Once Upon A Dream (Thranduil Fanfic)

Chapter 6-Loki's Little Sister

Catalina followed the guards out of the gate, grouping up with Tauriel and Legolas. Once they were put of earshot of the other elves, they began to talk.

"How on Middle-Earth did you ever get my father to allow you out here?" Legolas asked, curiosity and surprise consumed his tone of voice.

"I just pulled a few strings here and there." Catalina said as she steered herself clear of a sharp rock.

"Did you make a bargain with him?" The blonde prince nimbly hopped over a fallen tree trunk.

"How did you know?" Catalina trailed behind Tauriel as they just as easily followed Legolas over the tree.

"My father has a competitive side that not too many people get the chance to see. With you around and your so called 'mischievous' nature, as you call it, I'm sure he'd be happy to play a friendly game of cat-and-mouse with you. What exactly was your bargain?"

"I must come back at the end of the day with no injuries or rips in my clothes of any sort. Otherwise I won't be able to do this anymore."

Tauriel frowned, "that is impossible though, everyone comes back with at least a minor cut."

"Well then it will be a challenge. But personally, I think the king bargained for more than he asked for."

Catalina stopped and swallowed as she caught sight of a band of ugly specimens coming into sight.

"Never mind," Catalina and the elves glanced at each other.

Legolas pulled out his knives as the band of creatures rushed toward them.

"What are they?" Catalina unsheathed her swords and stabbed one of the hideous creatures and decapitated another.

"Orcs," Tauriel simply said as she shot an arrow.

Isn't it funny, on the days I attempt to be the most careful, I end up with the most dangerous of tasks. Coincidence? I think not.

Out of habit, Catalina back flipped, knocking an orc away, and she did a backward summersault, then she propelled herself up, grabbing hold of a tree limb. She swung herself off, and landed in the middle of the orc group. Taking her swords she spun in a circle and sliced the entire lot in half. There corpses fell.

Immediately Catalina looked at herself; nothing seemed out of place, except maybe the blood on her clothes that wasn't hers.

"Catalina, your hands," Tauriel pointed to Catalina's palms. They were raw, scraped and splintered by the tree limb, and her fingernails held a great deal of dirt. Other than that though, she was alright.
"What do we do? He's bound to see that."

"I suppose there's nothing I can do except wash them off. Maybe it's just all dirt."

They went to the river and Catalina dunked her hands into the icy water. She quickly pulled them out and they were completely clean.

"See? It was just dirty." She wiped her hands on her sleeves, looking relieved. Neither Legolas or Tauriel knew, but Catalina had used a trick to speed up the healing process of her tiny paper cuts.

Later as the soldiers filed into the gates Catalina walked beside Legolas, fidgeting nervously in a mock defeat. Tauriel and Legolas joined the look of shame, knowing full well that the princess had won the bargain. But the king let them pass by, observing from afar their downcast gazes and he confidently stood ever straighter. He was sure he had won.

The princess was then summoned to the throne room. King Thranduil stood waiting for her, his blue eyes intensely searching for any possible signs of injury. Catalina bowed and he stepped toward her.

"Well My Lady, what do you think? Are you confident?" He asked as he lifted her chin up, turning it left and right, looking for cuts. His fingers were soft, and Catalina felt them linger as they 'accidentally' brushed her neck.  

"I'm not really sure My Lord," Catalina's hands and arms were inspected by a servant, although she saw a desire in the king to inspect her himself.

She held her breath as the servant looked at her palms; she exhaled when she let go and moved on. She turned her around, looking for rips or frayed fabric. When she found none, the servant reported it to the king and was dismissed.

"Are you playing tricks on me?" The king came back over to her, his eyes narrowing.

"No my lord, I'm not playing tricks on you." Catalina fought to hold back the wildly mischievous grin that threatened to spread across her face. She had won the bargain and they both knew it.

The king sighed and waved her away in defeat.
"You win."

Catalina strutted past Veryangole, who was standing in shock next to the throne.

She smiled once she had turned her back to him.
You win, he said.
I certainly did.
Loki had taught her well.

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Hello all :) I hope you like my story so far. I have some more on the way, even though I'm not sure when exactly they'll be finished. I know I'll be hitting a few boring middle chapters, but when I do, stick with me, I promise it will get better. Anyway, tell me what you like (if you liked anything at all) and the stuff I should work on; I need all the help I can get . Thanks :)