A/N: Hello again! My creativity is back and I have a couple of days to update all the fics I'm working on before I get started on my next work-project. Thank you so much for all the comments/reviews/kudos/follows, I really appreciate it. I'm glad to see you guys are curious about following Millie's story. I have no idea what will unfold so it's a surprise for me as well. Just to clarify, this is set within in my "Castaways" series, which follows the story of two siblings who end up in Middle-Earth during the Hobbit. You can read this as a total standalone fic because this is Millie's story and not theirs, but they may make a cameo appearance later on in this fic. It's a good story (if I do say so myself) and if you want to check out, you can find it in my profile.

I've never really written anything that is a purposely slow burn before, so if y'all have any advice to throw them my way. I'm also experimenting whether or not I want to write in past tense or present tense, so do let me know what you prefer. As I mentioned before, I'm basing my version of Thranduil on Lee Pace's incredible portrayal of him in the Hobbit movies. This AU is a mix between movie and book-verse. That said, enough rambling, let's see what Millie gets up to.

Chapter Three

Conversations

I didn't sleep at all that first night.

There were too many strange noises whose source I couldn't locate and it was cold. My flat in London was usually cold, and the chill evening wind somehow always managed to slip in through the window. At least there, I could wrap myself in a bathrobe, fill up my hot water bottle and curl into my bed. This prison and this otherworldly kingdom carved out of wood was so vast and almost desolate. Their king was even colder than the air that filled these vast halls.

No matter how much I tried, there was no denying that these….elves were not Germans. I wasn't in Britain anymore and I certainly wasn't in London. I had never even heard of Mirkwood until the Captain of the guard first mentioned it.

I was ashamed to admit it, but I desperately hoped that these elves were just Germans playing some foul trick as a way to confuse me. Perhaps they were trying to scare me into giving away information or something else that would help them win the war. Unfortunately, something deep inside me knew that that simply wasn't the case and that's what truly frightened me.

King Thranduil was afraid as well but not of the Germans. He was afraid of me.

I had to hand it to him, he was a great actor and no doubt the people who worked for him both feared and respected him. Over the past year working at the Royal Chelsea Hospital, I'd seen so many come back from the trenches, only to meet their ends in our hospital beds. They all shared the same frightened look in their eyes. One of pain, lost hope and despair. When Thranduil's eyes met mine, I saw the same expression in his icy blue eyes just before he looked away.

Something haunted him. Whatever it was had happened long ago and he still carried the pain with him. If I were to guess, perhaps he'd lost someone close to him and his way of handling it was to shut everyone out. I'd seen it many times before, particularly in soldiers who struggled to cope with the aftermath of war. All those terrible atrocities they witnessed and were forced to commit themselves in the battlefield. Worst of all, seeing their friends die right in front of them and sometimes while holding them in their arms as they bled to death. Those things never left you and haunted you for the rest of your life. While working night shifts at the hospital, I'd heard young boys desperately cry out for their mother in the middle of the night, as the fever devoured them. By the time their families did come to visit, they were merely empty shells of the men they once were.

Some of the soldiers whose injuries weren't so fatal, would often tell me stories of what happened when they left Britain. How painful it was to say goodbye to their families and loved ones.

Thranduil was suffering, that much I knew for certain. I just didn't know what the cause behind his pain was and I had a feeling he wasn't one to share his feelings.

It was impossible to tell what time of day it was in the palace and especially not in the dark dungeons. Eventually though, my eyelids began to feel heavy and I eventually allowed myself to fall into a deep, if brief sleep.

It was a loud tap against the metal bars of my cell that woke me up. My eyes were still heavy and my body ached from the uncomfortable floor. I could feel the muscles of my back and my arms protesting loudly as I stifled a yawn. At first, a part of me thought that perhaps I would wake up back in my bed in Shoreditch. It would be early morning, with the sun shining through my kitchen windows. I would put on my soft and comfortable slippers and put on the kettle. Mrs Henry across the road would say good morning through her own windows. I'd walk to work and it would just be another day. None of this would have happened and I would still be at home. Unfortunately, everything that happened yesterday wasn't a dream and I was still in Mirkwood.

Instead, I woke up to Hallath standing in front of the cell with a bowl in his hand and a wooden mug in the other. His eyes were wary as he watched me get up on unsteady feet, my stomach made an angry growling noise as I smelled hot food. Once I was standing up, albeit still a little groggy from sleep, I hesitated. My body craved some form of sustenance, but in case I was wrong and this was some kind of German prison, could I really trust their food? Would I die of poisoning?

"It is alright, you can eat the food." Hallath said, as if he'd read my mind. "You are weak and need your strength."

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, perhaps a bit more defensively than I'd planned "Thranduil made it clear he doesn't care what happens to me."

"Thranduil may be king of Mirkwood but I am the Captain of the Guard and it is I who decides what happens to the prisoners."

Hallath slid the bowl of what I assumed was some kind of porridge through the bars. I inhaled the sweet scent of the porridge, which seemed to contain a mix of milk and herbs that reminded me of cinnamon. I dipped my finger in the bowl and once I decided it was probably safe, it took me seconds before I devoured the food. I'd eaten a lot of porridge in my days, because it was a cheap and sustainable food that kept you full for a long time. This was unlike anything I'd eaten and despite being so simple, it was flavoursome and almost magical. Hallath raised his eyebrows with a surprised expression as he passed me that warm cup of herbal tea. Almost immediately, I felt more relaxed even though my senses were still very much alert.

"Who has he lost?" I asked, after a moment's silence "The king, I mean?"

Hallath was clearly surprised by this question and studied me carefully for a few moments. I could tell he was loyal to Thranduil and became immediately defensive of his superior.

"What makes you think he has lost anyone?" Hallath wondered

"It's just….he's so distant." I replied "His eyes show both sadness and fear."

"How can you possibly know such a thing? Are you a witch?"

I'd been called many an insult in my days, but never a witch. When my eyes met Hallath's, his face was dead serious and I began to think he didn't mean it as an insult at all, but rather a genuine question.

"No, no I'm a nurse, I help heal people who are sick." I explained "You see, my country is at war and it's my job to help look after the wounded soldiers who return home."

"And you are fighting these...Germans you mentioned." Hallath recalled "What are they? Men? Orcs? Dwarves?"

I could help but feel that the more questions I answered, the more bizarre this conversation would get. I didn't know anything about dwarves or orcs so I wasn't sure how to respond. Of course I had read fairy stories as a child, but that's all they were. Fairy Tales. Everyone knew these creatures didn't exist.

"We don't have anything like that where I'm from." I said quietly. "No orcs and no dwarves. You're the first elves I've ever met."

Slowly, I was beginning to accept the inevitable - that I was very far away from home. Maybe that German bomb had fallen on me when I stumbled and I was dead. Maybe this place was some sort of afterlife? That would certainly give them something to talk about back home, if they ever found out. This definitely wasn't any version of heaven I'd ever heard or read about as a child. Not that I believed in such a place anyway.

"What is this place?" I asked "You said this kingdom was called Mirkwood, but if there's one kingdom there's usually more kingdoms nearby, or at least a large nation it's a part of. So, what is this place?"

"This place is called Arda," Hallath said plainly "But in the common tongue we call it Middle-Earth."

I was dumbfounded. Never in my life had I heard the name Middle-Earth and it certainly wasn't a country I was aware existed. Hallath spoke about orcs and witches as if they were as real as people. If magic was a real thing then why was there so much suffering and death? It didn't make any sense to me and I could feel a headache coming on.

"Are you going to throw up again?" Hallath asked and took a step back, no doubt to protect his precious boots. "If so, I would like a warning this time."

"No..it's just….." I stuttered "I'm a long way from home."

"What is your home called?"

This time, the captain's voice was one filled with curiosity rather than fear.

"I'm from London, the capital of England which is a country on Earth." I replied "Just earth, no middle or bottom or….anything."

"How did you know about Thranduil's loss?" Hallath wondered "You met him only briefly yesterday."

"People are easy to read." I said "When they're sad, angry or in pain they way the act changes and usually you can see it in their eyes. I've spent a lot of time around wounded soldiers who have suffered great losses. Thranduil has the same body language and that same distant look in his eyes."

"It is a gift." Hallath said "Being able to read people in such a way."

"That's what Mr Grayham believes. He thinks becoming a nurse is my calling but I'm not sure I believe in that."

Once again, the dark haired elf raised an eyebrow.

"Who is Mr Grayham?" he asked

"Oh, he's a sweet old man who works at my hospital. He was the last person I spoke to before I…."

As the words trailed off, a strange thought came to me. Before I left work on the night of the air raid, Mr Grayham had warned me about it. The old man had told me to be careful because there was change in the air and he was right. That night, an uneasy chill had trickled up my spine as I left the hospital after that conversation. Now, that same chill made itself known in that prison cell. Surely, it was daft to even consider something so bizarre. How could an old man in London have known that I would somehow end up in this place. This Middle-Earth.

"You are a strange girl, Millicent Thomas." Hallath said, "Strange, but, I think, no threat to us."

"What happens to me now?" I asked "I can't go home because…..I don't know how."

Hallath's face changed again and this time, I saw empathy in his eyes. For the first time since our first meeting, I wasn't afraid. At least of him.

"I know not what will happen. This is new and strange for all of us." Hallath explained "I will speak with the king and explain this unique situation, but as you have already noticed yourself, the king is not an easy person and once he has made up his mind, few people can change it."

"Is going to just let me die here?" I asked quietly and realised how my lips were trembling. The worst part of it all was that Hallath didn't answer my question. Instead, he just exhaled a deep breath and walked off, once again leaving me alone in the cold cell.

To be continued….

This was a shorter chapter but I wanted to explore Millie's thoughts and what she thinks about being trapped in Mirkwood. I also know there's a lot of dialogue in this one but I'm going to try to balance it out more in the future. Does she seem realistic or a bit far-fetched? I'm trying my best to not make her a Mary-Sue, so please let me know if she is heading in that direction. As always, please like/follow/leave a kudor or a review/comment.

Next up: Thranduil has to find ways to deal with his new guest...