Brightest Stars | Love of Royals: Book I

XXXII: The Climb

'Elena, I need you to do something for me.  For Eirwen.'

I turn expectantly to Thranduil, debating whether I should return his firm gaze or play the innocent.  His figure is strong and solid, yet at the same time lithe and majestic against the dull backdrop of Gundabad's outer wall.  I find looking in his eyes to be bitterly cold, but I hold my gaze.  Thranduil is, as always, the epitome of perfection.  He's the most beautiful and yet terrifying thing I've ever seen.

My response ends up as a low whisper.  'What is it?'

'You took us this far.  Now you must find her.  Tell us where she is being kept,' he says earnestly. 

My immediate reaction is to shoot Thranduil a glare.  'I cannot simply have a vision now.  The last one was triggered by intense emotion, and I know I'm frightened now—petrified, even—but I don't know how to recreate what happened before.'

No one has the nerve to interject, let alone to go against Thranduil... except me, of course.  That was always the way.  Legolas would stand up for his own personal matters, but he would never question or defy an order—and then there's me.  I once thought that being a Star meant I was above Thranduil, but somewhere amongst the kissing and fighting there was a little piece of me that realised how wrong I was.  Despite that, I still have my moments.

I will under no circumstances force myself to have a vision, or use any of my powers for that matter.  I don't know what they could do, who they could hurt... it's too risky.

'If you do not find her soon, we may lose her forever.'  Neither of us look at Elidir as Thranduil says this, but I can easily imagine his appearance.

Instead, I keep my focus on the platinum-haired king before me, whose glare is the ice trying to counter the liquid fire flowing through my veins.  'You think you can force me to have a vision?' I begin defensively, 'well, I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but I have so little control over my powers that I don't even know why they choose to appear when they do. I have about as much chance of locating Eirwen as any of you do at this point.  If I tried to force one of my powers to work, I might hurt one of you.'

Tauriel steps in, attempting to be the peacekeeper as she has before.  'Elena, you don't have to. We'll go in and look for her together.'

'And be caught,' says Legolas firmly, 'who knows how many orcs are lurking around in there?'

'There is no other way other than to go in and brave it,' Elidir states, and as he does I catch a glimpse of horrific memories surfacing in his forest eyes.  Memories of the battle here nearly three thousand years ago, from which the survivors never truly recovered.

'Did we arm ourselves for nothing?' Tauriel raises her hands questioningly.

Straight away, Legolas replies, 'Tauriel, we cannot fight our way out, there will be too many of them.'

'It's a death trap in there,' Elidir concurs, 'it'll be difficult enough to navigate without orcs on our heels.'

'I remember the way,' Thranduil finally says, not taking his eyes off me, 'I remember it all as though it were yesterday. There will be no need to navigate as soon as we know where we must go.' 

I scoff.  'Yes, hint at your intention until the Star is pressured into having a vision. Waste the time you said was so precious, why don't you?'

'I am losing—have lost—my patience with you.' Thranduil corrects himself before taking a slow step towards me, as if to be... threatening.

However, I'm not backing down.  Why should I back down, when I know that we can save Eirwen perfectly well without a vision?  I know his game—Thranduil is displaying his authority in an attempt to convince Legolas that we do not love each other, and at the same time portraying himself to me as pathetic.  He may be indisputably regal and dominant, but his intentions at this moment are weak.  Weak, like when he threw me from his elk; weak, like when he kept secrets from me; Thranduil Oropherion, you are weak, my gaze seems to say.