The way to Gondor (Aragorn and Legolas fanfic)

King Thranduil's opinion

Legolas POV

He knelt down in front of me and I knew already what he was going to say, even before he did it. My heart beat faster than I though was possible. In spite of the fact, that Aragorn had already asked me, he'd do it in front of all these people, and that was the part I was nervous about. Especially my dad, who luckily sat a few seats away from me, next to lord Elrond.

"Will you, Legolas Greenleaf, prince of Mirkwood, be my husband?"

It was like was wave of love washed over me where I sat on my bench, and as I felt I almost drowned in it, I answered.

"Yes. Yes I will!"

And then my heart couldn't take it anymore and I threw my arms around my future husband's neck, kissing him like the world depended on it. Cheering and clapping were heard from the hall, but I didn't care about it, just loving this moment, where, finally, Aragorn would be mine forever.

But what about my dad? I broke the kiss and slowly turned around. My father sat up very straight in his seat, staring at us with his stern icy blue eyes, his hands still holding his fork and knife. Elrond next to him patted him on the arm and whispered something in my father's ear, and suddenly, he relaxed and something you could interprete as a smile spread on his face. It was the most he could do, I knew that, and I was grateful about it.

"Let us go back to eat", I told Aragorn, but he shook his head.

"Not yet", he said. "I think you've forgotten something. Fiancés need engagement rings."

Suddenly he had conjured up a small box from his pocket and when he opened it, I was met with the sight of the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It was a thin silver ring with two gems on it, one blue and one green, formed like a leaf. I held my breath while he put it on my finger, mesmerized by this moment.

"The blue one is a sapphire, and it stands for the ocean. The green one is an emerald and it represents the forest. Now you have both your favorite places and your home on your finger, and you can be at both places at the same time. I thought it a good start for you to live here, if you have your own home with you", the king explained. 

I just started up into his deep grey eyes and didn't want to ever look away. How had I deserved such a man, that made me so happy? He was my life elixir, my reason to keep going and waking up every morning, he was the one, that my whole world circled around. 

"It is perfect!", I whispered, tears of joy in my eyes. "I love you, Estel!"

"I love you too, little elf prince!", he smiled. I laughed and together we walked back to the table, me now sitting next to him on the throne. It was a bit cramped, but I had nothing against sitting pressed against him on the chair. 

After a while, I saw my father stand up and make his way towards us. Apparently he wanted to speak to us and I was curious about what he was going to say.

"First of all, I want to congratulate you, king Aragorn, on your kingdom. I wish you all the best and may the luck be on your side", he started, having not looked at me yet. 

"Thank you, Thranduil, I appreciate that", Aragorn answered politely. My father nodded. Then he looked at me.

"I also want to congratulate you on your perfect choice of husband", he said.

I gaped. Had he just said that? Was this really my dad or some kind of double that looked like him? What had Elrond told him that had made him this accepting?

"I must admit", he continued, "that I wasn't very fond of this bondage at first, but then I realised, that there is no better person my son could share his life with. You are a nice and caring man Aragorn, brave and you fight for whom you love. And from today on you are a king of a kingdom ten times as big as mine. Really, I couldn't be happier for my son."

Oh, so there was rub. Of course, I could have figured it out for myself. My father only wanted to marry me to someone powerful, someone with a big kingdom and a lot of power, because he thought an elven prince deserved no less. And now that Aragorn was exactly such a person, he was fine with the marriage. He'd still be a bit concerned about him being a man and not an elf, but he'd at least leave us be. 

"Thank you very much, your majesty", Aragorn replied to my father and smiled. It was his way of showing that the conversation was over. I smiled too, and, satisfied with his performance, my father turned around and elegantly walked back to his place, hair and coat flying after him. 

"Why were you so afraid about what your father would say?", the king asked me, stroking a strand of hair behind my ear. "He was very nice and pleased about our engagement, don't you think?"

"Ha, that's what you believe!", I answered. "He just likes you now, because you are a king and rule a kingdom as big as ten Mirkwood forests. You'll see, someday he'll even become jealous of you about it. And he still doesn't like that you're a man."

"A man or a human?", he wanted to know. "Because, you know, for a man, I'd describe myself as a pretty good catch!"

"Ha ha, very funny", I replied. "No, he just doesn't like that you're going to die in the end."

It got silent and I almost wanted to appologize about the way this must have sounded in his ears. But then he cleared his throat and said:

"About that, I've got something to tell you."