runando ~ A Thranduil Story

Discomfort

The coronation day was full of festivities. The people were out in the streets, most of them cheering and dancing. Flowers had been thrown everywhere, tossed into the ocean, many laid at the foot of the statue of Gil-Galad. They were celebrating their first ever Queen. It was an exciting time for the people of Lindon.

Inside the palace, everyone was preparing for the first big feast of the day. There would be two - One for lunch and one for supper. For both of them, Laineth would be sat in a elegant, tall chair at the head of the table. The other Lords and Ladies present would be sat at her table. Everyone else would be sat at other tables in the dining hall. Laineth wasn't sure about anyone else, but she felt starved. It was protocol for the monarch to enter last, but all Laineth wanted to do was run in there and stuff her face.

So, she was left all alone outside as everyone found their seats. By peering around the doorframe, she could see where everyone had been sat. Thankfully, she would have Thranduil sat to her left, being the highest ranked person after her in the room, and Annunor on her right. That was a relief. She couldn't imagine how conversation had gone if Lady Galadriel had been sat next to her.

After she had been given a nod by a guard at the door, she entered. Pausing in the middle of the doorway, everyone rose from their seats. With the crown sat high and mighty upon her head, she glided into the room, her bare feet freezing cold on the marble floor. Her steps were light and silent, her dress smoothly sailing along behind her. She'd grown quite an adoration for the gold chained dress, doused in the colour of blood. A tinge of a hint back to her past. One she wears with fear. One that others react to with fear.

As she grew closer to the main table, she observed all who sat there. From the middle right down to the far end were many other Lords and Ladies of Lindon, a few of whom looked at Laineth with slight distaste in their eyes. Others viewed her with a look of wonder, some with terror. It was a good mix, she thought. The rest of the table was full of more foreign royalty. Seated next to Annunor was the King of Arnor, Valandil. They appeared to be having a hearty conversation before Laineth entered. Now the King of Men was staring at the Queen, seemingly awestruck. Further towards the head of the table, Thranduil and Glorfindel had risen from their seats, sat on either side of the table from each other. Laineth giggled to herself, she doubted the pair would ever find common ground.

Some people bowed their heads to her as she went past. Laineth wasn't sure what to do in response, so she nodded her head slightly in return. Thankfully, she reached her seat not long after she entered. She didn't get lost in the maze of tables. Her seat was very tall, practically dwarfing her in size. The back of it reached high above her head, made out of cushioned wood that had gaps filled in by glass. It was an odd looking chair, but an attractive one nonetheless. With her hands gripping the armrest, she sat herself down. The rest of the room lowered themselves back into their seats, the scraping of the legs on the marble floor making a horrifying sound.

Food was served not long afterwards, not giving Laineth a chance to be thoroughly introduced to the rest of her guests. Thranduil took to intermittently talking to her throughout the meal, commenting on how large her ceremony had been in comparison to his own.

"To be fair to you, the Woodland Realm doesn't house many people. If it did, your coronation surely would have been as elaborate as my own." Laineth said to him, taking a bite out of the venison that had been served, a nod to her now stubborn roots in the Greenwood.

"Ai, even then I doubt many would have shown. A lot of my people doubted my capability as King." Thranduil replied.

Sternly, Laineth gave him a glare, "And they don't now, do they?" Thranduil shook his head. "That's because you have proven yourself worthy of the crown. They wouldn't dare doubt you now."