Expected

She willed her hand to move. It would only take the slightest twist. It was expected of her, there was no logical reason why she shouldn't comply. It's not like the words were not spoken to her directly, she berated herself for her cowardice. Drawing a deep breath in hopes it would help to still her pounding heart, the smooth cool certainly of the door's handle waited quietly in her hand. You have been invited; she repeated to herself, this is required of you.

She was expected.

None of this was what she had expected. She had grown up on the edge of the kingdom, the youngest child of one of the few Elven families who dwelled permanently outside of the forest city walls. Her father was a hunter, and as far as she was concerned, so was she. Tears stung her eyes at the thought of her father, gone now just three astar1 past. What she wouldn't give to change the events that brought her here.

Two chamber maids scurried past her, down the hall towards the main chambers. She knew it was getting late. She was meant to arrive before sundown.

Breathe. Go. Now!

Her body finally responded to her commands. Her next breath was soothed by the savory updraft of the sage and autumn apple aroma of finely crafted candles burning inside ornate scones. The flicker and warmth of the hearth softly chuckled then snapped to attention as Kyha stepped softly into its pool of light. Heart still stubbornly racing, she raised her chin to greet him respectfully, reverently (do not disrespect him!) eye to…..empty chair? Simultaneous waves of relief and disappointment washed over her.

Waiting

Sat upon the window ledge, watching the sun casting its last bathing strains of light over the towering forest, Thranduil felt unsettled and cross. The Aran2 was pulled in too many mundane directions, and annoyed by a succession of shortcomings of the expectations he held. Autumn was settling in quickly, they must be adequately provisioned before the winter days, when he and his kin retreated into the large hallowed halls and homesteads beneath the forest floor. These days could be long and arduous without the appropriate amount of distractions, the most immediately pressing being the upcoming Yule festival of first frost. Perhaps the winter would drive out the wretched invaders that had taken several lives of his best hunters. Perhaps his Kin's retreat would be the answer…

The nearly silent click of the door handle interrupted his musing and his gaze shifted to the timid neth3 he had instructed to visit him this evening. Graceful enough in motion, but always silent, he had slyly watched her from a distance for the past three Astar, partly to observe how she is adapting to life within the kingdom walls, and admittedly, partly because she was a pleasure to observe. He wanted to find a place for her, her father was a loyal, gifted hunter - and a friend. The sudden loss of her Ada4 was devastating for her. These vile creatures must be stopped… By all accounts, Khya was always shy and cautious. She seemed to be taking in her new surroundings through wide and limpid eyes; he could not get a gauge on what she was thinking. There had been no promise that she would amount to much more than a very pleasurable distraction until today.

Finding her voice

First, it became clear that she had a gift for organization. She seems to drift around aimlessly to him, however at some point in the day; she had quietly offered her assistance to his March Clerk. She quickly slotted the groups of cohorts into their ordered ranks and rotations for Warden Patrols, managing to maximize coverage and freeing three talented archers to join the out parties defending the Forest. With the arachnid attacks increasing in both frequency and severity, it was admittedly a complicated job, but when this dim witted and previously unreliable Clerk so proudly submitted his work with a cocky air of expected praise, he was promptly and easily seen through. The King of Mirkwood was no fool. When he had demanded to know who had assisted him, the coward gave her up immediately.

Now she sat summoned, off to the side of his sammath5 while he received a Captain of the guard for an update on the encroaching of these foul arachnids into his realm. As his loyal and visually exhausted Captain stuttered his excuses, a disorientating shiver washed over Thranduil. He gleaned a word…a whisper…an impression against his mind, unspoken but felt passionately enough to leap from one mind to his: Cannibals!

The voice left an echo in his body. The source was undeniably Kaya! His eyes locked onto her, her eyes were on the Captain. Her gaze flipped to his and immediately dropped into her lap. He stared hard at her for a long minute – complete silence. She obviously had no idea she had connected to him. She was gifted with the voice but completely unaware of it!

'You do not disrespect me by breaking my gaze to ignore me, neth.' he whispered sharply. She flinched and raised her eyes to meet his obligingly.

He had tried to keep his tone completely even although an undeniable emotional intensity hung in the air between them. The Captain stood confused but wisely silent, having witnessed the odd unspoken shadow that had passed over his Aran's face just before this current exchange.

'Leave us, now.'

As Thranduil spat the words, the Captain was already turning on his heels to obey. She watched him go, and Khya's terror filled the void. How had she angered him?! He had turned his back on her for a moment, bracing the ledge of the hearth behind him, and his voice came low and calm yet seemed coiled to strike.

'Cannibals? Explain yourself to me.'

He had read her mind! Of course, came a voice from inside. His sister, Galadriel, was notoriously gifted with this sort of insight. How silly she was to try to frame him within such a mundane context – he was the King! He was, as she was, filled with galad6. This is what made them the beacons of their kin.

'Khya! Speak!' Thranduil had turned to face her now.

'W-when I was small I once collected as many d-different spiders I could find, t-together in a bottle.' Her voice seemed small, even to her. He approached her, slightly tilting his head, his piercing blue eyes devouring her face.

'Go on' he whispered.

'I-I covered the top with cheese cloth.' She nodded as if he knew this was a wise choice for her to have done. He arched one eyebrow, the urgency for her explanation was outweighing his courtesy, and she was even getting on her own nerves with her own stammering.

'Cheese cloth…air could get in, you see.' Oh shut up about the cheese cloth! She twisted her hands together tightly in an attempt to center herself control beneath the intensity of his gaze. She dared not look away and tempt his anger, and began to shake. Tears bit into the back of her eyes and she involuntarily closed them in a failed attempt to stop them. He moved close to her, and she felt his hands gently enfold hers, drawing her to stand up. As one tear betrayed her composure and slid down her cheek she heard…no…felt his words.

'Breathe, little one. I am not angry with you. Say what you want to say.'

She opened her eyes to look at him and the very breath he told her to take was stolen. He was beautiful, effervescent, and her stomach flipped over. He was closer than his body, his voice penetrated her.

'I gathered them all together – the spiders. But in the morning, they were all gone but one.' It was Thranduil's time to slowly close his eyes; he was trying to be patient.

'I asked my Ada why, as I was positive none had gotten out. He told me they are cannibals, my Aran'

Thranduil knitted his bows slightly. He had begun to absently caress her hands in his own. His touch brought forth warmth from deep inside her.

'Why is it important for me to know this, Kyha?' His tone softening.

Unbidden, her body had begun to respond to his touch. He was so close to her. His gaze slid over her blushing face the smallest of smiles could be detected on the precisely delicate lines of his lips. She felt her ears burning.

'It's important, Sire, because we work ourselves silly with our retaliations. Our attempts to fight them off are useless. W-we don't need a bigger compliment of Wardens….we need a bigger spider!'

Footnotes:

1 Asta (1) noun "month", a division of the year (VT42:20. Pl. astar), 'a division, a part' especially one of other equal parts: 'of the year, a month or period' .com

2 Aran n. king (used of a lord or king of a specified region) Ety/360, S/428, LotR/II:IV, LotR/VI:VII .com

3 Neth : n. girl (in her teens, approaching the adult) [VT/47:14-16,33, VT/48:6] .com

4 Ada n. father, daddy [Ety/349] .com

5 Sammath n. chambers .com

6 Galad n. light, radiance, glittering, reflection (from jewels, glass or polished metal or water) .com