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Chapter X

Queen Of Hearts

"Lady Hazel." I heard a cold, familiar voice calling me.

Well, I do have a shitty luck.

Lady Hazel turned to look at the king, her face white as a sheet, as she curtsied, standing on a rock surrounded by a river and young elves.

"Majesty."

She was dripping water, her hair and clothes completely soaked, as she walked to where he was standing, her eyes downcast in a shamelessly feigned look of innocence, her green dress, now nearly black with water, was clutching to her body, hinting a slim silhouette. She didn't look so plain now, her face rosy from playing in the sun, the dark green fabric emphasizing the whiteness of her skin, her dark brown eyes looking up to him anxiously. And, of course, there was that blessed clutching dress.

The king hardened his face and focused.

"You have ten seconds to explain this most... enchanting tableau to me. The rest of you, go."

She watched, adorably helpless, as Melim and the apprentices ran off to the healing wing leaving them alone.

"Nine..."

"It was an accident." Hazel said, defensively.

"Eight..." Thranduil continued, unmoved by her barefaced lie.

"It was kind of an accident" She corrected herself "Ithilwen slipped and fell in the water, Ellia was laughing so she pulled her in and we all ended up in the river."

The king took a dark wet lock from her face and she blushed to a beautiful scarlet, waiting for the scolding. He couldn't care less about a bunch of elves enjoying the river, especially when Hazel ended up in that most endearing state before him. But it was during her working time, so, as much as he liked the outcome, it couldn't go unpunished.

"For the next week you will be helping in the kitchens as punishment for your unsuitable behavior, which, I expect, will not be repeated."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"I expect to see you in the library after lunch, Lady Hazel."

She curtsied and excused herself with a "Majesty", and he watched as she headed to the healing wing. For the first time he noticed a slight sway of her hips as she walked. His pet scholar could be quite interesting, it seemed.

Thranduil shook his head at his own absurd thinking, heading for his personal study and wishing for a glass of wine.

And it was only ten in the morning.

I paused to twist the hem of my dress before entering the healing wing, even though I knew it was no use, I was dripping wet.

What a way to appear before the king.

Melim was in the presence chamber, waiting for me.

"So, what did he say?" She asked, following me to my bedroom.

"His Majesty has no sense of humor. Set me to help in the kitchens for the next week as a punishment for my unsuitable behavior." I said, imitating the king's deep velvet voice "God, it's hot as Mordor today, he could have overlooked that."

Melim shrugged.

"It could have been worse."

I freed myself from my heavy dress and searched the wardrobe for an alternative. In a day hot like this, it seems to me that I only have winter dresses.

Wool.

Velvet.

Cashmere.

More wool.

"You say that because it wasn't you playing 'Lady of The River' on a stone. Now he thinks that it was all my idea."

She pulled a cotton dress that had gone unnoticed by my wardrobe patrol.

"It was all your idea, Hazel. I told you to take the girls in, that I'd carry on the 'field trip' with the others, but before I had finished speaking you had pushed Calanon in the river and was setting a prize for the first kid who brought you something to lower a fever."

I placed a corset over my belly and turned my back to her.

"They were learning."

"I wonder if it looked like learning when the king saw you ruling from a stone as half a dozen young elves presented you with tributes of mixed river weed."

"You make me look so unprofessional. Had the king seen the enchanting tableau from the beginning he would have noticed that I wanted them to learn the difference between all sorts of weed."

She finished the lacing of my corset with an unkind pull.

"Tell him so."

I laughed as I slipped into the light blue cotton dress.

"Somehow it seems that the best thing for me to do now is just shut my mouth and go make soup or whatever."

She laughed loudly at that.

"Should I avoid dinner tonight?"

"Haha, so funny."

"Hey, Troublemaker." Alyan's voice took my attention from the food and I pinched my finger with the knife, muttering a curse. "Sorry if I startled you." he apologized "The king wanted to see you in the library, said that you are dismissed from kitchen duty for today."

I smiled, genuinely happy. It was my last day of kitchen duty, so it meant I was free as a bird.

"Thank you, Alyan. That's great news you bring me."

I walked the absurdly long way from the kitchens to the Royal Library, cursing the castle for being city-sized and anxious to know what the king wanted to talk to me that couldn't wait till after lunch, but still happy to be released from kitchen duty.

"Good morning, Majesty." I greeted him, curtsying. He was specially stunning today, dressed in silver, sitting on an armchair reading God only knows what.

"Good morning Lady Hazel." He answered, before pausing for a moment. "Oh, that's good, I like stuffed duck."

I blushed. I knew that he was teasing me, I still smelled of food from the kitchens, though not enough that one could tell what we would have for lunch. Or so I thought.

"I asked the chief cook." He said, as if reading my thoughts, the corner of his lips hinting a smile. "There's someone coming today, someone I thought you'd like to see." He continued, gesturing me a nearby chair.

I sat as I was bid and we kept silence for a while, I examining my minor injury and he reading his book, until a guard opened the door. Before he could say anything the king interrupted him.

"Let her in."

The guard got out of the way and I nearly choked as I saw a tall, black-haired elleth dressed in the fine robes of a diplomat, her wise gray eyes taking the room around her with a look of respect. Azira shot me a surprised look but quickly turned to the king and curtsied low.

"Welcome to Mirkwood, Lady Azira. I trust you already know Lady Hazel." The king said, in a warm voice.

So that's his greeting voice for diplomats. If I remember well, when I first arrived he sounded utterly bored.

Azira rose to her full height again.

"Thank you, my lord. It's such a pleasure to see you again, Hazel."

I wanted to get up from the chair and hug her, but she was full business mode, so that would have to wait. Instead I smiled politely and answered.

"I say the same of you, Azira."

The king put aside his book as my old friend approached us.

"Elrond told me you had pressing matters to discuss of concern to all elven lords."

She nodded.

"Indeed, Lord Elrond sent me to discuss matters of vital importance. But also, I bring you something from the Lady of Light." she said, taking a small bag of green velvet from the pocket of her cape and handing it to the king. "She said that you should keep it with you at all times."

The king opened the bag and I saw emotion in his eyes as he held up a beautiful silver filigreed wreath. My heart tightened to see longing and pain in his eyes and all I wanted was to run to him and comfort him as he did to me once. It was a mere second and then his regal mask came back, but I'd already seen it. He too had lost one he loved.

"Thank you, Lady Azira. Tell Lady Galadriel that I appreciate it, I thought this treasure long lost."

Azira nodded, glancing quickly at me once more.

"Now, I want you to see some of my realm's beauties. Lady Hazel will show you the river in the underground galleries, I know you have a lot to talk about. Also, a feast will be held tonight, in your honor. Tomorrow we discuss the matters that brought you here."

"Thank you once more, my lord."

I got up and we took our leave with synced curtsies and a "Majesty" from my part. As we left, I looked one more time to the king, a bit worried to leave him alone when he was so shaken by his queen's long lost jewel. He nodded to me with a smile, just as if he was reading my thoughts. I knew that as soon as the door closed the smile would disappear, but if he wanted to be left alone I would respect that.

Still, I worried about him.

"Hazel, my dear, I'm so sorry for your loss." Azira said, hugging the air out of me as soon as we were out of the Library. She was away in a mission by the time or Dûrion's passing, so she never got to see me before I came to Mirkwood.

"Thank you, Azira. How is Faelwen?"

She smiled, taking my arm in hers as we walked the long corridor.

"Drinking, writing, playing the piano, same as always." She said, happy to think of her faraway wife, partner in my constant attempts to empty the cellar at Rivendell. "Lord Elrond was worried about you, he feared that you would slip into drinking again." She said, casually, and I blushed to remember my incident with prince Legolas, which, of course, didn't go unnoticed. "And so you have, I take?"

"It was just a small incident. It's unfair, Faelwen drinks and it's 'setting her creativity loose', but when I do it is 'drowning your sorrows, and that will do you no good'." I defended myself, mimicking Lord Elrond's fatherly voice.

"And what were you doing? I never heard you play a single note under influence." That was true, for I would start a rebellion or something of the sort, while Faelwen would write the night away.

"Drowning my sorrows." I admitted. "It doesn't matter, how is the Ada To Us All?"

"He is fine. Actually, he sent a letter for you." She answered, searching her pockets and finding a carefully folded paper, which she handed to me.

I was about to tuck it in my pocket but she stopped me.

"No way! I was dead curious about that letter, you'll read it aloud so that I can hear." She stipulated.

"Azira, that's private correspondence." I laughed.

"No, no, no, no. There's no 'private' anything between us, dearie. Now read."

I surrendered, opening the letter. That was the elleth who had ambushed me the morning after my wedding to get privy to the details, there was no keeping anything from her.

"My dear birdling,

First of all, greetings to dearest Azira as well, who is most likely reading this letter with you right now."

"He knows me way too well." She smirked

For once, the tables were not divided by occupation, everyone was free to sit anywhere they pleased, soldiers, artists, healers, stewards all mixed up in friendly groups. I spotted Zinia whispering something to Bellthestien and they glanced at me before resuming their talking.

Great, now she's turning him against me. How long do we have to play this stupid game?

I approached the table where Tauriel, Alyan and Melim were sitting, looking up to the high table where Azira had a place of honor next to Legolas.

"Well, how is our favorite troublemaker this beautiful night?" Alyan teased me.

"Not making any trouble. It's good to see you too, Alyan." I answered, taking a seat. "And you may stop staring at Azira now, she's married."

He enacted a theatrical wiping of his eyes.

"The pretty ones are always taken, who am I supposed to marry?"

Tauriel nearly fulminated him with a glare.

So that's how she kills orcs.

Alyan's eyes widened as he had just realized what he said.

"I mean, you are beautiful, really, three goddesses, but none of you want to marry me, what can I do?" He said, looking heartbroken "And so you condemn me to live far from your light and into this sea of common elleths." He added, dramatically putting a hand to his forehead.

I started to laugh but nearly choked as the king arrived, making the room silent as we all rushed to our bows and curtsies. He was dressed in light green, his hair adorned with a crown of late-summer leaves, and I wondered what would he wear once autumn arrived.

It doesn't matter, he's gorgeous.

I mentally sighed. Trying to discipline my body on what was appropriate to think of a king was a lost cause, so I just pushed the thought away. Father always told me 'choose your battles, honey cake', and that one was already lost. My body would think whatever it wanted of the ridiculously beautiful king until it eventually tired. I only hoped it would happen soon.

King Thranduil made a beautiful speech in honor of the friendship between Mirkwood and Rivendell, which I hardly heard since he was way too glorious, before taking his seat and ordering the food to be brought. Soon the rich smell of all kinds of food mingled with the notes of wine and all were eating, chatting and drinking. God, how they drank. Apparently there would be a treasure of gold and diamonds for the one who first managed to empty a casket alone, for everyone was trying really hard, and I indulged myself a couple of glasses, worried that Azira would report me to Lord Elrond if I drank too much. The king withdrew not long after midnight and it was the leave Azira needed to go to her bedroom after exchanging a few words with Legolas. Soon he came to our table, a bit too smiley from drinking. Tauriel and Alyan were arm wrestling and Melim an I were acting judges, all them half-past their senses. I benefited from Azira's absence to drink another couple glasses.

"Lets go." He summoned us.

"Where?" I asked, curious.

"Go on partying elsewhere." Was Tauriel who replied, smirking.

We headed to the cellars and 'borrowed' a few more bottles of wine.

It's alright, I guess. Legolas is the prince, after all.

From the cellar we headed to the part of the castle where the Library stood, but walked past the corridor that led to it and soon I was completely lost, trying to memorize turns and corridors for when I needed to go back to the healing wing. Tauriel and Alyan, on the other hand, were perfectly comfortable, as if they had already been there several times. Legolas opened a big wooden door and revealed a beautifully furnished bedchamber.

We are in the Royal Quarters.

The king's chambers mustn't be too far from here.

Tauriel produced a set of cards from her pocket and I realized that she was prepared for the after-party. It must be some kind of habit for them, as Alyan sat comfortably on the prince's bed.

Bottles were opened and soon half of them were empty on a corner and Legolas and Alyan were laughing and wrestling on the floor, under our passionate cheering, for a red curl of Tauriel's hair she had just cut with her dagger.

Ellons. Any excuse to show off.

Alyan restrained the prince, the weight of his body keeping Legolas pinned to the floor, Tauriel couldn't stop laughing at the war she had caused.

"I won!" Alyan stated, happily.

"Get off or make love to me at once, you're crashing me." Legolas complained trying to push the ellon from the top of him.

"Maybe we should make love, after all." Alyan considered, pretending to try to kiss Legolas, and earning a sound hit of his friend's head, which made the young ranger falter and gave the prince the chance to free himself. Laughter echoed in the room as Alyan placed a hand on his forehead.

"Wild lover." He smirked.

"I'm not that drunk yet." Legolas muttered, straightening his doublet.

"Let's gamble!" Tauriel suggested, waving the set of cards.

"I have nothing but my heart to gamble" Alyan said, dramatically.

Tauriel's smile turned into a mysterious one.

"Very well. Your heart it shall be, for we're about to find out who we're going to marry." she said, shuffling a few cards before clumsily placing them, face down, on the table.

"Now you take a card and it'll tell you who you're going to marry!" She announced, smiling broadly.

"Does it really work?" Melim asked, skeptically

"Oh course it works, silly." She answered, taking a card and turning it for us to see.

The Jack of Hearts.

"It seems that we'll be getting married after all, Alyan." She said, making everyone in the room laugh.

Melim, encouraged by this, took a card, and I followed, curious to what interpretation could be provided from a card.

"It seems I'll be marrying Legolas." She stated, showing us the Joker and making the room sound with laughter again.

"That's not right, dear, I'll be the one to marry Legolas." I said, showing them my King of Hearts.

"Oh no, it seems we have a duel here! You see this, wife?" Alyan teased, trowing his arm around Tauriel's shoulders, to what she responded by punching his ribs.

"Well, I can surely marry both of you." Legolas laughed, taking both Melim and I by the waist.

"No way!" I responded, with feigned indignation, climbing up the prince's bed and arming myself with a pillow. "We shall fight for your love, my prince!"

Melim quickly grabbed another pillow as I landed on the floor and we started our epic pillow battle for the amusement of the others, specially Legolas, who was crying with laughter at our fight-to-death for his hand. A miscalculated strike caused Melim's weapon to blow up against the bed post, covering both of us in feathers, and I managed to hit her hard enough to make her land on her butt, making me the feathered winner of the pillow duel.

"Very well, it seems we have a Queen of Hearts here!" Tauriel congratulated me, as the prince held up our joined hands.

"She is my wife now! Aren't you, Hazel?" He asked me, his drunken red face had a huge smile from cheek to cheek.

"I've married the prince!" I replied, raising my pillow and laughing with the alcohol in my blood. That game was awesome!

"Marvelous!" Alyan clapped his hands, laughing "Claim your wife, Legolas!"

"Yes! Take her, Legolas!" Melim shouted, laughing as if she was possessed.

Legolas placed a silver circlet from his dresser on my head, and I laughed for it was a bit too big for me, threatening to fall over my eyes. He lifted me up to the bed and I stood like a real queen, holding my 'battle sword', higher than anyone else in the room, even though everyone was laughing their hearts off, especially Melim, still sitting on the carpeted floor. Tauriel and Alyan bowed respectfully as Legolas held my hand, looking up at me.

"Rule, my Queen of Hearts!"

I laughed with the dizziness of wine and recreated the king's regal posture, my hands joined in front of me, my chin up, trying to cast everyone an ice-cold glance and failing miserably, as I couldn't stop laughing.

"My first command is that.."

"Lady Hazel!" A thundering voice interrupted me, and we all fell dead silent as we turned to look to the door where the king himself stood. "Was that supposed to be me?"

How can he possibly know?

"No." I lied, my distorted drunken voice giving me away.

The king arched a dark eyebrow. He always knew when I was lying, and it didn't help that I was quite drunk.

"Lady Hazel, correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that every time we have an uproar in this realm you are somehow implied, not rarely commanding the disorder."

I lowered my eyes in my best look of drunken repentance.

"Sorry, Your Majesty." I apologized, as Legolas helped me back to the ground.

The king approached us and picked a white feather from my hair before taking off my 'crown' and ending my reign as Queen Of Hearts of prince Legolas' bedroom.

"Leave. I would like to have a word with my son. Lady Hazel, I expect to see you in the library as soon as the sun comes up." He said, dismissing us.

Legolas is in troooouble.

Wait, I'm in trouble too.

I walked back to the healing wing with a chuckling Melim.

"You should have seen your face when the king called you, you froze in the spot!"

I smiled at her recall.

"Yes, and you were the one sitting on the ground because you're too drunk to stand up."

She straightened herself, looking like a drunkard with a broom tied to her back.

"I'm standing up, am I not?"

We opened the door to the presence chamber and found a perfectly sober, perfectly groomed Zynia sipping tea and reading a book in one of the armchairs. Her eyes went comically wide to see our disheveled, feather-covered selves.

"Are those feathers?"

"From prince Legolas' own pillow!" I answered, laughing to see her face turn red with fury as I closed my bedroom door, dragging Melim inside with me.

That was kinda mean.

She was the one who started it, calling me an ugly whore.

I was sitting on a couch, reading a romance, as the king entered the Royal Library.

"Good morning, Lady Hazel. I trust you found your senses once more?"

"Good morning, Your Majesty. I apologize for last night's behavior. It won't happen again. Ever." I spoke, sincerely, getting up to curtsy to him.

He paced before me, not slightly impressed.

"Now, imagine you, off I was going to my bedchambers, weary after a long day of entertaining your friend, the diplomat, and when I pass near my son's chambers I hear what I thought it was a mob of a least a dozen inside. Curious, I open the door and there I see, my dearest Lady Hazel, drunk out of her wits, covered in feathers, crowned with my son's jewels, standing on the bed and performing a most charming interpretation of myself."

I felt my face burn.

"I'm sorry, Majesty."

He approached me slowly and placed a hand under my chin, forcing me to look up into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Maybe I should have waited a few more minutes? I'm pretty sure I would find your court gone and you bare for my son's pleasure."

Wait, what?

I wasn't quite sure of what I had just heard, that was so sudden that I didn't even know how to answer as tears of fury threatened to come to my eyes.

He just called me a drunk whore.

My dear golden king just called me a drunk whore.

My heart was pounding fast and all I wanted was to punch him, stab him, strangle him with my bare hands, anything. I wanted to cause him a pain deeper than that he was causing me.

I want him to suffer.

"You would have to be way prettier to merely get close to being worth of interpreting me. Don't even try, child, it's a waste of your time." He went on, whether unaware or not caring of the pain he was causing me.

I snapped my face from his hand, even more furious to see the way Lord Elrond lovingly called me being used by the cold-heart elven king to hurt me.

"Yes. And I would have to tear my heart from my chest and freeze it. You're right, Your Majesty, it's not worth it." I snarled at him, forgetting my manners altogether.

I turned to take my leave but he grabbed my arm and I felt a wave of energy as I turned back to face him.

"What did you just say?"

His voice was low, his icy eyes piercing me, and I sensed the danger, but I was too angry with his constant belittling me to back off now.

"You heard me the first time." I answered, pulling my arm from his grasp. "Majesty." I added quickly.

He stepped into my personal space, blocking the exit, and I had to keep my neck in an uncomfortable position to keep looking into his eyes, giving all of me not to punch him as if he was one of the trees in the garden.

"You were mocking your king for the entertainment of your friends." He said, his teeth clenched "You were mocking me."

"I wasn't mocking Your Majesty." My voice sounded strange from the angle of my head, but I would not look down now. "I only thought that if I was to rule, I would rule like you do."

He stepped back and I took the chance to half-run past him and out of the library.

The king watched the door close behind her and punched the wooden side of a shelf. He'd gone too far now. He'd gone way too far. He should never had hinted those thoughts to Lady Hazel, let alone to say them aloud to her face. What was he thinking?

He knew well enough what he was thinking. There was something about her, something he never witnessed too closely or for too long, but it was there that day in the river, and then again last night. There was scent about her when she was amongst friends, amusing herself. It radiated from within and he never saw her more comfortable, relaxed and charming than when she was in charge of the riot. Everyone in the room just gravitated to her, she had such a joyous energy that even him wanted to play whatever game she was playing, to run just as wild and free as she was. It seemed innocent enough, but there was something underneath, an unspoken challenge, a hot aura daring anyone to try and take her. It was way too tempting. Any ellon would want to have her when she had that glow about her, and his son was never the strongest one to resist the flesh. And she was so drunk.

Thranduil ran his fingers through his soft blond hair. He was just trying to protect her, and Legolas as well. Who knew what would have happened if he hadn't intervened? Elves were not like men. Once they joined, their souls were linked, and to break that link caused unimaginable pain on the discarded partner, not rarely they faded from their broken souls. There were too many tales of elves torn apart between their hearts' love and their souls' bond, torn apart for a mistake. Legolas' heart belonged to his captain, he could never pledge it to Hazel, and to think of any further misery coming to her was just too painful.

Still, he shouldn't have said it that way. As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. She was about to cry when she left him, and if there was something he could never bear was to see a female crying, specially one he held so dear. But she didn't know, so she called him heartless when he was only trying to protect her.

How could she? After all he'd done for her, how could she think him heartless? Had he not been understanding, caring and gentle? He granted her full access to his Library, he helped her perfect her Quenya, he stood by her side always, whether she knew it or not. And she repaid him by mocking him for his son's delight, calling him heartless and forbidding him her best side, for with him she was always the quiet, well-mannered, plain-faced scholar. The Queen Of Hearts was never there for him. How dared her call him heartless when he cared so much about her? How dared her shut him out?

Thranduil attacked the wooden shelf once more. He was allowing her too much power over him. There was a reason why he didn't open up for people, and when he did try to get close to someone she would shut him out and call him heartless.

Very well then, heartless he would be.

So, how did you like it guys? Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review ;) Next weekend: The Moon Festival! Get ready for some action :)

xoxo