Disclaimer: LOTR and all related characters were created by J.R.R. Tolkien. No money is being made off this fic.
Spoilers: Possibly The Silmarillion, but I don't really think so.

Enjoy! -P.Rico (AKA Sarcastic Elf)

Chapter 1

In the realm of Greenwood the Great there lived a rather large settlement of Silvan Elves. For centuries, they had lived in peace, following their chosen ruler. However, it came to pass that in an unfortunate accident, their leader was slain. He had no children and left nothing indicating whom his chosen heir would be. Thus, the Silvan Elves of Greenwood were thrown into civil unrest. But before the dispute could lead to violence, the elders of Greenwood turned to Lindon for assistance. They requested an impartial mediator to help choose a new leader for Greenwood. For this, the Sindarin Prince Oropher readily volunteered. Oropher and his family already lived near the borders of Greenwood and had a great love for the forest. Gil-galad, Noldor King of Lindon, agreed to this, for he knew Oropher to be wise and fair.

And so Oropher, with some of his most trusted advisors, traveled to Greenwood to mediate for the Silvan Elves. In the end, the divided Elves came to an agreement that none had anticipated. They requested that Oropher become their king, for they were struck by the wisdom and powerful presence of the Sindarin prince.

It took little time for Oropher to agree. As it was, his family had merely settled in Lindon for lack of another place to stay and he desired to remove himself from beneath the Noldor rule. Also, Oropher's love of Greenwood and the rustic ways of the Silvan people played a large factor in this decision.

So it was that Oropher was to move to Greenwood, with a handful of his Sindarin kin, to rule the Silvan Elves. Before this move, however, Oropher traveled north, with his eldest son, to speak directly to Gil-galad, as was requested by the High King.

And so our story begins.

---

"You wish for me to care for the son of Oropher?" Elrond Peredhil asked as he and Ereinion Gil-galad walked down a polished hallway of Gil-galad's palace. "I was under the impression he had also come for the talks."

Oropher shook his head. "Nay, the young elf merely wished to see the city," Gil-galad replied. "He is quite young; he has not even reached the age of majority. Oropher and I both figured he would be rather bored in the talks."

"So you wish for me to baby-sit," Elrond muttered.

Gil-galad chucked. "Guide, by dear Elrond. You shall be his guide to the city. And make sure he sees all of the best sites."

"Tulco will not be pleased," Elrond replied, referring to Gil-galad's head healer and his own teacher.

"I have spoken to him," Gil-galad replied. "He believes it will be good for you to get away from the healing house for a few of days."

"And how long exactly is a few days?" Elrond countered.

"I should take us no longer than two, perhaps three days to discuss everything that needs to be discussed."

Elrond sighed and finally relented. "And where is this soon-to-be Prince of Greenwood?"

"In the garden," Gil-galad replied and then added, "Oropher and I will most likely be in conference for the entire day so try to keep him occupied."

Elrond nodded. "As you wish, my king." He punctuated this with a rather over-dramatic bow and spun sharply on his heels toward the garden.

Gil-galad smiled after the younger Elf and then continued to walk to his council chambers where Oropher was waiting for him.

--

Elrond walked out into the lush gardens of Gil-galad and took a deep breath of the fresh air. He then frowned. Gil-galad's garden was rather large and Elrond had no idea where his new charge was. As luck would have it, Elrond did not have to search very long. He came upon a golden-haired youth sitting beside on of the fountains reading a book.

"Well met," Elrond greeted as he approached the young elf. "I am Elrond; I am to be your guide. You are Prince Thranduil, I presume."

The young Thranduil rose gracefully to his feet and bowed respectfully. "Well met, Lord Elrond," he said in a formal manner. There was a slight pause. "Father sent you to keep an eye on me," Thranduil finally stated.

Elrond stifled a chucked. "No, as it is, my king sent me to, um, guide you around the city."

Thranduil raised an eyebrow at this and for a while, Elrond thought he had offended him. But the young prince broke out into a smile. "I promise not to give you too much trouble," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Elrond replied with a smile of his own. "That would be much appreciated."

--

The day was enjoyable for both Elrond and Thranduil. Elrond rarely dealt with elves so young and was taken in by Thranduil's youthful curiosity. Thranduil, on his part, would listen eagerly as Elrond told him about the city. The two arrived back from their tour with just enough time to wash up and change for dinner.

"Good evening, Father, King Gil-galad," Thranduil said with a respectful bow when he and Elrond entered the dinning hall. Elrond greeted the two as well and they both took their seats.

"How was your day, Thranduil?" Gil-galad inquired.

"It was wonderful, My Lord," Thranduil replied with a bright smile. "There are so many things to see. And Lord Elrond seems to know everything about it."

Gil-galad smiled as this. "Yes, indeed. I do not need paper records as long as I have Elrond."

Elrond replied with a smile of his own but said nothing. Instead, he decided to change the subject.

"And how was your day, My King?"

"Very productive," Gil-galad replied. "We covered many things. But there is still much to discuss."

"What can they possibly be discussing that takes so long?" muttered Thranduil softly, though not soft enough.

Oropher shot him a sharp glance while Elrond discreetly hid his smile by taking a drink of his wine. Gil-galad, on the other hand, let out a hearty laugh.

"Do not worry, young Thranduil," he said. "One day you will find out and you will then wish you never did."

Seeing that Gil-galad was not offended, Oropher visible relaxed.

"But surely," Gil-galad continued. "You have not tired of our city already and wish to leave."

Thranduil flushed slightly and shook his head. "Of course not, My Lord," Thranduil said quickly. "Your city is wonderful. I look forward to seeing more of it."

"Actually," Elrond spoke up. "I had planned to take you to explore some of the surrounding woodlands."

Thranduil smiled. "I would love to explore the woods."

"I sounds as if you are going to have a busy day tomorrow," Oropher spoke up. "You will need your strength." He motioned to the untouched dinner before his son.

"Yes, sir," Thranduil replied and quickly turned his attention to his plate; Oropher's message to be silent and eat had come across loud and clear.

Elrond frowned at this, but a warning look from Gil-galad silenced any comment he might have made.

---

Thranduil placed his brush down on the side table beside the bed of his guest room. He pulled his hair back and secured it with a strip of cloth at the nape of his neck and then reached for his bag and pulled out the few items he had purchased in the market.

Most were presents for his mother and sisters. He had also bought himself a leaf-shaped brooch. He hadn't really intended to buy himself anything, but the simple, yet elegant, silver pin had caught his eye.

He was examining the brooch when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said, rising to his feet. The door opened and Oropher stepped into the room.

"You are ready for bed already?" he asked.

Thranduil smiled. "Yes. Lord Elrond and I want to get an early start. He wishes to leave at dawn," he said, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "But I am not going to sleep quite yet."

Oropher walked over to and sat down beside Thranduil.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked his son.

Thranduil nodded. "The city is very nice. But I think I will enjoy the forest better. There is too much stone in the city. I got some things for mother, Niere, and Alce, " He held out his new pin. "I found this for myself."

Oropher took the pin and examined it. "Very nice," he said. "Though I had never known you to take an interest in such things."

Thranduil shrugged as Oropher handed the brooch back. "I just saw it and liked it," he admitted.

"Ah, well," Oropher said as he reached forward to push a stray strand of hair behind Thranduil's ear. "I had best let you finish preparing for bed." He rose to his feet. "Be sure to come see me before you leave."

"Yes, Father," Thranduil said, also rising.

Oropher bent over slightly and dropped a kiss on Thranduil's forehead.

"Good night, my son."

*********************

Author's Notes:

1. On Oropher being wise: Oropher is probably best known for charging out at the enemy in the Battle of Dagorlad before Gil-galad's signal and getting himself and about two-thirds of his warriors killed. Not a very wise move. But I think this was just a result of his pride (not wanting to fight under Gil-galad's command) getting the best of him. Oropher, after all, ruled the Silvan Elves for almost the entire Second Age. I doubt he would be able to do so if he were truly foolish. Even the wisest of beings can act foolishly.
2. No details are given about the circumstance surrounding Oropher becoming King of Greenwood. I would assume it was more than him just waltzing in with his handful of Sindarin Elves and claiming Greenwood as his kingdom and the Silvan elves his subjects. There probably would have been problems among the natives ^_^.
3. Appendix B of "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn" in The Unfinished Tales talks about "The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves". While, I suppose, it could be taken to mean that they were only considered princes among the Silvan Elves (since neither Oropher or Thranduil are referred to directly as a prince), I've chosen to translated it to mean that Oropher (and Thranduil) were actually Sindarin Princes before they ruled the Silvan Elves. After all, both Oropher and Thranduil are referred to as 'king' of the Silvan Elves rather than 'prince'. Since there is nothing on their lineage (for all we know, they could have been closely related to Thingol) it's all guess work and interpretation on my part ^_^.
4. Tulco is an original character. He may or may not make an actually appearance but he is, in this story, a master healer. Elrond is his assistant (hey, he's young still and doesn't know everything yet).