Chapter 5
Though Tauriel would never admit it, she liked the distance between Thranduil and Legolas. She wasn't really sure why, but she liked that Legolas spent the day with her. She was his training partner. She feared that if he and his father grew close, the king would forbid him from speaking to her.
As Thranduil exited Legolas's chambers, Tauriel his in the shadows, not daring to breathe. If the king knew she was there she did not say anything about it. She knew nothing of the felonious acts that had taken place. It was not really felony, considering Thranduil was the king, it was still and invasion of royalty's privacy.
Tauriel hurried away quickly, debating in her mind whether or not to try to convince Legolas to forgive his Father or not. She wanted Legolas to be happy. It was her time to stay out of things.
Thranduil was not worried about eavesdroppers. Most elves usually avoided this area of the woodland realm because they were afraid of the king. He was tall and imposing even amongst the elves. He was only worried that he was too late for his son. He had missed the most important century of his son's life. Why? He had no legitimate cause. Thranduil rose from his throne and began to pace aggressively. Up and down, back and forth. His mind flooded with possible outcomes of his son's decision.
"You abandoned me."
"Why are you only talking to me after a century of me waiting?"
"I got along fine without you for 100 years, I don't need you now."
"You haven't said a word to me for decades, and even that was just orders."
More thoughts flooded into his mind he was shocked when he heard a voice.
"Yes. I forgive you."
Thranduil whirled around, "You do?"
"Yes." His son answered. "I have wanted to speak to you for a long time, but I was convinced you did not care. I see now that you do and did all along, you just had a terrible way of showing it."
Thranduil nodded, crossing the room and enveloping his son in a hug, receiving a squeeze back. The two stayed like that for a few minutes, then decided to walk and talk up and down the hallways.
So they did. They continued to do this everyday until they decided they sufficiently covered fifty years. Then they returned to their daily routine, only things were different.
Thranduil was probably the most changed. He ate dinner with his son and the rest of the kingdom. He threw parties for all the feasts they used to have. Instead of sitting on his throne stoically day after day, he was more animated.
Tauriel and Legolas continued to be friends, growing even closer as they became even more talented and above the skill of the rest. Tauriel became the Captain of the Guard, and she spent her days running around the forest killing spiders and sending back reports of What was out there. Legolas often went with her. Thranduil knew he was more of a warrior.
He was still reserved about outside foes, but not as much. One day, he remembered an incident almost a century previous. Thranduil and a small party of elves including the king went to Erebor to pay homage to Thror. Thranduil knew that the king was going insane. And then he saw the jewels. His white gems. Stolen from elves, like the NauglamÃr long ago.
So when a party of Dwarves entered his kingdom, He sent a party to go find them. Meanwhile, he arrayed himself in one of his royal gowns and his crown and prepared to speak to the captured dwarves.
Not too long later, the gates clanged open and he heard footsteps. Heavy ones. He knew the dwarves had arrived. Not too long after, who but Thorin Oakenshield was brought before him. Thranduil knew immediately what was amiss. The Arkenstone. No matter what lie they could conjure up, he could see through them. So when Thorin lied to him, as he expected he would, he told him the truth
"Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I myself suspect a more prosaic motive: attempted burglary, or something of that ilk. You have found a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule: the King's Jewel, the Arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that. There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight. I offer you my help."
"I am listening." The dwarf-king replied.
"I will let you go," he said this to insure he knew who was in charge, "if you but return what is mine.
"A favor for a favor." Thorin started pacing to the back.
My guards moved to intercept him, but Thranduil waved them back. He knew would have a better chance at a deal if he did not antagonize the dwarf-king =. "You have my word."
Thorin paused in his pacing, "I would not trust Thranduil, the great king to honor his word should the end of all days be upon us!" At this he whirled around and began to march towards me, "You lack all honor! I've seen how you treat your friends. We came to you once, starving, homeless, seeking your help, but you turned your back. You turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us! Imrid amrad ursul!"
Thranduil had never learned dwarvish but he knew it was not a compliment. "Do not talk to me of dragon fire. I know its wrath and ruin. I have faced the great serpents of the north." Thranduil felt the old scars from the dragon incident before the days of Legolas and his wife. "I warned your Grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen. Your are just like him. Stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf. I'm patient. I can wait." Thranduil, of course, could not wait, but he new that a few unrelenting days in the dungeon would change a dwarf's mind. At least he hoped.
The night of Mereth-en-Gilith was approaching. Thranduil was busy with party preparations. He spoke with Tauriel about the spiders they had destroyed and then a more touchy subject, his son. The conversation was brief and he heard what he wanted to hear. After the dwarves escaped he let them go. They were not his concern any more. He had what he wanted. His people were safe.
A/N: There we have it. This is the end. I have not seen BOFTA yet and will probably not add to this once I do see it. I think this story has drug out long enough. Read and Review please! Thank you Emerwen Voridune for the review.