Reasons to Hope, Reasons to Live
Chapter: Thirteen
Beta: Aubrey'Snape
A/N: New chapter….Enjoy :)
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When the King of Gondor opened his eyes the next morning, a warm smile crossed his lips as he noticed the golden head that rested under his chin. His arms instinctively tightened a little around the slender waist.
Aragorn couldn't believe the sudden turn of events that took place last night. His heart nearly stopped when his husband asked him if he was in love with him. He had genuinely believed that Legolas was lost to him forever. However, his husband's shy confession
had turned his head with pure happiness.
Legolas was starting to love him!
The mere thought had made the King's head sway with ecstasy, and the kiss that followed was simply pure bliss. Even more so due to the fact thatthe beautiful elf had slept, for the first time since their marriage, snuggled in his arms was more delightful
than anything in the world. Gently pulling his right hand from around the slender waist, Aragorn took the delicate hand that rested upon his chest and raised it to his lips, kissing it gently.
The elf in his arms stirred. "Good morning," he said, gazing up sleepily at his husband.
"Good morning, Meleth." Aragorn replied he gazed down lovingly at him. "Slept well?"
Legolas nodded, smiling back at the man. "And you?"
"I've never slept that well during my whole life." Aragornreplied, smiling broadly.
Legolas laughed sweetly in response. The two continued to lay down for few moments, merely enjoying each other's warmth in peace.
Legolas thought he could get used to the feeling of Aragorn's strong arms protectively encircling him while he slept, and the kiss they had shared last night felt sweet as well. The blond elf sighed, knowing that given the time, he would be deeply in
love with the man.
"Meleth?" his thoughts were cut by his husband's voice.
"Hmmm…"
"How does having breakfast in bed sound?"
Looking up, Legolas smiled broadly. "That sounds wonderful."
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Lord Mortardur took a deep breath as he stared back at his reflection. It was decided that he and the rest of the council's members were to pay a visit to Prince Legolas and the new Princess later that morning. The young Lord snorted at the irony of the
situation. Gondor's most respected Lords must pay their respects to an outsider and his spawn.
It didn't matter if said outsider was a spouse of their king; for the king himself was an outsider. Despite his heritage, King Aragorn was nothing to them but a stranger who happened to be of Isildur's line. He wasn't raised among them; he wasn't there
when they had to face the dark forces all by themselves. Instead, he was safely nested among the elves in Rivendell until the time he was old enough to claim his birthright and Lord Mortardur loathed him for this.
His father, along with Lord Denethor and many others had suffered to keep Gondor safe against the pressing darkness, only to have such a man to take over the throne, a man who allowed a different race to take over their Kingdom. The man was scorning their
fathers' sacrifices by forcing them to accept an elf and his sorcery-begotten brood as their rulers. Gondor was for men to rule only, not elves.
Taking another deep breath, Mortardur forced his raising anger to subside. He wasn't going to allow the king to stain Gondor that way and the elven warlock and his spawn would be disposed of. That's why he had accepted Shadow's offer.
The young lord knew that the mysterious elf was only interested in getting Prince Legolas for himself. He was almost certain that the elf would leave him as soon as he got what he wanted. But that wouldn't be a problem. After all, getting rid of the elf
was what Mortardur wanted in the end. As for the King, the council members would be able to handle him quite well, after that. He was Isildur's heir, and as such, no one can deny him Gondor's throne. However, if he wanted to take a spouse and beget
heirs for the kingdom, then he should have a proper Gondorian lady, not an elven sorcerer who, on top of being a male, could not beget children. Yes, handling Aragorn would be easy, but now, Mortardur must focus on getting rid of the blond elf that
had disrupted their ways and customs.
Smirking at his reflection in the mirror, Lord Mortardur smoothed his robes once more before leaving his chambers.
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*Lothlórien*
Celeborn opened the letter that an elf had delivered and smiled warmly at its content.
'Meleth,' he said softly, looking up at his wife. 'Aragorn and Legolas had been blessed with a daughter. They have called her Míreth.' He informed.
Galadriel allowed a small smile to grace her face at the news before a deep frown took over her beautiful features. She walked to her husband and took the letter.
As soon as her hands touched the piece of paper, a gasp tore itself from her delicate lips.
'What is it, Meleth?' her husband in concern.
'I sense a shadow looming over the two.' She said softly. 'The child was born too early, and now this feeling of dismay that I sense emitting from Elessar's letter. Something is not right, Hervenn nîn.'
Celeborn narrowed his eyes in response.
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*Mirkwood*
Aredhel sighed deeply as he stared blankly at the scraps of papers in front of him. He wasn't going to finish his work today either and he knew it. It was useless to even try while his mind kept drifting to his wife whom he hadn't seen for three days.
The Crown Prince frowned, thinking of the person responsible for his current misery. Tarawiel was his wife; he had the right to spend as much time as he wanted with her, but due to her annoying sister's presence, he was thrown out of his own chambers.
How could one elf be so strong willed?
No, it wasn't because of her strong will, Aredhel corrected himself. He was used with dealing with elves much more stubborn than Lady Carameril. He used to deal with Legolas, for the Valar's sake!
He simply wasn't in the mood to indulge the spoiled lady with her ridiculous acts of jealousy, nor was Tarawiel. His wife was supposed to completely rest during her pregnancy, he was damned determined to see that she did. Thus, instead of fighting and
bickering with her spoiled sister, he simply gave into her every demand until she would get bored and leave them in peace, which it wasn't happening as soon as he had hope it would.
Soft knocks snapped the prince from his thoughts. An elf servant entered and handed Aredhel a letter. Opening the letter and reading it, the Crown Prince smiled broadly as he read its content.
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'Oh, Tarawiel, those silks you gave me are wonderful. I'll surely make some nice dresses from them.'
Tarawiel rolled her eyes as her sister continued her babbling. Carameril was starting to get on her nerves after two months of listening to her constant chattering, not to mention that she was missing her husband terribly. Even when they would see each
other; Carameril would stay a thorn in the middle.
Suddenly, the door opened and Aredhel appeared.
'Hervenn nîn,' Tarawiel exclaimed happily before she jumped up and rushed to her husband as much as her condition allowed her before her sister could say anything. She had missed him so much.
'Legolas had given birth to a baby girl.' He said before capturing his wife's sweet lips into a passionate kiss.
'That's splendid news.' Tarawiel exclaimed happily. 'Have you told your Adar?'
'Not yet, I came to tell you first.' The Crown Prince said. 'Would you like to join me?'
'I'd love to.' With that, Tarawiel took her husband's arm and left the room.
Carameril blinked several times in confusion upon noticing she was left alone in the room.
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*Gondor*
If glares could kill, Legolas would've been killed and buried six feet underground a long time ago. Aragorn huffed as he leaned on the wall, glaring at his husband's back.
Everything was going fine between them until the servant took the breakfast away. As soon as the servant was out of their chamber, the blond elf left the bed, despite his clear pain and Aragorn's protests, saying that he wanted to see his daughter. The
man indulged him and helped him to the next room. However, Legolas refused to return to the bed after that, saying that he wouldn't receive the Lords while he was in bed. Aragorn was forced to help the elf change his clothes, due to Legolas being
unable to move a muscle without wincing in pain. The process was pure struggle for both the man and elf, but it hadn't changed the blond elf's mind a bit. Now, he was sitting comfortably in front of the vanity mirror, braiding his hair.
Legolas fought back the urge to laugh as he watched Aragorn's reflection in the mirror. His husband's angry face was rather funny.
"Glaring at me will not change my mind, Aragorn," He said, chuckling. "I told you I won't receive the Lords in my bed like an invalid."
"Damn you and your Elven Pride," The man mumbled under his breath, but loud enough for the blond elf to hear.
Legolas narrowed his eyes as he slowly turned around, to glare at the man.
"You are the last one to speak about pride, oh mighty Isildur's heir," He hissed. "Or should I remind you of your numerous stunts of pride during the last quest."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Aragorn retorted before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Legolas," he tried again. "You don't have to receive them today. I could've told Faramir to postpone their visit until your wound has healed."
Legolas rolled his eyes. "I'll only sit on the couch, Aragorn. I'm not going to roam around. Besides, don't you think they deserve to see me and Míreth after you and Lord Glorfindel scared them to death by banning them from visiting without a special
permission?"
Slipping a silver circlet around his forehead, Legolas flashed his husband a bright smile. "I'll only see them for a brief time, Aragorn. There is no need to worry; I promise I'll return to my bed as soon as the visit is over."
Aragorn narrowed his eyes, wondering if he could trust the blond elf. Knowing that he had no other choice, the man sighed in defeat before walking to his husband. He gently helped the elf onto his feet and supported him as they walked to the living room.
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Gwîneth smiled fondly down at Míreth as she cleaned her before wrapping her with a towel. She planted a soft kiss on the little princess' forehead as the two left the bathroom. As she entered the bedchamber, she was surprised to see Lord Glorfindel
sitting on a chair by the bed.
'My lord,' she said. 'This is a surprise.'
'I hope it's a pleasant one.'
'Of course,' she lowered the babe to the bed and proceeded to dress her. 'I'm preparing Míreth to be presented for the lords.' She felt the Lord stand next to her as she worked…too close, She observed.
Looking up, Gwîneth found her face only few inches away from the lord's.
'My lord?' she asked.
Glorfindel smiled. 'Have they ordered for a crib to be made for her?' he asked, purposely ignoring the maiden's questioning eyes.
'According to Legolas,' Gwîneth replied. 'Master Gimli has ordered for one to be made in Moria especially for the babe two months ago, when he learned of Legolas' pregnancy. He assured me that the crib will arrive within few days.'
The blond lord laughed amusedly. 'Imagine an elven Princess of Thranduil's line sleeping in a dwarven crib. What an irony!'
'That's what I said to him.' the elven maiden joined the lord in his merry laughter.
Suddenly, Glorfindel reached one hand and seemingly tugged a strand of golden hair behind Gwîneth's ear, slightly startling her in the process.
She looked up at him, again noticing how close their faces were. At that moment, the door opened and Aragorn entered.
"Lady Gwîneth, can you please bring Míreth?"
"Of course, my lord." The elven lady said in a shaky voice, picking up Míreth after wrapping her in a velvet blanket.
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Aragorn watched in annoyance as the Lords showered Legolas with words of congratulations and concern as soon as they filled the living room, sincerely doubting that they meant any of them. True that most of them had reached a certain understanding
with Legolas and had accepted him as a ruler of Gondor, but that didn't mean that they were concerned for his health.
"What has happened to you, my lord?" the King snapped from his thoughts at Lord Herumacil's voice addressing Legolas. "His Majesty worried us when he declared that you were in pain before dashing out of the meeting room."
Legolas smiled. "It's nothing, my lord. It was simply due to overwhelming stress. However, I'm well now and so is Princess Míreth."
"Princess Míreth?" Lord Addrimyr asked. "My lord, the royal progeny naming should be approved by the council and they should be named, honoring the kings and queens of old."
Aragorn opened his mouth to object but Legolas spoke first.
"My lord," the blond elf said softly. "Surely you won't deny us the simple right to name our child ourselves; a right that even the lowest person in Gondor enjoys." Lord Addrimyr, Legolas had long ago noted to be an old man who lived his entire life
following rules and protocols. The royal traditions must be followed for the man to be satisfied and since he was the Royal Chamberlain, he was determined to fulfill his task to the end.
"But, my lord," the lord objected. "The princess must have a suitable name and title in which she would be formally addressed."
"Alright, then, you will have the chance to choose Míreth's formal title during the next Council's meeting." The elf said gently.
"Which will take place no sooner than next week," Aragorn said, sliding one hand around Legolas' waist and giving the lords a pointed look. "Legolas needs to rest until his wound is completely healed."
"Of course, my liege," The old man said, not really pleased with the delay.
Sensing the tension that was rising, Faramir drew everyone's attention to him by clearing his throat. "Your Highness," he addressed Legolas. "We haven't got the honor of meeting our princess yet."
"I'll get her." Aragorn jumped from his seat almost immediately, heading to his daughter's chamber.
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Mortardur rolled his eyes, feeling a bit nauseated by the lords' seemingly concern for Legolas' well-being. He knew for a fact that two of his fellow lords still harbored resentment for the blond elf. Yet, they didn't see any fault in showering the
elf with fake concern. Looking at said elf, the young lord gritted his teeth in displeasure. The elf sat in front of them with pride and arrogance. Why wouldn't he? The lord mused.
He was a very special person, after all. He was an elven male who had the ability, albeit through magic, to bear children, and was the second most important person in Gondor, after the King.
Why wouldn't he be proud and arrogant, indeed?
Mortardur narrowed his eyes, studying Legolas closely. He wore dark-blue velvet leggings, a silken white shirt with bell-sleeves, and dark-blue vest; a silver circlet bearing Gondor's white tree adored his pale forehead.
In truth, the elf was indeed a sight to behold. It was pity that he wasn't a female. The lord mused.
/There is no wonder on why the King or Shadow lust after him, though./ The young lord thought to himself. /He is too tempting…/
Shaking his head, Mortardur pushed those away. These were dangerous thoughts. His eyes, then, moved to the King who sat tensely next to Legolas. One hand was possessively placed on the elf's back while the other played with his belt. For some reason,
the King looked like a hunter who was waiting for his prey to appear before bouncing off on it.
Watching the exchange between Legolas and Addrimyr, Lord Mortardur rolled his eyes once more. The old fool was fussing over trivial things, missing the fact that the Prince had given Gondor's heir an elven name instead of a Gondorian. He wondered
what else the elven Prince was planning on changing too.
"Your Highness, we haven't got the honor of meeting our princess yet."
"I'll get her."
Mortardur watched as an Elven lady emerged carrying their princess. As she approached them, Faramir stood up and stretched his arms to the Lady. Gwîneth looked questioningly at Legolas before she handed the young steward the babe upon receiving an
approval nod from her Prince.
Sitting in the middle of the twenty lords, Faramir held the babe for the Lords to see. Everyone extended his neck to have a good look at the princess.
Mortardur grimaced, noting how elven the princess looked. The blond hair, pointy ears, and pale skin, not mention those annoying wide eyes of hers. She had taken nothing after the King or the race of men.
"She's a beauty, my lord." He heard Lord Herumacil say.
"Yes, indeed." Another lord confirmed, followed by wave of agreements of the lords.
"She has," Mortardur said, not bothering to hide the tone of criticizing that colored his voice. "completely taken after her moth— after Prince Legolas." The young lord shot Legolas a demeaning look before looking back at the babe. "No one could tell
that the blood of men run in her veins."
"And what of it?" Aragorn asked darkly. He looked as if he was ready to jump on the lord and strangle him to death. "She is more an elf than a human. After all, elven blood runs in my veins."
"Pardon me, my liege. For I meant no offence," The young lord said with faked politeness. "But one wouldn't think that the princess is a Gondorian due to her elven appearance."
Aragorn's body shook with anger and was about to retort but a slim hand on his calmed him down.
"I'm sorry if the Princess' appearance didn't meet with your approval, Lord Mortardur." Legolas said, smiling dryly at brown-haired lord. "I'll make sure that our next child will be more human like."
The lords laughed uneasily, sensing the tension that their colleague's unsavory remark had created. They wondered how long it would take before one of the two opposite sides snapped. This was supposed to be a social visit, not a political dispute.
"My lords," all of them nearly jumped from their places when they heard Gwîneth's soft voice. "I beg your forgiveness but Princess Míreth needs to be fed. I must take her now." She said as she walked before her spot behind Legolas and took the little
Princess from Faramir's hands before disappearing in the princess' bedchamber.
"I thank you, my lords for your visit." Aragorn said sternly. "But Legolas must leave as well. He isn't supposed to be out of bed." The man shot his husband a stern glare, silencing whatever the elf was about to say.
"Yes, of course," The lords stuttered as they stood up and bowed respectfully at their rulers before rushing out of the room.
"Faramir," the blond steward looked behind him as he was about to leave as well. "Call the head of the Royal Guards and come with me. I need to talk to you both." Aragorn said.
Nodding, the blond man left the room to call the head of guards.
"Well," Legolas said with a sigh. "That was a subtle way to kick them out of our chambers."
"If I didn't do that," Aragorn said. "That Lord Mortardur would've been a dead corpse sooner that he could imagine."
Legolas shook his head, disapprovingly. The Lord's insulting remark had angered him beyond words but it wasn't something worth ruining the council's visit over it. Besides, the Prince thought that his reply had silenced the lord well enough.
"What do you need the head of the guards for?" he asked, changing the subject.
"It's nothing you should worry about," The man replied, standing in front of him. "You promised that you would return to bed after this. It's time to fulfill your promise and you're not going to leave the bed until Lord Elrond says so."
Legolas sighed as he stood up. Leaning on his husband for support, the elf silently walked back to his bedchamber.
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Rhircyn, the fearsome Head of the Royal Guards, shifted his weight from one leg to another nervously as he stood in front of Aragorn's desk in his private study, waiting for his orders. Yet, the King was scribbling something down on a parchment, seemingly
unaware of the waiting Captain. He hadn't said a word to him when the Captain first entered either.
Rhircyn frowned deeply, wondering if there was something wrong with the Castle's security, one of his soldiers, or maybe his unit of elite guards responsible for guarding the royal family. He dared to glance at the Lords Faramir and Glorfindel, trying
to guess what was going on, but the two lords were sitting quietly at one corner, each lost in his own thoughts.
After what seemed to be eternity to Rhircyn, Aragorn looked up and addressed him.
"Rhircyn," he said, handing the captain the parchment he had written. "I want you to assign two guards at the entrance of the Royal Wing. No one, expect those in the list you have, is allowed to enter the entire wing without permission from me, Lord
Elrond or Lord Glorfindel. Everyone won't be allowed to enter without being permitted and they must be escorted by a guard as long as they are in the Royal Wing, is that clear?"
"Yes, sire." The Captain replied, feeling a sense of alarm at the order. "But does this rule apply on the servants, my lord?"
Aragorn seemed to think for a moment before replying. "The servants can enter as they please, but not without an escort, I don't want anyone to wander through the Royal Wing freely."
"Yes, my lord. I'll make my arrangements immediately."
"Also, I want for a guard to escort the Prince Consort or the Princess whenever they leave the Royal Wing. And I want you to choose three or four of your guards that you trust very much and put them under Lord Glorfindel's disposal at any time, day
or night."
"Yes." The Captain said, before daring to speak. "My lord?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Umm—has something happened that requires such steps to be taken?"
Aragorn smiled, shaking his head. "Nothing has happened. I'm merely concerned about the safety of the Prince Consort and the Princess. I don't wish anything to happen to them."
The Capitan nodded, still unconvinced but knew better than to question more. If something indeed was threating the safety of the Royal Family, than he would do everything in his power to protect them, no questions asked. Bowing, the Captain excused
himself and left.
"Are you sure that it is wise, Aragorn?" Glorfindel asked as soon as the door was closed. "Legolas may question the necessity of such measures."
"I'll deal with Legolas later," The King replied, standing up from his desk and joining the two lords on the couch. "He won't be leaving the chambers any time soon, anyhow. I want to discuss the situation in length with you and Faramir. Tell me, Lord
Glorfindel, what happened about the servants?"
The blond elf shook his head. "They disappeared." Aragorn raised a dark brow at that. "I'm surprised as well, Elessar. They had vanished without a trace, not even their fellow serv Wereants knew their whereabouts."
"What about their families?"
"They hadn't returned to their homes and families either."
Aragorn just nodded in response before looking at Faramir. "Faramir, I need you to disable the secret passages in the entire Royal Wing."
"Will it be safe, Aragorn?" the steward asked. "Those passages are to help the Royal family flee in case of danger."
"And they can be a source of the same danger as well." Aragorn reasoned. "I'm not sure who else knew about their presence. Besides, Legolas knew about the one in the living room and I don't wish him to use it to wander around without anyone seeing
him."
"As you wish, my lord," The steward said with a sigh. "What are you planning to do now?"
"We'll have to question the lords that roam the castle." The king stated. "However, I'm not sure how."
"I suggest informing the council of what happened," Faramir suggested. "They must be informed of the situation before we take any step. It will make questioning the lords of the court much easier."
Aragorn nodded. "Then inform the council to assemble this afternoon. I'll talk to them myself, but Faramir, make it clear to them that Legolas doesn't know anything about this matter. I don't want anyone to say a word to him."
Nodding, the steward bowed and left.
"Aragorn," Glorfindel spoke as soon as the door was closed behind Faramir. "It would be wise to alert the twins and Mallorn of the situation. They could be a great help in keeping an eye on Legolas."
"Yes, I was thinking of asking the twins. As for Mallorn, I don't trust that he wouldn't tell Legolas if I told him."
"The twins will be enough." Glorfindel remarked. "Make sure that Elrohir won't blurt everything to Mallorn, though."
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When Aragorn and Glorfindel left the study, they heard loud laughs coming from Legolas' bedchambers. Peering through the slightly opened door, they saw Mallorn and Gwîneth sitting around Legolas and Míreth, and seemingly engaged in a merry conversation.
'Well, Mallorn is here.' Glorfindel said. 'It's your chance to talk to the twins without interruption.' Aragorn nodded in response.
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Elladan raised an eyebrow as he watched his brother paced in front of him, mumbling angrily to himself. His younger twin had stormed into his chamber half an hour ago and started to pace and mumble under his breath.
'Elrohir,' he called finally. 'Will you please stop pacing and talk to me?'
Elrohir halted and stared at his older twin before sighing. He took the chair opposite to him before taking a deep breath.
'It's lady Gwîneth.' The younger Peredhil breathed.
'What about her?'
Elrohir narrowed his eyes at his brother, shooting daggers at him. 'What about her?' he scoffed. 'Everything is wrong about her! For one, she isn't supposed to be here at all. I'm still unable to understand what she's doing in Gondor when she's supposed
to be in Mirkwood.'
'She came to take care of Legolas' daughter.' Elladan stated. 'She's not bothering anyone, why are you agitated this much?'
Elrond's younger son glared murderously at his brother. He was certain that his brother knew of the true reason that bothered him in regard of Gwîneth's presence but was playing a ridiculous game of ignorance with him; a game that he hadn't the mood
to play.
'She's well bothering me with her presence near Mallorn.' He hissed. 'Haven't you noticed yesterday how she laughed and conversed with Mallorn the whole time we were in Legolas' chambers? The two of them seemed to forget everything around them while
they talked and joked together!'
'They've been together their whole lives, Elrohir." Elladan reasoned. 'Lady Gwîneth is close to both Mallorn and Legolas and she hasn't seen them since their arrival to Imladris seven months ago. Don't you think that it is natural for her to spend
some time with them? I'm sure that she has lot of things to tell them.'
'She wasn't just spending time with Mallorn.' Elrohir half growled. 'She was openly flirting with him and he was flirting back. It seems that you have forgotten, my dear brother, that Mallorn and Lady Gwîneth were lovers in the past.'
Elladan rolled his eyes in annoyance. His brother's problems with his lover were starting to get onto his nerves.
'Elrohir,' he said. 'Don't you think that your relationship with Mallorn has no future after all?'
Elrohir's eyes widened in horror. 'No!' he exclaimed. 'I love him!'
'Then why can't the two of you stop fighting all the time?' Elladan retorted. 'You two have been together for almost three months and during that period you haven't stopped quarreling and yelling at each other.'
'It's his fault. He doesn't stop flirting with every maiden he sees.' Elrohir yelled. 'And I can't hold back my temper.'
Elladan sighed. The truth was that Mallorn's behaviour wasn't excusable either. The blond elf was inconsiderate to his brother's feelings, flirting with every female he saw as if Elrohir's misery pleased him.
'Maybe Mallorn cannot love you, Elrohir.' He said. 'Why don't you accept it?'
The younger twin looked away, unable to say a word. He didn't want to believe that Mallorn couldn't love him. He was happy to just be with the blond elf. Mallorn had never declared his love to him but he was rather agreeable to his displays of affections.
However, the way Mallorn was toying with his heart was more painful than he could bear.
His thoughts were cut when the two heard some knocks on the door. He looked at his brother questioningly but Elladan shrugged in response.
The twins were surprised when Aragorn entered the room before Elladan could even grant him an entrance. But then again, he was the King of this castle.
"Elrohir," the man exclaimed. "Good that you are here and I don't have to look for you. I want to talk to you both about something important."
"What is it, Estel?" Elladan asked, gesturing to a nearby chair.
"I need to ask you a favor, but I don't want anyone to know about it," the man said anxiously. "I need you to promise me that you'll say nothing to anyone, especially Legolas or Mallorn," he gave Elrohir a side-glance. "For I fear he would tell Legolas."
"You are scaring us, Estel. What's wrong?"
"I want you to keep Legolas' company whenever he is out of our quarters."
"Keep him company?" Elrohir asked. "What for?"
"All I can say is that I fear for his and Míreth's safety." The man said. "I don't want him to be alone in the citadel and I can't trust anyone but the two of you and his brother to keep an eye on him."
The twins stared at their brother, half-surprised and half-suspicious, at his vague request. Ever since their arrival to Gondor, they had spent most of their time with the blond Prince. However, Aragorn seemed to be asking more than simply keeping
Legolas' company.
"What are you getting at, Aragorn?" Elladan asked. "You seemed to be hinting that there is some danger lurking in the shadows?"
The man nodded his head reluctantly after a while. "I have some belief that someone is after Legolas' and Míreth's lives. I don't want to alert Legolas, thus, I wish that you two keep an eye on him without him suspecting anything."
"Is that wise?" Elrohir asked. "It would be easier if Legolas knew that his life or at least your daughter's life is in danger."
"No," Aragorn shook his head. "I don't want him to know. I can handle the situation by myself. I just need to know that Legolas and Míreth will be watched at all times."
"And why you don't want us to tell Mallorn?" Elladan asked. "He'll be more than helpful if he knew."
"Because he'll overreact," Elrohir replied knowingly. "He nearly lost his mind in the past two days when we were banned from seeing Legolas. If he knew that there was a danger lurking in the castle, targeting Legolas, than he's bound to overreact."
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"Poisoned?! The Prince Consort was poisoned?"
The lords gaped at their King, unable to absorb the news that he had just delivered.
An attempt on the lives of Gondor's Prince Consort and Princess had been carried out.
It was something that they couldn't comprehend. They all felt uneasy when they were summoned from their houses to an urgent meeting with the King, especially after the rather crude hint that he dropped during their visit in the morning. However,
they hadn't expected the terrible news that the King had provided.
"Who did it, my lord?" Lord Herumacil breathed.
"We don't know yet." Lord Glorfindel replied. The lords stared at the blond elf before they looked back at their King; the horror that had settled inside them at the king's announcement rose tenfold at the elf's simple reply. They all knew the
implication of the sentence. They knew that they were all under the suspicion of being behind the assassination attempt.
"My lords," They nearly jumped at Aragorn's toneless voice. "We have an assassin to apprehend. Whoever had arranged this attempt is still free and I won't rest until I caught the one who tried to kill my husband and daughter."
"Sire," Faramir said. "We all share your desire to apprehend the culprits as soon as possible. A thorough questioning will be held for everyone in the citadel."
"My Lord, why weren't we informed of this earlier?" Lord Addrimyr asked.
"The Consort hadn't woken up until the sun had set yesterday." Aragorn replied dryly. "And frankly, I'm still not sure whom I can put my trust in." The lords exchanged nervous looks but decided not to comment.
"Is that why you changed the kitchen staff with the elves from Ithilien, sire?" lord Herumacil asked.
The King nodded. "If I can't trust the people who work in my own castle, then at least I know that the Mirkwood elves are still loyal to their Prince."
"What of the servants that served the Prince's meal that day?" lord Addrimyr asked.
"Lord Glorfindel said that they had disappeared without a trace." Aragorn said, eyeing lord Addrimyr before looking back at the lords in general. "Even their families don't know anything about them."
Addrimyr lowered his head, ashamed at the King's silent accusation. He was the Chamberlain and as such he was responsible for everything that concerned the household of the King, yet, he had evidently failed in his duties.
"My liege," Mortardur spoke for the first time since they began the meeting. "You seem to be certain that the culprits are humans. Hasn't it occurred to you that whoever had done it may be of the elven race? After all, you don't know if his highness'
marriage to you has angered some elves or not."
Lord Glorfindel tensed upon hearing this, while Aragorn merely raised a dark eyebrow, feeling that the young lord was hiding something. "What do you mean by that, Mortardur?" he almost growled.
The young lord merely smiled. "Nothing, my liege. Nothing at all."
Aragorn glared at the lord for few moments before turning his attention back to his council. He would deal with that obnoxious lord later, right now; he had more pressing matters to address.
"My lords," he began. "As you all can understand, a thorough search must be done for the culprits. Faramir, under Lord Glorfindel's command and the help of trustworthy guards, will start investigating the matter. Everyone in this castle will be
questioned, along with his or her families, friends and acquaintances. Everyone's houses will be searched until we find a lead to those who tried to kill my husband and my child."
The lords' face unconsciously twisted into frowns but none dared to object. They were all under suspicion and there was nothing they could do to lift the suspicion that loomed over them.
OoO. OoO. OoO.
Lord Addrimyr had to run after the King as Aragorn strode with long strides out of the meeting room as soon as it was over.
"Sire," he called, catching up to the king.
Aragorn halted and looked behind him with expressionless face. He waited patiently as the old lord approached him.
"Sire," the lord began as he stood in front of the man. "I wish you to grant me a favor."
"A favor, Lord Addrimyr?" the king asked sarcastically.
"Yes, my lord. I want you to dismiss me from my post as the Royal Chamberlain." The old man said steadily. "I have failed to carry out my duties and as such, I do not deserve to stay in my current position. And if that wasn't enough, then you
can arrest me for treason."
Aragorn couldn't help but to scoff. "Yes, Lord Addrimyr. You have failed in carrying out your duties." He almost spat. "However, I'm the one who will decide your punishment, not you. You'll stay in your post as the Royal Chamberlain, until we're
finished with our investigation. Then, I'll decide a fit punishment for neglecting your duties." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the lord standing alone in the corridor
OoO. OoO. OoO.
A hooded figure entered the semi-dark tavern but none present at the small main hall seemed to notice or even care. The figure silently made his way upstairs to the second floor where two rows of ten doors lined up at the sides of a dark corridor.
Standing in front of one of the doors, the figure took out a big brass key from the folds of his clothes and stuck it into the keyhole. Opening the door, he entered before locking the door again from the inside.
Taking off the hood, long silver-hair glowed dimly in the light of the dying fire in the fireplace. One could distinctly see the proud pointed ears that stuck between the silver tassels.
Slowly, the mysterious elf walked to one corner of the room and knelt in front of the dirty wall. Pulling out his small dagger, he picked on two of the loose bricks until it was out. He, then, gently pulled out a small box, hidden in the hollow
area. Opening the box, the elf smiled warmly at the sight of the small leather bags that were there. Carefully, he checked the content of each bag, looking until he found the one he needed.
'With this,' he assured himself. 'I can make sure that Legolas' brat will not live for long.' An evil smirk graced his handsome face. 'If those fools think that changing the servants, or increasing the guards will stop me from my goals, then they
are greatly mistaken. Legolas' child will die and Legolas, in his grief, will be too weak to resist me when I attempt to kidnap him. Once I make him mine, his bond with that human will be broken.'
An evil, un-elven like, laugh was heard coming from that room into the night.
OoO. OoO. OoO.
To be continued…