Chapter 10

The King's Plans

Thranduil was bored out of his mind. It had been three days since Amroth's arrival, three days of princely duties… three days of not seeing her. Well, he did see her every once in a while: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It would be a miracle if they passed each other in the corridor. But Amroth was always there with her, and Thranduil could not make his move to even bother her. And it bothered him.

His father never elaborated Amroth and Erynlith's relationship to him: on how could they hold hands in public but still act like siblings. He often wondered how those two could go on for days without running out of things to discuss. Whenever he saw them, they were always talking to each other.

For the past three days, Thranduil was forced to face the reality of his duties as Prince of Greenwood. He went back to his usual routine, all the reports, meetings, and inspections to make sure everything in the kingdom went well. And it bored the living daylights out of him. When things had finally become interesting, with Erynlith's unexpected arrival and all, he thought of changing something in his routine. Surely, an eccentric traveler winding up in your forest did not happen every day.

He sighed for the umpteenth time, finally hating his work at present. He was curled up in his favorite place, blue eyes lazily staring on the piece of junk he was trying to finish. He felt his eyelids become heavier by the second, and his chin would occasionally slip from his palm. However, his right hand continued drawing random lines on the paper which would eventually turn into a piece of art.

He did not notice one librarian sneaking up on him, if she was sneaking, that was. He was too absorbed on his boring work that he really did not notice. When her voice sounded, an inquiring soft voice which tried to snap him out of his incoming reverie, Thranduil suddenly jerked up.

"Yes?"

"The Elvenking asks for you, my lord prince. A visitor from Lórinand has arrived."

Thranduil felt the need to yawn and scratch his eyes. More visitors, he thought miserably. "From Lórinand? Who?"

The librarian smiled. "The King, who else?"

At that, Thranduil jumped onto his feet and immediately rushed out of the library, folding his unfinished work and tucking it inside his pocket. They had a visitor and no one told him until the King had already arrived? As he paced down the corridors, he combed his fingers through his long golden hair, carefully readjusting the circlet on his head. He panted softly and tried to relax himself; he could not show himself to the King of Lórinand looking all haggard and sleepy. Then, he yawned unceremoniously, grateful that none of the Silvan folk were there to see him.

As he reached the appointed place, his father's throne room, he fixed the hem of his dark blue brocade and swung the large double doors open. Eyes were instantly darted on him as he strode slowly inside. There was a large entourage gathered there, no doubt from the King's people. Their dark hair was easy to place; these were the Nandor of Lórinand, of King Amdír's folk. His own eyes searched for his father, and he quickly saw him standing within a flock of friends. Oropher's silver hair stood out from the whole room, aside from the golden hair that belonged to King Amdír and his son Amroth.

"Ah, Prince Thranduil!" Amroth enthusiastically announced his arrival and went away from the group to greet his friend. Thranduil smiled and shook Amroth's hand. "You are almost late," the other prince said and laughed.

Upon hearing the arrival of Thranduil, the group of elves turned to him and Oropher approached his son. He introduced Thranduil to those Nandor who were new in Greenwood, and even presented his son with pride and dignity. "He is an excellent bowman and swordsman. He trained most of our guards here," King Oropher continued as the Nandor looked impressed and maidens shared idle giggles.

Thranduil prided himself in that. As the conversation went on, with his father's arm around his shoulder, his eyes began to wander off again. And then, he saw her. Not far away from the group, Erynlith and Amroth stood together, a wine cup on their hands. The elf prince took a sip from his cup every once in a while, but Erynlith did not, seemingly satisfied by just holding the cup. In front of them, the King of Lórinand stood, regal and fair in his white and golden robes. His attention was solely focused on the two younger elves with him, and together they laughed as if they were the closest elves in the world.

"Adar," Thranduil whispered aside to his father's ear. "May I leave for a moment?"

Oropher looked at his son and tapped his shoulder. "Very well, then. Enjoy the festivities. I'll see you later." The Greenwood King went off with some of his councilors, among them a pretty Silvan maid with dark hair and bright blue eyes. Thranduil regarded her for a moment, not remembering her name, until he scoffed and strode away.

He slowly made his way towards the King of Lórinand. He was not sure of himself, how he would present himself to a King so high from him, and with Erynlith around, he was not just sure. Before he knew it, he was standing beside their group. The laughter ceased and was replaced by a curious look from the golden-haired King.

"Thranduil?" Erynlith's voice awakened him from his trance. He looked up, meeting her grey eyes with his blue ones, and surely, he smirked at her.

He turned back to the King and bowed again. "Welcome back to Greenwood, King Amdír," he said politely, his smirk never fading.

The King nodded thoughtfully. He had the same grey eyes as Amroth and Erynlith, though Thranduil thought the King's eyes were cooler and more intimidating. "Yes, it is good to be back, Prince Thranduil. I give you my earnest thanks for watching over my Erynlith for more than a week. I have heard from Amroth about what happened earlier in the High Pass. I expect that my niece and her friends are being treated well?"

Ah, there it is, Thranduil thought. The King's straightforwardness. It was always hard to be honest with the King of Lórinand, especially when he was very persistent about the matter. He spared a glance at their subject, she who stood beside her cousin and tilted her head curiously. "They are, my lord," he answered truthfully. "Our healers are doing the best they can, and Lord Erestor is healing rapidly."

Amroth felt the grip on his hand become tighter. He had just realized that Erynlith was holding him. He knew she did not want King Amdír to take Erestor away, not now when he was not fully-healed yet. It was too soon for Erestor to move from his bed, but Amroth and Erynlith knew King Amdír would demand otherwise.

"I will discuss that matter to King Oropher," Amdír said and sipped from his cup. He emptied it in a few gulps and handed it to the Silvan butler. Quietly, he excused himself and approached Oropher who was still accompanied by the Nandor.

Amroth whistled. "Well, what now?"

"I should talk to Erestor," Erynlith announced, shoving her wine cup over to him, and dashed away. Curious as ever, Thranduil ran after her, leaving Prince Amroth chuckling and sipping from his cousin's untouched wine.

When Erynlith arrived at the infirmary, Erestor smiled at her warmly and patted a space on his bed where she could sit. Smiling back, she complied and noticed the new set of bluebells on the red vase. She looked at it curiously, not remembering if she had gone to the meadow to fetch him those. These bluebells were fresh from being picked. As she looked back to Erestor, he played one flower between his fingers, twiddling it like a child.

"Where have you been?" he asked gently and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "You visited me so late today. Someone else went off to fetch me the flowers."

"Really? Who?"

Erestor shrugged. "I do not know. Must be one of the healers, no doubt. I have not seen Lady Santien since this morning, and Caladhir always takes his time, sleeping." He laughed softly. "I heard horns a while ago. Who arrived in the forest? He should be someone of importance."

"Importance…" Erynlith drawled awkwardly. Erestor tilted his head to the side and blinked. "Ah, that must be King Amdír that you're talking about," she admitted. "Amroth arrived some three days ago… and I didn't tell you."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What, for three days? And what is the King doing here? Does he know that I am here as well?"

"That's the point," she protested. "I think he wants us to return to Lórinand with him. He really wouldn't go all this way for festivities, you know. And he sounds quite demanding today."

Erestor shook his head. "Things are complicated when King Amdír is involved. Surely he will force us to return with him. I am fine with it, though. I am more familiar with the elves there than here in Greenwood. And Lord Elrond has better communication in Lórinand."

She looked unsure. "Do you really want to go? What about your thigh? You said you still cannot feel your legs. If we move you now, and Lórinand is not exactly near here, it might hurt again, and we wouldn't want that."

"Believe me, little one," Erestor smiled at her reassuringly. "There is no better place than I want to be except for Lórinand. The marchwardens would be delighted to see you."

"I don't think they will be," she grumbled, and Erestor laughed again.

"Now, now, little one," he crooned, patting her head as if she was a cat. "Do not be like that. King Amdír only wishes you to spend time with them. Aduial en Meleth will soon be upon us. I am sure he'd like to spend it in his own home, with his people."

"That doesn't even make any sense," she countered, cringing when she remembered that dreadful occasion.

Erestor smiled thoughtfully. He was rather in a good mood today. "You'll understand when it comes. Now, why don't you run along now and entertain the King? He has come a long way to visit you. And also…" His smiled turned sly. "Why don't you accompany Prince Thranduil in the forest? He seems restless."

Erynlith looked confused and turned towards the doorway. As if in defeat, Thranduil emerged from his hiding place, arms held up in surrender. "It was not my intention to eavesdrop," he said calmly, walking and sitting on the bed parallel to Erestor's. He smirked up at Erynlith. "So, Lórinand, huh?"

"Oh, you're unbelievable!" Erynlith sighed deeply and stomped out of the infirmary. Thranduil glanced at Erestor, who smiled and gave him an encouraging nod. The Sindarin prince nodded back and went after Erynlith.

They were in the forest now, leaves scattered all over and crunched when stepped on. She knew she was being followed and did not pay any attention to him anymore. She did not know where she was going, nor why she was even being followed in the first place. Her mind thought of what King Amdír would have decided what was best for her and for Erestor. She contradicted the very idea of moving away when her companions were not healed yet.

"Where are you going?" Thranduil asked from behind her, smiling deviously.

"Nothing in particular," Erynlith quickly answered and bit her lip. If the 'tra-la-la' fell from her lips, Thranduil would make fun of her once more.

She did not notice him already walking beside her. Her mind still wandered aloft, back in Rivendell where she could be curled up under her covers while Erestor worked on his many reports for Elrond. She imagined Lindir serving them hot cups of tea during the winter or Gildor sharing his stories in the Halls of Fire.

"Come with me," Thranduil suddenly said, pulling her sleeve. She looked at him incredulously, fearing that the beautiful green fabric that she wore would cut from his grip. He laughed it off and pulled again. "Just come with me. I discovered something in the forest a few days ago."

Grumbling, she complied and made sure her sleeves were still in place. King Oropher was too kind to lend her a dress. Her companion seemed enthusiastic about it, and she was actually very curious. They had never been that friendly to each other before and it felt uncomfortable for them being together now.

Soon, they reached a small waterfall located somewhere not very far from the infirmary. The water cascaded from a steep cliff, the current not exactly very strong, and the water pooled down into a small river that connected to Anduin. The falls was surrounded by lush vegetation and trees, but what caught Erynlith's eyes was the bluebells growing near the river bank. She pulled away from Thranduil's grip, surprising him. She knelt in front of the small patch of flowers and smiled.

"Bluebells, bluebells, tra-la-lay," she sang in a whisper, touching a petals gently.

Thranduil smiled. "There's more than just bluebells here."

Erynlith turned around to see what he meant. Beside Thranduil's legs, there was a small dent almost obscured by thick bushes. Then, he knelt down, his eyes still locked on hers, and he knocked on the roof of the small den. Erynlith blinked; nothing seemed to happen. But as they waited, a quiet howl answered them. Thranduil knocked on the den again, louder this time, and from the den a small fox ran outside. Erynlith smiled and quickly knelt beside Thranduil, and reached out to pat the fox.

"Ah, no," he said, moving her hand away from the creature's head.

She looked confused. "Why not?"

He chuckled and whispered to her. "They have cubs," he said, grinning. He leaned back to see her brightened reaction.

"Really?"

"That's right," he said, completely amused. "Animals are territorial of their young. They will do whatever it takes to protect them. You shouldn't push your luck on every animal you come across. Not all of them are as friendly as you think."

"But the fox that I know is friendly," Erynlith argued. She remembered the fox she always patted on the head whenever she went out to get Erestor's bluebells in the morning.

Thranduil smiled. "You'll be surprised," he said. He rolled a pebble inside the den. Few whimpers and barks echoed from inside. Slowly, another one emerged, with its head held down hinting submission to their foreigners.

But Erynlith recognized the second one. "It's him!" she chirped at Thranduil, making him chuckle more. "It's the fox I always see every morning, tra-la-la."

By this time, Thranduil and Erynlith already sat cross-legged near the entrance of the case; the two foxes looked at them inquiringly. The first one was hostile and kept on hissing at Thranduil, while the second one approached Erynlith and rubbed its head against her knees. She smiled and patted this familiar fox. Then, Thranduil leaned closer for another whisper.

"Are you sure?" Erynlith could not believe him.

He smiled. "See for yourself."

Four more foxes scrambled outside of the small den, wiggling unsteady on their little paws, biting ears and scratching their siblings as they ran out. When they stumbled on a rock, all four rolled on the group in a messy heap. They produced quiet, almost squeaking barks, and the two elves laughed. The second fox rushed to its cubs and licked the foreheads one by one.

"So, this is what you meant!" Erynlith beamed at Thranduil. It appeared her little fox friend had a family of its own. The four cubs continued running around, bushy red tail wagging as they played. She reached out for one and was surprised that the fox parents did not react violently. She set the cub on her lap, her hands on either sides, and she held it up for Thranduil to see. "Look! He's adorable," she chirped again. "Very, very adorable puppy, tra-la-la…"

Thranduil patted the cub's head gently. "He's adorable alright…"

"Can we keep him?" She asked hopefully, now nuzzling her nose against the cub's soft red fur.

The elf prince shook his head. "No, we can't."

"What? Why not?" Her smile turned upside-down. "Please?"

"No," Thranduil repeated sternly. He felt like a father reprimanding a child. "It needs to stay where his parents are. It's too young to be separated from each other. You should know that of all people. If you want to see them, we can always visit. The den is not very far from the infirmary. And because winter is coming, they will have to stay here for a few months." But she did not look convinced at all. Sighing, Thranduil gently took the cub from her hands and set it back on the ground. It ran off with its siblings and played again. "See? He likes it here."

"Are you sure we can visit them?"

He laughed and patted her head. "Of course. Now, stop frowning and smile again. I promise we'll visit them every morning if you'd like."

She smiled. "Keep that promise, okay? Everyone should always keep their promises, tra-lil-lay…"

"Yes, yes." He nodded obligingly. As the foxes returned to their peaceful den, Thranduil laid himself on the grass, arms serving as pillow, and he looked at the sky. The shadow of leaves obscured his view of the perfectly blue sky. "What do you plan on doing now?"

Erynlith did not grasp his meaning. "…Plan on what?"

He looked up to her. "The subject with King Amdír and Amroth. Will you and your companions really return to Lórinand?"

She shrugged. "I do not know. If Erestor wants to go, then I follow. It has always been that way. No one would be so surprised any more."

"But do you want to stay here in Greenwood?"

She did not expect that question. Her answer took long and she was reluctant to give it away. "Well, yes," she finally admitted. "I still couldn't have enough of Greenwood. There are more places to be explored and it feels too soon for me to leave."

"You can stay here for as long as you want," Thranduil insisted. "Let them travel to Lórinand while you stay here with us."

"I can't do that," she protested. "I can't leave Erestor alone."

That was the part Thranduil did not understand. What was so special about the dark-haired captain that Erynlith could not separate herself to him? What was it that kept them close together, the thing that bonded them? Thranduil knew they were good friends, but he just didn't understand. Erynlith wanted to stay in Greenwood so badly, but if Erestor leaves, and then she would as well. She kept putting other persons before her, and it made Thranduil ticked off.

"Why?" he asked, his voice was demanding and stern. Erynlith flinched at that tone. "Why do you keep on following Erestor?"

"Because I have to," she answered truthfully. She knew it would be hard for others to understand, but she just have to keep on answering them. "I brought this all on him, the assault in the mountains, his injuries, and basically all his hurts. I cannot leave him alone, and I will never."

Thranduil grunted and stood up, not bothering to dust off the leaves and twigs on his brocade. He left the site without a word, and Erynlith followed him back into the palace. She could tell the prince was irritated at something, and she could not think of any reasons. Was it Erestor? She really did not know. When they reached the palace and Thranduil still did not talk to her, her spirit fell.

The day that started so pleasant ended up in bitterness.

Next Chapter: Kings always get what they want so... Stay tuned!

Author's Notes: Okay, for all the readers out there, I am sooooo sorry for the really really long update! It has been what, almost two months?! The computer broke and I had nothing but wi-fi! (I don't know which is worse to lose -_-) Here's more to King Amdir's sass, and more Thranduil/Erynlith shenanigan. Thank you for those who reviewed last chapter; I missed you guys! (T_T)

Please review! I missed reading reviews! Any reactions, opinions, etc. will be greatly reasured! Thank you and have a good day!