Chapter Ten
---
Legolas couldn't wrap his mind around the idea; his life mate would be one of four different elves that the council had chosen. The elf he would be spending the rest of eternity with, all of his days in Middle Earth and beyond. When he sailed the seas it would be by this one's side. He couldn't help but feel a squiggle of indecisiveness and fear. What would his husband be like? Legolas snorted, he was being silly; he knew what type of elf he would be. The council would have to pick someone who not only was capable and excelled but a male that impressed even them, as his characteristics and traits would be passed on to the future generations of elves.
He would have to be brave and smart, along with being strong enough to protect his mate and the children. The prince couldn't keep the smile off his face as he thought about that. Children. He was going to have his own little ones. Absent-mindedly the blonde ran a hand over his flat stomach. In the years to come it would become round with his elflings. Would his mate love the pitter-patter of little feet? Maternal elves were a rarity, but not all elves enjoy children. Legolas could easily recall an older elf that had been in his father's court that had despised young. Whenever the young prince had come near the elf he would curse youth and demand that Legolas keep his distance, like he was a plague that men often caught. At the time it had been most distressing, but his brothers had taken him aside and comforted him. Treyol had demanded his removal from the Mirkwood court, banning him from returning. As Heir, his father accepted the decision and respected his opinion.
A grin found its way to Legolas' handsome face. He loved his brothers, they always went out of their way to help him and protect their youngest brother. Each of them understood that while Legolas was different didn't mean that it made him weak, just special.
0000
When the messenger departed, Legolas found his way to the council's location, dodging the smiling faces and congratulations on his performance with as much grace as he could muster.
Before he could make it there, another message came with more word from the council. His father had changed his mind in seeking him out, and bid his youngest son to rest for a while before the council came to a decision.
Legolas had snorted at the idea of rest when his future hung so precariously in the balance, but headed towards his lodging without much ado.
0000
Haldir paced his room, the lodgings that had been given to his family were truly marvelous, and the epitome of comfort but he for some unattainable reason sleep wouldn't claim him. His mind kept doing the most odd thing; it wouldn't allow him to forget how stunning the General's mate had been that night. How utterly devastatingly captivating he had been. For the life of him Haldir could not place these feelings, these feelings that in all truth shouldn't exist. This beauty had been claimed, perhaps if he had come decades before then the blonde would have been an option, but as it was he was here to win the hand to the youngest Mirkwood Royalty. His marriage would lead to a strengthening in the bonds between the two kingdoms.
The Lothlórien elf had a feeling that the unexpected attack on his party hadn't been as shocking to those of Mirkwood. They hadn't a hand in the attack, but no doubt that there was something going on that would require the bonds this unity would forge. Haldir had heard whispers of an enemy wizard attacking the kingdom but had put it out of his mind at once, how ridiculous. The soldier caught spewing such nonsense had been sentence to three months of latrine duty. Suffice to say that such gossip had been put to an end at once. While elves loved to socialize, they preferred not to have to do latrine duty for any amount of time more.
Setting his mind on more peaceful subjects that Tathar's mate, Haldir's breathing began to even out and he begun to sleep. A slow smile curving up as he faded.
0000
Tathar gathered a few of the scrolls off of the table before his eldest brother, leaning back into a seat across from the Heir. "Anything of spectacular note thus far?"
Rië Treyol, First son of Thranduil and Heir to the Mirkwood Throne shot his younger brother a humorless grin, shaking his head in disbelief. "Half of these suitors would be more qualified to take the thrown than I, yet I fear they lack in what being bonded to little Greenleaf would demand of them." He tossed the scroll he'd been reading back to the desk before him, leaning back into his chair and sending Tathar an exhausted look.
As Heir he was an honorary Council Member, and thus required to review a portion of the applications for Legolas' hand. Due to the specific nature of the youngest prince the rigorous tendencies had been upped quite a bit by the rest of the council. Legolas was a maternal elf, and as such he was capable of producing elflings. This was a great potential in the realm of the elves, thus it should not be wasted. Mirkwood's youngest would have the strictest of trials, demanding only the best suited for his hand would be capable of passing, eliminating any that were incompetent. Rië Treyol knew that this would be the most important decision he made for his baby brother, having a hand in deciding his partner. It was empowering, at the same time it was deeply freighting. His actions would have consequences not just for Legolas but for the kingdoms that were joined by this bonding as well. This could potentially save or lose many lives. The amount of lives in the balance was devastating. A wrong choice in who was worthy of Legolas' hand could lead to a war between the elven kingdoms. The oldest prince realized that as much as he wished to pair Greenleaf with someone that could love him fully, it was not the top priority of any on the council. He counseled himself with the knowledge that often love was born of similar situations. Just because the bonded did not feel that way from the beginning did not mean that they would not grow to feel so. With a heavy sigh he picked up the scroll again and began to reiterate what he'd already seen.
0000
King Thranduil watched as his oldest contemplated the consequences of his actions. This was pleasing; Rië Treyol was starting to understand that what he decided held weight with the world. Not just the elven realms either, but the whole of Middle Earth. Times like these made Thranduil sad that his wife was not at his side to share in these joys, but the overwhelming pride he felt for his son quickly replaced his disappointment. She would have been so proud of their achievements, he could feel it in his bones. With a practiced ease that spoke of many years, the Mirkwood King unrolled another scroll that continued to extort the virtues of a 'Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlórien.'
000
Elladan popped into another room, backing out quickly when a high shriek answered his intrusion. For the past three hours he'd been exploring the Mirkwood lands, hoping to locate his quarters. So far he'd no luck. He knew Rivendell backwards and forwards, and whenever he went out with his twin there were normally guards surrounding them, but at the chance to go discovering Elladan had given his twin the slip; hoping to find a quiet spot to show Elhoir later when the met up again. So far all he'd found was a kitchen, a library, sixteen bedrooms, eighteen closets and thirty-four freshing-up rooms. For some reason unknown to the Rivendell elf he'd been unable to find the guest wing. He was about to give up for the day and see if the kitchen was serving dinner yet.
000
Legolas couldn't sleep. No matter what he tried it evaded him. At first the room was too hot, so the prince tossed his covet off. Only a few minutes later to find the temperature had seemingly dropped to freezing. As he scrambled for the blanket, burrowing deeply into the depths of his bed it took the blonde elf thirty seconds to become overheated once more. With a loud sigh of displeasure he rolled out of bed, ready to find something to occupy his mind until it became cloudy with sleep once more.
Slipping past his guards was difficult, not impossible though, as he found out. There ought to have been more preventative measures against an elf escaping out the bathroom window, but as if was helping him, Legolas couldn't find it in his heart to really complain that much. Or at all. With a grunt, he landed on his arse. A true example of Mirkwood's finest.
The blonde was half way to the garden when he ran into someone. Unfortunately for his head, he literally bumped into the other elf.
"Oof" On his bum once more, Legolas blinked up at the towering figure before him.
The Marchwarden of Lothlórien, of course. Life wouldn't be complete if the prince weren't discovered by his arch nemesis. As his super power of exploding beings with a mere glare had yet to develop, Legolas was stuck with merely standing up and dusting himself off. It was a shame; Legolas felt that he could easily use his powers for good. The good of elves everywhere, no all of Middle Earth! Well, at the very least, his own good. After all, they were all the same were they not?
"And to what do I owe the displeasure of your rude presence?" Legolas all but growled, hardly in the mood to deal with such an elf.
000
To say that Haldir was shocked would have been an understatement. He could feel his jaw drop. Of all the pretentious elves he could possibly run into, it had to be the General's mate, Greenleaf. Probably sneaking off to go whoring. Haldir hardly held back his snort of disgust; he wasn't about to be caught up in this little one's web of deceit!
---
End Chapter