No sooner had the door closed behind the king than Triwathon turned to Parvon.

'You would sail?' he demanded. 'Without me?'

'You could come if you'd wanted. But…'

'Don't be a pe-channas! Why would I sail? Glorf… he will be there with his Ecthelion, and I couldn't bear it! Anyway, I'd rather fade than sail. But that's what I thought you always said, and now you've apparently changed your mind…'

Parvon gave an exhausted sigh.

'No, Triwathon, not now. When I stood there in front of the king, all alone, with that death weighing on me and…'

…and knowing I'd be forever just an elf who killed another elf over the elf I loved but who didn't love me back…

'…I just, for a moment, felt tired of it all, as if I couldn't do my job any more. And by offering to go along with any elves who wanted to sail but didn't know the way, I thought that would be something I could do, give me back a bit of self-respect. But…'

'You were going to leave me here…?'

'Triwathon, not everything I do has you at its heart!' He spoke more sharply than he intended and shook his head at the hurt expression on the commander's face. 'Well, almost. Just not quite everything,' he admitted. 'And perhaps that was a part of it, that every time you looked at me, you'd be reminded of that awful day, the messenger attacking you and your beloved friend dead beside you…'

'But… have you any idea the shock hearing the king say…?'

'Sorry. No, wait, I retract… Yes, I can see it would have startled you – but you're blaming the wrong person; if Thranduil hadn't said anything…'

'You wouldn't have told me? You'd just have left?'

'No, Triw, you're not hearing me!' Exasperated, Parvon tried again. 'You don't understand…! What could I have said to you? That in a moment of despair I thought of the worst possible punishment for myself and offered it to the king, but that once I'd said it, I realised how over-dramatic it had sounded? But what about once the king cleared my name? There was no need to say anything, because I wasn't going to be made to do any sort of penance… so if I'd said, incidentally, I told Thranduil he could send me to the Undying Lands, but now he won't have to, how would that have sounded? Only now you're accusing me of… well, what are you accusing me of? And why are you so upset about it? I'm not that interesting, remember?'

'Ai, Parvon! Are you going to drag that up every time…?'

'Every time you accuse me of doing something to hurt you when I haven't, yes, probably. If that's what it takes. We're friends, Triw, that's all, you keep making it abundantly clear that's all we'll ever be, and so don't expect me to treat you with the courtesy due a lover. I know you're not, so don't worry about me getting any wrong ideas…'

… but do you know how difficult it is not to sometimes hope? Especially when you insist on being jealous and hurt over things that are simply not something a friend should be bothered about…

'I…can't believe you would accuse…'

'I'm not accusing you of anything. Triwathon, I'm tired. After tonight, the king's announcement… and thinking about tomorrow, when I'll have all the questions coming at me and no support…'

'Not quite no support. I…' Triwathon sighed, shaking his head. 'Well, after all, we're both getting the blame, so we should stand and face it together.'

'I am grateful. Triw, can you – could you – try to forget Thranduil breaking into my rooms tonight? Can we pretend he was never here, and just…we had a falling out recently and it was awful. I don't want another.'

… I just want my friend back…

'Parvon, it's… just it was a shock. And to hear it from the Elvenking…'

'As if he isn't playing enough games with our lives as it is. Triwathon, we've tomorrow to get through. Here. Drink with me, to the vagaries of kings and the hard lot of those who have to serve under them.'

Finally, Triwathon relaxed with a laugh that was only a little forced. 'Yes, it is one of Thranduil's games and we are all pieces on his game board at present. Very well, Parvon; you did not mean it when you said you would sail, and that is an end to it.'

Parvon tilted his head and compressed his lips to prevent himself from speaking. Triwathon still didn't understand; the moment when he told Thranduil he would sail was exactly the moment that he had meant it, but to go over old ground again… he didn't have the energy.

'Good,' he said instead. 'Now, how are we going to counter Thranduil's announcement?'

'What about if we told everyone the king was drunk and didn't mean it? Do you think they'd believe it?'

Triwathon's question made Parvon smile, not least from relief that the touchy subject of sailing had been dropped, finally.

'We could hope,' he said. 'But then, have you ever seen our king drunk?'

'No, never. That is, I don't think so… he always seems perfectly sober…'

'And so he does, even with a half dozen empty wine bottles scattered around his seat… nobody would be able to tell, anyway. So nobody would believe it… I think, the best way to counter any questions, is to say exactly the same thing, every time; that the Palace Office, and the Garrison, will fulfil the Elvenking's orders to the best of their ability for that is their purpose.'

'That's going to make us even less popular!'

'I am sure it will.'

Triwathon emptied his wine cup and set it down.

'I think I ought to get back to the garrison; Narunir is bound to have questions… I think they all will… at least there you have only one person in your office…'

'Yes, and how many score in the palace generally? No, you go, sort out your guards, reassure them that Thranduil is bound to have work for them…'

'Goodnight, then. And, about earlier…?' Triwathon paused. Parvon, expecting an apology finally to come, prepared a gracious response, but instead, his friend shook his head. 'You wouldn't sail… would you…?'

Parvon allowed some of his frustration to show in his voice.

'I told you, Triw; it was to offer penance; you've no idea how intimidating our king can be when it suits him…'

'Well, I've seen him in action once or twice… Goodnight.'

Parvon closed the door with a nod and a smile and drained his goblet, hoping that Triwathon hadn't noticed he'd actually evaded the question. Nights like this, the thought of sailing and beginning anew in the Undying Lands actually seemed quite appealing.