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Bilbo landed back first on his soft bed.
The sheets enveloping him like a curtain of luxury that he once forgot ever since he stepped out of his home. The Hobbit stared at the ceiling of his temporary room as memories of what happened moments ago played and played in his mind; memories that left his Soul mark heating and his heart pounding.
Thranduil kissed him.
Granted, it was a chaste kiss and no more than a few seconds or one minute at most. But it was his first kiss and to know that it was Thranduil, his beloved and his other half, made it all the more special. Bilbo sighed in content as his arms started to find a pillow to hug. He felt giddy. Something he never thought would ever happen to him when he buried his face into the snow colored pillow.
"Something good must have happened for you to sigh like that."
Bilbo flung half of his body forward when he heard those words; tensing his muscles for an attack for he had been alone when he entered his room.
Seeing that it was Tauriel near the door and looking at him with that teasing look he got from her most of the time eased his anxiousness of an intruder. Instead, Bilbo smiled brightly at her and moved to sit on the bed; patting the empty space for her. The Silvan Elf did not accept the invitation so easily. She was Bilbo's guard and if someone walked in on them exchanging stories and whispering like wives how would that look?
Other Elves were already quite skeptical as to why the Captain of the Guard was watching over the Hobbit instead of doing other more pressing duties.
Yet Tauriel found herself moving towards the bed and sitting on its edge. They can continue to whisper, Tauriel thought. But Bilbo is her friend and she will not cause him sadness by thinking about other idiotic Elves.
"May you tell me why you're so happy, Master Hobbit?" Though, Tauriel already had an inkling for before coming to Bilbo's room, she had a glimpse of not just a happy Thranduil but also a flushed Thranduil.
Bilbo sat up straighter and Tauriel swears she can almost see stars in those Hobbit eyes of his for how bright it was shining.
The Hobbit proceeded to tell Tauriel of his wonderful time with Thandruil. How they conversed in many subjects and when the King found out Bilbo's love of culture and poetry he proceeded to orient him in the Elvin life and daily activities and also gave him the most-loved literature in the Elvin populace.
"It was amazing, Tauriel. I don't think I've ever been so, so happy before." Bilbo almost wanted to collapse on his bed once more like a love stricken teen yet resisted it. Favoring, to bury his face on the pillow lest Tauriel might see his blushed cheeks and ears. Tauriel oh so wanted to tease her friend yet below the surface she was immensely happy for him.
However, there is something she really must know.
"I'm happy for you, Bilbo. Yet, is talking all you did, Master Hobbit? For I'm have an inkling that you are leaving a few things behind, my friend." Bilbo was sure he blushed ten times redder than before and he was thankful for his fluffy shield.
Yet he squeaked and gawked when Tauriel robbed him off of his pillow; showing his face.
Bilbo kept his lips firmly sealed but the twinkling look on Tauriel's face shows him she already knew so there really was no point in hiding it.
"He might have, you know, kissed me." The face of triumph and outright glee prompted Bilbo to tell her it was only a few seconds and does not even count in his book.
Tauriel laughed and affectionately patted Bilbo on the head; a shock for him yet he did not mind at all.
"I was jesting, Bilbo. I really am quite happy for you. The King is doing wonderfully in his Tel Anta en' êl." Bilbo blinked. He's never heard of those Elvish words before. He knows a few from the short lesson from Thranduil and from his own Hobbit curiosity yet he's never come across that phrase. Seeing the look of confusion, Tauriel said, "The Giving of Stars. It is the courting tradition of the Elves."
"I'm sorry. Stars? I'm a bit lost." Bilbo knew that stars were quite a deal here for the Elves in Mirkwood (And any part of Middle-Earth actually.) just from feast they had days before yet the title was peculiar.
Tauriel smiled and made herself comfortable for the explanation she was about to give was a bit long.
"Stars are not just objects in the sky, Bilbo. They are memory." Tauriel felt her Soul Mark give a sad pulsating heat as those words echoed through her heart. How long ago was it when she explained the same thing to a mischievous dwarf? Bilbo saw the look of longing in Tauriel's eyes that he saw on his own so many times before coming to Mirkwood and gently clasped his small hand on hers.
Assuring her.
The Silvan Elf swallowed and smiled a thanks.
"The Stars for us are memories etched in the dark sky. We cannot touch them yet we can gaze at them and remember. It is believed that the very first Elf to find his beloved half thought of himself as not worthy for her. For she was beautiful and kind and loved by all even those who did not have Elvish blood." Bilbo listened in a trance as Tauriel started to stare at the open-air with a misted look in her eyes.
"He felt cheated for her because she must live with him, a stranger she did not even see until that faithful day of knowing."
"He didn't leave her, did he?" Tauriel chuckled at the look of slight shame on Bilbo's face. He did not mean to interrupt but he couldn't help it. The Silvan Elf raised her eyebrow teasingly at him and continued. "He knew, of course, that leaving her will cause them both pain-" The look of relief Tauriel saw almost made her laugh again. "-so he vowed to make her fall for him in his own way. With his charm and eloquence and together they will make new memories. He started courting her and the first thing he gave her, as a gift, was his mother's ring."
Bilbo felt the whispers of the ring of power in his pocket and his fingers itched to hold it and be part of its world yet he did not and choose to just touch it instead.
"His mother's ring showed of earnestness to his love and devotion. The Soul Mark may have shown him his beloved but he will show her that his love went beyond destiny. When she accepted it and the two of them talked and laughed and whispered secrets, a star shone bright for them that night. The second gift was queer and smaller compared to the first. It was a thread. A single, silk and gold thread that hails from the most powerful of merchant. It spoke of devotion. That no one will come before her or will come after her. The third gift he took from his own clothes. Taking his armor of gold, he forged it into new and told her, prayed to her, that where ever he is, may this armor protect her for he cannot live without her."
Bilbo felt a pang from his heart. He's never heard of such a story of love and adoration. His own parents love story was not exactly exciting for they meet in the Shire, teased each other during their outings in the Market and got married a year later. Hobbits did not really have any tradition except for the actual time to be wed.
"The fourth gift was a flower. But not a normal flower for this flower bloomed only on the highest mountain and it was the most beautiful of all flowers. He said to her that her love of plants and green will become his new love as well and it will turn into their craft through centuries. And the final gift was a bed." Bilbo blushed and was thankful that Tauriel did not tease him this time. "It was a grand bed in their new home where he promised her passion and a family if she so desires. A future. They were happy. They were truly in love and they did not know that for every gift a star glistened for them. For their love."
Bilbo's entire body was warm as Tauriel finished her explanation. His fingers touched the pin on his collar and caressed its radiant emeralds. "So, this is Thranduil's first gift?"
"That's right. That pin, no doubt, came from his family's treasury."
The Hobbit already felt protective of the pin and to find out it was from Thranduil's family and may have been part of the Greenleaf's for centuries only served to heighten Bilbo's security over it. "And this is his second gift?" Bilbo took a golden-key tied to a silver string from his inner pocket. He was surprised when Thranduil presented him with it before leaving the library and he asked at once what door it opens. The King merely smiled and promised him another time of exploration when another Elf told him of his Kingly duties.
Tauriel stared at the dangling key and thought to herself how familiar it was.
"This is his gift of devotion?"
Bilbo was now very curious as to what this key opened.
"It may be or it may be not. The gifts do not have an order. The Elf chooses the order and the gifts. Did The King not tell you what it is for?" Bilbo shook his head and returned the key to his pocket. "He had to deal with his duties before he could tell me. He did promise me that we would explore it some later time."
"The King is busy though I am surprise. Usually, an Elf will confess the purpose of his gift as soon as his beloved receives it."
"Truly?"
"Yes, yet I'm sure the King has his reasons. He adores you, after all."
"Tauriel!"
Tauriel laughed at the slight pout and tinted cheeks of her friend. Teasing him is much too fun. "Honestly, you remind me too much of Kili." Bilbo did not know where those words came from and did he so regret saying them for as soon as Tauriel heard the Dwarf prince's name did she falter. Her eyes slighted and her smile fell.
"I-I'm sorry. I did not mean to say-"
"How long have you known?" The sudden aloof voice only heightened Bilbo's shame. "A while." He murmured; feeling her eyes boring into every word he was saying. "I was in the cells when the two of you were talking. I found out on my own."
"And you told no one?"
Legolas came to Bilbo's mind. He did not know if the Elvin Prince knew; the hatred in his eyes that time certainly seemed too much. Yet he did not act any different and Bilbo saw no signs if he did.
Bilbo shook his head and Tauriel released a sigh of relief. "Is it so bad?" he asked. Everyone knows that Elves and Dwarves were not friends nor even acquaintances yet will they go so far as to destroy the decided love of two halves? Tauriel closed her eyes. The anguish of Kili out there and in danger now showing. "The Elves will not accept it." It was such a simple explanation that needed no more words.
It was forbidden. Do not mind the marks on their chests.
Her kind will surely shun her.
And what of him? A Prince with a lone Silvan Elf? Laughable.
"You do not give yourself credit, Tauriel." Bilbo heard those whispered words and annoyance and slight anger for both the Elves and the Dwarves invaded him. "You are kind, humorous, and an amazing warrior. You're the Captain of the Guard for Valar's sake! I'm sure you can kick any Dwarf or Elf that will tell you otherwise." Tauriel stared and for a moment she did not know what to say or how to react. For it has been so long since someone has so plainly expressed their feelings to her.
Thranduil may have been her father figure but he has been aloft till now. And Legolas. There is a strain in their friendship that Tauriel knows will only deepen for the following days.
It is both a joy and a relief that someone like Bilbo is her friend.
Tauriel smiled despite the swell of emotion inside her and said, "Thank you, Bilbo Baggins. Truly."
Bilbo smiled and laid his hand on top of her. "We will find a way. When I get back to the company I will talk to Thorin and have no doubt that Kili will fight for you. He's a lot to handle but he's loyal to a fault."
Tauriel laughed, small and short, at those words. Remembering how Kili tried to scare her with his 'talisman'. She looked down on their joined hands and seeing her pale skin, the skin of Elves, she remembered. "Thorin Oakenshield will not be the only royal I have to face."
"If you're talking about Thranduil, he really does not have any right in the matter; your King or not. He's bonded to me, a mere Hobbit, after all."
"Now, it is you who do not give yourself much credit."
Bilbo smiled and shrugged. He was merely speaking the truth.
"But I'm afraid it is the not the King I worry about."
The Hobbit felt confused with Tauriel's words. Thranduil was royalty and he does have some power of Tauriel for she is under his command and reign. But Bilbo is sure with some talking, he can see sense. Yet if Thranduil was not the royal there talking about and neither was Thorin then who?
Bilbo's face lit up. Suddenly remembering one other royal in the Elvin household.
"Legolas." He whispered and Tauriel nodded.
"So, you've noticed?"
"How could I not?" Tauriel took her hand and started pacing around the room. It was by the first time Bilbo ever saw the Captain of the Guard anxious. It seems spiders and Orcs do not compare to the problem of Soul Marks and destiny.
"He talks differently to me and his actions are far more intimate than necessary. I would have thought nothing about it for we are childhood friends. Yet, his eyes speaks volumes of what he wants to convey." Bilbo nodded as he listened to Tauriel's explanation. "He has tried to get me alone sometimes." Tauriel stopped her pacing and turned to stare at Bilbo's surprise expression. "No doubt, wanting to tell me the truth."
"And? Has he?"
Tauriel shook her head and Bilbo, though not the one involved, sighed in relief.
He has only talked to Legolas this morning but he can see him and the Prince becoming friends and Tauriel is already his friend. He wants to help them to the best of his abilities.
"Have you tried to tell him…no?" Bilbo could not have phrased the word better and Tauriel shook her red-haired head. "Well, why don't you?"
Tauriel sat down and stared at Bilbo with such intense eyes. "How would you tell your childhood friend no yet still wanting to save their friendship?" She has a point, Bilbo thought.
"I, honestly, don't know. I don't have a childhood friend in the Shire." Tauriel lax and her eyes saddened at Bilbo's words. "But, I'm respected there because I'm honest." Bilbo took Tauriel's hand once more and enclosed her large hand in his smaller ones. "Honesty may bring heartache and pain but it saves us from even greater pain and even dreadful hate."
For the second time that night, Tauriel felt emotions that has long been bottled inside her as she stared at those brown eyes of such understanding. She squeezed Bilbo's small hand and gave him a sad smile. "You are far wiser than you give credit for Master Baggins."
"Now, if only my relatives can see that."
Both creatures laughed at Bilbo's quip and Tauriel sighed as she stared at a wall of his room. "I will try to talk to him tomorrow." She whispered and this time it was Bilbo who gave her hand a squeeze.
"The two of you will get through this."
"I hope you're right, Bilbo. I truly hope you are."
"Will you show me the room of this key now?"
Bilbo was quite surprised when Thranduil came to him late at night with an almost skip on his step. The King explained to him that he could not wait to show the Hobbit the room to that key and Bilbo could not agree more.
Thranduil chuckled at the excitement on Bilbo's face as they walked the stone paths of his palace. One of his hands gently clutching Bilbo's shoulder as he led him. I need to memorize these halls someday, Bilbo thought. Yet he recognized the path they were taking for the designs on the wall was quite different from the others.
"You're taking me to the library again?" Thranduil felt a hint of surprise as Bilbo turned to look at him with his head titled slightly to the side. "Why yes. I did not think you remember. Many guests easily get lost in my palace." Bilbo chuckled and shook his head as he laid one of his Hobbit hands on Thranduil's hand; something which the Elvin King was quite giddy about. "Oh, I know all about getting lost in your palace. Luck though favors me it seems."
"It seems she has for you are bound to a King, after all."
Bilbo turned to Thranduil once more with a teasing smile on his face and with red cheeks. "Full of yourself, your majesty?" Thranduil shrugged and gave Bilbo a haughty smile as they stopped in front of the library door. The King bending down to whisper his next words, "Only because I have everything and more, my Hobbit." Bilbo shivered as that deep voice tingled his pointy ears and caused a pleasurable churning to pass his belly.
Thranduil stood straight and fixed his robes; turning to open the library door without another glance at Bilbo for he saw the slightly hazed look in his beloved's eyes and he, himself, was feeling quite sultry for his sudden forwardness.
'Calm yourself.' Thranduil thought. 'It will not do you well to cross boundaries which he is not ready for.'
The two halves entered the library room and Bilbo thought it was as magnificent as it was this morning but instead of sitting down on one of the library chairs Thranduil kept on guiding him towards a corner of the room. Bilbo narrowed his eyes and saw a slight line on the perfectly carven walls.
It was a door and its key hole was quite hidden if the Hobbit says so himself.
Thranduil clutched his shoulder and encouraged him to use the key the King gifted to him.
The Hobbit heard the clicking of locks as he slightly turned the golden key to the side. The door, itself, opened to reveal a small gap and Bilbo saw darkness but from the width. Thranduil laid his hand on the door and gently pushed; coaxing the door to widen until it was on its limit. The King took a step or two inside with Bilbo doing the same and his free hand found the switch placed on the wall.
It was another library, Bilbo thought. No, a part of it.
"This is the private section of the library." The King's voice echoed in the space as Bilbo stepped forward to touch the binds of the thick books. Noting that some seem quite old for its skin was already in its prime. "Many of the books here are quite of age and some have been long forgotten even by us Elves." Thranduil could see that Bilbo was listening to him even though his eyes took in the small interior of this so-called private section. "It isn't by all means grand yet I hope you will find it interesting for it is yours." Bilbo stopped at once what he was doing and turned to look at Thranduil with eyebrows raised and his mouth somewhat agape.
"Mine?" he squeaked out and Thranduil smiled slightly as he turned to also touch the spine of the books.
"Yes. My second gift to you. Hopefully, it will become a curious activity if I or Tauriel or even Legolas will not be able to amuse you."
'His second gift' Bilbo thought; his mind going back to the story Tauriel told him and the significance of each gift.
"This is your gift of craft?" The Hobbit whispered and Thranduil felt surprised a second time that morning.
"How did you know?"
He was quite sure that he said nothing of the courting tradition of Elves so he was very interested as to how his Hobbit found out. Bilbo blushed and looked down on the floor; like he was a child caught taking cookies on the tray.
"Tauriel might have mentioned it." He murmured and Thranduil shook his blond-head for he should have known. "Well, it saves me the explanation."
"You're not angry?"
"Why on Middle Earth will I be angry, my Bilbo?"
Thranduil kneeled to face the Hobbit and his fingers found itself on Bilbo's cheek; tracing the slight scars on his face. Reminded that his Hobbit went through so much. Bilbo felt relaxed with the soft tracing of his skin and felt that churning in his belly again. "Well, Tauriel told me that Elves usually explain to their beloveds the meaning of each gift. So, I thought that you had a plan or something." Thranduil chuckled as Bilbo's lax eyes looked guiltily at him.
"Nothing which the two of you have hindered, I assure you."
"So, you do have a plan?"
Thranduil chuckled once more and started to lead Bilbo out of his now private library and the two halves started the journey back to the outside walls of the library. With Thranduil teasing Bilbo of secrecy while the Hobbit tried to tease back; both their marks giving off pleasurable heat.
