Okay, I lied. The next chapter is the really long one. But here is Chapter 6 for you to enjoy in the mean time. Don't forget to review and check out my other stories! Enjoy!
After several weeks of dinner and trail rides with Ellissiel, Thranduil felt it was time to share his surprise with her. He waited for her outside the stable, leaning against the wall, tapping his fingers on his arm as he waited impatiently.
"Good afternoon," Ellissiel said, smiling as she appeared out of the trees. "What are you doing out here?"
"I have a surprise for you," Thranduil said, smiling at her as he stood upright and walked towards her.
"Should I be worried?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Not at all, but I'm going to make you close your eyes."
"Now I am worried," Ellissiel said, eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. "What are you up to?"
"You will see," he said eagerly. "Now close your eyes."
"Alright, but if I end up flat on my face, I'm going to hurt you," she said, consenting to close her eyes. He took her hands and led her slowly into the stable, a grin plastered on his face.
"Not much further," he said, turning her around a corner.
"I sure hope not. The suspense is killing me."
"Okay, open your eyes."
There was a small gasp from Ellissiel when she opened her eyes. She quickly ran forward, leaving Thranduil incredibly pleased behind her.
"Oh isn't he beautiful?!" Ellissiel cried, looking down at a coal black foal with a white mane and tail. "How old is he?"
"About four months now," Thranduil said, looking over her shoulder at him. "His sire is Arandil."
"Well Arandil must be a proud father, to have such a handsome son," Ellissiel said. She looked up at Thranduil, excitement all over her face. "Can I pet him?"
"You can do whatever you like with him," Thranduil replied. "He is yours."
"What?" Ellissiel said, pure shock on her face.
"He is yours. Seeing as I have a horse, I don't really need another now do I? I want you to have him. It's about time you had a horse of your own, and I know you will take good care of him."
"Thank you, thank you!" Ellissiel cried, hugging Thranduil tightly. "You don't know what this means to me." He was incredibly surprised when she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek before opening the gate and going into the stall for a closer look, but he was far from upset about it. He was thrilled, grinning broadly as Ellissiel crouched down and started talking to the colt softly.
"What are you going to name him?" Thranduil asked once his heartbeat had slowed down again.
"How about Arahil? Noble Heir, after his father, Noble Friend."
"Perfect," Thranduil said, though he wasn't just referring to the name. This moment was perfect, watching Ellissiel coo over the young colt, knowing that she was happy enough to have kissed his cheek in gratitude. He knew that no matter how many years passed in his immortal life, he would never forget this moment.
Ellissiel was so caught up in her new horse that she and Thranduil did not make it out for a ride. It took a great deal of persuasion for the prince to simply get her to leave the stables and join him for dinner.
"Come on, Lissi," he said with a laugh as he put his arm around her shoulders as they started walking out of the stable, the elleth turning to look at the colt behind her. "He isn't going anywhere. You can come back after you've had a good meal.
"Alright," she said with a sigh, letting him lead her out of the stable as they walked towards the dining hall. Ellissiel was quiet for a while, before she looked up at Thranduil, who still had his arm around her. "You really don't know what this means to me, Thranduil," she said softly as he looked down at her. "I have never gotten a gift that has meant more to me than this."
"It makes my heart glad to hear it," Thranduil said with a smile. He meant it too. "I am certain that no one could have more appreciation and love for him than you."
"I know my father will have some words with you at some point," Ellissiel said with a grin. "He might be resentful, because now he is going to have to try and top this for my begetting day."
"Oh?" Thranduil said, very interested in this conversation. "When would that be?"
"Next month. On the first day of autumn."
"Well I shall have no trouble remembering that," Thranduil said cheerfully. "I do hope you will attend the Autumn Festival that night."
"We have altogether too many festivals," Ellissiel said with a sigh. "I would really rather not."
"Please?" Thranduil said, stopping so he could look down at her properly. They were almost to the dining hall, and he didn't want her to get away without promising to go. "I would be very happy if you did."
"I feel like I can't say no to any request you make now, my lord, after you gave me such a wonderful gift." Thranduil could think of several requests that he was certain would not go over so well if he were to ask them of her, but he just smiled.
"Excellent! If you do not come, I will hunt you down and bring you there myself."
"Prince Thranduil! And this must be Lady Ellissiel."
The two elves looked up to see Lord Celeborn walking towards them, his arms open and a smile on his face.
"My lord," Ellissiel said, curtseying as he approached. Celeborn smiled down at her as he put his arms around her and Thranduil, steering them into the dining hall.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I am surprised I have not had the pleasure before, since your father is a good friend and adviser."
"I rarely join my father for formal events, my lord, so it is my fault we have not met before."
"That is quite alright, we have met now and it is truly an honor." He stopped, letting go of Ellissiel and Thranduil and looking between them. "What were you both up to today?"
"Prince Thranduil has kindly given me a foal to raise, my lord," Ellissiel said, beaming at Thranduil, who looked down at her with a smile before his eyes went back to Celeborn. He was wary of what Lord Celeborn was going to do, now that he had taken the time to introduce himself to Ellissiel.
"Indeed?" Celeborn said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Thranduil. "That is quite a gift."
"As I told Lady Ellissiel, I have no need for another horse, and I can think of no one who can love him more than she will."
"With that kind of recommendation, I am sure the foal will be well cared for indeed," Celeborn said, smiling down at Ellissiel. "I will let the two of you enjoy your dinner now. It was a pleasure, my lady." He turned and disappeared towards the other end of the dining hall where he joined a table of advisers and friends.
"Sorry about that," Thranduil said, relieved that Celeborn had not made a bigger fuss. "There are Balamaethor and Lithiavas." The two elves went and joined their friends, who greeted them as they sat.
"Where's Novathin?" Ellissiel asked as she started filling her plate.
"He'll be here soon. He had some work to do," Balamaethor assured her.
"How was riding?" Lithiavas asked with a smirk, knowing full well Thranduil had intended to give Ellissiel the colt today.
"We didn't ride today," Ellissiel said, her face lighting up with a smile. "Thranduil gave me a horse, and I just couldn't leave him. He is so beautiful."
"Wow, a horse," Lithiavas said in mock surprise, earning a glare from Thranduil. "That is an impressive gift."
"Generally I would never accept something so grand," Ellissiel said, her smile never leaving her face. "But I really wanted him."
"How are you ever going to repay him for something like that?" Balamaethor asked, earning a kick from Thranduil under the table. Ellissiel noticed Balamaethor wince and looked at him questioningly before answering.
"I don't think I ever can, but he made me promise to go to the Autumn Festival, even though it is my begetting day and he should be nice to me and not make me go," she said, glaring up at Thranduil.
"You will thank me later," Thranduil said, smiling at her cheekily. He chose to ignore the snickering across the table.
"What did I miss?" Novathin asked, taking a seat next to Ellissiel.
"Thranduil gave Lissi a horse and in return she has to go to the Autumn Festival on her begetting day," Balamaethor said as Novathin began eating hungrily. "Did you skip lunch or something?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Novathin said, swallowing his mouthful of food. "So, a horse huh? Does this mean no more horse thefts?"
"Well I still have a while before he is old enough to ride," Ellissiel said with a laugh. "So we will see."
"You know you are always free to take Arandil out," Thranduil said, taking a sip from his goblet. "I will be sure to let you know if I need him for something beforehand."
"I might have to take you up on that offer," Ellissiel said happily. "If I can ever tear myself away from Arahil. I was thinking about sleeping in the stables tonight."
"Your family is going to hate me for giving him to you, aren't they?" Thranduil said, shaking his head.
"Probably. But you've made me the happiest elleth in the world."
Thranduil walked Ellissiel home after dinner as usual, knowing that he probably wasn't going to be very welcome in her house tonight after she shared her news. But he didn't care, since Ellissiel was still chatting endlessly about how happy she was to have the foal and her plans to take care of him.
"Here goes nothing," he said, smiling down at her as they stood outside her door. She just smiled up at him and opened the door, pulling him inside after her.
"Good evening Lissi, Prince Thranduil," Minuial said with a smile, looking up at both of them from the couch where she sat with a cup of tea and a book. "How was your ride?"
"We didn't ride today, naneth," Ellissiel said with a grin, gripping Thranduil's arm tightly.
"Why not?" Dintieron asked as he entered the room, having heard his daughter's voice from his study.
"I just couldn't leave the stables," Ellissiel said, watching her father sit down on the couch beside her mother. "Thranduil gave me the best gift ever."
"A gift?" Minuial asked, looking up at Thranduil questioningly. "What kind of gift?"
"He gave me a horse!" Ellissiel said excitedly. Thranduil braced himself for her father's anger.
"A horse?" he asked, his surprise beating out his anger as he looked up at Thranduil. "You got her a horse?"
"My horse sired the colt," Thranduil said, hoping he wasn't going to get on the elf's bad side with this information. "I do not need another horse, and considering how much Lissi loves them, I thought she would take good care of him."
"Oh, so she is just taking care of him for now."
"No, he is hers as long as she wants him," Thranduil said, feeling the eyes of both of her parents watching him intently. "I did not mean to cause trouble, I just felt that Ellissiel would be able to care for him better than anyone else."
"She has never owned a horse before," Minuial said softly. "Are you sure?"
"I will help her get started, but I am sure she will do a fine job with him."
"Well, he is yours to give, so we cannot object," Dintieron said with a sigh. "I do hope you are sure about this."
"I am," Thranduil said, his face showing his determination.
"I promise I will take good care of him," Ellissiel said, still clinging to Thranduil but looking at her parents pleadingly. "I will make sure he is raised and trained properly."
"Alright dear, we believe you," Minuial said with a smile at her daughter. "But you are not going to sleep out in the stable tonight." Ellissiel groaned in disappointment. Minuial shifted her gaze to Thranduil before continuing. "Thank you for your gift, Prince Thranduil. I genuinely do not think I have ever seen my daughter so happy."
"It is my pleasure, my lady," Thranduil said, bowing his head. "But I really should be going. Goodnight, my lord. My lady. I will see you later, Lissi."
"Goodnight Thranduil," Ellissiel said, kissing his cheek again before letting him go. "Thank you again." Thranduil just smiled at her before disappearing out the door. After the door clicked shut again, Ellissiel's parents looked around at her again.
"That is quite a gift you received today," Dintieron said pensively. "You must be very special to the prince."
"He is just so sweet, isn't he?" Ellissiel said happily. "I need to go take a bath, since I can't go back to the barn tonight." She gleefully walked out of the room, her smile never faltering. Her parents waited for her door to close before they started talking again.
"What do you think this means?" Dintieron asked his wife, his brow furrowed. "That is not just something you give to a friend. Especially one you have only known for a couple months."
"I think it means that the young prince is trying to do everything in his power to make Lissi happy," Minuial said with a smile. "I think there is a very good chance he loves her."
"I am not sure how I feel about this," Dintieron said, his suspicions confirmed. "I think he should have asked us before giving her a horse."
"He didn't ask her to marry him," Minuial said with a laugh. "At least, not yet. It was a gift. We should be happy that he has developed such a good relationship with Lissi. She can't go her entire life with only Althrin as a friend."
"Perhaps, but I wonder how Althrin will feel about this new development," Dintieron said soberly. "We both know he would marry Ellissiel in a heartbeat."
"Ultimately it is her choice, not ours," Minuial said, kissing her husband's cheek as she stood. "She may choose neither of them. She certainly appears oblivious about their feelings for her, though she has become close to Prince Thranduil much faster than I would have anticipated."
"I guess I should be happy my little girl is so oblivious and just enjoy it while it lasts," Dintieron said with a small smile before he stood and followed his wife into the kitchen.
"What do you want to show me?" Althrin asked as Ellissiel dragged him out of his door to some unknown destination. He was very pleased that Ellissiel had showed up at his house early in the morning, eager to show him something that was apparently very important to her. He felt like he was seeing less and less of her since she had started spending time with Prince Thranduil.
"You will see!" she said enthusiastically, not looking back. When they arrived outside the stables, Althrin became confused.
"What are we doing here?" he asked, looking up at the building as he was dragged inside. Ellissiel didn't say anything, just pulled him down rows of stalls towards the far side of the building.
"Ta da!" she said, stopping in front of a small stall, beaming as she looked down at the colt that lay curled up inside. He lifted his head and looked at them with his dark brown eyes. Althrin looked back, confused.
"It's a horse. What am I suppose to be looking at?"
"Isn't he beautiful?" Ellissiel said, leaning against the stall, looking at the foal happily.
"I suppose," Althrin said, not seeing what the big deal was. "You're not going to steal him are you?"
"Don't have to," Ellissiel said, looking around at him, beaming. "He's mine."
"Yours?" Althrin said, shocked. "Your father let you get a horse?"
"He wasn't too happy about it, but he relented in the end," Ellissiel said, opening the stall and beckoning for him to follow her inside. The colt stood up and came towards her curiously.
"How did you convince him to let you have it?"
"He really didn't have much of a choice after Thranduil gave him to me." Althrin paused, suddenly very interested in the colt.
"Thranduil gave him to you?" he asked, not liking that idea one bit. "Why?"
"He said he doesn't need another horse and thought I would take good care of him. I named him Arahil. Arandil is his sire."
Althrin was at a loss as to how to respond to this news. He just watched Ellissiel scratching the colt's nose as she fed him a carrot. To him, Thranduil had clearly demonstrated his intentions with this gift. And it did not look good for Althrin. Ellissiel had been given the one thing she had wanted more than anything else. He knew her begetting day was coming up soon, and now Athrin felt the pressure. He had to come up with a gift that was even more remarkable than this horse. He wasn't sure what, but he would think of something. Hopefully.