Chapter 16

"The price of my reward, is your son"

The hall grew quiet and the music had stopped. Murmurs buzzed in the air as they all heard the words of the Elven King. Many were in disbelief at the outrageous demand of King Thranduil, but none more so than Leanna who was stunned.

"I would ask Lord Thranduil, that you find another alternative for I will not give you my son" Bard said gravely. Bard looked at his son, whose eyes were wide in astonishment. He could not part with another one of his family, he would not.

Leanna looked to Thranduil who looked back at her, her feet already carrying her closer to the table before she could register it. She stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. He cast a glance to Bain and then looked back to her. Leanna felt a chill on her spine as a smirk grew on his lips before it disappeared and it was at that moment realized her position. She had fallen into a trap.

Thranduil looked at the woman who was the crux of this entire situation and pointedly watched her. He wondered what her next move would be now that he had her cornered. It was a decision only she could make.

Feran watched the interactions at the table with a grim face and wondered what in the Valar his King was thinking until he caught the look he gave the lady. In all his years of service, Feran saw very few sides to his king but knew enough to understand he was after something.

She or the boy?

That was the choice he was currently giving her, he smirked again, tilting his head slightly and cockily as though he already knew her choice. Leanna glared openly at him, realizing this was his plan all along. She was his target from the beginning.

"Even if I were to grant you this request, Bain is of no real use to you as inexperienced as he is, he's only a boy" Bard tried to reason with Thranduil, his words quieting the murmuring in the hall.

"I'm certain that given time, he shall grow into his usefulness"

"You can't just expect me to hand over my son as the reward for a tournament!"

"In truth I see no real harm in this as he shall be returned unharmed before the start of summer" Thranduil looking at Bard. The Dragon slayer was behaving like a mother hen which was unsatisfying to see. The boy was old enough that he had seen, fought and lived through a war in his age and after his feat today, would be deemed a man who had already had coming of age ceremony albeit unofficially.

"I'll go…in the boy's place" Leanna said out loud, inciting another wave of murmuring.

"No! You will do no such thing" Bard cried out.

"And why not? If you could so boldly keep my warriors here for an equal time span to do as you pleased, is it not fair that I do the same?" he looked to Bard and waited for an answer, an answer he knew the Dragon slayer could not and would not answer if he had a sliver of shame and honor in him.

"My Lord cannot allow his only heir to be taken from him under this current circumstance as he is currently undergoing studies concerning his father's domain. So in his place, I will go" Leanna looked to Bard shaking her head, there was no arguing this, this was the only way out of this.

"If that is your decision then it is an acceptable alternative" Thranduil said, his eyes were gleamed victoriously though his face gave nothing else away. He rose from his seat and moved to leave. He stilled for a moment casting a secret glance at Leanna over his shoulder and finally left the hall. The message was clear enough to her.

I won.

It took her years of practice to remain composed but deep down Leanna was cursing her own foolishness. She looked at Bard watching her with eyes full of worry, everywhere around her cries of outrage and opposition filled the air.

The banquet had ended in an unexpected and brutal way. Leanna felt the air too thin around her chest and decided to get away.

Yes, leaving was the best course of action, she needed to think, to come to terms with what she had gotten herself into. She swirled around, ignoring her name being shouted from the high table. Her mind bent on leaving, she failed to see the body in front of her in time and bumped into a broad chest.

She jerked back to look at the face, almost falling. Feran held her arms to steady her in place, a look of concern in his grey eyes as he looked her over. Leanna yanked her arms away and took off before he had time to say a word. Haelros who had been watching the spectacle from the corner, frowned at the turn of events. He knew King Thranduil took much interest in the lady but did not imagine he would go this far to see his curiosity sated.

Leanna returned to her room, heaving from running all the way. She slammed the door in frustration and slumped to the ground. How was it that she found herself in this situation? After her sudden arrival into this world, she thought her life would be peaceful.

She looked at her shaking hands, the hands that held her magic. She had never liked her magic, it was a part of her she wished didn't exist and for good reason. Now, she wished it gone more than ever, the cause of her current attention and frustration. Tears stung the edge of her eyes, for once she wanted to be a normal person, someone who could live an ordinary life. She thought that she had finally found that here in Dale, how foolish of her to dream.

!

!

Bard woke earlier than the rest of his household. He didn't have much time until the elves departed for Mirkwood, taking Leanna with them. He rasped his knuckles against the door waiting for an answer. Hearing nothing, he tried again, calling out to her this time.

"Leanna it's me"

There was silence for a moment before the door opened. Bard said nothing, entering the room and turning to face her. She cleared her throat, clasping her hands in front of her.

"How are you?" Leanna looked up at the question. She had expected an outburst of some sort. She sighed.

"I suppose it's not so bad to see where the elves come from"

"Leya-"

"-No, it's alright Bard. It's only three months and then I'll be back before anyone notices I'm gone" Leanna smiled. She had accepted the situation as it was.

"He's doing this to spite me because I didn't give him Bain…"

"You and I both know it's me he's been after" Leanna looked at Bard. He didn't see it either, not that she could blame him. If there was anything she learnt from last night, it was that Thranduil was as cunning as they came and that made him even more dangerous.

The knock on the door startled them and Leanna answered. Bertha came in with other maids informing them that it was time to prepare for the journey. Bard looked at Leanna once again, unable to hide the worry in his eyes. He nodded and left the ladies alone to go see over his children.

They assembled with their horses in tow. Thranduil and his escorts, along with Feran and his warriors waited at the gate as Leanna said her farewell.

"Do you really have to go?" A sobbing Tilda cried. Leanna hugged her and used the hem of her sleeves to wipe her tears.

"Yes, but only for a while. When I'm finished, I'll come back and tell you everything about Mirkwood"

"Promise?" Tilda whispered.

"Promise" Leanna rose to look at the elder siblings, Sigrid brooded quietly, and she seemed to be holding back tears but refused to cry in front of everyone. Leanna drew her in close.

"Will you write letters?" Sigrid asked quietly.

"As often as I can"

Leanna let go her and turned to Bain, who was upset but decided to remain silent. Leanna smiled at him.

"Look after your sisters Bain" Bain turned to her, his face eased and he nodded. Leanna faced Bard who gave her a grave look.

"Be careful" was all that he said to which she nodded. It was all he needed to say, his words carrying the weight of his meaning.

"I will" Leanna responded before jumping on her horse.

Thranduil gave the order and trotted out of the city with his warriors behind him. Leanna was to ride center to ensure her safety as they travelled, not that she needed it but for the sake of propriety, she would do as the elves wished. She turned to look behind her, Bard and his children stood by the gates watching her as she left the city with the elves.

They rode throughout the day, under a sun till they reached a campsite not too far from the river. It was night fall, and the elves set up camp around a fire with some moving out to scout.

Leanna sat on a log close to the fire and watched the flames. She had no need for warmth of the fire for the cold held no effect on her but it was safer for her to be close in case of any dangers lurking around. The elves had been conversing in their strange language since their journey began and while she could not hear a word of it, she listened anyways.

A spit was shoved in her view and Leanna looked up to see Haelros bending over her. She quietly thanked him and took it from him. Used to a life inside the palace, she had never had to eat food in the wild and when she did, it was always prepared by the maids of the palace. She looked at the meat on the skewer, trying to identify what animal she was about to eat.

"It is rabbit meat, try it you might like it" said Haelros, amused by her antics. He would not have guessed that tough woman beside him was a picky eater. Leanna bit into the meat, tasting it before taking another bite. She had not eaten all day and did not realize how hungry she was. She quickly finished her dinner and cleaned her hands on leaves.

The elves watching her actions discreetly and each of them carried different opinions of her. She was aware that their conversations might have her as a subject, but chose to ignore it all the same. There was nothing she could about it if she didn't understand anything they were saying. She drank water from her sac and looked up at the sky, the trees sheltering view from most of it. Corking her sac, she placed it back on her horse and sat back down.

"How was it?" Haelros asked.

"It was…edible" Leanna answered honestly. She looked over at Thranduil, who was currently receiving reports from scouts that had returned moments ago. His face gave nothing away as he listened, he then spoke to Feran, most likely giving him instructions.

She suddenly remembered something and turned to Haelros. His blue eyes suddenly trained on her.

"The female elf Tauriel, what happened to her?" Leanna quickly noted the change in his face and felt somehow she had asked a bad question.

"She and her unit man the east of the borders" Haelros responded .

"Why isn't she here and the other elf?"

"Other?"

"The one that was with her at the battle" Haelros let out a long sigh.

"His Highness Legolas left the kingdom at the end of the battle, we have not heard from him since. As for Tauriel, Aran Thranduil reinstated her position but as punishment for her deeds, is no longer a captain of the guard"

"Oh…I'm sorry" Leanna said, having nothing else to say.

"Do not worry about it, it was her actions that led to this"

Thranduil sat down on a log provided not too far off from where Leanna sat. She had not spoken a word to him since their departure from Dale and was content to ignore him completely, not that he minded. Things would change the moment they entered the palace and for the next three months, he would find out the truth about her. Until then, he would let her have her way.

"It is getting late, you should get some rest Lady Leanna" Haelros said.

"I'm alright, besides I'd like to stay up for a while" Leanna objected. Haelros noted her posture had not changed all through the evening and sighed.

"You can rest easy, you are in good company believe it or not and no harm will come to you, not while the King watches over you" Haelros insisted. Leanna choosing not to argue, rose up and left to find a place to sleep. He was wrong, she thought as she spotted a place close to a tree that had even floor.

While they were no orcs, they themselves had proven untrustworthy, most of all, their king. She untied her cloak from her body but heard boots approaching. Turning to find out what the matter was now, she frowned to see Feran approaching her.

"You should have this" Feran extended a cloak to her. Leanna looked at the cloak in his hand and then up to him, her eyebrow raised in question.

"My Lord finds it unsuitable for a lady of your station to sleep in such a manner" To this Leanna's eyes widened before looking at the dark green material in distrust. He could care less about her, he had given her that impression all the times they had spoken.

"King Thranduil or you?" Leanna asked. Feran looked down at the cloak and smiled wryly.

"Despite what it seems like, he is not as indifferent or uncaring as you think. That and even I find it unfitting for a lady to lie on the bare floor"

"…."

"See it as a gesture of good will" Feran said before placing the cloak in her arms and nodding before walking away. Leanna looked at the cloak, it was warm. In a moment of curiosity, she brought the cloak to her nose and breathed it in. It smelt fresh and green like the woods, and of...honeysuckle.

She looked up and was caught in the stare of Thranduil, who remained unmoving as he watched her actions. She swallowed her shudder down and turned around, well aware that his eyes were still trained on her. She lay down on the cloak which she noticed was thicker and much bigger than the one she had but lighter. Closing her eyes, she waited for sleep to take her as the smell of fresh green leaves and honeysuckle took over her senses.

Thranduil looked away as she finally fell asleep. He turned his attention to the fire, his mind trying to ignore the occurrence he had just witnessed. He had convinced himself from the first time that he saw her on the battle field that day and thereafter, that all he was interested in was her powers and its source. Yes, this was all just to find out the truth about and how he could use this knowledge to his benefit.

The memory of her taking in the smell of his cloak wafted to the front of his mind, and he found himself looking at the figure laying a few feet from him. The slow rise and fall of her chest signified she was finally asleep. Thranduil rose from his place and moved from the fire, he needed a distraction and decided he would hunt to keep his mind clear.