~:~ Forbidden Fruit ~:~
Thorin scowled deeply at his eldest. "What were you doing in the forest this morning? I specifically told you to work in the forges. Brevin came to me and said you had shown up for two minutes before disappearing into the woods. Why?"
Frerin was looking down at his boots as Thorin spoke. He spotted a few dots of mud where water and the soil of the woods mixed, along with some crunched leaves towards the toe. He really needed to clean his boots when he got back to his room. He couldn't believe they had been that messy when-
"Frerin!" Thorin growled.
"Yes, Father?" the young man snapped to attention, his ears heating up.
"Have you not been listening to what I am demanding of you?"
The dwarf shook his head. "I'm sorry, Father. I- A lot of things are on my mind."
"Like what?" he commanded, his hands on his hips as he waited for an answer. "What could you possibly be thinking of, hm? How you deliberately disobeyed me and spent time picking flowers in the forest? Particularly the patch that leads towards the elves." His scowl deepened and his eyes darkened. "You weren't speaking with Thranduil, were you?"
"No!" Frerin scoffed. He looked around, though, after speaking. "No, Father, I wasn't. I haven't gone near the elves-"
"Good. I do not wish to see you speaking to any of them," Thorin harrumphed.
The other bit back a groan and refrained from rubbing his temples. "Father... I, I don't mean to be rude, but I am thirty-three years old, I am not so much a child anymore..."
Thorin looked at him sharply, daring him to continue.
And he did. "I do not need to be coddled and looked after so closely. Sure, I was supposed to go to the forges, but I had remembered Papa wanted me to get some of those blueberries from the forest. I was going to return to work, but I got lost on the way back." There, he had used Bilbo as an excuse; Thorin would be less likely to pick a fight now. He held his breath.
"I see," he muttered. He carefully looked at his son before believing the words. "Alright. I- I suppose you'll get away this time. But it happens again-"
"It won't, sir," Frerin interrupted.
"Alright, you're dismissed," Thorin grunted.
Frerin bowed and scurried from the room and continued to scurry and duck and hide away from other eyes until he was safely in the forest once more. "Berries," he mused to himself. "Nice save."
A shadow moved from the thicket. "He find out?"
"No, but we can't see each other for a while," Frerin sighed. "He suspects something."
The other nodded. "I thought as much. I'll... I'll wait for you, Prince Frerin." He picked up the dwarf's hand ad kissed his knuckles.
Frerin felt himself - despite the sad ending to their brief affair - fill with happiness at the other's words. "Thank you, Legolas."
I don't know about you, but I'm like extremely happy I thought of this. :D
