With You

Chapter 25

In the weeks that followed, they were rarely separated. If Thranduil was honest with himself, it was a comfort to have her in his eyesight during this time. Monitoring her mental state was his top priority, though many would not understand his insistence at being by her side. She seemed not to mind, however, always happy to discuss whatever was on her mind with him. For several months they rotated exploring the forest, reading in the library, or working in her greenhouse. At night, they would stargaze as they exchanged different stories they had heard or read about the constellations. It always made him happy to watch her point and gesture wildly into the dark sky as she spoke.

Her warmth and brilliance returned sooner than he thought. Which simply amazed him with her resilience. When they first had returned home, she was quiet, reminding him of the early days of their courtship. Eventually though, she laughed easier and spoke more, as she recovered and slowly returned to her responsibilities.

One day, as she lounged on his lap in their favorite high backed chair in the library, she looked up from her book and asked, "My love?"

"Hm?" he replied looking up from a different tome he had been reading.

He recognized a look of mischief in her eyes and was immediately interested when she said, "I recently looked into a few books on making wine. And I have a question for you, as this is your hobby."

Finding his bookmark, he placed it carefully in his book before closing it, so he could give her his full attention. His hand casually returned to where it had been resting on her hip, when he replied "What is this?"

"If I bred a special type of different fruits, do you think it would make a difference in the finished product?" she asked excitedly.

A single brow raised in contemplation, "Of course. The quality of the fruit always has a strong effect on the quality of the wine. I have perfected the fermentation process, but the quality of the harvest has always made the result a gamble."

She grinned, "Well, meleth nin, if you'd agree to work with me, I'd be delighted to provide a harvest or two for an experiment."

"Of course, my love. I would love to work with you on this. My fondest dream, in fact," he told her with a crooked smile.

She closed her book and leaned up to hold his left cheek in one hand and press her lips to his right cheek. When she drew away, his eyes followed her. He watched in fascination as a blush bloomed across her cheeks, as was customary, the longer he continued to stare at her. It always warmed his heart that he could still make her blush even after all the time they had been together. Both of their books fell to the ground as his hand drifted up from her hip to hold her face as he dipped to capture her lips with his.

When her hands thrust into his hair to grip him tighter to her, he had to suppress a soft moan in favor of deepening his kiss. His hand trailed down to her neck, feeling just how fast their kiss made her heart race beneath his palm. When his thoughts registered to her, he felt her lips curl beneath his as she had to suppress a laugh at herself. With his mind already full of her, he chased her laughter as he moved his lips to behind her ear where he knew she was ticklish. She giggled and kicked her feet, but still let him nibble on her sensitive skin, her hand moving to cling to where his neck met his shoulder.

Unfortunately, that is how Oropher found them. He coughed loudly, making her shriek and jump in shock. It didn't startle him so much though, making him roll his eyes at what he knew would be a disapproving stare from his father.

His hand returned to her hip, holding her in place and stopping her from getting up from his lap before he turned his eyes to his father and asked stiffly, "Yes?"