It's been a while since I wrote anything for this ship. As always, I don't own any rights to The Lord of The Rings nor Hobbit universe. Enjoy!
Bard couldn't remember the last time he had been this nervous over something so simple. Thranduil had invited him to a royal ball in celebration of the alliance between their two peoples. It was just an invite out of courtesy; one king to another, although Bard still refused to call himself such a thing. It was nothing more than that. So why, Bard asked himself, was he fretting so much over what to wear? As he flickered back and forth between his garments, time slowly ticked by. And, to further add to his nerves, Thranduil would be arriving at the door to the temporary chambers Bard had within the Woodland Realm any minute now, to personally escort him down to the main hall where the festivities were being held. Almost as though his thought had brought it into existence, Bard heard a knock on his door.
"One moment!" Bard called out, frantically picking up the last pieces of the outfit he had finally decided upon. Taking a deep breath and gently brushing his fingers through his hair, he finally walked over to the door and pulled it open. Thranduil stood on the other side and greeted him with both a smile and one of the most wonderous sights Bard had ever seen. He had always considered the elven king to be beautiful, even amongst elven kind, but tonight he looked otherworldly. Golden hair pulled back into one long, loose braid with silver flowers woven through, he wore long, elegant robes of greens and blues and Bard couldn't help but stare.
"You look incredible," Bard blurted out before he could stop himself. As soon as he realise what he had said, his eyes darted to the floor and heat flared across his cheeks.
"Why, thank you," Thranduil let out a small chuckle "I must say you look rather wonderful yourself,"
Bard lifted his head to see Thranduil smiling radiantly at him and his heart momentarily stopped. This was going to be a long night if he couldn't hold himself together for more than five seconds, Bard briefly thought to himself.
"Shall we?" Thranduil offered his arm to Bard. After a moment of hesitation, Bard accepted and linked his arm with the elven king. Together, they stepped out into the wide corridor and walked towards the grand hall. Even from a distance, Bard could hear the music being played, distinctly elvish in sound with flutes and harps echoing throughout the palace. Thoughts of his children flitted through his mind as they approached the hall; they were somewhere within these walls, being watched by Tauriel. Well, probably playing with and being taught to fight with Tauriel, Bard corrected himself in his mind as a smile spread across his face. His children had grow close to the elven captain and any time they found themselves in the Woodland Realm, she seemed more than happy to watch over them while Bard attended to whatever business was required of him. Attending a royal ball could hardly be called a business meeting, but Tauriel had whisked away his children almost as soon as they had arrived, a sly smile on her face.
"King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm and King Bard of Dale," a booming voice announced, drawing Bard back to the present moment. He raised his head and saw, to his complete embarrassment, that the entire room had stopped in their tracks and were now bowing towards him and Thranduil as they stood at the top of a long, wide stair case at the entrance to the ballroom. Bard stood ridged for a second, unsure of what to do. Then, with a light pull on his arm, Thranduil began descending the stairs. Bard followed suit and by the time they reached the end, everyone was already back to talking amongst themselves.
"Do you mind if I leave you here for a moment? There's just a small bit of business I must attend to. I won't be long," Thranduil asked, allowing his arm to fall away from Bard's side.
"Of course," Bard smiled, trying to not think about how much he already missed the feeling of Thranduil so close to him. Thranduil nodded thankfully before turning away and disappearing into the crowd. Bard instantly felt out of place as he stood alone in this great hall. He moved slowly through the crowds and eventually found himself exchanging pleasantries with a group of elven women.
"Sorry to interrupt, my dear. But may I have this dance with you?" Thranduil suddenly spoke from behind Bard. He turned to see the elven king smiling at him, courteously holding out his hand towards him. Only then did Bard realise music had begun to play around them once more as several couples took to the dance floor. Unable to speak, Bard simply placed his hand in Thranduil's and allowed himself to be led into the crowd. Once they reached the middle of the room, Thranduil stopped and pulled Bard steadily towards him until one arm was wrapped around his waist, his hand fitting comfortably into the small of Bard's back. As he clasped his free hand in Bard's, Bard tentatively placed his other hand on Thranduil's shoulder.
"I should warn you," Bard whispered, feeling his heart pounding in his chest "I'm not a very good dancer,"
"You'll be fine, just follow my lead," Thranduil replied with a quiet chuckle, pulling Bard ever so slightly closer. And with that, Bard was lost to the world around him. His body almost melted in the elven king's arms as they danced to the music that somehow filled the huge ballroom. He wasn't even aware of what his feet were doing; he simply followed Thranduil's lead and allowed himself to be whisked away. Briefly, the thought crossed his mind that by every right, he should be mortally embarrassed by now- he and Thranduil were impossibly close, dancing in a manner that could almost be considered romantic, in front of half of both their kingdoms. But the thought slipped from him as quickly as it had arrived. He cared not for the opinions of those around them, not when it came to Thranduil. He knew people already talked, whisperings of the true nature of the relationship between the two kings. But, to Bard, all that mattered right now was how incredibly beautiful Thranduil looked as he gazed up at him, their arms wrapped around one another.
"I have a question," Thranduil whispered, a hint of nervousness touching his delicate features.
"What is it?" Bard spoke equally as quietly, a little afraid of breaking this fragile moment.
"May I kiss you?" Thranduil asked and, to Bard at least, time itself began to slow. He watched Thranduil's gaze flick down to his lips, for just the briefest of moments.
"Yes," Bard finally managed to say after what felt like an eternity. So Thranduil closed the distance between them and connected their lips. It was like nothing Bard had ever experienced before. He felt as though he had just been surrounded by a warm bubble of happiness and affection. Suddenly, he felt Thranduil's lips smile against his own and a whole new wave of emotion washed over him. This wasn't a dream, this was really happening. Once Thranduil pulled away, the feeling lingered on Bard's lips. His cheeks were flushed and his heart was racing but he didn't really care because he looked up and saw Thranduil smiling at him. And, for now in this very moment, that was all he needed. This was certainly going to be a night to remember.