Disclaimer: These characters belong to Tolkien. I am merely playing with them.
CHAPTER 1: A Strange Day At Court
Lord Ecthelion, found himself in a disconcerting situation, a circumstance which was peculiar in its own right. He had assumed the mantle of the steward of Gondor when he was but one and thirty, following the demise of his lord father. After ruling for nigh on 80 years, he found little that could confound him. Yet confounded he was. The day had started normal enough. He had awoken in good spirits and had set about completing the paperwork that had accumulated on his desk in the past week. He had been about to make a dent in the pile that had been neglected when he was disturbed by a set of hurried knocks. His page had entered looking rather out of breath. And that had led him to his present predicament.
He found himself seated in his customary place, flanked by his son and favoured captain, as two Elven lords stood before him. But not just any Elven lords – King Thranduil of Mirkwood and Lord Elrond, brother to the Tar-Minyatar himself and Lord to the hidden valley of Rivendell. The Elven lords have spoken nary a word after the customary greeting. They both looked a little dishevelled as though they had journeyed long with little to no rest.
King Thranduil's gaze lingered upon a certain Prince who arrived at his court scarcely a moon ago, yet has managed to insinuate himself into the affections of his household. And Prince Legolas was making a valiant effort to avoid his father's eyes. The look on the Elven King's face was familiar enough to Ecthelion. Even if a bit incongruous on such unworldly beauty, this occurrence could easily be explained as the pains of being a father. He speaks from experience when he asserts that children, no matter how old or how judicious, could always vex their parents and so came to the conjuncture that the impeccable prince had made a misstep that has brought his father's ire upon him. But his deduction had a glaring flaw, for it could not explain the raven-haired lord's scorching gaze that seemed to be directed at him. Lord Elrond's look made him feel like a recalcitrant child, a feeling he had felt last when he was a young lad of only two and twenty, under the unyielding eyes of his father.
Just as he was going to break the unbearable awkwardness by offering the lords a place to recuperate from their travels, he saw his captain step forward from the corner of his eyes. He exchanged a look with his son and gauged that he was bewildered as Ecthelion himself felt at the moment when he witnessed the chagrined look his most unflappable captain wore as he slowly climbed down the staircase. Prince Legolas had also started to move in tandem with Captain Thorongil. Both walked with their heads held high, with the dire air of one walking towards their executioner. Once again, they both kneeled in tandem. However, Ecthelion observed that the bow performed by the captain differed from the one his blonde companion offered, probably due to their differing stations.
Author's note:
I'm not sure of the path this story is heading towards - it can either go in a fluffy and humorous root or an angsty and dark path. We will see which path my muse treads on.
My deepest apologies to anyone who was waiting for my post. I faced a bit of writer's block due to burnout, But- I am here now. And the next update on my stories can be expected by the next Sunday.
Thank you for reading. Your kudos are much appreciated and your comments are held close to my heart :)
Until next time.
-greenleafshope
