Disclaimer: These Characters belong to . I am simply playing with them.

CHAPTER : A Strange Argument

"What were you thinking?!" bellowed the Elven King in Sindarin. His voice reverberated across the throne room. It echoed off the tall pillars, grabbing the attention of all the courtiers standing near the walls, almost concealed by the shadows, seeking to avoid the attention of the incensed king. Sindarin was not a language preferred in Gondor, yet it was When neither of the figures on the floor offered a supplication, he continued, "Of all the witless things you could have come up with, you chose this!? Do you seek to create political turmoil? Do you understand the problems, this imbecilic hasty action of yours has caused?"

"Ada, we did not mean-", whatever defence the prince was about to offer was interrupted by the King.

" 'Did not mean .' Legolas you have eloped. Certainly, it could not have occurred had you not meant it to occur. Did you even pause to consider the consequences of your actions? Surely you could have been patient till both of you are of age."

At hearing this Ecthelion winced, so his captain has married a prince not yet of age. While Ecthlion had witnessed the love they possessed for each other, he had no knowledge of this elopement. During all the time he had known Thorongil, he did not seem to be one who put his desires above his honour. Hence, this situation did not make sense to him. Thorongil was a man who would take advantage of a man not yet of age. Before Ecthelion was forced to rejudge his opinions on the man he had endorsed, the man spoke up.

"My King, this situation is not of Legolas' making.I was the one who suggested this union and I-"

"And yet-", this time it was the lord of Imladris, who interrupted, his voice was not raised unlike his counterpart, yet it was beset with a haunting resonance that conveyed the same amount of disapproval "Ion nin, you are not of age to offer consent. The duty falls to me as your Adar to give your hand in a bonding. Legolas-", his voice took a sharper note "You should have approached me with the plea had you wanted to marry my underaged son. Instead, you decided to bond with a child. The Noldor have gone to war over smaller infractions and I am in half a mind to do so." Legolas flinched hearing the last part but did not disentangle his hand from Thorongil's.

Ecthelion's mind was racing as he was bombarded with all the revelations. The captain was the son of an elf lord, not any lord but the Lord Elrond. Well, at the least the mystery of the captain's parentage was solved but it gave rise to a thousand more questions. What Ecthelion did not know then was that this would prove to be the least surprising revelation of the day.

The captain raised himself from the floor and pulled his friend? – husband? -lover? up. "Ada.", He positioned himself in front of Legolas as he continued, "You are not listening to me. It was I who facilitated this bond, Ada. Legolas is not at fault."

"I hear you, ion nin. But it takes two to clap. And Legolas as the older of you two, held the duty to serve as the voice of reason. You are yet young. You do not understand the gravity of your actions. What you have made cannot be unmade child, till the end of time you shall remain mates."

"Ada, I am no child. I am three and thirty, a man full grown and I understand the perpetuity of my actions. Of course, I do. But ada-" What the captain spoke after that, Ecthelion could not understand. For it was in High Elven. A language spoken by few elves and even fewer humans.

The father and son argued for some time, the captain grew frustrated with every word he uttered as Lord Elrond remained unwavering. Finally, the captain lost his patience and cried out, "What can we do to convince you? I have confessed my love, the reason behind our actions, the circumstances, everything. What more do you expect?"

"I could follow the example of my forefather", Lord Elrond's tone was even without any inflection that showed his displeasure at his son's raised voice. His words caused Thorongil to stiffen "Thingol set a quest to retrieve a Þilmaril as the price for his daughter's hand. I would accept this union if Legolas were to succeed in a quest of my devise. What say you Legolas? Do you love my son enough to undertake such a quest?"

Before the elven prince could formulate a response, Thorongil spoke once again. "You will do no such thing. Ada this has gone too far. Saes. Legolas loves me, Ada, as I love him. He has nothing to prove."

"Enough penneth! This has gone too far. Speak another word and I will have you dragged home kicking and screaming and have you imprisoned in the highest tower not to see starlight until this foolishness has passed."

"Fine, be a Thingol if your heart so desires Ada! But forget not the actions of Luthien. If we are so keen on repeating the deed of our ancestors, then let me follow the lead of Luthien and go on this quest you set. For it was Luthien who saved her love from the grasp of Þauron. It was Luthien who put Morgoth to sleep allowing Beren to retrieve the Þilmaril. So name your price, Ada. Be it the Mithril or a Þilmaril or even a star of the Elentàri, it shall be brought to you." By then, the captain's voice too had acquired the strange timber of his father's voice. He seemed to be crowned by a garland of stars, though Ecthelion couldn't fathom where they were being reflected from, for it was barely noon and it would be hours till Tilion took to the skies.

"To Mordor with the Feanorian stubbornness! Be at peace penneth. No one is going to set a quest to anyone's hand. History should be learned from." King Thranduil looked around the gawking courtiers and suggested mildly, "And maybe, this conversation is to be had away from curious eyes. Oh, and Legolas. Do let go of Estel's arm, you are going to cut off his circulation."

Ecthelion finally straightened his spine and took the chance to intervene, avoiding the bloodshed that would surely occur if this conversation was allowed to continue in this vein. He stood up, keeping his motions regal, or as much regality as he could muster, in the presence of such centuries-old elves. "Allow me, My Lords, to show to an antechamber. You can continue your conversation there in privacy."

Author's Notes

Finally an update at the stated time.!

I am sorry for all the typos in the previous chapter. I have corrected any that I found.

-
Translation:~
Adar/Ada - Father/Daddy
Saes - Please
Ion nin - My son
Penneth - Little One

For all those who have come till here. Thank You! Thank You for bearing with my chaotic writing and thank you for your precious time. Oh, and let me know if you catch the references.

As Always your kudos are appreciated and I hold all your comments close to my heart. The next update should be up by Sunday though it could be delayed as my exams are going on.

Until next time
xoxo
greenleafshope