Legolas leaned on the end of a long table that had been set for his inner circle. Though he cherished every one of his kin, it was tradition to pick a group of twelve people who had the greatest impact on who he was. Seren was the last of those twelve he was waiting for. His acquaintance with her was recent but she was still undeniably an important part of his life as he wouldn't be celebrating this day had she not come into it.

From the far corner of the table, he heard a long sigh for the second time since the evening started and smiled. It was his father, he knew. Legolas was certain the king was impatient to know if Seren was approaching though he claimed he simply wished to get started.

It hadn't escaped the younger elf's notice that the king behaved differently where Seren was concerned. Thranduil hadn't bothered to consider if there was any benefit to Lagdar's intention to court her, instead summarily dismissing the idea. He didn't penalize her for the habit of spontaneously familiarly addressing him. He hadn't commanded that she sign papers of sovereignty as any outsider who resided with them was normally required; though having no access to her homeland made them only half as effective. When Legolas had sought his father and found him talking with Seren, no bow had been expected when she left them and if moved to an emotional response, her outbursts weren't just tolerated; Thranduil engaged her. Legolas knew his father well and the liberties he allowed in how Seren interacted with him were becoming a list longer than the formalities he insisted she observe.

He looked back to the table, unsurprised to find a sharp blue gaze on him. Before he could shake his head, motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Seren was making her way down the hall that approached the ballroom and he pushed off from the table to greet her. Behind him, Thranduil flicked a glance to the entrance before returning his attention to the elf at the table who had been addressing him.

Legolas went to the threshold and held out his hands for the gift she brought. "You look radiant," he said when she drew near.

Seren ducked her head and glanced down at her dress. It was satin of a deep dusky blue color, fitted in the bodice with 'V' hems and trimmed in thin silver lace. She shook a long bell sleeve out of her way and lifted on the flowing bulk of her skirt to cross the threshold.

"It's a loan from Caireann," Seren said sheepishly. "I don't have any appropriate finery so she let me raid her armoire." She handed Legolas his gift, now wrapped in a delicate brown paper adorned with tiny gold leaves.

"You would have been expected whether you were dressed in appropriate finery or a working shift," he said as he took the heavy rectangle parcel and led her into the room by the elbow.

A table for the presents he was collecting stood against the wall to her left and he set Seren's among the mound, feeling self-conscious as she tensed. Every gaze had turned to them, waiting to see where the prince would choose to seat her.

Thranduil allowed himself a glance as she entered and felt a flush course through him. Once again surprised by the reaction since he had dealt with his previous instinctual response, he forced it away and steered his mind to a more analytical appraisal. The blue gown suited her, he thought. Her ruby hued hair was twisted from the sides of her head and joined together by an intricate silver butterfly barrette on the crown, the rest left to hang in soft waves down her back. He watched his son study the gift she'd brought, smug in the knowledge that he knew what it was now.

Seren resisted the urge to look for Thranduil among the faces; sure the pale apparition at the long table in her periphery was him.

She took in the room's décor and he watched as she marveled at the colored paper lamps that hovered in the air by the little flame within and the glittering silver and gold banners hanging everywhere. The ceiling wasn't really a ceiling at all but a vast canopy of interlaced stone and tree roots and moonlight pierced through the gaps to shine softly upon the room. The brightest beam landed on the far side of the room, lighting a large white standard bearing Sindarin lettering and a green leaf, trimmed in gold vines.

Smaller, round tables crowded the cavern and Seren thought half the kingdom had to be in the room. White, three-foot tall capers stood higher than she did on ornate gold candelabras in groups of three in every corner, reflecting off of the pale stone floor and making the room bright while giving it a cozy glow. Glittering vases held varieties of flowers Seren had never seen in every color imaginable and their scent filled the air with a sweet spice scent. Though, she couldn't help looking for Lothrim just to be sure.

Legolas turned from the table of gifts and smiled. "Now will you tell me what it is?"

Seren laughed. "That's not how it works."

He chuckled and once again offered his arm and led her to the table. He noted the way the pulse in her wrist quickened as they strode past the last open seat at the middle and continued to the only available chairs next the king. It was the only clue he had as she gave no outward sign of her unease. He released her and pulled her chair, considering what it could mean and pursed his lips to keep from grinning.

When his father blinked wide-eyed at him as Seren sat beside him, he laughed.

Seren looked from son to father, confusion on her features.

"So high a place of honor," Thranduil said. Then he looked at Seren and paused to consider his words, not wishing to sound cruel. "The head of the table is for Legolas. Traditionally, the person being celebrated seats their inner circle in order of who they feel is of the greatest importance to their life."

Understanding settled her features and she turned a stunned stare on the prince. "Are you sure you wish me to sit here? Surely there are others –"

"Yes," Legolas said abruptly. His gaze was intent on her and he nodded toward his father. "You preserved the gift he and my mother gave me when you returned to me the life that would have been otherwise lost. You are exactly where I consider you to belong."

Seren nodded and looked away to wave at Caireann and Nuinethir across from her and thus missed the pointed look Legolas gave his father before taking his own seat at the head of the table.

Thranduil swallowed, staring down at his hands and through the table. The blunt sentiment brought to the fore a reminder of days not so long past when he feared his son lost to him. He sometimes forgot the moment Taliesin had died, but he recalled it now and the devastation he'd seen on Seren's face. He glanced her way. She was laughing at a quip someone had made and something inside him lurched. This day would have been an agonizing reminder of loss, were it not for Seren and her brother.

"Father?"

Legolas was regarding him with a worried frown and Thranduil shook his head once with a slight smile for his son. "I was thinking there are some things I should never forget."

Legolas eyed him for a moment longer before gesturing and the party began in earnest.

Notes from a flute and an array of string instruments played by elves on a large dais in one corner of the room began to drift around them. Kitchen staff appeared, bearing platters of food. Seren spotted Nuineri and the cook smiled as she passed. When the elf immediately left the room again, Seren made to get up but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

She looked to her left, finding Thranduil's jeweled fingers there. He removed them and leaned in a little to not be overheard.

"Leaving so soon?"

Seren sat back in her chair, wanting to rub the sensation from her arm. "I just thought Nuineri might want my help."

Thranduil tilted his head a fraction. "That is admirable but she has plenty of assistance. You are among Legolas's inner circle and she is not. She must still see to her duties."

Seren chewed on her lip a little. He spoke the truth, of course. Still it felt wrong to watch her friend toil while she was expected to enjoy herself. "I just… I'm not accustomed to this."

The king's expression wasn't unkind. "Not everyone you know is in your closest confidence, are they?"

"Well no," Seren admitted. "I just never had a celebration where anyone who wasn't in my closest confidence was in attendance. My celebrations were very small."

Thranduil smirked. "I think Legolas would prefer such a celebration as that but being a prince of a kingdom makes it impossible without ignoring most of those who would choose to celebrate him."

Seren nodded in acknowledgement of that. The reception she'd received her first day in the Greenwood was a testament to how much the kingdom adored its prince.

"So, Greenleaf," an elf suddenly called out from the middle of the table. He held a glass high and gestured to the empty end of the table. "When will we be seeing your wife there?"

Legolas laughed. "When I feel like marrying Norin!"

After that, conversation flowed easily and Seren found herself genuinely too involved in the various dialogues around her to be much bothered that Thranduil was beside her. Occasionally he joined in and the topic allowed her some distance so she could address him formally. For a time she was able to forget how he affected her these days. Nothing had really changed except that she had seen more of him recently and it was apparent to her now that she harbored an interest that would grow if she allowed it. Being near him had become more difficult since her stay in the hospital wing and, though she was fond of their exchanges, she was glad to return to a more distant association.

She began to relax her guard as dinner was served. A feast of roasted pheasant and candied tubers was brought out and many vegetables prepared in various ways were offered as well as spiced mixtures of berries and crispy ragged flats of some sort of bread. Wine flowed freely and Seren tried something that was violet in color. It was lighter tasting than the red vintage and more tart. It also went to her head more quickly so she sipped slowly.

After the meal disappeared, many in attendance took turns calling for everyone's attention and said something impressive about Legolas. Nuinethir offered a few words and tipped his glass at Seren when mentioning how glad he was the prince still lived and ribbed him a little for needing to be rescued. It prompted many to ask for her to share a toast but she had nothing prepared so she settled for telling the story of the day Legolas bounded into her sparring session with Tal, kitchen knives in hand; much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

When it was time to present Legolas with his gifts, she turned her chair outward a little to better see and pulled her feet up to her backside, her arms draped around her knees as she leaned back. She felt pleasantly heavy in all of her limbs as food and wine spread through her system.

Caireann rose from her chair and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, my lord, if I may offer you my gift?"

Legolas inclined his head but stared in confusion as the warrior left the room with Ceridwen following close behind. After a few minutes, they returned and Caireann's elaborate dress was gone in favor of a set of light clothes, fit for training. Legolas watched her quizzically as she approached and then his features widened into a grin. He doffed his fine outer tunic and followed her to the open area, the whole room watching them.

"So you think you can best me in combat?"

Caireann tilted her head thoughtfully as they took up positions. "It would be nice but I will accept sitting you down, just once."

Legolas laughed and she returned a feral grin at him before they erupted into a dance of maneuvers. Legolas lunged with an attack that mimicked a sword swing, meant to hook around her shoulders and bring her down but she spun in the opposite direction. He responded to the imbalance by pivoting and trying to take out her weight bearing knee but she shifted and suddenly brought the former leg around for a neat backwards roundhouse kick. Her foot connected solidly with the back of his shoulder and he stumbled forward to remain standing.

His brow knit in confusion and when he tried again to restrain her, she twisted against his grip and slipped free. He immediately responded with a right hand slash which she blocked with a forearm. His movements while fluidly graceful couldn't quite reach through her guard as her movements were short and angular, cutting corners through the arcs of his form. She bounced and shifted around him, back handing him or kicking him when the opportunity arose but not quite able to get in close enough to take him down or restrain him.

"I do not understand her form," Thranduil said suddenly, not far from Seren's shoulder.

A shiver zipped through her, though she suppressed it from shaking her visibly and tamped down her annoyance with herself. When she turned toward the king, he had leaned in but was still a decent distance away. He pinned her with a suspicious look.

"Did you have something to do with this?" He gestured to Caireann and Legolas.

"Caireann asked me to show her what I knew," Seren said casually. "I never thought she'd be able to incorporate that knowledge so well."

While it was true that she had imparted the knowledge of the basic forms to the elf, Caireann had far outstripped Seren's ability with them in no time. The blended technique Caireann was using was of her own making and it was far more effective than anything Seren could have taught her. Thranduil, however, didn't believe for a moment it was as innocent as she claimed and leaned back in his chair, staring at her until she smiled despite herself.

Suddenly a cheer rose up around the room and Seren returned her attention to the duel to see Caireann helping Legolas to his feet. He bowed, grinning from ear to ear. Then he spun and pointed at Seren.

"You taught her but not me?"

Seren shrugged. "She asked. You didn't."

He approached the table and reached for a wine flask. "I'm asking now. Will you teach me Bruce's forms as well?" He poured a glass of wine and returned the bottle to its place.

A shadow flickered across Seren's features but no one seemed to notice. "Caireann would be a far better teacher than I. All I did was instruct her on the forms and their philosophy. I can't actually use them in combat like she can and she has adapted them with styles you know that I do not. Nuinethir is also similarly instructed."

The prince gawked at the Quickstrider. "You?"

"Caireann needed a sparring partner. I would be honored to teach you," Nuinethir said with a smirk.

Legolas returned his attention to Seren and bowed minutely at the waist. "Very well. However I am still aggrieved you excluded me from the lessons you gave them."

Seren snickered. The wine made her more bold than usual and she replied, "Caireann's challenge wouldn't have been a surprise if I had and she wouldn't have been able to knock you off your feet."

The room erupted into laughter. When Legolas's mirth subsided, he declared that her gift would be the last he opened, just to keep her from leaving the party early.

Thranduil gave an amused 'hmm' from behind her. "Turnabout is fair play..."

She turned her head to glare petulantly at him. "Is it really so great an insult to be bested in friendly combat once in a while?"

Thranduil tilted his head. "No. Unless you are used to never losing like Legolas…"

She twisted to lean forward and lowered her voice. "Every great warrior needs to be reminded not to get overconfident sometimes. I'd say it was probably time he was taken down a peg."

Thranduil's eyebrows rose and a gleam brightened his gaze. "You would?" Despite his relaxed posture, he still managed to appear to be sitting straight and laced his hands together in front of his sternum. "The only one he cannot best is me. Would your… philosophy also apply to your king?"

Seren's mouth opened slightly as she realized what she'd stumbled into and looked toward the table, reaching for her glass. "Absolutely not, my lord." She sipped on her wine, hoping he'd back off. He didn't.

"Why not?" He watched as she tried to ignore him, enjoying this more than he knew he ought to. The wine in his head made him disregard the warning his more sensible self would offer as he pushed Seren. "If every warrior needs –"

"In the natural order, there is always a bigger predator," she said, looking over her shoulder at him. "But eventually you reach the end of line."

"And yet the one who stands in that position does change," he retorted, leaning forward.

He was trying to intimidate her and corner her into saying something stupid, she knew.

Seren swallowed the last of her wine and reached for the flask, pouring herself another glass. It was the last thing she needed but it gave her something to do for a moment. She set it down and leaned her elbows on the table and twisted sideways to meet his gaze. "That's because he who cannot be bested is the most blind to his own weakness until it becomes his downfall. So yes," she added, letting him have the satisfaction of her taking the bait. "Even a king such as you would benefit from a reminder of where his faults lie."

"You seem to think your words are wise." He regarded the stem of his glass, dark lashes fanned over his cheekbones. After a moment, he met her gaze again and the intensity lurking there made her stomach burn. "Yet you say them to someone who has ruled for over an age. How should I interpret such a mutinous claim?"

Seren sucked in a breath. She found herself unable to keep from replying against her better judgment. "You are the king. Toss me into the dungeon if you find my errant mouth so offensive."

Thranduil scoffed with a hint of his amusement. "Offensive? No. Fortunately for you, your errant mouth is not grounds for such a penalty and I would be robbed of the entertainment you present in trying to verbally engage me. Your audacity is admirable."

The crack smarted but Seren let it pass and spoke softly, though her words still carried to him. "I would have bowed out had you not insisted upon this exchange and you accuse me of gall when you think I've fallen short of your wit? The audacity to be admired here is yours. You started this." She tilted her head a little, eyes narrowing as she studied his expression. "And I think you like being challenged."

Thranduil's jaw had set while she spoke and he considered a reply but loud clapping erupted from where Legolas was opening his gifts and she turned from him and clapped with everyone else as the prince held a shining new bow up for all to see. She didn't look back to the king afterward and his pride wasn't going to let him provoke her again. He would wait until she had forgotten herself and addressed him later.

Seren felt warm with the awareness of Thranduil's presence behind her and it took every effort not to chance a look his way to see how he was absorbing her last remark. She didn't want to find out how he would turn it back on her so she settled back into her chair and focused on forgetting he was there. A part of her mind wondered why he had started their little standoff but, other than his boredom, she could think of no reason. It was probably the wine. Her own mouth had certainly run away with her because of it and she needed to not let herself say something spectacularly stupid.

Legolas continued going through his gifts and the night wore on. Occasionally Seren rose to get a closer look at his prizes. He had been given no less than three bows and they were all a different type for different tasks. He had shining quivers of arrows beyond counting as well as supplies for caring for his weapons. There were many new, small knives and a set of leathers. Seren began to feel self-conscious of her gift as he opened parcel after parcel of weaponry and things to care for said weaponry. He was a warrior. What good was a game to him and when would he have time to play it? Her spirits fell and when he finally reached the parcel she'd brought, she had to swallow the yell she wanted to issue for him to stop.

He met her eyes, smiling. "Finally, I will know what the big secret is."

Her smile was faulty but she managed it as the paper was torn from the box. Legolas took a moment to admire the polished wooden case, running gentle fingers over the vine carvings and set it down on the long table. He flicked the brushed steel latches open and raised the lid, eyes going round as a blank thin rectangle of wood with a green leaf on it greeted him. He lifted it and realized it was a hinged, folded square and opened it. His eyes went wide when he saw the numbered grid etched into the wood and then saw the bag of tiles and hurried to open it. Little squares of wood were spilled out onto the playing board and Legolas picked up one of the six trays Seren had commissioned. His features split with a huge grin as he looked over the pieces and the board and then unrolled the parchment with the rules on it. He gazed up at her, grinning an open-mouthed smile. "You made me a Scrabble game? In Elvish?"

Seren smiled and felt dizzyingly lightened as the weight of her worry lifted upon his reaction. "Well, I had help."

Legolas lifted a letter tile and stared at the back of it. Each piece was painted with a little green leaf and he smiled as he set it back down.

"That was your father's doing," Seren said of the leaves.

She thought of the evening Ceridwen released her from the infirmary. Thranduil had come into the library as she was finishing the gift and she had relented to his request to know what it was. Inevitably, as she explained the game, she wound up sharing memories of playing it with Legolas. Thranduil had simply let her go on. She liked to believe he appreciated hearing of the happier moments his son had during that time. When she retired, he asked if he could add his own touch and she agreed. The next morning, every piece bore a tiny verdant leaf on its back. When she asked about it, he said simply that his name meant 'Greenleaf'. It was a nice touch, she thought.

"Varis transcribed the rules and the carpenters cut the wood for me," Seren went on. "It was a group effort."

"Which began with your idea," Ceridwen put in.

Legolas smiled up at her and his gaze slipped sideways, telling her Thranduil had risen and approached her side. "Thank you." He spoke to his father and Seren felt a strange twinge of pain but a moment later, Legolas was in front of her and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her once. "Thank you Seren."

She returned the embrace, feeling her eyes sting a little. "I'm glad you like it."

"I love it!" He stepped back with a laugh. He looked at Thranduil, eyes bright. "We played this many times when I was on Earth! It's a fun game. Remember when I beat Tal?" He directed this to Seren.

She laughed. "I remember you pouting about me helping you when Tal said we were cheating. I would never have done such a thing."

"But it's in Elvish now!" He looked down at the game and then cast a slow, sly look to her. "Now you arethe one who needs help playing…"

"How is it played?" Nuinethir cut in.

Legolas grinned mischievously. "I will show you."

He called for four other players but Seren declined, content to watch him play though she did help explain to other elves what the rules were. The parchment bearing those rules was passed around as each player read them in turn and Seren returned to her chair, curling up in it to sip wine and watch.

Thranduil took his chair behind her again and after a time, he remarked, "He truly adores your gift."

Seren leaned her head back and to the side to look at him. "He appreciates everything he's received."

"Appreciates, yes," Thranduil agreed with a slight nod. "I think your gift brings him a measure of the kind of joy for which these celebrations were intended."

Seren smiled though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's very kind of you to say."

Her mind had become preoccupied with thoughts of her brother. It was times like these that she missed him most. One moment she was happy and the next, it felt agonizingly hollow because he was gone. Her heart thumped as she imagined that Tal would have been the one to teach the others Bruce's forms and how he and Legolas would have traded an argument over it and then, to be magnanimous, Taliesin would have offered to spar right then and there, much to Legolas's delight. She could see it all so clearly in her head that it hurt.

She rose from the table and slipped behind the group surrounding Legolas and her passing went unnoticed amid the cheery exchanges. Her strides were purposeful as she traveled the corridor outside the ballroom but the moonlight that spilled over her as she passed the arches cut into the stone stopped her. A long balcony outside beckoned and she stepped out into the night, gazing up at the sky.

It was silent and yet the air didn't feel still. She watched the stars and her turmoil eased until only the familiar heavy sadness remained. She couldn't let go of the thought that Tal should be alive even as the stars above soothed her with assurances that he had fulfilled his purpose and was at peace. She tried to imagine that. She had no photos, no memories, save those she had drawn and those she kept in her mind. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and memories played through her head. She wished all at once that she could stop it but she also didn't want to forget.

Thranduil stood in the dark of the hallway, watching Seren as she contemplated the sky. He'd followed her out, curious about her sudden departure. Now he could see that she was troubled and the sight of the stars seemed to bring her peace. He envied her for that. She shed her grief as she stood there, unaware of him. The moon and stars above seemed to hang a little lower and shine a bit softer for her. He chanced a step out onto the balcony and the light felt… like peace. The stars hummed inaudibly and imperceptibly in his thoughts.

He took a few more steps until he was near Seren but he withheld his question when he saw her profile. Her eyes had closed and she listened to the world. Sorrow etched her features and a gentle glow shone there. The light he had seen before in the vault and now he could see the shadow of Tal's loss lingering within it. When she opened her eyes again, the green was ablaze with the sapphire glow of the moon.

Suddenly aware she wasn't alone; she looked toward him and smiled sadly. "I miss him," she said, turning her attention to the little forest where Tal was buried.

Without a conscious thought to do so, Thranduil set a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"I know."

She inhaled a shaky breath. "I never told Legolas this… but there was a moment that Taliesin faltered. He wanted to protect me. If I had listened to him, I would still have my brother."

Thranduil slipped his hand away and clasped it with the other in front of him. "Could you have lived with the cost?"

She lowered her head. "No. I believed there was no one else who would go after Legolas and I couldn't just leave him to those suits and hope for the best. I didn't know we'd run into you."

"Quite literally," Thranduil replied, with a smirk.

Seren smiled at the reminder of how she had first met the king. It was disorienting to think of that moment from where she stood now.

Thranduil tilted his head. "Had that not occurred, I doubt I would have been able to retrieve Legolas before it was too late."

Seren blinked, surprise plain on her features. "Everyone has their faults, even I," he said with a pointed arched brow. "Pride is not of them, however. You are not the only one who has thought of that day, but there is no difference you or I might have made that would have saved everyone."

He turned toward the little forest and drew in a long breath. "You made your decision and so Taliesin made the only one that he could make. Had that been different, you might have your brother but I would mourn my son this day. He is the only memory I have…" he swallowed as the words stuck in his throat.

Seren studied him for a moment but turned toward the view beyond before speaking again. "He wishes he could recall her better. He remembers only glimpses."

From her periphery, she saw Thranduil jerk his head toward her, his expression equally horrified, wounded and no small amount of rage. She didn't meet his gaze, knowing she couldn't bear the weight of it. "He spoke of her the day after we buried Tal."

Thranduil's gaze bore into her profile and she stepped closer to the balcony's railing and laid her hands upon it. The cold stone steadied her nerves as she continued. "I think…" She felt outwardly braver than the jangling nerves within as she finally turned toward him. "He wishes it because you are alone in knowing what was lost – equally as much as he simply wishes to know his mother. This day of all days, you could share her with him. He would cherish no other gift more."

The air was heavy and still as they stared at one another. Thranduil vibrated within his skin where he stood. Conflicting reactions demanded immediate expression but none would he dare allow. He had no words, for many thoughts wanted to be spoken at once and the only one he didn't fear was the anger at Seren for daring to speak to him of such things. The insightful truth about Legolas was the only thing holding back his tongue. Everything else, he refused to utter.

Finally, the silence was broken when Seren breathed deep.

She could think of nothing else and she didn't want to chance what kind of response she'd get if he felt the expectation to respond by her continued presence, so she drifted past him and went back to the hallway.

What have I done…? She thought, watching him as he stood alone there under the moonlight. She continued on to her chambers for her sketchbook as she had planned, her nerves threatening to spill her to her doom from the numerous catwalks and platforms along the way.

When she returned to the celebration, Thranduil was nowhere in sight.