Berior was committing elk mutiny. In the two days since her moonlit meeting with Thranduil, she'd avoided conversation and rode alone behind Legolas, Lothuial, and Eithoril. By the third day, Berior had decided he'd had quite enough of her self-imposed confinement. When the elves mounted their horses, the furry traitor positioned himself at the front of the party beside Thranduil's stallion Belegroch, and Charlotte briefly considered riding one of the unburdened pack horses instead.
"Let's move further back," she told the elk.
Berior shook his great head, antlers swinging over Belegroch's ears and causing the horse to shy away. Charlotte grabbed the reins, intending to pull the wayward elk to their normal position in the retinue when Ellavorn appeared at her shoulder.
"I was hoping you'd join us this morning," he said with a broad grin, "We could continue working on your Sindarin while you ride."
She couldn't reject such a generous offer without explaining that she'd rather ride alone than beside the Elvenking, so she settled for glaring briefly at Berior, who looked decidedly smug. "That would be lovely," she told Ellavorn.
Legolas sealed the deal. When he spotted her, he rushed to wrap himself around her waist. "You're riding with us today?"
She couldn't help but smile when faced with his bright voice. "I'm woefully behind in my 'How to not be a silly elf' lessons," she said. "Ellavorn was just offering to help me with my Sindarin."
"I can help!"
Charlotte and Ellavorn shared a look over Legolas's blond head before the ellon solemnly nodded. "I would be grateful, young prince. It is the most tragic case. I fear it would take me centuries by myself to properly educate her."
Legolas laughed, "Ellavorn, I think you've caught some of Charlotte's silliness."
"Oh, dear, is it contagious?" Charlotte grinned wickedly. She prowled toward him, and Legolas's smile blew wide. He started to back away. "Wouldn't that be just awful if you caught it?" And then she was tearing after him while he ran and giggled, dodging around the amused elves.
"A prince is not a silly elf!" Legolas shouted. His long hair fluttered behind him, and, just as she was about to seize him, he scurried up a beech tree, swinging from branch to branch until he stood high above her.
"Legolas, honey," she called. She wrung her hands. "Please, come down, I don't want to see you fall."
She frowned when Legolas giggled, "Elves don't fall from trees." He ran the length of the branch and leaped to the adjacent oak. Her heart lodged in her throat, watching his tiny body soaring over the open air, and then it plummeted to her toes as his feet safely landed.
Ellavorn was laughing at her shoulder. "I sometimes forget that there really is so much you do not know about elves."
"Thanks." Her smile was wry. "Now, how do we get the young prince down before his adar finds him?"
"That," he grinned, "is simple." He pitched his voice, comically louder. "Charlotte, I heard Lady Celebrían sent oatcakes along. I was just thinking of grabbing one from the packs for the ride. Would you be interested?"
"That sounds delightful." Her volume matched his. It was difficult to contain her smirk as she watched Legolas scamper down the tree.
"Can I have one?" He asked once he'd reached them. "Please?"
Which is how she ended up riding beside Thranduil, with a gleeful Legolas nibbling on an oatcake on his horse behind her.
The ride was silent for the first mile, and she let her mind soak in the pink rays of the sun filtering through the branches, the occasional birdsong, and the swaying movement of Berior beneath her. She peeked at Thranduil, dressed elegantly in his dark split-tunic and leggings. He'd forgone his branching crown for a circlet, and his cloak was notably absent.
She cleared her throat softly, "Thank you."
Her only response was a raised brow before he went back to studying the track.
"For the cloak," she clarified. "I have it in my bag, and I can return it to you at the next rest."
"How do you know it's mine?" He still wasn't looking at her, but she swore his cheeks had picked up the pink flush of the morning sun.
Charlotte hesitated; she couldn't admit that it smelled like him. Wouldn't acknowledge that somewhere during the past weeks, maybe even from the very first night she'd met him, she'd been foolish enough to develop a… whatever it was she was feeling for him.
She wasn't some ingénue, she chastised herself. She'd flirted and dated before, briefly. Done the agonizing relationship rollercoaster that inevitably ended up with her feeling nauseated and dizzy at the end. But this was different somehow.
The silence stretched on before she finally settled on saying, "It was just a guess."
He nodded, and she watched the corners of his mouth twitch. "You'll have to hold onto it, then, until it's owner decides to claim it."
"I suppose I will."
Thranduil was silent again, though his eyes danced through the trees, searching.
The rolling movements of the elk lulled her. She'd slept so little in the past week, and it showed. Berior was a brilliant steed, but even he wouldn't be able to keep her on his back should she fall asleep and slide off him. Still, she let her aching eyes close, let her head tip back to soak in the sunlight, and her mind drifted, wandering into that ethereal place where the song of the forest swept her along from tree to tree, feeling the flutter of a bird taking flight, almost as if its feathers brushed against her skin, hearing the muted thumps of something moving through the underbrush. It sounded like two great hands tapping their fingers on the forest floor, and when her mind brushed against it, she shivered and grew cold.
She straightened, fighting to stay relaxed and stay in that place. Thranduil must have picked up on her anxiety because he asked, "What is it?"
"I don't know," she said. "I keep drifting out. I don't know how to hang on to it."
Berior came to a sudden stop as Thranduil seized her reins. "Hang on to what?"
The line of elves stilled behind them, and Charlotte felt silly. "Nothing. I'm just tired and imagining things."
"Tell me," he insisted. It was clear the command came not from Thranduil, but the Elvenking.
"I thought—" She huffed before blurting it out, "It just felt like I was a part of the forest for a moment. I could hear everything, see everything. And there was something huge moving, something dark."
Lothuial laughed, and though it sounded friendly, Charlotte knew better. "Only the Elvenking can move and hear the forest in such a way. You look dreadful. The strain of the journey is playing with your mind. Besides, the forest is guarded by our own; they would not allow such a creature to come into our borders. It's impossible."
Charlotte glanced at Thranduil, knowing that something or someone had encroached in the Greenwood already. His eyes closed, and he seemed to both settle into his body and drift into the forest. Charlotte found herself counting the ticks of her heart until she could see his silver eyes once more.
His brows twisted in confusion, before he said, "Whatever it was, it has passed, and I cannot sense it. Let us move on; I want to be on the other side of the river before we rest the horses for a day."
She tried to mask the heat that rose up her neck at Lothuial's smirk. "Of course, my king," the elleth said.
Berior refused to budge from his position at Thranduil's side, and though Lothuial was comparatively silent about her critiques while so close to the Elvenking, Charlotte felt every second with the other elleth grating on her nerves. After that moment, Lothuial never stopped talking.
"I love the forest at the end of autumn," Lothuial said. "There's no more beautiful kingdom in all of Middle Earth, wouldn't you agree, my king? Why even King Amroth would have to concede so."
"Indeed, the Greenwood is my favorite of the forests, though I am biased," Thranduil said. "I doubt Amroth would agree as readily as you suggest."
"He would have to at least admit that we are the most cultured," she continued. "The Greenwood elves have maintained their traditions for thousands of years."
"Is it truly possible to be 'the most cultured?'" Charlotte rubbed the stars on her reins to help keep her voice steady. "There is no quantitative value to culture; it can't be measured. I'm sure Amroth's people have their own traditions as well, though they may differ from yours."
"We are protective people and wary of outsiders, so it may be difficult for one to gain a full understanding of our kingdom," Lothuial said. "But here in the Greenwood, we lead a more natural life with a strong connection to the forest. Where others have forgotten their roots, we have preserved our history."
"Imladris seemed steeped in history," Charlotte said. "Amroth told me that Lord Elrond established it in the Second Age."
"You know our history?" Thranduil raised a brow in surprise.
"Some of it," Charlotte said, meeting his silver gaze. "I'm looking forward to learning more."
"Well then," Lothuial said, pulling Thranduil's attention away. "You should know that our beautiful Amon Lanc predates Imladris by nearly a thousand years."
Lothuial was relentless in her praise of the Greenwood, and Charlotte couldn't have been more grateful when they finally stopped for the night. She moved her bedroll as far away from Lothuial as possible, which regrettably meant she was further from the fire. She eyed her pack. Knowingly using his cloak seemed too personal, but the temperatures were dropping further each night. She shook her head; he'd all but said it was hers to use, and her favorite tunic was thicker than the others she'd worn, but not thick enough for the night chill. When she caved and wrapped it around her shoulders, she wondered why she even fought it. The warmth and heaviness of the cloak felt like a hug. When was the last time she had one of those? She shut that thought down quickly.
"It suits you," Thranduil said.
She wondered when she'd come to so easily recognize his voice. "I will miss it," she said, turning to smile at him, "when its owner comes to finally claim it."
"He would be a fool to do so."
"So the owner is a 'he' then?"
Thranduil smirked. "Just a guess." His eyes searched the tree line as if waiting for something. She heard a soft trill, and Thranduil smiled and held out his hand to her. "Ellavorn has ensured the area is safe. I wondered if I might have the pleasure of your company this evening?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"Stargazing," he said, though his lips hinted at a joke she didn't understand. His hand still floated in the space between them, a clear sign that it would be her choice if she took it. Biting her lip, she eyed her bedroll where nightmares and fear waited, and then slid her hand into his.
The smile he gave her made her chest warm, and she grinned as he led her away from the clearing of elves and into the forest. She looped the extra length of his cloak over her arm, so it didn't drag, and let Thranduil pull her into the darkness. The waning moon cast little light over the forest, the trees twisted overhead, and she shivered despite the cloak.
"Where are we going?"
"Just a little farther," he coaxed.
They glided through the underbrush, over fallen branches, and through bushes, until the campfires were nothing more than fireflies glittering through the trees. Thranduil led her into a small glade, nearly perfectly round, and Charlotte laughed.
"You've brought me to a fairy ring."
"What," Thranduil grinned, "is a fairy ring?"
"Perfect circles found in nature, made from trees or mushrooms and the like, where unsuspecting maidens are swept up in the music of fairies or elves and forced to dance until they go insane or die."
"Ah," he nodded wisely, though she could see the quirk of his lips as he tried not to laugh. "I promise no dancing tonight."
"Right, stargazing." She gazed up at the thousands of sparkling lights, so many more than what she was used to seeing.
"I had different stars in mind." His voice caused her stomach to tighten, and then he seemed to catch on to what he had said and cleared his throat. "Earlier, when you were connected to the forest, I got the impression that you've never seen your own light. I'd hoped, with your permission, to teach you?"
"I would like to see it," she said softly. "I keep hearing that it's different, but you're right, I didn't know I could even see my own light."
"With enough training, you can see any elf's light, and I have a feeling that you have a greater sensitivity to the forest as well. Lothuial is correct in that I am the only elf in the Greenwood capable of traveling through the forest's song; Legolas may be able to do it as he reaches maturity as it is a part of our bloodline."
"So then why can I do it?"
"I'm not entirely sure," he said. He squeezed her hand softly. "It may have something to do with the difference in your light, or the Valar have arranged it since your task is here, or maybe it's more simple than that, and your compassion makes you sensitive enough to hear the song. Regardless of the reason, it would be a great benefit to you to understand how to travel the song, and, since I am the only elf capable of it, it falls on me to teach you."
More kingly obligation then. She plastered on a smile. "Where do I start?"
"May I?"
She nodded, and he turned her to face away from him, tucked her into his body, and gently clasped both of her hands. Her heart raced as the heat of him infiltrated her back.
"Close your eyes," He whispered. The words stirred her curls, and she fought a shiver. "Relax your muscles. Feel yourself sinking deep into your body."
Her body felt like a live wire. She tried to relax, but his firm body behind hers, the strength of his hands as he cradled her fingers, the soft whisper of his voice dancing along her spine… she was in sensory overload.
"You're tensing," he said, unhelpfully, and she nearly snorted. Of course, she was tense. "Match my breaths. Start at your toes and work your way up. Loosen everything, and then imagine yourself sinking deep beneath your skin."
Charlotte took a deep breath. Every elf could easily find their own fëa, even the elflings. She needed to master this. In and out. A few breaths equalized her. She felt what he meant; she was drifting, as if falling asleep, fading beneath her bones and organs until she reached an intangible place that seemed to call out to her.
It was dark in this underneath space, and then, softly, a flicker, and another, until the darkness was swept away by glittering blue-white light. On the surface, she felt a single tear work its way down her cheek. Inside, she stepped into the light, her light, and felt enveloped by it. It was all the hugs she'd ever received, and the warmth of every person she'd ever loved and been loved by. It held her hope and heartbreaks and the secrets she refused to admit to herself. It was home, and it was her. All of her. The pieces she tried to hide were so readily displayed there, so perfectly woven into her being, and for a moment, she thought, "This is what it is to know and love myself."
Thranduil's voice was distant and rough behind her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"I've never seen anything like it," She whispered. Her grip started to fade from it as her attention focused on him. "I'm losing it. I can't hold it," she worried.
"You cannot lose it." His hands squeezed hers again. "It is you. You can dim the light from other's eyes, but never from your own."
"How do I dim it?"
He laughed, "I see your light now, the brightest it has ever been, and I know that you have been dimming it for weeks."
She released her grip on it, felt it swell and surge within her, and turned to grin proudly at Thranduil. His eyes were wide, and his soft lips open as he took in her light, and then she felt a shift in the air, and suddenly he was glowing, warm and bright and as golden as the sun. She deliriously imagined they appeared like night and day in the glade. Like a page torn from her mother's books of fairytales: a towering Elvenking and his maiden.
His hands wound around her back, pulled her closer until his forehead dropped against hers, and his silver eyes vanished beneath pale lids. "Now, do the opposite: immerse yourself in your fëa, welcome all of it, and then stretch outwards, feel it expand your awareness into the trees."
This was much harder. She hadn't slept well in so long, and though finding her fëa had been as simple as relaxing and falling into herself, moving outside of her body felt like pushing against a boulder.
"I can't seem to get it," she whispered.
He hesitated for a moment, before he breathed, "It is highly personal, but, if you allow me, I can show you how."
Her brief nod was all it took before he was pulling her tight to his chest, and she felt the rise and swell of his fëa, like a wave cresting and breaking over her. His sun enveloped her starlight, silver and gold shimmering in the night, and then she heard him whispering softly in Sindarin, so quietly she couldn't make out the words, and the song of the forest swelled in her ears. He pushed them outwards, leaving their bodies in the glade, and he flew her across the Greenwood, over the reaching mountains, down the cool rivers, inside the rabbit burrows, and through pools of crystal clear water; all while the oaks and the beeches and the pines sang her the story of thousands of years of life.
How had she missed this her entire life? "It's exhilarating," she breathed, and Thranduil tightened his arms around her. Even dancing through the forest, she could smell the vanilla and leather he seemed to carry with him. She leaned into him, let his fëa fly hers through his world. She was so caught up in the sensations, in him, that she nearly missed it.
"Wait," she called. "There. Feel it?" And suddenly she was tugging them along, chasing after the cold and darkness she'd felt. It moved quickly, bursting through the underbrush and fleeing south. Trapped within its void was a single glowing gold light. "Thranduil!" she cried.
"Follow it."
And she did, chasing after the elusive darkness until it grew dim, stretched beyond her reach. "I've lost it. It's gone."
She opened her eyes, her lungs heaving, and found herself tucked beneath his chin. She leaned back. His eyes were narrowed, his mind working over the problem. "It had someone," she said. "Did you see it?"
"We need to get back to camp." He released a high-pitch trill like a bird and waited.
A few moments later, an elf dropped from the trees. He was dressed similarly to Súldil, with matching green leggings and a tunic, a bow strung over his back, and a dagger at each hip bone.
"Celegon," Thranduil greeted. "Alert the wardens; find Súldil and Ellavorn. I want Ellavorn on guard duty for Legolas and Charlotte. The rest travel south immediately. An elf has been taken. Be on your guard; this creature is large and its spirit dark. It's gone beyond the Forest Road."
Thranduil escorted her back through the forest, racing her along until she was sure she would trip in the dark, but her feet never failed her. Ellavorn was alert and waiting at the edge of the camp, clutching Thranduil's curved sword and an arched bow worthy of Odysseus. Thranduil took them both, turned to her and said, "Stay with Ellavorn and Legolas."
"Where are you going?"
"A king does not ask his people to fight what he will not," he said.
And then he was gone, flipping into the branches like Legolas had done so many hours before. She followed the flash of his silver hair as it vanished south into the trees.
"Be safe," she whispered.
Ellavorn nudged her with an elbow. "Let's move to the king's tent. Legolas is sleeping there, and I thought it best to keep it that way so he wouldn't worry."
She nodded numbly, letting him lead her away, while she worried for the elves chasing after the chill she felt racing through their forest.
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AN: This story has made it past 60,000 words so far! After being away from writing for so long, that feels like an amazing milestone. A huge "Thank You" to all of you for your comments/follows/favorites and support!
szynka2496: You are correct! Meluieth says in chapter 8 that they would reach Emyn Duir "within the month." She's the kind of person who rounds time frames up/is a little vague. It takes three weeks to get between the two elven settlements. So when Charlotte mentions being an elf for "over two weeks" in chapter 14, she's been in Middle Earth for 16 days and traveling for 14. Hope that helps! :)
