A Family Affair

“I know we need to start the negotiations, but we must first have the one we are negotiating WITH present.” Thranduil remarked to his chief councilor as he stalked through the halls. “Stupid peredhil. Can’t hold their liquor worth a damn.”

The king flung open the doors to Elrond’s suite, and began a search for the Lord of Imladris. Coming up empty handed, he once again started down the hallway. To his advisor, he said, “Go search the gardens. He may have retreated outside for some fresh air and passed out. I will go ask his sons if they know where he might have ended up last night.” The elf nodded and split from Thranduil’s path.

The king opened the doors to the suit shared by the twins. They had volunteered to bunk together as all of Mirkwood’s guestrooms had been full to brimming. *Such helpful young-one’s* Thranduil thought. He sniffed as he entered the rooms, and stood stock still. The room smelled of sulfur, like the ground after it had been struck by lightning. He remembered that smell well, as he had scented it before. Right after he had bound souls with his wife. The king rubbed his head in his hands. One of the twins had gone and gotten themselves bonded after a night of drunken revelry. Elrond would kill him.

He opened the drapes to the small window (a luxury in Mirkwood) letting in the weak, morning light. Next, he pulled back the bed curtains, and he gasped at what he saw.

Not only were the peredhil twins sharing a bed, but they were sharing one with their father. They had also done much more than simply sleep. Thranduil grabbed Elrond by the arm, shaking him. Elrond opened his eyes and growled at the rough treatment he was receiving.

The king hissed, “What the FUCK do you think you are doing?! And in my kingdom no less?! How do you think I am going to cover this mess up?”

Elrond shook his head, which was still full of hazy cobwebs. Slowly, he remembered a small amount of what had happened last night. Memories of sex and passion faded in and out of his cognizance, then the memory of the moment of the bonding hit him like a rabid warg. He scrambled out of the bed and looked down at the two sleeping bodies sprawled across the covers. At first, he thought his eyes were playing some kind of horrid, sick trick on him, but when he reached out and felt the soft hair of his eldest son, he knew he had done the unthinkable.

The peredhil lord looked up into Thranduil’s eyes, his own silver-grey orbs full of disbelief. “Tell me this is a dream,” he whispered pleadingly. “Tell me this isn’t real. I did not just lay with my own sons. I did not just bond myself to my children. I did not…” his voice took on a hysterical pitch toward the end, and he was abruptly interrupted by Thranduil’s palm connecting with his face.

Elrond stood still, breathing heavily. He looked up at the Mirkwood King through his tangled hair. “What have I done?”

“Created a right mess is what you have done. Stupid Peredhil.” Thranduil collapsed onto an overstuffed chair near the fire. He threw Elrond the pair of breeches that were hanging half over the arm of the chair and half on the ground. As the Imladris Lord pulled on the pants, Thranduil rubbed his face in his hands, thinking furiously. He lifted his head and regarded the still befuddled Lord. “I can’t believe you did this,” he said in a helpless tone. “Being your friend, I’ll do what I can to cover this up for now, but sooner or later you will have to face the consequences of your actions.” The Mirkwood King pointed to the sleeping bodies on the bed. “Sooner or later you will have to tell them what happened. They will know something is amiss the second they awake.”

Elrond stared into Thranduil’s eyes, his face now calmer, and very serious. “They will never know.”

“What?”

“We are leaving this room. Now. They will never know what happened.” Elrond hastily dressed and pulled Thranduil from the room. Once they were in the hall, the Imladrian Lord seemed to loose his determination, and he simply stood in front of the closed door and stared into space. Thranduil grabbed the darker elf’s hand and lead him through the underground cave system to his own personal suite. He summoned his assistant, telling him that the council sessions scheduled for today were canceled. He offered no explanations or excuses. He was the King. He could do as he pleased.

Elrond was settled on the elven king’s bed, looking into nothing as he pondered his situation. He was bonded. To his children. This was not only unprecedented, it was illegal by the laws of elvendom. “What am I going to do, Thran?”

The golden-haired elf sat down next to his friend of many years, and slowly pulled him into a loose embrace. “I have no idea what to do. No idea what-so-ever.”

“I’m just going to forget this ever happened.”

“Elrond, you cannot simply ‘forget’ a bonding. It does not work that way. You of all people should know that.”

“I cannot let them know. They don’t need this. I don’t need this. It is best to forget the whole thing happened.”

“Elrond-”

“Thranduil, do you really think that by acknowledging this…this atrocity…I will be accomplishing anything worthwhile? I will only cause problems. As of now, the twins will have no idea what has happened. As far as I’m concerned, they need know nothing except that they had a rather rowdy night.”

“I advise against this. I know it’s your life, but as your friend I feel that you should tell the boys.”

Elrond shook his head. “No. Not possible.”

“Elrond-”

“Just…Just drop it.”

“You need to deal with this-”

“No I do not!”

Elrond jumped up from the hold Thranduil had on him to stand across the room staring into the fire.

“You are acting like a child.”

“I am not.”

“You just proved my point.”

Elrond spun and glared at the King.

“Well how would you react if you woke up one morning and you were bonded to Legolas? Would you handle this any better if you were me?”

Thranduil picked at the embroidery on the coverlet. “I suppose I would be just as riled as you are right now.”

Elrond looked satisfied and returned to staring at the fire.

“Elrond, just think about it after you have had time to clear your head.”

“I’ll think about it after we have returned to Imladris.”

Thranduil stood and approached Elrond from behind, wrapping his arms around him in a protective manner. “So. Do you have anyone to talk to there about this?”

“Erestor is there.”

“Can you honestly say he will be able to help you through this?”

Elrond turned to lay his head on the golden elf’s shoulder. “Maybe. He’s a good friend, but…” he looked into Thranduil’s eyes, “you’re my best friend. I wish I could have you with me…”

“We’ll see what I can do.”


TBC.....