Chapter Five: The Mistake

Thranduil sighed. He had been out all day on patrols fighting orcs. The company had returned not long ago, and he had escaped as soon as he was able. All he wanted was sleep and maybe something to eat.

He went straight to take a bath. Blood spattered almost every inch of him, and his muscles ached with each movement. The palace had an underground hot springs the new royal family used to bathe. It would be nice to soak his sore body in the warmth.

He unstrapped his armor, stacking the pieces on a shelf naturally formed by the rock wall. Stripping down, he folded his clothes into a pile and waded into the steamy water. Since the rocks beneath his feet were quite slippery, he swam out to the center of the spring and treaded water.

Nothing could be heard save for the sound of water tumbling over rocks. That coupled with the warm bath and steamy air relaxed him so much that be could've fallen asleep right there. Squeezing his eyes shut, he ducked underwater. His golden hair fanned out around him.

He resurfaced, swimming over to the lip of the pool. Climbing out, he wrung his hair and wrapped a towel around himself. When he was dry, he began to dress.

"My Lord?" Aduial's voice echoed through the chamber.

Thranduil scrambled to cover himself right as she poked her head around the corner.

"There you are," she said. "I have been searching for you."

"What are you doing here?" He pulled a tunic over his head.

"I told you; I was looking for you." The hint of a smile played on her lips.

He glowered at her. "Well, congratulations. You found me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than play hide-and-seek." His whole body rigid, Thranduil stalked out of the bath chamber. He was in such a rush to escape that he left all his armor behind.

He felt hot and sticky from dressing so soon after getting out of the hot spring. Water dripped onto the shiny tiles, sure to cause problems later on for some poor soul. His bare feet slapped against the ground.

"If by 'better things' you mean attending the council meeting, then I would have to agree with you," she called, hurrying after him.

He stopped, breathing heavily. "That was supposed to be tonight?"

Catching up to him, she smirked. "You didn't honestly forget, did you?" The look on his face must have been horrifying enough for her to continue without waiting for a response. "It's tonight, I swear on Eru."

Thranduil passed his hands over his face, heaving a sigh. "When does it start?"

"Well, about ten minutes ago, technically speaking."

He snapped around to look at her, finding her with a lopsided smile on her face. "What?"

"You had not yet arrived, so your father sent me looking for you. I never imagined I'd find you naked." She giggled.

Blood rushed to his face. "I wasn't naked!"

She stared at him. "Oh, please."

Thranduil pressed his lips together. "In any case, let's not delay the meeting any further." He slunk towards the council chamber like a dog with its tail between its legs. Aduial practically skipped beside him. "Need I remind you that your hair is sopping and you're not wearing shoes?"

"Do you derive some sick pleasure from this?" he nearly yelled.

"Why, of course!"

They rushed through the halls of the palace, ignoring the bewildered looks from the other elves. When they finally arrived at the council chamber, a group of the most important elves in the kingdom all stared at him. Each of them wore heavy, velvety robes and gowns. Jewels adorned their fingers and necks and circled their heads. Even the brightly polished lacquer of the council table seemed to be judging him.

Even Aduial had dressed for the occasion. Now that he wasn't so concerned with her seeing him unclothed, he noticed that she was wearing a simple but elegant midnight blue dress and her hair, though lacking gleaming gems, was twisted in a complicated-looking fashion that looked like it had taken her a while to prepare.

Thranduil felt so vile in his dirty, damp tunic and breeches. And his bare feet and wet hair on top of it all made him seem like some sort of wandering vagabond. Looking at him, no one would ever guess he was the crown prince. He probably looked like a dwarf. No elf with any shred of self-respect would come to an important meeting dressed as he was.

It seemed his father agreed with Thranduil's thoughts, because if Oropher's eyebrows rose any higher they would no longer be on his face. "Thank you, Lady Aduial," he said calmly, though his eyes never left Thranduil. "My son...thanks you for choosing to honor us with your esteemed presence. Please inform the council what important errand detained you for so long."

"My Lord, is that entirely necessary?" Aduial interrupted, much to Thranduil's surprise.

"Silence, Aduial," Oropher spat. "Thranduil?"

All eyes were on him. He could feel their gazes, heavy and judgmental. Thranduil's tongue felt two times its normal size, unable to form words. Swallowing loudly, he said, faltering, "Father, honored council members of this glorious Greenwood…please…forgive me for my tardiness. It was extremely rude, and will not happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Oropher said. "Now," he began, turning away from his son and addressing the rest of the council.

Thranduil didn't even hear what his father said next. He couldn't focus on anything other than the roar of shame in his ears. Glancing up, he saw Aduial giving him a look.

He had no idea what it meant.