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Home, Sweet Home
Legolas' sister Nímloth congratulated him with a warm hug, and Nímloth' daughters, Melloth and Gilloth, converged on him not a moment later. Lothlomë, Legolas' younger sister, tackled him clear to the floor in her enthusiasm.
Lothlomë, Gilloth and Melloth were of an age, though Lothlomë was the twins' aunt as well as classmate. The last of their little group, another adolescent named Lauruial, also congratulated the Prince as she pulled Lothlomë up from the floor. Tathar dragged Legolas to his feet, taking his new duty as bodyguard quite seriously as he glared at the little ellyth.
Lothelleth dropped by Legolas' room while he was bathing. She chattered through the partition, congratulating him on his performance in the Trials, and bustled around, ensuring that all was in order. When she had left, and Legolas came out of the bath, he found that his tunic and breeches had been removed, and in their place was an elegant pale blue formal tunic, with contrasting hose. A quick search for other clothes revealed that the only wearable items in Legolas' rooms were the formal outfit. Wigh a defeated sigh, Legolas put on the stiff clothing, idly wondering why Lothelleth felt the need to take away all of his comfortable clothes. It was nearly dinnertime, and he was getting quite hungry by the time he had washed the dirt of the road off himself.
Everyone sat for dinner, waiting until Nímloth' husband arrived, for he was late, as usual. Bragolaglor was a warrior, but also a diplomat, and the Crown Prince often lost track of the time while assisting with the day-to-day demands of the kingdom. Legolas would have assumed that today had been another lapse in his brother-in-law's bodyclock, if not for the fact that Bragolaglor wore his mithril circlet, the crown of the Crowned Prince.
Bragolaglor took Legolas by the hand, pulling him to his feet, before kneeling on one knee before the young Prince.
Legolas gaped dumbly as Bragolaglor removed the mithril band from his forehead, and offered it to Legolas.
"Prince Legolas," Bragolaglor said solemnly, as the whole family watched in silence, "I, Crowned Prince Bragolaglor of Eryn Galen, present to you today your birthright. It has never been my intent to be heir to your father's throne, and indeed, Nímloth never wanted the position she holds as Crowned Princess, either. As such, in accordance with our laws, it is within my right to pass my crown to the next in line to the Throne, as you have now come of age, my brother. Will you take this honour?"
Legolas finally pulled himself together. He reached for the mithril, and as his hands met Bragolaglor's, he asked, "Can I give it to one of the Loths when she passes her Trials?"
Bragolaglor grinned. "That's what I said when your father informed me I had to take the crown if I wished to marry Nímloth. Yes, you can. Actually, as my daughters will be before you in the line of succession when they are recognised as adults, you may have to."
Finally, Legolas accepted the crown. "I take this crown with an oath," he said, desperately hoping that he wasn't saying something wrong or missing some long-forgotten tradition. "I take this crown with the promise to protect my King, that I might never have to take his crown, and I swear to do my part in the defence of this Realm. Furthermore, I will pass this crown on when the time comes, as I am only a caretaker of the position of Crown Prince."
Applause met Legolas' ears and he realised that he had an audience, for the feast hall, of which one end held the family's dining area (which had been curtained off before Bragolaglor entered the room) was filled with Elves.
Bragolaglor took the crown back out of Legolas' grasp, and placed it firmly on the new Crown Prince's head. Legolas bowed to the people, feeling his cheeks burning with both pride and embarrassment, and then turned to bow to his father. The King rose, and blessed Legolas with a kiss on the forehead and a few words.
Dinner turned into a feast, to celebrate the new Crown Prince, and Legolas noticed that Nímloth had removed her own crown, setting it on the table before her father the King.
There would be no Crowned Princess of the Greenwood until either Legolas married or he presented the crown to one of Nímloth's daughters.
The welcome-home dinner became a feast, as kitchen staff brought out many dishes, and finally Legolas could eat. Across the hall, he caught Tathar's eye, as his new bodyguard gave him a thumbs-up and a wide grin. Beside him, Aldanna's bright hair caught the light, her blonde locks bright among the more numerous brunettes. She winked and wolf-whistled, and Legolas smiled to her, for he was glad to have support from his closest friends.
Legolas' attention was brought back to the table when his mother placed a large helping of venison on his plate, chattering away. Cheeks burning, Legolas protested, but Aldariel insisted on filling his plate, saying, "Legolas, dear, you haven't even looked at the table. There will be a dance to celebrate your new status, and you don't want to faint from hunger on your first night on the job! Now eat your greens."
"Nana, I am not a child anymore. Nay, I am a full adult by our law!"
"Yes, dear, and you are the Crown Prince. This feast is in your honour, and you must greet your people after the feast."
Legolas accepted that his mother would never stop mothering him, and obediently ate his vegetables. More to his liking were the meat dishes, and oh! there was such variety! Venison, duck, lamb and turkey dishes decorated the table, and in the main part of the hall each table was filled to groaning with similar dishes.
Once upon a time, when Legolas was a child, he would have filled his pockets with the choicest treats from dessert to share with his friends, who sat in the main hall with their own families. Tonight, though, Legolas would have no opportunity to sneak pastries from the table. When the feast started to wind down, Thranduil asked Legolas to accompany him through the hall. Legolas agreed immediately, of course, leaping to his feet in a slightly over-enthusiastic manner. Thranduil chuckled, offered an arm, and commented, "Don't be nervous. They are they same people you grew up with. The only difference is that you now have rank. Just smile and be charming."
Legolas swallowed his sudden nerves, straightened his spine, and met his father's blue eyes. "I'm ready," he declared. Thranduil smiled, an excited gleam in his eye.
"I won't throw you to the dogs, I promise. I'll be there every step of the way, if you need me."
Legolas nodded, met Bragolaglor's encouraging eyes, and stepped down from the dias, his father at his side. The mithril circlet seemed to weigh upon his head, but he slapped a smile onto his face, covering his acute discomfort with the sudden shift of attention, as every eye in the hall came to rest upon his person.
They reached the flat floor, and Thranduil signalled Legolas to pause with a gentle pressure on his arm, barely noticeable to those in attendance. "I present Legolas Thranduilion, Crown Prince of Eryn Galen!" Thranduil announced.
The elves cheered, some of the younger ones starting a chant, (Leg-o-las! Leg-o-las! Crown Prince Greenleaf, Leg-o-las!) which quickly spread to the majority of the elves in the hall.
Legolas stepped forward, his father half a step behind. He approached the closest group of Elves, who had been seated on either side of the aisle, but were now standing, ready to officially meet their Crown Prince.
They were a group of healers, and Legolas approached the chief healers first. "Lady Cûldol, Lady Caranfínríl," he greeted them each with a kiss upon the hand, "I am glad to see you here today, my Ladies."
"We wouldn't miss this for the world, my dear," Caranfínríl answered, while her sister Cûldol nodded in agreement.
"We knew the day you were born that you would amount to greatness," Cûldol added.
"This is but the first step on your journey, never stop reaching for the stars, my dear heart," Caranfínríl finished, kissing Legolas on the hand this time. The red haired sisters stepped back, allowing some other healers to greet Legolas.
The whole time, Legolas was vaguely aware of his father's silent support, and he was most grateful for it. Though he had always eaten at the Royal table during formal occasions, he had never been treated as royalty before, and the sudden change was intimidating as much as anything else. As a child in a time when few children were born, Legolas had always been treasured by all the adult elves, but this was something else entirely, and he was glad for the familiar presence at his back.
Soon, they moved on to a group of warriors and their families, and Legolas found himself greeting those he considered his family. Tathar's parents were Neldororn and Lothelleth, a warrior and a seneschal. Tathar greeted Legolas solemnly, mimicking his father.
Lothellon, the King's bodyguard and Lothelleth's brother, greeted Legolas next, followed by his wife Ladlaurë and their son. Brethilríl had tears in his eyes, and he bowed to Legolas deeply with a hand over his heart. Legolas' own heart ached to see his friends – whim he considered brothers – treating him in such a way, for he was used to casual jibes and wrestling in the mud.
"Prince Legolas," Lothellon said, his deep voice commanding Legolas' undivided attention. "You do your job, and let my nephew do his. He is competent enough to keep you alive, if my training has made any impression upon him at all."
The next face Legolas greeted was beaming with unspeakable pride, as Lady Silivren, the Queen's bodyguard and Aldanna's mother, curtseyed to Legolas, placing a delicate kiss on his hand. "Lady Silivren," he greeted his de facto aunt with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.
"Prince Legolas," she returned, eyes sparkling with pride. "You were always destined for something greater than this forest. Do not let your duties to the palace interfere with your duties to the realm, regardless of how pressing they may seem. There will always be others to see to the Halls. Do not let your duty to your realm come before your duty to this world. Being Crown Prince is not like being a bodyguard, where all else falls in the wake of protecting your charge. You carry the hope of this realm in you, and if we must face the Dark without our King to lead us, it is to you whom we will look for hope. You are a warrior, and someday you will be a great warrior. We cannot afford to have you sitting in some dusty library when the Watchful Peace is coming to its end."
With those heavy words on his mind, Legolas greeted his mother's brother Malthon, the warrior-healer. Malthon looked deep into Legolas' eyes, and said simply, "Don't get yourself killed. We will have need of you before the end."
Legolas nodded solemnly, and turned to greet their daughter, Aldanna, his cousin and his closest friend. She stepped up to his side, and he realised that she must have been forewarned of tonight's celebrations, for instead of her usual tunic and breeches, she wore a flowing ballgown. Gems glittered at her throat, and tucked into her neatly twisted hair was a jewelled comb.
Legolas offered Aldanna an arm, which she gently placed her own deceptively delicate hand on. Thranduil, a satisfied smile gracing his majestic visage, returned to the dias and his family to watch from a distance as Legolas continued to make the rounds.
The tables were cleared away while Legolas and Aldanna greeted the warriors, and soon the space was made available for dancing. Many pairs stared a jaunty woodland folk dance, and soon Legolas was greeting the craftsmen, including Eregalen, Miruial, Rílmir and finally Taurwen, the baker.
Taurwen was married to the butler, Galion, who appeared at just the right moment to greet Legolas and Aldanna with his wife and daughter. Tauriel, recently appointed to the King's Guard, was only a decade or so older than Legolas, and they had shared many training sessions over the last century. "I wish you well," Tauriel said to Legolas, and her mother then took Legolas' attention, asking if he had enjoyed the berry pies.
Finally, everyone had officially met the Crown Prince, and Legolas was wearied of hearing well-wishes and well-intentioned advice. Aldanna steered him to the bar, where good wine was being served by the barrel, and he gratefully took a glass to wet his dry throat.
The band started up a much-loved song, one which Legolas and Aldanna enjoyed dancing to. They made their way to the dance floor, and the elves made a wide space, allowing the Corwn Prince the floor. Slightly embarrassed, Legolas bowed to Aldanna, who curtseyed back, and the crowd clapped the beat as they started the familiar dance. It took seemingly no time at all for Legolas to forget his anxieties about appearing in front of the crowd, and his looming official duties, for he was absorbed in the dance, his heart pulsing with the beat of the song, and Aldanna's green eyes and exuberant smile encouraged him to just dance.
Soon other pairs joined the dance, and Legolas finally relaxed, enjoying the night. It was quite some time before he managed to escape the hall to catch some cool night air, and he had many conversations (of which he remembered little afterwards).
The moon rose and fell, and dawn broke over an unusually quiet forest, for the people had been celebrating long into the night.