Thranduil could hear Tamuril's surprise at the fact he was standing outside her room and if he had been in a better mood he might have found himself mildly amused. As it was, he was restless. He was rather drained and he was also eager to be home. Tonight, and the journey back to the forest, would be long. As was his list of things to do when he finally arrived back at the palace. He still had meetings to attend, a forest to help regenerate, people to care for, trade agreements to renew. The war was over but he was still a king. However, he was more hopeful for the future. Surely now things could settle once more and his realm could be restored to its full potential without the shadows pressing down.
He waited outside the door patiently, not entirely sure if she was going to open the door to him at all. It was not lost on him that she would likely be feeling abashed at the fact that she had lied her way into leaving Rivendell with him. Still, the mere thought of her denying him was irritating, especially since she'd pushed herself into this without having the decency to ask him, but thankfully the door eased open before Thranduil was able to get too worked up over this imagined slight.
Tamuril appeared and looked up at him, wide-eyed, something close to fear etched into her expression though he could tell that she was trying to conceal it. She was not doing a very good job but he decided that he would not draw any attention to it. Thranduil thought back to the other night when she had been crying those same worried eyes out on the other side of this very door, but he quickly banished it and moved past her, striding into the room as though he owned it.
He moved to the window and peered down into the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back as he drew out the moment before he spoke again. "It would appear that you are returning to the Woodland Realm with us."
Tamuril's cheeks turned pink at the tone of his voice. It was a statement, not a question, and she wasn't sure if he was upset or angry, nor was she sure which she would prefer. Her silence lasted too long and Thranduil turned from the window to look over at her, eyebrows raised expectantly.
Tamuril winced and forced herself to speak. "I..." She sucked in a small breath. "Your majesty, I truly... truly apologise. I will admit that... that I have found myself in need of another place to go, however I... I did not have a pre-planned destination so, when asked, I simply panicked and..." She trailed off mid-rant, not even sure she could explain her way out of this. It all sounded so jumbled and ridiculous and she couldn't even explain it to him fully. There was no way she was telling him the whole story, it was far too embarrassing for one thing. He would not understand, for another, and probably think less of her than she figured he must already. "Of course, I will not force myself upon you and your realm. I do not wish to push myself in where I am not wanted, I will find-"
Thranduil held up his hand to stop her. "I did not say such." He told her simply, tilting his head just slightly to study her. He knew of her heartbreak, her loss of Haldir, and he could relate to it in some way but he could not figure out what had happened between her and Elrond to make her so eager to flee. It was curious to him as the two of them had obviously shared such a bond. Still, he supposed it mattered not, so he filed away his curiosity with everything else that he chose to ignore, and straightened once more. "You and your little friend-" He gestured, forgetting the name that Feren had come to him with earlier that day.
"Nessa.." Tamuril murmured, a little stunned that he hadn't completely dismissed her.
Thranduil nodded. "Right. Yes. You will both be ready to leave with us at dawn." He paused. "My lady, I do wish to be clear. Lord Elrond has no doubt allowed you to sit around moping. I offer no such luxury. The Greenwood shall be restored to her former glory and there is a lot of work still to do. You and Nessa, you will both need to earn your places within my realm like everyone else, by assisting in whatever ways you can." Thranduil took a moment to study her expression. "I assume this is agreeable to you?"
Tamuril was quick to nod, doing her best not to dwell on the way he described her as moping, though it was not easily done and she felt her heart sinking slightly. "Yes. Yes, of course, my lord." This had been easier than she had expected and she was far too stunned to really overthink anything. She could do that, she was sure of it. "Thank you."
Thranduil inclined his head. "Well, I will leave you to rest. We have a long journey ahead." He said simply, looking back at her for another long moment, before he moved past her and back out into the hallway, disappearing as quickly as he had arrived.