Thanks to reviewers, I'd name you but my wifi is shit and I don't own anything.

Many strange looks appeared on normally respectful faces as they watched their king pass by with a strange, silent but bright human child. She ran from one elf to another, each one completely shocked, but equally charmed by her silent light. Even, Beinion and Alassien, my personal guards who had joined me as soon as I stepped inside the gates, could not keep their stoic faces impassive at her bright delight.

Not for the first time, or the last, I had to call her back to me, so I could continue on without losing her. "Come, penneth!" The child looked behind her, at me. She smiled before turning back to the elleth she was trying to communicate with and giving her a kiss on the cheek before running back to me.

She made the gesture in front of her face and pointed back at the elleth. I thought back to the encounter with the gate guards. "Penneth, does that mean beautiful?" The smile that spread across her face was as bright as the sun. She nodded eagerly, jumping up and down with excitement at my correct guess.

"Aran Thranduil." I turned. Antiel was walking toward me. "Rincavornon has asked, if I see you, to inform you that the traders from Lake-town arrived earlier today, while you were out. He had them housed in the western barracks for the ni—" She stopped dead as the child ran forward and stopped just in front of her with a sweet smile and a small wave. "Oh! Um—" She stared at the child for a moment before looking back at me.

She flushed when she met my gaze. "I—um—" She struggled to form coherent sentences while she could not help but watch, frozen in shock as the child danced about the corridor admiring everything.

I hid a smile and nodded to her. "Thank you, Antiel. Inform Galion and Rincavornon that I have returned."

I turned and moved to leave her as she curtsied. "Come, penneth." I called, then turned back to Antiel with a thought. "Oh, and Antiel," she turned back to me, "please have a room near mine made ready for the little one." I gestured to the girl as she danced away ahead of me. Antiel nodded, still stunned and unsure of what to say.

I turned away to hide my smile. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful elleth in all of my realm. Her long golden-red hair complimented her vibrant emerald eyes and alabaster skin perfectly. Her form was always relieving sight for my eyes and I never grew tired of watching her move. The grace she held, the effortless flow of her movements, the way her dress always moved with her.

If I could, I would gift her with a dress worthy of a queen, simply to see her in it. She was the most perfect creature I had ever beheld. Legolas and the twins would not be happy to hear me say so, nor, do I think, will they be happy about my adoption of the human child, but I enjoyed vexing my children, especially my eldest.

Legolas was very serious in many things, far beyond the few years that he held. I do not deny he is this way due to me and his mother. Nor will I deny that he will hate me for the child. He would see it as something I would never do and worry at it and why I decided to do it. I, in return, would never tell him it was simply as a favor from an old friend Although, there is also the chance, however slim, that he too will fall under the innocent girl's spell. That would not stop the feel of fear he might harbor at what I may do with her in the future, in any action to use her in my favor.

Not that there was much of a future with the girl, as she was human. Now, thinking on it, I may just end up sending her to Elrond, as he owes me a favor and would do a much better job with her than I. He would raise her as humans need to be raised and in time introduce her to the world of men and allow her to be married and die in her time.

My younger two children were a very different story. Extreme opposites of each other, so different they were identical, would be of opposite reaction to each other regarding the child. Which reaction they would eventually choose, I had yet to know. They were as unpredictable as a forest fire and as wild as a summer storm. I had loved watching them play as they grew, always loud and destructive, but so full of love. When my wife began to turn them against me, my cold faeless heart became what it is now. Legolas…he was forever out of my control, but I had hoped to fill the void that had developed within me, in the twins. They too were pulled from reach before I could ever learn to care again.

My brooding was broken through by cries of surprise. I glance up to see Galion, the child, and two ellith sprawled about on the floor. She was giggling hysterically and the three elves simply looked baffled. I let out a light chuckle and offer my hand to Galion.

He took it, his face one of pure shocked confusion. "Aran-nin." He bowed. I nodded to him. He turned and helped the two ellith to their feet. I bent and picked the giggling child up into my arms, resting her on my hip. She clutched my robes tightly, giggling more at the height she was now, awed at the view.

Both ellith curtsied. "Hir-nin, we apologize. We didn't see the child."

I nodded. "No harm done." Galion studied me with a puzzled expression.

"Aran-nin—" He stopped when the child held her arms out for him. He looked at me shocked, even more puzzled than before. I loosened my arms and leaned toward him so she could catch his neck. I released her, leaving him no choice but to hold her or let her fall. She was, I realized, a very whimsical child and for some reason, I found amusement and satisfaction in this realization.

The ellith fell upon her in an instant. "Hello, tithen-pen!"

"Aren't you just the prettiest pin ever to walk Arda?"

The child smiled shyly and hid her face in Galion's golden hair. I chuckled, figuring her sudden shyness was due to the compliments, but still I questioned her. "Oh, now you are shy, cugu-nin?" The ellith looked at me adoring smiles still playing on their lips and let out light chuckles. One brushed a loose strand of the child's hair back and all three caught the sight of her ears.

Galion looked at me perplexed. "Um—aran-nin? Why do you have a human child?" He asked.

I smiled and sauntered past around the corner. "I owed a friend a favor. I already told Antiel to make a room ready for her. Why not keep her entertained while I finish the paperwork Rincavornon wanted done?" I did not give any of them a backward glance as I sauntered away to my office.

Galion would have a fit about how to keep the child entertained, out of his hair, and still within his sight. He would want to keep an eye on her at all times, as I had given him the duty, but he too had work to do, and he did not know the first thing about children. I chuckled to myself. Oh, let him worry about it.

I was not worried about the child being frightened or anything, she had a bigger heart than anyone twice or three times her size and she would be able to get anything out of anyone of my staff. Even without being able to talk.

xXxX

Galion stared at the reseeding back of his king in utter shock. He looked back at Lindethiel and Aerlinniel, then at the small human child in his arms. She too was watching the king walk away. She looked over at the elf holding him and a smile broke out and she shrugged.

Lindethiel and Aerlinniel laughed brightly. "Well, aren't you sassy." The girl's smile brightened and she leapt from Galion's arms and into Aerlinniel's. She kissed the elleth's cheek and swept her hand in front of her face in the 'beautiful' sign.

"Oh, aren't you sweet!" Lindethiel leaned over her twin sister's shoulder and smiled at the girl. "What's your name, tithen-pen?" She made c's with her hands and brought them out and around like a flower blossoming. The two elves looked at each other, then at Galion. He shook his head.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "But we all have work to do." They all looked around at each other. The girl looked around at them as well. Then she squirmed until Aerlinniel set her down. She took Aerlinniel's hand and turned to Lindethiel for hers, then she looked up at the three taller beings expectantly.

They all shared a surprised laugh. "Guess she's ready to go."

Galion chuckled. "Let's go."