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Many years had passed; the world had grown gradually more and more peaceful. Well, maybe not entirely peaceful. Just a watchful peace. Thranduil still stationed guards around the borders; occasional orc raids weren't entirely uncommon. But everything was as close to normal without being normal as it would get. The council decided to lay off the young king, at least for a while. Things were finally getting done. Corps and regiments rebuilt, armories restocked.
And yet there were still the days when Thranduil would have to relieve the moment his father died, over and over again in millions of different excruciating ways, until he finally woke up in the darkest of nights, drenched in sweat that felt too much like blood. There were the days that Thranduil barely made it out of his rooms, so tired because he had stayed up all night trying not to fall asleep so the nightmares wouldn't come back to plague him.
But there were the days that the sun rose, shining, and everything in the world seemed new and beautiful and wonderful again, and life seemed like an adventure. When the flowers bloomed and the grass was green, the wind a light breeze in the air. Everything was made new; nothing was the same as before.
Pulling himself back to reality, Thranduil gazed up at the sky, the flame of the little fire flickering merrily. The stars were dusted across the velvety sky, as it was every night of the year. Irien sat beside him, poking a stick into the fire and tapping a rhythm with her feet.
"It's so quiet," she said.
"Even better," Thranduil replied. She laughed a little in response.
The two chatted for a bit; the new lieutenant in her corps, jokes about the pestering fly in the room during a select council meeting, and the new foal that a prize mare had birthed. Thranduil chuckled to himself, going on about a story with his own trusty stallion and a carrot he once had in a pocket. He paused, waiting for a laugh from Irien. He turned around, frowning.
She had fallen asleep, head leaned up against the knotted trunk. Strangely enough, she looked much younger asleep, though that didn't count for much, in the lives of elves. Thranduil smiled and laid a cloak over her knees. He turned and leaned against another tree, continuing his vigil of the stars, reveling in the silence of the forest.
He wasn't entirely sure how long he spent merely sitting and thinking. But at one point in the night, Irien stirred and woke.
"You should have woken me up," she said when she finally came to.
Thranduil shrugged.
Irien shook her head disapprovingly. She followed his gaze up at the sky, then too turned her gaze up at the stars. "I could look at them forever," she said.
Thranduil smiled.
As if pulling herself away from dreams, Irien said matter-of-factly, "Well, I ought to head back inside. Meetings to prepare for and whatnot."
The two rose, the merry flames still crackling in the night.
"I cannot thank you enough for what you've done; how you've helped," Thranduil said as he turned to face Irien. Her bright blue eyes shone in the starlight.
"There is nothing to thank, my lord," Irien replied.
Thranduil shook his head. "No," he said finally.
She smiled.
So, hardly daring to breathe, he reached out a hand to take hers, running his thumb over the smooth mountains and valleys of her knuckles. Irien didn't let go, her smile growing. To Irien, it was like the first warm summer breeze, full of promises and adventures, laughs and that pure love of life. She brought an arm to his back, drawing him closer. Their eyes locked, piercing blue to a caramel brown.
"Together?" she whispered, barely louder than the rustle of the trees.
"How else?" Thranduil replied. He looked to the twinkling stars again, and thought he could see the smiling face of his father, up there in the sky. And finally, with a slight nod, Thranduil finally let Oropher go. A single tear rolled down his cheek as something released its cold grip around his soul. Irien reached up to trace the outline of his face with delicate fingers, brushing away his tears. The world slowly righted itself, and Thranduil Oropherion felt his heart grow, grow and grow.