Chapter Six
Jolting awake, you cracked one eye open and blindly reached for your iPhone, quickly disabling the blaring alarm that seared through the air. Heart rate slowly returning to normal, you sighed and buried your face in the warm duvet, unwilling and unable to wake just yet. That ringtone definitely has a special place reserved in hell, you thought wryly, stretching out both legs until they shook slightly before curling back in on yourself. Satisfied, you thumped over on your side, wrapping the duvet around you like a soft cocoon.
You lay there for a few minutes more while your senses slowly cleared, summoning the willpower to get up. You definitely weren't a morning person, and your nose wrinkled in protest as your mind began to stray out of that pleasant drowsy state of complete relaxation, and back to reality.
E/C eyes shot wide open as you remembered yesterday's events. Was he still here?!
Flinging the duvet off, you jumped out of bed and quickly brushed your teeth in the small en-suite, before raking a brush through your hair and throwing on your satin dressing gown that had cost more than you care to admit. Cautiously, you walked into the hallway. His door was ajar, and peeking in you were disappointed to find the bed neatly made with no elf in sight. Maybe he had gone after all. A pang of something akin to sadness mingled with the hunger pains rumbling through your stomach.
You padded softly into the living / kitchen area, and had to hold back a sigh of relief at the sight which met your eyes. Standing for a moment in the doorway, you eagerly drank in Thranduil's flawless white-blonde hair draped over his broad shoulders. Hardly daring to believe the elven king was sat on your sofa, you stood just gazing for a few seconds – there was a small part of you that had truly believed it had all been a dream, and you would wake up to find your home empty. Smiling slightly to yourself, you noticed Bailey was sat on the rug in front of him, staring inquisitively with her head tilted. He had been staring back at her, but upon hearing your arrival had stood and turned gracefully.
"Good morning Y/N".
Those familiar butterflies rippled through you as the Elven King's voice flooded your ears and you saw his handsome face. "Morning", you echoed pleasantly with a shy smile, dipping your eyes quickly and moving to give Bailey her breakfast as well as changing her water bowl. At the first rustle of her dry food bag, the brown labrador abandoned her new friend instantly and bounded over, tail wagging, before beginning to wolf the food down with enthusiasm. Honestly, people would think you didn't feed her with the way she behaves! Huffing out a laugh, you turned to your guest.
"What would you like for breakfast? I have porridge or cereal, waffles, toast, or I can make you a fry up with my own if you'd like?" You twiddled the dressing gown's tie in your hands, cheeks blushing slightly. It was going to take a while before you got used to playing host to an Elven King.
Thranduil accepted your offer of whatever you yourself were having, and after you were both fed and watered with some polite conversation you eyed him across the table, scrutinising his robes. You thought he looked amazing, but there was no doubt about it that he would stick out like a sore thumb at the shopping mall.
"Thranduil." You began, setting your knife and fork together. He raised a thick eyebrow quizzically. "About this shopping trip," you continued, "you might get a lot of, ah… attention in that outfit."
The elf stared blankly back at you, waiting for more.
"And, while I personally think you look very handsome, people in this land don't dress like that – not even royals. So…" you chewed your lip, thinking it over. "So, it's up to you really. I can pop out now and grab you some jeans and a t-shirt quickly before we both head out so you blend in a bit more, or you can wear that and change as soon as we find something at the shops. Your call."
Thranduil stared unblinking at you for several moments. "I will retain my robes, for now" came the slow reply. "Sure, of course" you said hastily, starting to worry that you might have offended him. "Whatever you're most comfortable in. I just wanted to warn you, in case you're offended by people staring." Smiling kindly at him, you stood and gathered the dishes before moving to scrape away any remaining food and load the plates into the dishwasher. Clasping your hands together, you stretched your arms out above your head, scrunching your nose up before relaxing and letting the breath you'd been holding in whoosh out a contented sigh. Turning back around, you bit back a smile at the sight before you. Thranduil and Bailey both sat motionless, attention trained on you as though awaiting further instructions. 'Guess I'm Mother Hen to two dependents now' you thought wryly, resisting the urge to smirk to yourself at the thought. It was somehow quite comical, the contrast between your perfectly ordinary kitchen and the very regal Elven King in it. Sitting there at your table with his hands clasped demurely in his lap, he gazed at you expectantly. You looked between the King and your dog, unable to fight the smile which this time stole successfully across your face.
"I'll just go and get dressed quickly, then we'll head out" you said. Thranduil rose gracefully, with a gentle incline of his head and polite smile of his own.
Padding quickly back to your bedroom, you threw on a pair of black jeans and a top that complimented your figure, before completing the outfit with a pair of light summer shoes and your favourite rings. Pinching a pair of dainty studs closed on your earlobes, you appraised your appearance in the mirror. Damn those dark circles. It seemed as though no matter how much sleep you got, you always had a bit of a shadow under your eyes. Conscious of keeping Thranduil waiting, you quickly applied some light makeup and brushed your H/C hair out neatly. With a final glance over your shoulder in the full length mirror, you hummed approvingly and headed back, snatching a light cardigan just incase it got a bit chilly out.
Thranduil eyed your outfit as you returned, his electric blue eyes guarded but nonetheless darting over your jewellery and figure in a matter of seconds, and you couldn't help but feel nervous under his appraisal. 'I wonder if he finds me attractive?' you wondered suddenly. His eyes snapped up to yours and your cheeks heated with a guilty paranoia that he somehow knew what you were thinking. Retreating from his gaze, you looked gratefully to Bailey's enthusiastic form, which was full body tail-wags now you had returned with shoes on. Shoes undoubtedly meant walkies. Giving her a few apologetic pats, you promised you'd be back soon and lifted her favourite toy out to distract her as you grabbed your keys and purse. Looking back to Thranduil who was standing still, watching, you motioned for him to leave.
"Are you ready to go?" you asked brightly. He gazed intensely at you for a moment with an unreadable expression which made your stomach twist, not entirely unpleasantly. Nodding once, he stood a moment longer before striding forward, eyes never breaking from your face. Pushing your nerves down you swallowed thickly and moved aside to let him pass, locking up before leading him to the car.
It seemed as though every pair of eyes were trained fixedly on you and Thranduil as you both walked through the front sliding doors and onwards into the mall. Uncomfortable with the attention, you fought the ridiculous urge to hold his hand and tugged at your coat sleeves instead. Passing by a group of teenage girls who openly stared, you felt your cheeks heat up as a burst of raucous laughter erupted from them behind you. 'Wonder what that could have been about', you thought dryly. Stealing a glance sideways, you saw Thranduil remained apparently impassive to the stir he was causing, walking forward with cool self-assurance, his attention captured not by the people but the place before him. Ethereal eyes roamed over automatic doors, neon lights and decorative waterfall structures with such intensity that it seemed as though he were determined to commit every detail to memory.
After a minute he paused, hands clasped behind his back as he stood upright and regal, slowly turning his head to survey the scene in front of him. You stood by his side, your eyes searching his face for a clue as to what he was thinking or how he was feeling. Pop music played overhead, and the faint tinkle of the waterfalls mingled with the surrounding buzz of chatter and footsteps. Without warning he suddenly looked down at you, his electric blue eyes staring into yours causing your heart to jolt. Your mouth fell open ever so slightly as you drank him in. Just like at the forest café, all the noise and bustle around you seemed to fade into insignificance as you held his gaze, your eyes stuck as though on honey and despite the growing butterflies you couldn't look away, even if you wanted to. Though only a moment, it seemed to stretch on forever. You searched his eyes desperately as time seemed to stand still. There was a swathe of emotion there, but you couldn't understand it.
"This place is … unlike any establishment of man I have visited before." The statement hung in the air as you continued to stare at him for a few moments more, before coming back to your senses with a jolt. Your cheeks heated as you realised you had probably been gawping at him like a lovestruck puppy, and you quickly broke eye contact, choosing to gaze instead at passing people. "Oh, um, it's nothing special really" you dismissed quickly, fiddling with your car keys in your pocket. "It's quite ordinary actually. We should be able to get you everything you need here, and then we'll go do some food shopping, if you don't mind? I need to pick up a few things for the house today." Thranduil smiled politely in agreement, and you returned it shyly. Moving off once more, you resumed your stroll through the central aisle of the mall, the elf's keen eyes soaking in everything around him whilst you debated where to take him first.
"So," you began, "I suppose we'll start with the basics first. Underwear and socks, and then we'll get you some outfits?" Thranduil agreed, and you led him over to the Calvin Klein store. Hesitating outside the door, you suddenly doubted how to go ahead with this part of the shopping trip. You'd forgotten to take out cash, which meant you would have to pay with him by card at the till – which meant seeing his underwear. Stealing a glace at him, you saw he was staring in disbelief at the large posters of underwear models in the store window, brows slightly furrowed and lips parted almost indignantly. If he was mortified by the advertisements, having you pick out his underwear was definitely not an option. Would he know how the different sizes worked? Your cheeks heated at the thought of explaining to him and you honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the situation. Steeling yourself, you cleared your throat to get his attention, and gestured for him to go on inside.
Elven eyes swept over the various stands and garments on display, before turning to you expectantly. Oh god. Was this really happening? With heated cheeks, you asked hurriedly "Do you have ready made clothes where you're from, or is everything done to personal measurements by a tailor?" You already knew what the answer would be, and sure enough the Elven King confirmed the latter. "Right." Inhaling deeply, you shifted from one foot to the other. "We don't really have tailors here, except for suits, so everything is made in large quantities in various sizes. You just pick the style you like in your size." Thranduil looked at you in disbelief, before glancing once more around the store, as though hoping to see a tailor emerging from a hidden back room with a tape measure slung about their shoulders. Biting your lip to keep yourself from grinning, you led him over to the nearest male underwear stand. Reluctantly, he followed, and you both stood side by side looking at the garments on the rack. Clearing your throat awkwardly, you broke the silence. "The underwear comes in different sizes; XS means 'extra small', S is small, M medium, L large and XL extra large. There should be more exact measurements on the back of each packet I think, and there are a few different styles here, so … I'll just leave you to have a look around for a bit and, um, go get us a drink. I'll be back in about 10 minutes – don't forget about the socks too!" You backed away in a hasty retreat, leaving a shell-shocked Thranduil stood stiffly in the boxer section. Once out of the store, you laughed out loud to yourself. This was definitely a day you were never going to forget.
