Chapter 8: This business will be finished

Legolas sorted quickly through the papers at the end of the meeting table, making three piles: one of reports from the patrols that Galithil would summarize for Dolgailon, one of petitions that he would read in a moment and one much smaller stack of general correspondence that Hallion would sort through to decide which needed the king's personal attention. He tidied Dolgailon and Hallion's papers and put them in their respective places. Then he pulled the lamp a little closer on the table and picked up the first petition. He rolled his eyes. The seal on it showed Maethorness had sent it. She certainly wasted no time asking for a return of the paltry amount of supplies the king and his party had used during their brief stop in her village. Legolas glanced over her dense script, confirmed that was indeed the purpose of her request and noted that she was claiming far more supplies than he remembered seeing consumed. That was just so typical of her! He tossed it aside and reached for another petition. Hers could wait.

He was almost entirely through the stack, summaries neatly recorded, when he heard raised voices in the antechamber.

"You cannot bring that into the stronghold!" one of the Gate Guards exclaimed loudly. "I will not allow it. No arguments!"

Despite the demand for no arguments, another voice insisted upon seeing the king.

Legolas stood and silently walked down the center aisle of the Hall towards the oak doors. If Thranduil or any of the court were present, there would be a guard at those doors as well. Since it was well before dawn, the doors stood open and unguarded. Legolas approached them with caution, hand on the hilt of his knife. The Gate Guard sounded offended, not alarmed. What ever it was that the person trying to enter the stronghold had, it did not sound dangerous. Nevertheless, the Guard would not grant them admittance, so something was amiss and caution was warranted.

"I must bring this to the king," the person--a warrior--was saying as Legolas approached closely enough to see and hear them clearly. The warrior held a leather sack. A heavy one. From its shape and weight, Legolas was immediately reminded of Anastor's obsession with that sack of gold the men had paid. But whatever this sack held, it was bigger still than the sack of gold. And it stank. Foodstuffs that had spoiled, perhaps? The Gate Guards held their hands over their noses and mouths. Even from this distance, Legolas could smell...it was sort of like rancid meat, but even worse. Why would the warrior want to bring that to the king? The Gate Guards were right to stop him. If some of the supplies sent to the patrols were bad, a letter requesting more would suffice. Evidence of the problem was not necessary. Simply throw the spoilt food into the midden and be done with it.

"Can I help you with something?" Legolas asked, taking a few steps into the antechamber, but remaining well away from the warrior's foul sack. His nose wrinkled involuntarily as a breeze through the open doors blew towards him.

"This fool wants to bring that inside," the Guard said, pointing at the sack. "I told him that he may not."

"I must speak to the king," the warrior said, talking over the Guard. "Immediately."

Legolas involuntarily raised an eyebrow. Demand to wake the king from his bed, 'immediately,' in the mood he is in given the experiences of the last few days, and present him with a stinky sack--that may not turn out as well as you hoped, he thought. "The king is not yet awake," was what he said out loud. "I cannot disturb his rest for spoilt supplies, but if you leave that outside, you may come into the Hall and give me a list of what your patrol requires. I can probably have it made ready for you by early morning."

The warrior shook his head. "I am not here to complain about spoilt supplies, my lord. Lord Legolas, correct?"

Legolas nodded. He did not recognize this warrior. He was not the usual messenger from his patrol, nor was he an officer.

"Ostarndor sent me. With this. To speak to the king. Only the king. Please get him for me."

Legolas's brows climbed and he eyed the sack. "If not spoilt supplies, what did your captain send to the king?" Legolas asked.

"I was told to speak to the king only," the warrior replied. "Please, my lord, will you get him?" He sounded a little desperate.

Legolas would be desperate if he traveled from the territory of the Southern Patrol with that smell following him the entire way.

The Gate Guard loose a loud hurumph. "There is no possibility we are awakening the king so you can give him that sack. He will stuff us in there for doing something that stupid."

The warrior turned on the Guard. "You will deserve it if you keep this message from him," he retorted, waving the sack in his face.

The Guard took a step back.

"The contents of that sack are the actual message for the king?" Legolas exclaimed. He pitied the person who sent that as a message!

The warrior nodded gravely. "Yes, my lord."

Legolas held out his hand. "Bring it to me," he said. "Let him pass."

"My captain said I was to speak to the king only," the warrior said, but he seemed less certain than before and relieved to have simply been let into the stronghold.

"Well, I am also not willing to awaken the king until I have a better idea of why I am doing so," Legolas said, reaching for the sack as the warrior finally came to stand before him.

The warrior did not release the sack. In fact, he held it behind his back as he looked at Legolas closely, his gaze lingering on the bruises on his face. "My lord, I beg your pardon, but, how old are you? Old enough to join one of the guards?"

Legolas scowled. "Not yet, but I am old enough to know better than to awaken the king of this realm for a reeking sack whose purpose and contents you refuse to identify," he said, now reaching for the sack and intending to take it.

The warrior stepped back, out of his reach. "I am not letting a child look into this sack, even if that child is the king's son," he said quietly while he groped with his free hand in the quiver on his back.

Legolas's heart raced at the movement and his own hand dove to his belt. The guard at the door to the family quarters, Lanthir it was tonight, drew his sword and took several steps forward.

The warrior drew a silver arrow with blue fletchings from his quiver. "The captain said this would be important to the king. Will you awaken him for it?"

Legolas reached slowly for the arrow, staring at it as he rolled it between his fingers. Traces of blood stained the tip. His gaze darted back to the sack. "What is in that sack?" he demanded, but his voice was no more than a whisper and his pulse was racing for a much different reason.

"Will you awaken the king, my lord?" the warrior repeated.

In a swift motion, Legolas gripped the warrior's arm with his free hand, preventing him from moving back again. With the hand that held the arrow, Legolas snatched away the sack. He let go of the warrior and held the top edges of the sack in both hands, preparing to pull it open. It was held shut by a loose slip knot.

"You will regret that, my lord. Do not do it," the warrior warned.

Holding his breath, Legolas opened the sack the slightest bit and peered inside. He saw hair. Long hair tangled around something. A face. A bit of nose poked through the hair.

At first, Legolas's mind refused to put together what hair and a nose could be doing in a sack. It just made absolutely no sense. Especially since, still staring at the absurd sight, that nose and hair color looked so much like...

Recognition hit Legolas hard. He twisted the top of the sack shut and closed his eyes tightly.

This could not be.

No longer even registering the smell of decay, Legolas took a deep breath and opened the sack again, wider, to confirm what he did not want to believe he had seen.

It was true.

Inside the sack was his uncle Celonhael's head. Nothing more.

"Lanthir," Legolas choked out, barely able to draw air around the bile rising in his throat. "First awaken Hallion and tell him I need him in the Hall immediately. Then go ask the king to come to the Hall. Do not let the queen come with him under any circumstances."

"Yes, my lord." Lanthir replied. He sketched a quick bow, eyes lingering on the sack, and ran through the doors to the family quarters.

Legolas looked back at the warrior. "You come with me," he said, turning back into the Hall.

*~*~*

By the time all was said and done, the entire household had been awakened, which, under the circumstances, was to be expected.

Legolas questioned the warrior quickly before Thranduil and Hallion arrived, and he had the basic information ready for them when they appeared in the Hall. Thranduil called for the rest of the family and informed them that Celonhael had been found dead, leaving out the worst details. He then dispatched Lindomiel to deliver the news and comfort Ollwen and Berior. Galithil went with her. Sadly, he and Berior now had far too much in common--the loss of their fathers. Dolgailon was in his office, issuing dispatches to the southern, western and eastern patrols. News of the murder of the king's councilor and Fuilin and Mauril's escape would reach the far borders of the realm swiftly. Only Engwe remained in the Hall with Thranduil and Hallion. He and Legolas sat at the far end of the meeting table, currently beneath the king's notice.

Thranduil's voice rang out in the Hall, questioning the warrior for the third time. Like Legolas, neither Thranduil nor Hallion could be prevented from looking inside the sack. So this news, which under the best of circumstances would have driven Thranduil to deep grief, had sickened him, both emotionally and almost physically.

"It was brought to the patrol's base camp?" he repeated.

The warrior nodded patiently. It did not seem to surprise him in the least to have to repeat this story so many times. Or unnerve him. He faced the king's wrath so bravely that Legolas wondered if he were one of the Sindarin elves that followed Oropher east and had known Thranduil long before he was a king.

If Legolas thought he had seen his father angry before, he was wrong. He had never seen anyone actually shake with rage, but Thranduil did so now as he continued his questions.

"Tied shut around that arrow?" he asked.

Again the warrior nodded.

"You found nothing else?"

"We did a thorough search, but...I am sorry, my lord. No."

"And the elf that gave it to you?"

"A villager. From Maethorness's village. He was in the forest hunting and found it. Hanging in a low branch of a tree. He thought it might be something important one of the patrols had lost, given the silver paint on the arrow. That is certainly unusual. Ostarndor opened it, to determine what it was. And he ordered me to bring it straight to you and no one else."

That was a good order. It meant that Celonhael's wife and son had been spared the horror of seeing the contents of that sack. Conuion had removed it immediately. Legolas had no idea to where, nor did he want to know.

Thranduil's questions dug into the details of the villager's gruesome discovery and Legolas tried not to listen. He wished Galithil and Dolgailon had stayed in the Hall, but he understood why they had not. Berior needed Galithil far more than Legolas did at the moment, and Dolgailon had duties to attend to.

"What were you doing in the Hall at this hour, child?" Engwe whispered into Legolas's ear as Thranduil continued his questioning.

His tone was concerned, but Legolas's back stiffened involuntarily nonetheless. "Working," he answered.

"You are just like your adar, thinking that you can work your way to forgetfulness. It will not help, You need rest so that you can heal," Engwe said. "And you questioned this warrior yourself? Did you look...inside?"

Legolas only nodded in reply to that, chin held high. He had not sought his uncle Engwe's advice, nor did he really want it. He certainly did not want to be coddled.

Engwe shook his head and appeared ready to say more.

Fortunately, Thranduil chose that moment to stand, raising Legolas to his feet and distracting Engwe. "You may go find some rest," Thranduil was saying to the warrior. The warrior bowed and exited the Hall. Legolas turned his back on Engwe and stepped over to his normal place at the table, standing behind his chair.

Thranduil still did not appear to notice him. "Send someone to prepare my horse and bring me my sword and bow," he was saying to Conuion.

Legolas's eyes widened. Conuion said nothing in response.

"Bring at least Pendurion and Belloth with us and be prepared to be gone for as long as it takes," Thranduil continued. He pointed at his guard, to emphasize his words. "Weeks. Months, if necessary, Conuion. What ever it takes. I am finding them."

One side of Conuion's mouth turned down in an almost disapproving manner, but he only bowed.

"You are going to hunt for Fuilin yourself, adar?" Legolas asked, unable to contain his surprise.

Thranduil looked at him as if only just realizing he was still present. "Yes, I am," he confirmed, voice cold. "If Fuilin thinks to escape his fate in this way, then he will find that he is gravely mistaken. They will not hide from me. I will find them and finish this. If it takes me a yen, I will find them."

Legolas was not terribly shocked by any of those words. Of course, at this point, little would have shocked him, but he could not help but worry about his father if he did this. The king would find it difficult, at best, to travel secretly through the forest. Fuilin, in contrast, could slip into the shadows easily. He would have a tremendous advantage on this hunt.

"That is absurd, Thranduil," Engwe said, coming up along the opposite side of the table, across from Legolas. "How do you expect to find them? You have no idea where to look for them. They will not have stayed near Maethorness's village."

Thranduil ignored him. He nodded to Conuion him, signaling him to go prepare their departure.

"My lord," Hallion said, before Engwe could continue his argument. "I will need at least a few hours of your time before you leave..."

Thranduil shook his head and drew a breath, apparently to refuse that request, but Hallion did not stop speaking.

"You will need to tell me your decisions regarding Tulus, Dannenion and Dolwon, so that I can serve those sentences. We also need to finalize the treaties concerning hunting rights that Lindomiel is going to deliver to Dale. She leaves next week. And she wanted to speak to you about some of the purchases she will be making in there. We can no longer continue using the same wool supplier. He has died and without a son to carry on his business, but the other available merchants come with their own problems. She wants your opinions." Hallion looked down to hide a grimace. "And, frankly my lord, we will need to discuss who will assume Celonhael's duties. The men will expect payment for the supplies that will soon be coming up the river. You and Celonhael are really the only ones to have worked on those figures. I am not familiar enough with them to manage that alone."

By the end of that litany of responsibilities, Thranduil was frowning severely.

Conuion had not yet left the Hall. "I would prefer that you select Legolas's guard before we leave, my lord," he added. "So that we can have that settled and Legolas properly protected while Fuilin and Mauril are at large."

"In addition to all that, this is a terrible time for you to be abroad because Dolgailon will be busy with the Training Program, since Glilavan will no longer be captaining it," Engwe added. "I imagine he will have some reordering to do amongst his captains, so he can cover all the patrols and the training. That will take some work and possibly some travel on his part to settle everyone into place. With him so busy, there will be no one available to help Hallion with petitions. Of course, you could tell Dolgailon to let me manage the patrols while he helps Hallion."

Legolas's gaze darted to his father to watch his reaction to that suggestion. Thranduil had made it plain that he did not want Engwe to manage the patrols when he promoted Dolgailon to that position instead of Engwe. Something that Engwe had never quite forgotten. Not surprisingly, Thranduil scowled at his uncle.

"I can help, adar," Legolas said quietly. "Until Dolgailon is free, I can help Hallion. That ought to keep me safe in the Hall most of the time if you cannot decide quickly on a guard."

"If you intend to be gone any length of time, I will need help, my lord," Hallion said. "Without Celonhael, with Lindomiel in Dale for two weeks and Golwon leaving to distribute supplies to the villages soon after that, and with Dolgailon occupied with the Training Program, the council will be three people down at all times--and that is not counting you. We were considering how to expand the council before. Now we must do it."

"The best option is for you to remain here, analyze the information we have to try to locate Fuilin and Mauril, and wait for the patrols or your spies to arrest them," Engwe concluded.

"We do not have any information to analyze, Engwe," Thranduil responded.

"I thought you said that both Glilavan and Fuilin told you some details about Manadhien that you never knew before. There might be something in them that could help us find her," Engwe said.

"Glilavan confirmed that her father was killed in Sirion and her brother in Menegroth," Thranduil answered, his tone short. "Since they are not Sindar, but rather Noldor, we can conclude that they were not innocent victims in either of those places. And he said her sister died in Ost-in-Edhil, presumably when Sauron attacked it. Fuilin said her father's name was Ulcamarto, as if that is a real name. And he mentioned that he became Ulcamarto's servant after they escaped Angband together. Since Manadhien and Fuilin are not in Menegroth, Sirion, Ost-in-Edhil or Angband currently, none of that helps me find them. So I will have to hunt them down. If you think that I am going to sit in this stronghold idly and wait for her to send me the head of another member of my household, you are as insane as she is."

As Engwe listened to that monologue, his expression grew increasingly serious.

"What, Engwe?" Thranduil snapped.

Engwe shook his head, "I did not know any Ulcamarto with two daughters and a son amongst the Noldor, but I did know an Alcaremarto, who had a son, Oromarto, and two daughters--Manarinde and Muinandilme. They were members of Curufin's household. I first met them when the High King sent your adar and I with Celeborn to inquire as to why the princes of the Noldor had not sent any messengers to greet him when they returned."

Thranduil studied Engwe cautiously. "The names of the father and the daughter are similar, I grant you that. But there were certainly many Noldorin fathers with a son and two daughters. And who knows what their right names are. They probably do not even know themselves anymore."

Engwe nodded. "Possibly, but this I do know: you killed Alcaremarto--the father--in Sirion. I saw you do it."

Thranduil's eyes widened.

"And I saw Oropher kill Oromarto--the brother--in Menegroth," Engwe added. "These are the same people, Thranduil. They have to be."

Thranduil drew a deep breath and sank back into his chair, staring at Engwe. "Then I think we have solved some of the mystery of why Manadhien hates my family so." He glanced at Legolas with an expression that appeared uncomfortable--almost guilty. "And here may be another, less significant, piece of it," he continued. "The last time that adar sent me to Ost-in-Edhil, I had a brief dalliance with a maiden there. Her name was Muinandilme. She was not particularly memorable, but I recall her name because, when I met her, I asked her what it meant. Even in that language, I found it musical."

"I remember her," Conuion said. "I told you to stay away from her. She struck me as...shadowed. And she likely was given how many times we saw her in Annatar's company."

Despite the gravity of this topic, Legolas had been amused by the discussion of his father's 'dalliance.' His jaw dropped at the mention of Annatar. "You saw him?" he could not help but exclaim. "You were in Ost-in-Edhil when he was there and you actually saw him?"

Thranduil turned a carefully controlled look on his son. "I spoke to him. I sat at table with him once. With he and Muinandilme."

Legolas took a step back, horrified.

Thranduil only nodded. "Muinandilme was one of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain," he continued. "She told me her sister was also, though I never met her. Conuion would not tolerate my association with Muinandilme, so I let it go fairly quickly. It was never even slightly serious. She was a Noldo, so it did not matter to me."

"Was she offended when you stopped paying her attention?" Engwe asked.

Thranduil laughed. "Not at all. She fancied my hair, and, very likely, my title. Not me. But it was she that approached me and not the other way around...."

"I should hope so," Engwe muttered. "A Noldo!"

"...so perhaps she knew who I was and intended me harm even then." They all stared at each other in silence for a long moment before Thranduil spoke again. "As pleased as I am to have some of that mystery solved, it does not help me solve the most important one: where are Fuilin and Mauril? And their mistress."

"Perhaps Glilavan knows," Engwe suggested.

Thranduil turned an astonished and annoyed expression on his uncle. "I am obviously too angry to think if that did not occur to me. An excellent suggestion," he said.

Legolas hid a smirk in response to the fact that his father sounded surprised that Engwe could be useful.

"After all," Engwe continued, "he was hunting something between the stronghold and Maethorness's village when we found him. And none of us truly believed it was quail."

Thranduil stood, his posture rigid, and turned towards the door behind the throne. "Too true."

Engwe, Hallion and Conuion followed close on his heels. Legolas did not move.

Thranduil looked back at him from the height of the dais. "You do not care to speak to Glilavan with me?" he asked.

Legolas shook his head, ignoring Hallion and Engwe's surprise at the invitation. "He has made three attempts on my life and that is more than enough to suit me. I think I will stay here." The truth was, Legolas did not care to see this interview. He had seen all the horrors he wanted to see for a very long while.

Thranduil only nodded. "Get started on those petitions, then," he said, gesturing to the papers at the end of the table.

"They are ready for Hallion to review," Legolas responded.

That made Thranduil and Hallion's brows climb. "Is that what you were doing in the Hall? The reason why you were here so early to meet this warrior?"

"Yes. I was awake and thought I would get an early start," Legolas replied.

Thranduil studied him for a moment. "Get some rest then," he ordered.

*~*~*

Legolas did not leave the Great Hall as his father had suggested. He was still there, sitting in his normal place at the meeting table. He had been there long enough now that his stomach had begun to remind him that they had all missed breakfast. Even so, he did not feel much like eating. He wondered idly if his father and uncles had gone to eat. Or to check on Ollwen and Berior.

Or if they were still questioning Glilavan.

He shook his head and made an effort to turn his thoughts away from that possibility and everything it implied. He found himself staring at the tapestry behind the throne--a map of the forest overlaid with the royal crest. His mother wove the original version of this tapestry for his father as a wedding present and she re-wove it when he moved the capital north. As Legolas understood it, Manadhien ... Marti ... Manarinde ... whatever she called herself...destroyed the very first attempt Lindomiel had made at this tapestry, thus making the first volley in the war they currently fought.

He sighed. Why did his thoughts constantly come back to Glilavan and Manadhien and her servants? He ran his gaze over the map, trying to distract himself.

Where in the forest could Manadhien be?

Somewhere in the south, Dannenion thought. That made sense. Closer to the stronghold lived the elves that most loved Thranduil. She would have as little tolerance for them as they would have for her. But even in the furthest reaches of the realm, the elves supported the king and she had to be living in a village amongst them. Living alone would be too dangerous--something that would draw attention from the patrols, who would never allow it.

She could probably manage living in a village if she were smart enough to keep her views to herself, but what could Manadhien possibly contribute to a village to earn the privilege of living in one? He could not imagine her helping to gather berries or honey or nuts or any other foodstuff. He shrugged. Maybe she did. She would have to do something and the only skills she had that he knew of were weaving and jewel working--skills no one cared about in the south.

Weaving and jewel-working. Surely that should stand out. The vast majority of elves in the south were Silvan and none of them had either of those skills. Of course, she almost certainly did not currently practice them. She did not weave in the south. Nana managed the distribution of wool purchased from the men. And dyes were difficult to find in the healthy, northern forest. In the south, they must be next to impossible to obtain. She definitely did not practice gem work any longer. As the village leader in Dolgailon's village once told him, there are no gems to work in the forest.

Legolas sucked in a long, slow breath and he sat upright, straight as an arrow. Moralfien! She claimed to be a jewel smith. She had offered to make a ring for Galithil. Legolas's heart began to pound uncomfortably. And she had that tapestry in her talan. That very elaborate tapestry that she claimed she wove herself. Legolas heard her openly mock Sindar rule in Lothlorien. While speaking to Dannenion and Dolwon, who had traveled to visit her.

Moralfien could not possibly be Manadhien! Dannenion said he did not know where she was and he certainly knew exactly where Moralfien was--she was governing the largest village in the south. Dolgailon's village, whose guards were armed with swords that Moralfien purchased-- with jewels.

Legolas stood. This could not be possible.

If this were true, why would Dannenion not admit to knowing where Manadhien was? He promised the king that he would help find her.

Unless he had lied!

Legolas took several long steps towards the back of the Hall, looking at the open doors, trying to determine if Conuion had sent a guard to stand at them, since he was in the Hall. Apparently he had expected Legolas to follow Thranduil's order to rest. There was no guard. Legolas scowled. His father would lock him in a cell if he went outside the stronghold unescorted with Fuilin on the loose, but he needed to speak to Tulus. He would just have to find an available guard. He half-jogged, half-marched to the doors of the Hall, passed through them and looked to where Galuauth was now guarding the doors to the family quarters. He was not allowed to leave that post unattended, but Legolas wondered if he could persuade him to do so, at least long enough to escort him to Tulus's cottage.

As Legolas deliberated over whether ask, Tulus, Dannenion and Dolwon all emerged from the corridor that led to the guest quarters, their heads together. Tulus and Dannenion flanked Dolwon and were all but pulling him along with them. They headed in the direction of the Great Hall and frowned when they saw the doors open and unguarded.

Then Tulus spotted Legolas. "The king is not in the Hall?" he called, striding towards Legolas.

Dolwon was already protesting that if Thranduil was not present, they might as well leave, but Dannenion held him in place surprisingly effectively considering his injuries.

Legolas did not look at Tulus. He was staring at Dannenion. "I am going to ask you a question, Dannenion," he said. "And I expect an honest answer."

Dannenion's eyebrows went up.

"You have no right to speak to us in that manner," Dolwon exclaimed.

Legolas ignored him. "Is Moralfien's true name Manadhien?" he asked. When Dannenion's jaw dropped and Dolwon gasped, Legolas was hard pressed to stifle his own, similar reaction. He was right! She was!

"How in all of Arda did you find that out?" Tulus asked. "Glilavan would have never confessed it, no matter what Thranduil did to him." He did not sound surprised that Moralfien was Manadhien, only that Legolas had figured it out.

Legolas could not hide his reaction to that. He turned slowly to Tulus, looking at him with wide eyes. "You knew that," he said. It was not a question. He could not believe that Tulus had known where to find Manadhien! Protecting Glilavan was one thing. Protecting Manadhien was another entirely! How could Tulus have allowed her to hide?

Tulus made a belated effort to bring his expression under control. He held out both hands, palms out, facing Legolas. "Please come into the Hall so we can explain this to you..." he said.

Legolas turned away from him, trying not to think...but he could not help it. Tulus knew and he not admitted it to the king either! "You are all going in the Hall. That is certain," he said, struggling to keep his voice even. He took a step back so they could pass by him and pointed towards the door. "Go," he said. Then he looked towards Galuauth. "I need help," he called.

Galuauth only hesitated a moment before jogging the short distance between his post and the Hall.

"Legolas," Tulus pleaded.

Legolas shook his head. "Go into the Hall," he repeated, refusing to look at him.

Tulus hesitated, but then complied, herding Dannenion and Dolwon ahead of him.

Legolas focused on Galuauth. "The king is questioning Glilavan. Send someone to tell him that I know where Manadhien is. Tell him exactly that."

Galuauth had been a guard long enough to know what that meant. He tensed and looked at Tulus, Dannenion and Dolwon.

"Get someone to take your post at the door and come back here. Quickly," Legolas continued.

Galuauth sketched a quick bow. "Yes, my lord. Please remain here, within my sight, while I do as you ask." Without waiting for a reply, he ran to the door of the family quarters and called for one of the servants inside to carry Legolas's message. Then he signaled the more experienced of the two guards at the Great Gates to cover his post. Legolas heard him instructing that guard that no one outside the king's family was to enter the family quarters. After he gave those orders, he returned to Legolas's side. "Where is she?" he whispered, as they turned to go into the Hall.

"In Dolgailon's village," Legolas replied, stifling an exhausted, bitter laugh when Galuauth's jaw dropped. That reaction was nothing compared to the one the king would make. And Dolgailon. They slowly walked the length of the center aisle.

Tulus faced him as he approached. "We were coming to speak to the king about this," he said when Legolas finally reached the meeting table. "That is why we asked where he was." His tone begged for understanding.

Legolas stared at his former guard in silence. How could he have protected Manadhien? The question echoed over and over in his mind. "How long have you known, Tulus?" he finally demanded. "The entire time you knew Glilavan was plotting with her? Since my grandparent's deaths?"

Tulus did not answer. He did not have to. He could not hide his shame. Or remorse.

Galuauth gasped.

Legolas looked away from Tulus. He could not bear to see the pain in his eyes, but he refused to be moved by it. Then another, even worse thought occurred to him. "Did you know when we went to the village?" he asked. "Did you know when you left Galithil and I with Galuauth to go speak to her?"

"Tulus, please say that you did not," Galuauth said, his voice barely a whisper.

"I swear I did not," Tulus answered swiftly. "I did not find out until after...until afterwards."

"When?" Legolas demanded. "When did you find out?"

Tulus looked down. "When I went to spy on the village after the king returned to the stronghold," he admitted.

Legolas gaped at him. "You told the king that you did not see her. You lied to his face. And mine. Then you sat in silence while I defended you. And you remained silent for the last six years while Manadhien governed my uncle's village--the largest village in the south. What damage, beyond plotting against me, has she done the king while in that position, Tulus?"

"As little as I could manage," Tulus answered. "Please listen to me. Give me an opportunity to explain this."

"The king can give you that," Legolas said. "But I have heard all that I can bear."

"My lord, please," Tulus begged.

Legolas ignored him. He walked to the opposite end of the meeting table from where Dannenion and Dolwon had sat and he collapsed into a chair.

Almost as soon as he did, Thranduil, Hallion, Engwe and Conuion charged into the Hall, bringing Dannenion and Dolwon to their feet. Legolas did not stand. He was too exhausted. In his peripheral vision, Legolas saw his father's gaze fix on him as he entered the room, silently demanding an explanation for the message he received. But a moment later, Thranduil's pace slowed and he glared at Dannenion, Dolwon and Tulus.

"Speak," he said, looking between them. He stopped a few paces away from the table.

Dolwon looked from Thranduil to the doors of the Hall, as if measuring the possibility of escape. Dannenion looked at Tulus, eyes wide.

Tulus frowned. "My lord," he began. From his tone, he intended to make a lengthy explanation.

Thranduil held up his hand, interrupting him. "In one word, Tulus. Manadhien's location. Nothing more."

Tulus hesitated.

Legolas's temper snapped. "Dolgailon's village," he answered. "Under the name Moralfien."

"You cannot be serious," Thranduil exclaimed, turning to face him.

Legolas only nodded.

"You are certain of this?" He gestured to Tulus, Dannenion and Dolwon. "They told you?"

"I asked and Tulus confirmed it," Legolas replied.

Thranduil turned on Tulus, his expression alone enough to drive Tulus back a step. He appeared to be ready to drop to his knees, but Thranduil prevented that. He closed the distance between himself and Tulus in two long steps, grasping the front of Tulus's tunic.

Legolas let his face fall into his hands, elbows propped on the table. He had no desire to see this.

"I do not believe that you..." Thranduil glanced at Dannenion and Dolwon. "That any of you," he continued, "discovered Manadhien's whereabouts in the few short hours since we last spoke. Tell me: how long have you known that Manadhien was in that village? How long have you allowed her to poison the elves there?"

"My lord, please listen..."

Legolas heard a shuffling of feet and a sharp gasp. He raised his head. Thranduil had jerked Tulus forward until they stood nose to nose.

"Answer my question, Tulus."

"I have known that she was there since Lord Amglaur and Lady Limmiel were killed," Tulus answered. "But I did not know until after the attack in which they died."

Thranduil's face contorted in rage. He shoved Tulus backwards, pushing him roughly into one of the chairs at the table, hard enough to rock it back against the table, making the table itself jump. Tulus stifled a groan and tried to twist his injured back away from the high, solid back of the chair Thranduil now pinned him in.

Legolas sat up straighter. "My lord," he said softly.

Thranduil did not hear him. He pointed at Dannenion and Dolwon with one hand while holding Tulus in place with the other on his chest. "You two. How long have you known?"

"Since she moved to the village, my lord," Dannenion answered in a whisper. "After lord Aradunnon's death."

"Why did you not tell me this when I asked you if you knew where she was yesterday?"

"As I told you then, my lord, we are afraid you will go after her and leave her servants free to hunt our families. If I had told you yesterday that she was in that village, you would be half way to that village now and she would be halfway to the border, fleeing you. You have to eliminate her servants if you hope to catch her," Dannenion answered.

Thranduil turned away from him with an annoyed growl. "And you?" he asked Tulus, giving him a shake that jarred him against the chair and forced a pained grunt from him.

Legolas stood.

Hallion took a step towards Thranduil and laid a hand on his arm. "He is injured, my lord," he said quietly.

Thranduil ignored him. "What is your excuse for hiding this information from me? How can you possibly justify hiding Manadhien?"

"She threatened me. And Glilavan," Tulus answered.

Thranduil loosed a derisive snort.

That reaction seemed to prompt Tulus to speak. "After Lord Amglaur's death, when you sent me to see if I could find any sign of her, I found her in the village. Leading it. I was in her talan, prepared to arrest her, and she showed me reports that Glilavan and I had written. At the time, I did not know if Glilavan sent the ones in his hand or not, but I knew I did not send the ones in mine, so I hoped that he was innocent. That there was some explanation for how she had them. She told me that if I took her to you, Fuilin or Mauril would see to it that you received evidence, like those reports, that incriminated me and Glilavan before we even made it back to the stronghold. She said she would denounce us herself as well. She would be certain that if you executed her, you would execute us as well. Or if you exiled us all, she said that once we were all outside the forest, she would kill Glilavan before my eyes and then she would kill me and return to hunting Legolas. So I pretended to be cowed and I left her in place, because it was obvious she was going no where. Look at the position she has made for herself. And because retreating temporarily gave me time to see if Glilavan was innocent--unfortunately he was not--and to find out who her servants are. I thought I had discovered them all until Lord Legolas and I met Pelin and Lagril. They, I admit, I have never seen."

Legolas listened to that defense with his eyes closed. He could understand Tulus's decision, to some degree. Tulus still should have come forward, just as he should have trusted the king to help Glilavan, not execute him. But Legolas at least understood his fears.

Thranduil appeared somewhat mollified as well. "What do you mean by, 'it gave you time to find out who her servants are?' What have you found?" he demanded. His voice was still angry, but his grip on Tulus loosened enough to allow him to sit forward. Blood stained the back of his tunic.

"For the last six years, every moment that I was not with Legolas, I have been watching Glilavan and his communication with Manadhien. To find out who her servants are," Tulus answered. "I can tell you, for example, that Solchion, Baranil and Lumil are the names of the elves that I have seen deliver messages to Glilavan and carry his back to her over the last years. They are guards in the village, according to Lord Dolgailon. From his tone when I mentioned their names to him, he is not positively impressed by them. But I can see how Manadhien won their loyalty. The three of them carry swords that she bought for the village. Swords nearly as fine as the ones you purchased for Legolas and Galithil. I can also tell you that the two times that I saw Fuilin in the capital, he approached from the west and departed traveling westward. If you want to hunt him, I would go west."

Thranduil studied Tulus for a long moment. Then he took a step away from him, releasing his grip on him entirely. "Sit," he said, speaking to Dannenion and Dolwon. He moved to his own place at the head of the table. Hallion and Engwe seated themselves as well, while Tulus righted his chair to properly face the table.

Everyone waited silently for Thranduil to speak. "So, given Lagril and Pelin's part in Legolas's abduction, you believe she has still more servants that you are not aware of?" he finally asked.

Tulus drew a long, quiet breath. "When I watched her in the village after Lord Amglaur's death, I saw messengers that I could not identify visiting her. Three of them. Baranil and Lumil I soon saw with Glilavan once I returned here. The third, Solchion, I had to wait until just this year to identify. I only saw him rarely in the capital and Glilavan never called him by name when I could hear it. He finally did recently. I thought I had them all and I was preparing my next move. But, apparently I did not. I had never seen Lagril and Pelin. Perhaps they do not carry messages for her. If they have served her family longer than even Fuilin, they are probably too valuable to be messengers. I did not see them when I watched her in the village either, but I only watched her there for a week."

"So, you would recommend watching her in the village, to see if we can identify any more of her servants? Thranduil asked.

"Yes, my lord," Tulus said, trying to hide his surprise. "That would be my recommendation."

Thranduil tapped his thumb against the table several times rapidly. He turned to Galuauth. "Find Dolgailon for me," he ordered.

Legolas frowned, looking rapidly between Hallion, Engwe and his father. Hallion's face was unreadable. Engwe was leaned forward in his chair, looking intently at the king. He appeared to have something to say, but was hesitating. Legolas raised an eyebrow. That was unprecedented in his experience.

"My lord, are you considering leaving her in place to spy on her?" Legolas asked in a quiet voice.

Thranduil's gaze shifted from staring at Tulus, still obviously considering what he had said, to Legolas. He frowned and looked slightly confused by Legolas's position at the far opposite end of the table. "I am," he answered simply.

"I do not deny that doing so may lead to finding her servants, and I do, obviously, agree that is important. But you should be aware that when Galithil and I were in that village, we had the impression that Moralfien was ... a divisive presence there," Legolas said cautiously. If Engwe was afraid to challenge the king at this moment...

"Be more specific," Thranduil ordered.

"There were those in the village that appeared to support her," Legolas replied, speaking slowly and choosing his words carefully. "And others who seemed to at least respect some of what she had done in the village, such as buying those swords. But there were a good many--Galithil said he knew them as friends of uncle Aradunnon--that openly disliked her. The head guard, Seregon, was one such person. He was the guard that greeted us on our arrival and he said to us that he missed uncle Aradunnon's leadership. He later implied that he did not approve of Moralfien's. And she did not make a secret, even in my presence, of mocking Sindar rule of this forest or of Lorien. Galithil was so concerned about what he saw there that he spoke to Dolgailon about it. I understand that he recommended to him that he return to the village, permanently."

Thranduil's eyebrows climbed. "I never heard any of this. How did Dolgailon respond to that?"

"I was not present when Galithil spoke to Dolgailon," Legolas said. "I do not know what Dolgailon's response was." He did not add that Galithil was not satisfied with whatever it was.

"My response to what?" Dolgailon asked, coming out from behind the tapestry behind the throne. He had entered the Hall through the door behind it.

Thranduil shook his head and gestured to Legolas to remain silent. "Sit down, Dolgailon. I have some news that you will find disturbing."

Dolgailon sat, scanning Hallion and Engwe's subdued expressions and Dannenion, Dolwon and Tulus's fearful ones. Finally his gaze settled on Thranduil, looking at him expectantly.

"There is no way to make this less shocking," Thranduil said. "Tulus has just revealed that Moralfien and Manadhien are the same person."

Dolgailon's eyes flew open wide and he released a breath as if he'd been punched. "How did you find that out?" he asked Tulus. Then his head swiveled to face Thranduil. "Who are you sending to arrest her? I want to go with them."

Thranduil held out his hand to silence the rest of the questions and exclamations that were ready to pour out of Dolgailon. "What is your judgment of her rule of that village?" he asked instead of answering the questions Dolgailon had issued.

Dolgailon laughed. "Well, I did not much like it and I can see why now," he answered. Then he frowned severely. "I have no idea who I will entrust with the governance of that village. I cannot do it myself. Not now. I have to find someone to captain the Training Program, and likely will have to do it myself until I can find someone. Whoever I appoint as its captain will need some help, at least initially, and their promotion will leave another patrol down by one officer, who will then also need replaced." He fell silent, shaking his head in frustration.

"Did she do so terrible a job that we could not leave her in place a while longer?" Thranduil asked.

Dolgailon's jaw dropped. "Leave her in place!" he repeated, as if he had not understood.

"Dannenion, Dolwon and Tulus all believe that it is essential that we arrest her servants along with her, lest they hide while continuing to hunt our family. They have convinced me that is necessary. I have spent nearly this entire Age searching for her. Now that I know where she is, as long as I can keep track of her, I can be patient until I locate her servants too. And if she feels secure in that village, her servants will continue to openly approach her there. Tactically, Dolgailon, you know the only way to win this war is to eliminate my enemy's entire force. That is what I must do."

Dolgailon drew a breath to argue. Then he closed his mouth and leaned against the back of his chair, never taking his gaze off Thranduil. "I do not like it," he finally said. "I am very uncomfortable leaving her in charge of that village. How do you intend to watch for her servants? Spies?"

Thranduil nodded. "Led by Tulus," he began.  

Tulus's eyebrows went up and his gaze darted to the king.

"Since he will recognize all her known servants and particularly Fuilin, Mauril, Lagril and Pelin," Thranduil continued. "I will send half a dozen others with him, to help him keep watch."

Tulus's eyes widened even further. "Since I will recognize Fuilin and Mauril?" he repeated. "Are they not here? Locked in the stronghold? I thought lord Celonhael was taking them here."

Thranduil looked at him steadily. "They killed him and escaped," he replied.

Tulus only stared at Thranduil, mouth open and obviously stricken. Dannenion and Dolwon exchanged several quick, panicked whispers.

Dolgailon turned to Tulus. "How long do you expect it will take you to identify all of her servants?"

Tulus shook his head, trying to focus despite the shocking news that Celonhael was dead and he would, apparently, now be spying on Manadhien. "I have no idea, my lord. It took me almost six years to feel certain I had identified all of Manadhien's messengers to Glilavan and learn their names. Of course, we do not have to learn names and, presumably, I will be free to follow whoever I find with her where ever I need to follow them, so that will make this easier. Still, I would recommend watching her for no less than a year, to make sure we have everyone. Of course, ultimately, we will have to watch her for as long as Fuilin and Mauril stay in hiding, if we want to capture them. Lagril and Pelin too, if they are not with her in that village. It entirely depends on how lucky we are finding them."

Dolgailon folded his arms across his chest, frowning, but he said nothing.

"There are obviously some difficulties that we will have to manage carefully in order to maintain control over this situation," Thranduil said.

"Indeed," Dolgailon interrupted, laughing bitterly. "For example, the fact that we believe Manadhien to be in league with orcs. What happens if she catches on to the fact that she is being watched and decides to create a diversion to escape. If I were in league with orcs and wanted a diversion to escape a village, I would send the orcs to attack it. I will have to alter the patrols around that village if we are to do this. I cannot allow the people in it to come to harm by trusting her to defend them."

"She will be suspicious if you alter the patrols," Engwe said. "Her village guards will notice if you do it."

"I can increase the patrols outside the range of the village's guards. The guards will not notice that."

"But have we not suspected in the past that Manadhien herself has spies that send her information about the patrols?" Hallion asked.

"All those spies are either sitting in this room or are locked in the store rooms," Dolgailon answered. "I assume we believe the people in this room are now trustworthy, given that we are discussing this in their presence. That it is their advice that we are following to do this in the first place."

"We do not know for a fact that all her spies are currently in this stronghold, my lord," Tulus countered. "Granted, it is very likely that without Glilavan, her best source of information is lost, but she could very well have made allies amongst warriors in the patrols, who then innocently share information with her, thinking they are serving a village leader."

"I am not leaving the safety of that village in the hands of a murderer in league with orcs being watched by only six spies. That is entirely out of the question and I will not agree to it. I am increasing the patrols."

"I am not arguing against increasing the patrols, my lord," Tulus said. "I would like to try to influence your timing. Give me a month to watch her and find out how she is getting information about the patrols. Once we know more about the information she still can get, and from where, we might be able to use that to our advantage or at least be certain we can increase the patrols without making her suspicious."

Dolgailon loosed a long breath. "Very well. I will wait. A month. I will be very hesitant to wait more than that," he replied.

"And once we feel certain we can increase the patrols without arousing her suspicions, you have warriors available to do that?" Thranduil asked.

"I will have to make some changes, but I can manage it," Dolgailon answered. "And, it can even be passed off as part of the adaptations made necessary by the change in officers in the Training Program. So, it should not attract too much attention."

"Security concerns are settled then," Thranduil said. "Another issue that we must manage is the effect Manadhien has on the attitude of the villagers. She has undoubtedly been been poisoning those people, unchecked, for the last twenty years and we cannot allow that to continue, even in the interest of capturing all her servants. I have no idea how we can curb her influence in this area. Suggestions?"

"After Amglaur's death, Galithil mentioned to me that he was concerned that he saw essentially two groups of people in the village--those that supported Manadhien and those that wished for Adar's return. Or mine. He encouraged me to return to the village," Dolgailon said quietly.

Thranduil raised his eyebrows.

"I did not then, and do not now, feel that I could command the patrols separated from the stronghold by such a distance, so I told him that I would not return to the village," he continued. "But I did speak to several people while I was there to get a better idea what Galithil meant. I found that Manadhien was making statements that did not show support for this family or for Sindar rule in general. I confronted her and told her that I would not tolerate hearing another single report of such commentary. If she intended to govern my village in my place, she would show me and my family complete respect." He laughed. "I must give her credit. She is an outstanding liar. Her reaction to that demand appeared sincerely repentant. I correspond with several people in the village more regularly now, in the interest of monitoring if she has obeyed that demand, and according to them, she has."

"Why do I get the impression that you still do not feel that situation is resolved then?" Thranduil asked when Dolgailon paused.

"She may only be wiser about who she is spreading her poison to. I do not know. Spies should be able to answer that question, though. But more importantly, her words may be poisonous, but her actions are more so," he replied. "For example, there is the incident of her buying swords for the guards. Before I knew who she was, I saw that as an innocent overstep of her bounds. She told me that she intended to be helpful. To increase security through her own generosity. I believed that, but I told her it was unacceptable. She refused to acknowledge that there was anything wrong with what she had done, so I told her that I expected her to send me regular reports of her decisions while governing the village. She has complied with that request and, as painful as it is to admit, she does a good job managing the village. Her decisions are generally sound, she is efficient, and she is a strong leader. I have not had another complaint with her. Of course, now that I know who she is, I think it is clear that she did not buy swords to increase security; she bought swords to buy loyalty for herself and detract it from the king. That is obviously a problem."

"One that has not repeated itself?" Thranduil asked. "Perhaps for now you have managed that."

"Or perhaps she was in no position to buy any further loyalty because she was out of funds. Until now," Legolas interjected softly. Everyone turned to him. "She now has a large sack of gold coins. Negotiating a large sum in exchange for Anastor and I was clearly Fuilin's primary responsibility. She wanted gold more than she wanted me. Maybe she wanted it for some new scheme to buy more loyalty amongst the people in the south."

"That is believable," Dannenion whispered, looking nervously around the table. "She built support by reminding people of what the king does not do--send warriors, send supplies, whatever it might be. If she can make such statements while providing what Thranduil does not, the people in the south would be swayed by that."

Dolwon and Tulus both nodded in response to that.

"Watch her for signs of that," Thranduil ordered, looking between Dolgailon and Tulus. "If you catch her doing anything suspicious, tell me and we will decide how best to counter it," he said to Dolgailon. Then he turned to Tulus. "When you report to me, I want you to include any activities you see that might indicate she is building her own realm in that village. Clearly that is what she thinks she is doing. I want to curb it in any way I can without endangering the security and prosperity of that village."

"Yes, my lord," Tulus replied. Dolgailon nodded.

Thranduil directed himself fully to Tulus. "The last concern that I have is Manadhien herself. Will six elves be enough to keep constant watch on her? I will be extremely angry if she disappears."

Tulus took a long steadying breath before answering that question. "Six in addition to myself should be a perfectly adequate number, my lord, assuming none of them are dedicated to carrying messages to the stronghold. Communication--requesting aid or reporting vitally important information--will be difficult given the distances involved."

"We will need a hawk," Engwe said. "There are several trained to go to that village."

Dolgailon and Tulus both shook their heads. "I cannot recommend a hawk, my lord," Tulus replied. "A new hawk carrying messages would be easily noticed. Knowing the birds the king uses to carry messages, I had no trouble identifying the hawk Manadhien used to communicate with Glilavan once I confirmed there must be one."

"People--warriors from the patrols--would be even more easily noticeable," Hallion said. "And to carry messages for you, they would have to know you are there. They would be a potential means of discovery. I do not think we could use couriers."

"Do you think anyone would notice or be suspicious of an owl?" Thranduil asked.

"Are owls swift messengers, my lord," Dolgailon asked with a mildly amused expression.

"They are excellent spies. On children outdoors, at night, without permission," Legolas said dryly.

"And they would travel silently at night when few people would be watching," Tulus added. "But I did not think owls were easily trained."

"I am this realm's king," Thranduil replied quietly. "I serve it and in return, it serves me. If an owl suits, I know one that will help us."

The only response to that were raised eyebrows.

"Then this is settled?" Thranduil asked. "Other than selecting the elves that will go with Tulus." He looked at Dolgailon.

Dolgailon frowned. "You are certain of this, my lord? Certain it is wise? My adar would never have agreed to this. It is a terrible risk, both to the village and to the possibility of losing Manadhien."

"You are right that Aradunnon would never agree to do this," Thranduil replied. "For similar reasons, he also would have never allowed Tulus to rejoin the Guard, nor Galithil to betroth himself to Maidhien. His judgment concerning Manadhien and her various allies was not always sound. I will grant you that neither has mine been. But this is a risk I think we should take. Rule of that village is yours. I will not demand we follow this plan, but you will have to provide me with an alternative to hunt down her servants if you will not agree to it."

Dolgailon sighed. "I can think of none. I will agree to it. And I will hope it works with no further incidents."

"Indeed," Thranduil agreed. Then he turned to Dannenion and Dolwon. They straightened under his gaze, Dolwon shifting in his chair. "We have discussed what I expect of Tulus. Here is what I expect of you: you will report to me, immediately, any attempt, via hawk or messenger, that Manadhien or any of her servants make to communicate with you. You will bring to me any written message that she sends to you and if she or one of her servants visits you, you will do everything in your ability to bring them to the attention of a warrior or guard or member of this family. You will not conceal from me any further information about Manadhien or her servants. Understood?"

"Yes, my lord," they both responded, promptly.

"You are dismissed from the service of this court," he continued. "I cannot allow you to continue to serve Golwon or anyone else inside the stronghold as long as Manadhien is at large. She has too much influence over you and I cannot risk it. After she and her servants are dealt with, we can revisit this decision, but until then you are free to return to whatever trade you prefer to practice, including the patrols, if you would like. You are free to do so where ever you like, but I would like to recommend that you remain in the capital. In the stronghold, if I can convince you of that. Not as prisoners, but merely for your safety until we can capture all of Manadhien's servants that might try to extract revenge from you."

Dannenion and Dolwon stared at Thranduil in silence for a long moment. "That is all?" Dannenion finally asked, his voice small. "I mean, I do not want to question you and end up with worse, but...that is our sentence, not what you have decided for our wives and children?"

"Be glad that you have wives and children who are innocent," Thranduil replied. "Many times my council and I have sat at this table, debating your reluctance to live within my law. Each time, while I was inclined to send you from the forest, thinking you would never be reconciled to my rule, the argument that I could not exile ellyth and especially children, or separate your family, held my hand. And I am glad that it did because I am convinced that you are now willing to live under my rule. Am I correct?"

They both nodded quickly. "Yes, my lord."

Thranduil tried to smile at them. It was a thin smile, but it was an effort. "Consult with your wives regarding whether you prefer to live inside the stronghold or in your cottages. If you prefer your cottages, I understand that, of course. I could arrange a guard, if you would like."

"I know Eregeth prefers the stronghold, my lord," Dannenion answered. "She is terrified that something else might happen to Anastor. Or to Maidhien. I doubt she could sleep or bear to be alone in our cottage."

Thranduil's expression grew very serious. "Speaking of Maidhien, she is your daughter, Dannenion. I recognize that. But she is a member of my family as well. And Fuilin openly threatened her. I would like your permission to assign her a guard, as the other members of my family have. I will do that regardless once she marries Galithil. I would prefer to do it now."

"I will not object," Dannenion said. "But she might."

"She may do so all she likes," Thranduil replied. "As long as we agree, she will find her objections will be quite ineffective." He turned to Conuion. "See to that. Consult both Maidhien and Galithil for their preferences of the guards you think would be suitable and then bring me two or three names. I will make the final decision. The guard we choose, like Legolas and Galithil's, will report to me, at least until Galithil is of age."

"Yes, my lord," Conuion replied.

Thranduil turned back to Dannenion. "One more issue, Dannenion. I know that Dolwon is your family and he will help you. And though Anastor may be angry, he will come around. Even before he does, I am sure he will help be responsible for his family. But, we are also family, you and I. Do not hesitate to ask me if there is anything you need while you are adapting to..." he glanced at Dannenion's arm. "Your new condition. I cannot imagine how difficult that is for you and, to be honest, I am, at least in part, responsible for what happened to you. It would not have happened if I had spoken to you before I went after Legolas. You justly criticized me for not listening to you. I would make amends for that if there is any way I can."

Dannenion bowed his head to hide his surprise. "Your offer to allow us to remain in the stronghold is more than enough, my lord. Since I can no longer defend my family."

"I knew many elves that lost limbs in the Wars of Beleriand and of Wrath. They all learned to fight again, Dannenion," Thranduil said softly. "Even to use a bow. Langon taught them. You could work with him when you are well enough healed. Either Dolgailon or I could arrange it for you. Let me know if you would like to."

Dannenion nodded, still without looking up. "Thank you, my lord, I will."

"Go tell your families that this is settled then," Thranduil said. "I will make sure Galion knows you are staying in case there are more appropriate long term accommodations for you. I am sure that living inside the stronghold seems strange to you. Galithil and Legolas...any of us, can help you find ways to be more comfortable."

Dannenion and Dolwon stood. Dolwon hopped up, in truth. "Thank you, my lord," they both said. Then they bowed and hurried from the Hall as Thranduil dismissed them.

Thranduil held out a hand to keep Tulus in place as they left. Once they passed through the doors of the Hall, Thranduil turned to Conuion.

"Dannenion, I trust. I believe this experience taught him how dangerous Manadhien is, if nothing else. Dolwon, I do not trust at all. Put a watch on them both to ensure that they obey my expectations of them."

Conuion nodded.

"Manadhien's hawks met Glilavan in the tall, dead tree near the training fields," Tulus told him. "The one the bees are moving their hive to. They will only come down for whoever they are trained to meet, no matter what you offer them, so do not waste your time with that. If she sent messengers, they met Glilavan by the elm growing amongst the beeches on the path that leads to Lord Dolgailon's village. The one just outside the range of the guard. Of course, I never saw Dannenion or Dolwon receive messages in either of those places and they said they still received them from her until recently, so maybe their messages go different places, but perhaps that information will help you still."

Conuion nodded again and, for the first time in days, his expression towards Tulus softened slightly.

"It will make it easier to ensure Legolas and Galithil go no where near either of those places, at any rate," Thranduil said, looking down the table at Legolas.

"Understood," Legolas said quietly.

Thranduil turned back to Tulus. "Let me make perfectly clear what I expect from you," he said sternly. Sternly enough to make Tulus begin to rise, but Thranduil reached and held him in place with a hand on his arm. Then he leaned forward to look directly into his eyes as he spoke. "Do not lose track of Manadhien. That is your responsibility. You may have the time you deem necessary to find Fuilin, Mauril, Lagril and Pelin. And to identify and track any other servants she might have. But I want you to eventually deliver Manadhien, Fuilin, Mauril, Lagril and Pelin to me. And I want that to happen before she destroys the southern part of my realm. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my lord," Tulus answered.

"As for Fuilin, Mauril, Lagril and Pelin, I do not care what happens to them. My intent, when I receive them here, is to execute them. They cannot be sent to Aman in any other way since they are barred from taking ship, I cannot free them into exile and I cannot safely imprison them. So executing them is my only option. But if they are killed while being captured, I do not care. Manadhien, on the other hand, I want alive. I want to look her in the eyes and make certain that she recognizes her defeat. If you lose her, Tulus, I will exile you from this forest and never allow you to return. You are personally responsible for bringing her to me. Again, is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord," he answered again.

"You do not have to do this. If you do not want to do it, I can send someone else to lead my spies. If you choose not to..." Thranduil leaned back and took a deep breath. His hand, resting on the table, balled into a fist. "I am furious with you, Tulus. For hiding Glilavan's plotting and for hiding Manadhien's location from me. I understand the fears that led you to make the choices you did, but they do not change the fact that you committed treason. In my mind, though you both did the same thing, your crime is worse than Dannenion's because you made an oath to my house to protect it and you failed in that oath by hiding this information. If you choose not to take on the responsibility of capturing Manadhien and her servants, you are dismissed from my service and I want you to leave the capital. I will not ask you to leave the forest, because I believe you to be loyal to it and, generally speaking, to me. But I do not want to see your face, to be honest with you, I am too angry with you to be able to tolerate seeing it."

Tulus looked at Thranduil evenly. "My lord, if you had not asked me to do this.... If you had ordered me to leave the capital or even the forest entirely, I would still be going to that village to spy on Manadhien, find her servants and finish all of them." He glanced at Dolgailon, "I mean no offense and I certainly do not intend this as a threat, but the patrols would never have caught me. I have lived in this forest since long before the Moon and Sun arose. I know it and I can hide in it if I choose. I will do so until I have her. You are angry with her because she threatened your family and killed three members of it. Well, she did the same to mine. She killed my cousin, Candirith. She did not kill Glilavan, but she took him from me just the same. What she did to my son is worse than killing him. You are not the only person in this forest that wants her finished, my lord. I will not lose her."

"Is that what Glilavan meant when he challenged you to 'take the final step?'''

"He meant for me to betray her location to you. But he believed, and I did too, that you would rush to arrest her and she would benefit from your haste and escape from you. I would not have allowed that to happen. She is not getting away from me. I want to watch her die with my own eyes, and I would be happy to do it myself."

"And that is what you meant when you told Glilavan that you intended to, just not in the way he expected--you intended to go kill her yourself?"

"That is what I have been planning for the last six years, my lord. How to eliminate them all and end this once and for all. Even if I had to do it alone."

Thranduil nodded. "That is what I thought. We understand each other, then."

"Yes, my lord. We do."

"You, Conuion and Dolgailon can discuss together who will assist you in this. I want regular reports. At least twice a week. When you have decided who is going with you, come tell me and I will introduce you to the owl you may use to carry your reports."

Tulus stood in response to the implied dismissal and bowed, but he hesitated before leaving. "May I ask, my lord, what you have decided to do with Glilavan?" he asked, gaze fixed on the floor.

"Glilavan tried to kill my son, this realm's prince and my heir, before my eyes in the Great Hall, Tulus," Thranduil replied, his tone heated. "And he confessed that he helped Fuilin escape. He confessed that he shot Celonhael, though it was Fuilin that finished him."

Tulus closed his eyes and covered them with his hand.

"I am sending him, under heavy guard, to the Havens and putting him on a ship. Be it his will or not, he is going to Aman to face the judgment of the Valar for his crimes. I pray he can come to some understanding of what he has done there."

"Thank you, my lord," Tulus whispered. "I am so sorry for what he has done. And for my part in allowing it to happen."

Thranduil only nodded.

Tulus bowed again and turned towards the back of the Hall, to the doors. He had walked half way down the center aisle before Legolas rose from the end of the table and, with a glance at Thranduil, followed after him.

"Tulus, wait," he called.

Tulus stopped, hesitated a moment, and then turned to face Legolas. His face was composed, but his posture was tense.

"I apologize for the way I spoke to you earlier, Tulus. I was wrong not to listen to you. You have been my friend since I was an infant. I am not prepared to forfeit that friendship for what has happened. Please forgive me and let us part on good terms. It may be a long time before we see each other again." Legolas paused. "If we see each other again at all. What you are doing is very dangerous. Adar's anger with you is nothing compared to what Manadhien's must be. And she is a murderer."

Tulus stared at Legolas for a long moment in silence. Then he reached for Legolas's shoulder and pulled him into an embrace. "Thank you, my lord," he whispered, as Legolas returned his embrace. "I am truly sorry for being dishonest with you."

Legolas shook his head. "I wish you had not been. I do not agree at all with the choices you made. But I do understand them, to a certain extent. I wish for your sake something could have been done to help Glilavan. I cannot imagine how painful it has been for you to see everything that has happened with him. You did not deserve it, Tulus. I am certain that you made a wonderful father because you have been like one to me and I will miss you."

"I will miss you too, my lord," Tulus said, voice breaking as he pushed Legolas to arms length and held him there. "You promised me that you would be safe. I expect you to keep that promise."

Legolas smiled. "I will. To the best of my abilities. You do the same."

Tulus nodded.

"Will you make me another promise, Tulus?" Legolas asked, his voice quiet.

"If I can, my lord, I will," he responded.

"Do what you must to comply with the duty the king has given you, obviously. But do not kill Manadhien's servants yourself unless you have no other option. It is bad enough that the king must execute them to protect the forest. I can assure that killing them for vengeance will not deliver you the satisfaction that you believe it might."

Tulus's hands tightened on Legolas's shoulders and he bent forward slightly to hold his gaze. "You did what you had to do, my lord--what you were forced to do by evil beyond your control. You did it, as is not only your right, but your also your duty, to protect Dannenion, Anastor and yourself--and thus the forest, because the king would not long survive your death. It was completely justified."

"With Demil, perhaps," Legolas replied in a whisper. "But, Tulus, I would have killed Glilavan if he had killed you and that would have been vengeance, not justice. I am not able to defend putting a knife to his throat, when Conuion had already subdued him. I am not at all proud of my actions then."

"You have your daeradar's temper at times. And his fierce loyalty. I admit that these are not always good qualities, Legolas. You must control them and not the other way around. If you can control them, they, in turn, will serve you very well." Saying that, he released Legolas, stepped back and bowed. "We will meet again, my lord. Perhaps when we do, this business will be finished."

"I hope it will be," Legolas agreed. And he watched as Tulus turned and exit the Hall.

*~*~*

Gwaith-i-Mirdain -- the jewel smiths, led by Celebrimbor, that made the Rings of Power.

Annatar -- the name Sauron used, while in fair guise, manipulating the jewel smiths in Ost-in-Edhil to his own ends.

AN: This is the end of Bitter Paths. The aftermath of this installment will be shown in the next story, which will be set immediately after this story. I should start posting it sometime soon.