Lord of the Rings: The Heir to Lorien

The Hidden Tower

Where the Lady Celebriel was concerned Thranduil was careful not to make the mistakes that the Celeborn and Galadriel, and Lord Elrond had made. They had pushed her and pushed her too far and Celebriel had done what she excelled at—push back.

He wished for a marriage between her and Legolas, but he stepped carefully back, guessing rightly that if it were to happen, the two must come to it on their own terms.

He instructed Legolas to be ever-present, but not intrusive. He had relented and allowed Celebriel to accompany his son when he went out with his companions to patrol the Greenwood. She was not to be made a member of the guard, not yet, he instructed Legolas. He was to gauge her skills and capabilities and let him know what he thought. There were other women who served the Greenwood, to add one more would not be unexpected.

"Make sure she does not run," Thranduil warned him, but they found she had no desire to. At long last Celebriel was being allowed to do what she loved the most. If she considered herself first and foremost a soldier, Thranduil was coming to believe that she should be allowed to be just that. He would not send her out untested and was forming plans to see if she should merit a place in the guard of the Greenwood.

There was no doubt in his mind that she was content in a way that she could not, or would not be allowed, in Imladris. Why Elrond had not seen that it would take so little to make her happy puzzled him. She had remained longer in the Greenwood than she had in Imladris and had not once attempted to escape.

He had more on his mind now than keeping watch over an elven maid who may or may or not run away. Rumors were coming to him of evil goings-on in the south of his realm. A tower was being built with inhuman powers. A black cloud hung over it that caused the woodmen who had long made it their home to flee for their very lives.

Thranduil's realm was small and while he could keep effective watch in the north, the southern reaches by necessity were left to fend for themselves. The southern end of the forest was too remote to maintain an outpost. The elves of Lorinand were much closer and Thranduil depended on their cooperation to keep him abreast of anything unusual that went on.

But now there was little communication between the two realms. Lorinand was smaller and perilously close to the Greenwood's southern reaches as well as Moria. Though Moria had not yet proved to be a threat, the elves would not enter there.

To hear of rumors was one thing, but even the most persistent of rumors must at times be substantiated. Thranduil knew that he could not wait any longer to verify those rumors so he must send someone to see for themselves. And the best person he could send was his son.

It was not long before Celebriel found out and though she hated to beg she was willing to do just that to be allowed to accompany Legolas. When she asked he shook his head, refusing to be cajoled into permitting her to come.

"It is too dangerous," he said, "I will not take the risk of something happening to you."

"But you need me, you just don't understand." She put her hand on her arm, "I think I know what this is and where it comes from. Who it is, I can only suspect. If I am right then your father will not be able to prevent this evil. Legolas, did I ever tell you why I was sent away from Lorien?"

"No, you did not and it was a subject that seemed to distress you so I vowed never to ask. Are you telling me that what is going on has something to do with why you were exiled?"

She led him to a small couch and they sat down. "You know who my mother is and what she bears though we are not allowed to speak of it. Legolas, when I was born my mother was wearing her ring and at that moment I became awake and I saw the last battle on Orodruin. I saw Gil Galad and Elendil fall, I saw the spirit of Sauron seem to disappear."