Chapter 32

Hesitation

Thranduil was back in his usual work on his desk, scribbling nonsense while waiting for his Chief Counselor. He asked her to bring the feedback from the other counselors, with him being too lazy to move. He was glad his counselor did not mind doing work for him; he thought Celairis was too choked up on her work that he could actually ask her to do all his work. But no, he was not that lazy. He needed to get off his desk every once in a while and see how things ran in the palace. Everyone was relieved to know that he would be crowned Elvenking soon, and King Amroth expressed his eagerness of attending the coronation.

If only she was here, Thranduil thought. He knew he was going nowhere with his sketch, but he did not mind. All he wanted was for Celairis to return to his chambers. At length, he got more impatient and stuffed his sketch away between clusters of books and marched outside.

It was nighttime already; most of the Silvan folk were already in their homes. As Thranduil passed the dimly lit corridors, some of the palace servants greeted and bowed to him.

"Have you seen Lady Celairis?" he asked cordially.

The Silvan girl smiled and nodded. "Yes, she is with the other counselors, my lord. I saw them last near the fountain."

"Thank you." He smiled and went away.

The fountain was located beneath the two intersecting staircases, a few steps away from the palace's entrance. One could say that it was one of the most endearing locations in the Elvenking's palace, a small wooden fountain. The water flowed from a small stream below which would eventually join the river Anduin outside the forest. Vines were etched on the fountain's edge and some Elvish script were engraved.

Thranduil poked his head from the staircase and caught glimpse of Celairis confronted by some of the counselors. He narrowed his eyes and almost jumped off the staircase when he heard someone raise his voice against her.

"What is going on here?" His voice interjected them. The Silvan counselors looked stunned and they quickly dipped their heads into a low bow.

"My lord! Your Majesty!" They simultaneously cried.

He felt an urge to roll his eyes. He made his way beside Celairis and examined her face. She looked overwhelmed and surprised at his arrival, but there was also relief that was reflected in her eyes. He could guess that whatever was happening was not very pleasant and that his trusted counselor was being cornered by the others.

Once the others straightened themselves, Thranduil glared at each of them, his blue eyes piercing them one by one. Those who were guilty would turn their eyes away.

"What seems to be the problem?"

No one answered.

He turned to the lady beside him. "Celairis? Any ideas?"

His female counselor shook her head without hesitation. She tiptoed to whisper something in his ear, and gradually, his eyes widened. He saw the other counselors flinch and he laughed mentally. When he drew back, he winked at her.

"Should you have further problems with Lady Celairis here, feel free to answer to me. And please, let us not start anything so harsh. A new age has begun; let us start afresh."

The counselors looked guilty once more and fell silent.

"Please excuse me and the lady," Thranduil continued, pulling Celairis by the waist and walking away with her. He smirked at the others. "The coronation will take place a week from now. Please prepare all the necessary things: invitations and reports from the palace management. And do not forget to invite our friends from Lórinand."

"And what of Erfaron and Lord Elrond from Rivendell? Should we invite them as well?"

Thranduil stopped and his hand from Celairis's hip immediately slipped away. No one dared to mention Erynlith, even by the term Erfaron, in his presence ever since their departure a few weeks ago. Raithon would tease him about it every once in a while; and somehow, it was annoying. Thranduil turned back to his counselor and said: "No, they are not to be invited. Let us focus on the objective at hand."

And in that following week, Thranduil was crowned the King of Greenwood the Great. King Amroth and Nimrodel arrived and were attended by several servants. The King's wine cellar was broken and barrels were rolled in the festive banquet halls; songs of merry-making sounded and the laughter were contagious. The newly-crowned Elvenking sat at the head of the table, thoughtfully sipping from his wine as he watched the maidens danced around in groups. His previously hostile counselors turned over a new leaf, having been influenced greatly by Celairis in the past week.

And thinking of his female counselor, blue eyes searched around the halls. Thranduil found her among her Silvan friends, a wine cup in hand. She laughed good-naturedly at a jest and then sipped from her cup. She was a beautiful sight to behold, and he wondered how he had never noticed her before. He knew Celairis as a dutiful counselor, a quiet and intelligent girl. She knew each corner of the palace and the library. Thranduil remembered sitting beside her one night during one of his father's feasts. She was a proper lady, a dark beauty as Raithon described her.

Beauty, Thranduil scoffed and drank his wine. I am more interested in brains.

But then his mind wandered again to Rivendell. He thought about Erynlith, on what could she be doing at that very moment. It was almost midnight; he guessed that she was spending time with Erestor and the other elves he did not know the names. He knew he loved her, but was unable to say how he felt. Perhaps he could never tell her. And again he thought: beauty and brains. He had never described Erynlith as beautiful even once, even though she was fair like her mother before her. And was she clever? Thranduil regarded her as sharp. She was quick to answer honestly, but there were also times when she was too clueless for her own good. He missed her terribly—her quick remarks, endless glares, and most especially, her songs. Thranduil laughed quietly from his seat; one might mistook him for being crazy.

Should I visit? He thought over and over again.

However, there was a voice within him that greatly discarded the idea.

Next Chapter: The Third Age begins.

Author's Notes: Aww, man. I just realized how lazy I was in the past few days. This chapter is really, really short. Geez. Let me apologize for being so lazy. But hey! We've got some... uh... Thranduil things going on. Yeah! Counselor problem solved, many thanks to his fabulousness. Even his counselors cannot handle him!

*only-one-mirkwood-princess - Ooh, hello, Camy! Good to see you here~!

*llcyyxx - Those are wonderful names. I especially like the contrast between morning and twilight. I would try to incorporate them in the story. Thank you very much!

*Evangeline Pond - Shakespeare for the win!

*Asmodeus Black - "Is Erynlith going to return to greenwood soon?" Ooh, I do not want to spoil but— Don't make me spoil it! *hides in the corner*

*Rosiethehobbit17 - I literally went "Aww" when I read your review. Look at all these elves complicating romance. At least Raithon has settled down, right? LOL. Thank you very much for reviewing!

*Treesaw - I do try my best to update every week, so here you go! I miss those moments, too. *cries*

*Anonymous - Celairis seriously needs to hide where you cannot find her! Ha! Thank you for reviewing!

*DeLacus - As minor characters as they are, I love writing Lindir and Gildor — especially Gildor, with his Noldorin sass. And the counselors get what they deserve; it's like Daddy Thrandy catches them red-handed and sends them back into their rooms. I now imagine him doing that to Legolas. *squeals*

P.S. From here on, brace yourselves to a very long (and probably awkward) timeskip. I guess timeskips happen in most stories, for the sake of the plot. So, please, bear with me! Thank you for reading! Have a wonderful day~!