Summer advanced happily in the Elvenking's palace. The orcs hadn't approached the kingdom's borders in some time, and everyone started to feel relieved thinking the threat had passed without any repercussions. However the king, that had learned not to be too optimistic, wasn't so sure that everything had returned to normal, he was more suspicious then his people and would rather play it safe, so he kept his troops on watch day and night. Furthermore he felt that each day passed the forest was falling sicker, he couldn't know how perceptible it was to the other elves, but he felt it as if it was happening to his own body.
There was, however, another reasons for his concern. The messengers he had sent, a month's passed, had not yet returned, and no evidence had arrived that the messages had reached their destination. Secretly he feared something had happened to his man during the trip, he feared his letters might have reached the wrong hands. He should however wait before telling Tauriel about his concerns, his messengers embarked on a long arduous journey and could hardly be back in a month's time.
Meanwhile, and beside this matter, the king lived one of the happiest periods of his life. Driralia still lived in the palace and seemed unwilling to abandon it. They lived happily, spent a lot of time together and didn't get tired of each other's company. They talked about everything or spent hours in silence, comfortable either way. The girl specially enjoyed sending time in the garden singing to the plants. Thranduil used to sit watching her surrounded by vegetation, she looked truly happy and satisfied.
She used to take him, on the warmest nights, outside to watch the skies. He talked about the stars and told her the legends of the constellations. They lived in a fascinating world of love and friendship, in which they were complicit in a simple and delicious life. Never had Thranduil felt the touch of life with such intensity, the days seemed full of brightness and the night were filled with magic, everything smelled of her, everything moved around her and he felt so glad to be alive.
"Stay with me!" he said one day when they were on the garden and she danced under the trees.
"I am with you!" she found, laughing softly.
"No, I mean, stay forever. I cannot imagine myself without you."
She simply smiled and kept dancing with her bare feet softly touching the ground, they seemed to not even touch it, as if she was flying like a bird free and happy. Then she stopped and looked at him tilting her head slightly.
"If you want me I'll stay, now and forever, for every day I shall live." She said smiling and approaching him she landed a gentle kiss on his forehead. The king closed his eyes consumed by happiness.
Author's note:
Sorry for the small chapter, I'll make it up in the next one. Hope you enjoy it!