Chapter 4

Late Nights

Aleena's POV

Every night for the past month I been with the ellon. I still did not know his name. At first he never smiled, now I would catch him smiling here and there. I loved his smile, it made his face light up. Tonight was the first night I had heard him laugh. I looked at him with a bright smile and he smiled back.

"I have not laughed like that in a long time…thank you."

I smiled more and gently touched his hand. I knew I was blushing and I felt very hot under his gaze. He took my hand and I looked into his eyes. He gave me a small but kind smile.

"Come."

I followed him away from the overlook. He brought me to a garden. There were clouds concealing the moon and everything was dark. I held onto his hand and he smiled at me.

"Wait."

I nodded and then the clouds began to disappear. The moon lit up several stones around the garden. It lit up everything around us and I smiled.

"This is…..it…beautiful!" I said.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, or at least that I could remember.

"This is a very special place for me. No one else knows about it except myself. And now I wish to share it with you. As a thank you for making me smile again."

I looked at him and smiled. I squeezed his hand gently and walked around the garden. The roses were full and healthy and there was a small pool of water. There was a willow tree near the water and I walked up to it. I put my hand on it and smiled. He stood near me smiling.

"Thank you, thank you for showing me this. It means a lot to me."

He walked forward until he was directly in front of me. I looked up into his eyes and he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Perhaps you would consider staying a little longer. I know eventually you will have to leave, but I would like to spend a little more time….with you." he said.

I smiled and he did too.

"If you tell me your name I will stay."

He seemed worried. As though if I knew who he was I would fear or hate him.

"You can tell me. I promise I will not be upset."

Thranduil's POV

I had refrained from telling her my name. If she truly was from Erebor, she might despise me. And I had grown to enjoy her company. I took a deep breath and then turned away from her.

"I am Thranduil."

She gasped.

"You are the king!"

I turned and found her bowing. I shook my head and had her stand.

"No, you do not bow to me. You are never to bow to me when we are alone." I said.

She smiled nervously and chewed her bottom lip.

"Why are you suddenly nervous?"

"Forgive me my lord I…."

I held up my hand.

"My name is Thranduil."

"Forgive me Thranduil. I did not know you were the king and my behavior may have been inappropriate."

I shook my head.

"No, it was not. For once someone did not treat me as though I were the king. They treated me as a normal elf. You have become a dear friend to me Aleena."

She smiled brightly and I could not help but smile back. I did not want her to go. She was the first one to be able to make me laugh for over a thousand years. She was free and she loved everything around her. I walked through the gardens with her and she loved everything she saw. When it was time for me to take her back to her room she seemed disappointed.

"You may come here anytime you wish. So long as no one sees you. I would like to keep this garden between us."

She smiled.

"Of course."

I smiled small and we reached her room.

"Rest well Aleena."

"And you….Thranduil." she said.

She squeezed my hand before going inside.

I smiled to myself all the way back to my chambers.

I do not want her to leave. And this may not end well.

Aleena's POV

I woke up with a smile on my face the next morning. Although I was still a little worried. I had not behaved the way one should in front of a king. But he had thanked me for treating him as though he were a normal person. I got dressed and made my way down to breakfast. I was surprised to find him there. Legolas and Tauriel greeted me and I sat down next to them as always. Thranduil inclined his head in greeting and I did so as well. It felt a little strange to me, after all the time I had spent with him to be acting this way now.

"I do not believe we have been able to speak to each other before. I am Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm. And you are the lady Aleena?"

I just nodded. I did not know why I felt so hurt by this. He was the king and I was…..I did not even know who I was. If he could tell I was uncomfortable he did not say a word. When I had finished eating I quickly excused myself. Tauriel came after me and I began to cry a little.

Thranduil's POV

I wondered why she had left so quickly. Legolas looked at me with a strange expression on his face.

"~What?~"

He sighed and shook his head.

"~Did you not see how uncomfortable she looked? I think she was even a little hurt by your actions.~"

I was confused even more than before.

"~I did not think that she would feel that way. I am the king and she is no more than a normal elf. What would people think should they see me with a girl like her?~"

He looked at me seriously.

"~I think they would be happy to see you happy again.~" he said.

He stood up and left, probably to find Aleena and comfort her.

Should I not be the one doing that?

I sighed and got up. A king's duty was never ending.