I'm so happy with the positive responses this story has gotten so far! Thank you all so much :)

There is a brief song used in here that is from "The Two Towers", I'm sure you'll recognize it! Here's a link to it for you to listen to! (the actual song used ends at 1:50) ( watch?v=J9AOTMNoFKY)

This will be a nice little chapter for you all...do enjoy it, won't you? :)

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The time spent attending to his remaining royal duties for the day seemed to pass by at an agonizingly slow pace for Thorin. He found himself losing his focus and concentration during his weapons training. His mind was wandering aimlessly. All he could think about was the beautiful Elven Princess.

Her face and her smile kept flashing in his mind, it was almost maddening. Why was this happening? He had only seen her briefly and hadn't even spoken a word to her, yet all he wanted was to see her again and know more about her. He had seen many a lovely woman among Dwarves and a few as well among Elves, so what was it that made her any different? No female had ever bewitched him like this. He was sure to go mad if he didn't see her again and soon.

Once he was through with his royal duties, Thorin thought that he would return to his bedchamber for a brief time, perhaps until the feast that evening. He would not seek out Lancaeriel, despite how much he wanted to. He assumed that, after their travel, she would be weary and want to rest a bit in the guest chambers. Fortunately, he knew that he would see her at the feast, so his mind could be a little at ease.

However, he was making his way through a corridor leading down to where the throne sat when he suddenly saw her. She was walking past the throne of Thror and continuing down the causeway towards the front gate. Thorin decided to follow her and see what she was up to. This would be the perfect opportunity to possibly get her alone and talk to her.

Quietly, he went after her, keeping a good distance behind her so she could not see him nor hear him.

"Wait, am I really doing this…?" he suddenly questioned himself. "I'm secretly following a lady like a little child…I can't believe this!"

While he was scolding himself, he still continued to follow after Lancaeriel, watching as she seemed to flow over the grass as she walked with such poise and grace. She went outside the gate and made a turn, heading for the small grove of trees just beside the gates. If it were not for her gleaming head of auburn hair seamed with gold, she could've almost blended in with the trees in her dark green dress. The tips of her fingers trailed gently along the bark of each tree trunk she passed and her pace began to slow. Thorin took up hiding behind one of the trees and watched her carefully around the corner.

Lancaeriel's gaze wandered upward, admiring the tops of the trees and the sky above her. Her head lowered, she opened her mouth and just then, she began to sing in the most enchanting voice Thorin had ever heard. The tune she was singing was in the Elvish tongue. While he couldn't interpret what was being said, he could still understand what she was speaking literally. Her voice carried softly in the light breeze as she sang,

Uich gwennen na 'wanath ah na dhín.

An uich gwennen na ringyrn ambar hen.

Boe naid bain gwannathar,

Boe cuil ban firitha.

Boe naer gwannathach

Thorin felt a warm feeling of peace inside from listening to her. Her song and her voice calmed him immensely. It was such a refreshing feeling and he was almost saddened when she ceased singing.

It was then he figured that it was now a good time to step forward and say something to her before she started walking again. So, Thorin straightened up, clasped his hands behind his back and stepped out from behind the tree.

"That song was very stunning," he finally said to her.

The Elven Princess whipped around and let out a startled gasp. "Prince Thorin!" she cried out as her gaze found him, making him chuckle a little. "I had no idea you were near." Her eyes were growing big in shock but then their wideness began to lessen as she realized who it was that had startled her. Then she straightened herself up and bowed her head low as she curtsied to him. "It is an honor to be in your presence," she said humbly.

Thorin could feel all the nervousness he had felt earlier starting to drain away as he approached her. "On the contrary," he said as he pulled her up, "there is more honor to be found in the presence of a lovely maiden such as you than a Prince like me." He gave her a witty smile.

Once again, Lancaeriel blushed as she looked to him and grinned back. It was then that Thorin was close enough to her to where he could determine her eye-color. As he gazed at them, he noticed that they were a lovely hazel shade that stood out greatly next to the redness of her hair.

"You and your family are far too kind to me," she replied to Thorin's gentlemanly remark. Then she looked Thorin over quickly and added without hesitating, "And, I must say, you are a very majestic-looking Prince yourself."

Thorin looked at her inquisitively, a bit surprised at her straightforwardness. Yet he found he rather liked it. "You think I look majestic?" he asked her, curious to her response or reaction.

She simply grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see any reason why I should not think that. You have that demeanor about you," was her answer. Her grin spread across her face in a kind appearance as she then stated, "Along with that, I can see that you are strong of body, mind and heart. Those are very noble qualities for a Prince to have."

"You gather all that just from looking upon me?"

"You forget: I am an Elf. We are able to look past the exterior of other beings and see into their minds and their hearts. We see others as they truly are."

"I must say I am impressed." Thorin tried to figure out what to say or ask next in order to keep the conversation going. Then he asked the only question he could think of, even though he knew the answer, "What is your name? I'm afraid I've forgotten." He began to inwardly curse at himself for asking such a dull question and even lying about it, too. He thought it was good enough to keep up the conversation, but then he figured perhaps he just wanted to hear her name be said out loud again.

To his slight embarrassment, though, she could see through his little subtle trick and was smirking at him. "You know very well what my name is…," she retorted, "but…because of your kind words from before, I will humor you." She let out a tiny chuckle. "My name is Lancaeriel."

"Lancaeriel…," Thorin repeated, enjoying the feel of her name rolling off his tongue. It was so good to hear her say it, but then it was even more amazing to hear himself say it.

"Now, I believe I've forgotten your name…perhaps you should remind me again," Lancaeriel said back with another playful smirk and winking at him.

He raised his eyebrows at her, a little surprised at her unexpected teasing. There seemed to be a hint of interest in her tone of voice. He could feel the corners of his mouth slowly twitching upwards. Was she actually playing coy with him?

Feeling pleased that she was going along with his trick, he just let his mouth curve all the way into a smile and responded, "My name is Thorin."

Then she did the same thing he had done: she repeated his name as if she enjoyed hearing it coming out of her mouth, which intrigued him.

Thorin then said to Lancaeriel, "Your uncle said that he let you come at your own request. Why did you want to come here?"

"I'm very adventurous," she answered. Her expression and her voice began to grow lively and almost dream-like as if she were drifting to another world. "I have always wanted to see more of Middle-Earth outside of Mirkwood. There is so much out there to see! Since my uncle is the King of the Greenwood, he has the opportunity to travel the land often, whether it's for political affairs or just for the luxury of it. He knows of my great want for adventure, so he has been kind enough to let me accompany him on his many travels."

The Princess looked to the Prince with bright fascination in her eyes. "Erebor is one of the few places I have been longing to see for so long!" she exclaimed.

"Really? Why is that?"

"It's one of the greatest kingdoms in Middle-Earth and it's very close to my home. It's a Dwarven realm and I have never seen any of them. I have always wanted to see the splendor of the Lonely Mountain, the architecture of the Dwarves…it all just seemed so fascinating to me."

Lancaeriel met Thorin's gaze and found him staring at her, looking a bit baffled.

"What?" she asked, wondering why he was looking at her that way.

He shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry, it's just…I have never met an Elf who willingly wanted to visit a Dwarf realm. You are the first and I almost find it hard to believe."

She chuckled. "Well, if you have not yet noticed, I am not like most Elves."

"I have noticed, indeed," said Thorin. "I did observe that you are smaller in height than normal Elves, which is rather peculiar for your kind." At that moment, he realized, now that he was standing nearer to her than back in the throne room, that she was actually at eye-level with him. She was certainly much shorter than a typical Elf.

Suddenly, Lancaeriel's expression turned grim and hard, startling Thorin. "Are you implying that you think I'm a half-breed?" she inquired harshly.

Now he was worried. The sudden change in her attitude made him think he really did something wrong, even though he had no idea what he could've said incorrectly in his one statement. He stammered defensively, "N—no, no, I didn't mean—"

"Do not lie to me. You were thinking it; I could hear it in your voice. I am not a half-breed!" Then Lancaeriel whirled around and ran away from Thorin.

He was completely stunned. "Oh, no, what I did I just do?" he thought despondently. He was even more worried now that she had suddenly grown bitter with him. Only a few minutes into their conversation and he had already messed things up. This never happened!

"Typical…," Thorin complained in his head.

Quickly, he called out for the Elf Princess and started to run after her, following her through the trees. Unfortunately, he lost her pretty fast. He rounded a corner and found she had disappeared.

Now angry at himself, Thorin began muttering curses in Khuzdul under his breath, running his hands through his long black hair, frustrated. Normally, he was always careful and respectful towards women so as to not accidentally offend them. Then, the one time he finds a woman he's actually developing a possible interest in and had his eyes on, he somehow says something wrong and ruins it all.

"You fool!" he quietly exclaimed, now returning to the common tongue. "Why did you have to go and say something about her height? Clearly, she's sensitive about that…." He groaned loudly, leaned back against a tree and started slamming the palm of his hand repeatedly against his forehead. "Fool!" he cried out again.

Just then, he heard nearby the low sound of a giggle; a feminine one.

Puzzled, Thorin looked up and started looking all around him to find the source of the sound. It didn't take long before he saw a head of red, gold-streaked hair and bright, hazel eyes peering out at him mischievously from behind the tree had actually been leaning against. Lancaeriel leaned out a little further to reveal her teasing grin.

"You should see the look you have on your face!" she exclaimed as she stepped out, covering her mouth with her hand as she was still chuckling at him.

Thorin just stared at her, very confused.

Her giggling subsided and she said to reassure him, "I am only jesting with you, Prince! I am not really angry with you. I just thought I'd have a laugh and tease you a little." Then she laughed gaily again.

Thorin couldn't help but laugh himself along with her, relieved that it had all been an act and she wasn't actually mad with him.

"I really am not a half-breed. I am a full Elf; both my mother and father were," she explained. "I was just…born different. Whatever the reason for that is: Aulë only knows."

"Aulë?" he asked.

"You would know him as Mahal."

Having that clarification, he nodded.

"I have never thought much about my short stature. It has never bothered me and I am perfectly content with it."

"If it's any consolation, I am considered tall for a Dwarf. And you are at the same height as me. It would seem we were both born differently from the norm of our races."

"So it would seem, indeed."

On impulse, Thorin stepped closer to Lancaeriel and took her hand in his. She slightly flinched, looked down and let out an almost inaudible gasp at his sudden touch. To her surprise, his hand did not feel as rough as she had thought. His hold on hers was tight yet very gentle. She glanced back up at Thorin's handsome face. She saw his deep, sea-blue eyes for the first time and was amazed at the admiration directed towards her that she could see in them. There was a faint, unfamiliar flutter that rose up in her stomach and chest.

Both of them kept their gaze locked as Thorin lifted Lancaeriel's hand up to his lips and pressed them firmly against her soft, smooth skin, letting them linger there
for a moment. It was a simple, polite gesture, yet they both could feel heat rising in their cheeks from it.

Thorin brought his lips back, but still kept a hold on her hand, from which she didn't try to pull away. "You are unlike any Elf woman I have met," he said, gently squeezing her hand. "You are just so full of life and I admire that."

Lancaeriel grasped his hand tightly back. "And you are very kind and compassionate, more so than any Dwarves I have known. I admire that in you." She gave him a friendly smile which he returned.

"I am honored that you will be staying here for a time, Princess," he said to her.

"As am I," she replied. "And please, call me 'Lancaeriel'. I am certain that we will become good friends, so there is no need for titles."

"I will…on one condition."

She looked at him curiously.

"You must address me as 'Thorin'." Now it was his turn to grin and wink at her.

She simply grinned back and gave a nod of her head.

He looked back in the direction of the gates. "You said you wished to see the splendor of the mountain and the architecture of the Dwarves," he pointed out. Then he lifted his arm and offered it out to her. "Would you like to begin…Lancaeriel?" he inquired with a gleam in his eye.

She beamed at him gladly and answered as she accepted his gentlemanly offer and slipped her arm through his, "I would love to…Thorin."

With that, the Dwarf Prince and the Elf Princess returned arm-in-arm to the gates of the Lonely Mountain, both of them unaware of the observing eyes of the Elvenking watching them from above on another balcony. His gaze followed them as they approached the gate together and his grip on the balcony railing tightened uneasily once they disappeared from his view.

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*Giddy giggle* Can you tell I've been wanting to write this for a while now? xD haha!

Leave a review or send a PM my way with your thoughts, as per usual! :)