~Invited to supper at the palace, Thuriniel is nervous about being around people but Thranduil sets her at ease. Maybe a little too much at ease...~

~oOo~

"Venture outside your comfort zone.
The rewards are worth it."

– Rapunzel, Tangled

~oOo~

6. Palace

"It feels strange." Thuriniel pulled her hood down further, trying to be inconspicuous where she walked next to her daughter. There were people everywhere on the underground street and it felt like they all looked at her.

"You will get used to it." Lasriel seemed anything but bothered by the crowd. Her cheeks glowed with excitement and her eyes were wide as she looked at the sights of the city, but she appeared unaware that several inches of her dress were damp. They had hitched a lift with the rafters to travel here safely and she must have been careless when jumping ashore.

Thuriniel wished her daughter would be more careful, more ladylike – especially now that she was about to marry a prince! But she just didn't think about such mundane things, or even notice them.

They were close to the palace now and the passage widened to a large court.

"Naneth, look!" Lasriel breathlessly patted her arm. "It's so beautiful!"

Thuriniel anxiously raised her eyes from the ground, trying to ignore the many elves around her and the feeling of being trapped between them.

The sight made her temporarily forget her discomfort; it had been a very long time since she last was here and the grand cavern had become even more impressive than before. The smooth, quartz inlaid floor was the same, but there were several new statues around the walls, likenesses of elves who had passed on to the Undying Lands. They were beautifully illuminated by sunlight beaming through narrow shafts in the distant ceiling. In a wide pond in the center of the court grew white water lilies, and beneath the surface glinted the slender shapes of fish, restlessly sweeping this way and that. A scatter of silver trees gave the impression they were standing in a glade in a sparsely vegetated forest, and small birds chirping merrily in the branches enhanced the effect.

This place was less busy than the main street; people were strolling around leisurely, and on the many benches couples sat together, admiring the view – or each other. Many held hands and one pair even kissed quite openly despite the audience.

"Times have certainly changed," she remarked. When she was young the rules had been strict; her husband and she had never been alone together before they were married and certainly never kissed.

"It is so romantic…" Lasriel was observing the kissing couple as well, in her case with obvious curiosity. Not surprisingly; soon it would be her turn to be intimate with someone.

The thought made Thuriniel slightly uncomfortable as she recalled her own scant experience of that nature. Apart from the wedding night she had not slept many times with her husband, but those few had been enough. She had not enjoyed it, and neither had he. It had been a relief when she became pregnant.

"Love certainly seems to be in the air," she said, trying to push back the unpleasant memories. Lasriel was in love with Legolas and that would probably make all the difference. With luck, she might even like being intimate with him.

"I think it is because the war is over and people are more hopeful again," said Lasriel dreamily. "My wedding will probably not be the only one this year."

They continued, turning towards the elaborate double doors at the other side of the court. They were made of dark wood and framed with a garland of silver leaves. The handles were leaf shaped too.

The palace guards had been expecting them and immediately let them into an airy hallway where a ginger ellon came to meet them.

Thuriniel went cold. It was Galion, Thranduil's butler, a Silvan elf like herself whom she knew from her youth. Quickly looking down, she tried to hide her face under the hood. Thranduil had said nobody here knew her, had he been misinformed?

"Do not worry, madam," Galion said soothingly. "I am aware of the circumstances and your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you," she mumbled, trying to calm her racing heart. Not for the first time she regretted accepting Thranduil's supper invitation; she should have sent Lasriel alone and remained in the safety of her home. This was too risky.

Galion led them through a passage with intricate pillars shaped as branches and vines holding up the low ceiling. There were many doors and side tunnels along it, but thankfully no people around; a relief after the crowded, bustling city life outside.

He halted at one door. "Do you want to see the throne room before supper?"

"Yes, please!" said Lasriel eagerly.

Thuriniel didn't mind the detour either; it was a sight well worth having again, and it was amusing to see Lasriel's gaping mouth at the splendor.

Again Thuriniel noticed changes since her last visit. Far up, the ceiling was now studded with numerous white gems, sparkling and twinkling in the light of the many oil lamps. It felt like standing under a starry night sky.

"It is enormous," said Lasriel in an awed voice that echoed through the vast emptiness.

Indeed it was. This cavern was larger even than the court with the pond, and the winding stair to the high throne had more steps than one could count. The throne itself was spectacular as well, decorated with giant deer antlers.

It felt strange to imagine her friend perched up there, ruling the realm, but then again, Thranduil could be quite impressive when he chose to.

A short while later Thuriniel and Lasriel met him in the dining room, and he indeed looked kingly here in his abode. He and his son were handsomely dressed in similar silver woven coats and wore their long, blond hair loose, falling smoothly across their wide shoulders.

Next to Legolas, a short man with a huge beard bowed deep and introduced himself as Gimli, son of Glóin. This must be the dwarf friend Thranduil had mentioned.

Thuriniel regarded him suspiciously; she had a grudge against his kind after what they did in Moria in her youth, when she still lived in Lothlórien. Thanks to the dwarves' greed the route to Eregion had been blocked by a burning, nightmarish demon: a balrog of Morgoth.

The dwarf seemed to have noticed her frosty gaze and countered with shameless flattery: "After having met the fair Lady of Lórien I had believed I should never again set my eyes on such beauty, but alas! Here is not one, but two fair dames; one sharing her loveliness with the morning, the other with the evening."

She could not help smiling. "You are too kind, Master Gimli."

Lasriel was looking expectantly at Legolas, probably hoping for a compliment from him as well, but instead he glanced at the damp hem of her dress. "Is it raining outside?"

"Have a seat," said Galion from the table. He had just finished pouring ruby wine in large silver goblets, eyeing them thirstily.

Thranduil's dark eyebrows drew together. "That will be all, Galion. You can return to your chambers for the night."

"Thank you, my lord." He bowed.

As he left, Thranduil murmured in passing: "Chambers, remember. I do not need you in the wine cellar."

Galion hurried out, blushing hotly; he had one of those complexions that color easily.

The supper was excellent, and not at all as intimidating as Thuriniel had feared. It was only the five of them; Thranduil and Legolas, Gimli, Thuriniel and Lasriel, and the room was small and cozy, comfortably furnished with panels in warm colors and silk cushions on the chairs. Wax candles spread a soft light across the table.

After a few goblets of the superb wine, the conversation became cheerful. Thuriniel took the opportunity to talk with her future son-in-law, listening to him and the dwarf describe their many adventures during the war. She found Legolas was not much different from the sweet little ellon she remembered, only more serious. He obviously had experienced many hardships on his journey but didn't go into detail about them.

Next, Thranduil showed them engagement ring designs he had drawn and suggestions for the feast menu and table decorations, and Thuriniel added some ideas of her own about the couple's outfits and which flowers would match.

Thranduil was an attentive host, making sure everyone's plate and goblet remained full, and it was evident he paid special care to make Thuriniel feel relaxed. His kindness warmed her heart; he must have understood how hard it was for her to come, and she no longer regretted leaving the house. On the contrary, she thoroughly enjoyed herself. It was so seldom she had a chance to meet and have a conversation with someone other than her daughter.

As Thranduil and she talked, it crossed her mind how strikingly handsome he was, and she wondered why she had not noticed that before. His smooth hair and blue eyes reflected the mellow candlelight, and this close she saw he had remarkably long lashes. His hands fascinated her as well, they were large and adorned with beautiful rings, and she recalled how strong they had felt when he put one on top of hers the other day. Not that his good looks mattered, they were just friends after all, but the addition of his exquisite masculine charm made the evening even more pleasurable.

Thuriniel's only worry during the supper was Legolas' lack of interest in anything related to the engagement feast. He answered all suggestions with "sounds good" or "as you please" and spent most of the time discussing with Gimli how to go about the restoration of Ithilien and Minas Tirith. Lasriel, who sat opposite, was unusually silent, watching his every movement with doe eyes, but he paid little attention to her in return.

The way Thranduil had talked about his son's ready approval of the wedding plans, Thuriniel had got the impression he was equally besotted, but then why did he ignore her like that? Or was he just shy?

It seemed his indifference had come to Thranduil's attention as well, for when Legolas said his fifth "as you wish" he retorted acidly: "Well, as you are not very helpful, I suggest you take your intended for a walk and get to know her better while her naneth and I continue planning."

Legolas promptly pushed back his chair, but instead of turning to Lasriel he asked Gimli: "Want to come with us?"

The dwarf hesitated, but Legolas looked intently at him as if trying to convey something more with his eyes. If Thuriniel didn't know better, she would have guessed he wanted to avoid being alone with Lasriel. But why? It made no sense at all.

"I would love to," Gimli replied.

Legolas smiled with obvious relief. "Good. Lasriel needs to get to know you too, as you are my best friend and will visit us often in Ithilien."

With that, the three of them left.

"She did not like to have the dwarf go with them," Thuriniel remarked when they were alone, having noticed the disappointment in her daughter's face. "Are you sure Legolas wants this marriage? He does not seem very enthusiastic."

Thranduil shook his head. "I thought he did, but I agree, tonight he seemed anything but eager. Maybe he is getting nervous?"

"Are we rushing this? I feel like our motives are a bit selfish…"

"Legolas is an adult ellon and I cannot imagine he would agree to something he does not want. All I did was suggest it; he accepted without ado. And it is in his best interest, I think… He has been alone for so long. A loving family can support him when the time comes to learn the truth about his naneth."

"A loving family, aye."

He twisted one of his rings. "Are you saying their marriage will be loveless? Like…" He didn't finish.

Thuriniel thought about it for a while. "No… I do not think so. No matter what their reasons are for agreeing to the match, they used to be friends. That was what was most lacking… for us, I mean. We had nothing in common with our spouses, but these two – they have the potential to be good friends again. When I spoke to your son I felt he had not changed that much, and neither has Lasriel – at least I think so; with her I am less certain after all her lies and secrets."

"To me, she seems very much like her old self," said Thranduil. "And I agree my son is not that different either. He has become more silent, more brooding, but Lasriel's open, carefree disposition could probably be a good cure against his recent somberness. When I walked her home the other day, I found her quite charming."

"Then there is still hope for this." She sighed with relief. "You will probably think me silly, but I am quite a romantic. Well, you saw my books, and many of them are love stories, and now I will be able to plan an actual wedding… See how their love develops… It will give me such joy."

First he chuckled at her eagerness, but then his face became wistful. "I am a romantic too," he admitted, rubbing his ring again. "Nothing would please me more than if my son found the love I never did."

Now it was Thuriniel's turn to take his hand and press it soothingly. "I am sure he will, some way or other. But I think we must talk to him and Lasriel when they return, and emphasize that there is still time to change their minds."

"Aye. And if they need more time to get to know one another, we can delay the engagement."

They fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

Thuriniel slowly sipped her wine, acutely aware of Thranduil's warm hand under her own, but she just couldn't bring herself to take it away. It was so long since she had touched someone else and it felt so… right, for lack of a better word. And whether he didn't notice it, or didn't mind, he made no motion to remove his hand either.

But, she told herself, they were good friends and there was nothing strange about friends holding hands, or hugging, or… Her eyes fell on his lips.

No! Not that; of course she had no intention to be that close to him. She must have had one glass of wine too many.

A bit consciously she put the goblet aside and pulled back her hand.

A/N:

Sorry this chapter took a while longer. Busy time of the year… Next week is calmer so the new one should be up Thursday.