Some may have seen Thranduil, a very handsome and tall elven king. He has beautiful long light blond hair and gray eyes.
He would wear a crown of red leaves and berries in his blond hair, and in spring his crown was woven of woodland flowers.
In addition, he is wise and far-sighted, good at weighing things up, and does not allow others to question his authority. He is a very majestic king.
Turka and Thorin saw him in the king's hall. At that time, he was sitting on a carved wooden chair, high up.
"My lord."
The Elf King stood up and greeted the leading silver king very politely: "Time flies by in a blink of an eye, and the day I had a drink with you seems like yesterday."
Turka also saluted him, and then said: "May the starlight of Elberith always shine on your head, Lord Thranduil! I haven't seen you for several years, and I have to say that your kingdom has become more prosperous. "
The dragonborn said this because he saw that the elves prepared extremely rich food for the dwarves. Not only did they have all kinds of hams, steaks, sweet cheeses, and fruits, but they also had high-concentration brandy and wine.
Considering the animosity between the two clans, this is a bit too enthusiastic.
Thranduil glanced at Thorin as if he were seeing his father's enemy, and smiled and said: "The people of Starlight are always warm to guests."
"Hypocritical elf." Thorin said coldly, looking extremely rude.
Turka sighed, his head hurt a little.
Sure enough, a trace of anger flashed across the originally smiling face of the Elf King. He looked deeply at the dwarf and said, "In addition, Lord Turka, I have a message here for you."
Turka was really surprised: "What kind of message is it?"
But Thranduil said: "Let us take our seats first, no matter how anxious we are, we will not miss this moment."
Helpless, Turka and others could only enter one after another.
The dwarves and Bilbo didn't think too much. Anyway, if the sky fell, there would be the Silver King and their king. Even big figures like the Elf King would bear it first. All they could do was fill their stomachs first.
At this time, Legolas also changed into a fine robe, wore a forehead crown, and appeared at the banquet.
With the addition of some Sindar Elf nobles who were accompanying them, and the female elves who played the harp and the flute, although it was not too lively, the atmosphere was at least much relaxed.
Even Thorin stuffed some food randomly as if he was angry, drank several sips of wine, and then sat there sulking.
After finally getting through the unpalatable banquet, Thranduil ordered the dwarves to be taken to a comfortable room that had been prepared to rest, leaving only Turka and Thorin behind.
Legolas is also there.
Because the polite process has been completed, and there are only a few relevant people here, Thranduil no longer hides and tucks him. He said unexpectedly: "Lord Turka, I have a pair of brown robes from Radaga here. He seems to have expected that you would come through my country, so he sent a messenger with news about Annuminas."
As he spoke, he ordered someone to bring a birdcage, in which stood a pointed-beak skylark with gray feathers.
Turka's eyes immediately became serious. He asked: "What happened?"
Thorin knew about the outbreak of the plague in the north, because when he went to Annuminas to invite Turka, the Silver King was rushing back from Rivendell.
Even during the adventure, Turka returned to the ancient city on the shores of Nengweiao Lake more than once to deal with related matters.
So the dwarf couldn't help but look over.
Thranduil didn't say anything, but opened the birdcage himself, stretched out his hand to let the skylark jump on his finger, and then took it out.
"At your service! Dear Silver King!" This skylark with very beautiful feathers greeted Turka very politely, with a pair of small black eyes showing a hint of wisdom.
"Please don't be too polite." Turka nodded. This is a world full of miracles. Here, it is normal for birds to talk. "The brown-robed wizard has something to inform me?"
"Yes, yes." The voice of the skylark is very beautiful, and almost all people or elves who have heard them sing will be attracted by their beautiful singing voices: "The friends of the forest arrived at the tall king before nine sunrises and moonsets. The tower was built by Elendil. The animals had witnessed the prosperity of mankind in the north. In those days, many birds made their home there and ate the food prepared for them by the kind king. The animals remembered This point was spread secretly. But the prosperity of the human world is always fleeting. The former king died in Barad-dur, and the succeeding kings fell into disputes; darkness struck, the kingship was lost, and the last king was drowned by the frozen sea. , the glory of Western humanity is completely cut off."
Everyone knew that this skylark was narrating the story of the Kingdom of Anor and its subsequent kingdoms of Arthedain, Rhudaur, and Cardolan. Although everyone was very impatient, they could not help but be patient and wait carefully. Listen carefully.
Finally, the talkative skylark spoke of the Silver King.
"...until the silver-white king blew the ancient horn, and the ancient city in the north reappeared in glory! The elves and dwarves reunited, and the humans gathered together; under the Demon Farm, dragon flames billowed; the black tower collapsed, and the Demon Lord escaped; the animals recorded After this scene, Turka Aracano’s name became famous in Middle-earth!”
"All of us know this!" Thorin was a little impatient. This bird talked too much. I don't know if it was trapped in the bird cage by the Elf King for too long. This skylark couldn't stop talking. Yes, it’s really better to say it than to sing it!
"Tell me something we don't know, otherwise I will doubt your qualifications as a messenger!"
Thorin threatens it.
Only then did the chatty bird shut its mouth. A little aggrieved and a little angry, he said: "If the dwarf is so anxious, fine! Then let us skip the beautiful paragraphs and start the sad story! Dear Turka Aracano, yours The minister is dead! A conspiracy appeared in your royal capital. Arathorn, son of Arado, was assassinated, and the northern kingdom lost its deputy! The female elf led the northern elves and the Dúnedain rangers to repel the rangers from the south. Assassins, but the mob stormed the King's Tower, and the glory of Annuminas was overshadowed, my King!"
The news was so shocking that even the dwarf king couldn't help but look in surprise; Legolas even looked at the silent silver king with worried eyes.
Thranduil seemed to have known this for a long time and continued to urge it: "Also, please tell everything you know and don't mislead Lord Turka."
So the skylark continued: "It was at this time that the friend of the forest arrived in the north. With the help of the female elf, he confirmed that the plague that broke out in the north was witchcraft, a terrifying evil magic! But he also There was an assassination, a terrible assassination! An Istar attacked the Friends of the Forest! It almost killed the silly Radagast, who always loved mushrooms!"
"What!"
Now even Turka couldn't sit still and said in surprise: "Radagast was also assassinated? Another wizard attacked him? Who?"
"We don't know each other!"
This skylark seemed to be very afraid of the wizard. It jumped up and down on Thranduil's slender fingers uneasily: "The animals don't know his name! There are no legends about them in the West, but Radagast knows it." ! But he didn’t say! He asked us to fly and fly, fly to the valley, fly to the golden forest, fly to Thranduil’s palace, and look for the wise men and the silver king of Middle-earth.”
"I also learned about this two days ago." The Elf King said, with even a hint of confusion and deep worry on his beautiful face: "But I can't tell you more! This wizard is not in my memory. Maybe Lady Galadriel knows more, maybe not! I can’t be sure! This is almost one of the few things that has puzzled me in my long life.”
"So I ordered Legolas to go find you, Lord Turka." He said: "Because I know that you and these dwarves will pass through the forest and go to the lonely mountain in the east through the road built by my ancestors! A reckless adventure!”
Turka's heart skipped a beat, feeling helpless again.
Sure enough, the next moment.
"Whether you are reckless or not is not your pointy ears that have the final say." Thorin glared at the Elf King very angrily, and his stubby fingers dangerously grasped the hilt of Orcrest's sword. I'll chop off your head" with a furious look.
"Who stood by and did nothing when our allies needed them most!"
"Who is so greedy for life that they let their former allies sleep in the open without daring to lend a helping hand?"
"It's you! Thranduil! The king of the Woodland Kingdom! A ridiculous empty king in name only! An extremely hypocritical elf!"
As if remembering those miserable years, Thorin could no longer bear it. The dwarf cursed with red eyes, cursing the Elf King and his country.
"Let this elf sit on his rotten wooden chair and rot with the passage of time! We don't need his false pity!"
This made the king of the Woodland Kingdom suddenly furious.
"Don't talk about misery with me!" Thranduil's fingers also grasped the hilt of the elf sword embedded with gems at his waist, and his gray eyes revealed a frightening light.
"I have also fought against dragons! I have experienced the terror of dragon fire!"
The Elf King removed the magic from his face, and half of his face, corroded and singed by dragon flames, appeared in front of everyone, which was shocking.
"I warned your grandfather that his greed will inevitably lead to evil prying eyes! But the dwarf was indifferent and turned a deaf ear!" As if aware of his son's surprised gaze, Thranduil flashed light in his hand, and his handsome and beautiful face returned to his original appearance. Show up in front of everyone.
He said coldly: "Tell me! Will you continue to help a man who ignores other people's warnings and rushes towards destruction, risking the annihilation of his family?"
I don't know whether he was stopped by the elf king's heartfelt question, or simply frightened by Thranduil's hidden side, Thorin was stunned.
…,…
The elven palace is very beautiful and shocking.
The huge carved corridors, the deep stone paths, and the charming clear springs under the stones are all fascinating.
Bilbo even found a small patch of beech trees and other small trees planted in the cave, which were lush and green, as if they were in a garden under the sun.
Moreover, the elf's bed is almost the most comfortable except for the hobbit's crib, with white sheets, soft pillows, and clean window sills. Bilbo could even hear a refreshing fragrance coming from a beautiful flower placed by the elf on the windowsill.
It can be seen that elves are very considerate when it comes to hospitality.
Moreover, the elves do not restrict their freedom. As long as they do not step out of the magic door of the Elf Palace, they can go wherever they like. Even if you are curious, the elves will not even stop you from sitting on Thranduil's throne. !
But none of this could conceal the fact that the dwarves and hobbits were under house arrest by the elves.
After that meeting that the Hobbits didn't know about, the Silver King disappeared, and the dwarves were also excused by the Elf King: Please rest for a while, and it won't be too late to set off again when your bodies are back to their best condition. —— was left in the palace of the Woodland Kingdom.
Thinking of what Turka said before the dwarves left for the Elf Kingdom, Bilbo, who was trapped in this palace, which although beautiful, was not the final destination of the hobbits, finally made up his mind.
He made an excuse to go out for a walk, and when the elves finally took their eyes away from him, the hobbit immediately put on the magic ring he picked up in the Orc dungeon, turned into a shadow, and stood before the Elf King Thran. Walking through Dill's palace.
He first went to the gate to try his luck.
As expected, Bilbo was rejected.
The Elven King's magical door is closed, and no one is allowed in or out.
Moreover, the place is heavily guarded, and the elves’ vigilant eyes are constantly scanning the shadows, making it impossible to sneak out quietly——
He can, but the dwarves are not as invisible as him.
So Bilbo took a detour to visit other places in the elves.
But no suitable breakthrough place was found.
"Are we destined to waste time here?" Bilbo sat slumped on a step, his thick feet resting on the cold ground.
"It is clear that Turin Day is approaching, but Master Turka disappeared at this time, leaving us in the palace of this gloomy Elf King. What happened?"
"Thorin may know, but he has become increasingly irritable during this period. Almost every day he is either cursing or spending time in frightening silence. I don't want to look for him again! The anger in his eyes is chilling, as if he can be seen at any moment. It’s like it can chop off people’s heads.”
And, what bothered Bilbo was that of all people, only Thorin's room was guarded.
It seems that the Elf King also knew that with Thorin's temper, he would definitely not be willing to cooperate obediently, so he openly imprisoned the Dwarf King.
It looks like when will you figure it out and come out to talk to me again.
Moreover, Thranduil did not completely treat them as prisoners. In the past few days, the Elf King has invited everyone to the Elf banquet more than once. During the period, they were entertained with good wine and delicious food, with a smile on his face.
It made dwarves like Bilbo and even Balin so angry that they didn't know how to express their anger.
