Beauty and the Elvenking

Chapter Seven

You had been a "prisoner" in Mirkwood for several weeks now. You had seen nearly everything the palace had to offer, including its immense library that Thranduil had been kind enough to show you. That was the place you spent most of your days. It had more books and scrolls than you could read in your lifetime. There were even days where Thranduil joined you and the two of you sat in comfortable silence. You had to admit that the Elvenking was not as aloof as you originally thought. There were times when he was even kind to you, despite your status as prisoner.

Still, you had to admit that you missed your home, your father and Calilmal. You often dreamed of them and would wake up in tears knowing you would never see them again. This morning was one of those. Elebridith came into wake you to find you sitting up in bed, your knees pulled up to your chest and tears pouring down your face. "Oh, Mellon! What troubles you?" You'd grown close to your "maid" over time and you knew you could tell her anything in confidence. She sat with you and let you vent all your frustrations until you were cried out.

"Perhaps you should go explore some places in the palace you haven't yet seen? It will distract you," she suggested before helping you dress and escorting you to breakfast with Thranduil. It had become routine for you to take every meal with the king, even though you had protested vehemently at first. You could no longer deny that you found him fascinating. He wasn't the cruel, cold and calculating elf you first thought him to be. He truly cared about the well fare of his people, which now included you. He never went out of his way to make you happy, but he wasn't outwardly cruel either. After breakfast with him that morning, you decided to take Elebridith's suggestion and explore the rest of Mirkwood. You would soon wish you hadn't.

You were humming a little tune, not really paying attention to where you were going. Soon, you found yourself back in the one place in the palace you hoped never to see again. The dungeons. You suppressed a shudder and were about to turn around when a voice stopped you. "Y/N?" Your eyes widened and you scanned the darkened room for the source of the voice that you would know anywhere. "Calilmal?" your voice came out small and soft, like that of a child.

"Y/N! It is you!" You ran in the direction of his voice, finally seeing him in the darkness. "W-what are you doing here, Mellon?! The king, he said-" you cut off as you realized what had happened. You'd been lied to. That was the one thing you could never stomach. Lies. You gazed up into your friend's eyes. You saw his fear and determination. "Hold on. I'm going to get you out of here and then we're going home!" You backed away from his cell and went in search of the keys. The guards seemed to pay you no mind as you wandered further down and into the wine cellar. You swiped the keys after engaging them in conversation for a few moments.

As soon as you hand the keys in hand, you quickly ran back to Calilmal and freed him from his cell. "Tinyn is in the stables. Just follow me and hide when I tell you!" you whispered harshly, in case anyone had heard the cell door opening. Calilmal nodded and did as you asked. The trip to the stables took twice as long as it normally would have simply because you had to keep shoving Calilmal into dark corners and behind pillars to hide from the king's guards. They all greeted you with curt nods and swept past you.

You finally made it to the stables where Tinyn was being kept. "Cormamin lindua ele lle, Tinyn," you greeted your horse softly. Calilmal was watching over his shoulder. "Come on, Y/N. We need to go." You nodded and mounted your horse. Calilmal quickly jumped on behind you. You urged Tinyn into a gallop toward the gates of the palace. You were certain Tinyn could feel your urgency to leave that place. Within minutes, Tinyn was galloping through the gates and you could hear the shouts of Thranduil's guards.

Thranduil's POV

The Elvenking was sitting at his ornate desk, penning a letter to Lord Elrond of Rivendell, when a knock on the door interrupted him. Without waiting for an answer, the door swung open. "My king! The prisoners, they're gone! They've just been seen leaving the palace!" Thranduil shot up from his seat. You didn't know the forest and Thranduil was almost certain you would get lost or injured. Or perhaps worse.

Thranduil wasted no time in donning his cloak and sword and almost sprinting down to the stables for his elk. He couldn't deny that he had grown rather fond of you. You were outspoken and opinionated, but you were also educated and compassionate. He urged his elk through the gates and into the thick forest, hoping he could get to you before you were hurt. His guards rode quickly next to him while his eyes scanned the forest for your figure. What Thranduil heard next sent an uncharacteristic shiver down his spine. It carried on the wind directly to the Elvenking's ears. It was your blood curdling scream.

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  Cormamin lindua ele lle = My heart sings to see thee