The King's Heart (Thranduil Fanfiction)

Chapter 44

(Thranduil)

I awake to Rhovanel climbing into the bed. When I see her tired face, I choose not to keep her from rest, but to stay beside her as she sleeps. The night passes slowly, but I do not wish for it to hasten. My thoughts are occupied with my son, my people, and the traitor. He will pay dearly for his crimes, and I vow to deliver the final blow.

When Tarawen silently pushes the door open and sees my open eyes, she jumps. I put my finger to my lips and look at Rhovanel. Tarawen nods, relaxing a little. She steps over to the table and soaks a new rag. My chest no longer hurts, but I know nothing about the details of healing, so anything Tarawen tell me to do in regards to my wellness, I will follow. The clear medicine that she so loathes is not on the table.

Tarawen finishes changing my rags and whispers, "the cut is healing nicely and based on your color, blood flow has been almost completely restored. Take it easy for the next few days, and you will be your old self again before you know it."

"Thank you, Tarawen. What time is it?"

"The sun has just come up, my lord." I nod and settle back against the pillow. Rhovanel stirs slightly, and I freeze. Then she settles back against my shoulder and I breathe a sigh of relief. She is so beautiful; she is not scowling or deep in angry thought, she is peaceful and serene. It depresses me that we will have to get up sometime today.

I would have let her sleep all day, but she wakes up an hour after Tarawen leaves. She rubs her eyes once, yawns and sets her head on my chest. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and whisper, "Good morning, melamin."

She smiles, "how long have you been awake?"

"Most of the night. I have had enough rest to last me a week! It is high time to do something," I exclaim, throwing off the sheets and heading for the door.

"Uh, Thranduil?" Rhovanel laughs hysterically. I look down and notice that I am only wearing thin underwear, the kind made for armor. I can feel heat rush to my face. I search desperately for clothes, but there are none to be seen except the bloody under armor garments.

"Relax, I would not dare breathe a word of this to anyone," she giggles. "I'll go find you some clothes. In the meantime, I do not suggest opening the door, even if we are in a secluded part of the kingdom." She stands from the bed, kisses my cheek, and slips out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhovanel returns with a charcoal grey tunic and trousers with a red cloak. I slip the trousers on quickly while Rhovanel laughs behind her hand. Then I start to put the tunic on. I move to slip my left arm through the sleeve, but a sharp pain shoots through my side, making me gasp in pain. Rhovanel takes the sleeve from my hand.

"Let me," she says, sliding the sleeve over my arm. The tunic presses gently against my chest, but not so much that I can't breathe. Rhovanel drapes the cloak around my shoulders and turns to face me.

"Hmmm, you are still missing something," she says.

"What?" I ask, turning circles around myself.

Rhovanel laughs. Then she pulls my crown out from behind her back. I stare at it for a moment, then take it from her hands and place it on the table. She gives me a curious look, confused at my refusal of the crown.

"I do not need a crown to complete me," I say, wrapping my arms around her hips.

"Then what do you need?" she whispers, pink blooming on her cheeks.

"You know the answer already," I whisper and press my lips to hers. She presses back and wraps her arms around my neck. I pull her against me and back up to the wall. Rhovanel twists her fingers through my hair and I pick her up. Ignoring the trickle of blood I feel on my side, I carry Rhovanel over to the bed. She pulls away and leans back which pulls me into the bed over her. We both start laughing at our tangled limbs and continue kissing. Then Rhovanel touches my side and pulls her hand back quickly. She pulls away and looks at her hand; it is covered in blood.

"Thranduil!" She pushes me under her and tears open the tunic, revealing my bloody chest. She grabs a rag from the table and presses it to the source of the blood.

"Rhovanel, it is fine, calm down, please," I whisper, grasping her trembling hands.

"Thranduil, you are not fine! You can not ignore injuries like this-"

"Rhovanel, really, it does not hurt. The cut is healing fine. I will be back to normal in a few days," I protest. Rhovanel shakes her head and presses harder against my chest.

After a few minutes the bleeding stops and Rhovanel removes the rag. "Please take care of yourself," she whispers while she puts the bloody rag in a bowl.

"Of course, melamin." She walks over and kisses my forehead. Then we walk out of the room together.