The sun was shining brightly and Thranduil was glad that he had traded his long robes for one of his tunics, which ended just above his ankles, making it easier to wander around in contrast to the long robes, which were far more suitable for the fresh forest air of Mirkwood, not for the warm sun that shone into the valley. Thranduil followed one of the stony paths leading away from the main buildings of Imladris. It was one of the lesser steep paths taking him upwards away from the more crowded places. He had walked this path many times since he had been able to walk the lesser steep paths. Up till now he could still feel a faint sting in his chest from time to time, when he asked too much of his convalescing body. At first Elrond had only allowed him to walk the even paths but when he had been feeling better he had strayed farer from the main buildings and one day he had ended up on the very same path he was taking now. He followed the path until the path began to run alongside one of the small brooks belonging to the Bruinen. There he left the path crossing the brook with one big step and wandered over a small meadow leading into a even smaller group of trees. The trees stood on a ledge from which you could look over a big part of the valley and over the main part of the Last Homely House. Thranduil walked over to one of the bigger trees and sat down at the root, leaning against the hard trunk. He missed the trees of his home, while on the other hand he enjoyed the open architecture of Imladris, which stood in high contrast to the closed and oppressive style of his kingdom. While this oppressiveness had always supported him and his decisions, had helped him to stay sane, he was now happy to stay under the vastness of the blue sky, something that had regularly scared him, and still would if it weren't for Vilya protecting this valley with its magic and thus constantly him. He had always been afraid of losing himself in this never ending vastness, feeling exposed, unprotected, while in Mirkwood the oppressive structure had kept his inner being together like a thick outer shell.

The midday sun was warm on his skin and he closed his eyes, listening to the babble of the nearby brook and the song of a thrush, when suddenly he heard the sound of a blowing horn not far away and when he opened his eyes he saw a group of horsemen riding over the bridge that crossed the Bruinen. They wore the colours of Imladris. Obviously the Peredhel had returned from the orc hunt. But to his surprise he could also see the colours of Lothlorien among them. He hadn't known that a delegation had been expected. But Elrond would have told him if it also concerned him. Obviously it didn't and since he wasn't the ruler of this realm, this was fine with him.

Thranduil woke because the thrush had suddenly stopped singing, alarming him to the new arrival. He opened his eyes and looked to his right, where the path lay. Elrond smiled as their eyes met. He had changed his clothes. The brown armor of Imladris he had most definitely worn on the orc hunt was gone. Instead he wore a dark blue tunic that had a similar cut to his own one, dark blue trousers and black leather boots. But while he could never wear such dark colours they went perfectly well with the dark brown hair of the Peredhel, which was as always skillfully plaited and crowned with a golden diadem. He in contrast never wore any plaits for he preferred his long hair flowing freely down his back. And instead of wearing his crown, which he never wore outside of his kingdom, he wore the silver diadem Elrond had given to him upon hearing that he had lost his in battle. It had been crafted especially for him, fitting perfectly. It was a masterpiece of elven craftsmanship and he was sure that Elrond had motivated his smiths to do their very best on the piece since he knew about Thranduil's weakness for beautifully crafted jewelry. An obsession Thranduil had attained after losing half of his face, after losing his own beauty.

"I'm sorry I woke you.", he heard Elrond say, disrupting his thoughts and Thranduil was thankful for that, for his thoughts had again wandered to a place he would rather avoid. So instead of concentrating on his memories, he concentrated on the Peredhel.

"You and your kin don't know how to walk through nature without disturbing it. You scared away the thrush, which was singing in one of the trees, making me aware of your presence.", he said but he smiled, thus taking the edge off his criticism.

"I beg your pardon, Elvenking."

Elrond bowed exaggeratedly, showing Thranduil that he wasn't in the least bit offended. Thranduil responded with a nod of his head.

"I gladly accept your apology, Lord of Imladris."

He smiled for he really enjoyed these little banters they frequently had since his arrival in Imladris. For the first time in ages he felt sufficiently at ease to banter with someone and he was certain that he also owed this to Vilya and the constant influence it had on him in this valley.

"How are you feeling today?", the Peredhel asked, bringing Thranduil once more back to reality, like he so often did.

"Not well enough for my own liking but well enough to yours I assume."

Elrond nodded, understanding perfectly well. The Elvenking was an impatient patient, while Elrond was very satisfied with the Elvenking's recovery, for his injuries had been grave ones.

"No chest pains?"

Thranduil shook his head and quickly changed the topic for he hated to talk about his wretched health, no matter if mental or physical.

"How was your hunt?"

Elrond accepted the change of topic, for he knew that Thranduil had long passed the critical states of his physical injuries. As long as he didn't do something really stupid, the Elvenking should be fine.

Elrond crossed the meadow and stopped right next to Thranduil and like him he turned to look over the valley. He sighed. Normally Thranduil didn't like people standing too close to him, like he didn't like people being emotionally too close to him. He averted his eyes from the valley below him and watched the Peredhel. He seemed to be lost in thought, focused on the horizon and Thranduil wondered what the Peredhel saw in the distance. Was he hearing the call of the Undying Lands like so many other Elves? Like so many except for him. He had never heard the call of the sea. And he was certain, he never would. And in contrast to him, somebody was waiting for the Peredhel on the other side of the sea, a beloved person. For him there was nobody waiting. Even if his wife had already left the Halls of Mandos she would definitely not be waiting for him, for the man she couldn't even touch without being disgusted, after he had trusted her and showed her his real self. Just one of the last pieces of the puzzle that had led to his downfall and another reason why he let nobody too close anymore. But with the Peredhel it was different. He didn't feel the usual uneasiness he normally felt when people stood too close to him, around him he felt at ease, comfortable. Maybe because the Peredhel was like a calm anchor in this fast moving and cruel world. Or just because he was the bearer of Vilya.

"We found the horde of orcs that lingered near the Bruinen. It was a short fight and there were no casualties on our side."

Thranduil turned his head back to the valley.

"So you were successful."

Elrond shifted slightly beside him.

"Successful in eliminating this one horde? We were indeed. But it bothers me that more and more orc hordes are trying to cross the Bruinen."

Thranduil understood perfectly well. He too had to face the increasing numbers of orcs and spiders entering his kingdom. He too had to fight this endless war.

"But let's not talk about this topic any longer for it saddens my heart. I received word from my sons this morning. Obviously and to my relief your kingdom still exists even though they have been there for the past few months. The message included a letter for you from your son."

Thranduil took the letter Elrond handed him and looked at it for a moment. He couldn't believe how their relationship had changed just in a few months. After the battle at the foot of Erebor, while the healers had tended to his injuries, Legolas had questioned him mercilessly. First he had been reluctant but Legolas' constant inquiries combined with the pain caused by his crushed torso had led to his surrender. He had told Legolas about his injury and the misery that had ensued. And Legolas had listened without interrupting him or judging him. And when his condition didn't change after one week, it had been Legolas, who had proposed to send him to Imladris to recover under the care of Elrond, who had helped him through worse. He had been reluctant to leave his kingdom but Legolas had ensured him that he was perfectly capable of leading the kingdom for a few months and that it would be the perfect chance for a change of scenery, something that might take his mind off his dark and painful memories. He had consented for he had felt his body weakening and his dark thoughts strengthening day by day. Legolas had accompanied him on his trip to Imladris and after assessing Thranduil's injuries and calculating that it might take months for him to recover, Elrond had sent his sons to the Woodland Realm together with Legolas, so that they could assist the young prince in time of need. For that Thranduil had been thankful for he had feared that his son might have underestimated the task of ruling the Woodland Realm. But having the experienced twins of Elrond with him as support, he was certain Legolas would succeed. And the frequent letters from his son told him he had been right. Legolas was thankful for the support.

"I thought your sons would ensure the endurance of my kingdom during my absence, not increase the risk of its ruin.", he teased the Peredhel.

"Why do you think did I send them away to your kingdom? I feared for my own realm.", the Peredhel replied in jest.

"I see. Maybe I should reconsider the alliance with your realm, Lord Elrond."

"I beg you not to do that! It took far too long to forge this alliance."

Thranduil knew that the Peredhel was right. It had taken them far too long but he also knew that it had been mainly his fault. He had never needed anyone. He had been fine in his isolated kingdom, at least fine enough to go on with his life until the pain had become too much to bear. Only then had he left the isolation. And to tell the truth, until now it hadn't been as bad as he had thought it would be. Quite the contrary, he had gained an ally, a confidant, something he hadn't had for centuries. And even though it was exhausting to control his effervescent temper from time to time in order to not drive away Elrond, something he didn't have to do for quite some time because there simply had been none to drive away, he began to see the positive side of having someone to trust in.

"I'm going to leave you alone, so you can read the letter undisturbed."

Elrond was about to turn away but Thranduil stopped him.

"There is no need for that. Since you already told me the most important part about my kingdom, there is no need to read the letter right now. Stay with me, Peredhel, at least for a few moments."

Elrond smiled.

"As you wish, Elvenking.", he said and sat down beside Thranduil, looking over the peaceful valley.

Neither of them spoke for quite some time and Thranduil just enjoyed the silence he shared with the Peredhel.

And when Lindir arrived, calling for Elrond, telling him that there were some matters that required the attendance of the Lord of Imladris, Thranduil felt a tinge of disappointment that the Peredhel had to leave.

When dusk began to fall and Thranduil just rose to walk back down into the valley, he saw Lindir coming towards him from the valley below. Lindir bowed his head to greet him and Thranduil waited patiently for Lindir to tell him, why he had come to him.

"King Thranduil, Master Elrond sends me to invite you to a meeting."

"A meeting? What about?"

The Peredhel hadn't mentioned any meeting he should participate in while they had sat together. This was news to him. He had planned on going to the library and having dinner afterwards.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you what kind of meeting it is."

"What do you mean by you can't tell me what kind of meeting it is?"

He narrowed his eyes to slits, fixating the other elf, trying to figure out what he was playing at. But when Lindir began to squirm under his scrutiny and lowered his eyes it dawned on him that Lindir wasn't intentionally keeping secrets from him but he indeed didn't know what meeting it was.

"A secret meeting, then. Who is going to attend?"

Again Lindir didn't answer but Thranduil already suspected that it had something to do with the delegation from Lothlorien, which had arrived this morning. Thranduil sighed.

"I see… Do you at least know where this ominous meeting is being held or do I have to search all of Imladris.", he asked nonchalantly.

Since finding out that Elrond's right hand could be disturbed so easily he enjoyed teasing Lindir far too much. It took Lindir a few seconds to regain his equilibrium.

"Does this mean you wish to attend?"

Thranduil couldn't deny that this secret meeting had piqued his curiosity.

"Yes, lead the way."

I kind of see the diadem Elrond gave to Thranduil not as a gift from Elrond to Thranduil but more like a gift from one realm to another. I think Elrond thought it to be a useful and suitable gift to officially show that he is glad about the forging of the alliance between both realms. Since the "friendship" they shared, before Thranduil came officially to Imladris to seek out Elrond's healing powers, was kind of secretive.