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Thranduil's POV

Noira looked like a beautiful wild bird, as she was flying in my captain's hug. My heart was beating faster, as I sat down and was watching her from my table. That sparkling dress, that white skin of her neck and bare shoulders... She looked like a destroying fire. That fire, which kills you with her beauty, then with distance. You just freeze to death without her warmth, if you have gotten to know it once.

Shaking my head, I had to remind myself again and again, that she was currently in somebody else's arms. And that was my mistake. I waved, and my empty glass was full again. My fingers played a little on its thin side, then they ran through my hair nervously. I could not reach the end of my thoughts anymore. Her angelic voice just didn't want to leave my mind. The smile she wore, the happiness and lightness she was singing with... Because I followed her to the river, yes. But she was just not alone. Nor then, neither now. And what if she was? Nothing. She has every right to hate me.

'Such a pity, she really does' I said to myself playfully and lifted the glass to my lips again.

'Adar... you know, that's not water, don't you?' I heard my son. 'How many' he asked shortly. I lifted my hand and stretched two fingers. Then another one.

'You mean, three barrels?' he smirked, but left me, after I waved him to go. I tried to take the glass down cautiously, but the wine flowed down the table anyway. I found it strange. I looked up again at her dancing form, but felt sick immediately. Then I chose to take a short look at the lord on my right too, who was speaking to me unstoppable. I saw the whole garden turning. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate, but couldn't understand any of his questions. Since my head felt heavy anyway, I finally nodded.

'Are you feeling good, my lord?' a voice asked. I raised my head from the table slowly, and touched my pulsing forehead.

Nope.

'More than ever' I answered to him silently. Where was the one, I was speaking with earlier? I pushed myself up and was trying to walk away in a straight line.

Act normal. Just act normal. Not that difficult.

I tried to reach a place, where I could be alone. I felt dizzy, I barely felt my legs and saw where to step. Nobody was allowed to see the great elven king in a state like this. If I was looking like as I was feeling right now, I had to be white as the wall, or more likely literally green.

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Noira's POV

The feast seemed nearly ending, as the music slowed down. Some lords were resting at the tables – Zarian, for example, who could not manage that standing up from the grass -, others were taking their rests by speaking or eating something. And we were the strongest ones. The very last dancing couples.

I suddenly looked toward the chair again, where I have seen Thranduil last time. It was empty. I turned around, but couldn't find him anywhere.

'I guess, that way' Fräynn answered my unsaid question and pointed to the left.

'What?' I asked back blushing. There was no way, I could hurt him with this. He was the one, who made me happy every single time, I wished to cry or literally die. Since the first day we have met, till this very moment. He has never left me alone. I looked up at that handsome face, smiling. His light blue eyes were lightening in the dark.

'There' he repeated and let go of me. 'It was a pleasure'

'It was, captain' I said shamefully. I expected him to be sad. Since he felt something, he was speaking about, and the only thing I was interested in was Thranduil's whereabouts... But he was not.

'Beautiful garden, don't you think?' he asked happily and walked away. 'Very clever choice of plants'

I wanted to correct him, for it was Zella's exellence, not mine, but my look landed on the empty chair again, and my legs took me to the left, before I could have known.

The gardens were dark, I could hardly see anything. My famous elven eyes needed some time to see in the bare moonlight, not to mention, I felt a little bit dizzy. As I was walking across the several little glades, I saw a little light in the far. If there was a pond there, that had to be the King's garden. I remembered that silver lake in the middle, and the familiar lavender smell also reached my nose as I was nearing.

I was thinking back of the great celebration. The fine wine, exotic food, the dance with Fräynn. It would have been so good to dance with Thranduil too – I confessed and smiled widely. We would have been laughing to the night air all night long – I said to myself, almost falling in my own feet.

Something, what will never happen. Why the hell am I here anyway? Even if he's lying knocked out somewhere, or simply mad at me... he does not need me for sure.

As I thought, at the next moment, I glimpsed at the lovely silver lake between the tall trees. And something red in the middle of its mirror. I forced my eyes to see it clear after ten glasses of wine. It totally looked like Thranduil's robe. God... it was that!

Without thinking, I ran there and jumped into the freezing cold water. For a long moment, I could not move from the shock. I was just sinking in the black material, till my feet found the soil. Finally, I could force my eyes open. The only thing I saw was the black nothing in front of me. There was water even in my nose, not to mention my clothes and boots. I was glaring forward at the bottom of the lake, searching for him. I did not have much time. Maybe he's been dead already. I swam around trembling from fear and chill. I've seen him at the party. I knew, he was not able to swim out of here on his own. He was not able to stand on his feet on his own!

A long minute have passed without finding anything, and I felt as a hot tear left my eyes and became one with the water. My throat tightened. There was not any air in my lungs. I would have needed to breath, but could not give it up. I needed to find him. My white hands clutched the mud endlessly, but caught nothing. That cursed pond was bigger, than it seemed. I stopped finally and started to cry, when my arms went limp. A little water found its way into my lung, and I started to be choking. I did not care. Everything became blank and dark, and the only thing I could think was him in need.

'I love you... you fool' was my last thought, before I drifted off.

Suddenly, something grabbed me and pulled me up to the surface. As the soft wind reached my face, I immediately breathed in and started to cough endlessly. My head was lying on a strong shoulder tiredly.

'You really cannot wait to die?' I heard a deep voice and looking up, I smoothed my hair out of my eyes. Thranduil looked back at me in clear shock. He held me so tight, I did not need to swim at all. As his warm chest met mine with every inhalation, and his muscles tensed to keep me out of the water, I could feel again, he was well and alive. My eyes went wet again of course.

'What the hell have you done in the pond?!' he yelled from worry.

'What the hell have your robe done in the pont' I said quietly only to myself. His eyes widened as he understood everything. He was glaring at me in shock again.

'It was me, why you ha-'

'No' I said immediately. I could not confess I was so weak again. He was so close, it made me unguarded. I had to stay strong. He did not even like me, I told myself at the feast. I was only his gardener, and I was just not allowed to get lost in his eyes this time. I looked down, but his fingers pushed my jaw up gently, forcing me to face him again.

'Noira'

'How was the dance with Lady Yndira of Lothlorian?' I asked finally and looked right in his eyes. He opened his mouth but did not know what to say suddenly.

'How...' he started 'was the dance with the Captain of the Guard?'

'Fine' I said sharply, but almost died in the lie. For even if our proud mouths could not tell the truth, the bodies did not lie. There was not even an inch between us. Everything I felt was his warm arms, that held me tighter and tighter, everything I could see was his bright blue eyes, that went cloudy once again. His cherry lips, that almost touched mine. His longing made me shiver in his hug. Those long fingers stroked the bare skin of my neck again. This time I was sure, it was not only in my mind.

'That would have been great to dance with...' I whispered unconsciously, but did not finish. There was no need to.

'That would have been great' he breathed as his eyes closed. 'For I fell in love with you too'

His wet hair touched my cheeks, as his lips fell on mine. I was about to faint. His kiss tasted like a mix of the sweetest honey and the strongest elven wine. It made me drunk and was softer, than I could ever imagine. His mouth's silky touch deleted my every thought in a blink of an eye. I forgetted who we were, as he also forgetted everything, what held him back all the time, he got close to me. They did not have sense anymore. I crossed my arms around his neck, letting him keep me from sinking and kissed him back with all the passion I hid so long, even from myself.