Any method is going to have occasional mistakes. If you don't change leadership much at all then maybe "don't get unlucky" is a viable strategy.

Why would we change it?

The king, may he live forever, might not live forever? Much less of a big deal for Elves, that one. Or if there's a kingdom where the best person to run it isn't currently running it, it might be useful to have a procedure for finding out who.

They could go start their own kingdom and see if people follow them.

Huh. That could make a lot more sense when kingdoms and people are on the same time scale. A new monarchy of mortals would have succession problems when the founder dies.

What if the existing powers don't want to let them leave?

A good King wouldn't have objections to his people starting a new realm. Depending on the situation he might not promise to let them come back.

When there isn't a good King is exactly when having some solution is most important.

I don't know enough to say I'd prefer the Dwarves' setup, but monarchy is a scary thing.

Really doesn't seem that way to me, but I understand why it'd scare you.

It's the absoluteness, mostly.

You do have to trust that your King would never give an order that's wrong.

And never is a powerful word. Even among Elves, when you at least know who the king is.

...I've been thinking of you as an Elf all this time. Is that off?

Half-right!

Oh. So, you actually are the only one then.

Yeah. It was hard on Mother, they don't want to do it again.

Is it lonely?

I have all of Menegroth! I feel stifled sometimes, but definitely never lonely.

Oh, good.

Is it going to be less stifling now that the outside continent's safer?

There's still no way my parents would ever let me out of Doriath. But it means visitors!

Visitors, yes. And probably more than just us, too.

They won't let you out ever? That does sound stifling.

I would be a ridiculously tempting target for the Enemy.

Yeah, true. But it's your risk to take if you want to.

Not really. They're the ones who'd die trying to retrieve me or, if the Enemy figured out a way to use me, when I turned on them...

That sounds like not wanting to. For a depressingly good reason.

I don't mind it. Doriath's a nice place to be stuck, if you're going to be stuck.

If. It's a very nice place, but. If.