Beauty and the Elvenking

Chapter Nine

Was Thranduil going to kiss you? You'd never get the chance to know. No sooner did Thranduil have your face in his hands than the door burst open. You quickly jumped away from the king and busied yourself, not daring to look at the door until a familiar voice cried, "Oh my lady! You're alright!" You laughed softly at Elebridith's reaction. You turned to face her, a small smile on your face. She made living in Mirkwood so much more pleasant that it would have been otherwise.

Elebridith returned your smile, but then caught a glimpse of Thranduil in his state of undress. "Goheno nin, Heru en amin!" she cried, bowing in reverence. Thranduil waved his hand to dismiss her apology and turned to you, pulling his robe back on. "Y/N, now that you have healed, I expect you to join me for supper tomorrow evening," he said before sweeping out of the room leaving you dumbstruck. Had that just happened? Before you could dwell on it longer, Elebridith ushered you from the room, talking a mile a minute.

You tuned her out for the most part, your mind still stuck on the almost kiss you'd shared with Thranduil. It had nearly frightened you simply because you were unsure of your feelings for the king. Had you even wanted him to kiss you? Part of you was saying no while the other was screaming yes! You shook your head at your foolishness. He probably wasn't going to kiss you anyway. You can back to reality when Elebridith brought up supper the next night.

"Isn't it exciting?" she asked and you quirked your brow. You'd made it back to your chambers where Elebridith readied a bath for you. "The king's invitation to supper?" she explained. You told her that you weren't sure what was so exciting about it. You had supper with Thranduil every night. She laughed softly and replied, "Yes, of course but not every night is Mereth Nuin Giliath! The King has invited you to join him at The Feast of Starlight as his personal guest!" You felt your eyes widen as you took in what Elebridith was saying.

Thranduil's POV

The king had his supper brought to his chambers as he sat and considered his previous actions. In a fit of tense passion, Thranduil had let go off all sense of decorum and nearly kissed you. He undoubtedly would have if Elebridith hadn't burst in. What was wrong with him? He was typically so composed. Then, he just had to invite you to be his guest at the feast, although he realized you probably did not understand the significance, at least not at the time he asked. Well, ordered.

He wondered if, when you learned of the feast, you would refuse to attend. Then again, he could force you. You were his prisoner after all...or were you? Thranduil honestly wasn't so sure anymore. When you first entered Mirkwood, Thranduil merely wanted a distraction from every day. He'd been drawn in by your fiery spirit but now, he felt so much more. Something he had not felt in centuries. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

*time skip to the next night (still Thranduil's POV)

Thranduil waited patiently at the head of the table. Lord Elrond of Imladris was seated to his right. "You appear to be worried, Mellon. Does the person you are waiting so anxiously for have such an effect on you?" Elrond asked with a friendly smile. Thranduil politely declined to answer, but as much as he hated to admit it, you did have an effect on him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Elebridith enter the gardens, you by her side.

Thranduil begged Elrond's forgiveness and rose from his seat. He approached you swiftly, his pace picking up slightly when he saw other male elves casting glances your way. You bowed to the king as he neared, a shy and becoming smile on your lips. Once Thranduil reached you, Elebridith gave him a knowing smirk and left. Thranduil made a mental note to scold her later before turning his attention back to you.

You wore a gown of (f/c) with gold trim and matched Thranduil's robe for the occasion. Remembering where you were, Thranduil cleared his throat and offered his arm to escort you to the table. He ignored the smug grin playing at Elrond's lips, his own upturned into a rare smile. After supper, Thranduil took your hand in his and committed another rare act. He danced.

Your POV

You had never danced before, so you were nervous. Thranduil was a wonderful partner though and you never stepped on his toes. When the dance was finished, you heard someone clear their throat. Behind Thranduil was the elf that had been sitting next to him at the table. "May I?" he asked and Thranduil passed your hand to him before bowing slightly and walking away.

"And who might you be who has captured the heart of our King Thranduil?" he asked, getting right to the point. You simply stared at him, stunned for a moment. "I beg your pardon, my lord. I do not know what you mean," you finally said as you felt the heat rush to your cheeks. He laughed and continued the dance as he spoke, the smile never leaving his face. "It has been many years since I last saw Thranduil smile and even more since he last danced. There is most certainly something about you that has reached him. I know love when I see it."

Lord Elrond really did not beat around the bush. "I-I," you began to stammer, causing him to laugh once more. You scanned the crowd for the king and when his eyes met yours, he smiled again and you returned it. "That is what I mean," the Lord of Imladris stated as the dance ended. You bowed gracefully and left him, needing to catch your breath. You didn't notice Thranduil's eyes following you.

You found yourself in another garden, this one empty. You took several deep breaths as you contemplated Elrond's words. Did Thranduil love you? More importantly, did you love him? A few months ago, the idea would have been laughable. But, over the course of your stay with the king, your feelings had grown. Even as angry as you were with him the day before, you couldn't stay mad. You craved his presence, his company, his conversation. Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps coming up to you.

You turned to face Thranduil. He stopped and gazed up at the moon before sighing and looking down at you. You met his eyes and smiled softly. "Diola lle, my king," you whispered, "I have enjoyed myself immensely this night. His next statement surprised you. "I am glad to have given you such pleasure your last night in Mirkwood." You let out a gasp, your brows furrowed in confusion. "My last night? Y-you're letting me go?"

Your heart nearly broke at the look of sadness on his face. "Yes. I shall have my guards escort you to your village tomorrow. If you leave after breakfast, you should return in time for supper with your father." For a moment, you stood there in front of him in silence. Every thought and feeling bouncing back and forth in your head was almost too much. You wanted to see your father again and Calilmal, but at the same time, you didn't want to leave Thranduil. You gazed into those now sparkling blue eyes and said the first thing that came to your mind.

"And if I wish to stay?" Thranduil's eyes widened slightly, but in an instant his calm and collected facade returned. "You would stay here? Even after all?" You nodded and took a step closer to the king, your knees practically knocking together. Since the night before, you'd been unable to get the thought of kissing Thranduil from your mind and now, you were going to try. The worse he could do would be to refuse and in that case, he'd given you permission to leave.

You took another step closer, never taking your eyes off his. As if on instinct, Thranduil wrapped his arms around your waist. His touch encouraged you to continue. You slowly reached one arm up so your hand touched the back of his head. You watched his face, looking for any sign of refusal. When you saw none, you pulled his head down and gently pressed your lips to his.

This kiss wasn't like the ones you read about, where it's sparks and fireworks. This was so much more. The kiss conveyed your feelings that neither one of you could put into words. The noise of the feast was still there, but you didn't care. You couldn't even bring yourself to care that the elf you were kissing irritated you to no end most days. At that moment, in that sweet and tender kiss, nothing else mattered.

ś-

*Goheno nin, Heru en amin! = Forgive me, my lord!

*Mellon = friend

*Diola lle = Thank you

(a/n: This is not the last part! There will be one more and an epilogue!)