Ch 4 How Puzzling

Nothing was exchanged as the two stood staring at one another. Meio couldn't begin to imagine what he was thinking and smoothed down the plain dress she was wearing. His eyes followed her hands and the blank expression turned into a scowl and took a step forward.

"What is your name?"

It took a moment for her to blink out of the haze at hearing his voice again. "Meio."

"An unusual name."

"My mother searched long and hard for my name, I cherish it."

Thranduil hummed and twirled the wine glass in his left hand. "A mother's love is valuable. Tell me," he took another step towards her. "How did you all come to be?"

Meio looked at him puzzled. "We were born?" She didn't quite understand what he was after.

"So I presumed. However, what I meant was, who was your father? What is your mother's ancestry?" His voice remained light, although she could hear the demand underneath.

"Our father is a dwarf."

"And your mother?"

She shifted and tilted her head curiously, "Why?"

A dark brow arched at her, unused to being questioned. "Because I demand to know."

All Meio could do was frown at him, a face her muscles weren't used to making. "It isn't my past to tell."

"What harm could come about telling me who your ancestors are, or do you have something to hide?" Thranduil's eyes turned from curious to icy, his posture following suit.

The need to give in was there but Meio avoided a direct answer. "She was abandoned."

"So, then you don't know who Sired your family?"

"I know who my father is, but we don't worry about anyone but ourselves."

"Yes, I suppose that is what kept you all alive and off the map for all these years." He set the glass down and glided over to Meio, his long robes sweeping the floor. She had stopped about a third of the way in the room when the ceiling had caught her eye and Thranduil came up to her, grasping her chin and his eyes boring down into hers. "What I am wondering, among other thoughts, is how half dragons came to exist. It is impossible."

"I cannot tell you what I do not know." Meio whispered to him, her body taunt and chin still captured.

"How do I know that is the truth though." Thranduil loosened his grip and stroked her skin with his thumb as his eyes caught sight of the scales trailing from around her ear and disappearing behind her neck, down her back. "I have been alive a very long time, I have seen death and ruin, life and formation. For the thousands of years on Middle Earth, I have never seen anything like your family."

"There is always something new to be learned."

"Wise words."

"Our mother always told us this when we were younger." Meio couldn't look away from his face although his eyes were no longer on her own.

He didn't say anything in reply. Instead, his other hand pulled a thick section of her blue hair forward and let it fall through his fingers. When he spoke again, it was no louder than a murmur. "You are unusual, and yet, so familiar. There is something about you, a presence I haven't felt in decades, it calls to me."

Meio froze, she had no idea what could or was going to transpire, his words were puzzling at best. However, when his hand moved from her chin to run down her neck, her eyes widened as Thranduil leaned in closer.

"You are most captivating. I need to know, what is it that beckons me to you."

Her eyes lowered as his warm breath swept over her skin and just as he was about to kiss her, someone pounded hastily on the door. The hand at her neck wrapped around her throat and Thranduil pulled away, anger and disdain written clear as day across his features.

"Whatever magic you are using will not work on me, half breed. Your kind is far beneath me and I have killed your species before. Come in." His voice was cold and detached, the hand tightening around her neck.

Tauriel entered and froze, what she had walked in on was not a position she had expected. It took a moment to gather herself before speaking after the short command. "My Lord, your guests are causing trouble since I brought her to you."

"What kind of trouble? Can't you and your guards handle them." It wasn't a question.

"The mother, she shifted into a dragon and is spitting ice at anyone who nears her after breaking down the door. The siblings are at her side in human form, but I can't say for how long. They only said to bring her back or there would be damages."

Thranduil stared down at the girl in his grasp, her pale skin making the familiar blue eyes stand out. She shouldn't be worth the trouble she was causing him, however, he was determined to get answers. He shoved her backwards and watched as she stumbled across the ground to Tauriel before turning away. "Return her, and tell the dragon unless she wishes to die, to stay human."

With a short bow, Tauriel dragged Meio out of the room. The few guards that were with her rushed after them as she continued to pull the dragon behind as quick as possible. Soon enough, they were coming down the hall to where Meio and her family had been staying and she saw her mother's large white head and neck laying in the hallway, growling at the legion of guards with weapons pointed at her. She pulled her arm free and ran to her mother, throwing herself in front of the cold snout.

"Stop! Don't hurt her, she'll stop."

None lowered their weapons until Tauriel called something out in Elvish and most of the guards disappeared. Behind Meio, Lapis changed and stormed into the hallway, pushing Meio back into the room. Fury was written across her face and Meio looked down in shame, she had never made her mother angry or gone against her wishes. Lapis turned back around and stared down the Elf Captain.

"Tell that foolish King of yours, I will tear this place apart tree by tree if he tries to speak to her alone again. I don't know what happened, but I can smell the fear and it isn't from my actions."

Tauriel averted her eyes for a moment and nodded. Looking back at Lapis, she relayed Thranduil's own message along with a warning not to leave the room before departing and leaving the four guards alone with the family in the open room.

Lapis yanked Meio's arm, forcing to her to lean down so she could look into her daughter's eyes, then over her face and down her body. There were no visible marks or reddening but there was something off about her and Lapis didn't like it one bit. "What happened?"

The use of dragon speech didn't surprise Meio as it did the guards watching them. "Nothing, he wanted to know where we came from, who gave birth to you."

That wasn't everything and Lapis narrowed her eyes, "What else?"

Blue eyes were lowered and silence hung in the air. "He held onto my chin and said I feel familiar to him."

Sharp intakes of breath were heard. While they were free in practice, even Beorn hadn't touch Tarin for many years, even a hug. A growl emitted from Lapis and Keahi had to pull her away from his sister. Meio just stood there dumbly, the words of her One sinking into finally, he thought her beneath him. What had happened to create such a fierce hatred for dragons? Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, would she ever be able to be with her other half? Part of her meeting told of the attraction he felt but shoved aside for whatever reason. Tarin came to her side, kneeling on the floor and wrapped her arms around her sister, drawing her to her body as tears began to drip down.

Lapis watched from Keahi's hold and fell limp as her daughter started to cry. None of her children had ever cried, no matter the pain or squabbles they got into, and her heart clenched at the sight. If the Elf truly was Meio's One, it was going to break her not to be able to claim him as she had Thorin. The only rejection between them had just happened at Beorn's after years of thinking he was dead, so the pain of being separated had diminished greatly and Lapis had grown used to it. They watched as her tears fell to the ground into diamonds and Lapis frowned at the tiny jewels, remembering Thorin's story of Thranduil's last visit to it another sign they were meant for the other? And did that mean all of her children had the same gift of cry gemstones?

Days went by and eventually Thranduil gave permission for the family to walk certain halls. They weren't prisoners nor guests, but a strange combination of both, as long as they stayed human. They never saw the Elf King during that time, only Tauriel and the rotating guards they could see from the open doorway. The wreck Lapis had caused had been cleaned up but not fixed, most likely a pointed gesture from the King. But none of them minded and Meio threw off her dress the next day after crying and didn't don clothes again. Nothing was said about the action and Keahi spent time trying to coax her into a wrestling match, to which Meio gave in after a week, and the guards watched in interest from the doorway. It wasn't anything brutal, more like children trying to best one another and eventually, Tauriel stopped by to watch as well after hearing about it from her soldiers talking. On those days, Keahi would approach her after the match and try to engage the fiery Elf Captain into a conversation. Sometimes it would work, once he even was given a smile, but mostly she remained closed off and Keahi noticed after a few times a presence down the hallway continuously watching them.

After a month, Tauriel stopped coming by and a few weeks later, the family sensed something amiss. Wondering what had happened, they tried to over hear conversations as they wandered the woodland kingdom. One day, Tauriel showed up and stood inside the room, nervous energy rolling off her that the four could feel. They waited patiently for her to speak.

"King Thranduil would like you to join him in the throne room."

Lapis looked at the Elf in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes."

This set her on edge, "Why?"

Tauriel forced her eyes to stay on the gold ones staring unblinking at her. "I cannot tell you, but he won't harm you."

"I heard those words before and it was a lie. Why should I believe you this time?"

"I cannot guarantee you what you require, but it isn't really you he has an interest in at the moment."

Lapis stepped closer, "What do you mean?"

"We found someone lost in the forest, unwilling to give information, King Thranduil just asked for you to be brought to join them."

Their ears perked up at the information and they looked at each other, wondering who it could be. Lapis surmised it must be someone he thought she knew and Beorn was the only one coming to mind, but he knew not to venture into the forest. Unless he had been trying to get to their home on the other side. "Will you stay?"

"As close to you as possible."

The promise given that Tauriel would try and avoid anything happening made Lapis warm up to the Elf. "I'm not dressing."

Lips quirked at the announcement, "I hadn't thought you would."