Prologue
I was being pulled, more like dragged in front of king Thranduil. He was sitting on his throne, his face devoid of emotions, while his appearance always as clean and shining as ever. He was an intimidating figure to behold. I have no idea what crime I could have committed to be brought in front of said elf by his personal guards. With a flick of his hand he dismissed them and turned his eyes to my poor figure carelessly thrown on the floor. I lifted my eyes from the tiles to meet his cold stare while debating in my head if I should rise on my feet or simply stay on the ground.
He rose and descended the curving stairs slowly, like a predator eyeing its prey. My heartbeat was gradually increasing as I became aware of his displeasure from which I still didn't know the source. He stopped a good 10 feet away from me and paced slowly, antagonised.
"Naneth..." I heard the muffled voice of one of my daughter who looked at us not quite grasping the situation as to why her father would treat me so coldly and menacingly. Legolas was holding them in place, forbidding them to come closer. I gazed back at the figure towering me gathering the courage to inquire as to what was going on.
"Your highness, I do not know why you brought me here like a mere criminal as I have done nothing to wrong you as such."
His pacing suddenly stopped as his gaze lingered on his only son. The cold stare I was ready for it, but the accusatory tone not as much.
"It has come to my attention that you do not treat the prince as the mother you have promised me you would be when we bounded ages ago."
I knew where he was going now. I can't say realization struck me as I was aware of my current behavior, but it has been going on for so long I have forgotten how to be his mother. The silence continues on for a while, my gaze drawing the patterns of the tiles on the floor. I could never hold his cold gaze for so long and I have no idea how Legolas manage to do so. But then again, I'm sure Thranduil the Great King of the Woodland Realm would not let harm come to the pearl of his kingdom, even by his own hand.
"What say you? Are you not denying it?"
"I am not my Lord." My voice was quiet, barely a whisper. It was strange hearing it coming from my own mouth. I remember the ellyth I used to be. Before all of this, this marriage, this alliance, this mess, no one would have brought me down on my knees and scolded me as such. Yet he managed to do so in only some decades. I would be an eyesore to my people and I wasn't proud of what he had molded me in. I remembered the words my mother used to tell me as an elfling "It is a male's world, not because it should be, but because we let them." Oh mother, she wouldn't be proud of me if she could see me from Valinor.
"You promised you would treat my son as lovingly as you would treat his coming siblings. That you would care for him, raise him, and love him as his mother should have if she hadn't left so early in his life. Why haven't you done so, do you not love him?" I did not answer for all the accusations were legit. My silence seemed to unsettle him greatly and I could feel his temper rising.
"ANSWER ME WOMAN!" I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and turned my gaze towards the children.
"As the king commands, though you might not like the answer. Legolas would you be so kind as to escort the girls out of the hall..."
"NO! They will hear this! HE will hear it." Legolas halt in his movement and looked at his father. The eyes of the elflings were watering as they too looked at their father, who had never been so cold in their presence since they were born. So be it.
"I loved him, before the girls were born, and even after. I still love him as we speak. I just...I don't know how..." I paused in my speech as emotions were coming flooding back from that fateful day. "I tried my best to be his mother...as I tried my best to be your wife. But you, you didn't let me." Maybe realization struck him this time. The silence continued on for a while as the tension of the room slowly dissipates. He walked slowly towards my figure still on the ground and extended his hand for me to take it. I looked at it, considered mending the bond and letting him win again, but this time my pride came back to me along with the sadness, the helplessness, the anger, the fear I felt on that day. It was quite overwhelming. I realise tears were pouring out because I could feel them hit my hands still folded on my skirts. I grabbed them and lift myself from the ground on my own, completely dismissing the extended hand.
"You have slapped me so harshly I feel on the floor. And with all the hatred you could gather, YOU have told me that you were MY king, that I was out stepping my boundaries for I was to never address you the way I use to, that if something were to happen to you, that the prince would rule in your stead. YOU said that I was nothing in this kingdom and that I was to treat you and your son with the respective title you behold. I cannot be his mother and his servant at the same time, as I cannot be your wife and your servant at the same time. I chose to be one of the two my king, and chose the safest route as to not out step anymore boundaries." His hand extended again, but this time gently toward my cheek to dry the tears from my eyes. I locked my gaze on him and shied away from his touch, taking a step backward. I saw the pain of my withdrawal through his eyes but his face remained devoid of anymore emotions.
"I know the hands of the king, they are strong and firm, but they haven't been gentle towards me in a very long time. Forgive me for shying away your highness; my body reacts on its own."
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All right everyone. Thranduil is just SO perfect in all his imprefection, I couldn't let it go. I do not want to spoil anything since you will understand everything in the next chapters. After the death of his first wife, Thranduil remaried to create an alliance with the northern elves (don't know if they exist for real but either way, they existe in that story). They live more secluded outside of middle earth, therefore Eveena will have slight different custom than the one in Mirkwood. They have 2 daughters together.
I don't presise years and ages of the character so much because i'm not quite sure myself how they grow. But to give you more specific: Thranduil was king for a while before he married Eveena. Legolas was mostly around 7 years old and that same year she bore her first child. The second was some time later when legolas was about 9 in human lives. The story starts when he is 12 which is considered not a elfling anymore (starting young teenage elf live). There will be some flash backs and explanation of the past, of what was between Thranduil and Eveena and how it evolved in what it is now. So if you can understand, the story starts with a rocky relationship.
