Linwe and Thranduil saw Lindir before he saw them and quickly unlaced their clasped hands. Had he seen them, he would've been shocked and probably have told Elrond.

"What does Adar want from us?" Linwe asked, not bothering with politeness.

"He did not say, my lady," Lindir said. "He just said he needed to see you all immediately."

"Well, Legolas is not a part of my court any longer. He is traveling, on a mission," Thranduil explained. "If his presence is needed 'immediately', it is not possible. It would take months before we could get him back here. If he wants 'immediately', he will have to settle for the two of us."

"Very well." Lindir bowed. "I will tell Lord Elrond to be expecting the both of you. Shall I say you will set off tomorrow? That you will arrive a day after me?"

Thranduil looked at Linwe and asked, "Is that all right with you?"

She nodded, pleased that he had asked her opinion on the matter. He still respected her as a person, even after being so intimate with her.

"Fine, Lindir. We will be there." They bowed in courtesy and Lindir took his leave. Thranduil sighed. "I hope it's not a White Council meeting. I was very content with not having to attend that regular nightmarish gathering of fools."

Linwe smiled up at him. "If it was the White Council, he would not have asked for Legolas, nor myself. We are beneath that privilege in his eyes."

Thranduil looked down at her and said, "Then that just proves what a fool he is, not knowing what a treasure he has found in you." He glanced towards the entrance and saw no one within hearing distance before he continued. "Linwe, you know that an Elf cannot remarry. It is forbidden. What we have is forbidden. So until I can find a satisfactory way around the Elven Code, we must refrain from ever expressing anything but mutual respect towards one another in public. Do you understand?"

Linwe nodded. She was upset, but she understood. They would both be shamed were they to go public with their...whatever this was. She believed that Thranduil would find a loophole in the Code, and she was patient. For him, she'd wait an eternity.

They packed clothing for a month (they did not know how long they'd have to stay in Imladris) and provisions for the four day journey. Thankfully they would not need tents, as they did not need to sleep during that time.

They spent the first day in silence. Elves are not talkative, and it is not unusual for them to utter only a few sentences in the space of a week. The second day, Linwe started thinking, and the progress of her thoughts worried her.

"What if he wants me to come back?" she asked abruptly.

Thranduil looked up from the butterfly that had landed on his hand and said, "What do you mean?"

"What if Adar wants me to come back to Imladris? What if this was just to tell you thank you and then I will never see you again?" she asked. "I don't feel like that place is home anymore. I do not wish to leave the Woodland Realm."

"Then I will tell lies about you. I will say I have much more to teach you before you are fit to return to his lands," Thranduil said easily, as if lying to his contemporary and Elder was an everyday event for him.

"You should not have to do that for me," Linwe said quietly. "It could get you into trouble."

Thranduil gave an elegant shrug. "I will do what I have to. Come. The horses have rested enough and we should be going."

They had not even come within two feet of each other since they saw Lindir. Linwe wasn't sure of Thranduil's reasons, but she had been unsettled by the Elf's appearance with the summons. She couldn't risk getting any closer to Thranduil in case she was ordered back to Rivendell. She hoped his reasons were similar, and he wasn't having second thoughts about his feelings for her.

They approached Imladris after maneuvering around the Hidden Pass, thankfully without Orcish incident. The sight of the Hidden Valley was always beautiful and breathtaking, but this time it filled both Elves with dread for what was to come.

Lindir greeted them at the gates, but Elrond was not far behind, giving Linwe the Elven hug and saying, "Vedui', Linwe. Nae saian luume'."

Not long enough, she thought, returning his gesture.

He turned to Thranduil, "'Quel andune, Haran Thranduil."

"Mae govannen," Thranduil replied. "I am sorry Legolas could not make it, but I am sure Lindir explained the situation to you."

"Yes, he did. We recently sent the boy, Aragorn, with the Rangers, despite his young age. Perhaps they will meet," Elrond mused. "Aside, as a rule, he does not need to be here at the moment: only you and my daughter. But before we get into any of that, please go and rest. I have a feast setting up as we speak. Linwe, you know the way to the guest halls; you may show Thranduil to a room."

She bowed her head. "Yes, Adar." She motioned and a servant followed them with their bags till they reached a large and sumptuously furnished room. "This would be the nicest room we have here, aside from Adar's," she said. "Mine is down the way, curtained off with black velvet. It is the only one with that color, so should you need to seek me out, you will not mistakenly go into another room."

Thranduil bowed his own head in acknowledgement. "It is obvious that you are not comfortable here. Were you ever?"

She shook her head. "My brothers, while they are regaled as heroes, are not exactly the nicest towards me. Arwen...she is much preoccupied with her own affairs to bother very much with me. We will have to deal with all of them soon enough."

Linwe left him then, going to rest her mind. She had a nagging feeling that, what Elrond was going to say was going to be borderline catastrophic for her. She hoped she was wrong.

Thranduil had not been to Imladris for centuries, and it had not changed. Only now there were no little Elflings playing in the fountain, or dignitaries coming and going. It was quieter, and had none of the busyness of Mirkwood. While the atmosphere was relaxing, he was starting to feel acutely homesick.

He donned nice clothing for dinner and when he got to the great hall, he saw Linwe already seated, looking very uncomfortable indeed. It did not, however, take away from her beauty. Her porcelain skin was offset by her black velvet gown and silver and ruby circlet, and her hair was in a beautiful and complicated plait. Her two brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, were laughing and jostling each other, presumably at her expense. Thranduil could not hear what they were saying, but whatever it was, Linwe was not enjoying it.

Arwen was sitting silently next to her, her face contorted with worry, probably about the Elessar. Thranduil had liked her as a child, and she seemed to have grown into a fine young lady. Quiet and almost sickly looking, but still, she seemed sweet.

Elrond was consulting the musicians about dinner music, unaware his children were even in the room at that moment. Ignorant dolt, Thranduil thought and then approached the table. Linwe visibly lit up when she saw him and gestured to the seat next to her, to the right of Elrond. It had been reserved for him by her, as that was her usual seat.

He said hello to the children, and Elrohir, the louder and more open of the twins, said, "It's been forever since we've seen you. You look far too grand for these halls."

"I suppose I will take that as a compliment," he murmured.

"We were just asking Linwe about your kingdom," Elladan began.

"And your son," Elrohir finished jokingly.

Thranduil knew what the twin was referring to, and while it was inappropriate to scold another person's children, he could not help it. "I can't say I approve of your suggesting that anything untoward happened between Linwe and Legolas. As heirs yourselves, you should know better."

Both boys' bowed their heads and said, "Amin hiraetha."

You had better be sorry, he thought as Elrond seated himself.

"Linwe, tell us what you've been doing in the Woodland Realm? I have received communication from Thranduil and he says you have been a joy to have around," Elrond said.

Thranduil watched as her fair face turned pink at the compliment. He wanted to reach over and kiss her and really make her blush.

"I enjoy being there. Everyone is quite nice, I visit Esgaroth often, and you remember I helped with the Consort's wedding to King Thorin in Erebor. It is an active life, but I find it suits me," she said.

"I pray Thranduil has treated you accordingly. I see you did arrive with weapons," Elrond said in a very disapproving tone.

Thranduil held his hand up, stopping Elrond from going further. "I require all in my kingdom to be armed. Even my apothecaries. Your daughter, be she a Lady or not, is no exception while she is in my halls. It is not just for protection, either. It helps build confidence and skills. While I loathe the thought of battle, all Elves should be prepared were war to come."

"I see." Elrond looked a bit peeved at that, but Thranduil let it go. It was his kingdom, and he was free to run it as he pleased.

"I enjoy my time there in the Woodland Realm. I was hesitant when you first sent me, but as time passed I have really come to feel at home there," Linwe added.

Elrond smiled. "I am pleased to hear that. Do you and Legolas get along?"

She nodded. "Ro naa curucuar, ar' mellon-nin. We would compete, along with Tauriel, while she was training me."

"Who won?" Elladan asked.

"We would usually come to a stalemate, Legolas and I," Linwe said. "I am glad he has found a good mission to follow, but it was nice having companions. Tauriel is living in Esgaroth. So now I get to spend more time with this one." She nodded to Thranduil with a playful smile.

Elrond smiled as well. "I am glad to see you enjoy it there. It is what I hoped, that you would feel at home."

Thranduil felt odd at that statement. There was more to what Elrond was saying, and he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. Something was wrong with this whole picture: he had thought so even as he had agreed to let Linwe stay in the Woodland Realm in the first place. He had at first thought Elrond was dumping his more difficult child on Thranduil's doorstep for a discipline lesson, but that was obviously not the case. So what was the real reason for him to send his daughter and rightful heir to his realm? He hated being in the dark about important matters such as that.

Dinner ended and Thranduil brought out the bottle of Dorwinion he had brought as a gift (the wine was so fine and expensive, Elrond rarely drank it himself). Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen left, declining the wine.

So this is it, Thranduil thought, pouring Linwe's wine. This is why we were really called here. I swear, I will not let him take Linwe from me if that is what he plans!

"Thranduil, I want to thank you for accepting my invitation to send my daughter to you," Elrond began. "I am sure it was no picnic taking in a sullen Elfling younger than your own son."

"Well, Adar, do not mince your words on my account," LInwe said sarcastically.

"Linwe might be a bit on the dour side, but she never gave me a problem," Thranduil said. "As I have told you, she is a joy to have in my kingdom. She still has much to learn, however."

"I am sure she does," Elrond agreed. "But that is not exactly why I sent her to you. I said it was to promote relations between the kingdoms, and that is true. It was because of a vision I had had of her...and of Legolas."

"Legolas?" Thranduil asked. "What about Legolas?"

"The night before I sent Lindir to you with my message, I saw Linwe's future, very clearly. I saw her wedding."

Thranduil felt his heart pound. This could go very well, or very terribly. He was sure now it was going to go terribly wrong. He wanted nothing more than to whisk Linwe away to somewhere else, somewhere where he was not a king and she was not the daughter of a Lord. Where they could simply be just two Elves in love.

"Adar...what exactly did you see?" Linwe asked, her voice shaking.

"I saw you in the Woodland Realm...marrying Legolas."

Thranduil had heard many awkward silences in his long life, but never had the tension been so thick he could practically see it. Legolas and Linwe? No. Never.

Linwe's face was drained of all color. In fact, she looked quite ill. "Adar, I assure you, you must have misinterpreted your dream. I do not love Legolas, and he certainly does not love me. Perhaps it was not him I was marrying."

Elrond shook his head. "No one else has his hair color and type who is eligible for you to marry. It could only be Legolas."

Thranduil wanted to slap Elrond in back of the head and say, "It's me, you fool! You saw her marrying me!" But how could he say that? How could he reveal what they felt for each other when it was forbidden to remarry? If he said anything, he could get Linwe in trouble as well.

"I asked Legolas to be here, though he does not need to be, out of courtesy. All I need is your approval, Thranduil," Elrond went on.

"Excuse me?" Linwe said. "You mean to tell me that Legolas and I do not have a say in this? Because you saw it in a vision it must be so? I am not cattle, Adar. You cannot sell me off as if I were your possession. I am a living, breathing Elf and I will not be treated as anything less!"

"Calm down, Linwe," Elrond admonished. "You know for a fact what the Elven Code is, and what it allows and does not allow. Our visions are sacred and never wrong."

Thranduil could see Linwe shaking with anger. It was all he could do to not lash out as well. "Elrond, you cannot expect me to agree to marry off our children when Linwe obviously does not want it. I am sure Legolas will not, either. Do you not remember what it was like to be young and in love? I do. I remember first setting eyes on Celeblasbes. I would not have given her up, even if Oropher had ordered me otherwise. You loved Celebrian with all your heart. Will you deny your daughter the opportunity to find that same love?"

Elrond's dark blue eyes darkened even more. "Yes, if it were for the good of my people, I would have given up Celebrian. Our kingdoms will benefit from being united."

"And they say I am the one who has no heart!" Thranduil snapped. "What will you do if I refuse to allow Legolas to marry Linwe?"

"Then that would mean you find my daughter unworthy of your son and your name. That would cause a permanent rift between our kingdoms; possibly war," he replied, as if it meant nothing to him.

"Linwe is more than worthy of my name, of being the Elvenqueen," Thranduil said, his voice so low and so serious it scared even himself. "But she should only marry for love, not for politics. She is not a thing, as she said. She is not a pawn in some bigger scheme from you or the Valar!"

Linwe stood up, tears in her eyes, "Elrond, I refuse to marry if not for love! I have no place in my heart for your silly visions or games. If you cannot accept that and continue to insist I do something I do not wish, you can rest assured I will never set foot in this place ever again." She left the table then, her sobs unable to be contained any longer. Thranduil wanted to run after her, to hug her, hold her and promise it would all be okay. First, he had to deal with Elrond.

"How could you? If I am to believe what she has told me, you know as little about her as you do about Legolas! You have never given her the time of day. She is not a game piece: you move here where you see her being most convenient for your gain. I cannot, in good conscience, agree to this. She has free will, as we all do."

"Thranduil, do not be a fool!" Elrond said. "The Elven Code says, if a vision is seen, it must come true!"

"You would put the Code before your own child?" Thranduil asked, unable to believe Elrond could be that cruel.

"Yes."

Thranduil pushed back the wish to throw that bottle of wine in Elrond's face. "You would really start a civil war between us over this? Over the fact that I care more for your daughter's well being than you do?"

"It is for her well-being that I do this!" Elrond said. "And yes, I would. You curse the Code and beg me to break tradition for love? Love does not win battles and keep kingdoms safe."

"I repeat: you have no heart, Elrond Peredhil. You might gain a political ally from this, but you not only lose a friend, you lose your daughter, too. Is that what you want?" Thranduil asked.

"What I want does not matter. It is what we need."

"And if I were to tell you your vision was wrong? That it was not Legolas you saw?" he wondered.

Elrond scoffed. "It could only be Legolas. Unless, of course, you would break the law and remarry, bringing shame on, not just your kingdom, but on Lady Linwe as well."

Thranduil stood and said, "So be it. You have proven yourself to be completely insensitive and cruel. Linwe and I will be leaving tomorrow. Know that I am highly disappointed in you."

"It is not your favor I look for, but the Valar's."

"As if the Valar would ever think that tradition and honor would be more important than love. Love might not win wars, but it certainly feels better on the soul than this. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. And if the Valar agree with you, they should be ashamed as well."

Linwe could not believe what she had just heard. Legolas? He wanted her to marry Legolas? Never. Never, not as long as she lived would she marry an Elf she did not love! Marriage shouldn't be about politics or what their belief system says is right. It should be about one thing: love. There's no room for argument: love should be the ONLY reason for marriage. Of course, the Elven Code, the Valar, would disagree.

She dashed into her chambers, hot tears scalding her eyes. She did not want to cry, but she had no choice. She was hurt, depressed and felt like all the wind had been knocked out of her. Her limbs were trembling and her heart was pounding.

She loved Thranduil, and she was fairly certain he loved her as well. But love did not change laws. She knew Thranduil would have no choice but to agree, lest he start a civil war. And she could never live with herself if that happened because of her.

Love should not hurt this much, she thought. Damn him, damn him! How dare he order me to do this? How dare he take away my chance at happiness? Her sobs were unable to be held back and, though Elves do not get angry often, her anger was uncontrollable. She knocked things from her dressing table in her rage, wishing it was her father's head.

Now she and Thranduil could never be together, and she was almost guaranteed to have a miserable life for centuries. She took the heavy glass paperweight she had been given some time ago and threw it, but she did not hear the satisfying shattering of glass as it hit the wall. She turned to see what had happened and spotted a dour-faced Thranduil in her doorway, holding the paperweight in his hands. He placed it on a shelf and just in time, as Linwe rushed straight into his embrace, crying on his shoulder.

"Why?" she asked him, her voice cracking with just that one word. "How could he do this? Thranduil, please...do something." She hated begging, but she was so desperate.

"I'm so sorry, melamin," he whispered, his arms holding her and his voluminous robes enveloping her small frame. "I wish I could do something, but I cannot change the Elven laws. Amin hiraetha."

She sniffled and buried her face into his chest. "It is not you who should be apologizing. Thranduil, can't you tell him? Can't you say that his vision was wrong?"

"I tried," he replied. "He belittled me, saying I would shame you if I ever came forth with...how I feel about you."

She looked up at him, her dark eyes red from crying. "It does not shame me to have you care for me. It shames me to be involved in a loveless union!"

His arms came around her tighter, and she felt his heart through his clothes, beating as fast as hers. "I want to take you away from here; away from all of this. Linwe, by the Valar, if I could I would leave with you and never return."

"I wish we could," she said. "My home is where you are."

He lifted her face to his and said, "I promise, if I find a way out of this I will make this right."

"I do not care for titles or kingdoms or any of that. I only want you," she admitted.

That was the most candor he had ever been shown, and she had ever given. He had no words for a response. He simply kissed her, claiming her lips and her heart. He was not good with emotions, he had not really felt any for two thousand years. She had awakened him, and he had awakened her. How could he give her up when she did not want to be given?

"I cannot bear to lose you," he said.

"You will not lose me. You will never lose me. Legolas may have my hand in marriage, but he will never have my heart. That will always belong to you, Heruamin...melamin," she said.

Thranduil let her go and looked at her from arm's length. She was so strong, so beautiful and so determined. He wanted her more than ever.

"Linwe, we cannot do this anymore. Any of it. To show affection like this would make you be ostracized from our race, and I cannot see as pure a soul as yours be shamed because of me," he said.

That hit her straight in the heart. "Thranduil, I cannot-"

He held up a hand to silence her. "You can, Linwe. For your own good, you must. I want you to always remember this: no matter how many centuries pass...my feelings will never change. I love you, Linwe Helyanwe. And I always will. I want nothing more than to see you flourish as you should."

"I know what you do, you do for my benefit. I just...I suppose I just want what I cannot have," she sighed.

Thranduil pulled her close for the last time, his voice on her ear making her shiver. "Forbidden fruit has always been the sweetest, a'maelamin."

He left the room then, never unlocking his eyes from hers till he was too far away to see her any longer.