The King's Heart (Thranduil Fanfiction)

Chapter 16

(Rhovanel)

Once Thranduil and I were beyond a hundred meters away from the camp, we started sprinting; losing our silent treads and tearing away through the dry leaves. After another two hundred meters I started laughing. The whole situation seemed too serious, and I felt that it needed to be lightened.

I ran up to Thranduil, who had been running a bit faster than me, and punched him in the shoulder.

"You're it!" I said, darting away. He stopped and stared at me.

"What?" he said. He was obviously confused by my playfulness.

"You're it!" I repeated, shifting my weight from foot to foot. "Oh come on! You're telling me you never played 'it' as a child?"

"No. Legolas taught me though," he whispered. I only just realized what he was doing. He has been inching closer and closer to me while I was distracted with his unfamiliarity with the game. I squealed when he hit my shoulder before I could dart away. "You're it!"

I laughed as he ran toward the tree we had slept in. He was running with his eyes on me, darting left and right to avoid trees. When he faced away from me, I swung myself up into a tree and ran toward him from the branches. Then I saw him turn to look at me again, chuckling as he stopped. He was turning in circles, trying to anticipate my assault. Little did he know, I was directly above him.

Just when I saw his mouth open to call me, I jumped. Thranduil managed to hear me snap a twig when I leaped, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid me. As I felt my feet hit his chest, I heard a soft 'oof' as the air rushed out of Thranduil's lungs. We went tumbling forward a few feet before I landed on top of Thranduil's chest. He was coughing, trying to catch his breath, but when he did he started laugh, and I could not help but join in. Then he grabbed my shoulders and spun me to the ground so he was on top. We continued laughing for another minute before we just smiled at each other.

I was going to get up, but then my gaze fell upon his eyes, and I drowned. I knew I had blue eyes, and I had always been told that opposites attract, but Thranduil's eyes were the most amazing eyes I had ever seen. Right now, they were grey blue with flecks of silver at round the iris. I felt myself relaxing completely, not ever wanting to move.

Slowly, Thranduil's eyes became bigger before they closed, and I noticed that it was because he was leaning down to kiss me. I turned my head ever so slightly to the side, so his lips brushed my cheek. His eyes flew open in shock, and I saw them fill with disappointment as he began to get up. I giggled and pulled him back down.

"Where do you think you're going? You're it," I whisper before pressing my lips to his. I can feel him jerk slightly in surprise. But then he eases into it, deepening the kiss. Thranduil's lips were thin and soft, but I could feel the aggression in their movements.

When he broke off for air, we were both breathing hard. Thranduil stood up and offered a hand to help me up. This time I took it, allowing him to help me where I had refused so many others. His hand felt rough, like there a thousand tiny scars that had faded from sight.

When I was finally on my feet, I could not stop staring at Thranduil. He was staring right back at me, and I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.

"I think we should get back to the tree. Before the orcs send a search party for me," I say, wanting to break the silence somehow.

"Why would they send a search party for you?" Thranduil returns sharply. Why is he being cross? I'm trying to be careful.

"I've raided this camp several times in the past months, do you really think they wouldn't try to find me?" I snap back. Thranduil thinks about it for a moment.

"I suppose you are right. Let's go."

We walk back to the tree in silence, but he keeps glancing at me and I at him for the next hour of our walk.