A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers! I'm sorry it took so long for the long gap in between updates, but here's two in one day!

Pairings: Thranduil/OFC

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Chapter 11: Gems for Thought

Brinya found her sister sitting alone outside the dining hall. "Where are your attendants?" she demanded.

Anoria shrugged, "I told them to go and enjoy themselves." She sounded solemn.

Brinya gently laid her hand on her shoulder, "I don't like you being out here like this on your own. It might not be safe."

Anoria looked at her like she'd grown a third eye, "This is the safest place around. It's why father sent us here."

Brinya felt a little guilty for making her sister worry. She was such an innocent soul. Unfortunately innocent souls often get taken advantage of. Brinya was afraid that it would take an unpleasant event to make her sister see that there was more to life than sunshine and daisies. Sometimes people had darker sides. "Father keeps you guarded night and day when we're at home. He would never forgive me if something happened to you." She had accepted her role as her sister's keeper a long time ago.

Anoria looked at her with her large brown eyes, "Do you really think there's anyone here who might wish me harm? Anyway, I'm not the one who's important anymore."

Brinya put her back to the wall and let her feet slowly slide further away from her until she sank into a sitting position. "Is that really what you think? That you're not important?"

Anoria shook her head sheepishly, "Of course not," she said, "I was being infantile. It's just that I can hardly believe it. It never occurred to me when we came here that I might have to go home alone."

Brinya hadn't thought of it quite in those terms. She saw now that she wouldn't be leaving with her sister, whenever that happened. She tried to seem upbeat, "It's not as though you're going very far away. We'll be neighbors and we can visit each other as often as we like."

"I suppose that's true, but how often have we visited this place before? If Father didn't think we were in danger, we might never have come here."

"That was because we had no reason to," Brinya said firmly. She could not allow her sister or herself to believe that the small distance between Mirkwood and Balinor would cause her a great separation from her family. "Now that I'm here you'll have to visit often, and of course I'll come to see you, too."

"Have you written to Father and Mother yet?"

"Not yet. I don't know what to say."

Suddenly Anoria asked, "Why didn't you say anything to me this morning? I had to find out with everyone else."

Brinya bit her lip, "I was so afraid that King Thranduil would change his mind. I thought that maybe he had gotten what he wanted last night and he wouldn't want to see me again."

Anoria made a gasping noise and Brinya realized that she was doubled over in a fit of laughter. "You thought that he had proposed to you to get you into bed? I'm not an expert, but I don't think it usually works that way. Wouldn't he have not proposed to you, if all he wanted was to get you into bed?"

Brinya swatted her playfully, "Don't make fun of me. I don't know how these things work."

Anoria laughed even harder and said, "I bet after last night you know exactly how these things work. Maybe before my wedding night I should get you to instruct me."

Soon the two of them were clutching their sides, their whole bodies shaking with laughter. As the giggles subsided, Brinya grew serious. "So you're not angry with me?"

Anoria grew equally calm, "I wish you had told me, but no. I'm not angry."

"And you don't feel like I've robbed you of something?"

Anoria studies her closely, "Brinya, you've never robbed anyone of anything in your whole life. Even if you had refused him, I don't think that Thranduil ever would have looked twice in my direction. Never mind about my titles and land. He has more than enough of those things without me. The two of you share a special connection. We can all see it. All of my life you have stood behind me and been my protector, but now it's time that you step up and claim what's yours. The most important king anyone can think of chose you to be his wife. He wanted you for yourself, not because of what you could bring him. From this day forward, people are going to see you for who you really are, the way those of us who love you always have. You're not going to be able to play the shrinking violet any longer. You're the centerpiece."

Brinya pulled her sister into a bear hug with tears in her eyes, "What did I ever do to deserve a sister like you?"

Anoria shrugged, "You're just lucky I guess. Besides, I have my own motives. Father will have to let me come visit you here. Without him as my escort, think of all the young men I could talk to!"

Brinya wiped away her tears and chuckled, "I'm glad you have your priorities straight. Have you seen Bard in the last few days?"

As the night's festivities wore on, Thranduil pulled his new wife away from the festivities. "I have something I need to show you." He led her down steep stone steps into the depths of the palace. There was no railing and Brinya would have been afraid of falling to her death if he hadn't been holding her hand. The stairs seemed to go on and on. Even with him there, she felt a little nervous. A voice in the back of her mind said that maybe he regretted choosing her for his wife and had decided to lock her up in the dungeon for the rest of her life. Eventually they came to a heavy wooden door at the end of a dank and musty hallway. It felt like this place hadn't seen the light of day for a long time.

"Where are we?" she asked tentatively.

Thranduil simply smirked and opened the door with a large silver key. She should have thought that it was odd that the key was silver instead of iron, but she didn't have time to think about it. What was behind the door was almost beyond anything she could comprehend. It was a whole room filled with treasure. True, there was silver and gold, finer than she had ever seen, but it was the gems that truly captured her attention. There were jewels of every color and every size on every type of setting imaginable. There were ruby earrings and emerald necklaces and diamond tiaras.

Thranduil seemed to find her awe amusing. "Do you like it?" he asked, although the question was clearly unnecessary.

"In my dreams alone, have I imagined such a place."

When she made no move to touch any of the gems he asked, "Is there something in particular you would like to wear? My late wife often visited this room as she prepared for formal gatherings."

Brinya knew that he had been married before and it didn't bother her, but she was curious. "What was her favorite piece?"

Thranduil indicated a medium sized silver box sitting on a pedestal at the center of the room. "She often had things made with the contents of this box. If they suit your taste, we'll have the dwarves make some custom pieces for you. I can tell you from experience that an ill-fitting crown is very uncomfortable. You spend most of your day wondering if it's going to fall off."

"A crown?" Brinya asked in amazement as she approached the box. She was a queen. Of course she would wear a crown. She hadn't had time to think about details like that. She opened the box and felt like her eyes almost burned, the light from within was so bright.

"They're white gems," Thranduil said, anticipating her question, "made from pure starlight. They're among the most valuable things the Eldar possess. They're yours now, if you like them." Brinya gaped at him. "It's my wedding present to you."

It wasn't until they were leaving the chamber that Brinya recovered herself enough to speak, "What other valuable things do your people possess?"

For once, Thranduil looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"You said that the gems were among the most valuable things you possess. What are the other valuable things you possess?"

He laughed a deep laugh and Brinya felt the vibration right down to her toes. "As with any people, our most valuable possessions are our children. We breed very rarely compared to your kind."

Brinya felt her heart stop. Children. Everything had happened so quickly. Between their courtship and their marriage, she had hardly had a chance to catch her breath, let alone think ahead. Elves valued children. "Can we have children?" she asked abruptly, "I mean, I'm not an elf."

Thranduil smirked again, "No, you are not. In truth, I am not certain. Unions between my kind and yours have always been rare. I have heard of children produced from these unions, but in every case I can think of, the Eldar has always been the female. I do not know if a human woman can bear the children of an elf."