A Lasting Legacy [ Thranduil X OC ]

Chapter 8

"I have something of importance to bring up and quell", Thranduil said right as Arden started to speak.
Lord Elrond nodded his head and waited.
Rushing before Arden could interrupt he continued,
"For centuries now, monsters have lived among us. Monsters that are far more potent than we could ever imagine. No one would ever suspect them to be however, as they are not like orcs and other undesirables of the earth. They are quite beautiful in fact and closely resemble elven kin. You all know whom I speak of, we must never forget history and what they have done in the past. Tonight Lady Arden Of Ardor wishes to gain approval to reside in the forgotten lands of Ardor. I feel it would do the races of Middle Earth a great disservice if the "Belegdae" were given a territory of their own. Who knows what atrocities they could commit behind closed doors."
At this Arden stepped forward forcefully.
"King Thranduil, I thank you for your concerns however what atrocities are you thinking we would carry out? What specific events in this troubled past you speak of can you name? What proof do you have?"
At this Thranduil stared back blankly.
He was worried it would come to this and had nothing to offer.
Damn her.
After more of his hesitation, Gimli stepped forward and addressed both of them.
"Thranduil I've never liked you. You abandoned Erebor in its time of need and are always quick to judge others for faults you have committed yourself. That woman you speak so distastefully of came to our aid when we needed it. And not for the gold or for recognition but because they had the opportunity to help and acted upon it. If that is what monsters do then we need more of them in Middle earth. I stand with the lass, the race of Dwarves' vote has been cast."
Finishing his speech, he stepped back.
Others soon followed in kind.
In no time at all, Arden had the support of all 5 bloodlines.
Now it came down to just Thranduil and Rowan.
Looking towards Rowan she waited.
Stepping forward he cleared his throat.
"I speak not for myself but for the race of men and the kingdom of Rohan. We would like to think on it. I'm sure you and your kin would make a fine kingdom however Rohan has certain interests in the land. If we can come upon an agreement however, I'm sure our vote will eventually be cast."
Nodding in acquiescence, Arden thanked him and finally looked toward Thranduil. Technically she didn't need his vote as the majority out weighed him which included those who owned most of the land.
She also knew it would be a no anyway but then he surprised her.
It wasn't so much of a smile but a grin that graced his handsome face.
Looking towards her, he nodded his head.
"I too would like to think on it if that is alright. However I must admit that my mind would be urged to think faster, and frankly more lenient, if some things where done around Mirkwood that we could use a hand with."
Immediately the room was in an uproar of whispers and Arden rose her eyebrows in shock.
Quickly Gimli and Rowan stepped forward, spouting how indecent it was for him to ask such a thing but she quickly stepped in front of them, bringing silence.
"May I ask specifically what you had in mind?"
If there was one thing Arden was good at besides war, it was negotiating.
"Of course, your services would really only be requested. You were once the finest captain all of Middle Earth had to offer and I'm wondering if it's still true. My ranks are not as well trained as I wish them to be. Tauriel has done an incredible job but some of the newer recruits need better supervision."
Arden nodded her head, thinking it over.
"This is of course no place to be talking over the finer details, we can continue discussing this later."
And with that the meeting was officially over.
Arden had thought it went over rather well.
Not a direct answer as she would have liked but still better than nothing.

The festival went smashingly, and was really a sight to behold.
The brightness of the stars always astonished Thranduil and he noticed how the light seemed to dance off of the pearls that dotted Arden's dress.
Shaking his head, he looked away from her and headed back inside the palace before the others.
Blaming his odd thoughts on his tiredness, he came to an abrupt stop as Rowan crossed his path.
"Lord Rowan, always a pleasure", Thranduil smiled, the gesture not quite reaching his eyes.
"And for me as well my King." Rowan replied, bowing.
"I seem to recall you disappearing for a while no? I remember you as a young boy but not much else, Rowan of Rohan. Surely it's a coincidence that you returned to Rohan right after the war and after it's only heir was married away to the kingdom of Gondor? Correct me if I'm wrong but are you now next in line?"
As Thranduil questioned Rowan, his eyes became slanted in distrust and his fists clenched.
The man tried to stand tall and look Thranduil in the eyes, but came up short (ha) as he barely met the elf lords' nose.
"Yes, my return ended up being a great happening as Eowyn was stretched thin between the two kingdoms. However it was not Eowyn who was heir to the throne but my other cousin, her brother, Eomer. He soon confided that he did not feel fit to lead our people unfortunately and I took his place.
Nodding, Thranduil responded with a smirk,
"I can understand Lady Eowyn being very busy, what I cannot seem to fathom however is why king Theoden did not name his true heir, his only son, in the first place."
At this, Rowan continued to stare blandly at him.
Realizing he would not get a response, Thranduil tried a different tactic.
"And just what are the interests that Rohan has in Ardor, it's queen and it's people? From what I know of your culture, farming and grazing are central to Rohanian life are they not?"
Gradually, Rowan seemed to become irritated and fidgety.
"Yes, it's not so much the use of the land that Rohan has interests in but more an alliance if you will."
However before Thranduil could comment or bring up more questions, Rowan quickly stated that he was needed elsewhere and left.
Interesting.
Now he wouldn't have to worry about just having one pesky neighbor but two if a pact was indeed made between both Arden and Rowan.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Thranduil thought back over today's dealings.
They must have all thought he was crazy, especially Arden.
Once he had realized that he was outnumbered and his decision counted for little in the end, he decided to get the most out of it.
Of course he would never give his consent, but she was one of the finest warriors to ever walk the earth and he'd be foolish not to take advantage of it.
Smiling, he walked towards the room he was staying in overnight.
Tonight he would sleep peacefully for once.

Fun fact;
It was no secret that Tolkien was often very displeased with, and in some instances, hated Shakespeare's writings.
Many of Tolkien's creatures and tales would stem from him trying to "makeup" for Shakespeare's view that "Drama is naturally hostile to fantasy."
This is especially true of Macbeth (1605), which Tolkien based his Ents off of after he was unsatisfied with Shakespeare's portrayal.