The Elvenking hummed peacefully as he gathered all the ingredients. Butter, flour, sugar and salt. Skirting around the work top to reach a tea towel, he chuckled to himself and wiped down the surfaces, and broke out into a whistle. When baking he could truly let himself go. He wasn't a king, or a father - as much as he loved both - and nothing was expected of him. When baking, Thranduil was just a guy baking pies. He continued the melodic song as he combined all the ingredients, kneading them with his hands and trying to keep it to a minimalistic level so as not to wake anyone. As he began to slice the apples, he thought of Kíli. Just a random thought, seemingly from nowhere…the young Dwarf's creativity, the smirk on his face when the Elflings went frantic. It was a poignant moment as Thranduil smiled, until he sliced his finger on the knife. Letting a small exclamation escape him, he wiped the blood on his apron and knotted a small rag around it to compress it. When, finally, all components were ready, pie completely decorated, Thranduil slipped it onto the flaming stove and began work on the second one, with the original beaming smile no weaker than before. He was glowing.
Kili woke up to the smell of apples drifting through the walls. /it must be past midnight now. That classes as morning, right?/ He told himself as he swung his legs out of the bed and put his shoes on, ready to follow the frankly beautiful smell through the corridors.
Almost oblivious to the world around him, Thranduil pulled the-baked-to-perfection pie from the stove and smelled it, grin spreading. He placed in on the work top and continued to knead the second batch of pastry, humming still despite himself.
Kili walked towards the Kitchen, stopping briefly to consider waking up Thranduil, but he seemed so concerned when he wanted to go eat. He left the idea alone and continued his way to the kitchens. After taking two wrong turnings and hitting a dead end (really, he had the directional sense of his uncle, no sense at all. He usually relied on Fili for this.), He found his way to the Kitchens.
Thranduil stopped dead in his work, his Elf-ears detecting the shuffling of feet not far from him. Panicking silently and frantically flailing his arms, he ran to the work top and leaped over it, almost catching his leg. He crouched on the floor, completely out of sight, and awaited the intruder.
Kili walked towards the door and knocked before swinging it wide open. "Hello? Anyone here?" Receiving no answer, he walked inside towards the workbench and the ovens. He looked wistfully at the pie that was freshly cooked on the table and took note of the one that was residing in the oven. Giving into temptation, he cut a slice from the Apple pie and placed it on a mat that he pulled out of a cupboard. He took a bite and sighed at the spectacular taste that he got from it, that reminded him all too well that pie was home. After finishing his slice, he checked the pie in the oven and brought it out to cool on the side. Resolving to find out who it was that cooked the pies of heaven, he turned and walked out of the kitchen and back to his room. It was a pity that he didn't think of looking onto the other side of the workbench however, because he would have taken great delight in seeing a frantic elven king sat in a ball, trying to keep calm as Kili pottered about the kitchen.
Waiting a good 5 minutes or so before the Dwarf had made his way out of the vast kitchen, Thranduil finally began to breathe again and eased himself up. "Tanya nae n'quel…" He muttered to himself before glancing over to the crumbled pie. "Cheeky git."
-oOo-
Author's note:
Tanya nae n'quel - That was not good.
Bit of an interlude there, fun to write all the same.
As always, Thanks for reading!
Tanith and Tam.