~Thranduil has a suggestion how they can hide Thuriniel's identity, while Legolas interviews his intended to make sure she will be a suitable Gondor wife.~

~♕~

"Ah, but remember,
faint hearts never won fair lady."

– Robin Hood

~♕~

5. Plans

They were welcomed at the door by mother and daughter, the latter more properly dressed than the last time, cheeks pink and eyes shining.

"You look lovely," Thranduil complimented her and kissed her outstretched hand.

Legolas repeated the gesture without adding a compliment of his own, but Thranduil figured he was probably nervous. Who wouldn't be, under the circumstances?

"If you have the time, would you care for a walk?" Legolas asked.

Lasriel beamed at him. "It would be my pleasure."

She donned her cloak and took his offered arm, and soon they were on their way, strolling down the gravel path.

"I will make you a cup of tea while we wait," Thuriniel offered.

Thank you." He added in a subdued voice: "They are beautiful together."

"Very. But I am still not sure whether this is a good idea. I hope they only go through with it if they truly like each other."

"Your daughter seems quite smitten, and my son must be too – he was surprisingly quick to accept the suggestion."

"Was he? I am glad to hear it. And aye, I think Lasriel adored him when they were little and apparently she never forgot."

When the tea was ready, they went into the library with their cups and spent a few moments in companionable silence.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the curtains and illuminated Thuriniel's golden hair. Her daughter had not inherited her looks; Lasriel had her father's dark hair and open, friendly face, but her mother was elegant. Beautiful, even, now that he came to think of it.

Her husband had been a lucky elf. And then ruined it all...

Thranduil wondered if he had been accepted in the Undying Lands, and if he was happy. Even after everything that had happened, Thranduil often missed his best friend. Being king was a lonely occupation.

After a while he asked: "Are you feeling better? Last time, you were rather upset about your daughter."

"Not really," she admitted. "It is like we have become strangers. But hopefully it will pass. Maybe planning a wedding together will make us grow closer?"

"I hope so. And actually, wedding planning was the reason I joined my son for this meeting. I have been thinking about how to handle your identity now that you will travel to the capital more often."

She straightened up, fingers clutching the cup. "Must I? I thought it would be enough if Lasiriel went."

"Once the betrothal is announced, people will be curious about the bride and her naneth. We need to tell them something."

She mutely shook her head.

"Not the truth, obviously," he soothed. "But maybe we can say Lasriel is the cousin of the former King of Lórien? That would explain the likeness if anyone wonders. Just as a precaution, of course; we have almost no contact with that realm anymore, apart from during the Battle of Dol Guldur at the end of the war. There is nobody left in Greenwood who knew her adar – or you."

"Lasriel says you called me Thuriniel. People will ask why my name is 'secret'. And they will want to know her adar's name as well..."

"I had to come up with something before she revealed your identity. Perhaps not the best one, but we can say your parents thought you were a mysterious, enigmatic child."

"Enigmatic?" she snorted.

He grinned. "Rest easy. People do not pay much attention to names. As for your husband... Hm. Let us name him Finmor because of his dark hair."

Thuriniel looked away, stirring her tea a little too quickly. "I am still not sure... It has been so long since I went anywhere. I would feel out of place. Embarrass her."

She seemed so vulnerable and small where she sat, and Thranduil felt a strange need to protect her.

"You have been hiding long enough, and for something that was not even your fault. It is not fair." He carefully put his hand on top of hers, squeezing it. "You have to start living again."

She looked up, eyes a bit red. "Thank you. I– I guess I have to try."

"I will help you all the way I can."

~♕~

Lasriel and Legolas walked in silence. Feeling his warm arm under her fingers, she enjoyed being close to him again despite his rather serious, almost stiff demeanor. She guessed he was trying to think of what to say when he proposed.

The thought made her stomach tingle. Would he bend his knee when he did it, and perhaps give her a ring? His father was known to be a great jeweler.

Couldn't he begin soon? The waiting was becoming unbearable. She was like an elfling anticipating her begetting-day, but this was just so exciting!

They passed the horse and the elk, calmly munching in one of her mother's flowerbeds, and Lasriel took the opportunity to break the ice. "What a beautiful horse! What is his name?"

"Arod." He smiled, petting the stallion's neck. "A man from Rohan gave him to me. He is king there now."

"You know so many famous people." Lasriel tried to repress a slight jealousy at that; the most important person she knew was Girig, chief of commerce in Lake-town.

"I guess I do."

They reached the river, still without any proposals being made.

Lasriel again tried to start a conversation, and pointed out the sights of the town (which didn't take long). "These workshops are where they build the rafts and repair them, and over there the rafters live. And there is the town square where we do some trading, but mostly we trade in Lake-town. As you probably know, almost all the food and wine you get in the capital have passed through here, and then the barrels return empty. Or, usually empty. One time there were dwarves in them!"

"I remember that. Adar was so angry!"

Legolas' unexpected, cheeky grin filled Lasriel's stomach with a new surge of bubbles, but far too soon his smile waned and the polite expression returned.

"Do you want to see my traps?" she asked, anxious to keep the conversation from running dry.

"Why not."

"They are at the other side of the bridge, a little bit into the forest. But don't tell naneth I go there; she thinks the hares I catch come from the market, and I do not want to frighten her."

They continued, but despite Lasriel's efforts the uncomfortable silence returned.

She glanced at him. He was fidgeting with the strap of his quiver and his features were more tight than ever. Was he nervous? It certainly seemed so. Somehow that made him even more endearing. This strong, handsome, experienced warrior and traveler was at a loss for words – because of her!

She decided to help him out a little. Heart beating faster, she stopped, turning to face him. "Was there something you wanted to ask?" she prompted.

His eyes briefly flicked to hers. "Uh, aye, actually I did." He cleared his throat and stood a little straighter. "My adar informs me that you are not opposed to our parents' past intention for a match between us. It appears he has begun to long for, uh, heirs." At the last part his color heightened markedly.

A bit flustered as well, she replied: "Heirs, aye. I want them too."

"Good to hear. But before we decide anything, I need to ask you a few questions. As you may have heard, I shall be removing to Ithilien shortly, and life in Gondor is not quite the same as here." His gaze fell on the rough workshops and jetties by the river. "Are you certain you are willing to be uprooted and removed to a human realm?"

"Of course," she said with feeling.

"But the journey will be long and demanding. None of the comforts you are used to."

"I don't care. I have always wanted to see the world."

"Well, as a Gondor wife you would not see the world, as such... more see to the home. Can you cook?"

"Oh, sure, though Naneth does it mostly. But would I not–"

"Do you sew and embroider?"

"Sew, aye, definitely." Lasriel was starting to feel a bit annoyed at his questions, as if he was not sure she was worthy of becoming his wife. She suddenly felt an urge to convince him of her value. "I like everything I can do with my hands, and I do it well. I am also good at building things around the home. Your adar was very impressed with my stove, for example."

"In Ithilien, it will mostly be men and dwarves doing the building."

"Then I will instruct them how."

"That will not be necessary, I am sure. Are you good at entertaining guests?"

"We rarely get them, but I am certain I could, if we did."

"Good. Now, a final question. I have bought a book–"

"Book?" Her head eagerly whipped up. "You still like books?"

"I do, aye."

"Do you remember all the books we used to read when we were little? We would grab a whole bunch of fairy-tales and climb a tree so we could take turns reading them to one another."

Her chest warmed at the memory. That had been before the disaster, when she was young and full of hope for the future, and dreamed of journeying to faraway lands with exotic gardens, kings and queens, and huge cities made of marble and gold. She still had those dreams, but over the decades she believed less and less in them.

Maybe by marrying Legolas, she would get to see some new sights at least?

"I remember." Another rare smile brightened his face; he too seemed to have recalled his carefree childhood. But soon his features turned businesslike again. "As I was saying, I have bought a book. It is called 'A Couple's Guide to a Happy Marriage', and though it is written for humans – I found it in Lake-town – it has some good points. It says–"

"The bookshop in Lake-town is lovely, isn't it? They have so–"

"One of the things the book says is that a wife should not interrupt her husband." There was a hint of disapproval in his voice.

"I see." He could interrupt her, but not the other way around? Lasriel had a hunch she was not going to like this book much.

"There is a chapter about selecting a suitable wife," he continued. "I read it is important to share a common interest with her. What are your pastimes?"

"Hm. I like studying technical designs, constructing things... Fishing. Laying out traps. Going to the market." She rubbed her chin, trying to think of more things.

"I don't like those things at all. How about planting trees? Gardening? Growing flowers?"

"That's more what Naneth does."

Another silence fell. Legolas toyed with his quiver straps again and Lasriel distractedly gnawed her lower lip. She had to think of something or he might choose another elleth!

This conversation had not at all turned out the way she imagined. It was as if he was offering her a job rather than marriage.

Though, she tried to tell herself, he didn't actually know her yet. When he did, his behavior would change – it had to. They had been friends once which meant they could grow close again.

What had they used to do as elflings? Run around. Swim. Chase each other. Climb trees. Spy on baby animals and bird's nests.

Lasriel suspected his book did not list any of those as suitable occupations for wives. No, it would have to be something else...

"Reading!" she exclaimed. "That's a shared interest."

He brightened a bit as well. "True. Then I shall make sure to stock our house with plenty of books to prepare for your arrival."

His words reignited the bubbly excitement Lasriel had felt at the beginning of their walk. He had said 'our' house, so then he must have decided to go through with the plan!

Another thought struck her. "My arrival... Will we not go together?"

"Our betrothal will last at least a year, and I cannot wait that long. I have to start my work first. But as soon as possible I will return for the wedding and bring you back with me."

"Oh." She had forgotten about the betrothal year. "Do we really need to wait, though? We have been betrothed since we were little..."

"Not officially. Adar says we ought to follow tradition, since it will be a royal wedding and all that. And if either of us changes our mind, then–"

"I won't," she assured him. "You know I have always wanted this."

"Aye." He got an almost smug look, as if he liked the thought of her pining after him for centuries. But surely he was not that conceited?

She frowned.

"Well, that is settled then. Let us return to tell our parents the good news." He offered her his arm.

She took it despite her slight annoyance. Legolas was a nice ellon underneath this stiff version, she knew he was. Nobody could change that much!

Lasriel would dig out the real him from this shell and make him love her. After all, who would be better suited to get under his skin than his own wife?

Wife.

Yay! She would be a wife soon!

A/N:

In my headcanon Legolas is rather dense and awkward around ladies, and not an elf who wears his heart on his sleeve – unlike Lasriel. But that doesn't mean he can't grow to love someone. It just takes longer...

I hope you guys are patient. ;)

Oh, and a note about arranged marriages. I'm not a fan of them IRL, and after seeing many seasons of the show "Married at First Sight" I'm convinced it's pure luck if a couple will end up together, no matter how good the "experts" are at match-making. But in this story Legolas and Lasriel were already friends, and at least from her side there is attraction. So if it works, it won't only be luck. :)