Chapter 13

Narinya awoke the next morning and found herself still pressed against Legolas. For only a moment she let herself linger there, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent before rolling over to put space between them again.

Legolas stirred minutes later at the sound of a knock. He stood up, smoothing out his tunic before opening the door.

A page stood on the other side of the threshold, "My lord, your presence is requested at the morning meal by King Thranduil. He would also ask that Princess Narinya join you." He glanced curiously into the room and then hurriedly added, "Only if she is feeling well enough, of course."

Narinya sat up on the other side of the bed. She ran her fingers through her dark hair, stopping where it had become tangled to pull it apart, "I think I will be able to attend."

Legolas nodded, "Please tell the king we will be there shortly." The page bent at the waist in a slight bow and took his leave.

After closing the door, Legolas turned to Narinya, "Are you certain? If you are not yet ready-"

"I am ready. I will have to face him sometime, Legolas."

Legolas nodded but said nothing. He wanted to speak reassuring words, but he was not certain himself how the king would receive her. He stepped out of the room to allow her privacy to ready herself for the task ahead.

Once Narinya had plaited her hair and put on a proper dress, one that had not been altered by Melda during the pregnancy, she met Legolas in the hall. She had been in the small room for several days and stepping out into the cooler air refreshed her. She was feeling well enough, although she still leaned on the arm that was offered to her as she was escorted to the dining hall by Legolas. He was quiet, appearing stoic save for a slight frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The pair was surprised to find the hall empty save Thranduil and Lindethiel. It was then that they noticed it was already nearing high noon.

"Finally you show yourself, my son."

Narinya met the eyes of the king. He studied her, "How do you fare, princess?"

She attempted to ignore the spite in his tone. "I am feeling much better, my lord, thank you for your concern."

"Come, take a seat and we shall all share a meal."

Silence fell over the table. Lindethiel, who was usually the first to start conversation, remained quiet. A meal was brought out and a plate placed before each member of the royal family.

Unable to stand the uncomfortable silence, Narinya found the courage to speak, "Please know that I will accept any consequence you see fit, my lord. But, I do insist that it be known that I was never disloyal to Prince Legolas."

Thranduil nodded, "I beg to differ, princess. You were already promised to my son and yet gave yourself to another. You understand there were terms agreed upon by your father, yet they were not met. Did he know of your… condition?"

"No, I could not bear to burden his heart any further. I alone am at fault."

The king was silent for a few tense moments before speaking again, "What you withheld might have brought scandal on my house. I do not know what would have been done if the child was born many months from now..."

Legolas interrupted then, "Father, that is not the case, and so we need not consider it. Let us share our meal and not speak further on this dark matter now."

Quiet once again fell over the table. Narinya felt Thranduil's gaze upon her, full of disappointment and even scorn. She ignored it as best as she could and took a few bites of her meal.

Legolas made eye contact with Lindethiel, silently willing her to say something. Hoping to help her brother, she attempted to change the topic at hand. "Father, may I begin planning my wedding with Feredir?"

"Of course, daughter, you may. I know that he will make a fine addition to our family, and I know that a marriage you enter quite willingly will suite us better than one that has been entered into under false terms."

Narinya glanced warily at Thranduil. Legolas cleared his throat but did not speak.

The remainder of the meal was taken in heavy silence.

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The King of the Woodland Realm was less than pleased. What had seemed to be a well-suited and promising match for his son had turned into a disaster, yet exiling Narinya would make the circumstances much more public than his pride would prefer. Furthermore, Legolas had made his preference on the matter known. Thus, instead of a public or formal reprimand, Thranduil's approach was a less direct punishment, making remarks that, although sometimes veiled, would eat at Narinya.

Legolas was not lost on this, but he was not yet ready to confront his father on the matter, for he knew that the king had some right to be angry. He had advocated to his father that she be allowed to remain, and while Thranduil had eventually agreed, Legolas sensed that the acquiescence had more to do with avoiding potential disrepute than any true clemency for Narinya.

He was still working on forgiving both himself and Narinya, though he showed her kindness. She had hurt him. And not just with the consequential secret she had kept, but he had to admit to himself that the act itself with Calanon bothered him, too. He wondered about the extent of their relationship and the fact that she had fled to him in her distress the night she learned of the betrothal.

Several evenings had passed since Narinya had left the healing wing, Legolas always returning to their chambers late enough that she was already asleep, much like the earliest days of their marriage.

That night, he awoke to Narinya lying awake beside him, staring up at the ceiling.

He propped himself up on one elbow next to her, "Are you well?"

She turned onto her side, facing away from him now, before responding in little more than a whisper. "You've been coming back late." She paused. "I understand if it is to avoid seeing me."

Her words tugged at his heart. "I've been taking some time to think and process things."

His words were spoken plainly, but if his processing had led him any new conclusions, he did not reveal them to her. She knew she could not expect everything between them to be repaired and she was grateful for the forgiveness she had found from him already, so she did not press for more of his private thoughts.

"Please know how deeply remorseful I am about what I did to you and your family, Legolas."

After a few quiet moments, she felt him shift toward her in the bed, one of his arms winding over her midsection and drawing her against him. She relaxed into his chest, grateful for the tender embrace.

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Narinya was ready to start anew. She reflected often on her failures, especially her failure to protect and sustain the life she had in part created. And yet, there was nothing to be done now about the outcome. There was only the way ahead, uncertain as it still felt.

By some miracle, she was not being thrown out of the king's halls, and her good image had been preserved in the eyes of Greenwood's people. Lindethiel had at first treated her less warmly than before, but now their friendship had mostly returned. Legolas dwelled upon the situation more than he wanted to, but for the most part, life was returning to normal in the Woodland Realm.

Legolas and Narinya spent most of their time apart tending to their own tasks. The progress they had made with getting to know one another and growing closer had stalled. She had to admit to herself that she missed him and the way things had been. She remembered the look in his eyes and the feeling of his lips on hers, just hours before she had made her confession.

Weeks had passed in this strange new purgatory, the quiet of winter settling over the Greenwood.

Narinya was in the library and looked up to find Legolas waiting to escort her to the evening meal. But instead of leading her to the dining hall, he guided them to their private chambers. A fire was lit in the hearth and a hearty meal was set out for them.

"I thought you might want a reprieve from my father's glare."

Narinya nodded appreciatively, "Thank you."

"It is Melda you should thank. She set it out for us," Legolas pulled a chair out for Narinya, "I was also hoping we might get to have a private conversation. I know we rarely do of late, and never do at mealtimes."

Narinya felt her stomach twist into a knot, but she reminded herself that if she could handle what she had already endured, she could have any conversation with Legolas that he wanted. Even so, she stared down at her plate as she nodded.

Noting her body language, he added, "I do not plan on forcing anything out of you."

Narinya took a bite of food and a sip of wine before sitting back into the chair.

"I am sorry for my father's recent behavior. He is quite adept at holding grudges when he feels he has been wronged."

"I cannot truly blame him for his disapproval of me; I nearly disgraced your entire family."

Legolas set down his glass, deciding to broach one of the topics that had been weighing on his mind. "Do you wish you had been relieved of your title and removed from Greenwood, as you seemed to think might happen?"

Narinya nearly choked on the sip of miruvor she had just taken, "I certainly would rather not be held in contempt by the entirety of this realm." She spoke with some forced mirth, hoping to lighten the heavy mood.

Legolas looked earnestly into her eyes, persisting, "But, would you prefer to go back to the way things were before you were sent here?"

She was thoughtful for several moments before responding. "There is little there for me any longer. My father has departed, Riniel is settled in a new home." Legolas searched her eyes, waiting for her to mention another name, but she did not.

"And," Narinya looked down, "I feel less alone here than I did in Lake-town. Maybe it is living amongst our kind, or maybe it is the welcome I've found here. I once thought that I wanted to remain alone, but I do not think that would be as fair a fate as I had once imagined."

She continued on, "I was quite afraid to come here, to the place where my mother had died, to marry someone I did not know. I know the forest is where you feel the most free, but I feared that the trees would act as the bars of a prison cell."

Legolas reflected on her words. He had not wanted this marriage either, but recognized it must have been harder for her to leave everything she had known behind. "And have they?"

"No, they have been far more refreshing than I ever thought possible."

"I am relieved to hear that." He smiled for just a moment, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

"Narinya, you raised the possibility of an annulment, after it happened. You asked if I wanted that, but I did not ask you. At the time, my father and I had not come to any agreement, and things felt too raw." He paused for a moment, "But, I am asking you now. Is that what you would want, if given the choice? It might still be possible." He looked at her expectantly.

She breathed in deeply, remembering well how she had fully expected to be stripped of her title and the marriage, and the relief she felt when he had told her it was not a foregone conclusion. "No, Legolas. I mentioned the annulment for your sake. If you wanted it, that would be fair and justified and I would agree to it. After all, it is I that did not deliver what was promised to you." Her cheeks warmed, but she held his gaze.

Legolas recalled what he had said to his own father and repeated it now to Narinya, "Your father should not have promised what was not his to give."

His words unlocked a new sense of relief in her, "Thank you, Legolas. For your kindness and forgiveness."

They carried on their meal then, their conversation drifting to lighter topics and lasting far into the night. Melda cleared away their plates and replenished their miruvor before she was dismissed for the evening.

Legolas and Narinya gazed into the last embers of the fire, finally realizing how late it had grown.

She stood up and proceeded to walk by Legolas on her way to the bathing chamber to prepare for rest. As she went by him, he caught her hand in his and looked into her eyes, "Thank you for talking tonight."

She shivered under the intensity of his stare and finally found the words to respond, "I promise to always be open and honest with you." He smiled and released her hand.

When she emerged from the bathing chamber and climbed into bed, Legolas was still seated by the hearth, seemingly lost in thought as the last coals were fading from orange to grey.

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