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Now, the story


Chapter XXIX

Traveler

"I never knew you liked my music so much." I teased, looking up at the glowing blue topaz. The night breeze carried the perfume of the flowers into the beautiful bedroom and I traced random patterns on the king's skin.

"Of course I do." Thranduil caressed my back, pulling me impossibly closer to him, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the closeness. His heartbeat was calm under my head and I could get intoxicated in the scent of him.

"What was that earlier?" I asked, placing a kiss on the soft skin.

"What was what, my little dove?" The king asked, lazily running his fingers on my hair.

"The music." I precised "When I finished playing and you asked me to play some more."

"It was what it looked like." Thranduil answered, his voice making the broad chest vibrate, but I sensed the hesitance in it "I know I should have talked to you first." He sounded apologetic, and I looked up into his eyes, confused "I think maybe it's time to let the people know." He must have seen my wide eyes, because he was quick to explain "Not all of it, not yet. But maybe if we can do this right..."

"What do you mean?" I could feel that he was confident on his secret plan.

"I mean we can pretend." His eyes were shining with mischief, but I still didn't understand what exactly he was trying to do "But of course, if you want to keep this a secret, I'll respect that, my pretty dove."

"My love, I still don't understand." I sighed, angry at my own stupidity.

Thranduil took my hand, that roamed his chest, and kissed each finger.

"I'm courting you, meleth nín." Those words, said with a smile, made my cheeks grow hot "Can you pretend you're falling in love with me?"

His mischievous smile told me he already knew the answer, but I answered anyway.

"There will be no need to pretend." And there wasn't, really. I fall in love with Thranduil everyday.

"If we do it like this, it's innocent." Thranduil continued his explanation "People will be expecting that we'll end up together." His glowing blue eyes pierced mine and he pulled me for a gentle kiss "As long as we keep it innocent." Without warning, Thranduil deepened the kiss, making me breathless, as if mocking his own words. His right hand, that been resting on my back, found it's way to my butt as the other hand hooked my leg around my lover's "At least as far as they're concerned."

It was risky. There was a thousand ways this could go wrong, the slightest miscalculation would set me as the royal whore.

And still...

I really didn't want to hide for the rest of eternity. Let people say that maybe the healer loves her king, and maybe the king loves her in return. Let it be said that there were looks of tenderness, a music played, a hinted smile. It sounded romantic indeed. If we kept it like that, innocent, perhaps there would even be some who would cheer for us. Erynion would be one. Sweet lad, I hated to disappoint him like that, he had thought me a queen, God forbids he should ever find out...

Is not that I take shame in the title of royal mistress, I'm rather proud of it. A golden heart like Thranduil, and he chose me to be his for life, that was nothing one should be ashamed of. If only everyone saw it like that.

I pulled Thranduil closer yet, delighting in the way his hands explored my body. I would never be ashamed of loving him. If the time came to it, I would wear that love like an armor and a badge of honor, no matter what happened, I would never leave him. I was his for life and he was my lover.

He was my sweet, sweet, lover.


"'Azel!"

I looked around and saw a toddling little piece of sunshine approaching me with a smile.

"Finnigan! How are you, little one?" I looked around for the elfiling's guardian, but there was no one else around the gardens "Who brought you here?"

The elfling didn't answer my question, but instead raised his arms, looking expectantly at me, and I realized that he wanted to be picked up.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry, I don't know how to hold children." I tried to reason, apologetically, but the little boy just stared at me closing and opening his tiny hands several times, as if beckoning me to pick him up.

I had to think quickly. I wasn't sure of how to hold children but for my experience with dolls nearly two hundred years before, but for all I knew about human children, if I didn't grant the toddler his wish in about thirty seconds chances were that he would start crying, which would likely cause me to start crying, which would be rather pathetic.

Carefully, I lowered myself to his level and placed my hands under his arms, instinctively getting him in a sitting position.

Now for all that's sacred, don't move.

Finnigan laughed, seeming happy with my efforts to please him. His laughter was as catching as Aster's, and I found myself giggling along.

"You're feeling taller? Now, where are your parents? Or grandparents, or maybe your great-grandmother?"

The elfling beamed at me, his violet-colored eyes sparkling.

"Stowy!"

I puzzled for a moment, trying to understand what he wanted now.

"Tell stowy!"

Oh, he wants to hear a story.

I looked around once more, looking for whoever was in charge of the toddler, but there was no one else outside the castle. Was it possible that he came toddling alone? I decided to find Aster, but until then, it was better not to try little Finnigan's patience.

"A story? Very well, I suppose you won't question the logic in my stories. Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away from here, there was a family of peasants..."

As I made my way back to the castle, I continued the story of a young warrior girl, exaggerating the details of her adventures in the army, doubling the original number of the enemy troops, and focusing a good deal more on the general, who Finnigan had loved. He was, indeed, a far better listener than Thranduil.

"To think that soon there will be another one running around. They'll drive us mad." Faelwen's voice startled me, making me turn around to see her sitting on a window seat, her writing material around her.

"Hi, I didn't see you there." I smiled, approaching her, young Finnigan looking curious "Did you see this creature's parents around?"

"Likely working." My frown must have given my confusion away, what kind of parents leave an infant alone and just go to work? "Hazel, you should really learn more about the place you live. Elflings are a responsibility of everyone in Mirkwood, they just roam around and everyone keeps an eye on them."

"Sounds dangerous." I thought about the river, the stairways and every danger the castle presented to an elfling this young.

"Not really. They just go where there's an adult to keep an eye on them, don't you, young one?"

Finnigan nodded eagerly, as if that was something he had already heard several times.

"Now imagine when Melim's girl learns to walk. Two elflings wandering around the castle. This will soon look like a nursery."

The toddler in my arms gestured to be lowered to the ground and I carefully placed him on the floor. Immediately, he toddled to Faelwen and took a paper in his chubby hands.

"Stowy." He determined.

"Letter." The elleth corrected softly.

Finnigan analyzed the paper more carefully, as if he was confirming what Faelwen had just said.

"Letter." He decided, pleased, his smart eyes sparkling.

"How comes I never found this little piece of sunshine exploring around before?" I smiled, absolutely captivated by that chubby creature before me.

"I guess he must have just started wandering far from his parents. What's your name again?"

"Finnigan." The toddler said, proudly, fussing around Faelwen's papers.

"Finnigan. I'm Faelwen."

"Faelwen." He repeated, and I couldn't help feeling jealous that he had her name right on the first try. The elfling seemed to finally find what he was looking for amidst the papers he had been messing, raising it up for my friend to see "Letter?"

It was, indeed, a letter, and I puzzled trying to understand how Finnigan knew that, since he was obviously too young to read.

"That's right." Faelwen beamed at the toddler and he beamed back, showing me the two letters, side by side.

Then I clicked. It was the pattern. The greeting, the body of the message and the regards made almost identical pictures in both letters. I didn't have much experience with elflings, were they all that smart?

"I can't wait until you grow up so that I can help you with your letters." Faelwen smiled contently at the toddler who was back to messing her papers, presumably in search of another letter "Don't you love children?" My friend's creamy blue eyes pierced mine, but she didn't wait for an answer, looking back to young Finnigan and pointing a poem.

He would have a good time looking for the matching poems in the chaos of paper he had made.


"It's midnight." Thranduil announced, sitting up with a roguish smile, and pulling me up. It was a chilly night and I was wearing his shirt, the fine piece of clothing was so big on me that I had to roll up the sleeves so that my hands would be free "Close your eyes, meleth nín."

"Thranduil, it's not fair, I didn't get you anything for your birthday!" I argued, but my king was too excited to care.

"I'm a king, I already have everything I could wish." He placed a quick kiss on my lips "I already have you. Don't be stubborn, my little dove."

He was so excited that I didn't argue any further, closing my eyes with a smile.

"No spying." He imposed, and I heard the smile in his voice, followed by the sound of a drawer opening "Keep your eyes closed." Now his voice was low, his breath warm on my ear, and I shivered.

I felt something cool and heavy closing around my neck, and I had the distinct impression that it was metal.

"Don't look, not yet." Thranduil commanded, and I felt him rising from the bed and coming back again.

"Can I look now?" I asked, fighting the temptation to touch the metal around my neck.

"No. Just a little more... Now."

I opened my eyes and found myself in front of a mirror. Thranduil looked at me expectantly as my eyes flied to the choker. It was a masterpiece, made of gold that entwined in complex and beautiful patterns, with tiny stones marking a path in the center, and in the middle there was a larger stone. In the dark there was no telling what stone it was, but it looked beautiful nonetheless.

"My love..." The words refused to leave my lips, and Thranduil studied my face.

"Do you like it?" He asked, looking anxious.

"I love it." I whispered, looking into his blue eyes. For me, they were still the most beautiful jewels that ever were "It's beautiful..."

It was beautiful indeed, and invaluable. How could I wear a jewel like that without telling the whole world? Even the purest minds would make assumptions if I started wearing jewels fit for a queen.

"It looks beautiful on you. Belonged to my mother." Thranduil placed his hand on my face, caressing my cheekbones "It's a pity that you can't wear it openly yet, but I wanted you to have it."

I tried to speak but my voice was choked with emotion. I was going to cry again, for a change.

How could Thranduil give me his mother's jewels? They were fit for no less than a queen, I wasn't worthy of them. He put the mirror down and pulled me into his arms, engulfing me with the warmth of his skin.

"Meleth nín, why do you cry?" The king's voice was kind and confused, and I felt stupid to cry when he had just given me a gift that was far above me.

"It's so fine, so beautiful." I managed, through my broken voice.

"You cry because it's beautiful?" Thranduil stroked my back gently, as one would do to a crying elfling "Hervess nín, obviously you never looked at your own reflection in the mirror before. Now" He withdrew and kissed my closed eyelids "my pretty dove," A gentle kiss, now on my lips "my queen, don't cry."

I froze.

What did he call me?

"And now you look at me with these big brown eyes of yours like you just saw a ghost. Are you feeling well?"

"You called me..."

The king smirked at my surprised face.

"My wife? My queen? You're both."

I felt my heart racing, caught in my throat and I knew I couldn't bear the love I felt for Thranduil any longer unless I kissed him, and kiss him I did. My sweet golden king responded eagerly, holding me close to him, his hands searching my skin beneath his shirt.

We parted gasping for air, and I took the chance to behold the beauty of my king. I would never cease marveling at his pale skin and the hard muscles underneath, the silver-gold hair cascading down like a river. He looked as majestic naked as if he was wearing his robes and crown. My lover. My husband in the eyes of the Valar.

Yet I had never expected him to refer to me as wife. My sweet, sweet, golden king had crowned me queen of his bedroom and called me his wife. It was more than any royal mistress had the right to expect.

And as I laid down, on the edge of sleep, the cool weight of metal on my neck a sweet reminder, the last words I distinguished were:

"Happy birthday, my love."


I parted from Thranduil with a silent kiss and the promise that I would meet him again in the attic later that morning, since my stubborn king insisted that I should have one more gift, as if the gold and ruby necklace from his mother wasn't already more than I deserved. 'It's not a big deal, I promise' was all that he said when I accused him of spoiling me before the fountain in the maze, making my way back directly to my room through the now abandoned staff corridors, which were more like secret passageways through the castle. I was always careful, since I couldn't be the only one to know those ways, but so far I had never met anyone.

Tiptoeing my way to my bedroom, I had the care to mess the bed before grabbing a towel and heading happily to the hot springs.

I am the shadow.

"Good morning, Miss Beauty." I greeted Zynia with a smile.

"Good morning, early bird. Happy birthday."

I thanked her with a smile and we chatted as if we had no worries in the world. Partly because it was true, I had no worry in the world other than finding a gift for Melim's baby girl.

"Happy birthday, little sister." Alyan's voice welcomed me into the dinning hall, and I was quickly surrounded by my friends.

To my utter surprise I found prince Legolas smiling his sunshine smile at me and wishing me a happy birthday along with the others, and that alone was enough to make me smile back and feel that, indeed, life was going to be alright. Lord Maeglad and his little brat were far away, Legolas was Legolas again and Thranduil even hinted a smile at me from his place at the high table. I didn't have to pretend the color coming to my cheeks as I looked down to my plate, but it was hard not to laugh as the king hardened his face, snarling at a random councilor that had the bad luck of bothering him at the wrong moment, since I knew Thranduil was keeping his reputation. He would not let people think he'd grown soft. Poor random Sindarin lord.

Thranduil watched his little dove from his place on the high table, happy to see her friends wishing her a happy birthday, his son among them. It seemed that after all, Legolas was finally accepting that they were in love, and there was no parting them. Talking about love, the king couldn't help noticing the look Legolas gave captain Tauriel when he thought no one was looking. Why weren't they already together? His son was a fool.

The king's good mood was sensibly affected when he faced the monstrous load of paperwork on his desk. Not having a Trade Councilor had worsened it, since it was more work for him to do alone. Thranduil pondered his options over again. As shocking as it was, his best option now was not any of the Sindarin nobility, but one silvan elf that had been dealing many of the trades with the nearby cities for a long time, as well as guarding the wine every now and then.

Yet, that would be the first time that a silvan elf was appointed to the Council, and the king didn't know very well how the council would react. Some, he knew to be of the same opinion as Maeglad, and would not welcome the idea of a silvan elf being a part of the council, but most had never given him cause to think they shared on that prejudice.

With a last look to the hated paperwork, Thranduil summoned a guard and ordered Galion to be fetched. If any of the Sindarin lords or ladies wished to complain about the appointment of a silvan elf as a member of the Council, they could have that damned work all to themselves.


The king snatched Hazel up the moment she walked through the door to the stairway, her laughter sounding like music to him.

"My love, one of these days you're going to kill me!" She reprimanded, still laughing, and Thranduil silenced her protests with a kiss.

"Come, I want to see your face." The king pulled the protesting elleth upstairs, stopping right before the closed door.

"You're spoiling me, Thranduil." She repeated, her cheeks blushed from running upstairs.

"I'm not. Not enough." The king countered, silencing her upcoming protest with another kiss "Now close your eyes." He instructed, and his Hazel closed her bewitching brown eyes with a smile.

"Don't look." Thranduil said, very grave, as he opened the door and guided her in, closing it behind them.

"May I look now?"

"Not yet." The king couldn't keep from smiling as he fetched the furry creature that watched them curiously from a wool-lined basket in a corner.

Thranduil took it in his hands very carefully, making sure it wouldn't make any sound to denounce it's presence, but elves have natural talent with animals, even though the sigh of the elven king holding a kitten wasn't very usual. The king shivered to think about the damage that would be made to his reputation if anyone ever dreamed of that.

Carefully, he approached Hazel.

"Give me your hand." He asked, taking her hand and placing it on the kitten "Open your eyes now."

Thranduil was immediately rewarded with that look of love that elleths have when they see babies of any species, though Hazel looked about to combust in rainbows at the sight of the tiny ball of fur.

"A baby cat..."

From the look on her face might as well be a Silmaril.

"It's from the kitchens." He explained "The siblings don't let him feed, I thought that perhaps you would like to take care of him. You're experienced in cats, after all."

Hazel just nodded, reaching out for the furry thing and taking it in her arms.

"My love..." She blinked, trying to find something to say, but the look on her face was enough, and Thranduil didn't resist to kiss her.

"You look lovely like this." He said, pointing at the kitten, now entertained with a lock of Hazel's hair that had strayed from the braid.

"You too look lovely holding a kitten." She smirked at him. Only for love of her he would ever do something like that.

"That is never to be mentioned." Thranduil frowned, very grave, but Hazel couldn't contain a laughter, and the king allowed himself to smile. If his queen was happy, then nothing else mattered.


"Why not give it an elvish name?"

"Because it's not and elf, it's a cat, thus I'll give it a catish name."

"Snowflake. How original." Zynia mocked, not bothering to look up from her book.

I didn't mind her, more interested in rolling a woolen ball on the floor for Snowflake to chase.

"You see? I'm training him to hunt you."

Zynia tried to keep her face of indifference but I saw her shoulders moving in a silent laughter she hid with the book.

"I think Snowflake is nice." Tauriel intervened, looking curiously at the sweet kitten toddling around "And it's so nice that you found it."

Azira chuckled.

"It's very nice indeed, that Hazel happened to find a kitten on her birthday, and that had nothing to do with the king, I'm sure." My spying traitorous friend ignored my look of accusation "Hazel, everyone here knows. Specially I know, because I was the one to fetch this vicious killer from the kitchens."

"I want a man who gives me a kitten." Tauriel sighed, dreamily.

"Why, I'll tell Legolas." Melim said, very sweetly, making Tauriel go as red as her hair and start muttering something that the rest of us were laughing too hard to hear.


It was getting dark too fast. That wasn't good. That was no good at all.

The thundering sound of hooves was too loud, soon enough someone would hear, someone would find her.

"Faster, please." It sounded more like a shaky whisper than a command, but the horse responded nonetheless.

A quick check to her belt. The daggers were still there, as well as the sword. Good. No orc would stand a chance.

Still, the fugitive prayed that none would show up. Nor any spider.

If only she could keep her horse from making so much noise. The young elleth didn't knew if anyone was already on her tracks. They were bound to have noticed her absence, but she wondered if someone already knew she was gone, or if there was a search to find her. Of course they would know at once where she was going. The girl only prayed that she had good enough an advantage to reach her destiny before someone caught her.

Her father would never forgive her that.

But she would never forgive herself if she gave in.

The elleth didn't even stop a moment to consider as she rode like lightening past the entrance of a village. There would be no stopping.

It took only a few hours riding in the darkness for her resolution to weaken. If her horse broke a leg it would be the end of her escaping.

Luckily, there was a village not far behind and the elleth turned back and entered it, her face hooded.

There was no inn, which was logical, since there weren't many travelers crossing that road. There was, though, a house that looked bigger than the others.

The fugitive took a breath before knocking on the door. It wasn't too late, but she felt guilty for disturbing the family that lived there.

A handsome blond ellon answered the door.

"Good night. How can we be of help?"

"Good night. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind, hm..." She struggled with the words in her mind.

"Oh, you're a traveler." A round-faced elleth appeared from inside the house "Poor thing, you must be tired. Come in!"

The traveler hesitated only a second before accepting the offer. It was either that or spending the night outside. The house was simple, and there where three younger elleths by the fire, entertained in sewing.

"I'm Daeron, this is my wife Gwestiel, and these are my daughters, Nessima, Estelwen and Siladhiel."

The traveler paused. They were expecting her to inform her name, but all the books she read told her that when one is being chased it was wiser to give a false name, so she said the first name that came to her mind, the name that had hardly left her mind since she knew of the disastrous news that caused her to run away and shame her family.

"I'm Hazel."

One of the younger elleths sewing by the fire raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"That's an odd name."

"Sila!" Her father intervened.

"Well, Hazel, you must be tired." Gwestiel said, as Daeron took the horse's reins from the traveler and guided the animal somewhere else "Nessima, get a bath ready for our guest. I'll get you something to eat, poor thing." The elleth walked away as she talked, and Estelwen made a sign for the traveler to join them by the fire.

Quickly, the smell of soup invaded the room and Gwestiel returned with a bowl, placing it on the table for the hungry traveler.

"So, Hazel, what are you doing traveling alone this late?"

The traveler took a moment to realize that Estelwen was talking to her. Using a false name was harder than it looked like in the books.

"I have some business at court that call for my immediate attention." She said, trying to sound business-like, as her father would.

"Estel, don't bother our guest with questions, let her eat in peace." The mother intervened once more, and the traveler turned to her soup, stopping, by habit, to quickly glance at her reflection in the spoon. Her honeyed hair was tangled, and there was some dust from the road on her face. She looked nothing like the lady of court she truly was, but for her eyes, golden and acute as ever.

Truth be told, the traveler had shamed her family so deeply from running away that she wasn't even sure she was still a lady of court. What if her father had already warned the king? Such an old elf was bound to know where she was going and why. Her only hope lasted with an elleth she had made her enemy. The fugitive was hoping, against all hope, that Hazel would intervene for her, but she could not rely on it after all that had passed between the two of them when she was still Maril, the dear of the Sindarin nobility, before she was the fugitive, traveling in the night like a thief to escape her own father and the marriage he had settled for her.

The traveler did feel sorry for the ellon she would disappoint, but she just could not do it. She could not bond to life to an ellon when her heart rested with another. Maril had paraded her charms for the king to oblige her father, and it had only got her an enemy and the fury of the king. She would not do it again, specially when this new marriage was so certain. With the king it was more like a contest, and the prize was a crown, many pretty dresses, and a handsome ellon. Even then she wasn't so sure. She was blinded by the thought of the jewels she would have, the respect and deference everyone would owe her, even her father, that would be so proud. All it took was one fit of rage for her to give it all up.

But there was someone she would not give up.

In the very likely scenario of Hazel telling her to go to hell, the traveler would have to leave court behind. She would discover where her father had got her beloved sent to, and she would go after him, and adopt a false name forever if needed, and live away in some village, like the one she was in. She would miss the dresses, the balls and all the rush of life at court, but it was worth her freedom. Tegalad would help her. Her rebel brother that had defied their father by becoming a musician and further yet by marrying outside the Sindarin nobility was her best chance now.

A mat was set for the fugitive in the very room the daughters of the house slept, and she knew it was an honor. Of course the elves had recognized her as a Sindarin, but she somehow felt that had her been a silvan elf they would give her the same treatment. Anyway, she used the thought of the silvan elves' good will to keep at bay the thoughts of how barbarian it was for no less than four people to share the same room.

The traveler shook the thought away. Perhaps that would be her life from then on. It was bizarre to think that the very next day she could be dressed in fine silks, a lady of court again, or gathering her few goods and riding away from the castle forever, and the key to her fate rested in the hands of an elleth that had hit her and would do so again given half a chance. She counted on her brother to help her convince Hazel to speak to the king on her behalf.

There was hardly ever a frailer plan, but it was still the best chance she had.


That was it for this week, sweethearts! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, if you did don't forget to leave a review, and if you're new to court make sure to follow/favorite to keep up with the next chapters!

Something else, due to my midterm exams I may not be able to post this weekend, please don't kill me. I'll update as soon as possible.

And yep, that was Mulan.

Love you guys, xoxo