Daughter of Stars of Earth

Chapter Five-Breathless

*Thranduil's POV*

The moment I saw her in the hall my breath was lost.

Looking very much the moon to my stars, she is absolutely breathtaking. Her dark skin shines in the moonlight of the courtyard and those daisies once again make an appearance in her hair. The same as the one tucked into the breast pocket of my robes. Childish as it is to hold on to a mere flower, it felt wrong to dismiss it. I half worried it would fade if I was away from it. All the flowers in her hair are still vibrant as the night goes on and she floats around the courtyard. She talks politely with some but keeps to herself more tonight. Also made clear by her near lack of sharp comments to me. I note her long look to the harp in the corner and her tendency to stay near the music. Whether because the noise prevents others from talking to her or because she simply enjoys it, I cannot be sure.

My mind is often on our conversation earlier and Legolas' comments afterward. She lost someone. Someone like Legolas' mother was to me. He told me nothing else, except that this elf was now gone. Lost forever. As my love was for me. And now that Aeolin's returned, she seems more subdued by some shade of sadness. Most likely from my callous comments dredging up things buried in her heart. My hand still feels warm from her callused touch and at that moment, I felt her sadness as my own. And a kinship therein. Seems she has little control over her emotions at the moment. That fact makes me wary of her but also heightens my intrigue. No doubt her Lothlorien ancestry allows her to share and read thoughts. Perhaps she was right in saying we had shared some experiences.

Slowly, I rise from my seat and make my way to her like a moth to a torch. She'd retreated to the edge of the party and I'd like to know why. She's seated on a small bench behind a tree with vines cascading to the ground. Her silhouette is the only thing that can be seen from the party. I go nearer until the vines too are behind me and once again it's only us two. "Are you not enjoying the party?" I ask softly, but she doesn't turn. Instead, her chin tilts up and I take a sharp breath in as the moonlight bathes her beautiful face. Her eyes stare at the moon and the moon lies reflected within them. As if her soul shining within her is a lake for it to skate upon. Simply breathtaking.

"It's not that. In fact, the harp..." She pauses a moment, "soothes me greatly." I nod slowly as I look over her.

"Then something else plagues you," I question, but it's more of a statement.

"Yes." She answers simply and it's more than strange for me to hear the clear melancholy in her voice. Even stranger that I find I hate to hear it. It bothers me. It intrigues me. Much like the woman herself.

"Then I will leave you." My head bows slightly, but when she looks over at me with a melancholy smirk, I'm frozen by her beauty and my own fascination.

"Does my sadness frighten you, King Thranduil?" She says my name and my eyes search her face to name the emotion within her when she calls me. And the emotion that rises up within me. But I cannot put a name to it. It certainly cannot be affection. If what my son tells me is true...she's already known love as I have. And after such a love affection is an insult.

Still...if she has felt a sliver of the loss that I did, that I do, then perhaps I owe her honesty.

"Sadness and I are well acquainted, Princess. Until now I would have guessed that you were not aware of the word." I tease her slightly and a ghost of a smile passes over her lips. How pleased it makes me to coax out her smile. "I...now know that I am mistaken." Interest alights her eyes, then understanding. She slides to the left and I only take a moment before settling into the empty space beside her. We're close now. Close enough to smell the slight scent of flowers and earth coming off her.

"Then you have talked to your son. Good, I'm sure you both could benefit from doing it more often." Her jab is light but hits its intended mark. For now, it's a subject I will fight her on later. Even if she's right.