What goes around, comes around (editing in progress)

A race against time

Thranduil sat at the head of the long table, watching as the elves took their breakfast while he tapped his fingers on the wooden surface in annoyance. He picked up his goblet and took a deep gulp of wine before he rose abruptly from his chair. Tinnueth was absent and this displeased him greatly. But the fact that the two witless brothers were also absent for breakfast made him greatly suspicious. There was no possibility for them to get to Tinnueth's chambers. But why were all three of them missing? This could not be a coincidence. Something was wrong.

Thranduil left the dining hall and headed for Tinnueth's chambers. He had felt uneasy throughout the entire night, though he had blamed his heart which had become restless due to Tinnueth's enchanting presence in his halls. Now he was not so sure anymore if the culprit was his heart. A strange sense of fear, whose origin was still unknown to him, had crept into him. His intuition told him that something had happened to her. After he had knocked on her door a couple of times, he entered the chambers only to find them empty. Thranduil approached her bed and furrowed his brows. The bed looked as if it had not been used the previous night. He leaned down and picked up a few rusty bits from the bed sheet. Thranduil rolled them between his fingertips and smelled them. The king left her chambers and stepped out into the corridor, still holding the rust between his fingers.

"Guards!"

His voice thundered through the corridor, making every guard within earshot run to him.

"Find Lady Tinnueth. I want her in her chambers now! And you two..." he pointed at two of the guards, "...bring Dogion's sons to me!"

As soon as the guards ran off, Thranduil returned to Tinnueth's chambers. His gaze was fixed on her bed. Something did not feel right. He could feel it, he had felt it all night long. But now that he faced the facts, he refused to believe it.

The first guards returned and bowed to their king in apprehension. "My king, the two brothers are not in their chambers."

Thranduil's expression turned fierce. "Are there any news of lady Tinnueth?"

They shook their heads. "The guards we met on our way said that they were still looking for her."

Thranduil seethed with anger. "Go and get my spies and trackers. Tell them to come here this instant!"

The guards almost fled away in pursuit of them, leaving the king in a state of fury. Thranduil hit the stone wall with his fist, feeling deep anger fester in his heart. He sat down on a chair and stared at her empty bed while he waited for everyone to return. As the king had feared, he was soon informed that Tinnueth was nowhere to be found. He sent a guard to bring Elrond and Celeborn to him. Thalawest and Thurinor arrived along with Maenor and Dinenor. They bowed to their king with reverence.

Thranduil stood up from the chair. "It appears that Lady Tinnueth disappeared and along with her the two brothers you had been spying on. I want you to go now and find them as soon as possible. They must be somewhere within my halls."

Before they left, they checked Tinnueth's chambers for more clues to what had happened. Elrond and Celeborn arrived along with Galadriel. The king informed them about the situation and Belegur arrived in the middle of their discussion. He looked baffled seeing so many elves in his daughter's chambers.

"What is going on here? Where is my daughter?"

Thranduil walked over to him and placed his hand on Belegur's shoulder. "Your daughter is absent, as are Esgaron and Maldor, as well. We are presently trying to trace their steps."

Riniel who had entered the chambers after her husband collapsed into a chair in shock.

The trackers called for the king.