With You

Chapter 14

Soon after, the strange Lord Annatar left Greenwood.

Thranduil and Celebelen began to fall into a sort of routine of training and spending time together. As time passed, they both blossomed in their own ways. Celebelen grew bold and more sure of herself due to the support and encouragement Thranduil gave her, both publicly and privately. Thranduil became more relaxed and down to earth, as she reminded him constantly of the sweetness life had to offer. She provided him stability, connection, and intimacy, which he had sorely lacked before her.

In time, Celebelen finally began creating other significant friendships with the elves she had spent so much time with. It became more and more apparent to her that she really had no intentions of leaving Greenwood ever again, so it became easier to let herself be close with others. There was another healer that she became particularly close to at first, a Silvan elf lady named Elian. Her flame red hair and green eyes had made her stand out.

Elian had spotted and discovered Celebelen's plant manipulation without her even having to explain. When she was confronted, Elian was blunt and to the point. When Celebelen confessed, Elian was surprisingly accepting and expressed approval for such a gift. Soon after, Elian began talking with her as if they had been friends for centuries. It was bewildering to be exposed so directly to the culture of the kingdom around her.

Celebelen quickly began falling in love with her surroundings. She could feel her heart settle in the trees and the wind that blew through them. As she became closer friends with Elian, she introduced her to many others she hadn't officially met yet. All of them were friendly enough, as she had healed so many already. It was easy for her to accept her role as an important part of their community. As she grew more bold, she became more talkative and friendly. She learned slowly how to make others smile with her words, loving sharing joy with her kinsmen.

In Thranduil's mind, he was beginning to recognize changes in himself. He began exploring himself as the elf in love with Celebelen, which was so different from the self that was the Woodland Prince. As he spent more and more time with her, he reckoned with the changes he felt in the prince his father had fashioned him into. It felt as if a huge glacier was melting in his mind and heart. Just being with her made him more secure, as she never wavered in being at his side.

As the stability between them remained, he found it easier to open his heart to others. Soon, his soldiers were inviting him to different gatherings, as if he had been their friends all along. It became easier to talk to them, finding compassion and common ground in almost every conversation. He noticed several of them began asking after Celebelen, having been healed by her and curious as to her wellbeing. It was always startling to realize that they had noticed how much talking about her made him happy.

The years began to fly by, and suddenly, before either of them realized it, their 50 year anniversary of the beginning of their courtship was upon them. It was Oropher who reminded Thranduil of this fact one evening as they were cleaning up after a council meeting.

Thranduil paused in his rolling of the maps they had been pouring over. "Has it truly been that long?" he asked quietly.

Oropher nodded, though his expression was grim. "Elvenking Amdir asked me when he should expect a wedding invitation, last time we met," he admitted, though his tone was neutral.

Thranduil dropped the scroll in his hands, allowing the sharp tap of paper against the wooden table echo between father and son. It felt as if he had been struck by lightening as the idea began taking hold in his mind. Marriage? With his Celebelen?

He was shocked that he hadn't been thinking of this sooner. Of course it had always been a goal of his, since the beginning. But the thought hadn't occurred to him in so long. Things had been so steady and stable between them, being with her was easy. He wondered what she would think of a marriage proposal. Would she agree to become a princess of Greenwood? She already had been well established as head of the infirmary, for so long at this point. Would she accept even more leadership?