delya! Allow me to offer you some wine?"

The girl, in a one-piece dress of grey, came tripping over and took the glass. "Thank you, love. Thranduil, I am delighted to see you so well."

"Love?" Thranduil said with interest.

Jailil ignited his enthusiasm by kissing Delya on the lips. With him in healer's robes and a black belt about his waist, he moved off with her at his side.

"Well!" Thranduil turned to Ailunai. "I am sadly behind. Perhaps sweetheart will do for you, my dear?"

Ailunai wrinkled her nose at him. "Do not dare!"

Nimrethil swooped in and latched onto Thranduil's free arm. "Why, yes, I would be delighted to stroll with you, my prince. Such a lovely party if I do say so myself!"

Hyrondal clutched at Nimrethil's hand. "I beg your company, my lady! I find myself sadly abandoned during this lover's gathering."

Nimrethil smacked at him playfully but relented. "I imagine I can spare a few minutes for you, Hyrondal. You are the only one with the skills to fend off the hordes of admirers I am sure to attract." She smiled benignly upon him.

"May I have this dance?" Thranduil asked of Ailunai, setting aside their wine glasses on the nearest barrel table, and bowing to her. She took his hand and stepped onto the lawn, swinging smoothly into the dancing couples clustered around them.

Nimrethil eyed Hyrondal. "Can you dance?"

Hyrondal gasped. "My love affair with the blade is built around dancing."

Nimrethil pushed him toward the lawn. "Forget your sword. Have a love affair with me!"

Thranduil called a halt to the dance party. He held up his hands. "Ladies! Ladies and gentlemen, please take a sacred moment to honor the Queen of the evening. Without her and her talented staff, we would not celebrate unforgettably. I give you Nimrethil, in all her glory!"

Nimrethil cast Hyrondal away and ventured forth onto the lawn alone. "I am proud to serve a crown as gracious as Prince Thranduil's. Do me and my talented staff service and leave no platter untouched! To celebrate is to celebrate and I will hear nothing less. Now, for the first dance in my capacity as Queen." She grabbed up her skirts and marched into a jig.

"Attempting to abandon me?" Hyrondal exclaimed. "I think not!" He squared his shoulders and matched Nimrethil's pace.

The gathered elves let out a cheer and the band struck up twice as jovially. The sound and focused attention afforded one elf in subdued colors to quietly seek shelter between two thick honeysuckle trellises. In the small space a narrow bench sat and, between the white trellis and thick vines, offered glimpses of the party.

Oropher sat for barely five minutes, his hands folded in his lap, before a rustle startled him and he snatched the hood of his navy-blue cloak to his head. Harune entered the small space with two glasses in hand and immediately apologized, "Forgive me, my king, I did not realize you were here."

Oropher let his hood slide back. "Silence! I pray you are the only one who has seen me here this night."

"I did not see you arrive, my king," Harune answered. "But I enjoy the solitude this space offers, especially after time spent in energetic celebration."

Oropher gestured to the two glasses Harune held. "You did not see me and yet this?"

Harune sat down on one end of the bench and offered Oropher a glass. "I would not ask to share a space without bearing an offering."

Oropher took the glass and sipped it. His eyebrows rose. "You have excellent taste. This is one of my preferred wines."

"Indeed," Harune said politely.

"It is a party not without taste," Oropher observed, "But not the kind of celebration I am accustomed to."

Sparks exploded out of two fires lit in massive copper basins. The rich smell of roasting boar drifted Oropher's way and briefly eclipsed the honeysuckle scent. Nimrethil shrieked somewhere out of sight, "Never, never, never! Do you apply the salt rub without the seasonings! Quick, Coral, we may be in time to save it."

Hyrondal protested, "And what about me? This is, after all, my catch, and not a word of gratitude do I get!"

Yuai's voice followed, "I beg pardon, but I recall it is our catch."

"Captain, sir, I thought you basked in the golden light of glory enough to tire of it."

Nimrethil announced, "The boar is done! I give the carving knife to Captain Yuai and the carving fork to his lowly apprentice, in recognition of their generous contribution to this party. Those of you who cannot line up in an appropriate fashion will be dealt with, I assure you."

"Lowly apprentice!" Hyrondal cried.

A shriek of laughter went up from the elves and Jailil exclaimed, "Valar above, you nearly stabbed my eye out with your fork, Hyrondal!"

"The healing ward will not condone injuries made elf to elf," Avaron said, conjuring another wave of mirth.

Harune contemplated the last sip of his wine. "Nimrethil is capable of, among her finer skills, throwing a successful revel." He rose to his feet. "Would you care to sample the food?"

Oropher looked at him carefully. "Yes. I would be . . . grateful if you brought me a platter."

Harune soon returned with a pitcher of wine and two oval-shaped wooden plates laden with a taste of the gala. Oropher rested his plate on his knees and unfolded a crimson napkin. In addition to a heap of pink boar meat still smelling of smoke, there was fresh salad and crusty croutons, golden balls of herbed cheese deep fried, saucers of cool yogurt dressing and more poignant barbecue sauce. Cheeses and crackers, grilled vegetables, and roasted tomatoes bursting with juice made up the middle of the plate, while the last corner was filled with crispy cookies, flaking pastries stuffed with chocolate and creams, and an explosion of mini berry tarts.

Having eaten only a small meal earlier, Oropher tucked in. The pitcher of wine sitting on the bench between him and Harune soon grew light.

A bell rang faintly twelve times as the party wound down. Strangely full, Oropher bid Harune goodnight and, shrouding himself in his cloak, made ready to leave the honeysuckle bower.

In the absence of the music, Thranduil's voice rose. "I extend my gratitude to every one of you who has added to the spirit of this celebration. It is my pleasure to continue to represent your interests in every way I can and elevate voices so even the deaf may hear. Without your support, I would have had nothing to heal towards. Thank you!"

"Prince Thranduil!" the festivity-goers clinked glasses in a final toast.

"Finally, while he declined my invitation, thank you for your willingness to celebrate the health of the King I now know as abar. To King Oropher. He is not as deaf as he often appears."

Oropher frowned. Harune coughed to disguise a small laugh. Haughtily, Oropher swept his cloak about him and departed under cover of the distraction the toast to "King Oropher" offered.

Most sincere apology for my failure to update My Prince last week! I have no excuses (Untrue: I failed my driving test and wished to wallow in a little misery).

Thank you kindly for reading! I enjoy your presence and thoughts.

Next Chapter: "This ring," Oropher said, "Belonged to the first Queen of Mirkwood and has been passed down through our family. It is customary for this ring to mark the hand of the Crown Prince's betrothed."