"Why would he need the king's protection, my Lady?"
Amareth looked up sharply, before shaking her head. "A mother's worry…" she said simply, but neither of the Sindar were convinced that that was truly the root of her unrest, and so, the information was stored, for this woman seemed to know much much more than she would have them believe.
"Have there been any, other developments?" asked Golloron, a strange looking elf by any standards, mused Handir. His chestnut locks were almost red and his eyes too, shared that same, somewhat other-worldly appearance. His hair was braided in so many different ways Handir knew it would take him days to understand the messages hidden within. Coloured beads hung from their tips and there was even a feather sitting at the top of a thicker plait that ran down his back. He knew he was staring, but he also knew this, Golloron, would be more than accustomed to it.
"Other developments, well…" began Handir ruefully. "Could you be more specific, Golloron?"
"We believe," said the Spirit Herder, "that he is a listener - of sorts," he added finally with a slight tilt of the head, and Handir remembered…
'Watch the semiotics, Handir, watch the smallest of movements because that is what will give you the biggest insight…'
The Spirit Herder was hiding something, something these Silvans shared.
"Yes - it seems that is, indeed the case," he said, but offered no more verbal information. Legolas had met these elves if his memory did not fail him, but that would have been before his trip to Imladris, before Yavanna's mandate had come to be known.
"We were greatly saddened - about Lainion," said Lorthil with a heavy breath. "He was a fine elf, a brave warrior."
Handir could not speak for a moment, for Lainion's death still weighed heavily on his heart.
"As were we all…" he said softly. "His loss is irreplaceable," he murmured. "Legolas wears Avarin braids in his hair - in remembrance," he said with a soft smile.
"You are a good prince, Handir," said Amareth with a soft smile, some of her anxiety softened as she spoke. "I know he does not need it but - perhaps you would - look over him? On the battle field he is unbeatable, but in the fortress, amidst all that political turmoil, the manoeuvring, the intrigues - he will be powerless against that…"
And there it was again. This woman was frightened.
"Well, my Lady, my Lords, we must be getting back. There is much to achieve in but twenty-four hours. My father has asked me to relay to you his good will, and heart-felt greetings to the city."
"Let us hope then, Prince Handir, that we all have reason to celebrate, once this is over."
"That is our own, fervent desire, Lord Erthoron. I will bring news, no sooner I have it," he promised, and then with a bow, Handir and Aradan left, their guards in tow.
It was not until they were passing the gates that Aradan turned to Handir and smiled.
"You did well," he said, "you did very well."
"They are willing to wait, my King, but we have no doubts they will not wait for any longer than that. They have come by the hundreds - they expect some monumental change - there is something in the air that cannot be ignored…
Thranduil listened quietly and surprisingly, so did Rinion.
"I wonder if we can convince the council then, to do this - that by doing so we are not creating a threat to ourselves, to the Sindarin way of life…" said Mithrandir.
"I believe we can, so long as Bandorion and his people can be effectively quieted, said the king softly."
"My Lord," began Aradan again, stepping forward now, "there is something Prince Handir and I have been discussing - an intuition if you will - "
"Oh?" asked Thranduil. "What is it?" he asked, and Mithrandir's eyes sharpened as he stepped forward to listen.
"Amareth, Legolas' aunt," he began. "She seemed overly worried - at Legolas' safety - "
"And in that she is not wrong, Aradan," said Thranduil. "Did we not assign Dorhinen to him?"
"Yes, but this is different - we know what is going on here in court, she - can only guess at it and yet she is so sure… how can she know of the Sindarin Purists, about Bandorion and Barathon, Draugole and Brethil, about their machinations and their manipulation of our people?"
"Yes, I see what you mean," said Thranduil, and Mithrandir's eyes narrowed as Rinion frowned and looked to one side.
Yet there was no more time to ponder it, for a guard approached the king and bowed before speaking.
"My King, the Inner Council is requesting an urgent audience."
Thranduil straightened, and before long, Mithrandir and Rinion were beside him, with The Company striding boldly into the Throne Room, Glorfindel with them.
"Show them in," said Thranduil in a strong voice as he walked forward to hear what they would say.
"Commander General Gelegon, General Huron, Captain's Forhen, Dunorel, Thoron, Lanthir, Tirion and Eramir, my King," declared the herald, before stepping aside.
The eight commanders strode powerfully into the Throne Room, their eyes trained upon the king before them, aware of everyone's eyes upon them.
"Commander General, what news from the Inner Circle," asked Thranduil imperiously.
"My King, we have been gathered for the last four days, four days in which we have put the warrior Legolas to the test. I will tell you, my King, lest rumour reach you, that given the time restrictions and the extraordinary claims that have been made, together with the demands made by the Silvan people, that this test was not our standard trial. It was a test of strength, physical and mental, of skill both of the body and the mind, a test of his moral and ethical beliefs, of his loyalties. It has not been easy, my King, and we beg your understanding…"
Thranduil stared back impassively, for he would have a very good idea as to why Celegon was apologising, for that was precisely what he was doing.
"I understand, Commander General Celegon. I trust this army implicitly."
"Thank you my King. A vote has been taken and was unanimous - Warrior Legolas is to be promoted forthwith, to the rank of First Lieutenant, and subjected to a trial period of five years, after which the Inner Circle will convene once more to discuss his future.
We have also agreed to favour the request that Lieutenant Legolas be invested as the Warlord of the Silvan people, subject to negotiation of the finer points of that office. We are confident of his loyalties and will defend that his service in this capacity will be a benefit to Greenwood the Great, and not just the Silvan people. If a higher rank corresponds to their Warlord, that will have no effect on his status as Lieutenant in this Army and will be regarded as purely, ceremonial."
He paused here and finally allowed his eyes to stray.
The king's eyes sparkled and Glorfindel smiled calmly.
"Your decision pleases me, Commander General. That this army declares itself in favour of the requests of the Silvan people is good news indeed. Yet we must still convince the council, of course," he said as he turned first to Mithrandir and then to Aradan, Handir and Rinion.
"May I add, my King," said Celegon with a step forward, that during these last four days, this army has learned from the errors it has made and some - difficult decisions have been taken."
"What decisions?" asked Rinion, joining the talk for the first time.
"Barathon Bandorion and Brethil Draugolion have been stripped of their ranks, and in the case of Brethil, he has also been stripped of his Master Swordsman status."
There was stunned silence for a moment, before Rinion smirked, and then uttered a single word.
"Good."
Celegon's right eyebrow rose in surprise, and Thranduil nodded his understanding. "This will make the Council more difficult than it already will be. Celegon, you must be prepared - they may be some major - dissent - after this council. I will need your men of full alert."
"I understand, my King, and we are prepared."
"We have two hours to prepare, before this Hall is full and we must state our case. I am dismissing this session
until the Council at the eighteenth hour," said the king, turning to leave, but Celegorn had not finished.
"My king, I wonder, if I could have a private word."
Thranduil turned to meet his eyes, seeing the importance of whatever it was he needed to say, and so he ushered for the Commander to follow him, and soon enough, they sat together in the king's office, with Handir and Rinion at his side.
"My Lord, what I have to say now is based only on intuition and unfounded suspicion, but I thought it important enough to speak to you of it for it as been nagging me for the last day.
"Speak plainly, Celegon," said the king, leaning forward until his elbows rested on the table before him.
"When I communicated our decision to Barathon, he made comments that suggest - that the queen - was loved by someone at this court - I mean - well loved, my King…"
Thranduil stared back at Celegon, understanding exactly what he had said.
"He suggested, that due to this circumstance, that he himself and those around him, were so - adverse to the Silvan being promoted or backed in any way by this army. In a word, my King, they hate him and it seems to have something to do with this - admirer- the queen had. Does that make any sense, my King?" asked Celegon, watching the king closely.
"Not yet, Celegon, not yet. But the information is valuable, no doubt. You did well to come to me with this."
"I understand this may not be important, but the origin of this Sindarin dominance, this - hatred almost, of the Silvan people, and then the utter rejection of a small part of this army against Legolas - it seems to be related, Thranduil, although I cannot be sure…"
There was silence in the office for long moments, for the implications of what Celegon said were deep and serious.
"I will let you think on that then. For my part, should any further information make itself known, I will, of course, report back to you."
"Thank you, Celegon. You are important to me, to this kingdom - you have my thanks," said the king, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere, and Celegon could not blame him for that, not after what he had just told him.
He turned to leave but stopped himself and turned once more.
"My King. I wanted to - congratulate you," he said, almost as if he had surprised himself with his own choice of words. "Your son is strong, brave, skilled and keen of mind. He is noble and loyal and the Inner Circle is in agreement - he is the most prodigious warrior and future commander we have ever seen, in any of our long lives…"
Thranduil looked overjoyed but Rinion's face reflected surprise, where Handir's was blank, as if he already knew that.
"He has a major role to play in the defence of this Realm, my lord, one this army will help him with for you see, in spite of his age and inexperience - he has earned our loyalty. Somehow, he has awoken in us a new light, a new beginning…" he trailed off, smiled somewhat insecurely and then bowed, and left, leaving the three royals standing in absolute silence.
He had only once been tireder than he was now and that had been after their ill-fated arrival in Imladris.
But today it was a different kind of tiredness, for it was not only physical. He had used all his resources in these past few days, had applied himself to his full capacity in every way so that he could secure for himself, for his mission, the future he needed in order to carry it out. It had been the single most important thing he had done in his admittedly short life.
Yet all he wanted to do now, was to find The Company, sit with them under the cool evening breeze, away from all those eyes that constantly looked to him, at him, and share a glass of cold sweet wine. The thought seemed absurd for it was not yet the evening meal - how could he just appear there, after everything that had happened, with all the questions everyone would have?
He needed to speak to his father urgently, for there was the question of his status as a Protege that had gone undresses with Celegon; he needed advice, for he found he had no idea what the political implications would be yet neither did he have the slightest interest in lying or withholding information.
Nodding his head to himself, Legolas decided to find his father and so, retrieving his hooded cloak, he donned it and left for the fortress, with only Koron en Naur at his shoulder.
Soon enough, miraculously almost, they had arrived and both elves entered Legolas' suite of rooms.
"I need a bath, Koron, and food and water and…"
"Stop!," smiled Koron. I will see to the water and food," he said and then hailed a guard from the hallway, but when he returned, Legolas stood transfixed before his bed, his eyes on what had, obviously been carefully laid out upon it - the uniform of an Elven First Lieutenant.
Koron came to stand at his shoulder, peering over it at the leather and light mail, the green velvet and the almost paper thin steel that made up the chest piece. Not quite as magnificent as the uniform of a captain, but fine it was, and Legolas found his breath stolen from him as the true magnitude of what he had done finally hit him.
Koron en Naur placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have one of these, and it pains me to say I have not cared for it for a long time."
"Why?" came the almost absent question.
"Because I could not find my strength, my purpose…"
"And now?" asked Legolas, turning to meet Koron's eyes.
"Now, when you are safe and this is over, I will polish it, oil it, clean and press it and then I will wear it, with pride, at your side."
Legolas' eyes filled and he smiled. "I am honoured then, to have you with me, on this journey, Koron en Naur."
The Sinda nodded and allowed himself a weak smile, but there truly was fire behind his grey eyes, a fire that had been lit only the previous day, but that now, would never be doused.
A curt knock on the door revealed a guard. "Urgent news, Lord Legolas. You are being hailed by the king."
Koron en Naur stepped up beside Legolas and answered the guard.
"Please inform the king that Lord Legolas will be with him in one hour."
The guard frowned slightly, but nodded all the same, turning upon his heel and striding away.
Soon enough, water and food was brought by the household staff that stared in open curiosity at Legolas as they went about their business, and when they left, they did so amongst a flurry of hushed words that rapidly spread like wildfire amongst the summer brush, until everyone within the fortress knew, that Legolas had returned from the Inner Council.
But Legolas heard none of it, for he lay in the steaming water, trying and failing to relax himself. It was useless, for he knew that if his father searched for him, it was because the Inner Circle had made their ruling known to him, indeed the appearance of his new uniform was testimony to that. Even so it had been a surprise and Legolas wondered if his father had prepared it, in anticipation of his promotion.
Noise in the sitting area of his suite beyond the bathing chamber door, spoke of visitors, and then the deep rumbling voice of Ram en Ondo told him The Company had found him. He smiled, for suddenly his strength returned to him and he opened his eyes. It was time…
Squeezing out his soaking hair and towelling it as dry as he could get it, he pulled on his new black breeches, marvelling at the fine material and perfect cut, for they fit him to perfection, hugged his powerful thighs and calves without impeding his movement.
Next, he reached for the pale green tunic that hung down to his calves, split up the front and sides so as to favour riding and fighting.
Opening the door to his rooms, he stood there for a moment and smiled at the sight that greeted him. Idhrenohtar, Ram en Ondo, Lindohtar, Rhrawthir, Rafnohtar, Glamohtar, and Koron en Naur - The Company - his most loyal friends and brothers.
Legolas smiled, his eyes wandering over them all, registering their impeccable uniforms, their shining swords and knives, their perfectly braided hair. Turning finally to Koron en Naur, the Ball of Fire spoke.
"You look mighty fine, brothers," he said with a smile.
"And you look like a wa
rrior returning from Dol Guldur," said Rhrawthir with a scowl.
Legolas giggled before he answered. "From the very pits of Mordor itself, brothers, for the Inner Council are no less fearsome."
Tutting, Rafnohtar pulled him to a chair and opened a cloth back that sat crossed over his chest. Soon, he was spreading a cold cream onto the bruise that was still visible upon Legolas' cheek, and the other at his temple. "Do I even want to know how this happened?" he asked ironically.
"Nay, you do not, Rafno," answered Legolas as he reached for the food and began to eat heartily.
"Did they starve you too?" asked Lindohtar sarcastically, and then startled as Koron en Naur simply answered,
"Yes."
A short silence followed, but it did not last for long, as the questions began to flow and Legolas answered them as best he could in between bites of food and long drinks of water. Koron en Naur answered some of them, when Legolas was too busy eating, until soon, there was silence once more, the eyes of The Company now resting on the mercurial Sinda.
"You have changed," said Idhrenohtar. "You are not the same elf we knew just four days ago - what has happened?" he asked.
Koron smiled. "Indeed I am changed. It is funny, for my life has been so long, so full of experiences both good and bad, but the most important ones, those that irremediably changed my life on an essential level, took but blinks of the eye. Oropher died in one tragic instant and I fell from grace. Legolas appeared and pulled me back up in one, heart-lifting moment.
The Company sat in silence, yet understanding came to them swiftly, and Rafnohtar turned to the Sinda. "What is your name, then, brother?" he said with a smile.
"Koron en Naur - Ball of Fire, that is my name," he said proudly, with a smile of his own.
Lindohtar's eyebrows rose in interest. "Another song for me to compose then," he smirked. "When all this is over and we are free to serve our land once more, I will delight you with the heroic deeds of the legendary warriors of The Company!" he said theatrically.
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