I did not eat too greedily at the feast, for I had a mind to dance for the remainder of the evening. There were a few songs immediately following the meal to allow a respite before more strenuous activity. One performance, a lay of the lost kingdom of Númeneor, sung by a lovely dark-haired female, was especially stirring. And as I caught sight of Belegorn during it, I found that the stirring could be more than for the song itself. I smiled to myself.

Everyone stood to continue their socializing while the tables were pulled to the side of the glade and subsequently laden with desserts of every type, wine, and mead. A few musicians were put in place out of the way to allow for more dancing, and so the music began.

I danced first with Belegorn, and then Legolas. After that I put some effort into convincing Thranduil to join me, but he preferred to stand apart and watch. And so I danced with the male members of the council, numbering nine, and then Legolas twice and Belegorn once more before taking another rest.

I poured myself some wine and stood by Thranduil, who maintained his cool composure in contrast to my excited energy.

"You should try to enjoy yourself," I told him. "Otherwise there is little reason for celebration."

"I enjoy watching you," he said. "And as you well know, I have never danced if I could help it."

"Then you cannot help it now," I took his glass and my now empty one and placed it on a table. "Your queen commands it."

He snorted, but allowed himself to be lead into the mass of dancers. "You may be my queen, but you are not my ruler."

"I did not say so," I said, and together we began to follow the other dancers. It was lively, but not so that it would not allow conversation. "I would think that a wife would take precedence over a sovereign, in any case."

"You are not wrong. I would hardly know what to do with myself if I had married a woman less…intense."

"Look over there," I hissed. "Belegorn is dancing with that singer. Do you think he likes her?"

"He most certainly does," Thranduil said after confirming my sight. "I do not know her name, but she seems to always be at the bouting ring when I am training him."

I let this thought sink in, and tried to stare at them longer, but Thranduil swung me in the opposite direction so that his shoulder obstructed my view. "Spoilsport," I muttered.

"You should allow them a measure of privacy," he said. "Otherwise they will continue to be timid and wondering for a great many years, and I cannot bear the thought of having a moon-eyed son for an overly long time."

"Is there a lady that Legolas favors, then, if you are such an expert in the courting of youth?"

He frowned. "You would know better than I."

"Hmm," I looked for Legolas, and saw that he was not dancing, but mingling with a trio of wardens. I sighed. "He seems a recluse. I suppose that fault it mine."

"Fault cannot be placed. We agreed to separate the twins."

"And now I wished I had not agreed," I said. "For I know Belegorn but a little, you and Legolas hardly have a relationship to speak of."

The song stopped, and we paused to applaud the musicians. I surmised that we would depart from the dancing to continue our conversation, but Thranduil surprised me by pulling me into the next set of steps, a slower song to which he held me close.

"I do not dance as a general rule," he said to my confused expression. "But anything becomes pleasurable when you are my partner."

I gave him a smile then, which he returned, and we did not speak for a few moments. I began to hum along to the music, and I closed my eyes to enjoy it more, trusting the king with my body completely.

"Caradel," Thranduil said softly. "We must decide the future of our family."

I opened my eyes, and saw that he was quite serious. "I do not think we should be deciding anything," I said. "They are of age; they may certainly choose their own paths now."

"Do you truly think so?" he sounded surprised. "From Legolas's behavior towards you, I have deduced that he accepts and anticipates commands quite well, from a parent or a liege."

"He has always expected them until now," I agreed. "But I see no reason that he should not be given agency."

"I suppose."

The music ended once more. "I will hand you over to your next partner," Thranduil said, bowing over my hand, which he was caressing gently. "Pray do not let an old warg like me spoil your fun."

"I haven't yet," I said, winking at him as a soldier came to claim me.

I continued dancing, enjoying none as much as the two numbers I had had with my husband, but laughing along gamely as the clamor continued to rise in volume. Servants brought more and more wine, which was disappearing faster with each bottle. Sweat began to drip off of me, and my partners began to stumble. I had decided to cease my dancing, and perhaps talk to Thranduil of ending the party, when a row involving the king and my son caught my eye.

Thranduil and Belegorn were arguing! I could not believe that they would do so, especially in public, and I wondered as to the cause. Legolas was no-where to be found, and were it not for my hands being held tightly I would have intervened, but I could not escape from the crowd. The quarrel seemed to reach its climax, and the attention of all present was now caught. The music faltered, and I pulled myself from my partner's hold.

Belegorn had stomped away from his father, and with his wineglass in hand, leaped onto a table. All stared at him in the tense silence.

"My mother has named me Roimë, the Hunter of the King, and now I must prove myself!" he bellowed.

I hid my face in my hands in embarrassment. Was I to be the culprit of this folly, then?

"Ere three nights pass, I will bring the head of the fabled white stag to my father! At this, none may refuse to accept my right and my heritage." He stepped down from the table, now looking a bit unsteady on his feet. I pushed my way through the murmuring crowd, and caught his forearm before he took a tumble.

"Fool," I hissed into his ear, and began to pull him from the party, my fingers clenching his arm in a vice-like grip that would leave bruises on mortal races. Thranduil had already left the scene, and I steered Belegorn, who seemed barely conscious and was completely unresistant, into the city. The mountain air and cool walls were a relief from the humid stickiness, and I breathed deeply to fill my lungs. A wintery party indeed! I had rarely felt such warmth. I fumed as the noise faded behind us, my pace not at all weakened from the dancing. I did not stop until we arrived at the king's study, to which the door was ajar, and I finally loosed my grip on my son's arm so that I could shut the door. The near-slam shook the walls, and Belegorn fell to his knees, groaning.

"By the Valar, Mother, could you not be gentler with a soul poor as I?" he moaned.

My jaw was clenched tightly, and so I did not reply. I met Thranduil's gaze. He was standing behind his desk, and his anger matched mine.

"You are a fool," he said, his dangerously low voice matching my assessment of Belegorn's behavior. "To vow such an idiotic action! It is only worsens your character that you acted out so violently in a setting where others may witness your stupidity!"

Belegorn winced, and I did not blame him. If Thranduil had used such a tone on me, I would have forsaken the forest for the life of a hermit to hide so utterly. "This is not my fault," he said, visibly trying to keep his voice steady. "I hold you culpable, for you have denied me all adventure for the entirety of my life. Why should I not leave the palace, now that am I full-grown?"

I was surprised to hear this as Belegorn's reasoning. "That is your quarrel?" I asked.

He got to his feet laboriously, and straightened his shoulders to face me. "This is my quarrel, Mother," he confirmed in a clear voice. "You of all should understand, even if Father refuses to."

Thranduil's lips almost disappeared, so thinly they were compressed.

"You wish for adventure," I said, indignation making more plain spoken than normal. "So have it. Catch your ruddy stag, and come back the well-mannered man you are grown enough to be."

The king started, but he did not interfere. Belegorn nodded once, and not daring to continue where he may not come out the winner, quickly left the room.

Thranduil did not speak for moment. Then, "Fortunately the stag is impossible to catch. Otherwise I might be angry at you for allowing him this liberty."

I suddenly felt exhausted, for the activities that I had been involved with since dawn, and Belegorn's outburst. I sighed, and crossed the room to pass into our bedroom. "Help me with the ties on this dress, will you?" I said.

The king followed me and helped me from my dress, which I shrugged onto the floor unceremoniously. I washed my face quickly from a basin sitting on my vanity, and fell naked onto the heavy covers of our bed. The first lights of dawn began to show through the window, and my mind released its consciousness.