TA 2773

Ava slowly sat down opposite the King, back in the same position she had been in the previous night. She sank slowly into the seat, pushing her skirts underneath her as she went. Thranduil pushed her chair under for her, acting the perfect host that evening. Ava took a few moments to observe him herself, noting how he strode with confidence to his seat. He pulled his own chair out and sank down, leaning forwards and to the middle of the table to pour wine into the cups before them.

"I trust your afternoon was pleasant?" he asked of her, the wine spilling from its jug and into her cup.

"Rather," Ava nodded to him, sensing that he was trying his upmost to be formal with her. But his formality did not result in politeness; it merely resulted in a very strained atmosphere between the pair of them. "I wandered around the private garden in the boarders of the kingdom and read for a little while. I hope your afternoon was pleasant?"

Thranduil scoffed then, looking amused as he finished pouring the drinks. "Listening to councillors trying to counsel me was very intriguing. Apparently the main topic of conversation has been yourself, Lady Ava."

"Oh?" Ava wondered, picking her cup of wine from the table and pressing it to her lips. "And why is that?"

Thranduil watched her as she drank on the liquid, delicately taking sips. She had her hair pinned behind her shoulders, the long curls flowing down her back and to her waist. Thranduil could not help but notice the sight of her pale skin which her gown did not cover. It was like any other elleths, but for some reason Thranduil was transfixed by it. He was transfixed by her and he did not know how to stop, or whether he truly longed to. She had some form of presence which Thranduil could not ignore or look over.

"They find it odd that a Lady of Rivendell is taking up so much of the King of Mirkwood's time," he informed her. "They questioned me as to our relationship. I simply told them that our business was our own. It is none of their concern."

"I see," Ava said, unsure of what she should say to him.

She did not wish to anger him, but she could still feel the presence of their argument from the previous evening lingering in the room. It had been just a day ago when Thranduil spoke to her in a tone of utter distaste. But he sat there and he looked at her as though all had been forgotten and forgiven. And Ava suspected that was how it should be. They had both expressed their regret and should not continue to dwell on words which had been said.

"Of course, there may come a day when our relationship is queried. My wife suffered from similar behaviour from those councillors. Apparently the King of Mirkwood should not be seen with those beneath him."

"How charming," Ava managed to mutter and Thranduil's smug grin was back on his face. "Does the relationship between two elves matter so much to them? Surely they are aware of how an elf feels once they find the one they long to be with? Why should they involve themselves in such a process?"

"A question with an answer I truly do not know," Thranduil informed her with a shrug of his shoulders over to her. "My father appointed the council and the seats have remained unchanged all of these years. I cannot comprehend why he would pick a group of intruding elves."

"To challenge him, perhaps?" Ava suggested as Thranduil began to eat the meat before him and she picked at the vegetables on the end of her fork. "Ada often says that he enjoyed mother challenging him on matters before he committed himself fully to them. There are always two sides to a story. Ada liked to know both sides before he acted. It was the same when Arwen and I argued. He would listen to both of us."

Thranduil's inquisitive glare lifted from his plate and moved over to Ava. His brow arched on his forehead; "And did you often argue with your sister?"

"Not truly," Ava shook her head. "She is much older than me and I used to dislike it when she teased me as a child...or when she would send me to bed early...but I was young and I did not understand. Arwen has been nothing but strong for me, and I love her for it. I would be lost without her."

Ava spoke of her family with such fondness that Thranduil wondered if his son had ever spoken of him which such a tone of warmth. Somehow Thranduil doubted it, but he would appreciate his son if he did. Thranduil often spoke of Legolas with pride. He was proud of all that his son had achieved, and he loved him very much. He only wondered if his son knew that.

"She is always welcome to visit you here," Thranduil promised Ava.

"Aye, that would be nice," Ava nodded. "Although, I should like to see Rivendell again. It would be nice to visit Lothlórien too. They are beautiful realms. It is only no when I appreciate that I have never seen the sights which Middle Earth has to offer."

"Which sights would you like to see?" Thranduil asked her and she shrugged over to him.

"I do not know," she admitted. "I have heard tales of all these different places. Rohan and Gondor...they are homes to men, but are they very much different to the homes of elves?"

"Very," Thranduil nodded, "they prefer to live in large stone castles with no nature around them. Mirkwood was built because of the forest, but men do not appreciate what is around them the majority of the time. I shall grant it that some of their fortresses are impressive, but men are different to elves in many ways."

"Perhaps so," Ava shrugged. "I find it odd that relations do not exist...men...elves...dwarves...even hobbits! We do not interact with each other."

"And you find that a bad thing?"

"I find it odd," Ava responded and shook her head, "but what does it matter? I am simply content to be in Mirkwood at this moment in time. I discover something new about the realm with each passing moment."

Thranduil continued to smile, his lips only slightly pulled up, but Ava knew his smile from his scowl. He remained mute for a few minutes, listening to Ava as she informed him of how precious she thought the gardens were. He was merely relieved that the atmosphere between them seemed to have disappeared that evening. She spoke to him with ease and he spoke to her with ease. They ate their meal in conversation and Ava often told him amusing stories of her time in Rivendell.

It was only after they had finished eating did Thranduil stand and offer Ava his arm.

"I trust you appreciate Mirkwood enough to appreciate what I shall show you," Thranduil decreed.

The Lady of Rivendell took hold of his arm and allowed him to help her to her feet. She walked by his side up the walkways until they came to a wooden room with windows looking outside of the palace. There was nothing inside of the room but a ladder leading up and through a gap in the ceiling. Ava realised that they were high up in the kingdom, but Thranduil intended to take her higher.

"You wish for me to climb a ladder?" she checked with him.

"I did not think that you were too prude for such an action," he teased her.

"I am not," she said. "I am just warning you that these skirts are a tripping hazard."

"I'll be right behind," Thranduil promised her.

He watched her as she bunched her skirts into one hand and the other hand took hold of the ladder. She stepped onto the first step and Thranduil stood at the bottom, watching as she made her way to the top. He only followed when she was a respectable distance from him, climbing with ease and grace. His golden robes did nothing to cause him to trip as he stood on the hexagonal platform the ladders lead to. Ava was already wandering around the outskirts of the platform, her hand skimming the railing as she looked into the distance. The platform sat proudly on top of the trees around the kingdom, offering a view into the distance she had not seen before.

"This is stunning," she admitted, noting how the sun slowly set in the distance.

"Aye, it is," Thranduil agreed.

Ava finally stood still and Thranduil joined her to stand by her side.

"The view seems never to end," she whispered and Thranduil chuckled at hearing her.

He moved his own hands to wrap around the railing, standing tall and allowing the faint breeze to push his hair over his shoulders. Ava stood close to him, her arm almost brushing against his as Thranduil looked to Erebor which sat in the distance. The Lonely Mountain. How it scared him still.

"There was a reason why I turned away from the dwarves," Thranduil admitted to Ava. "You saw my face. You saw the damage which had been done. I was young when I was burned...my father fought in the Battle of Dagorlad...against the Orcs...and other creatures loyal to Sauron. Dragons happened to be a part of the battle. I cannot recall much from the battle, and I am glad for that. I remember being burned by one of them, and being dragged away from the battle. I tried to go back. I tried to fight the pain, but it was too much."

Thranduil shook his head. He had never recited this story before. He often did not like to think of what the dragon had done to him. He tried to forget that the injury had ever happened, but he couldn't. How could he? The pain had been unbearable.

"My father died in that fight," he said, not intending to relive every moment of the battle. "And I often wonder what would have happened if I had not been burnt. Would I have fought by his side? Could I have saved his life? I had been reckless in thinking that I could defeat such a beast...I should have remained by my father's side."

Ava gaped. She could do no more as she dared to take hold of Thranduil's arm. Even her touch did not turn the Elf-king's attention from The Lonely Mountain. He was intent and fixed on staring at the peak in the distance.

"And then I heard the roar of the dragon when I went to Erebor. I heard it and I knew that I could do nothing," Thranduil shook his head. "I could allow for my guard to challenge the beast, but I could not. How could I subject them to a fate I suffered? There is no defeating a creature like Smaug. It is impossible."

Ava squeezed his arm tightly and Thranduil looked down to her. She wondered what he was thinking now, but the vacant expression in his eyes was enough to tell her that she did not wish to know. She felt for Thranduil. How could she not? He was evidentially in pain at the memories. There was much more to the Elf-king than he would let people know. It almost worried Ava that he trusted her in such a manner.

"Your father would not blame you for your actions," Ava promised him. "How could he? Battle is nothing but uncertain. Lives are risked, and lives are lost, but I am sorry that you lost him."

"As am I," Thranduil declared and looked back to Erebor over the treetops.

He straightened himself out and his usual exterior was back just as quickly as it had vanished. Ava wondered if he had spent the majority of his life hiding behind it. It certainly seemed as though he had. It took a moment before Ava decided to drop her hand from his arm. Yet Thranduil was quick. He moved to catch her hand in his own hand. He did not move to face her. Instead he chose to look straight ahead. Ava bit her lip for a second as she followed his stare.

His hand was warm, but the rings he wore were cold against her fingers. He did not move to entwine their fingers, instead his hand simply held hers, their palms touching and resting between them. Somehow Ava considered the movement to be the most genuine touch which Thranduil had offered her before.

...

A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter, but consider it a filler! I intend to update soon enough, and thank you for your reviews in the meantime!