Beauty and the Elvenking

Chapter Eight

You were panting as you ran through the forest. The number of spiders seemed to have doubled in the few weeks you were stuck inside the palace. After the first spider descended from the canopy, Tinyn had thrown you and Calilmal and bolted. You and Calilmal were now forced to try and outrun the spiders and you were failing. You cursed yourself for once again entering the forest without some kind of weapon.

You didn't have much time to scold yourself as a spider tackled you to the ground. You saw Calilmal stop and turned back to him. "Go, Calilmal! Quickly!" you cried at him as you felt a sharp sting in your abdomen. You screamed before the world around you began to get fuzzy. "Go!" you wheezed as the blurry figure of your friend took off. You felt another sting and everything faded away into black.

Thranduil's POV

The Elvenking raced in the direction of your screams, hoping to get to you in time. He shouted orders to his guards in Elvish. He found you deep in the wood. He fought off spider after spider trying to get to you. Finally, Thranduil was able to get to your seemingly lifeless body. The spider stings were laced with a venom that rendered its victim temporarily paralyzed. As one of the oldest living elves, the venom did not affect Thranduil the way it did others so he was still able to function enough to lift you onto his elk and ride back to the palace.

Once inside, Thranduil and his healers immediately went to work removing the toxin from your body. You remained asleep for several hours after that. Thranduil was at your bedside as often as his duties would allow. He wanted to be there when you woke so he could question you about why you left in the first place. He was furious with you while being worried at the same time. Thranduil was there when you began stirring just before supper.

Thranduil almost sighed in relief when your (e/c) eyes flickered open. The healers immediately rushed to your side, but Thranduil ordered them from the room, knowing what was coming. As soon as your eyes landed on him, Thranduil could see the anger begin to cloud them. You bolted upright and opened your mouth to say something. He held up a hand, not really in the mood to hear you yelling at him. "I told you not to leave the palace. You disobeyed and nearly died," he said simply, still drawn up to his full height. "You lied to me," you said. The look you gave him would have made anyone else scurry away in fright.

"He entered my kingdom uninvited yet again after I so graciously released him the first time. He attempted to free you when you gave me your word that you would remain here." With every word, Thranduil could feel your anger growing. Finally, you stood slowly and made your way over to the king. You gazed up into his eyes and, in a low tone said, "I am well aware. I told him to leave. He was leaving when you threw him back in the dungeon. It does not change the fact that YOU LIED TO ME! I asked you what you did to him and you told me that you let him go!" Thranduil held up his hand again to silence you, but the small movement made him wince. Something that did not get past you.

Your POV

You saw the king wince slightly and your brow furrowed in confusion. For the first time since you woke, Thranduil took his eyes off you and looked down at his robes. You followed his gaze and noticed several spots were soaked with blood. Your anger instantly melted at the sight. Without thinking, you closed the gap between you and the Elvenking. You grasped his elbow gently and lead him over to the large bed.

You knew a little about healing from your father and could certainly patch up the small wounds Thranduil had obtained. You felt your cheeks heat up as you motioned to his robe. "I'll need you to remove that," you told him softly. Even without looking at his face, you knew he was smirking at you. You heard the shuffle of the robe being opened and hitting the floor. You took a deep breath to steel your nerves and then you looked up at him. There were wounds all over his arms and chiseled torso. You let out a small gasp, but went to work slowly, still tired and sore from your own injuries.

You cleaned the wounds on his arms first. You worked in silence, but you could feel Thranduil's eyes on you. After a few moments, you cleared your throat and said, "Thank you...for coming after me. You could have left me in the forest." You looked up and, just as you predicted, Thranduil was looking right at you. His brilliant blue eyes locked with yours and your throat went dry. They were filled with a softness you'd yet to see in the king. "I could not have left you to the mercy of the spiders," he stated, still holding your gaze.

It was at that moment that you realized just how close Thranduil's face was to yours. You gulped, then cleared your throat before turning your attention back to the task at hand. One wound in particular seemed to bother him because he hissed as you put the healing salve on it. "Hold still," you admonished. "That hurt." You sighed and muttered under your breath, "Baby." Then, you said out loud, "It will hurt less if you hold still."

"This wouldn't have happened if you had not run off," was the king's reply. You inhaled sharply before saying, "If hadn't lied to me, I would not have run off!" You hadn't meant to yell, really but this side of Thranduil brought out your anger like no one ever had before. The two of you sat, staring at each other in silence. The tension in the room was thick. You weren't sure if it was your anger or your close proximity to the king, but you were certain the tension couldn't get any thicker. You were wrong. Before you had a chance to say another word, Thranduil had your face in his hands and his lips hovered just above yours.

(a/n: Each part keeps getting longer.)