THE FORGOTTEN
Adlengen Pilin
Loosed Arrow
Author's note: The chapter in which – Thranduil asks questions and Legolas, Lothril, and Estelneth go to the archery range. …Elvish in Italics… if re/reading in real time, this chapter spans December 9th-11th.
The next day Thranduil called a meeting with Brenion, Commander Raven, and Bardir the head of their smaller kitchen.
"You are all busy and so I shall keep this meeting brief," Thranduil said. "All of you are aware or were present for one of the attacks made on Lady Lothril in recent weeks. We have been investigating this matter and we have reason to suspect it is either Rhovaneth Gadroniel or Thuringwen Olthioniel. Both ellith are familiar faces around the palace and grounds and that is how and why we think whichever one is behind these attacks has been able to move around unnoticed. Can any of you recall seeing either one of them spending time around your respective areas in the days and hours leading up to the incidents?"
"I will check with the soldiers, your majesty, but I myself cannot recall any. I pay little heed to pretty ellith in the silver benches," Commander Raven answered.
"Thuringwen is not an unfamiliar face in the kitchen, but that is because she often delivers herbs and her brother works in there. I do not recall seeing her, but I shall check with her brother," Bardir replied.
"Do so and report back as soon as you can," Thranduil said.
"I have seen both for years and both recently watching the horses in the paddock. I think they watch practices and then watch the horses for a little while before leaving," Brenion said. "But I have not seen anything suspicious from either one."
"Check with your stable hands and see if they noticed anything off with either one," Thranduil said.
"I will do so right away, your highness," Brenion said grimly.
"Please be discreet when asking your subordinates about their presence and activity. I do not want either elleth learning of our suspicions because one of your subordinates said something to them," Thranduil ordered. "Commander Raven and Bardir, you are dismissed." As soon as they were gone Thranduil asked Brenion, "How is Silverlight?"
"He will pull through. I think he was trying to get away when he was hit by all the logs and branches, so he did not get all of them nor did they hit with the force they might have. He has several very nasty and large cuts though, three dislocated ribs we have had a time getting back into place, and he is lame in his left foreleg. He will pull through, but it is going to take quite some time," Brenion answered.
"I am glad to hear he shall make it, and I am very sorry this happened to one of your horses, especially one of your roans. I know how you love them so," Thranduil said.
"Thank you, your majesty. One of the more incidental but vexing things about all this is that he is finally old enough to stud and now I must wait indefinitely. He is so very handsome and fine and the mare I was planning on breeding him with keeps eyeing Thundercloud. Not that I think they would not both make a fine foal, but she has that beautiful silvery blue coat and Silverlight is that beautiful tarnished silver color and she's at an age where I will only let her breed two or three times more. No offense to your son's fine horse, but I would rather not waste one of those foals with his coal black stallion," Brenion said at a little bit of a ramble.
Fortunately, Thranduil knew exactly how Brenion was when it came to speaking of his horses, so he did not mind the horse master going on like that. "Perfectly understandable. And goodness knows if two horses are determined to get at each other, no fence is high enough."
Brenion gave a chuckle. "It is amazing how many of them turn into jumpers when they have a mind for it. But that is how you got your excellent Apple-blossom."
Thranduil chuckled. "That is true. And she is one of the best horses I have had. She made the journey to Minas Tirith easily and was an absolute pleasure to ride."
Brenion beamed with pride. Even if one of the horses wasn't exactly his idea, he still loved them and loved hearing them be praised.
"I will let you get back to Silverlight now, and be sure to let me know what your stable hands say about Rhovaneth and Thuringwen," Thranduil said.
"I will my lord," Brenion said with a bow and then left.
Raven returned to his office and sat down at his desk, pulling out a piece of paper and his quill. The king wished discretion with the questioning… very well. He carefully thought through which soldiers and officers would be most likely to take note of someone lingering where they should not be or else of a pretty unmarried face in the crowd. He jotted down several names. He checked the list twice, made one or two revisions and promptly sent orders for those soldiers and officers to be brought to his office at once.
The moment the requested personnel were assembled, he stood up from his desk, put his hands behind his back and stared hard at each of them in turn as he said in that terrifying low and even voice of his, "This conversation does not leave this office. If I catch any of you so much as breathing a word of it outside of these four walls you will find yourself so low in rank that you will be answering to new recruits. Is that understood?"
"Understood , sir!" they replied in unison.
"Good. Think back five days before Lady Lothril was injured on the practice field. That is the day we know the damaged practice sword was taken from the discard barrel. Does anyone present remember seeing either Rhovaneth Gadroniel or Thuringwen Olthioniel in the vicinity of the field on that day at any point in time?"
"I remember seeing Rhovaneth," one of the officers said. "She has been making eyes at one of the other officers for a year now."
"Which one?" Raven demanded.
He hesitated, "It is a somewhat delicate matter as her father-"
"Lord Gadron is not my concern. Is the officer in question here now?"
"No, sir."
"Go fetch him at once."
The officer bowed and hurried out.
"Did anyone else notice Rhovaneth or Thuringwen about on the day in question?" Raven asked, staring down the room.
"I noticed Thuringwen was with her as she often is," one of the soldiers said. "But I did not see her near the discard barrel. Only in the benches, sir."
Raven gave a brisk nod. "Anyone else?"
The answer came back as negative until one of the soldiers said, "This may be nothing as I have only recently been assigned to the armory and am not familiar with all the staff and servants that go in and out, but the day before Lady Lothril was injured, I did see a servant and now that I think about it, she did look a good deal like Thuringwen. I did not think of it at first for her hair was braided and coiled upon her head and she was wearing a thick scarf on her head as some of the cleaning maids do, so I could not see her light brown hair near her face. But now that I am thinking of it… if it was not her, then it was a servant that could be her sister."
Raven only nodded and dismissed everyone as the other officer returned with another officer in tow. "I take it you are the one Rhovaneth has been interested in this past year?"
"I am sir," he answered.
"And?" Raven asked with a raised brow.
"And we have been secretly courting for half a year, but as far as Lord Gadron is concerned, it has only been three weeks," he answered. "Sir, please do not tell Lord Gadron, he-"
"I do not care about Lord Gadron or your romantic life until you apply for marriage leave – and the sooner you give me notice the better."
"Understood, sir."
"Has Rhovaneth mentioned anything to you in relation to her friend Thuringwen or Lady Lothril?" Raven asked.
"Only that Thuringwen has been helpful in giving her an excuse to be around the palace grounds. This is halfway between their two houses," the officer answered.
Raven nodded. "Do not speak of this conversation outside of this office and if Rhovaneth says anything strange about Thuringwen and Lady Lothril, report it to me immediately. You are both dismissed."
Bardir returned promptly to the kitchen and drew Thalachanar out into the little hallway between the king's dining hall and the kitchen, which was empty this time of day as a rule.
"Thalachanar, you recall the day Lady Lothril ate the undercooked beans – was your sister Thuringwen here that day?"
Thalachanar nodded. "She was at that. Making a delivery."
"Was it her usual delivery?"
"Well… no, it was not. It was actually a small one, but she said she had an excess of herbs and needed to cut some to allow more to grow and so made an in between delivery because she did not have use for them," Thalachanar answered.
Bardir nodded. "Did you notice if she got near any of the bowls or dishes?"
"I am sure she wandered around a little as she does sometimes, but my back was to her almost the entire time, so I cannot say for certain one way or the other," Thalachanar replied, getting a very nasty sinking feeling. A conversation the two of them had had prior to that incident suddenly came to mind.
"Thank you, Thalachanar. You may go back to work."
Thranduil had asked them all to report back as fast as they could, but he had also asked for them to be discreet and had realistic expectations of what 'soon' would look like given the number of people each of them were likely to need to interview. However, it also came as no surprise when three hours later he was receiving a letter bearing Raven's seal labeled "confidential" and it contained a concise record of pertinent information gathered from his interview. The closest there was to anything resembling personal commentary was a one line conclusion at the end that read: Conclusion – Thuringwen is henceforth banned from the practice fields until this matter is concluded.
Well that certainly made Raven's opinion clear, and Thranduil wasn't aware of any servants that looked like Thuringwen, but he also knew he didn't know every servant by face and name either. So it was at least theoretically coincidental, but somehow he didn't think so. However, he was going to wait until the other two reports came in. For as badly as he wanted to put this matter to rest, he also wanted to be very sure he was going to try the right culprit.
Brenion's report did not arrive until just before Thranduil was going to head to supper. It seemed leading up to the storm everyone was very busy making sure the stables themselves were very well stocked with provisions for the horses and the couple of hands that were going to spend the night in the loft in case the storm was too bad to pay attention to anyone hanging around the paddock. Everyone agreed they saw no one in the paddock during the day, but one of the hands said she awoke in the middle of the night before the snow began to fall in earnest and thought she heard the creaking of tree limbs out in the paddock, but supposed it only the wind at first. By the time she thought the sounds strange enough to warrant looking out the window, the snow was falling just thick enough that she could not see far.
Thranduil reported these things to Lothril and Legolas at supper who both looked at each other.
"For as strange as it still seems to me, it seems the attacker must be Thuringwen," Legolas said.
"So it does. Do we bother going through with our plan then?" Lothril asked.
"Perhaps," Thranduil answered. "I am still not overly enthusiastic about it, but the fact of the matter is, I am only compiling evidence and so far there is very strong circumstantial evidence, but nothing conclusive. Unless she is either caught in the act or confesses, I strongly suspect we would never get a unanimous vote from the council of lords to convict her."
"Yes, I have been meaning to ask you how that works. Acharon was caught in the act with witnesses and plead guilty on the spot, so how does a criminal trial work in something like this? And why are you the one investigating it?" Lothril asked. "I have not gotten that far into reading about our laws, but it does seem with you as king, investigating this would be a conflict of interest."
Thranduil took a quick sip of wine then answered, "It varies a little depending on the nature of the crime. Generally, the lord of the given tribe acts as a judge or arbitrator depending on if it is something like theft or a dispute over property. For instance, say there was a theft and no one knew who did it, any number of pertinent officials may be involved in helping gather information and find the thief, but ultimately the lord decides from the evidence if there is a case worth hearing against the accused. If so and the accused pleads innocent, he can argue his case for why he is innocent and if he wishes to be declared such, he must convince the lord's council. Most tribes are overseen by a lord, but beneath him is usual a council of five or more that are usually comprised of representatives of each of the major families in that tribe. It can vary a little though. If the accused convinces the lord's council he did not do it, then he is declared innocent and they keep searching. If he is declared guilty, then the lord and his council determine an appropriate punishment in accordance with our laws.
"The same is true here and I am acting not so much as king as I am lord of the palace, as it were. So I am gathering evidence and involving pertinent officials, in this case Bardir the head of our kitchen, Commander Raven, and Brenion who is the horse master. Copies of everything I am finding are being made and given to Lord Teithon who acts as court witness and makes sure everything done in court is recorded properly and done in accordance with our laws. If or when I think I have sufficient evidence against Thuringwen, I will submit a recommendation to Teithon that we hold a trial where we will formally charge her, though she will be made aware of her charges prior, and she can plead innocent or guilty. If she pleads innocent to any of the charges, then depending on the charge she must convince either a majority or unanimously the council of lords, the court, and the crown."
Lothril nodded slowly then asked, "What do you mean depending on the charge she must theoretically convince either a majority or unanimously?"
"Different charges bear different penalties. Vandalism like removing your chimney grate is a very easy and quick repair and a very light penalty, especially for a first offense. Because the repairs only took a couple hours and it is not an expensive repair, she would need a unanimous vote to be cleared of the charges. Now for assaulting a member of the royal family and attempted murder, she would only need a majority vote to keep her from being executed," he answered.
"Wait, before we go any further – when you say a majority of the court, wouldn't that be essentially everyone that was at my introductory feast? And isn't that a rather large number of people to convince?" Lothril asked.
"Not quite," Legolas answered. "This is where our court system is more like yours. We have certain members who are always on it, like Lord Teithon, but then we draw at random other members from the court until we have twelve. In that respect, it is closer to your idea of a jury."
She nodded. "I see. Then you, Thranduil, I suppose are the crown?"
Thranduil gave a little smile. "I am, along with Legolas and when Lauríel was here, so was she. I was the judge, but for a charge like vandalism, Lauríel and Legolas could out vote me. And they did time to time."
"Oh, does that mean I have to sit through trials all the time now too? Or at least once we are married?" Lothril asked.
"No, it would only be for trials for crimes committed within the palace, which are mercifully few, or high crimes against the crown, which are mercifully fewer. And it is only because you are married to the crowned prince. If we had had a second son and you were married to him, you would not be involved in court cases at all," Thranduil answered.
"So then, is there a set of rules that determine when a charge needs unanimous or a majority vote to get a certain ruling?" Lothril asked.
"Somewhat. Let me explain it a little further – There is a set of guidelines and Lord Teithon and a set number of select others looks at each charge and the evidence before it is brought up and determines whether or not a majority or a unanimous vote is necessary to get a conviction either confirmed or dropped and the accused declared innocent or guilty," Thranduil answered.
"And here is a point where our system is very different from yours," Legolas said. "You have only guilty or not guilty. We have guilty, not guilty, or innocent. Innocent meaning the accused is cleared from the charge and never has to worry about it again. Not guilty meaning the evidence is not quite there to legally convict, but if something should turn up they could be re-tried and possibly convicted. Essentially the court saying, 'we think you did it, but legally we cannot convict you'. Then guilty of course being guilty. So if Thuringwen was brought to trial tomorrow over yesterday's incident with the evidence we have on hand right now, it is likely she would be declared 'not guilty' because the evidence we have is thin and circumstantial. Now if in a week from tomorrow she was caught in the act of trying to hurt you, then she would be tried for that crime and could be re-tried over yesterday's incident and be declared guilty on both. However, if somehow she was declared innocent on yesterday's incident in the paddock, then she could only be tried for the attempt she made and was caught in the middle of."
Lothril nodded. "I see. How many times can you be tried for a single crime?"
"Twice," Legolas answered.
Lothril nodded again and thought through everything for a second before saying, "So basically Thranduil, you are responsible for gathering evidence, then Lord Teithon and the court decide if there is a viable case there, then during the trial…?"
"I am judge and I cast a vote for guilt or innocence or not guilty as does Legolas and as will you if the occasion arises. I also set the sentence in accordance with prescribed punishments within the law," he answered.
"Who presents the evidence against the accused?" Lothril asked.
"It is submitted to the court prior to the trial beginning and each chosen member who must decide the verdict must be familiar with the evidence before the trial begins. The accused, if pleading innocence, gives their defense during the trial and if there is any question or wish for clarification from members of the council, court, or the crown, they give those questions to Gwilithon or Teithon respectively who then ask them and the accused can answer accordingly," Thranduil answered.
"Doesn't that sort of bias everything against the accused though?" Lothril asked.
Thranduil smirked a little and answered, "Not particularly. You are young, so you do not understand this yet, but when you know you have hundreds if not thousands of years to live with someone or their kin after you have delivered a judgement, you tend to be a bit more circumspect and weigh all things more carefully. It is also why we tend to have low crime rates. We also know if we wrong someone, we have hundreds and thousands of years to live with whom we have wronged. It encourages more peaceful coexistence."
"I can see that." Lothril said. "So what do we do?"
"We wait a few more days. I have not received a report from Bardir yet, so we shall see what he has to say and then we decide how we want to go forward," Thranduil answered.
The next morning at breakfast, Galion came in without being summoned, which was unusual, and leaned down and said in Thranduil's ear, "Your highness, Thalacanar of the kitchens is requesting an audience with you and bears a report from Bardir."
"Did you tell him I do not conduct business before breakfast?" Thranduil replied.
"I did, your highness, but he insisted it was urgent," Galion replied.
"Show him to the anteroom and I will be there presently," Thranduil answered.
Galion bowed and hurried out and Legolas raised a brow in question.
"I have no idea, but one of the kitchen staff is requesting an audience with me," Thranduil said in answer to the unspoken question.
"That is unusual," Legolas said with a frown.
"I am going to go meet with him as soon as my tea finishes steeping. If he is going to interrupt my breakfast, he gets to wait on my tea," Thranduil said almost petulantly. "I will keep it brief if you two wish to wait for me."
"I am certainly curious enough to wait," Lothril said with a half-smile before taking a bite of toast.
Thranduil gave a quiet laugh checked his tea. It was ready, so he poured his cup and stood up with the words, "I will be back shortly." And with that he took his tea cup and saucer and headed out to his anteroom. A servant opened the door for him and there stood Thalacanar, whom Thranduil recognized, if only just. He had never had to talk to him directly but he had seen him about when he would bake in the kitchen. As soon as Thranduil entered, Thalacanar bowed and Thranduil gave a nod and sat down at the table and invited Thalacanar to sit in one of the chairs on his left.
Thalacanar gripped the chair with white knuckles and sat down, fidgeting a little and looking unsure about what to do next.
"Galion informed me you requested an audience with me and it is urgent," Thranduil said, opting for a more conversational and congenial tone despite the fact he was painfully conscious that his eggs were getting cold… but the poor kitchen worker looked nervous and oddly enough, sad.
"I-I did, my king. Here is the report from Bardir," he said, setting down the folded document. "However… may I speak freely?"
Thranduil nodded. "Please do."
"Bardir questioned me and afterwards a conversation I had with my sister Thuringwen came to my mind. It was the night after the hunter's feast. I live here in the palace and she with our father and mother in Celonost and Thuringwen will often stay with me unannounced when she is visiting with some of her other court friends, and so I assumed was the case when I came home and I found her washing up in my kitchen," Thalacanar said.
"Washing up?" repeated Thranduil, a little surprised at that statement.
"She will frequently do little things like wash up or make supper if she stays with me. She says it is in exchange for her room and board, so I thought little of it until after Bardir questioned me and I began to think through the conversation we had. I had no dishes in the sink when I left and at the time I did not think to question what or why she was washing up there, but I did after speaking with Bardir."
"What was your conversation about?" Thranduil asked before taking a sip of tea.
"I greeted her and said I had half expected to see her the night before. She said I was already asleep when she returned. When I asked her how the feast was she said it was naught but drunken revelry and I teased her that she ought to have joined in for once, which she did not appreciate, and then told her she takes too much after our cousin Gormes and she began going on about how it would be better if more of the nobility did, including Lady Lothril, though she referred to her in less flattering terms," Thalacanar said, drifting off a little at the end.
"How did she refer to her?" Thranduil asked.
"Well, she uh, called her 'that loathsome imposter' and then she proceeded to go on a tirade about how Lady Lothril destroyed our cousin Gormes' family and turned Nûrhel against her mother and ruined our cousin's chances at – well, securing the prince's affections," Thalacanar answered, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
Thranduil managed to keep his face neutral and said, "This may seem like a peculiar question, but do you recall what your sister was wearing?"
Thalacanar's brows knit a little as he thought back. "It was a dark grey dress with purple lace, as I recall."
"Did it look damaged at all?" Thranduil asked.
"I could not say one way or the other, your majesty," Thalacanar replied, clearly confused at this line of questioning.
"Have you seen or spoken to her since?" Thranduil asked.
"I have, your majesty, but we have not spoken of Lady Lothril or our cousins since because I knew it would be a point of contention," he answered.
"Could you say when you have seen or spoken to her?" Thranduil asked.
Thalacanar frowned in thought and looked down at the table before slowly shaking his head. "No, your majesty, I could not give dates. It has been a little more frequent than usual, but there are times when she does spend more time around here visiting friends than others." He looked up at the neutral faced Thranduil with worry written all over his face. "Even so…" he trailed off then nodded towards the report and said, "You will see for yourself that Thuringwen was in the kitchens the night Lady Lothril was given food poisoning. I hate to suspect my own sister, yet… I do. She is a good cook in her own right and she would know that those undercooked beans would make someone ill."
Thranduil studied Thalacanar for a moment. It was obvious he was completely innocent as he looked absolutely torn about telling him this, yet he did. And clearly he suspected nothing more than his sister making Lothril ill as he had looked horribly confused by the dress question. Thranduil pitied him, because his testimony here strongly implicated his sister in the first two attacks. He quickly weighed things out in his mind then asked, "If we find strong enough evidence to bring Thuringwen to trial for making Lady Lothril ill, would you be willing to swear to those statements publically?"
Thalacanar paled, but nodded slightly. "I love my sister, but I am loyal to the crown and she knows the laws as well as I do. If she did it, then she made her decision and accepted the consequences," he said, sounding like he was about to burst into tears.
For as much as he was about ready to send the guard to Thuringwen's front door that moment, he pitied her poor brother before him that was clearly broken up by this. "You have done the right thing in coming forward. In these matters I must follow the law, same as anyone else, but I will still do what I can to keep you from having to state this publically. We may be able to get away with you merely giving a written testimony that is entered into the records but not necessarily read in court, or if read, your name omitted from the reading but kept in the records."
Thalacanar at once saw what his king was trying to do. "Thank you, your majesty. The mere consideration is very generous and I am grateful, regardless of what must be done."
Thranduil merely nodded and said, "We appreciate you telling us. If there is naught else you wish to say, you may go."
Thalacanar nodded, thanked the king again and quickly left. Thranduil sat at the table in thought for a moment before reaching for Bardir's report and opening it. He quickly scanned it and saw that three other kitchen staff had noticed her loitering around the bowls and then disappearing right before they were brought out. Well, there was now no doubt in his mind Thuringwen poisoned Lothril and next to no doubt that she had dropped the squirrel down the fireplace. He folded up the report, tucked it in an inner pocket of his robes and took his tea cup back to breakfast where Legolas and Lothril were waiting.
"So? So?" Lothril asked as soon as he sat down.
"Bardir's report is sufficient to condemn her for poisoning you," Thranduil answered, deciding to skip the cold eggs. Cold bacon he did not mind so much, but cold eggs were a hard pass.
"What of the kitchen worker?" Legolas asked.
"That was Thuringwen's brother Thalacanar. It seems Bardir asking him questions yesterday brought to mind a conversation he had with his sister which clearly spells out her opinion of you, Lothril, and motive for doing what she is doing. She is a cousin of Gormes and she blames her family's woes on you, doubtless thanks to influence of Gormes. And his testimony strongly implicates her as the one who dropped the squirrel in your room," Thranduil answered before a taking a bite of bacon.
"Out of curiosity, the whole squirrel incident really could not be more than a vandalism charge, could it?" Lothril asked.
Thranduil nodded and then tossed a glance to Legolas who answered for him.
"Somewhat. Vandalism and an act of malicious intent towards a member of the royal house, but the steepest penalty she could see from the first incident would be time in the dungeons, as she did not actually touch you or was even in the same room as you."
Lothril nodded. "So what do we do from here?"
Thranduil glanced at Legolas then answered, "You and Legolas remain out of sight for a few more days while I continue to make inquiries. If I cannot get anywhere, then we shall see about enacting your plan."
"Am I under house arrest then?" Lothril asked, half joking.
Thranduil gave a smirk. "You are free to go wherever you wish within the palace and the palace grounds, but know if you head outside you will be escorted by at least two guards an inside you will be escorted by Legolas, Estelneth, myself, or a guard if you leave our private rooms."
She got a funny look on her face and looked at Legolas and then looked at Thranduil and said, "I would complain, but you have no idea how weirdly familiar it is for me to have an escort everywhere I go. In fact, this is still less than I am used to."
"Oh? How so?" Thranduil asked.
"Her family was ubiquitous in her life," Legolas answered with a small smile. "Even with them trying to give her more privacy while we were there, they were still everywhere."
The next morning at breakfast Thranduil reported that it had been decided it was time to have Thuringwen brought in for questioning in regards to the first three incidents and see if they could get anything out of her about the fourth one and that guards were going to be arriving at her house around midday to bring her in.
"Oh good! Then it should not be a problem if I go to the archery range today? I have been itching to shoot again," Lothril said.
"It should be quite fine," Thranduil replied.
"Are you still planning on taking Estelneth with us?" Legolas asked.
"Oh yes!" Lothril answered enthusiastically. "Ever since she mentioned her archery skills, I have been very curious to see just how good she is."
"Quite good, as I recall," Thranduil said. "She used to practice with Lauríel on occasion."
After breakfast, Lothril returned to her room to get ready to head to the archery range, and found Estelneth already dressed for it and with a bow and quiver of arrows set neatly on the anteroom table. She helped Lothril change and then the two of them joined up with Legolas, all of them with weapons in tow, and the three of them chatted happily as they headed outside to the enclosed range.
It was a bitter cold morning with a thin searching wind that was making almost everyone out in it pull their hoods up further, pull their hats down tighter, and make sure their scarves were secure, Lothril being no exception. She quickly pulled her hood down deep and pulled her scarf up tight over her face. Even Legolas adjusted his scarf a little against the wind. Thankfully though, the walk was not very long and the archery range was fully enclosed, though not exactly warm. There were perhaps a dozen other elves loosing arrows, most of them wearing scarves, hats, or hoods as they shot. Outside of the generalization of there being a mix of ellyn and ellith it was hard to say who anyone was unless you happened to recognize their clothing, so it was with relative anonymity they loosed arrows for a while.
The call was given to halt so the arrows could be removed from the targets without the risk of anyone getting shot, and Legolas, Lothril, and Estelneth left their bows and all headed down together to remove their arrows, talking merrily together, though Estelneth was perhaps still a little more on alert. As the three of them had decided to see how fast they could loose arrows compared to each other and were counting off their arrows as they pulled them out, and because they had been doing a contest of speed, they had a prodigious amount of arrows in their respective targets, making them the last ones down range pulling out arrows.
As they turned around to head back, Lothril pushed back her hood as she was starting to feel acclimated to the cool building, and almost as soon as she did she heard a gasp. She heard an elleth cry out, "What are you doing?!"as an arrow sped her direction, no - Legolas'!
"Legolas!" Lothril cried even as Estelneth pulled her away from the arrow.
Legolas had heard the cry and saw the arrow coming and dodged it, though truth be told, it was flying wide in the space between Legolas and Lothril, just more towards Legolas than Lothril.
Almost immediately they saw one of the female archers drop her bow and gasp and cover her mouth as the two ellith next to her stared at her in wide eyed, horrified shock as three of the soldiers that were there practicing descended upon her and restrained her. Legolas immediately made his way to the apprehended elleth and Estelneth took up a more protective position with Lothril who followed Legolas over, but at a distance.
As he approached he ordered, "Throw back her hood and scarf!"
The one soldier who wasn't holding one of her arms obeyed and at once Legolas and Lothril both saw who it was – Thuringwen.
Legolas was seeing red. This confirmed everything – it had been Thuringwen behind all of it all the way along. "Take her to the dungeons and alert the king at once that Thuringwen has been captured," he ordered brusquely. "Lothril, come with me."
Lothril followed Legolas and Estelneth hastily grabbed their bows and followed. As soon as they reached the palace Legolas looked at Lothril and said, "Go back to your room and I will meet you there shortly."
"Where are you going?" Lothril asked.
"To demand answers," Legolas growled. "Go with her Estelneth."
"I shall, my lord," she answered.
Legolas stormed down to the dungeons so quickly that he met two of the soldiers that had apprehended Thuringwen as they were coming back from locking her up.
"Your highness, we have sent word to the king already as you requested and are just now returning from the dungeons," one of the soldiers reported with a bow.
"Thank you. You have done well and may return to the range," Legolas replied.
"Thank you, Prince Legolas," they replied with another bow and left.
Legolas continued on down into the dungeons and asked the keeper where Thuringwen was and made a bee line to her cell. Before he even reached the door he demanded, "Explain yourself!"
"Prince Legolas, please believe me – it was an accident! I would never try to harm you! I was trying to save-"
Legolas cut her off. "An accident?! No one knocks, aims, and looses an arrow on accident ten minutes after the call to cease and that does not explain the other-"
"Legolas! Enough!" Thranduil ordered as he swept towards the cell looking like a storm rolling across the plain.
Legolas turned to face his father and with ósanwe protested, "I demand to be allowed to stay and interrogate her. She has attacked my betrothed five times now and nearly injured me two of them!"
"No, Legolas, you know I cannot as she is a subject of the crown, not a soldier or a prisoner of war," Thranduil replied, his thoughts understanding though firm in tone. He certainly understood his son's feelings in this.
"Please, your majesties! Let me explain-" Thuringwen cried, into what seemed to be to her a moment of silence.
"Silence!" Thranduil thundered. "You will not speak unless you are spoken to!" he turned his attention back to Legolas and said in a quiet but firm tone, "I will come to you directly after. Go see to Lady Lothril and ensure she is well after such an ordeal."
Legolas was not happy, but he knew the laws as well as his father and he knew his father was right and so reluctantly, unhappily, but obediently nodded and left.
Thranduil turned his attention to the prisoner, looking none too happy and scaring Thuringwen to the point of her trembling. In a low voice he said, "Thuringwen Olthioniel, you have a lot of explaining to do."
Meanwhile, a stormy Legolas took every back hall that was likely to be deserted up to his rooms and successfully avoided seeing anyone. As soon as he got into his room he slammed the door behind him and began shedding his winter gear and throwing it onto his bed.
Alphon had been in the prince's study sorting a new batch of reports he would look over later when he heard the door slam loudly. He immediately set down the stack in his hand and came out to see the prince, his face looking like a vicious summer storm, throwing his hood and coat onto the bed in a heap on top of his scarf, shooting gloves, and arm guard. "My prince! What is wrong? Was there another attack?"
"There was and the wicked idiot loosed an arrow at her! I say that, but her aim is atrocious and the arrow flew between us," Legolas answered, sounding and feeling a mix of enraged and darkly amused at her horrible aim. Now that the first wave of wrath of wearing off and he was getting a little distance, his feelings on the whole thing were becoming mixed and muddled.
"Then Lady Lothril is safe?"
Legolas nodded. "She is safe."
"Was the wicked idiot captured?" Alphon asked.
Legolas nodded again. "She was and immediately," he answered and paused undoing his thick outer tunic. "I think the threat is over now."
"Should I then fetch an outfit for you to change into to celebrate this with Lady Lothril?" Alphon suggested. "I could also send for wine and something nice to eat and have them sent wherever you wish."
"Do so, and have it sent to the drawing room. When my father is done interrogating the prisoner, let him know that is where we are," Legolas answered.
Alphon nodded and hurried off.
Legolas finished taking off his thick outer tunic and neatly folded it in half lengthwise and laid it out on the bed before moving on to the next layer.
As soon as he was changed, he went over to Lothril's room where he found her in her library talking to Estelneth. The moment she saw Legolas though, she bolted out of her chair and came to him and took his hands in hers and asked quietly, "How are you, melethel nin?"
The question surprised him a little. "I am well, meleth nin, are you?"
She nodded and gave him a kiss and then a hug. "Relieved! That she tried such a stupid stunt in front of a dozen witnesses – there is now way we should ever have to worry about her again."
"No, we should not," Legolas agreed.
"Estelneth," Lothril said, half turning to the attendant, "You may go. Thank you for coming with us today. Next time we will hopefully be able to loose arrows for longer."
"Hopefully so, milady," Estelneth said with a small smile before bowing and quickly leaving.
As soon as Estelneth was well gone Lothril said, "You said you are well, but your kiss said otherwise. What can I do to ease your heart?"
Legolas wrapped his arms around her tightly and sighed. "I only need this for a little while." He held her in silence for a little while and let himself be comforted by her embrace and the feel of her hands reassuringly rubbing his back. "I have ordered Alphon to bring food and drink for us to the drawing room so we may celebrate her capture a little and perhaps have Ada join us when he is done interrogating her."
Lothril got a funny look on her face, though he could not see it. "I cannot say I have ever celebrated the capture of a criminal before with food and drink, but then again… it seems appropriate to breathe a sigh of relief that way after the weeks of tension and being on edge we have had."
"It is, indeed." He straightened up a little and looked at her and said quietly, "Thank you for being so steadfast and strong through all this. Whether you realize it or not, you have been propping me up this whole time when I thought I might lose my mind to worry about you. And being with you each night, I thought was to succor you, but it has proved a comfort for me also."
She got a funny little smile and replied, "Well, I do not think I would have fared half so well if you hadn't been there."
"And I shall still be here even after," he pledged.
"Even tonight?" she asked with a flirty little smile.
"Especially tonight," he answered, returning the smile and giving her a quick little kiss on the forehead. "I want to celebrate. Speaking of, shall we go? Do you need to change?" He took a step back and looked at her outfit.
"I changed already," she answered. "Let us go drink and eat and celebrate a bit."
They had been in the drawing room for over an hour and had settled onto the couch with Lothril sitting and leaning against him when Thranduil came in. Lothril immediately sat up and asked, "What happened?"
"She did not break down and confess, if that is what you are thinking," Thranduil answered as he came around and sat down across from them and poured himself a glass of wine. "I informed her she is the primary suspect in the string of attacks on you and as soon as a court scribe came down, I formally listed the charges against her, asked if she wished to plead guilty to anything right away and she said no, and then we gave her the customary six weeks to make her decisions and prepare her defense before the trial."
Lothril nodded. "So does she just stay in the dungeons until then?"
Thranduil nodded slightly and swallowed his sip of wine. "She does, but she may have visitors and can make use of a court clerk to help her create her defense."
Lothril took a deep breath. "Well… that is fair. I suppose I can breathe easily for the next few weeks then."
"I believe so, but to be safe, we will keep guards near you when you leave the palace grounds in case she had a cohort," Thranduil answered.
She nodded and reached for her wine.
"There was one thing of note that happened," Thranduil said, took a quick sip, and continued. "She repeatedly asked for an audience with the prince."
"I might grant one as her last request," Legolas growled.
Lothril frowned in thought.
"I told her you were under no obligation to do so and not to get her hopes up for one," Thranduil said.
"How much you want to bet she wants to apologize for nearly hitting you instead of me?" Lothril asked Legolas.
Legolas' face was stormy again. "Like as not, and I have no desire to face an inquiry for attacking a prisoner."
"The confession though might be handy and save us the time and bother of a trial," Lothril said casually, sitting back and taking a sip of wine.
"Depending on what we find at her house, a verbal confession may not be necessary," Thranduil said. "I have guards heading there as we speak to search the place."
"Oh I do hope she keeps a diary or something or has drawn out plans for that terrible booby trap pinned to the wall. I just want this over and done!" Lothril said before taking a rather large drink from her cup. "Let's see… Today is December tenth, which is the twenty-third of rhîw, and she has six weeks so that means with your short elf weeks that will put her trial on…the… let's see… six and six is thirty six, carry the two… fifty-ninth of rhîw which works out to… January fifteenth, right?" She looked at Legolas for confirmation of her math.
His stormy face had melted into a smile as he watched her do the math and tick off numbers on her fingers. He had seen her math homework… it was definitely not her best subject. "Right. Unless there is a scheduling conflict with the court."
Lothril looked at Thranduil who seemed amused at this little scene and he said, "The court clerk will let us know in a day or two what the court date will be, but on or near the fifty-ninth."
Lothril grinned. "I think I am getting the hang of elven reckoning!"
Thranduil chuckled quietly into his wine cup before taking a sip. She put things in the most amusing ways sometimes.
That evening dinner was with the family and everyone was delighted to learn the prime suspect was safely locked away in the dungeon and celebrated that fact with some wine out of Thranduil's private collection and more than indulgent dessert. Afterwards everyone carried on their little impromptu celebration with music and singing.
They had not been there very long when Lothril quietly came up to Thranduil and said, "I am quite tired from today. I am going to retire early. Thank you for everything… this is nice. And give my apologies for sneaking out."
He was sure she was tired, but the thing written on her face wasn't tiredness. Poor thing… it looked like everything was finally catching up with her and was about to come crashing down on her. "Go and rest, pen mell. Everyone will understand. And take that unopened wine off the table as you go. You will need it, I think."
She nodded, swung by the table and grabbed the bottle, and quietly slipped out the door. Legolas was playing a song on his lute and hadn't noticed Lothril's departure. Fortunately, it was a short song and afterwards, Thranduil used ósanwe to say, "Lothril just slipped out and I think the last few weeks are about to overwhelm her. Go to her and see her through this."
Legolas managed to keep his face pleasant as he set aside the harp, which Thranduil immediately took up with a perfectly congenial looking smile and began to play and Legolas was able to sneak out unnoticed.
He hurried back to her room and found her sobbing in a crumpled heap on her couch, the bottle of wine lying next to her forgotten. He rushed over to her and put his arms around, drawing her into himself. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried, shuddering sobs wracking her frame.
"Lothril, my Lothril! You have had such a hard time and been so strong. Let it all out now and let me hold you. These last weeks have been a hard trial and you have passed it exceedingly well. Let it out and be comforted," he said soothingly.
She was in absolutely no state to talk, so it was hardly surprising when she used ósanwe to reply, "It is not just these few weeks – it is this last year and a half! Everything… all our adventures and battles are catching up with me… I have been fighting for over a year and just when I thought I could put down my sword for good, this happened!"
"You have had a very hard and trying time at that, but it is done now. It is done. You have passed through this trial and conquered it. You have naught to fear. Everyone else loves you and has rallied around you in this trial, even if you did not see it. Everyone around you is angry and grieved that you have been attacked and they have all been doing what they can to protect you. This shall not happen again, my love. I promise," he replied out oud. He could still feel the dark swirling mass of thoughts she was having and added, "Banish those dark thoughts, my love. Send them to the void where they belong, for they are lies. The danger is over and you are surrounded by friends, not enemies. Turn your mind now to me and the ones who love you. We are all here for you. Look to our wedding and our coming days of joy."
"Speak to me of our joy and your love. I have felt so low and alone!"
"Oh Lothril! Lothril! I wish you had spoken of such feelings sooner! You are far from alone! All my kin love and adore you, especially Aunt Cîlwen and cousin Linnrien and cousin Gwilithon. He thinks you are the most amusing thing in the world and I think he would do anything for you. Aunt Cîlwen thinks of you as her own offspring, I am nearly certain, and Linnrien thinks of you as a sister and friend. And Ada, of course, loves you as dearly as if you were his own flesh and blood. He has been heartbroken for you these weeks and going mad that there was naught more that he could do. And as Ada has been interviewing soldiers and staff, they have all been complimenting you heavily and saying how much they adore you and how strongly and graciously you have handled all this, and how upset they all are that someone would dare attack you. Soon you will see this all for yourself. As our wedding approaches you will see how everyone will come together to make our celebration full of joy, love, and happiness. And as for our joy and my love – I will tell it to you always with every word, thought, and deed." He gently lifted her face from his shoulder and softly kissed the corner of her mouth, just enough to catch her lips so she could feel for herself his love for her. He let her bury her face in his shoulder again and he felt her sobs cease and her breathing even out as he held her and gently rubbed her back. "You have been so strong, my love. You have been so strong and holding me up. Rest now in me and let me hold you."
She shifted so she was resting against him with her face unburied from his shoulder. "Thank you, Mellothon."
He smiled and said, "I am so very glad I created a private name for you and told it to you. Hearing you use it like that makes me very happy. It reminds me how very much you have become part of me already."
"I feel much the same way about my name. Whenever anyone says it I reminded of you."
He hugged her tighter.
"Shall you stay tonight?" she asked, her voice sounding rough from tears.
"I shall stay. I had been hoping to stay anyway," he answered quietly.
"I remember. You wanted to celebrate. I'm sorry, I think I have ruined it."
"Do not apologize, you have ruined nothing. You have earned these tears if ever anyone has! I marvel that you did not shed them sooner," he replied and kissed her head as he held her.
"What were you thinking of doing to celebrate?" she asked, her voice sounding more steady even as she sniffed and dried her eyes.
"A little wine and a little spoiling you. I also hoped to spend the night with you in my arms," he answered. "And if you are up for it, we may still go through with my plans."
"Your plans sound perfect," she said with a little smile. "Should I go fetch my bottle opener?"
"I am a step ahead of you," Legolas said and produced a bottle opener out of seemingly nowhere. She scooched off his lap and he opened the bottle of wine.
"I did not think to grab a cup," Lothril frowned.
Legolas smiled. "It is a good thing then that I had planned this out thoroughly, for I thought of them. Wait here," he said and quickly got up and left for her anteroom only to return a moment later carrying two wine cups. He poured her a generous cup and gave it to her and she took a big gulp. "Ai! Not so hasty or you will be drunk! This is a stronger wine and you will want to sip it slowly."
She leaned back on the couch and said with a crooked little half smile, "Perhaps, but I think I needed that. So, how are you planning on spoiling me?"
"However you need me to. I had plans, and I can still enact them, but you are having a hard evening and you must tell me what you need tonight. Tonight is all about you. Tell me what you need," Legolas replied.
She gave a shuddering sigh as the last traces of her tears left her. "I need you near. I need to feel your presence. I know at least that much."
He draped an arm around her. "Then that is what you shall get. As near as I can manage."
