Mary Goes to Mirkwood

By: Mary A, Malinorne, and Sheraiah

Warning: Elfy sexual situations/adult sexual situations/surprisingly little nudity/wine-drinking.

Summary: The king is welcomed home by his subjects, the three mortal maids have various types of fun with the elves and the dwarf in and out of the halls while Thaladir is still absent, and they can all get away with it.


~*~*~*~*~

~ Mary ~

Before the eagle had landed in front of the Mirkwood Gates, even with my eyes blurred from sleep, I had noticed the dazed smile on Mal's flushed face and figured she and the king must have been smooching while I was napping. As we disembarked, it was hard to miss the heated glances they were sending each other. I mentally kicked myself for not calling dibs on Thranduil for that night, since I figured I should get two turns in a row with him like his concubine had. But it appeared that His Majesty had already made up his mind, and I certainly was not going to beat myself against that rock by trying to change it.

Seeing Sheraiah cheered me up and my night started to seem brighter, even after Thranduil kissed her hand. I immediately thought of all the trouble we could get into before the old grouch Thaladir, along with the rest of the royal party, got home from Esgaroth.

And then Haldir stepped out from behind the great gate. His penetrating gaze warmed me to my toes and stunned me into stillness. But I did have to close my eyes for a moment when he faced off with the king, who was still wearing his traveling sword, as I did not want to witness a possible beheading. Even from where I stood I could tell Thranduil was as tightly drawn as the string on a Galadhrim's bow.

Having the March Warden appear from behind the gate was stunning, but Elladan and Elrohir following next had turned my paralysis into something bordering on panic. What were they doing here? Even all their happy banter with the surprisingly amiable Thranduil did not soothe my anxiety.

If the twins had come to Mirkwood with even the slightest inclination to rescue anyone, then things could get ugly. I was not prepared for them to be here even though I should have known that if Sheraiah came, they would come too. After all, she was supposed to be watching them for me in the first place. They seemed appropriately respectful at the moment and kept their distance, but I kept my eye on them.

However, when the king yelled at Gimli, I felt so bad for his totally blameless target that I could not help but react. I jumped in front of the scowling dwarf and offered him my hand the way Sheraiah had offered hers to Thranduil just moment before. With a chortle he pressed his lips to the back of it. Taking him by the arm, I whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, His Majesty's just grumpy because he's had to sit on cushions for the last couple of days. He missed all his hard chairs." Then I looked over at the king, but he seemed more interested in his concubine now, who was having trouble keeping her eyes off of Haldir.

"I bet Mal would like to say hello to you, Gimli." I said loudly. "Wouldn't you Mal? Have you ever met?" After they had exchanged some pleasantries, I got bored with the standing around outdoors part of the homecoming, which I was sure could be dragged out even further. But I wanted out of my dress and into my leggings while the seneschal was far removed from the premises and I could get away with it. And I was hungry, too.

"It's good to see you, lass," grumbled Gimli to me, after a cautious glance at Thranduil. "I was worried about you going off to Isengard, the last time I saw you."

"But she had me with her," Elladan reminded him with a grin as he came to stand beside us.

"You mean she had me with her," said Elrohir to his brother as he stood right next to me and put his arm on my shoulders. "We told you at the time, Master Dwarf, that we would deliver our lady from Orthanc, unscathed." I winced when he said 'our lady'.

"Apparently," Thranduil said evenly, "I am outnumbered even before I have set foot inside of my own halls." He cut his gaze sideways to Legolas, who was still embracing him, and added, "I blame you."

As if I did not hear anything, I informed Gimli that I had enjoyed meeting his kin from the Lonely Mountain, at the wedding in Dale, and looked forward to visiting there again and meeting even more of them. "Your father looked quite handsome and his beard was very white and long." I told him this as more of a courtesy than a report on Gloin's facial hair. "Just thinking about that feast yesterday reminds me. I am starving, aren't you? Shall we go find some lunch while all these Elves get reacquainted?" I pulled Elladan's arm off of my shoulder.

Linking my arm even more firmly through his, I led Gimli past the twins, past Haldir, past the king and his son and Sheraiah, and through the great gates of Mirkwood and then stood still in surprise at what I saw as my eyes adjusted to the dim torch lit space. The interior courtyard was packed with wood-elves, who had been standing there all that time patiently waiting the opportunity to welcome their monarch home. Luckily, Legolas saved me. I heard him call my name and turned to see him, dragging Sheraiah along by the hand, hurrying to catch up with us.

The prince placed Gimli and me in the line, and the elves gladly parted to allow us room. Then he went back to fetch Thranduil, still pulling Sheraiah along with him, which made the poor dear have to hold her skirts up and run to keep up with his long-legged strides.

The king received a hero's welcome from his jubilant subjects as soon as he entered the gates and he visibly relaxed when he saw his ranks of valiant warrior elves, armed with spears and standing at rigid attention, just inside the entrance. I could tell he was glad to be reminded that they were there to provide assistance should any of his house-guests get too cheeky.

~*~*~*~*~

~ Sheraiah ~

I was torn between being upset that King Thranduil had yelled at Gimli without provocation and giggling up my sleeve at Mary for her over-the-top deflection of the king's temperamental outburst against the dwarf. I didn't worry about Legolas in the least over the matter. I had long since learned that he was adept at taking care of himself and managing almost anyone, up to and including his father, when needed. Gimli, too, was made of stern stuff and I knew that he'd not lose sleep over Thranduil's opinion of him, which couldn't have been news to him at this point, anyway. I chose to study the king instead.

Although I had been fascinated with Thranduil and had written about him for some time, this was the first time I had been close enough to him to study him. The on-line virtual masquerade didn't count; the king had been on the other side of the party area from me for the bulk of the time he was there, and he had disappeared with Mary before I had had a chance to speak with him.

He was amazing. The resemblance between him and Legolas was strong, but you could see the weight of years more clearly on Thranduil than on his son. Where Legolas was light-hearted, his father seemed to brood. Where the younger was the sunlight, the elder was the dark of the starry sky. In personality, they seemed to be complete opposites and not for the first time I wondered about the prince's absent mother and whether it was her that he most resembled in demeanor or if his father had once been as he was. It was one of the questions that I most wanted to ask, but didn't dare.

Suddenly, I felt Legolas grab my hand and I was dragged behind him as he hurried to catch up with Mary and Gimli. Once they were settled, I was dragged back to where Thranduil was. The prince seemed to have forgotten that my legs were much shorter than his and that I was, for once, wearing a dress. I forgave him, though, because I could tell that he was a bit flustered at having to set up his father's welcome without the assistance of the 'grouchy elf' as Mary called him.


~*~*~*~*~

~ Mal ~

I was happy to meet Sheraiah at last and from the way Legolas beamed when he presented her, she must be a very close friend of his already. I joined Mary in welcoming her, but didn't get a chance to greet Legolas properly before my attention was caught by Haldir's dashing entrance. And then Elladan and Elrohir's. And, finally, Gimli's. Thranduil seemed not at all happy with the visitors other than Sheraiah, whom he had greeted gallantly, and I found myself torn between wanting to do my best to calm him, and not being able to take my eyes off the Lórien elf.

It was Mary who broke the spell, by calling me to say hello to Gimli. Reluctantly I turned my gaze from the proud March Warden to the stout dwarf. I realized that what I had just heard was the king shouting at someone who had done nothing wrong, and wholeheartedly joined Mary. Loudly I praised his thick, red beard and could see from the glint in his eyes that he was just as amused as me at seeing Thranduil's eyes narrow to slits while I did so.

We talked a little more, mostly about Legolas and the Lonely Mountain, and I wondered why the dwarf had ended up in Mirkwood. I didn't get the chance to ask if he was perhaps on the way to visit his father, as Mary had apparently got enough of standing around and almost dragged Gimli with her towards the gates.

Instead I found myself surrounded by smiling, dark-haired elves, and though there were only two of the Imladris twins, they seemed like a lot more when competing with each other to greet me with elegant phrases and eloquent bows. Their grey eyes glittered with mirth and I could suddenly understand why Mary had been so unwilling to lend them to me while they were staying with her. This youngish pair was overwhelming, and as we walked towards the gate, I felt swept away by a whirlwind, albeit a friendly one.

Well inside, I could feel the king's presence stronger again, and I was grateful for Legolas assistance in taking a more appropriate place, right behind Thranduil, in the procession that walked through rows of admiring wood-elves greeting their king. I was happy to see them, and even more happy to see his posture changing. It was just small movements, jaw muscles relaxing, shoulders being lowered slightly, tension in the back giving way. But he was confident and relaxed again, his earlier irritation over. At least for the present.


~*~*~*~*~

~ Mary ~

Eventually we all ended up in one of the great dining-rooms, although not the largest one. That particular hall was being saved for an even grander welcome home feast planned for when the rest of the royal party returned home, according to the chatty Elladan and Elrohir, who seemed to know every thing that was going on within the halls and competed with each other to be the first to tell Mal and me something we did not know yet.

Legolas, with Sheraiah beside him, sat directly across from his father, but I thought she should sit next to the king, in a sort of a guest of honor position. I switched places with her so that I was sitting next to the prince and she was directly across from me. That way I could sit next to Gimli, too, who was seated at the end of the table, on my right. But even better, from here I could see the king's face.

Because Miriel and Ithilwen were still traveling homeward with the rest of the royal party, the brunt of their normal duties fell on the delicate shoulders of the quiet, unassuming Mirime. The elleth had entered the dining-room carrying something green in her hands, just as we were finally all sorted out and sitting down. As soon as the king was seated, she stood next to his chair, dipped with a deep curtsey, and offered up what turned out to be a wreath made of fresh green beech leaves, with an occasional spring blossom tucked here and there amongst them. She had a sincerely serious expression on her face and I was just sorry that Thaladir was not there to see it; he would have given her a medal or something.

With a nod and an equally sober look on his face, Thranduil took the circlet from her and placed it on his head, and the room exploded with merry cheers from his subjects, the king was officially home, and reconnected with his realm. It appeared as if Mirime was faint with relief now that her task was completed successfully. For my part, I was glad I had given up my usual seat next to His Majesty so Sheraiah could sit there and I could be across the table from them. Now I could stare at that sexy crown on that handsome head, while watching his beautiful face as he talked, to my heart's content. And not have to wait for him to turn in my direction. Or be tempted to make him do so.

Before she could get away, Mirime's arm was grabbed, and she was invited to sit at our table, by Sheraiah, with the twins joining her with a chorus of seconds to the motion. Actually, it was more of an insistence than an invitation because the shy elleth had to be coaxed to eat with us, and looked toward Thranduil in bewilderment until he gestured for her to sit.

As usual, she was not talkative at all, although it was surprising to find out how much she could both understand and speak Common Speech. When we had left Mirkwood for the wedding, I could have sworn she spoke only Sindarin. I assumed from the attention the handsome twins paid to her during the dinner, that she had been receiving some rather intense language lessons in private. Lucky her. And now I knew the source of all their inside information.

From where I sat on the other side of the table, I could see Mal was having trouble controlling her big moony-eyed stares at Haldir who sat directly across from her. Sheraiah, in her guest of honor seat next to the king, was staring at Thranduil with big moony eyes too, and how could I blame her? She had never been in his presence before, at least not this close. With Legolas beside me and Haldir next to him, it was hard to see the March Warden without leaning forward. But I managed.

The twins, one seated on either side of Mal and Sheraiah, were staring at me with their own patented version of moony-eyedness, which was actually closer this time to sad little puppy dog-eyedness. Haldir was looking dashing but paid close attention to his meal as did Gimli. Every once in a while, the golden Galadhrim would at least glance around the table at the rest of us, but the dwarf did not once lift his head from his plate as soon as it had been filled for him, unless it was to drink from his wine goblet. Mirime had been seated to Haldir's left and I imagined she was getting goose bumps sitting next to such a pretty elf.

It was wonderful not having Thaladir there. He would have had a real snit fit if he saw the way I had seated myself. My only regret was I was not sitting right across from Thranduil, but I was happy enough where I sat. I could just imagine what the seneschal would think of Mirime sitting with us. Although she was not technically a servant, I knew he had his own ideas about who was supposed to sit where at official functions.

Because I thought that the king had been unnecessarily rough towards Gimli when we had first arrived, I had sat beside him in order to defend him from any more abuse. Thranduil ignored him, not even sneering in his general direction when the dwarf slurped or smacked his lips noisily. Instead he concentrated most of his attention on Legolas's report about the goings on in the kingdom during his royal absence. The prince, it turned out, had taken notes. But, from the way the discussion turned to sudden silence, I had the idea that some of the protocol violations were of a sensitive nature not meant to be discussed at the table.

I had heard about His Excellency's Record books from Miriel, who mentioned them in passing one day when getting ready to report a juicy bit of gossip, something she was developing a talent for. It was sure to be in the seneschal's books, she declared, her bit of information was that naughty. She had never seen the ledgers, she had only heard about them when they had been used as behavior control leverage. To be included in the violation books was something to be avoided, unless it was for a really good reason.

When it seemed that Gimli's plate had been emptied enough times for him to be able to carry on a conversation without being distracted, I asked him if he had been enjoying his stay in Mirkwood. From his description, it sounded like he had not seen much of the caves that had played such an important part of his family history due to spending most of his time at Sheraiah's bedside. A hush fell over the table at the unseemly confession, and the dwarf quickly explained that she had been feeling ill from a sleep spell cast on her for her eagle trip.

After the twins gleefully tattled on him, all eyes turned to Haldir the guilty sleep-spell caster, and the king had a reason to smirk at the March Warden for a change. None of his own sleep spells, Thranduil assured Sheraiah most cordially, had any such undesired side effects and she should seek him out instead the next time she was in need of a properly applied one. She politely declined and stated she had never asked for one in the first place.

"That, my dear lady, is exactly why you suffered," the king informed her. "Even the sleeping mind of a mortal maid will rebel against such an insult to its free will." He cast a baleful glance at both Haldir and his son as he spoke. Neither of them responded, but Sheraiah was obviously in conflict over the way the story was unfolding with her two favorite elves being accused of malpractice when they had only tried to help her. I was not going to take sides. The twins were already ganging up on both of them, they did not need my help.

"Well, Gimli, I suppose you haven't seen the dungeons where they kept your father and the other dwarves yet?" I asked. Now the king's attention was off of Haldir, Legolas, and Sheraiah. The dwarf got a strange faraway gleam in his eye at my mention of this episode and I offered to give him a tour. But I wanted to get into my leggings first so I stood up, excused myself from the table, and invited Sheraiah to come to my room with me while I changed. I asked Mal if she wanted to come, but she shook her head and smirked. She just had to rub it in. But I would have, too, if it was my night with the king.

"I don't want to be running around the lower levels in this gown," I explained to Sheraiah as we left the dining-room. "The stairs are too steep and I am always afraid I will trip and break my neck. I am sure the old grouch makes sure all my skirts drag on the floor for that very reason."


~*~*~*~*~

~ Mal ~

The midday meal was an odd affair with its combination of happy homecoming and meeting with unexpected, not wholly welcome guests. I felt sorry for Legolas, who had obviously had to try very hard to come up with reasonable seating arrangements without the seneschal to decide these matters of protocol. Mary and Sheraiah utterly ruined his efforts. It is true that it was for a good reason, even two, but it was still not fair towards the prince.

But Legolas looked happy even without Sheraiah at his side and seemed to highly enjoy the opportunity of seeing both his father and his girlfriend across the table. I couldn't see Sheraiah, but it made sense that she would be delighted to sit beside Thranduil. She was probably light-headed from his presence, no matter how honourable and full of respect her feelings for him were. It was just Mirime who appeared somewhat shaken by the unusual treat of sitting at the king's table. But she had deserved it well, and would continue to do so. I figured she'd have to assist all three mortal women until Ithilwen and Miriel would be back and made a mental note to only ask for help when absolutely necessary.

The wreath she had prepared for Thranduil was lovely, and just like at the spring feast, he seemed to change momentarily as soon as he had put the living crown on his head. He looked, if possible, even more royal, and his eyes shone with a happiness that couldn't be quenched by any number of dwarves in his halls. I suspected that was part of Mary's reasons for giving up her customary seat on the king's left side. So she could watch his perfect features during the whole meal.

But I could touch him. Ha! I sat as close as I could, making our legs have contact most of the time, and whenever possible, I sneaked my left hand in under the table to touch his thigh, just a little. He seemed to like that, and I was rewarded with a smouldering glance more than once. At one point, he even put his hand in my lap, caressing me in a most unseemly way while carrying on a perfectly boring conversation with his son on the total lack of disturbances of the peace of the kingdom during his absence. I wished I could make time go faster, to get this meal, and afternoon, and evening over with, so that I could finally be alone with him.

Legolas' tale of what little had happened in Mirkwood the last few days seemed to drag on forever, but it got quite interesting at one point. He declared proudly that he had taken notes on everything the seneschal had instructed him to. Thranduil met this information with the same short nod with which he had received the rest of the report, but he also looked long into his son's eyes, making the prince's face split in a grin that could hardly refer to notes on troop movements or food supply.

I wondered if Thaladir had perhaps charged him with the task of looking for crimes against proper behaviour. That would explain his grin, if he had recorded some particularly juicy bits. It would also be just like the king to not be the least concerned with these offences, as long as he got to read the book afterwards. At least that is what I thought, until the conversation moved on to things that made me shut my ears again. Would this endless recount of details never stop? I touched my fingers lightly against the soft material of the king's leggings, but he just caught my wrist and held it still, while he continued to listen to Legolas. It was incredibly frustrating.

If I hadn't been that impatient, I would have enjoyed the meal a lot more. Haldir was sitting right opposite me and it was a pleasure to drown in his eyes. They seemed to just suck me in, and at times I'm afraid I was just staring at him in a very silly way. Legolas saw it, of course, but just smiled amiably, except for when he discreetly put an elbow into Haldir's side and whispered something I couldn't hear. The March Warden, however, smirked in an elegant, and arrogant, way that made my knees weak. I had to grab the king's leg for support.

"Tell me, Malinorne," said the Lórien elf, "are the beech trees to your liking at this part of the year as well?" The cheeky elf! How dared he ask me such a thing? And what could I reply that wouldn't make it too obvious that there was more to his question that an interest in botany?

"I am not sure," I replied hesitantly. "Having just arrived, I have not had the opportunity to study them closely. But they look very agreeable in the sun." He lifted an eyebrow and popped a piece of fruit into his mouth, chewing it carefully before responding.

"Ah," he said slowly, as if the trees needed much thought before he continued. "I am, however, convinced that you would find them just as satisfying as in their autumn shroud, if you were to join me for a walk." He continued to eat, slowly, and every time he looked at me, his face had that annoying expression of indifference, at the same time as his eyes were shining with mirth. I had to look away, or I wouldn't get anything in my stomach at all.

I tried to strike up a conversation with the elf on my other side, Elladan, when I finally got a chance, as he directed most of his attention to the sweet, but shy Mirime. He also seemed a bit subdued, evidently by being separated from his twin, and was not at all the flirtatious rascal I've seen him behave like so far. There was clearly a more serious side to this elf-man as well, and I hoped he would stay for a while so I could get to know him better.

We mostly talked about Rivendell, and I found out many things that added to my wish to visit there sometime, but I think we were both relieved when Mary caught everyone's attention. In a casual way, as if it was not even a slightly unfitting topic for conversation at the king's table, she mentioned Gimli's father's unhappy visit to Mirkwood. All eyes were turned to her, at first in shock, but then my dark-haired neighbour was happy to chime in with his brother in the light criticism of Legolas and Haldir.

I had to admire Mary for her cheek to offer the dwarf a tour of the dungeons, and thought it might be her way of getting back at the king for not spending as much time with her as she no doubt thought she was entitled to. Thranduil didn't appear at all insulted, which surprised me, but he would surely not join the tour either. Which meant he'd possibly spend the afternoon with me.


~*~*~*~*~

~ Sheraiah ~

Once in the dining room, that had been decorated and prepared for the King's welcome home party, we moved to our seats. I was placed next to Legolas, as usual, but Mary kindly offered to switch seats with me and I accepted, thanking her. I knew that she had a slight ulterior motive, but I didn't begrudge her. Besides, it gave me more of an opportunity to study Thranduil.

Mirime approached bearing a wreath and very solemnly presented it to the king. She did beautifully, and I thought she deserved a reward so I invited her to sit with us. I knew it was presumptuous of me, but I didn't care. She'd been putting up with me since my arrival and now she had to take care of Mary and Mal in addition to me. Even the undivided attention of the twins didn't begin to reward that kind of loyalty and service. Seating her next to Haldir was a start, though.

As we ate, Legolas and his father discussed events that had occurred since Thranduil had left for his trip. I could tell that the conversation was taking place on more levels that I was privy to. Thranduil looked amused more than anything to me, and I took that to be a good sign. Legolas was certainly grinning ear to ear.

I was also having a hard time trying not to giggle at Mal. On one hand, she was making cow eyes at Haldir, and on the other, I was sure that one of her hands was in Thranduil's lap. His hand was most assuredly in her lap at least part of the time; for all that he was very good at playing it cool. I had a sudden and very naughty thought and had to take a quick sip of the fruit juice in my goblet to cover my blush and my amusement. I wondered briefly if Mal would ever forgive me if I wrote that little PWP out. Of course, I could use a different name for the lady in the story. Legolas made eye contact with me then and I could see an amused twinkle in his as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. I looked away quickly.

I became aware of Mary's conversation with Gimli when she asked him how much of the caverns he had seen. His reply that he had mostly been in my rooms was met with shocked silence. I rolled my eyes as Gimli hastened to explain that I had been ill because of the sleep spell. Then the twins had to rat Haldir out, which gave the king reason to smirk at the proud March Warden. Thranduil clearly enjoyed every second of it; especially in telling me that HIS sleep spells never caused such discomfort, and offered his assistance should I ever have need of another one.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but no thank you. I didn't ask for the last two I got," I told him with as much courtesy as I could muster. The whole sleep spell thing was still a sore subject with me, despite the fact that I had forgiven Haldir. Thranduil nodded knowingly and told me that the fact that I hadn't consented was the reason I had been so sick. He shot a glare at both Haldir and Legolas. Haldir merely returned it with a haughty look, but Legolas winced. I carefully caught both their attention and rolled my eyes again then winked, letting them know that I was not going to make a big deal out of it any more.

As the meal ended, I could hear Mary offer to give Gimli a tour of the lower levels and I immediately decided that I was in, with or without an invitation. Fortunately, I did get invited and set off with Mary to her rooms so that she could change clothes.


~*~*~*~*~

~ Mary ~

After I had changed out of my gown and into my leggings with a tee-shirt, Sheraiah had to change out of hers, too. I put my silky fringed shawl over my shoulders for dramatic effect and we headed off to the prince's wing of the palace.

Mirime caught up with us in the hallway and followed along after looking askance at me with worry clouding her fine features. She had seen me wear these pants before, but only when I was going out riding. The elleth rolled her eyes when she saw what Sheraiah insisted on wearing, but she seemed resigned to our mortal-minded ideas about proper palace outerwear, and even managed a smile.

"You might as well wear those cute leggings now," I said. "Before the old sourpuss gets home and tries to put a stop to it." The elleth had asserted herself once we were in Sheraiah's room by stepping forward to unfasten her gown, which was fine with me. I hated those little hooks with a passion.

"Sourpuss?" asked Sheraiah. "I hope that is just another name for that grouchy elf you keep talking about? Thaladir, right?"

"Luckily, yes, there is only one of him." At her request, I tried to define for Sheraiah, as best I could, the duties and functions of a seneschal in service to the King and Throne of Mirkwood. "Basically, he is a nosy busybody," I ended up telling her. "But he is loyal to his king to a fault, nearly, and he loves him more than I ever could hope to try, and I adore Thranduil with all of my heart."

"Oh?" she asked with an eyebrow raised in perfect imitation of Lord Elrond. It made me laugh. "Wait a minute," she said. "Didn't you tell me you weren't in love with him, or didn't want to be… or something like that?"

"I didn't say I love him." I explained in my defense. "What I said is I adore him. They are two completely different things." She was just finished dressing when there was a knock at the door. When Mirime opened it, Gimli stood there with a wide grin, ready for his tour. Elladan and Elrohir peeked around the doorframe and meekly asked if they could tag along, because they were bored. I wondered where Legolas and Haldir were and could only assume they were with Thranduil, perhaps still sitting at the dining-table.

"Sure!" I told them. "It helps to have tall torch bearers. Could each of you grab one off the walls while we are up here? Because we're going to want them when we get to the bottom." Setting off confidently, I led my little tour group to the closest staircase that led downwards, even though I had no clue where we were going. Or, I had a clue where we were going, but I had no idea exactly where the dungeons were located. But, I supposed we would find them. They had to be down there, somewhere.

When we reached the wine-cellar where the seneschal had given me my drinking-bowl lessons, we had also reached the limit of my knowledge of the lowest level. Here the river could be heard, smelled and felt beneath us. I announced that the cute little room with all the wine-barrels was the first stop on our tour. The twins fell in love with the king's wine assortment, and they were tall enough to reach the jug and bowls on the high shelf. Candles were lit, the great door was closed on its oversized hinges, and we had a party.

Sheraiah would not drink, which we all agreed meant there was more for us. "What about Haldir?" asked Elladan. "And Legolas?" asked Elrohir.

"Shhh!" I hushed them softly. "If they can't hear us, they can't find us. Legolas at least. If he catches us he will have to report it to Thaladir, he is honor bound." I related what I had heard at the dinner table about how the prince was supposed to keep track of all violations of Mirkwood's code of protocol while the seneschal was away.

"It's not like Thaladir is going to do anything to you guys, either." I pointed out, still whispering. "Only the king's subjects are his responsibility."

"What will he do to you, lass?" Gimli's scowl was frightening, but his concern was very real, and it touched me deeply. But I played it straight anyway.

"He will stand right in front of me, Master Dwarf, and frown. Like this." With my mouth pulled down at either corner as severely as possible, I showed him. "You can't imagine how horrible that can be." I waited a moment and then grinned at him and then giggled at the look on his face. "He won't do anything to me, Gimli. He will just make the king miserable about it." I did not mention that what really bothered me was there was a book that might have my name in it somewhere, and I wanted to get a look at it.

"He will make the king miserable, eh?" said the dwarf with mischief in his eyes. "Well, in that case, me darling, drink up while you can!"

"We don't want to make His Majesty's life miserable, do we brother?" Elladan asked his twin while he happily refilled the wine jug from Thranduil's private stock.

"Not any more miserable than it already will be," answered Elrohir enigmatically with a wicked grin as he refilled my wine bowl. Sheraiah was looking sideways at the both of them, and I knew she could tell they were up to something, but had no real clue as to what. But I did.

"When are you two going to give up?" I asked. "Can't you see how happy I am here?"

"Nonsense. You are under a shpell, its obvious," slurred Elladan. "More wine?" He offered the jug.

"No matter what you try," I answered, unconcerned, as I let him top off my bowl. "The king will know. So just give up, now."

"Don't worry," chuckled Elrohir as he took the jug from his brother to refill his bowl and then set it carefully on the table. "We can get you out of here before His Majesty notices…"

"No, you can't!" I shouted at him. "He knows what I am doing and where I am right now."

"Ah-ha! But, if we jump into that river," said Elladan while gesturing back out of the door, "the current will carry us away from here before he can stop us." His brother nodded in agreement so vigorously that he splashed wine on his tunic before adding:

"And we are taking you with us." He grinned at me with a glassy unfocused look in his eyes as he grabbed the jug to refill his bowl. "As soon as we have a little more of this wine."

~*~*~*~*~

~ Mal ~

When Mary, Sheraiah and the others left the table, I hoped for a moment that the king would like to immediately renew his connection with me. I felt a strong need of it, not only for the obvious reason that I was attracted to him enough to nearly always be ready to go to bed with him, but also because I wanted to be shaken from the feelings that had hit me when I first saw Haldir. During the meal I had felt sucked into those eyes, and though it was pleasurable experience, it was not proper behaviour for the king's concubine. Not in my book at least.

But Thranduil of course had other plans for the remainder of the afternoon, like catching up with whatever had passed in the kingdom during his absence, and I could hardly grudge his wanting to spend time with his son. It felt good to be back in the palace, but I wasn't yet ready to begin spending long amounts of time underground again. I had no doubt I would soon get used to it, but for now I wanted to be outside. I contemplated going to my room to change into the riding clothes, leggings and tunic, like Mary said she would, but the king stopped me with a gaze.

"The dress you are wearing is agreeable to me," he said in a low voice, bending close to my ear. That settled it, of course. The clothes I had been travelling in were comfortable, and as they had been washed the previous day they were fresh even after the exciting eagle ride. Eagles are unlike horses in that way that they don't leave a characteristic smell. Perhaps because they always have the cool, fresh air soaring through their feathers.

When Thranduil had gone with Legolas, I nodded to Mirime and left the room myself. I found my way through the underground palace to the inner courtyard that was once again empty as the elves that had been gathered there had gone about their usual lives again. The magical gates opened smoothly and, as always, without a sound. So many times I had wanted to ask the king how they were operated, if he did it personally with his mind, or if they somehow could feel on there whether the person wanting to get in or out belonged in the halls or not. But, somehow I never did ask, even when I had a chance. I guess I had decided subconsciously to leave the magical mystery intact.

Outside, I looked at the landscape and felt safe with all the trees surrounding the open area around the hills. They made this place feel protected and very much unlike the plains and fields around Esgaroth and Dale. I went down to the river, but turned left instead of crossing the gate. I was not going into the forest alone, but preferred to walk along the water for a while, watching it glitter, remembering how fun it had been to skate on the ice of the pond where it was wider.

Thaladir had held me then, in his always considerate and respectful manner, and I suddenly felt sorry for his having to stay behind in the land of men. Even though I now knew that he was not a wood-elf by birth, but had come here with Thranduil's father, the first king of Mirkwood, I was sure he was more comfortable here.

The park landscape closest to the hill had changed a lot in the few days we had been gone. It was like spring had exploded into early summer at once. The beech trees had tender, delicate leaves of a yellow-green, nearly transparent colour, and as I looked up into their crowns I imagined that they were mallorn trees instead. I hoped I would one day get to see one.

Small white and yellow flowers covered much of the ground outside the paths that were weaving through the park, for a short time overshadowing the grass that would grow there later. Birds were flying back and forth over my head, chirping and twittering. It was a pity they were not talking birds, like the thrush and ravens Bilbo had seen on the Lonely Mountain. They were probably only discussing nests and eggs, but it would have been fun to listen to anyway.

For a long time I wandered under the trees, mostly slowly, and sometimes I went to sit for a while on a wooden bench. The sun warmed the riverbanks, but the soil was still to moist for me to want to sit there. I spent a wonderful time and was just thinking that it was probably time to go back, when I felt a familiar hand on my lower back.

"It pleases me that you enjoy my garden," said the Elvenking, and with his other hand tucked some strands of hair behind my ear as I turned to face him. He was still wearing the flower wreath Mirime had prepared for him, and he was if possible even more handsome than when we had arrived. He looked calmer now, in a better mood, the rightful lord of the realm no matter how many surprise guests had gathered in his halls.

My heart jumped in my chest as I watched him, and when he bowed his head to kiss me I felt a surge of longing. I clung to him with all my might, pressing myself hard against him, and when he ended the kiss, I asked him, slightly panting, if we could perhaps go back, and retire early this evening.

"No," he replied firmly, but took the edge out of the frank statement by playfully kissing my nose. I looked quizzically at him, but he did not say anything more. Instead he ran his hands over my back and backside in a wonderful way that made me even hotter than before. "No," I told him in return, in a final stance before I would melt completely and be as wilful as a slug. "I don't want to do this if you are going to leave me and make me wait."

"Ah," he said, chuckling, "patience is not what I have in mind this day. Do not fear." With that he loosened my arms from around his waist and turned me to face the nearest tree, a beech whose smooth trunk was interrupted with bumps where branches had long ago fallen off. He put his large hands over my breasts, held them, squeezing gently for a while, and then moved closer, so that I had to take a step forward to keep my balance.

The king pressed against my backside again, in a delicious way, and I was soon squeezed gently between him and the tree. It felt odd, but not the least unpleasant. His breath was hot in my ear, and as he nudged my legs apart with his knee, just a little, I could feel one of the tree's bumps press against me in a very interesting way, in a very interesting place. He began rocking his hips in a slow rhythm, and even in our fully clothed state with no skin contact except for his hands on mine, I soon felt I would explode any minute.

But then, Thranduil backed off a little, just enough to remove my underpants, raise my skirt above my hips, and obviously, to unfasten his pants. When I next felt his mighty sceptre, now against my bare skin, it was naked and most obviously desiring to gain entrance. With a content sigh, I spread my thighs further to let him in, and the king held my hips, lifting me slightly for better access.

When he started moving again, I wrapped my arms around the tree and everything around me was lost in a haze. Of all my encounters with the Elvenking, this was possibly the most outrageously naughty one, and it aroused me incredibly, adding to the sensation of the tree tickling my core along with the king's merciless deeper stimulation.

His thrusts, and his mouth grazing my neck sent me moaning and groaning and screaming over the edge, and I was sure every elf outside the hill must have heard us. Thranduil assured me they would only be glad and never begrudge one a bit of pleasure outside, but I couldn't help feeling embarrassed. As we returned to the hill, walking like a respectable couple with my hand on his elbow, I felt myself blushing furiously. I hoped we wouldn't meet anyone.

Within the gates, the king said that he unfortunately had some more matters of state to attend to, and that he would not be free to indulge himself further until after the evening meal. It was all the same to me. Now I would happily spend some time in my room reliving these moments and imagining what would follow later. It felt great to be back in Mirkwood.


~*~*~*~*~

~ Mary ~

"The king drinks that stuff like water, can you imagine," I told Sheraiah while shaking my head at the sight before us. "Pitiful what a little bit of human blood in the veins will do when mixed with it."

"Pathetic," she agreed.

"The wood-elves don't handle it well, either, according to Bilbo's book," I informed her. "Although according to him, they usually aren't this lively if they do get their hands on some. They fall right to sleep."

The twins were trying to open the trap door that led to the underground river. That door is very simple to operate; you just lift it up by the iron ring. Of course, it helps if you are not standing on top of it when you try to do so. Like Elladan was. The handsome Imladris elf was perplexed and he had tried everything he could think of, too, like finally, reluctantly, handing his wine bowl over to his brother to hold for him. Elrohir was also standing on top of it, right next to him.

"Can you see now why I wasn't worried?" I asked Sheraiah.

Then Elladan removed his tunic and spat on his hands before giving the iron ring one more tremendously ineffective yank. That did it. Gimli laughed himself out of breath and had to sit on the bottom step of the nearby stairway to recuperate.

"Stop it!" I hollered at the twins. "You're never going to get it open that way."

"Wha' do you suggesh?" Elrohir asked. He had started sipping on his brother's bowl after emptying his own, but his twin had noticed and took a swing at him, and missed, but not by much. I was impressed.

"You need the key," I answered. They gasped and looked at each other in shock as if I had just revealed to them the secret to unlock the entire universe.

"The key! Of course!" As usual, they were in unison. Gimli had just gotten his breathing back under control and was now set off into another fit.

"And I know where it is, too," I told them. "Wait right there and I'll go get it for you."

"The key!" said Elladan to Elrohir with a big grin on his face. He was so happy. I loved making him happy.

"C'mon Sheraiah," I said in a jolly tone of voice, "Let's go get the key." Taking her by the hand, I led her back up the stairs toward my room. "Some rescue attempt. I'm glad I don't want to leave here."

"What about...," she began while looking doubtfully back over her shoulder.

"Don't worry," I replied. "The worst that can happen is they'll get that trap door open and fall in the river, or get pushed in by Gimli. That would sober them up quick, which is all for the best."

Before going in my chamber, I told both my and Mal's door guard, who was not Anarion -- which was weird for a minute -- to be on the alert for the Imladris twins and to shoot them on sight if they tried to come near my room. Sheraiah gasped and looked worried until I assured her that neither of the sentries spoke anything except Elvish, so no one was in real danger. "No guns around here, either," I added.


~*~*~*~*~

~ Sheraiah ~

Once Mary had changed, we went to my rooms so I could get out of my gown, too. She was right; no way would I be dragging those skirts through the lower halls. I got the usual rolled eyes from Mirime at my choice of attire but she didn't say anything, she just unhooked me while Mary and I talked. I had chosen an outfit of solid black this time, my rebellious streak asserting itself. But I knew it looked good on me when Gimli gave me the once over after presenting himself for his tour. The twins joined us as well and we set off.

We didn't get past the wine cellar, however, and the rest of the party decided to lift a bit of the king's wine. I declined stating that I'd just as soon watch them make fools of themselves, something that I declared that I was perfectly capable of doing without the assistance of alcohol. Gimli and Mary did pretty well, but the twins were three sheets to the wind before very long. Their words and actions made me very suspicious suddenly and Mary confirmed it when she told them to abandon their plans.

Sure enough, they were soon attempting to open the trap door to the river in an attempt to make off with Mary. Of course, the door wouldn't open with an elf standing on it so she was fairly safe. Gimli was howling with laughter over the whole thing, and I had to admit that it was really funny in an exasperating way.

Then Mary gave the twins some cock and bull story about needing to go get a key and we set off, leaving the sots to their illicit drinking and futile kidnapping scheme.

"I can see the headlines now," I told her as we made our way back up the stairs, "'Drunken Peredhil Drown in Ill-advised Kidnap Attempt. Lord Elrond declined to comment on his boneheaded offspring's actions.'" I made a silly face at Mary and she giggled.

tbc