Concerning Us

Chapter Four: Middle Earth Vast and Dangerous

Legolas's face burned red in his father's hand, "Father, if you will that I marry and beget children, I can handle my own affairs..." Thranduil grazed his son with petty slaps to his cheek, "Obviously not," he whined, "You have wasted years clouding your head with Tauriel only to lose her to an unsightly dwarf...which left you in such devastation..." Embarrassment only continued to enter Legolas, "Mind you father, you never willed her and I." Mirkwood's King ran a hand through his long blonde hair before rolling his eyes, "Well that's because she is a common wood elleth," he said before dropping his glance on Dartha,"I have supplied you an elleth of kingdom worth." Thranduil then stood up, and towering over his son, he placed his hand on Legolas's shoulder, "Through her you will gain land and wealth for Mirkwood. She fits perfectly into the purpose of sustaining our kingdom and she will satisfy your physical desires", he paused to bless himself with a glance at her beauty, "You would be a fool to overlook such an elleth." Dartha's eyes met with King Thranduil's, even in her weakness, and she was forced to look away when he held his stare. Her father spoke up, "Neither love nor happiness can be forged! " Thranduil furrowed his brows, "They can grow to love and be happy with each other, they'll have an eternity to learn" he said shifting his eyes towards the heavens. "Even still, love is not necessary to produce children," and then he smirked, "It only requires certain parts that I assure my son has".

Legolas's breath caught in his throat, "Ada!" Thranduil, finally reaching the end of his patience, shouted, "I know what is best for you and what is best for Mirkwood!", he continued to scream as he then pointed his finger at King Barathon, "If your daughter, with her inheritance, does not marry my son, I will take from you the hefty portion of land my soldiers battled orcs and spiders for!" As his daughter was losing strength in his arms from starvation, Barathon panicked. Trying to uphold his failing princess, he stared into the hardened eyes of his tormentor, and in his short thinking he stated, "I plead with you, give my daughter and your son the opportunity to know each other, allow them to adventure together upon Middle Earth, a chance to hopefully fall in love before entering marriage!" He looked into the quivering eyes of Legolas, then into the failing ones of the daughter he carried, "Please grant them the year long betrothal!" Instantly after those words parted Barathon's mouth, things went dark for the princess and she lost consciousness.

She woke up hours later to moisture on her forehead. Her ears heard the soft singing of her father in Elvish before her eyes slowly opened to find him ringing out a cloth of its water before meeting it to dab her head once again, "Ada.." she groaned, "Why have you settled to give me away to an elf I can not love?" At hearing and seeing his daughter awake, King Barathon put away the cloth and water, "Eat," he said quietly. He helped her sit up on the bed and lowered a platter unto her lap. She held unto the bread that was provided and broke it into her mouth with a small bite. She ate it in silence and when she was done, her father lifted the spoon and served her a warm soup. Dartha drank every last drop, not realizing just how famished she was until she had finished. The king wore a look of weariness on his face, "I've sent your fleet home with some of the guards that arrived with me," he tried to smile. Dartha's heart felt for every elleth that she captained over and she prayed them a safe journey the rest of the way home before touching her father's face with tears brimming in her eyes, "You have promised that I will wed in a year's time". King Barathon sighed at his daughter's touch, "What choice do we have?"

The tears began to trickle down her soft cheeks, "Give up our land. Our people would at least still have strength in each other". Her father closed his eyes as he withdrew from her reach, "We have no hope if we give up land. We have greatly overgrown over the years, our population can not be sustained on a mere 30% of the land. Mirkwood would gain our food gardens, many of the drinking wells and most importantly the river that we use for both travel and commencing trade with other civilizations" Frustration caused Dartha to cry hard and through her turmoil she proposed another escape, "We could relocate, claim another land!" King Barathon, defeated, answered her, "We can not start over completely from nothing." The princess covered her face as she wailed, "Then what will do I have to live!"

Her father hushed her cry, knowing that several Mirkwood guards stood watch outside the room, "You have the will to see our people prosper, we can still thrive on what is left after your inheritance," he whispered, "Though selfish and proud, Thranduil rather take only your 20% if it means he will have an elfing running around in his home once again! He is a lonely elf! And rather be at peace with whomever his son chooses to love, he demands only aristocracy in his lineage." At hearing the amount of her inheritance increase, she was reminded that one of her brothers had fallen, "Which brother have I lost?" she beckoned her father. "Voronwë", he pressed his lips. She placed her hand over her heart for her second eldest brother, "He was indeed faithful as his namesake" she grieved.

King Barathon did not allow lament to take over his daughter as he pushed her to stay focused on the current issue at hand, "There is still hope that you will not have to marry Legolas". Dartha gathered herself to look at her father in confusion, "What hope? Thranduil will surely push his son unto me!" Her father drew near to erase their distance and below his breathing he said, "I pleaded for the year long betrothal, in which I convinced him to give you and Legolas leave to venture together upon Middle Earth in order to familiarize yourselves." Dartha interrupted her father, "Prolonging the wedding will not cause Thranduil to suddenly change his mind, neither will I be able to build love in my heart for his son while on our travels!" The king had to quiet her once more, "Yes, I know. I am fully aware, but Middle Earth is vast and dangerous. There still holds a chance that Legolas will fall to sword, arrow, or illness while in the wilderness! I trust that you will survive. Daughter, you are a fighter and a healer. Legolas can not heal himself, should he perish there will be no marriage!" Dartha took what little hope was in her father's idea and held unto it, "I will leave with an engagement ring and return without it", she determined. Then there was a knock at the door, "Knock knock! How is my future daughter in-law faring? Recovered I hope," King Thranduil said as he strutted into the room. Dartha stood up from bed, and with her green eyes glowing, she looked strongly at Mirkwood's King, "I will betroth myself to your son."