The evening became night, and Thranduil was still surrounded by thick books taken from the library shelves, but the agitation had not abandoned him. He glanced through the ancient pages, the wise words and sublime illustrations but couldn't escape that overwhelming feeling. He began to wonder whether it would have anything to do with the appearance of that creature in his lands, that thought angered him. How could he, the Elvenking, be so affected by such an insignificant being? Unless it really wasn't that insignificant, but maybe a threat, a danger of some kind. That idea, like all ideas, began to grow in his mind and by the time the moon was high Thranduil had no doubts: the human would bring bad omen to all that was his.
"How unwise of me, to let a stranger into my palace without any caution!" Thought the king as he stood up and hurried to find Tauriel. It wasn't necessary, while going through the torch-lit corridors Thranduil scented the same perfume that he felt earlier and heard a heavy breathing coming from one of the chambers. He approached the heavy door and automatically took his hand to the place where his sword should be, only to not find it there. He understood it was a thoughtless reaction since whoever was in the chambers was asleep and didn't represent a threat, at least for the moment. He opened the door slowly and got in, looking around.
The room was lit by a few candles and on the big bed slept what seemed like a small creature. He approached quietly and leaned on it. Among the fine linens slept a young woman with long dark hair spread wildly on the pillow, Thranduil could see on her face small wounds and bruises probably caused by twigs or stones. She was curled on herself looking substantially small on a big elf bed. Her heavy breathing filled the room, at least to Tharnduil's ancient ears, but it was her natural scent that drew the king's attention. Never in his long life had he felt such a perfume, much less in a Man.
"These creatures always have such a damp and salty scent, I could never endure it for long, but this is different. It's fresh and sweet, like the water from a spring that drains through the rocky hill just to find the wilderness flowering." He was intoxicated in his thoughts when the deep breathing broke and the girl rose emerging through the sheets only to fall in pain on the bed again. She had her brown eyes wide open between the long eyelashes and when she realized she was not alone let out a mute cry and tried to get up but the pain didn't allow it.
"Where am I?" She asked, bewildered. Even behind the panic her voice seemed as soft as the wind shaking the leaves on summer's days.
Thranduil approached the edge of the bed and looking down at her said with a deep voice: "This is the palace of Woodland." The panic increased in her eyes when she realized who was in front of her. Thranduil continued: "They found you in my woods, unconscious, and brought you to my palace to escape death." He now walked across the room feeling the girl's eyes full of tears placed on him and ruthlessly continued "As king of the wood elves I demand an explanation to these events." His voice was now loud and terrible like the roar of thunder.
The girl apologized endlessly fearing the wrath of the king. Between sobs and lamentations she told him what she could: "My lord, I come from Laketown and entered your land to harvest a plant that only grows in these woods. I know these lands well and such thing has never happened to me, my horse saw something that terrified him, he neighed and threw me to the ground, I couldn't see what it was but it must have been something evil, my horse never behaved like this. He ran away and I just remember falling and rolling, I must have lost consciousness because I have no memory of anything else." Her tone was deeply apologetic and her voice trembled each time she looked at the king's cold face.
"Very well. I'll send my troops to search the forest. Until they find the creature you claims to have seen you are not allowed to leave the castle." His definitive tone gave no room for argument, the harshness of Thranduil had more to do with fear than with authority. His premonitions began to fulfill and he had to give the order of search as soon as possible, if indeed there was any danger in their woods there was no time to lose. He was preparing to leave when glanced upon the young woman, she was curled on the bed again but was now muting sobs of crying. The king felt a clutch cross his chest for a moment, and softening his voice as much as he could added: "I'll have someone bring you a meal and examine your wounds."
The young woman looked at him in surprise "Thank you my lord" She said as Thranduil abandoned the chambers.
He hastened to find Tauriel and ordered his troops to gather at dawn and search the woods, looking for any stranger to those stops. In the meantime he informed his butler about the young woman in the chambers of the last tunnel. Something about her intrigued him, maybe because she wasn't like any Men he encountered in his infinitely long life, she was deeply earthly like all humans, but there was something undoubtedly voluptuous and almost celestial about her, which subtly recalled elven nature. But Thranduil, as king, soon focused on the urgent matter, the security of his people. He returned to the library and dove in ancient books about the shadowy creatures that once inhabited the forest.
His studies lasted all night, dawn came without him realizing and without any answers. When he felt the first rays of morning touching his pale skin he decided to rest, troubled times were before him.