I Am My Own (Reader x Thranduil)

Chapter 27

It was overwhelming. Elves bustled gracefully from one point to another while carrying baskets of food, bottles of what I assumed to be wine, and other items that one may need in daily life. I knew Greenwood quadrupled the size of my old home but I would never have imagined it being like this.

I stopped just far enough out so that nobody would notice me just yet and my escorts did the same and stood silent and still just behind me.

I drew a breath, twisted my ring and pushed forward. The first to notice me was an older elf of dark hair with a long green shirt and tan pants. A brown satchel was flung over his shoulder. Standing next to him was a blonde elleth of about my height with a light blue dress on. She was smiling widely and seemed to have been enjoying the conversation they were having. That was until her friend stopped talking mid-sentence to look up at me and the guards. Noticing his change of mood, the girl looked up as well with bright blue eyes that seemed to match perfectly with her dress.

I knew there would be no use in trying to go unnoticed with my two escorts. Their shining armor caught the sun at every angle and reflected it in every direction. We would stand out no matter what we did. I tried to put on a confident face and moved forward.

I passed the couple who had first spotted our trio with a tip of my head in acknowledgement and they slowly bowed with stunned looks still on their face. I hoped that not everyone would react to me in this manner.

I grew accustom to the looks I received and tried to smile as genuinely as possible as I passed each of the subjects of Greenwood. They all moved from my path and bowed with respect, although I was unsure what it was all for. I had only been here for a little amount of time. What could I have possibly done to deserve their respect?

I stopped at a small, open air shop with a large piece of fabric hung above it. The elleth that stood underneath it had an assortment of handcrafted trinkets, jewelry and pieces of dining ware. She stood up straight as I approached.

She bowed slightly and with a quavering voice asked, "May I help you with something my princess?"

I looked over the objects with fascination. We had shops where I was from but none of them could afford to be dedicated to just elegant things. More often than not they housed the likes of food, medicine and building supplies.

"Just admiring the beautiful craftsmanship. Are you the one who does all of this work?"

She blushed at this and responded with, "Yes, My Lady. Well my husband and I of course."

I nodded with interest and continued to graze among the objects, picking some up delicately to inspect them and then gently placing them back.

"You have a beautiful shop," I said and moved on.

I could feel a crowd beginning to form as those who were passing by craned their necks to get a look at what was going on. The two guards that were with me did their best to keep things as calm as possible with their intimidating stature and steely gazes.

I stopped in front of a building with a sign that hung from the top that read Paeris's Pastries and Baked Goods. I stepped inside with one guard following and the other staying posted at the door.

"Hello," I called.

A young elf with a long tray of baked goods walked in and froze at the sight of us.

"My Lady," he said with a hearty smile, "It is a pleasure to see you here."

He bowed and placed the tray atop a wooden tabletop that ran across the entire backside of the room. I was very happy that I had chosen this store to go into. The smells were divine and it gave off a very cozy atmosphere.