The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Imagines

White Clover pt. 3 -Thranduil

So he is Lord Elrond.

"You didn't have to come here, Lord Elrond," Legolas said. "We would have gone to Imladris if needed."

Elrond shook his head, offering you an assuring smile when he saw you watching them talk. He sat down beside you and said to Legolas, "I could not let you travel with her who is most probably distressed from her current situation."

As soon as Lord Elrond had received and read the letter, he immediately left Rivendell to meet this mysterious person who had come from another world. The moment he arrived, he asked where you were and quickly went to you. While he was indeed curious and very fascinated, the reason why he wanted to meet you in person was to find answers. Elrond had been seeing visions, and they were the most unlikely ones. Most of the time he saw what was about to come in other lands and what was about to happen to other people. But this time most of his visions were of the King of Mirkwood.

And they also included Thranduil with someone beside him.

You sat there patiently as Elrond looked at you. You didn't know if he was looking for something, but you had suspicions that he had also seen you before. If it was in a dream or something else, you didn't know. But what was certain was that you don't know this elf and you don't know the reason why they called him for help.

Legolas had excused himself to go and tell Thranduil about Elrond's arrival, leaving you alone with the Lord of Rivendell. You wanted to hide your face because of how he was scrutinizing you, as if looking at you for hours would somehow make the answer be known.

A few moments later, Elrond smiled and held up his hand. He gestured to your hand and said, "May I?"

"Umm... Sure..?"

You reached out your hand and he took it in his. His hand was calloused from all the years he has spent wielding a sword, writing down history, and practicing everything that he could learn, but they were warm and comforting. Elrond pulled on your hand gently, pulling it closer to him, and with his other hand he traced something on your forearm.

"Is something wrong?" you asked after seeing him frown.

"I sense magic, remnants of it, but I am not familiar with it." Elrond sighed, his forehead still creased in confusion. "I have no definite answer as to how to send you back home. But I am quite certain that we must know why you were sent here."

"How? Even I have no idea why I'm here," you said.

Elrond let his face relax as he regarded you with curious eyes. "You do not know anything or anyone from this world?"

"I... Lord Elrond, you've seen me somewhere too, haven't you? Like King Thranduil."

"Thranduil has seen you before as well?"

You nodded. "He told me he has seen me in his dreams. And... I'm not sure but I think I've seen him in mine too."

Elrond held your wrist for a few seconds before withdrawing his hands. You cradled the hand that he held close to your chest, feeling a tingling sensation on your skin. He stood up and walked towards the window with his hands intertwined behind him before he spoke.

"I have seen you in my visions," he admitted, looking at you through the corner of his eyes. "I see you beside Thranduil most of the time."

"Do they give any clues as to why I'm here?" you asked. "Any clues as to how I'm related to him?"

"Unfortunately, no. My visions, unlike the others, do not provide me more information. The only thing I constantly see is you standing beside him. And that is that."

You were about to say something, to question him more, when you felt a burning sensation on your wrist. It started to hurt even more and soon it felt as if there were multiple needles pricking your skin. The sensation climbed up your arm and settled on a spot on the inside of your forearm just near where the elbow crease was. You watched in fascination as a word appeared.

Thirty-one

"What is it?" Elrond asked, stepping closer to you to see what got your attention. When he saw what it was, he asked what it meant. You assumed it was written in English and that English didn't exist in this world (for some reason though you were able to understand a language from this world which you will soon come to know as Westron) so you translated it for him.

"Thirty-one?" he repeated. "What can it mean?"

Once again your response was interrupted by an annoyed Thranduil who pushed the doors open with his great robe trailing behind him. It was also the first time you saw him wear his crown. You loved how it was adorned with green leaves and wildflowers that signified spring.

"Is it that difficult to see me first before seeing my guest?" Thranduil said and to your surprise, he placed a hand on your shoulder when he reached your side. The gesture seemed protective and you wondered why he would do such a thing when you've only been there for less than a week.

It wasn't only you who had noticed his actions. Elrond took note of that but did not let the King of Mirkwood know. He didn't want Thranduil to get more irritated—goodness he'd been trying to maintain their peaceful but awkward relationship.

"Forgive me, but when I heard you were still occupied with other matters, I did not want to interrupt you. I also thought it would be best if I see (Y/N) immediately," Elrond answered, bowing his head slightly to tell him that he was sincere and he didn't mean to come off as rude.

Thranduil shook his head. "It is alright," he said, but you had to fight back the grin trying to surface on your lips because you could clearly see that he wasn't okay with it. "Please, I had someone prepare your room and some food for you."

"No, there is no need for that. I really must get going. There are still other things I must attend to back in Imladris," Elrond said. He saw you looking at him and he understood what you wanted to say. "There is not much I can help you with here. But I will try and do my best to find something more useful back in my study. I will keep in touch with you through letters."

With a slow nod from you, Elrond and Thranduil walked out of the room to discuss some things before Elrond left Mirkwood. As soon as Thranduil's hand left your shoulder, the spot where the word had been tattooed on your skin hurt. You looked at it and to your surprise the word 'Thirty-one' was replaced by 'Twenty-eight'.

You started to guess what this was about.

"I apologize if he caused you any inconvenience. This is why I do not like having any connections with people from other lands."

Thranduil entered your room again. You replaced your worried look with a gentle smile. You told him it was okay and Elrond was very nice (to which he rolled his eyes at and to which you had to convince him that Elrond was indeed very friendly).

"Was he able to help then? Have you found a way to get back home to your world?"

Was it just you or was there disappointment and fear in his voice?

"He said he didn't know a way back to my world," you said. "But he said it would be best if I find out why I was sent here."

You didn't tell him about the number on your arm or about your theories on why the number suddenly changed. You were still uncertain and it didn't feel right to disclose something that a person might believe in without enough evidence.

Thranduil nodded at your words, his shoulders relaxing. He then started to reach out his arm towards you but in a split second, he changed his mind and turned towards the door.

"I have insisted that Lord Elrond should stay for lunch first before leaving," Thranduil said. "I think it would be nice if we could join him."

As the two of you walked down the endless corridors and stairs, Thranduil seemed to have changed his mind. He lifted his arm, gesturing for you to take it. You hesitated, but gave in and held his arm. You thought it would be awkward but it felt as if you had been doing this for a long time, just walking in a slow pace with your arm looped around his.

How nice would it be to be able to do this on the days that will follow without having to fear the word on your arm that will probably turn 'Twenty-seven' by tomorrow.