Alarya walked in silence. The long elegant corridors of the Palace stretched endlessly in front of her, the tall pointed arches whispering soft songs into the wind high above her head as she made her way towards the King's study. It was well past noon and she had not yet seen Thranduil that day. Or course, he had been stuck in council the entire morning and she also knew that since autumn had finally come his workload had seemed to double. She had spent the entire morning with her mother walking along the now gold and red gardens, but she had found that she could not contain herself any longer. Her entire self longed to see him at least for a couple of minutes.
A group of maids walked past her, bowing their heads politely and adding a low "My Lady". She returned the greeting with a curt nod of her head, fighting back an amused grin from showing on her face. She could see the maids exchanging mirthful looks between them as they walked away, whispering and fighting back short giggles. Oh, Valar. That had seemed to become a routine now. It seemed that ever since the rumors about her relationship with the Elvenking had spread throughout the entire realm, every single maid and guard inside the Palace would acknowledge her presence with a newfound respect and curiosity. She had felt slightly panicked at first, but her fear soon turned to entertainment as she simply got used to it.
Finally, she reached the large pair of beautifully crafted wooden doors that led to the King's study. Two guards stood dutifully to either side of them, the two of which she immediately recognized. After all it had become a sort of a habit for her to show up in front of this large doors entirely unannounced. She was about to push the door open when the sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention.
"Lady Alarya! How do you fare this beautiful afternoon?" She turned her head to glance at the quickly approaching Doronor, deep blue robes trailing behind his elegant figure. Where had he come from? He had certainly not been in the hallway a minute ago. Ad yet what she puzzled her the most was the advisor's wide smile and over excitement as he greeted her, as if suddenly he was interested in actually conversing with her.
"I am very well, Lord Doronor, thank you." She returned the greeting slightly confused, smiling rather hesitantly at the usually stoic advisor's friendly look. Pushing her puzzlement to the back of her mind she turned her attention once again to the majestic door in front of her, lifting her hand to the elegant golden knob. And yet, to her further annoyance, his hand quickly caught her arms before she could push the door open, suddenly turning her away from the majestic pair of wooden doors and starting to lead her gently through the hallway. What was wrong with him?
"Tell me, my Lady, have you seen the new blossoms in the gardens? Word has reached my ears that they are particularly beautiful this day." He suddenly said, and even though his voice sounded legitimately interested in said blossoms she found it hard to believe a single word he was saying. Since when was the blond advisor interested in talking about the blossoms in the gardens? Where had this sudden interest in having a small talk with her come from?
"Oh, in that case, my Lord, I will make sure to take another walk through the gardens sometime this afternoon." I was hard to hide the suspicion and puzzlement from showing on her voice as she discreetly and politely freed her arm from his hold, once again turning to the large pairs of doors that led to the elegant study.
"Ah, but it might rain this afternoon, Lady Alarya. I would not want you to miss the opportunity of gazing upon such beautiful blossoms." He insisted, once again starting to lead down the hallway. She fought back an exasperated sigh, her eyes turning to the large windows that traced the corridor. The sun was bright and high in the sky, not a single cloud in the vast blue mantle. From where in Arda had he gotten the idea that it might rain? Why the sudden urge for her to go see whichever blossom in this exact moment?
"I can assure, my Lord, that it will be all right if I do not see the blossoms right now. I can see them tomorrow if it rains." She stared at him strangely as she spoke, once again turning to the large pairs of doors. By the Valar! She simply wanted to see Thranduil for a minute!
Doronor, however, seemed to have other ideas for once again he stopped her hand from turning the golden knob, almost too quickly. This time, however, she did not give a chance to come up with another idea of things she should go do or see right now.
"What now?" She asked, all traces of formality vanished from her voice, which now betrayed her clear exasperation. The golden haired advisor simply opened his mouth, dark blue eyes suddenly seeming out of excuses. Valar, what had gotten into Doronor today? This was most unlike him. She was loosing her patience.
"Lord Doronor, is there a reason why you are clearly attempting to prevent me from seeing the King?" She raised a fair delicate eyebrow as she spoke, standing as tall as possible, her annoyed forest green eyes staring into his silent dark blue ones.
Silence settled between the two. At that precise moment, once of the large pair of doors was softly pushed open, and she turned her impatient eyes to find a tall dark-haired elf silently exiting the piece. She had no idea what his name was, but she recognized him as the master jeweler of the Palace. The dark haired elf bowed his head in a wordless greeting, and she simply returned the gesture, turning her attention expectantly back to Doronor as she heard the distancing footsteps of the jeweler.
"No." The advisor suddenly said, his face as peaceful as ever, shaking his head casually. "No reason. Go ahead, go in."
What in Arda? Alarya threw the advisor another suspicious look as the latter simply turned on his heels and peacefully strode down the hallway. What in the name of the Valar had gotten hold of Doronor? She simply shook her head, choosing to ignore this most strange encounter, and finally pushed the heavenly crafted door open.
The room inside looked exactly the same as ever. The bright golden rays of the sun filtering through the fall windows, washing on the exquisite carpet, and tracing in colors the backs of the thousands of books neatly resting on the majestic walls And yet, none of this seemed able to call the attention of her eyes, for they were solely focus on the only other elf that occupied the room.
Thranduil's ice blue eyes lifted in her direction the moment he heard the door opening, a warm smile suddenly drawing on his handsome pale face. She felt her heart flutter inside her chest at the mere sight of him. The Elvenking sat elegantly behind the large oak desk, looking as royal and simply powerful as ever. His long formal robes, in the colors of olives and wine, flowed down to his feet, the rich golden embroidery beautifully reflecting the dancing sunrays, which kissed his long blond hair with a touch of silver. She walked in his direction, unable to hold back her smile, and he followed her with his eyes as she made her way to where he sat.
"What brings you here?" He asked gently as he pulled her to sit on his lap, allowing her arms to loosely wrap around his neck.
"Just wanted to see you." She simply shrugged, turning her curious eyes to the piles of parchments spread on his desk. She could feel his arms circling around her small waist, the weight of his chin on her right shoulder. "What are these?"
"Reports from patrols." He answered almost absent-minded and she founder herself shivering slightly as she felt his lips travelling along the side of her neck. That was it, she could not stop herself and simply turned her head to face him, closing the gap between their lips in a gentle loving kiss.
"Have you come to distract me from my duties?" Ice blue eyes gleamed sheepishly as he spoke and she could not contain a small laugh.
"If you are too busy at the moment, your Majesty, I will retire." She started to rise from his lap but he quickly pulled her back down wrapping his arms more securely around the small frame, making another round of chuckles to escape her mouth.
"No you will not." She heard him whispering on her ear, sending another wave of tremors down her spine.
"You still owe me something." He suddenly added, a gorgeous grin adorning his fair face as his piercing ice blue eyes sparkled victoriously. She found herself laughing again as she immediately understood what he meant. Of course. He had not missed a chance to remind her that she still had to fulfill her part of the deal at the day of summer solstice's celebration. It had been almost a full month now.
"And how, Thranduil, do you expect me to stroke your hair while it is always tied up in thousands of braids? Not to mention the crown!" She grinned in return as she spoke, using the first excuse that came to her mind, watching as he narrowed his eyes at her, raising one fair eyebrow in return.
"Oh, please, that is a poor excuse." The Elvenking pointed out, lips twitching in mocking smile. "You are more creative than that."
She simply smiled guiltily at him, placing yet another kiss on his lips as an apologetic gesture and he found him returning the kiss, his hands lacing with hers on her lap.
"Do not even start to think that will make forget that you still owe me." He added after they lips parted, and she simply smiled defeated, once again turning her attention to the many parchments upon his desk as she felt his chin once again resting on her collarbone.
"Is that your signature?" She asked as one of her hands pointed to the bottom of one of the many scribbled parchments. The yellowing paper was filled with his neat, elegant handwriting, and there, at the bottom, she could perfectly read his name in the same elegant scribble.
"Yes." He answered almost puzzled, as if he did not understand her interest in that topic. She had never seen his signature before, other than in a much plain version in the bottom of the letters they had exchanged many months ago, and she did not know why but it felt sort of exciting and new to her to lay eyes upon the royal signature, the only set of ordered letters that had complete authority in the realm.
It was perhaps out of amusement or simple curiosity- she could not tell which- that she gently took the jewel incrusted quill resting only inches from her right hand, and slowly, almost boringly, starting copying the same patterns of the curly, slanted letters in another blank parchment.
"Alarya!" She hard Thranduil exclaim from behind her, his voice speaking in between a shock chuckle, sounding utterly bewildered as he quickly snatched the parchment in which she had written, ice blue eyes closely eyeing the absolutely exact replica of his signature.
She watched as his wide eyes turned to look at her, the expression of his face absolutely stunned, making her laugh lightly once more as his eyes turned once again to study the parchment in his hands, shaking his head slightly.
"How…? …I could have written this!" He muttered almost to himself, chocked eyes turning to meet hers once more. Then, almost speechless, he placed the parchment back upon the desk, directly in front of her. "Can you do it again?"
Alarya shook her head lightly, once again letting the exquisite quill dance over the piece of parchment, producing a second exact replica of the King's official signature. For the second time his reaction was the same, snatching the piece of paper to look at it intently, bewildered.
"How in Arda?" He muttered as his ice blue eyes travelled over the written name before once again fixing on her amused forest green ones. "You do know it worries me greatly to know that you can perfectly falsify my signature? Please promise me you will never do that."
She shook her head lightly, still smiling, before pressing a gently kiss on his cheek. "I will never do that, Thranduil." She said in a reassuring voice, knowing very well that it was not that he distrusted her but that he needed to be sure she understood the importance that his sole signature carried. After all it was that signature the one able to command and rule the Kingdom of Mirkwood.
He relaxed upon hearing her words and she once again felt his strong arms curling around her waist, his lips pressing a kiss on her right cheek. "I still cannot understand how you did that."
She simply shrugged, curiosity once again taking control of her as she let her eyes continue to study all the items that lay upon his large oak desk. Many tiny crystal flasks lay neatly ordered to one end, filled the fine black ink. One thick book lay open to one side, its pages covered with more pieces of parchments where the King had been taking neat annotations on its contents. And then another thing caught her attention, it was a very small black velvet box resting on the far left end of the desk. Her hand extended in its direction, but Thranduil beat her to it, quickly grabbing the little velvet box before she could lay a hand upon it.
"That is mine." Was the simple explanation he used as she saw him deposit it in one of the drawers before closing it out of her view. She did not ask about it, suddenly feeling that she had no right to simply go through his things when she had not been given permission to do so. She searched in his eyes for any sign of anger from his part but he did not seem bothered by it, on the contrary, his face remained as peaceful and handsome as ever.
She did not have time to further ponder on the situation however, for a knock sounded on the door at that exact moment.
"Enter" The King called just as she rose from his lap, moving to sit at one of the comfortable chairs on the other side of Thranduil's desk. She turned her head just in time to see Doronor walk inside the room, carrying a small pile of papers in his hands. The advisor stopped at the entrance of the study, bowing respectfully at his King before continuing his way towards the large oak desk.
"Here are the reports you have asked for, my Lord." Doronor's voice was once its usual strong and calmed voice as he deposited the papers on his King's awaiting hands. She could not help but gaze at him confusedly. He was clearly back to his normal self. What had all that fuss earlier about her going to the gardens been about?
"Thank you." Came Thranduil's reply as his ice blue eyes quickly scanned over the new pile of papers in his hands before neatly placing them upon the desk's surface. "Have the new patrol routes already been assigned respectfully?"
"Yes, my Lord." Was Doronor's answer with a curt nod of his head before he added. "I have come to inform you that a group of men has been found wondering through the forest. They are currently being brought into the Palace and should be here within the hour."
The Elvenking simply nodded his head and she could not hide her curiosity form showing on her face, even though she remained sitting quietly and elegantly. She watched in silence as Thranduil rose to his feet, his olive and red robes flowing elegantly to the floor beneath his feet. He looked tall, royal, every inch the mighty Elvenking he was.
"Very well. I shall receive them in the throne room." Thranduil's voice was so powerful, yet so serene, and she understood that this was her cue to leave, also standing to her feet.
Doronor simply nodded his head, waiting for his King to exit the piece first. Such thing, however, never came to pass for Thranduil had only taken but a couple of steps towards the large pairs of doors when he suddenly stumbled, his body seeming to tense as used a hand to lean against the tall bookshelves that covered the walls.
"My Lord?" Doronor was by his King's side in less than a second, grabbing him by his free arm while his worried, suddenly alert, dark blue eyes searched for Thranduil's face. She felt her heart skip a beat, her feet suddenly rooted in the spot. Thranduil's head was bowed low, his right hand still gripping to the bookshelf for support. He was breathing heavily, his eyes suddenly shut tight.
"My Lord?" She could hear the rising anxiety in Doronor's voice as he tried to get Thranduil's attention, but the later remained unmoving, eyes shut tightly in an expression of sudden pain as his breathing seemed to quicken. She did not know what to do, fear suddenly starting to build inside of her as Doronor kept trying to get any kind of response from his King. This was all too familiar for her, like a long repressed nightmare that had come back to haunt her. She did not want it to happen again, her eyes anticipating in fear the moment in which he would collapse.
"Thranduil?" Doronor's frantic voice asked again and this time she could hear the fain thread of fear in the usually calmed sound. And then, as suddenly as the pained expression had crossed Thranduil's face it left. Slowly, the King's head turned in his advisor's direction, ice blue eyes blinking dazedly for a moment before falling closed again. His right hand still gripped the bookshelf as a lifeline, his head still hanging low as he seemed to be trying to catch his breath, but nonetheless she felt a slight relief wash over her at the notion that whatever it was that had suddenly taken over him had stopped. This time it had not seemed to be nearly as bad as the last time she had witnessed such a happening. It was over. That's what her mind kept telling her over and over again. It was over.
"Come sit down, my Lord." She watched paralyzed as Doronor slowly led Thranduil to the large couch, gently pushing him down onto the cushions. The Elvenking's eyes remained closed, and she could see his body shaking slightly, suddenly looking pale. Whatever it was had suddenly attacked him had only lasted a couple of seconds, and yet the King looked absolutely drained.
Finally, she found her will to move, as if suddenly awakening from a daze. She rushed to the couch, ready to be of help in any way she could. Doronor was kneeling in front of his King , watching attentively as the latter attempted to slowly catch his breath. The simple act of sitting had seemed to do loads for the weakened Elvenking, who seemed to be regaining some of his color.
"Get him some water." Doronor suddenly asked her, and she did not need to be told twice before she was moving across the room to where a fine silver pitcher was kept. She could hear the advisor calling a name she did not quite understand, and a second later the door of the study was pushed open, but she did not turn to look, already walking back to where Thranduil sat with a crystal glass full of fresh water.
"Fetch Master Melnor." She saw Doronor quickly tell the guard who had just ran into the room, but she did not turn to look as she heard the elf once again leaving the piece in search of the head healer.
"Here." She said, handing the glass of water into the bold advisor's waiting hands. She watched as Doronor gently took the glass to the King's lips, but Thranduil pushed it away with a shaking hand. The advisor did not insist, placing the still full glass on a small rounded table next to the couch before turning his attention back to his King.
And then everything happened so fast her mind barely had time to register it. Without warning, Thranduil suddenly jerked forward, his face once again contorting into an expression of agonized pain, eyes shut tightly as he tossed his head around, as if desperately trying to get away from whatever it was that was causing the pain. Her heart stopped inside her chest, a new, more powerful wave of fear suddenly consuming her entire self, a silent cry dying in her throat as her hand involuntarily flew to her mouth.
"Thranduil!" She heard Doronor exclaim, no longer caring for formalities as his hands quickly flew to grab at his King's arms, preventing him from falling forward and onto the carpeted floor.
The Elvenking had not seemed to hear his advisor, his body suddenly shaking violently, still tossing and turning his head. His breathing was too quick….far too quick. She did not know what to do, once again feeling as if she was inside a nightmare, the worst nightmare she had ever had. She felt the same way she had felt the first time she had seen this sort of attack take over Thranduil. She had tried in vain to forget that frightening memory, to pretend it never happened, and yet here it was again.
She noticed that Doronor had lowered the King so that he was lying down on the couch, the latter still shaking violently, eyes tightly shut in searing pain. She could hear Doronor's frantic voice calling Thranduil's name, his hand pressed to the King's cheek, but he did not gain any kind of response from the trashing elf. Everything seemed suddenly distant to her, every sound, every image, as if her mind had shut itself into a distant box, trying to hide from the terrifying scene unfolding before her very eyes.
The door of the study was suddenly thrown open and she distantly noticed the dark haired healer rushing into the room, not even turning to look at her before dropping to his knees next to the blond advisor.
"How long ago did it start?" She could hear Melnor asking frantically, the edge of fear in the healer's voice doing nothing to calm her down. The healer's eyes darted over the shaking King, seeming to be trying to figure out a way to make whatever it was that was happening to Thranduil stop.
"Not too long ago." Came Doronor's immediate reply. "Only about a couple minutes. This is the second one, though."
"Second?" The healer's voice exclaimed, eyes suddenly betraying a new worry and fear that made her heart race inside her chest.
"Yes. The first one was quick, but he was already weakened." Doronor explained while the healer quickly continued his failed attempts to call the King back.
The torturing minutes seemed to stretch endlessly, neither Doronor nor Melnor able to stop Thranduil from tossing and turning his head, the pained expression never leaving his handsome face. Bead of sweat had started to accumulate on his now oeverly pale forehead, his breathing seemed to become more and more labored. Alarm seemed to grow in the healer and advisor's eyes with every passing second. Thranduil was growing weaker, even she could see it. He was still tossing and turning, but less strongly now his shaking only seeming to be intensifying.
Panic started to consume her as she watched, unable to do anything. Why was it not stopping? It should have stopped by now. It should have stopped. By the Valar, please, let it stop now!
And then, the next seconds would be forever engraved in her mind. She did not know if it was utter fear or relief what petrified her as Thranduil suddenly stopped tossing, his body lying limply on the couch. For a second, nobody moved, a tensed silence stretching on the now cold air.
Melnor was the first one to move, one of his hands quickly travelling to his King's ashen cheek while his other palm pressed lightly over his sweaty forehead.
"He is unconscious." The healer informed after a short second and she felt a sick feeling settling in her stomach at the news. The healer's hands had already moved to his King's wrist, feeling his pulse.
Thranduil looked overly pale, almost a sickly grey. His ice blue eyes that she so adored remained closed, beads of sweat shinning upon his brow. He looked absolutely drained, his breathing still labored and uneven. Valar, what had happened? What was this thing that kept taking over Thranduil?
"His pulse is too quick." She heard the healer muttering to himself with a slight shake of his head, a new worry visible in his eyes and she once again understood that there was little the healer could actually do in this situation. He knew how to treat wounds, and Thranduil presented none.
"He is ice cold." Doronor suddenly breathed out in alarm as one of his hands fell over the King's pale cheek.
"We have to move him to his chambers. We need to get him warmed up and comfortable as soon as possible." Came Melnor's orders and she saw Doronor quickly nodding in understanding. Oh, Valar, she was eternally grateful that the advisor had been present at the moment. She had no idea what she would have done had she been alone with Thranduil when all of this happened.
"Will you carry him or should I order a stretcher?" She could hear the healer asking as he continued to hover over the King's unmoving form.
"I will carry him." Came Doronor's quick answer and she saw the healer suddenly rising to his feet to allow the blond advisor to easily lift his King's limp form into his arms before quickly heading to the door, Melnor leading the way.
She followed them closely behind, her body suddenly seeming to awake from its frozen form. She had not been told to follow, but then again neither the advisor nor the healer told her otherwise, simply letting her rush through the hallways along with them, as if they knew she would not easily leave the Elvenking's side.
The intricate corridors that led to the King's chambers had once again been cleared. Not a single elf crossed their way until they found themselves face to face with the large carved wooden doors that led directly to the King's chambers, the guards at its sides immediately opening them wide for them to pass.
Once again, she found the King's large chambers already filled with expectant servants and healers, all of them setting into work the second they entered through the large pairs of doors. She simply watched in silence as the King was rushed to the overly large bed in the center of the room, two healers she did not recognized carefully helping Doronor lower Thranduil on his back onto the soft mattress, removing his heavy outer robes before another pair of healers pulled the fine silken sheets and wine red covers up to the King's chin, covering him with extra blankets.
She could hear Melnor giving out instructions to the other healers but she was no longer paying attention to him. She could not help but notice the absolute gentleness and care, and almost reverence with which the Elvenking was handled. She wanted to rush to his side, to caress his soft face with her fingers, but she did not move. It took nearly all of her willpower to remain standing where she was, allowing the healers to do their job. She had not even noticed that a couple of servants had already lighted the fireplace, the red flames quickly filling the space with their soothing warmth.
A soft moan made her eyes suddenly fly back in the direction of the bed. Thranduil was beginning to stir. She could see a deep crease of pain appearing on his brow, tremors running through his body. In a fragment of a second, Doronor and Melnor were by his side, but still she did not move. Valar, why was it so hard for her to move!
"My Lord? Can you hear me?" The healer's voice had lowered into a barely audible whisper. Silence had entirely settled inside the large room, as if every elf in the piece feared that the slightest of sounds would further disturb their already distressed King. Thranduil's ice blue eyes fluttered open, only to fall closed shut a second after, the crease of pain in his brow only intensifying.
"Close the curtains." Came Melnor's quick command, as his expert hand flew once more to his King's wrist. A flash of movement followed, all the rich wine red curtains suddenly pulled closed against the afternoon's golden sunlight, enveloping the room in a soothing darkness, the only light now the one casted by the welcoming dancing flames in the fireplace.
Another moan escaped Thranduil's lips, but he did not attempt to open his eyes again, a greenish color suddenly appearing on his overly pale face. He attempted to move and thankfully the healer seemed to immediately understand what was happening for he quickly helped turn the King on his side just in time as the latter retched violently.
She did not know what to do. She once again felt paralyzed, horrify. Valar, what was wrong with her! She had silently hoped that she would be of more help should she ever witness this kind of attacks that seemed to fall over Thranduil. And yet, here she was, as useless, shocked and petrified as the first time. She had thought that it would be easier a second time, that she would already know what to expect, but that was not the case.
She noticed something wet sliding down her cheeks as she absently watched Melnor and another healer carefully helping the King back down onto the soft pillows, Thranduil still trembling visibly as yet another healer gently placed a cool wet cloth over his forehead and eyes.
She felt gentle fingers suddenly curling around her thin arm, and she turned in time to find Doronor pulling her to a dark corner of the room, away from the bed. The advisor did not say anything, not giving her time to speak before he was already gently wiping away the traces of tears from her cheeks with his thumb, a stern yet sympathetic look on his silent dark blue eyes.
"Can you handle to stay or do you need to go?" The advisor's voice was a stern as his eyes, the sound so low she was sure she was the only elf in the room who had heard him. She could not hold back a wince as she heard Thranduil being sick for a second time. More tears slid down her face and only then did she realize she was also shaking.
"It is all right if you go." Doronor added, his careful thumb once again wiping away the new tears from her cheeks. "But you need to compose yourself if you are going to stay. You need to help him, not to cause him any more distress. And I can assure you that watching you cry will not help him."
She nodded her head quickly, trying to take some calming breaths in order to stop her tears from falling. Doronor's voice was sharp, and yet his stern eyes were somewhat soft, somewhat apologetic. She knew he was speaking the truth, and she focused all of her concentration on trying to calm her panicking body.
"I know." She said in between calming breaths, using her hands to dry her cheeks. "I am sorry."
"You do not need to be sorry." The advisor's voice was gentler now, dark blue eyes suddenly softer, the stern sharp barrier that had covered them a second ago suddenly melted away. "We are all scared and worried."
She nodded her head again, turning her eyes in the direction of the bed once more. Thranduil was once again lying back on the pillows, the cool wet cloth covering his closed eyes. She could see Melnor trying to coax his King into drinking from a steaming cup but Thranduil was not cooperating, only taking small sips as he attempted to push the drink away. She did not blame him. She was sure that if she were feeling nearly as terrible as he probably was feeling at that moment, she would not want to drink anything either.
"Are they going to put him to sleep?" She asked, finally managing to slowly calm herlself.
"Yes." Came Doronor's soft reply. "Rest is the only thing that will help him."
"Alarya?"
Her head snapped in the direction of the bed once more. And then, that was all she needed to calm herself. The simple sound of her name, so frail and weak as it escaped Thranduil's mouth, suddenly filled her with a strength she could not understand. He was asking for her. He needed her. It was as if her body that had been about to crumble down was suddenly strong again, and she found herself immediately responding to his call, her feet rushing to his side before she could even command them to move.
"I am here." She whispered as she reached his side, one of her hands gently caressing his cheek.
He had not moved, still lying completely still against the overly soft pillows, the cool piece of cloth covering his eyes from her view. She did not even notice Melnor stepping aside for her to be sit at the edge of the bed, the now empty cup still in the healer's hands. She was barely aware of the healers and servants quietly exiting the room, their presence no longer needed as they allowed their King to rest quietly.
"Arya?" Thranduil asked again. He seemed confused, not really aware of what was happening around him.
"I am still here." She repeated, letting her hands softly travel through his long blond hair. "I am here."
"We will let him rest, my Lady. There is nothing else we can do for the moment." She heard Melnor addressing her softly and she nodded her head without turning her eyes from the unmoving Elvenking.
"There will be guards outside the door, and a healer ready should anything happen." She nodded again, not turning to look as she heard the healer quietly exiting the room.
"What about the men that are being brought to the Palace, my Lord?" She could hear one of the few guards left inside the room asking Doronor quietly. "What should we do about them?"
She could not help but feel a wave of rage travel through her body at those words. She could not have cared less about the men being brought to the Palace. Did they really think Thranduil cared about the men at this moment? Do anything with them! Lock them in the dungeons! Feed them to the spiders! Make them work in the kitchens! Anything! Make them wait until Thranduil was feeling better and was able to deal with them! The last thing she wanted to do was to hear Thranduil's duties as a King being brought up at this time while he was in his private chambers currently unable to even speak! She did not know what drove her to speak, but when she did her voice sounded steady, not a hint of doubt hearable in it.
"Give them rooms and food, but keep them under close watch until my King decides what to do with them."
She saw the guard shifting uncomfortably, his eyes looking at Doronor for confirmation, and even she was surprised when the advisor's eyes turned to look at the guard expectantly before he spoke. "There are your orders. What are you waiting for?"
The guard nodded rapidly, bowing his head slightly as he understood his dismissal. She only caught sight of Doronor walking towards the large pairs of doors, waiting as the remaining guards and servants exiting the room before following them, silently closing the door behind him, leaving her alone with the King.
She did not move from her spot, quietly sitting at the edge of the large bed while her hand gently continued to travel down his long blond hair, ever so softly, trying almost in vain to provide if even the slightest relief to the splitting migraine she knew he was suffering. Thranduil would be asleep soon, she could see it. The draught would not take long to make an effect.
"Arya?" Thranduil asked again, his voice sounding overly tired as her nickname floated out of his lips, the simple sound of that shortened name still causing shivers to run through her body as her heart fluttered inside her chest.
"I am still here." She repeated again. She would not get tired of answering the same thing over and over again, even if she had to do it a thousand times. "Go to sleep. I will be here."
And then, so gently and so unexpectedly she felt him. There, reaching for her in a way he had never reached for her before, in a way that had not been possible before. She knew what it was immediately, and felt her heart swell at the recognition. It was their bond. A bond that she could now identify inside of her, that she could now feel linking her to him, allowing him to reach for her in his time of need, suddenly stronger than it was before.
She let her free hand lightly caress his cheek and saw the faintest of smiles draw on his lips as he weakly leaned into her touch, her other hand still gently stroking his long silvery hair.
"You know this does not count." His voice was barely audible as he spoke, almost only moving his lips. He sounded exhausted. "You still owe me."
She could not contain a light laugh from escaping her lips at his words. Trust it to the Elvenking to point out that her stroking his hair right now did not mean she was fulfilling her part of the deal. As gently as she could, she placed a kiss on his pale cheek, still unable to hide her smile, even he could not see it behind his tiredly closed eyes.
"We will see." She whispered in return, watching as the weakest of chuckles escaped his lips, but he did not say anything else, fatigue and pain once again lining the handsome features of his face. One of his hands broke free from the blankets, and she immediately went to grasp it with her own. It was too cold for her liking, but nothing alarming. That seemed to calm him somehow, for did not move anymore, simply lying there completely still, his fingers weakly curled around hers.
She did not know for how long she sat there. Minutes stretched into hours, the golden afternoon light turning red only to extinguish some hours later as night fell over the forest outside. And yet she did not move. She had not even noticed the exact moment in which Thranduil had succumbed to his exhaustion, now sleeping peacefully on the bed, but her hand still continued its gentle journey down his long fine hair. The fire continued to chirp in the ample fireplace, its flames dancing soothingly to a muted lullaby she could not hear.
Eventually, the first rays of morning light started to creep through the rich closed curtains, the night finally turning to day, the sun rising higher and higher in the sky as the hours flew by. Every now and then a healer would silently walk into the room to check on the still sleeping King, and yet she did not move. Even Doronor had come at some point during the day to try to persuade her of freshening up and having a meal, saying that Thranduil would be all right if she left for a little while, but she simply refused. She did not know why, but the sole memory of his weak voice calling her name the day before made her scared to leave. What if he woke up again calling for her and she was not there? More so, she was here now, but then who had been here all those times before she had met him? Had it been a healer? A guard? Had he been alone? Thranduil stirred a couple of times during the day, but never fully awoke.
And thus night fell again, and she lost track of the hours. It was not until well past midnight that she heard Thranduil stirring again, his gorgeous ice blue eyes slowly fluttering open, studying confusedly the space around him.
"How are you feeling?" She heard herself asking almost immediately and his eyes turned in her direction, somewhat dazed at first until recognition finally sparkled in his vast blue eyes.
"Arya?" His voice was still weak, but not nearly as weak as it had been the night before. "You are still here?"
"Yes." She said quietly, gently placing a strand of his long blond hair behind his ear. "How is your headache?"
She could feel his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand, and only now realized that she had never let go of his hand. He closed his eyes for a second, swallowing before he spoke. "Better."
"Has it gone away?" She asked, a small smile appearing on her lips for the first time that day. He looked considerably better, not nearly as pale as he had the night before, even though overall he still looked absolutely drained. And yet, the fact that he was awake and talking felt like the greatest relief she had had for many long hours.
"No." He admitted after a while. "But it will."
She let out a light chuckle, leaning in to press a light kiss upon his forehead before speaking again. "Are you hungry? A maid brought some food not too long ago."
"No." Was his answer, his eyes still closed, and yet a small smile adorned his face. "What time is it?"
"It is already past midnight." She informed, letting her hand once again caress the soft skin at his forehead before sliding down his hair. She wanted to ask him what it was that happened to him the night before. She had heard Doronor using a migraine as the excuse for the King's absence to the guards and other elves inside the Palace, but she knew that had not been the case. True, he had had a migraine afterwards- and probably still did- but she knew that it had been something far different what had attacked Thranduil the day before. Migraines did not come as suddenly and unexpectedly as this thing did. And yet, she did not ask. Not now. She would ask him later.
"Rest some more, Thranduil." She finally said, her voice a soothing whisper. "You will feel better tomorrow. Besides if anything were to happen, I can always sign instead of you and no one will ever notice."
That caused a light laugh to escape his lips, the frail sound making her hear soar in delight.
"That is what worries me the most." He added. She could feel him already starting to drift off to sleep again. He was tired. A long silence settled on the room as she simply watched over him, waiting for the moment in which he would once again fall into a peaceful sleep.
"Arya?" He broke the silence, his ice blue eyes, those that could be so cold and hard and at the same time so gentle and kind, were looking back at hers, clouded with sleep.
"Yes?" She whispered in return, her hand still stroking his long blond hair.
"If you are going to stay here, at least lie properly on the bed." He requested, his slender fingers curling over hers tenderly. "It is late and I can see you are tired. You have not slept. Do not offend me by letting me know that I am comfortably sleeping while you sit there the entire night."
She laughed lightly at his words, placing another kiss on his cheek. She was tired, even though she hated to admit it. She had not slept at all the night before, and now she would sleep only short hours of this night. Even though she would like to say that she was all right, that he need not worry, she had to admit that the bed looked overly appealing at the moment, the pillows suddenly looking softer than ever, the fine silk wine colored covers warmer than any she had ever seen.
"Are you sure?" She found herself asking, not waiting for an answer as she was already rising to her feet and rounding the bed. She hear Thranduil laughing ever so lightly at her as his ice blue eyes watched her carefully.
Before he could say anything she was already carefully climbing onto the bed, Thranduil's hand having already pulled the covers aside for her to get inside them. Oh, Valar, she was so tired. The moment she was lying down on that overly soft mattress she felt as if she would never be able to get up. The feathered pillow beneath her head was softer than any she had ever touched, the fine silk sheets and feathered covers enveloping her body with the most soothing touch.
She lay on her side, facing Thranduil, the latter still lying on his back. He had not moved, except for his head which was now looking in her direction, eyes once again closed tiredly. It felt strange to lie on this bed, knowing that it as no other than her Kign's bed, and at the same time it felt so easy and right to simply lie next to him, their bodies not even touching, the bed large enough to fit three comfortable sleeping elves.
"I must say that my King's bed is a place I never imagined myself to be in." She whispered teasingly, watching as his eyes fluttered open for a second, a smile illuminating his face. A round of shivers ran down her spine as she felt his gently suddenly on her face, carefully brushing a strand of her long golden hair behind her pointed ear.
"And I can assure you that whenever I imagined having a Lady in my bed it was never under these circumstances."
That made her laugh, her eyes sparkling lovingly as she saw his own eyes falling closed once more, once again succumbing to his exhaustion. He would be better in the morning. She knew it. He was already better. It did not take long until she too was drifting off into a peaceful sleep, her tiredness from the past days finally catching up with her, the soft silken pillows the most comfortable ones she had ever laid her head on.
She was barely aware of the sun rising in the horizon some hours later. Even less aware of Thranduil silently rising from the bed with the coming morning. She would not even remember herself waking slightly as he moved, sleepy green eyes meeting his ice blue ones briefly as he whispered "You can stay there. Keep sleeping." She did not even notice as her hands pulled the covers closer to her body, once again drifting off into her dreams, the entire bed now to herself. Nor did she notice Doronor walk into the room at a late hour in the morning to deliver some important documents, his dark blue eyes finding her there, still peacefully asleep in one half of the bed, the King already up and about the Palace, once again in charge of his duties. She never saw the silent smirk that crossed the elegant advisor's expression as he quietly exited the room, intent in not waking, nor did she ever know that at that moment the advisor understood that the side of the bed she was currently occupying would never be empty again…
So FINALLY here is chapter 10! I know the wait has been incredibly long, but I hope that this longer chapter can make up for it. As I have already explained in my other story, Almarëa, I am currently overly busy and have not had neither time to sit and write nor good internet connection to post the chapters. I still have to reply to all of your wonderful reviews, I feel horrible for not having been able to do so yet. But I will as soon as I can!
Again, THANK YOU infinitely to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter! I can't tell you how much your words brighten my day, and I thank you greatly for sharing your comments with me! This chapter is especially for you!
floweringbirdies, Kirschflower, SarahWeasley, Nowa1, Paperlanterns86, Martine9295, .77, R2-D2106, XxNaiXx, AmazingWriter123, Alatariel Oronar, Mary Elrondile, witch cat wrag, wonderpanda10, The Lead Mare, Wtiger5, jadedks, and my guest reviewer!
Love,
Elena