Elves are not necessarily "immortal". No one really knew how long and Elf could live. Time had not yet shown them that. So for an Elf to throw away three hundred years in a matter of minutes, it was a shocking gesture. A gracious and selfless gesture.
When Thranduil saw what Linwe intended to do, his heart wept at the sheer kindness of it. It was something not even Celeblasbes would have considered doing. Life is precious to Elves, and they were not willing to give it away, but Linwe was. He held her in his arms as she regained her strength, and he could feel her heartbeat in his own chest. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, show her his admiration and love. He could not, of course. He knew the day was coming when his emotional dam would break and he would not be able to restrain himself, but right then he still had some semblance of self-control.
He felt her tremble against him as her strength slowly returned.
"Bilbo," she called, and the little Hobbit walked over to her and the Elvenking. "They might wake soon, but I would leave them sleep for a day. Coming back from the other side is not easy, and their spirits need to adjust to their flesh once again. They should not be alone. Someone needs to sit with each of them and be sure they are not waking up confused or frightened."
"Of course I will sit with Thorin," Bilbo said, his voice watery. "I can't thank you enough for what you just did, my lady."
Linwe waved a nonchalant hand. "It is nothing. Be happy, that is all I ask. They have another hundred years each here in Middle Earth. Do not waste that time."
"I won't." Bilbo looked back where Oin was still examining Thorin with warm eyes. "You just gave me back...everything."
She smiled, but her eyes closed and she leaned even more into Thranduil. "Linwe," he said. "Let me take you back to your tent. You need to rest."
She nodded, complacent. She could have walked on her own, he knew that, but he pretended she needed more help than she really did and carried her in his arms, her head nestled against his shoulder and her one arm around his neck. He felt her warmth through his armor and he'd be lying to himself if he didn't bury his face for a moment in her hair and inhale her unique scent.
He deposited her on the sofa in her tent and she looked up at him with wide, sleepy eyes.
"My lord?"
"Yes?"
"The feud between Elves and Dwarves ends here. I have seen it."
"You have made it," he corrected. "You will be remembered forever in songs and tales, my lady. I am proud to know you, and proud to be your king." His hand was in her hair, on her face. She was so soft.
And that was how the rift between Elves and Dwarves ended, by the selfless actions of the young Elfling who, until recently, had been sequestered away in Imladris. Thorin and Thranduil would never like each other, but they would also never be enemies again. It was a little bit of needed peace before sixty years would pass and Sauron's evil would once again permeate Middle Earth.
Thranduil did finally get his starlight gems, and he hid them away, saving them just in case someday in the future he could have a second wedding. They would look quite lovely on Linwe, in her ebony hair and resting against her pale flesh.
Linwe was better, having taken a month of rest in her chambers. She had had no idea the spells would have taken so much out of her, but she did not regret performing them. Just the happiness on Bilbo's face was enough to make her feel she had done the right thing. She had to admit, she liked being waited on, especially on the rare occasions that her server of tea was Thranduil himself. She was certain he had never, ever served anyone anything before (except for maybe his wife), and she heard the Silvan Elves sometimes mumbling about how unusual his behavior was.
It made her wonder if, somehow, he could feel the same way about her as she did about him.
Now that she was better, she would go and sometimes help Esgaroth rebuild. Tauriel now lived there, even though Thranduil had lifted her banishment. She preferred staying there, as it was closer to Kili, her Dwarvish lover. Sigrid, Bard's eldest daughter, was being courted very seriously by Fili, and Bard was in a tizzy trying to keep calm about it. The three kingdoms now lived in peace, coexisting easily, all thanks to her.
While the banishment of Sauron to Mordor from Galadriel, Gandalf and Elrond had made things a bit more bearable in Middle Earth, it was far from perfect. Orcs still plundered lands, and Thranduil's army was dispatched many times to their borders to fight a skirmish. The spiders were the only things not as bold, as their lair in Dul Guldur was mostly destroyed.
One early morning Linwe was watching the sunrise when an Elf told her that the king wanted to see her. She went, wondering what he wanted of her.
She found him wearing his circlet and lighter armor than what he had worn when they set off for Erebor. He looked ready to leave.
"Ah. There you are. As you know, I recently put guards at the Western border, to ensure no Orcs would get in that way. Today is my day to review and gather my reports. Usually, I would bring Legolas with me, but as you are here and your father wants you to learn more about our ways, I decided you shall accompany me. I have had your armor laid out in your chambers. Meet me here in a quarter of an hour." As usual, he did not ask, just tell. Thankfully, Linwe knew he did not mean to be rude, this was just his nature.
"Will do, my lord," she replied, secretly glad to be going on a long patrol that would last well over five or six hours. It would give her precious alone time with him. She changed quickly and braided her long hair to keep it out of her face. In moments, she met with Thranduil in the entrance hall, taking a moment to admire his utter perfection, beauty and magnificence. He was so stunning: both physically and in his personality.
"Are you ready, my lady?" he asked her, upon spotting her on the staircase. She nodded and noticed a basket he carried along with his weapons.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Lunch," he replied. "The walk is long, so I brought some vegetables and lembas for us."
They set out on their walk, taking their time. It was summer, and the days were long. The forest kept them cool and sheltered from the sun. They spoke very little, instead enjoying the noises of the forest around them. It was peaceful and calming, despite its current state thanks to Sauron.
It took them a little over three hours to reach the Western border, and the review from the guards was favourable. There had only been two Orc pack sightings in the past month, and they had not seen or heard any spiders.
After giving them some new orders, when he was sending replacement guards for them to get some rest, and Linwe hastily thanking them for their service (something the Elvenking had never even thought of doing), they were able to return back to the kingdom.
"That was surprisingly easy," she commented.
"Usually it is not so smooth," he replied, and like a spell was spoken, they heard a telltale rustling in the trees above them. "Ah. I see we have spoken too soon." Swiftly, his sword was drawn and the food basket was hidden away.
Linwe also drew her sword in one hand and held her dagger in the other. There was never just one spider, she knew that. What she didn't know was if she and Thranduil could take them all on at once or not.
"Are you ready?" he asked her. She nodded. As if they were used to fighting together, they stood back to back, creating a united front against their adversaries. He trusted her skills and she trusted his.
Like a nightmare, spiders came rushing down from their rotted webs, chittering in their weird way and ready to eat the Elves alive. The first two went down easily, and more came to fill their places. Thranduil and Linwe had to break their defensive stance and move in order to fight in a wider space. Spider after spider went down, and Linwe admired the amazing skill Thranduil showed. Idly, even in the middle of such danger, she wondered if he made love as gracefully as he fought.
Half an hour later, they seemed to have killed the last spider, exhausting themselves. Thranduil went to get some of his knives out of the spider corpses when Linwe heard the telltale noise of a spider on a web. She saw it before he did, and a good thing: it was heading right for him, it's maw wide open and ready to bite. While she knew the spiders didn't kill outright, but instead they poisoned first, liking to play with their victims before they ate them, she could not bear to let her king be hurt. As long as she wore the insignia of the Woodland Realm on her armor, she would protect her king at all costs.
She took a running dive and came between Thranduil and the Ungoliant spawn with not even a second to spare. She felt the bite in her shoulder, heard Thranduil call her name and then...nothing.
Thranduil felt the spider behind him too late, and as he turned to take care of it, he saw his beloved Linwe jump between him and the spider, getting herself bitten in the process. He could have sworn his heart stopped in that moment, thinking that she was dead, until he remembered the spiders didn't kill and the poison wore off after a while.
He was still incensed that he had let Linwe get hurt. He had promised to protect her! With an angry cry he sliced the spider nearly in half. He did not even clean his sword as he sheathed it; he was too worried about Linwe. He bent over her, checking her vitals. Her breathing was shallow and her pulse was low. Otherwise he was sure she'd be okay in an hour or so.
It was still a two hour walk to the kingdom, and he could not carry her. Instead, he picked up their picnic basket and held her in his arms while he searched for a place to sit and wait for her to wake. He found a clearing where the sun actually fit through the tree tops, warming his skin.
He sat down at the base of a large tree, gently cradling Linwe's head in his lap. Now that he was a bit calmer, he could breathe again and he again checked her vitals. She was okay. Her dark eyes were closed, and if it wasn't for the dark circles beneath them, he would think she was asleep. Without thinking, he gently unwound her braid, letting her dark hair flow over his lap in a soft, velvety wave. He ran his fingers through it, massaging her scalp and unknotting the waves in the strands.
She was beautiful, and so brave. No other warrior would have done what she had for him. She had risked her life for him and had done so without a second thought. She was his hero, and he owed her everything. If he had not loved her before, he really did now. Bravery was a rare quality in females in that era of Middle Earth, and for her to have shown such selflessness was unheard of. He knew she'd be remembered for centuries to come, even long after the time of the Elves had passed, thanks to what she did for the line of Durin and what she had just done now.
The sunlight lit up her fair face, making her glow in the light of the brightest star. His hands caressed hers, which he'd placed on her stomach for comfort. Hers were so much smaller than his. He traced her face, feeling the softness of her skin. Her lips, plump and sweet, were also soft to his touch. His hand stroked her forehead in a soothing rhythm, while the other hand kept caressing her face and lips. Not in two thousand years had he felt such love in his heart, and yet he could not voice it. He had to keep it locked away, lest he shame himself and his kingdom. He wanted her-not just her body but her heart as well. He did not want to send her back to Imladris when the time came.
He wanted her at his side, forever.
He gently lifted her head from his lap and held her reclining in his arms. She was not a small Elf, but compared to him she was little more than a doll. Without thinking, he bent his face down to hers and tasted her lips for the first time, blushing as he did. It was brash and a little disappointing that she could not kiss him back. Her lips were as soft as he had expected, and he wished this moment would never end. He held her tightly to him, closing his eyes and just being there, willing her to wake up and somehow just know, and let everything happen as it should. He knew that was complete nonsense, but it was what he wished.
"Amin mela lle," he whispered.
After a few more moments, he felt her begin to stir and he laid her back into his lap and watched as she languidly opened her pretty, dark eyes. He was relieved to see that she didn't look as if she had been poisoned. It seemed to have gone from her system.
She stretched and looked up, blinking to clear her eyes. "You're all right," she said when she saw him. Her smile could have lit up all of Middle Earth it was so bright.
Hastily, he removed his hand from her hair, where it had been resting, and tried to assume a stern expression, but it was difficult. "What you did, Linwe, was reckless and worrisome. Don't ever frighten me like that again!"
She smiled wider and he helped her to sit up. Her hand went to his face, carefully avoiding where she knew his scar was. Her touch was electric and sent a shiver down his spine. "I do not regret what I did, and if you were ever in danger like that again, I would not hesitate to do it again. You can punish me, but know it won't do any good." She scooted back, giving a more proper space between them.
He couldn't help but smile. "I do not wish to punish you. I do thank you, however. What you did was brave and very selfless. It is appreciated."
She bowed her head, a blush warming her cheeks.
"Come. Let us eat something before we continue the walk home." He began to lay out the provisions he had brought, including a bottle of Dorwinion wine!
She laughed as he poured her a glass. "I cannot believe you brought along alcohol." He gave a rueful smile, tucking some hair behind his ear. It was a cute gesture.
They ate and had abstract conversation, avoiding anything to do with spiders and illness. Instead, she learned a lot about the forest, and he told her some tales of when he was an Elfling and would play in the trees, happy by himself and with the small animals.
Sitting next to her was comfortable and familiar. It let his tongue flow more loosely and relaxed him so he did not feel as if he needed to be the guarded king he had always been. He felt as if he were young again.
Her hand somehow made its way over to his, gently resting atop it, filling him with warmth. If she loved him-and that was a big if-what could they do? Could they ever be together.
Linwe moved as he was thinking, sitting so they were nearly face to face, with no space between them. "Amin merna quen," she said, "but I do not have the proper words. I do not believe there are any words for what I am feeling."
His hand held hers, and he was hoping against hope that she was feeling as he was, because right then his heart was full to bursting. "The strongest emotions need no words."
"Then how should I express them?" she asked; her eyes hopeful, dark pools that he wished to drown in.
"In whatever way feels right," he replied, his fingers caressing hers.
She hesitated before saying, "I am afraid if I do what feels right you will hate me, my lord. And I could not bear not to be in your favour. I could not have you send me back to Adar."
"I would never. You have my word," he said, holding his hand over his heart. Instead of returning the gesture, the Elvish hug, she took her hand and put it over his as she leaned into him. He smelled her sweet scent as she inclined her head to his and he got to truly taste her lips.
His arms immediately encircled her, holding her to him. She was seated between his legs now, as close as clothing allowed, as he began to deepen the kiss. He ran his tongue across her lips, asking for permission to enter. She opened her mouth against his, and his tongue invaded the warmth. She gasped into his kiss as he gently bit her bottom lip. He could barely contain himself as he felt his pants tightening around him. He tugged on her hair, moving her neck higher so he could gently bite and suck dark bruises into her skin. Her gasps and moans were like torture and he captured her lips again so he did not have to hear them.
His breath was coming in short gasps now and his heart was racing.
She was soft, warm and receptive to his advances, inappropriate though they were. This moment was perfect, and he wished to stop time and remain there forever, with her in his arms.
But time is a fickle mistress, and eventually they did have to part. He looked her over, her hair askew, her lips swollen and her neck beginning to bruise. She was perfect in every way, and he desired to claim her properly.
"My lord…" She trailed off.
He caught her chin in his hand. "I want you to know I will do whatever is in my power to make this work, forbidden or not. It might take some time, but Linwe, I swear, I will have you."
She closed her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. "I believe you."
"We need to get back. Night is falling." He helped her up, stealing another kiss as he did so. They kept their hands linked as they walked home, unable to stand not touching after standing so far apart on purpose for so long.
It would be difficult, but he'd find a way to make her his queen. He would not live without her at his side.
As they approached the front gates of the Woodland Realm, however, Fate had come to meddle in their affairs in the form or Lindir.
"Lord Thranduil, Lady Linwe-Elrond requests your presence in Imladris. The Prince as well."