AN: Okey so I am incredibly sorry for the hiatus I took with this story. Especially since I do have lots of plots and plans for the future of this fic. It's just that I have lots of other fics to update as well, it has become very taxing to keep up with it all. Yet it's my own fault for trying to do it all at the same time haha It's like I honestly can't control my creative impulses at this point. I've never have been able to do that either way. Anyways, I do hope this chapter wasn't too dry, I don't know when I will be able to update this fic again, I need to do the other ones first probably. Either way, I am beyond blessed that i still have readers on this one, I feel terrible for letting you guys down like this, especially when I know there aren't many Sigrid/Thranduil fics out there. I certainly hope i can inspire some new ones!
Anyways, Happy reading to you folks and please remember that everything will be fine.
xoxoxo
Chapter 11
She tailed Thranduil soundlessly as they went down hallways, throughout tunnels and whatnot. In the end, they found themselves at the very same courtyard that they had first arrived at when they came to Rivendell. The one leading out to the bridge of doom. There was an elf waiting for them there, already sitting on his horse.
Thranduil and the handsome elf exchanged words she couldn't understand, before he handed over her letter to the unnamed elf. He took it and put it away in his satchel. Without as much as a glance at her, he rode off and away, over the narrow bridge, disappearing into the thick mist.
"Who was that? The postman?" Sigrid asked.
He gave her a funny look as he once again took the lead. She followed quietly behind, casting glances over her shoulder.
"No, it was a courier of mine. He is quick and will be riding throughout the night, so he'll probably be at Erebor in the early morning," Thranduil explained to her as they ascended the stairs.
"That's good," she mused out loud and didn't get much of an answer.
That's even better, now that she thought of it.
...
Dinner consisted of wine, steak, potatoes, vegetables, bread, cheese and fruits. Bread, cheese and fruits seemed to be a standard when it came to elvish food. Sigrid was seated at the far right of the high table, right at the corner. She had Thranduil at her left, Galadriel in front of her, Arwen at her grandmothers side and Lord Elrond at the end of the table.
The dinner had been pleasant so far, no one had asked her any unnecessary questions. Galadriel and Elrond were the ones that spoke the most. Arwen mentioned something from time to time, but otherwise kept her mouth shut.
At first, when Sigrid had arrived at dinner, Elrond had introduced the two of them and she had felt incredibly shy. But the daughter of the lord of Rivendell had been nothing but pleasant to her. Arwen was ridiculously beautiful. She sported a lilac gown, glittery in the moonlight. Her hair was loose and long, her bangs, held up by small silver clips in the shape of butterflies. She looked regal and it was enough to make Sigrid feel like a sack of potatoes compared to her.
"Sigrid, how is the ring treating you so far?" The evenstar suddenly asked, taking a sip of her wine.
Sigrid swallowed down a mouthful of potatoes and cleared her throat. She wasn't prepared for the topic of discussion to switched to her. She hadn't even kept up with what the elves around her had been talking about. She nervously looked around to see them all staring at her, expecting her answer.
"Well... um it hasn't been very gracious towards me, it merely sees me as a host, nothing more and nothing less."
She took a sip of her wine, avoiding eye contact with the elleth.
"I heard it can heal wounds though, that has got to count for something right?" Arwen said, a tad bit optimistic, she was obviously trying to instill some sort of lighthearted comfort in the girl.
"Well yes, of course..." Sigrid managed back, daring a glance in her direction since she knew she was probably coming of as rude.
"I just think it's fascinating. My father talked quite a lot about the phenomenon before, can you believe that the Valar may have graced it themselves?" The elleth continued, a stunning smile on her lips.
"It's hard to imagine... but possible I guess."
"It is not wise to view this ring as something fun or exciting, we don't know the first thing about it yet. We know that it is perfectly capable of harming its host if it feels the need to, it acts much like a parasite and should be considered as such," Thranduil suddenly chimed in from where he sat at her side.
He had been quiet the whole dinner and Sigrid couldn't help but jump a little in her seat at the sound of his voice. She had almost forgotten he was there.
Arwen's cheeks bloomed a bit red and respectfully nodded her head.
"Of course, I didn't mean anything of the sort, I was just curious... I didn't actually know that it had caused harm though..." the elleth trailed off and looked in Sigrid's direction, she wanted answers.
"Well, it burned me when I tried to take it off back in Erebor, obviously it felt somehow threatened by me, even though I am its host," she explained, trying to keep her eyes on Arwen.
"Technically, It wasn't exactly a burn," the elvenking commented into his cup of wine and she spared him an irritated glance.
"Well I don't know how else to describe it, it felt like my whole body was being roasted over an open fire," she muttered out, looking away from his fine features once she saw the hint of wide smirk on his lips.
It felt she was being mocked by him... or something. The remaining three individuals at the table, just stared back and forth between the two, quietly, observant.
"How can you be so sure about that? Have you ever been roasted over a fire, dear?" Thranduil fired back with a raised brow as he fixed her with an amused look in his blue eye.
Her mouth hung open and she could feel her annoyance rising to the brim. Not only that but she felt terribly embarrassed as well. It was intimidating enough to just be present and he just had to come along and make it even more excruciatingly difficult for her.
"I don't have to have it happen to me to know what it feels like!" Sigrid hissed out and regretted her words as quickly as they left her mouth.
Thranduil looked like he was about to spit out his wine. He swallowed and looked at her with real enjoyment in his face, enjoyment at her making a fool out of herself.
"Did you just hear yourself right now? Repeat that line for me, why don't you?" he said with glee.
"Thranduil, leave her be, she is but a child! Have some sympathy for heaven's sake," Elrond suddenly cut in before Galadriel could and luckily before Sigrid could make herself look even more stupid.
The elvenking fixed him with what could only be described as a poor disguised glare. He rolled his eyes and put down his cup.
"Of course, forgive me Sigrid, I will take heed not to thread on your feelings in the future," he then said, turning his gaze to her.
His scar seemed to smile at her, as his lips tilted up in a loop-sided, loose grin. She was about to say something cruel when the ring gave off an electric shock, small enough to go unnoticed by the others but big enough to hurt. It stung madly for only a few seconds, and she hugged her stinging hand in her lap, biting her cheek. Once it had passed, she looked up to find everyone staring at her. Thranduil was the only one that stared at her with amusement though.
"May I be excused? I'm feeling very tired..." Sigrid said, looking in the direction of Elrond.
"Of course child," he responded, nodding at her.
"Sigrid," chimed Galadriel in, "You look very pale, are you quite alright?"
The lady of light gave her a heavy look, heavy with worry and concern... and questions.
"Oh I'm just fine, I'm very tired though..."
She started to rise from her seat and was soon joined by Arwen.
"Let me take you to your room, I was done anyway," said the evenstar with an easy smile, sweet like sugar.
She nodded and murmured out her thanks as the elleth took her arm and before long, they were on their way.
The evenstar lead her down the stairs and into a wide hallway. Here there dwelled only a couple of elves, laughing amongst themselves and chatting away in elvish.
"Why is the elvenking so mean to you?" Arwen asked as they passed the jolly group and turned right.
"I'm not sure, I guess he is annoyed by having to deal with me," Sigrid answered with a sigh. "He's got some major attitude problems, that's for sure.
Arwen gave a small giggle at that. "It is almost like he bullies you, you know..."
"Yeah, I know he's supposed to be like thousands of years older than me but honestly, he can be so immature sometimes. He delights in making me look like a fool," Sigrid commented, allowing herself to laugh a little at the ordeal.
"I thought I would never come across someone that would describe The great Thranduil, king of the woodland realm, as immature."
"Haha yeah well, here I am, speaking the truth, one step at the time."
They both laughed at that and Sigrid felt more and more comfortable around the elleth. She seemed normal and non-judgemental, which was nice.
"But he cannot be all bad though? I heard he saved you from some nasty kidnappers on the way here," she inquired, her perfect brows raised in interest.
"Oh you are mistaken, he didn't save me at all, the ring did," Sigrid corrected her but realised she would need to elaborate on that. "You see, the ring burned the men since it felt threatened and I mean really burned them, like cocked their flesh."
Arwen looked a bit taken aback by that.
"Oh my, that's quite something..."
"Yeah, it was... but in all honesty, King Thranduil has helped me a lot through other means," she confessed, glancing out the passing windows.
"Mmhm, like how if I may ask?"
"Well, when I first tried to take the ring off, it attacked me and the only one that could dispel the ring's onslaught was Thranduil. I would have died from the pain if he hadn't been there..."
"How utterly horrid..." Arwen whispered out, looking almost crestfallen with solicitude.
"I suppose so," was all Sigrid could manage as her mind became clouded with dreadful memories.
She was eager to change the subject, to have something that would distract her weary mind for a bit.
"Even though King Thranduil can be quite insufferable most of the times, he has his own way of being... um nice I guess," she began, trying to get her thoughts in order. "He has told me a great many things about the Valar and the Maia and their influence on the ring, as well as some general elven history that I sure didn't even know about."
Arwen shone up at that, much like a lighthouse would.
"Oh but that's great! Our history is very rich and I often find it very sad when I learn of how few humans actually know of it."
"Yes, I was quite shocked at how little I actually knew about the world around me. When I read up on the history of your people, I was positively impressed by all the details," Sigrid explained, feeling a bit giddy at being able to talk to someone about the wonders she'd learned.
"You have to tell me all about it tomorrow, maybe we can have tea in my chambers," said Arwen as they stopped before her bedroom.
"I would love that!" was all Sigrid could manage as her lips broke into a pearly smile.
"Splendid! Now get some rest, you've earned it."
With that, the evenstar took her leave and disappeared down the spiral staircase. Sigrid entered her chambers and looked longingly at her bed. She was actually looking forward to the next day. Yet as she took in the shadowed room before her, a growing gloom took hold in her chest. She didn't know what to do about the situation she was in, nothing could change that.
...
"Red suits you, it matches your ring," Arwen mused aloud, smiling at her as she sipped her tea.
Sigrid put her cup down and rearranged her skirt. She averted her eyes to practically anywhere but the blazing ring she had on her finger. It creeped her out, with the light it relentlessly gave off. She felt like it was looking at her. It was the source of all her unhappiness at the moment.
Sigrid has donned a crimson gown, nearly maroon in its hue. It was an elvish dress, with long, flowing sleeves, modest and classy. Very elegant and pretty but it was with a gut wrenching feeling that she realised how trivial and insignificant that was. Small, shiny patterns were sown into its texture, making the red colour change in tone depending on the light. Himien had insisted upon adding a natural-looking red-tinted lipgloss to go with the dress, it was the only makeup Sigrid had agreed upon though. Sure she was cute but she still felt like a trapped bird.
"Really? I've always felt like I would looked better in grey," she said, mirroring her smile on an impulse.
As long as she appeared normal, she would be fine.
"Nonsense! This colour is perfect for you, it looks good on your skin tone as well. It makes you look warmer and more passionate," the elleth proclaimed romantically.
"Oh whatever you say," Sigrid answered, forcing out a giggle.
She didn't want to appear as uptight as she felt.
"Himien did a good job on your hair as well, simple but dashing."
Lady Arwen reached out and put a loose brown curl behind her ear. Her hair was straight, with the bangs tucked away behind her head in a simple braid, revealing her human ears.
"The last time she did my hair, I got the distinct feeling that she aimed at making me look more elf-like," Sigrid answered, "She seems to have given up on that prospect now."
"Oh Is that so? Well I think you would look good in whatever style she throws at you, except for maybe something dwarfish," Arwen added, draining the rest of her tea and Sigrid did the same.
The sunlight passed over them in small beams, sprung forth from between the leaves. They were seated in the garden, right outside Arwen's chambers. It was as peaceful as ever. The only sounds to be heard were the distinct clucking of water from a nearby fountain, the chirps from the birds in the trees and the rustling of leaves in the wind. Both of them had bought some thin blankets with them to keep them comfortable in the autumn breeze.
"I actually found some dwarfish robes in Erebor and they are not all terrible," Sigrid commented, a pleasant smile on her red lips.
Arwen gave her a playful smile as leaned forward.
"I heard that their women have beards," she almost whispered with a sweet giggle.
"They do, I saw some of them myself... It was hard to tell them apart from the men," she answered, mirroring the movements of the elleth.
They both erupted in laughter at that and thus, didn't hear that they were no longer alone.
"Be glad none of them are here to hear that," Galadriel's tuneful voice rang out.
They both looked up to see her standing there by their side. She held chair in one hand and what looked like a collection of leaves and roses in the other.
"Grandmother! Did you sneak up on us?" Arwen exclaimed, though she was clearly happy at the sight of her elder.
The only answer they got was a wide, sunlit smile from the lady of light.
"Do you want some citrus tea?" Sigrid asked the tall lady as her hand drifted over to the teapot, "We did bring with us extra cups after all."
"Oh that would be lovely my dear. I'm so glad to see the two of you are getting along so well," Lady Galadriel responded as she took a seat on the white chair she'd just put down.
Arwen laughed, her cheeks a bit pink as she looked down at her lap. The evenstar wore a bright yellow dress with silver ornaments, it glimmered perfectly in the sunlight.
"Are you going to make a flower crown?" Arwen asked as Galadriel began dividing up her flowers and twigs.
"Ah yes, two for both of you," she responded.
Sigrid, who had busied herself with pouring tea for the elf, presented her with a cup.
The lady of light put down her twigs to take a sip.
"Grandmother, It's good that you are here, I was wondering if I could ask you something?"
"Ask away," the lady answered as she put down her cup in the table between the trio.
"Well you see, it's about King Thranduil," Arwen began, meeting a curious look from Sigrid.
Sure the girl was curious about the matter, but she was also a bit displeased with the change of topic. She had been trying hard this whole day to ignore the elvenking. To steer her thoughts away from the troubles he brought to her. It seemed to be impossible.
Galadriel, who has been busy threading flowers and twigs together, briefly looked up from her work to fix the two of them with a neutral stare.
"Has he... has he always been rather cruel?"
Arwen spoke as if she was speaking about the weather. Sigrid almost choked on her tea. Galadriel didn't look impressed though.
"It is not right for you to refer to him as cruel. Yet... he has always been a difficult person," the lady of light explained, looking very serious.
Her fingers continued their threading even though she wasn't looking much at her work anymore.
"Always? How long have you known him, if I may ask?" Sigrid couldn't help but to pipe in, intrigued at the topic even though it made her rather anxious.
Galadriel looked at her with an almost knowing look.
"The first time I met Thranduil, he was but a small child," she said.
A gasp of surprise could be heard from Arwen.
"That long ago?" She asked, her eyebrows raised a notch.
Galadriel hummed in response, nodding her blonde head.
"Ever since he was young, he had been noteworthily different. He wasn't prone to cheerfulness and was terribly serious for someone of his young age. Although he was intelligent and very curious about his surroundings," the lady of light continued to explain, weaving her tale before them.
Her fingers worked efficiently to weave a crown as well, she was already halfway done with one. Arwen and Sigrid met each other's eyes in excitement at this spontaneous story time.
"He was quite adventurous and often partook in risk-taking. He likes to push boundaries as well as himself, you see. Of course that sort of behavior was heavily frowned upon but he wasn't one to care about others opinions. Actually, he was quite arrogant as a youngster. I don't see him as arrogant nowadays, that seemed to disappear with age, yet he remains proud."
One flower crown was done and she set it aside to begin with the new one.
"Thranduil inherited a bad temper from his father. A temper that seemed to have worsened with age though."
Sigrid sat in silence, taking the information in. Honestly, she wasn't that surprised at his past attitudes, it fit well with the personality she had become familiar with today.
"I probably shouldn't tell you more. I'm actually not here to gossip," Lady Galadriel went on to explain with an easy laugh.
"Could have fooled me," answered Arwen, mimicking her laughter.
Sigrid merely smiled into her cup of tea, staying quiet. She was about to take a gulp of it when she realised that it was in fact empty.
...
Time passed by and soon, both Arwen and Sigrid sat with two flower crowns on their head. A crown in all of the autumns soft tones. Red, orange and yellow leaves, coupled with red roses, it was truly quite the artwork.
Lady Galadriel sat with Sigrid's hand in her own, just as she had done before, trying to engage the ring. Arwen sat and watched them both with a keen eye, sipping her tea.
"It won't answer my calls, It is like it has shut itself off from me," the lady of light suddenly blurted out, her brows creasing themselves in concentration, though her eyes remained shut.
Sigrid was afraid to say something, scared to disturb process. Arwen's lips parted but she ultimately decided to stay silent as well. In the end, Lady Galadriel gave a frustrated sigh as she dropped Sigrid's hand. She opened her blue, brilliant eyes and gave her a small smile, yet it didn't reach her eyes.
"I need to do some meditation on this," she admitted, lifting her cup to her lips.
Then she seemed to freeze and Sigrid saw one elven ear twitch slightly, as if she had picked up on a sound. Galadriel, gave a glance over her shoulder, the easy smile never leaving her physique. "Thranduil, would you care to join me?" she asked and the two females at the table immediately jumped in their seat at the sight of the elf.
He stood proud and tall, looking down on them from a balcony, connected to a different part of the estate.
"I think your method is flawed, my lady," the elvenking said as he stared down at them, his hands grasping the stone railing.
This made Lady Galadriel turn even more in her seat.
"How so?"
Sigrid met his eyes then and Thranduil gave her an askew smirk, his scar as visible as ever.
Then to all of their surprises, he proceeded to catapult himself over the railing, jumping down a few good meters fall and landing easily on one knee. Arwen gave a gasp and Sigrid just stared at him open-mouthed like a fish out of water. Thranduil walked up to them with that ridiculous smirk on his face.
"I should have thought you would have outgrown your parkour phase by now, King Thranduil," Galadriel said, a wide, bright smile on her lips as she eyed him up and down.
He just raised his eyebrows at her.
"Why shouldn't I use a shortcut when I see one?" He answered, coming to stand by Sigrid's side.
The table didn't make so much of a creek as he leaned on it. "Give me your hand girl," he said, fixing her with an expectant stare.
She placed her hand in his, rolling her eyes and making sure Arwen could see it. The elleth looked like she wanted to burst out into laughter. A warning look from her grandmother kept her in check though.
His rough hand held her own smooth one in semi-tight grip. The ring pulsed to life, sending heat waves from their joined hands all the way up to her elbow. Sigrid couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath at the gripping sensation. She could tell Thranduil felt it too. For he was looking at her with an almost triumphant grin.
"Trying to coax the ring to life won't do much. I suggest tampering with the things we already know to work instead," The elvenking began to articulate. "We already know that the ring has an outstanding ability to react when it feels truly threatened. Sigrid why don't you refresh our memory of what the ring has done for you so far?"
He raised a thick, dark brow at her and she gave a small nod. Disentangling her fingers from his, she inspected the trinket on her finger, gathering her thoughts.
"It burns people when it feels threatened, It numbed my pain, nearly taking it away completely and it has also healed my wounds…" She explained, her eyes darting around the elves around her.
"Alright very good. Let's just pick out one of those three abilities and study it. For the sake of yourself, We might as well start with its healing abilities and push its limits," Thranduil then answered, seeming oddly excited.
In her mind, she found it very hard to detect any flaws in his suggestion. Yet Sigrid was on her guard, she knew she had to be when dealing with this person.
"Sure but I have only healed my own wounds and to be completely honest, I wasn't even aware that I was doing it," Sigrid clarified, biting her lip in contemplation.
"No worries, give me your hand," Thranduil said.
She placed her ringed hand in his once more, looking hesitatingly in the direction of Arwen and Galadriel.
Arwen seemed only a little bit confused, While Galadriel looked… nearly suspicious. The lady of light's blue eyes glimmered and suddenly became wide open, her lips flew open in a silent gasp. Confused, Sigrid followed her stare and came to realise that Thranduil had pulled out a big knife, seemingly out of nowhere. An elven blade, sharp and deadly. He placed it on her wrist and she could literally feel the coldness of said blade seep into her skin, chilling her to the core.
"Thranduil!" Galadriel hissed out, looking outraged.
"I will only leave a little cut, and then we will wait and see what happens," the elvenking quickly answered her, keeping his gaze on the knife.
"You haven't even asked the girl-" the lady of light continued but her words died away as the knife drew a sharp, clean line over her pale wrist.
Sigrid gave a gasp, not out of pain but more out of shock.
"I-I don't feel anything…" she breathed out, inspecting the bloody line.
"No pain at all?!" Arwen cut in, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"None," she responded giving the elleth a strained smile.
Galadriel was the only one who remained quiet. She crossed her legs and placed a hand on her lips, opting a thinking position. Her blue eyes seemed a bit stony, as she looked in the direction of the elvenking. Thranduil was keen on ignoring her stare.
"Now look," he said, holding up Sigrid's wrist.
The first thing she felt was heat, gathering around the wound. Then, the line of blood, became stitched over with a light pink hide. Then the pink hide faded away to a white coat. Then it morphed together with the rest of her skin and not even a scar was left in its wake.
"Amazing…" whispered Arwen, looking flabbergasted.
"Exactly as predicted," Thranduil said in return. "Now let's move onto something bigger."
"Thranduil," a heavy voice broke out.
This time, the elvenking had to meet her stare, and he had to answer.
"Yes?"
Galadriel's hand left her lips as she crossed her arms.
"You are not allowed to mortally wound the girl, and you cannot do a thing without the blessing of Sigrid herself, Is that clear?" She asserted, her voice steady and almost a bit eerily.
She felt his nails dig into her skin, as his hand clenched around hers. Sigrid observed his tense face. He looked very agitated over the fact that he had just been ordered around by his senior.
"Of course, I wouldn't dream about it."