When Parvon found himself beckoned into Master Melion's private office the next morning, he wondered whether the arrival of his letter from Triwathon had been noted, and if this was to be some kind of discouragement… but instead, it seemed to just be logistics.

'There is word that the king will return with the next group of elves,' Melion began. 'Although Healer Nestoril is staying to help with the injured who are not yet fit to travel. The wagons from the first convoy must go back, with such of their escort guard as are not staying here… there is to be a slow attrition from the New Palace garrison, I gather, but we need not concern ourselves with that… here is a list appended that is for you, though, of those who are coming with the next convoy…'

'Thank you, that is most helpful. Healer Gaelbes has suggested that for the first night, the new arrivals should stay in her Halls, where they can eat and settle gently back into being here; if they arrive late in the day, too, it means there is less urgency to rehome them immediately and it gives the Healers a chance to make sure all is well with them.'

'Yes; I thought the list will give you chance to talk with Baudh about where to put everyone first, and perhaps when the rooms are offered, make it plain there is no choice; it is this or a ship, I know, it is severe, but it is his majesty's wording…'

'I will try to find a more tactful way of expressing it.'

Melion grinned.

'If anyone can, you can, Master Parvon! My brother has been regaling me with the gentle rejections you give to his flirting; he says often it is not until hours later that he realises he's been subtly reprimanded… if he is a nuisance, I can tell him to stop…?'

Parvon shook his head, smiling.

'I think it is more that he is being excessively friendly, and does not know how to temper his manner,' he said. 'It is almost a game to me now, to find a way to abash him and yet keep him smiling. But he means no harm, and I am certainly not offended.'

'That's a relief!' Melion sounded genuinely glad to hear it. 'He is just sometimes… not an asset to the decorum of the King's Office… and that minds me, there have been several enquiries for the Division of Matters Matrimonial of late, but with my father away for so long, I do not know whom to suggest they talk to; Baudh is obviously too flighty, but…?'

Finishing with a lift of tone and a tilt of the head, it seemed Melion was rather hoping Parvon would offer… he shook his head quickly.

'You need someone with marital experience, I think,' he said. 'Someone who has taken vows, or at least has found someone to be happy with… why not you, Master Melion?'

'Because the very happiness and longstanding of my marriage might make people think I have no understanding of their difficulties…'

'Ah. Then I would suggest Mistress Araspen…'

'What…?'

'Or her wife; both ladies were single for a long time before they found each other; in fact, Mistress Araspen was almost manoeuvred into a vows-for-elflings arrangement with an ellon she did not care for. Merlinith is known as being steady and sensible, but Araspen has a keen understanding and personal experience of the difficulties of waiting for one's fëa-mate despite extreme opposition. Of course,' he added with a smile. 'There is no-one quite like Master Merenor for giving surprisingly good advice.'

'That's true. Well, thank you; do you know, that's actually a good idea; I will speak to the ladies and see if either are interested. Ah, and the wagons go back tomorrow, so if you have any letters to send, they can safely go in the general despatch folder, if you like, or with Captain Narunir…?'

Parvon stared at Melion, but the elf just gently and shook his head.

'Whichever suits you, of course, depending on where your letters are intended. Now, moving on. You may not know, but these days when he is here, our king dines in the Feasting Hall most nights. Usually Master Hanben and I oversee matters for him, but of course, my Ada-in-Honour is away. The king has expressed it as his opinion that neither Baudh nor Feren can preside adequately and so it will all fall, of course, to me… it would be most helpful if, on occasion, I could pass the duty across to you, perhaps…?'

Parvon took a moment to respond.

'I am more than willing, of course; it is work I have done often, but… I am not sure putting me in company with our king is a good idea at present…'

'You may stand behind his chair, then, and then he will not be able to see your delighted expression…' Melion offered.

'I meant rather, I am not sure he would be pleased to have my assistance. Otherwise, of course I would attend him… although if a convoy has just arrived, I would be needed to settle in the arrivals perhaps.'

'You do yourself a disservice; I am sure his majesty will be happy to have your help. Well, when I say happy… it may not show…' Melion grinned. 'I'll check, ahead of time. And it will not be each night, simply once in a while… and, besides, it will help fill your evenings…'

Because, of course, Melion had a wife, a brother, a grown-up daughter or two while Parvon's evenings were empty…

But he filled the evening easily enough that night...

"Dear Triwathon,

"It sounds as if I have not been the only one disrupted…

All is well, here, those I travelled with are now settling into their new accommodations. I have a new dwelling myself, pleasant enough and spacious… it took me a little while to adjust, as I had assumed I could take up my former quarters; however, all the old rooms having been put to other use, this was not to be. However, Captain Narunir assures me that the garrison is pretty much as it was, and the billets there and in the warrior quarters have been kept unmolested…

"As for me, I am spending tomorrow evening with Mistresses Merlinith and Araspen, who are as friendly as ever; I will enquire as to the experimental goats. Also friendly are my associates in the King's Office – Master Baudh particularly so. He is much like Master Merenor, but without the check of having a husband to keep him within bounds. We have agreed that I am not interested in his charms, but that does not stop him flirting – I honestly do not think he realises he is doing it! However, his brother Master Melion makes sure he is not too outrageous… but Baudh makes me laugh, at least…"

He continued on, putting as good a light as he could on the changes at the Old Palace and his own situation which, really, wasn't that bad, was it? Not if Melion was willing to give him additional duties which would bring him directly to the king's notice…

"…so this will come to you courtesy of Captain Narunir, and may it find you well! Thank you for passing on Lord Arveldir's remembrance; I am grateful, although I am sorry I was unable to bid he and Erestor farewell…"

Triwathon carried the letter with him inside his jerkin, where he could return to it in thought or in actuality during the private moments of his time; it was important, as commander of the garrison, to keep abreast of matters in the Old Palace as well as the New, after all.

Not that there were many quiet moments for him; the return of the carts and preparations for the next journey with the king at its head entailed work by garrison and palace alike; Thranduil wanted to make a detailed inspection of the area around the three former villages to ensure they were utterly uninhabitable and, indeed, completely eradicated, removed from the forest as surely as if they had never existed. New markings were needed along the trails to designate what they were told to call the Memorial Zone in order to keep people out; there were still, somewhere, potentially elven remains lying undiscovered and until it was certain the forest had taken them into its heart, Thranduil did not want anyone accidentally disturbing the area.

"…which means more work for the garrison, blazing the markers and setting up watch positions, since Thranduil is not entirely sure that some of the former residents of Oak, Ash and Elm, will properly understand his wishes and therefore may yet stray into the area…" Triwathon wrote at the end of a long day, the night before the return convoy was due to depart. "Which minds me, in a roundabout sort of a way… I was in the Palace Office earlier today, when in marched – or, really, lurched, for he was on crutches still – one of the village seniors. Now, to digress, do you recall how, when we were trying to establish safety protocols for the village communities, the seniors and elders were always complaining we were curtailing their freedoms, imposing our will on their lifestyles? And then when the dragons came, they blamed us for not getting to them faster, for not making sure they were close enough for safety? Well. He was one of those elves, and he started shouting as soon as he entered the office where was Master Parvon, it was all his fault... Poor Faerveren quailed and so I suggested our talk might be better conducted in the inner office, so we fled, and Master Merenor stepped forward.

"'Dear me,' he said, 'you do seem upset! Why do you not sit down and tell me what the matter is, you'll feel better for sharing it, I am sure…' so Faerveren and I watched in astonishment from around the door as Merenor soothed every bluster, nodded kindly, and completely unbalanced the poor fellow so that by the time he was leaving, he was actually apologising for causing any bother…!

"You can imagine, can you not, the scene…? the ellon complaining and Master Merenor patting his arm and making little kindly noises, completely focussed on the diatribe… Are you laughing yet? I hope so! Better, when the elf did get up to go and Merenor escorted him out, he looked back over the elf's shoulder to where we were watching and gave Faerveren the most outrageous wink and grin… who almost dissolved into a fit of giggles before the door was shut! But it made me think – perhaps that was another reason why you were sent away; so that the elves could not blame you for this as well as everything… it is, perhaps, small comfort…"

Parvon, reading the letter after he'd seen the new arrivals settled with Gaelbes at the Healers' Hall, did indeed laugh at the thought of Merenor turning on the charm… and he considered Triw's suggestion, that perhaps he'd been sent away to spare him the unrighteous anger of some of the villagers… it didn't help, not really, but… but at least he was feeling useful now; arriving back at the Old Palace against their wishes, the new arrivals had seen him as a familiar, friendly face.

There was a little more to the letter, and so he took it up again.

"…Narunir is a little disappointed that Hannith gets the next convoy; he says he enjoyed the forest on the way down, but not as much on the way back with fewer warriors… still, those guards who have stayed with you in the Old Palace have kin there, they are not alone and will settle quickly to home duty… oh, and I have another story for you, but I think it had best wait until my next letter…

"I hope you are well, and keeping busy, but not being made to be too busy!

Be well,

Your friend Triwathon."

Parvon wrote back.

"Dear Triwathon,

"Yes, Master Merenor is incorrigible! I am glad he was there to deflect anger away from my poor assistant – former assistant, I should say, and thank you for shielding him yourself…

"So, it seems we are falling into a pattern; the wagons arrive, usually late, at dusk or even after nightfall, then next day they are emptied and tidied and filled with such goods as are needed at the New Palace, and return the morning after that, by which time I have usually got those who arrived in them settled in new accommodations. It does not always go easily; many object to having stone over their heads, and so our king has had it put on the notice boards, actually on the boards, that the alternative to accepting the rooms prepared is to accept a place in Ithilien, if Legolas will have them, or on a ship… and since many of these elves are traditionalists even by Silvan standards, and Legolas is seen to be 'progressive', I doubt there will be many settlers there… but this has led to new duties for me; if any wish to take sail, it is me to whom they are directed… at present, I am just taking names and offering advice; only once there seems to have been enough interest to fill a ship will I need to do more than this… our king thought I would be good for the task since, as he delighted in reminding me, I had once 'expressed an interest in sailing to the Undying Lands…' and it would be 'good research' for me to 'explore the topic thoroughly'…

"Sometimes I despair of our king's sense of humour…

"Now, what is this other tale you have for me? I have been all agog since your last letter… do tell me!

"Hoping all is well with you,

"Your friend, Parvon."

Parvon didn't actually mind his extra duties, and, especially once the initial meeting with Thranduil was over, he felt they had established a wary understanding…

He had been sent for within an hour of the convoy's arrival, summoned to Thranduil's study, rather than a formal audience room, which in itself was a good sign.

'Really, Master Parvon,' the king had said, after discussing Parvon's evident suitability to assist elves who wished to sail, 'If you had a sense of humour, such as your former master Arveldir owned, and if you did not take offence so easily, I would quite enjoy your presence…'

Parvon had bowed.

'I believe I did have a sense of humour once, sire,' he replied. 'But, alas, I think I lost it during my journey down from the New Palace…'

Thranduil had give a flash of a smile which he hastened to suppress.

'There, you see. That is much better. Now, moving on…'