With You

Chapter 13

The next couple of weeks, Thranduil had Celebelen meet him at the training grounds in the afternoon, after the soldiers had finished doing their morning paces. He set up many agility courses, hoping to increase her speed before getting her to use her powers. She was getting faster at a very reasonable pace, which pleased him greatly. She never complained, only ever rolled up her sleeves and tried her very best.

The more they trained, the more Thranduil loved her. Which surprised him, as he thought he couldn't love her any more than he already did. It made him smile more and more, the longer she proved him wrong. Every time she looked up at him, wiping sweat from her brow and giving him a weak smile in acknowledgment, the more he had to suppress his desire to go scoop her up and kiss her thoroughly. Never in his his life had he felt such warmth and the desire to be playful with her.

Outside of training, they made time to spend with each other without a specific plan in mind. They spent many hours walking through the hallways, holding hands and exchanging ideas. His logical and cold demeanor was slowly tempered by her ideas of common ground and fairness. It was the first time he had exposure to a life outside of being a royal. Celebelen had heard the other healers gossiping that Thranduil seemed more calm and reasonable these days. She had even seen the shyest of the healers that she knew stop and speak to him about low supplies in the infirmary.

Of course Oropher was very unhappy about their return to courtship. Celebelen secretly thought that he had perhaps given up on trying to separate them, and was in the process of accepting the current reality. He was nonetheless polite when Celebelen returned to sitting by Thranduil at mealtimes, though she could still occasionally find him glowering at her when he thought she wasn't looking. She had made up her mind to try to ignore him, even though his stares made her feel guilty. It was impossible for her to give Thranduil up now.

Slowly, while training, Thranduil had her begin learning the art of immobilizing the enemy with her gift. He used himself in the place of the enemy, not trusting anyone else to do this job the way he wanted it. She was hesitant to use her plants for this at first, which meant he spent a lot of time convincing her that she had not hurt him. Her progress was slow, but steady.

Of course, she never shirked her duty in the infirmary. In fact, a few days after she began using her plant manipulation in training, she was attending to her duties while Thranduil and Oropher finally met with Annatar to discuss his purpose for visiting Greenwood.

She had just finished healing a bone fracture in a solider who had sparred too roughly, when she saw someone she recognized as a diplomat enter the infirmary with a harried look on his face.

"Where is the healer Celebelen," he asked the infirmary at large.

She noticed he looked and sounded tense. Using a cloth to wipe her hands clean off the salve she had been using, she stepped forward. When he saw her, he grabbed her by her wrist and began dragging her out of the room.

Spluttering in shock, she asked, "What is this?"

He replied tersely, "It's the prince."

Suddenly she stopped resisting and matched her stride with his, "What is wrong?"

"You'll see when we get there," he quickened his pace.

Soon they stood in front of a door that lead to a conference room, behind which she could clearly hear the furious shouting voice of her beloved. The diplomat turned her towards him, and suddenly pulled the ribbon tying her hair back from her. Her hair immediately fell to frame her face, a river of gold free in the breeze. He looked over her critically, smoothing the stray strands of hair that escaped the body of her tresses and dusting the dirt off of her face and apron while she stared bewildered at him.