Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Chapter Nine/?

Revised 2004 Edition

Co-Authors: Mary A & Malinorne

Disclaimer: Just playing with Tolkien characters, for fun, and not profit, do not claim to have created them. Thaladir, the king's seneschal, is our own creation.

Warning: Brainiac behaviour, found stimulating by some.

Pairing: King Thranduil/OFCs


Summary: Mal and Mary receive instructions in proper and seemly court behavior in the Elfking's study.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~Mal~


After coming out in the corridor, the king turned to the left and followed a winding corridor to an area of the palace that I had not seen before. He had stopped chuckling, but the smirk lingered on his face all the way through the underground hallways. We passed many closed doors and silent sentinels, and the doors were still beautifully ornamented with shapes of leaves and cones and acorns, but the atmosphere here felt calmer in a way, less official. I liked it.

Suddenly, Thranduil stopped outside a door with a garland of birch leaves sculptured in the otherwise smooth wooden surface. "This is the room that has been chosen for my concubine," he said as he opened the door and gestured for me to enter.

It was a beautiful room. The first thing I noticed was that it was a lot lighter than any of the rooms of the palace that I had visited so far, and the source of the light were three small windows right opposite from where we were standing. The window-panes were leaded, consisting of a lot of small squares, many of which were various shades of yellow and green that lent a warm and friendly tint to the light passing through them. There were no real curtains, just semi-transparent lengths of sheer fabric that hung like veils of morning mist between the windows.

The second thing that caught my eye were the walls, that were covered with murals depicting forest landscapes; broad greyish trunks of beech trees and here and there a moss-covered rock rising above the forest floor. One of the walls, the one to the left from the door, was different. It showed a stony beach and a calm, grey sea, and a flock of whooper swans, at least that is what I thought they were, flying towards the light at the horizon.

There was not much furniture in the room, just like elsewhere in the Mirkwood halls. There was a small desk near the middle of the sea, a heap of large cushions under the beech trees in the far corner, and a four-poster bed with turned posters and bedspread and curtains in the same soft colour as the trunks of the trees and the clouds of the seascape. That was it. No bookcases, ittlittle tables or extra chairs for visitors, no wardrobe, no....

"I am glad it is to your liking", said the king. "It was prepared for a noble young lady from Lothlorien towards the end of the Second Age. She did not stay for long."

I felt a little ashamed of my thoughts about the lack of furniture and assured the king that I found the room very beautiful and comfortable and that I was very happy that he had made the effort of choosing it for me. But I wred red about that other woman, who had lived here long ago. Thranduil had suddenly sounded grave, as if it was a memory he preferred not to dwell on.

However, I couldn't resist putting my arms around his waist and leaning my head against his chest, and it seemed to be the right thing to do, as the king wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him for a while, stroking my back as I breathed in his potent scent of fresh greenery. Then he suddenly freed himself from my embrace, and said, with the twinkle back in his eye, "We hao geo get you ready for my seneschal. Turn around."

Unhesitatingly I did so, puzzled, and even more so as I felt him undo the fastenings of my dress. What did undressing have to do with preparing for a lecture on how to behave in the royal court of the wood-elves? A lecture that would probably be very boring, thinking of who was going to deliver it.

"As I noted before, it seems from your behaviour during the meal, that you find my seneschal... interesting," the king said with a drawl, amusement in his voice. Before I could come up with an excuse, he continued; "I have nothing against that; Thaladir leads a far too quiet life here, and he will enjoy seeing you again. He will enjoy it even more if you are wearing this."

He reached behind the curtains of the bed and held up the concubine dress that had obviously been taken here by one of the servants. He put it back again and pulled theen een gown over my head, and the undershift immediately followed it. For the second time that day I was naked with a fully dressed Thranduil, but this time I felt safe. If only he would get rid of some of his clothes as well...

I tugged a little at the hem of his tunic and put my other hand at the lining of his leggings.

"No, no," he said, laughing." I am saving you for later. You will come to my bedchamber tonight; I will need a sweet morsel after the official dinner. Now, get dressed."

Reluctantly I put on the thin dress, still not understanding why it was necessary for me to be wearing this when seeing the seneschal. Unless it had something to do with my way of eating that last grape and the king wanted to teach me a lesson by embarrassing me in front of Thaladir. But I would show him! I was not going to hide, but would instead mak eff effort to make the seneschal feel even more embarrassed. Yes, that was it. And I was not going to ask for any underpants even if I would really like to have them back now.

The king put his arms around me again, from behind, and let his hands slide up and down over my front, only to stop the moment before I would have moaned with pleasure.

"You need only ask if there is something you want," he said. "I may give it to you, if you deserve it."

It was a cruel question. He knew very well what I wantrighright then and in general as well. I tried desperately to think about something else, that I might want, apart from the king and my underpants, though they suddenly seemed a lot less necessary than the minute before, and came to think about a special guard with twinkling eyes, who always smiled whenever I passed him. He had been outside the study when I first arrived, and then I had seen him again after my adure ure with Haldir, and just recently in the dining hall.

Was that what the king meant? That I could have the company of another elf if I wanted to? He turned me around again and nodded. I found it hard to believe. The king's offer was tempting, especially in my present state, but it didn't feel right to even suggest that someone would be my lover because he felt obliged to, or, even worse, was ordered to.

Now Thranduil laughed out loud.

"Do you not see that every male elf in my realm finds my two mortals irresistible? They all desire you, but none would make a move against my will. Any of them would be honoured to have his curiosity stilled." He looked at me inquiringly, and when I said nothing, continued, "You may rest now. Just remember to ask if you, for example, would like to have Anarion transferred to guard your bedchamber."

With that, he licked his lips in a wicked way that made me want to utter a whole stream of wishes to have myself transferred to the king's bed, together with him, immediately, but before I could react, Thranduil turned swiftly and was gone. I imagined him marching off in the direction of his throne room, preparing to do something kingly. I sighed. Why was he so often like this? It was as if he enjoyed making me ache and burn for him, only to leave me unfulfilled until a time that he chose.

I found myself suddenly longing for Mary. I wanted to speak with her about the king, and what it meant that both of us were here, and if he had made her, too, bind herself to him. And I wanted to share the good news about the king's generosity.

But it would have to wait. I would stay here and wait for the elf-maid that would undoubtedly come to take me to the study. It was an easy decision to make, as I would not stand a chance of finding my way around the halls on my own.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~


"Pro..to..col," pronounced Thaladir, striking the palm of one hand with the othn ean each syllable, as if to drive them into my head, like nails, "requires conduct that comes naturally to those of good breeding, but that must nonetheless be observed even by others at this royal court." With another palm strike on the word 'this' for emphasis. "As well as in any respectable house, and requires certain behaviors and decorum…,"

I sat squirming in yet another of Thranduil's famous rock-hard chairs while the seneschal lectured me with his clipped, proper speech. He paused, waiting for me to settle myself, then, after I had, he proceeded, "...a certain dignity of bearing, a degree of rietriety, seemliness..."

"Hey, that sounds good," I interrupted. "Seemliness. What does that mean, seemliness? Is it any fun? Being seemly?" He was too easy to goad and his eyes grew nearly as flinty as the king's but not nearly as scary, more exasperated than vengeful. And he frowned so severely I thought his face would fall off. It was a pity, for he was otherwise not that bad looking.

"His Majesty will be most displeased with such lack of interest," he replied with just the tiniest bit of a threat behind his words. "Furthermore, I can assure you that I have other duties ofaterater importance to attend to, wherefore a somewhat higher degree of attention, and perhaps even gratefulness, is expected on your part."

"Oh, is that so? Well, in that case, do go on, Thaladir." I sighed. "It's fascinating, really." I leaned back in the chair and put my feet up on the king's desk, crossed at the ankles like a lady, being careful to place them between the scrolls and papers lying there.

After putting my hands behind my head, I was just getting comfortable when I had to sit back up quickly for I thought Thaladir was having a heart attack. He gasped and his face grew pale as he stared at my legs on his monarch's furniture. I put my feet back down on the floor and he actually breathed a sigh of relief as he mopped his brow, with an almost sparkling white handkerchief that he had pulled out of his sleeve, of all places.

Startled, I picked up a large, unusually thick piece of scrolled paper from the desk, stood, unrolled it, and started fanning him as fast as I could.

"Are you alright?" I cried as I made my make-shift fan blow his dark hair around wildly. "Do you want some water?" As I continued to make his hair fly, I looked about the study for a pitcher of water to splash in his face, but there was none to be found. A pity.

He pointed at my hands, his finger moving up and down as it followed the waving piece of paper, opened and closed his mouth a few times, in a fascinating fish-like fashion, before finally wheezing out, hurriedly, "You are requested to return that scroll to its previous place." He gasped. "Back on the desk." Another gasp. "Promptly."

"Why? What is it?" I asked. I looked at the paper in my hand; it had all kinds of Elvish lettering and pretty embossed pictures on it. He put both of his hands on the desktop and leaned to within inches of my face. I had never noticed before how the green in his hazel eyes became more obvious when his cheeks grew pinker. I decided not to mention it to him.

"My lady, I insist on your immediate compliance in this matter. Put... it... down." He said it so seriously, as if I were holding a bomb that was about to explode, that I quickly put it back on the desk and carefully patted it back into place. I then sat down in the chair, with decorum, and put my hands together in my lap, as genteelly as possible.

He leaned on the desktop and held a hand to his forehead. He looked at me from beneath his fingers and the exasperated expression had been replaced by one that more closely resembled...horror.

"You were saying?" I smiled at him as non-traumatizingly as possible. "Something about...dignity of bearing?"


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~Mal~


I was sitting on my bed in my beautiful room, dreamily staring into the horizon on the painting of the sea, when I was reminded by a soft knock on the door that it was time for my instructions with the king's seneschal. As I followed the elf-maid, who had now told me that her name was Ithilwen, I thought about the elf with whom I was to spend the rest of my afternoon.

I decided that I liked Thaladir. He's unswervingly loyal to the king, to the point of absurdness, as when he interrupted a very intimate moment to inform Thranduil about his insufficiently dressed houseguest running through the halls, but he's also so stiff and unbelievably dignified that I can't help wanting to make fun of him.

He reminded me a lot of both the old-fashioned butler and the strict tutor one can read about in English novels. I found myself wondering if he is happy with his life here and I suppose he must be, as it appears he has been here for centuries, though he would not use a word like "happy"; it would be too light-hearted to suit him. He'd rather say he finds his position "most satisfactory" or something of that kind.

Thaladir seemed different from most of the other elves at the Mirkwood court, even the guards were happy and seemed to participate in the parties when not on duty, but the seneschal seemed to always be silent and serious. Perhaps he was just shy. I also wondered if he had a girlfriend, though I would think not. I even thought that the seneschal might have a soft heart for me, but it was not something he would ever admit, if that should be the case.

Although he looked at me with disapproval when I entered the study, he didn't take his eyes from me until I stood before him. 'The desk', I thought, and wondered if Thaladir knew. He might, as he had seen me afterwards, when I was asleep on the floor, lying on my belly for a reason I didn't want to think about right then.

"Before we start", he said in a dry voice "allow me to inform you that the garment you are wearing is suitable for His Majesty's private viewing only. It is not proper attire for moving about in the palace, and certainly not for encounters with other elves, as it could cause unseemly reactions."

"What reactions, Thaladir?" I smiled sweetly and took pleasure in his embarrassment.

"This is not a suitable topic for conversation and I expect you to observe respectfulness in my presence. You are excused for now, but it will not be tolerated in fut future."

"What is the penalty for such an offence, My Lord?" I really tried to say it as innocently as possible.

"I can assure you that His Majesty has an excellent hand with impertinent concubines and I will not discuss this further. You may sit." He indicated a chair and I slowly took a seat, careful to expose just enough flesh to tease the seneschal, but not cause heart failure. I thought about my bare little bottom and how he might react if he knew, and smiled to myself. Thaladir impressed me by not changing his facial expression at all this time, but he stared demonstratively at a point above my head when he continued his lecture.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~


It was a gloriously beautiful day and I was so happy to be with Legolas, instead of the grumpy seneschal, that I whistled, while swinging my bucket back and forth, as we walked through the gates and headed to the hillside to pick berries for dinner's dessert. Legolas had brought us both a bucket and had explained to Thaladir that his father had requested fresh berry pie for his honored dinner guests, and, as there could be no delay, I was needed to assist him at once.

He made this patently absurd request so seriously, so formally and politely, with many respectful head bows, and ending with his sweetest and most endearing smile that the wooden seneschal could not help but do his prince's bidding. I was released from my protocol instructions. I actually think he was relieved to see me go. I waved "bye-bye," at him. He did not wave back.

"Were you bored to tears?" asked Legolas, as soon as we were out of the gates of Mirkwood.

"Worse than that, I was actually having fun making his left eyebrow twitch as we discussed the proper attire for escape attempts, at my request." I had to giggle as I remembered his attempt to answer my question.

"I asked him if he had any suggestions on the matter of dressing properly while having one's hands tied behind one's back, for future reference. He didn't seem to appreciate my previous escape attire."

Legolas laughed gently and took my hand as we began to climb the hill path.

"I heard about your swim in the river, there are not many willing to test their stamina in those frigid waters." We reached the terraces and found some berry-laden bushes.

"I still can't figure out how I survived for so long in that icy bath." I shivered, remembering how paralyzed and helpless I had felt. It was so odd, to be dropping berries into a wooden bucket for honored guests at the king's table just days after I had tried to leave his realm, forever. "I thought I was going to drown."

"Oh, no," said Legolas casually, "my father would never have let you drown in his river." I was so startled I dropped my bucket. Legolas went on to explain, after retrieving the bucket, and most of the berries, which had spilled out onto the grass, how his father was able to keep track of me every inch of the way as I traveled in, around, and about his kingdom. "The rivers are under his command, there is no possible way those waters would have swept you under to your doom, Ada would not have allowed that to happen."

"You know, it would have been nice if your father had told me that, after he found me."

"He probably thinks you should know this already, this kingdom is under his command, not just the elves who live here, but every stick, stone, bird or beast that dwells within the river boundaries." I went back to my berry picking with a new attitude. I was never in danger of drowning? That made me feel better about the king.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~


"Whilst His Majesty has graciously granted you permission to call him 'lord', it is my duty to in you you, my lady that the display of such familiarity cannot be permitted in public. You are to address him as 'Sire', 'My Liege', 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty'. A certain measure of humbleness is always becoming in a concubine, and is suitably expressed by a deep reverence now and then. You do know how to do a reverence, I hope?"

I had to disappoint him, and it was hard not to laugh out loud at the picture the serious elf presented while demonstrating the reverence to me. Eventually, he frowned, seeing the ridiculous in the situation and, dusting his sleeves in an attempt to regain his dignity, he let me know that he would have Miriel see to this part of my education.

Thaladir seemed to have come to the end of this particular subject. Not giving him time to depart on another long-winding journey explaining things I'd figured out at the tender age of 13 from watching 'Ivanhoe', I asked the seneschal something that really interested me. I had longed to find out ever since the king had indicated that the occasional quenching of his desires was not his only purpose with my presence at the royal court.

"Please tell me what concubines do," I blurted out. I know I could have formulated the request in a more articulated way, but I wanted to divert the seneschal's thoughts quickly.

"I am under the impression that His Royal Highness has personally demonstrated most vividly what intimate services are required by one of this status." Somehow, the seneschal managed to looth oth disapproving and longing while delivering this thought. I couldn't help smiling mischievously before I answered him that that particular part of my instruction had been seen to in a quite satisfactory manner, thank you very much. I tried again, this time making sure to word my request in a language he would be familiar with.

"I am under the impression," I began carefully, imitating Thaladir's manner of speaking, "that His Royal Highness may find it suitable to, at times, and, naturally, solely as an expression of his boundless grace, which a person such as myself has no hope of ever deserving during her brief lifespan, personally permit a lowly concubine to partake in other courtly functions. Would the esteemed and most noble seneschal be so kind as to enlighten her of such cases by sharing his immense wisdom?" I felt so proud of myself I could burst, and Thaladir did seem a little touched by this speech.

"Certainly," he answered, before he continued with an expression of relief on his handsome face, and the wrinkle was almost gone, too. He was on familiar ground now and his voice regained the dry, droning tone that must have bored countless elflings stiff.

"Contrary to common belief among the populace, concubines are not only designated for the easing of a monarch's more... hm... basal needs...hm... but have, through the ages, served as honourable companions and valuable contributors to the successful handling of matters of state. Examples thereof are, from the First Age, Alcarinque of Tirion, who..."

"Does that mean that I will be invited to official dinners, like tonight? And that I can travel with Thranduil, I mean, with His Royal Highness, if he goes somewhere in Middle-Earth?" This was what I really wanted to find out. Thaladir looked a bit offended, but nodded.

"Dinners, yes. You will most certainly be expected to add to the display of His Majesty's power and glory by presenting yourself as a perfect sample of female grace and exquisite behaviour. Allow me to point out, that proper manners require keeping one's feet to oneself, in all situations."

He paused to give me a sour little smile, evidently aimed at making me feel crude and unrefined for stepping on his foot during the lunch, and then continued; "As for travelling, you ought to know that His Majesty's presence in his realm is of too vast importance for him to undertake journeys in other than exceptional cases."

Now it was my turn to take offence. 'Exceptional cases' I thought. Such as going to muse-swapping parties, where he could be ensnared by Mary. No doubt a matter of vast importance! I did not want to remind myself of the disturbing details of her tale.

Thaladir took my silence as an opportunity to go on about table manners, but I didn't listen, as I felt enlightened enough from the stiff dinners with my in-laws and their well-bred relatives and acquaintances. 'Napkin in your lap, no elbows on table, use cutlery in order of layout, glasses from the right to the left, never put the knife in your mouth, no mentioning of politics or religion, laugh politely at jokes, however dull, but not too loud...'

I could go on much longer, and only hoped that the conversation during a formal dinner with elves would be more interesting than with humans. At least there would be more to look at, I thought, and hoped I might be seated across from the king, so that I could rest my eyes on his perfect features...


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~


After we delivered the berries to the kitchen, Legolas and I went into the palace area to rescue Mal from Thaladir's instructional lecture. It was early afternoon and there were many busy elves hustling about preparing the palace for the expected delegation from Esgaroth.

"They must be to the point in her instructions by now," I calculated, "where Thalidir is saying something about one always having to call the king, 'Sire,' or 'My Liege,' or, 'Your Majesty or Your Royal Highness,' or some such..." I snorted, 'My Liege? Right. Your royal hardass, maybe." Legolas let out a startled chortle.

"You sounded just like Ada, the way you said that." He shook his head at me with a look of wonder in his eyes.

"Yeah?" I answered. "But, I bet I didn't have that scary look in my eyes," I held ingeingers up at either side of my temples and waved them at him, demonstrating my version of the king's famous evil-eye danger signal.

I loved making Legolas laugh. He put his hands up besides his own face and waved them back at me, nodding gleefully in agreement, and then he stopped suddenly, looking ahead of him. I turned from him, still making my fingers do "scary eyes" wiggles whenaw taw the king, standing there, right in front of us. I put my hands behind my back.

"Hi, king, uh, I mean, Your Royal Harda...Sire," I quickly dropped into a reverence just like that beast Thaladir had made me practice, many times, until I could do one flawlessly.

"You may rise," said the king. I took a few deep breaths and then stood, keeping my eyes respectfully lowered as instructed by Thaladir. It is, apparently, not seemly to go looking in king's faces uninvited, or something like that. I wanted to prove I had learned something in that stuffy study from the grouchy seneschal so I would never have go back there, again.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." I commanded my face to remain properly still as I had been told to do. "I am at your service, Your Majesty," I said as meekly and modestly as I knew how. He was not in the least bit fooled.

"Do you know that my seneschal has threatened to resign his post?" he , ", "And go live in a beech-tree, because of your misbehavior in my study this aftern" A" Although his tone was calm, the way he raised his eyebrow on the last word froze me for a moment. But, just for a moment. I opened my mouth to reply in defense of myself, in a quite unseemly fashion, I might add, when Legolas stepped between us and started speaking to his father in Elvish.

I had no idea what they were discussing, but, as I listened to them, I did not feel guilty. After all, it was the king who invited me and who insisted that I stay at his side, for, br, bound to him in some fashion. So, whose fault was it that grouchy old Thaladir disapproved of me? Mine? My fault? I did not think so. I did not think I had misbehaved with the seneschal, at least not very much.

But it was not helpful to let myself get angry; it clouded my thinking and reactions. I pictured the icy river, so easy to remember, so good for cooling my blood, and, then, felt calmer instantly when I remembered what I had learned from Legolas that day about Thranduil not allowing the river to drown me. It was time to test the water, again.

"I think it would be a lot easier on everyone," I said sadly, as if not really caring if they heard me or not, "if I just went home, after all." I turned to head back out of the gates when I was stopped by the king's grip on my forearm, and the command, "No!"

His eyes shot into me so fiercely for a moment that it took my breath away. I tried to take a step back but was restrained. Thranduil said something to Legolas who walked away from us a short distance, his back turned. The king's grasp on my arm was not painful but I was still not going anywhere fast.

"What?" I asked innocently.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~


I think Thaladir noticed that my thoughts were wandering, because he suddenly stopped talking about manners and moved on to the next subject. Elvish. This caught my attention, because linguistics had been a hobby for years.

"Your Sindarin is more than passable, for a mortal, but some of your intonation needs improvement. Say after me: yes, my lord." I did.

"Again, like you mean it, more submissively." I said it again, looking at the seneschal, who seemed pleased, almost if he imagined himself in the position of the king.

"I am ever at your command, my lord," I continued meekly, still in Sindarin, and then, after a glance at Thaladir, who was now looking at mom bom behind half-closed eyelids, paused to wet my lower lip before I continued, "I live but to serve. My highest wish is to please you..." I felt as if I may be overdoing it, but the dreaming expression of the stern seneschal was a temptation I couldn't resist.

"That will do!" Thaladir said sharply and went over to the book-case. He stood there, with his back turned, and I heard him take a deep breath before he turned around again, now holding the small volume I had seen during myviouvious visit to this room. He opened it, put it in my hands and stood behind me. "Read," he said.

And I began to read from 'The Lay of Leithian', the beautiful and tragic tale of Beren, a mortal man, and Luthien, fairest of elf-maids and the daughter of Thingol, king of Doriath.

"Noeth bain dín gwethrennin; gúl-en-elleth band, gwedh dín.

Gúr si nestannen ar dangen, na guil eden ar na naeg."

[All his mortal mind was dim; her magic bound and fettered him.

And now his heart was healed and slain, with a new life and with new pain.]*


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~


"You deserve a spanking," said the king menacingly with a gleam in his eye I had come to recognize but no longer feared. I dared him, in my mind, with my own eyes locked to his, to do just that. 'Go ahead and spank me, right here, right now, in front of everyone.' He chuckled and shook his head, the flint in his eyes vanished.

"You would like that, would you not?" he asked in a bemused tone, "to be made a spectacle of in the middle of my courtyard?"

"Especially," I answered out loud, "if you pull these stupid, big underpants off of me, first. In front of your son. I dare you." The king smiled wickedly at me and took my chin in his hand, between his thumb and forefinger, and held me with his suddenly stunning gaze.

"You, my dear, are playing with fire, do you believe me?" Without warning, he grasped my other forearm as well and pulled me to him, lifting me to my toes as he kissed me, thrusting his tongue deeply into my mouth, as if staking a claim in front of his subjects, and making my head spin severely.

Oh, yes, I believed him. The moth and the flame. The trick was to get close enough to enjoy the heat but not too close that you get burned.

He broke the kiss but kept hold of me by the arms as he whispered, "You made me promise not to spank Mal. What makes you think I can go very long without spanking someone when I am feeling the villainous need?" I could tell he was teasing, his eyes were a dead giveaway, but I played along with him anyway.

"Oh, my, a great, lordly, fierce Elfking such as yourself should be able to exert some manner of self-control over his lower urges, and be able to stifle his most villainous desires, should he not, Sire?"

From his lecherous grin, I knew he was not mad at me, but, he did not look finished with me either. Legolas coughed politely and the king let me go. He asked where we were headed and his son described our plan to rescue Mal from the seneschal. Surprisingly, Thranduil approved.

"I will accompany you; the seneschal should have been here by now to greet our guests, who will be arriving shortly. I have some tasks for him." The king put his hand at my back and guided me along with him to his study as Legolas tagged along to wait outside the door.

Thranduil did not even bother knocking and I held my breath, for a moment, hoping that the seneschal and Mal were not doing anything unseemly. Of course, they were not. It was a charming tableau that greeted us within the king's otherwise uncharming study.

Mal was sitting, like an innocent angel, reading out loud from a book, while Thaladir stood behind her, one hand on the chair back, his eyes closed, his face a mask of perfect contentment as he nodded along with Mal's cadence.

Thaladir almost looked happy with the tiniest smile curling at the edges of his lips and every wrinkle erased from his forehead. Mal noticed us first; she paused in her reading and stood. Her eyes eagerly alit on the king but dulled a bit when she saw me step out from behind him. Thaladir opened his eyes and then widened them, considerably, when he saw his audience. He looked as if he had been caught doing something naughty, like a child with his hands in a cookie jar.

"Sire?"

t b c....


*The lovely, poignant verse that Malinorne so sweetly recites for Thaladir is from:

J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Lays of Beleriand", ch 3