#mereneth

Hello!!! Enjoy :)

(I know you asked for his wife, and Mereneth will go on to become his wife, but currently Thranduil has a huge crush on her, and she has a huge crush on him, but they're both too afraid to admit it, so...)

"Then as Oropher rounded-" Thranduil cocked his head to the side and stopped his tale, even though no one interrupted him.

"Thranduil? Are you alright?" Celebrian asked, her eyes fixed on her friend with concern.

"I'm fine, but the trees are… I don't know. They're acting…" Thranduil looked up at the sky, searching for the right word, "weird, in a way."

"Come on, I'll tell you the rest of the story." Ferdan offered, leading Celebrian away so Thranduil could investigate the whispered warnings of the trees.

Following their directions, most of which were in the form of scattered berries or fallen sticks to guide him, Thranduil exited the palace and walked into the gardens that surrounded it.

A strange sound reached his ears, and he followed it to the tree that had sprouted over his first planted crown. Peering around the trunk, he saw Mereneth curled in a ball, sobbing quietly to herself.

"What's wrong?" he asked, going around to sit next to her. Gently, he moved her head so that it would rest against his shoulder. He sat there, happy to let her lean against him until her sobs quietened down. Finally, she lifted her head to look at him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered

"Whatever for?" he asked, giving her a confused look.

She sniffled, "I got snot all over your tunic."

"It can be washed," Thranduil dismissed her apology, his look of confusion turning to one of concern, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she muttered, making her way to stand up, but Thranduil grabbed her hand before she could walk away.

Thranduil gave her a pointed look. "It's clearly something."

"It’s something stupid," Mereneth admitted, looking down at her feet. Thranduil reached a hand to wipe away the tears from the face that had captured his heart so completely.

"It may be stupid to you, but it matters to me."

Her gaze jumped up to see Thranduil looking at her with such love and compassion. "You don't even know what it is."

"Try me." Some of his usual confidence and 'do your worst' attitude crept into his words, the familiarity of it enough to make Mereneth automatically smile.

"Herion yelled at me during training today," she whispered, humiliation creeping into her words. "He said that I didn't give him the correct herb, but I'm pretty sure I did. When I told him so, he yelled at me and threatened to fire me."

Thranduil's face went from one of concern to one of fury within a matter of seconds.

"I told you it was something stupid," she muttered.

"That is not 'nothing'," Thranduil said, his voice deadly calm as his rage threatened to overtake, "Herion shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"No!" Mereneth cried, quickly correcting her tone when she remembered just who she was speaking with, "I must've mixed the herbs up! I promise it's nothing." Even as she said that, her voice broke and tears welled in her eyes.

"Come here," Thranduil whispered, pulling Mereneth into his arms. "It'll be alright, I promise." Right then, he vowed to make Herion pay.

“It is of great importance.” She says to him softly, it was rare for her to come seeking anyone else out. As usually people sought her out being a healer and herbalist. But this was something she needed to speak to the King about.

@mereneth-the-silvan

Mereneth | Former Queen of Eryn Galen Also known as Mereneth of the Teleri, daughter of the forest and seas.

“That we’re all children of this world, and that no matter what we all are we should help one another,” Mereneth responded clearly, with a tone that could silence any glaring or stupid ellon. The determination in her gaze made Celebrían stare up at her, “We have not survived leaving Aman to watch the world burn. I have not returned from the dead just to see my son’s future destroyed.”

-From Changing of the Song in The Oialëa Series

Actress: Emma Mackey

This is my daughter, Mereneth. Aka Merry, or Meren. She is the inspo for how Jak looks! They have a few attitude similarities that I didn't mean to do, but Meren likes to demand things and yell "Now! Nooow!" when she's hungry or wants attention.

Days soon turned into a week, since one bold herbalist....what was her name...ah, yes, Mereneth...one of his son's friends.... alerted him about the corruption and decay spreading in their forests, killing anything but poisonous plants.

The alchemists he sent to examine soil and water in various spots where herbs started to wither and rot started giving him reports of their findings. It was all the same - there was no exact natural cause, or poison at work, nor a combination of them.

He himself visited some of those places. Feeling of life dissipating from everything around reminded him of his early years, the constant fear of spreading darkness, that threatened to swallow everything. Fear of shadows that were ready to take him away from his family, or to destroy and twist everything beautiful into a nightmare.

He already sent three of his most experienced rangers to seek out the brown wizzard, while other of his people - those who knew songs of healing, cleansing and renewal were called to help the herbalist to preserve and protect still healthy places.

He went today to check their supplies, wondering how much would he need to get from elsewhere - most probably from both Rivendell and Lothlórien. It was there, where he spotted familiar copper curls.