It was still early morning in Greenwood when news of an intruder spread through the guard. It had been King Thranduil's intention to go out riding on that particular morning so the news had been more unsettling to the Captain of the guard than it would have been otherwise. There were procedures for this kind of thing and the threat was ordinarily eliminated quietly with no real need to inform the King, but this was different. This wasn't a trespassing dwarf or lost human. If the reports of sparrows and rabbits were to be trusted, it was an elf seemingly of Sindarin origins. After much debate with himself, the red haired Captain turned his gait toward the stables with a group of six other guards in tow.
"My king," he spoke softly with his gaze downcast from the starlight haired male stroking a rather large elk, "there is an intruder. Perhaps your ride should be postponed until this is dealt with." His voice had been soft and swift. He had hoped that the proposition would not be objectionable.
"There are protocol for these situations are there not?" the King's voice came as cool and calm as the stream and as filled with agitation and annoyance as the roaring flame. Thranduil's gaze had not moved from his elk and he was in no real mood to instruct his Captain on what to do when the procedure was clear. Last night had been particularly difficult seeing as how he had been tormented by images of the raven haired male being mutilated in various horrible ways while he stood helpless. Thranduil needed this morning ride to clear his head and calm his nerves. He certainly didn't need to be thinking that his guards were becoming incompetent.
"Yes sir." the captain spoke barely above a whisper, "It's just that.."
"Then take care of it." the king's words had been sharp an punctuated as he climbed onto the elk's back in one fluid movement. The intent had been to end the conversation and from the look of the slightly startled captain it had worked. The red haired guard blink dumbly for a moment from the shock of being cut off so. Although known to be ill-tempered Thranduil had never cut him off like that. In moments he rebounded taking a few steps forward now making eye contact with the king.
"The intruder is an elf." the red haired guard spoke almost as sharply as his king had, "Shall we hunt him or apprehend him?" the question had been filled with the aggression coursing through the captain's veins. He had never really been good with being interrupted and had a temper and a half on him. More than once he had been punished for snapping at king Oropher which is why he'd tried to be particularly careful when it came to Thranduil. If the new king had the temper of the last, he'd certainly be punished for this display. The starlight haired king glared down at the captain which caused the red head to break eye contact.
"Forgive me," the captain mutter softly, "I do not like the idea of hunting our kin." He spoke more reservedly this time and forced his eyes to the ground so as not to make things worse for himself.
"I will deal with your outburst later," the Elvenking stated making certain his meaning was clear, "For now I will trust you to handle the situation properly." He had pointedly not answered his question. His Captain should be more than capable of making such a decision. Thranduil assumed the intruder was likely from Lothlorien or Imladris. If his assumption was right they would undoubtedly surrender immediately. It was not like his kin to be violent when coming to visit.
"Yes sir." the red head whispered and nodded as the large golden elk trotted by him. Once it was out of sight he raised his head and let out an annoyed sigh.
"He could've at least answered my question!" he muttered angrily to the air while gather up his six, "Alright. Split into groups of two, corner him and apprehend him. Do not attack unless attacked." the Captain glared down each of the others to make his point. A few of them were still youths and were a bit trigger-happy when it came to catching thins or people. With a resounding "Yes sir!" they were off into the depths of Greenwood. The intruder had been seem moving west toward the river so that is where they would wait for him.
Grumbling softly to himself Himelon trudged through the wood toward the growing sound of running water. His bow was drawn and an arrow was poised to be fired. Every little crunch or snap set his eyes search for the cause. Time after time it had been a bunny or bird and he was officially getting tired of being set on edge by meeting his kin in the forest. Weren't they all supposed to be friends? If this was Imladris he'd be welcomed with open arms and likely a meal and bed. Not fear of being shot by someone who could be his cousin and a place in the dungeons.
As the sound of water grew ever louder Himelon found himself feeling ever more on edge. As he glimpsed the brilliant blue water that was the main river cutting through Greenwood he found himself feeling less like an elf in a forest and more like a deer searching for the hunters it knew were waiting just beyond the clearing. More out of habit than anything else the raven haired male threw a large rock into the clearing to see if there would be movement. When nothing was visible he climbed up a large oak tree and slowly inched along a thick branch that hung over the river. Slowly and carefully he emerged from the foliage and out onto the branch. After a moment of sitting there scanning the tree-line he hopped down swinging slightly from his knees as he did so. The cool of the water felt amazing on his warm feet. Letting out a soft purr the raven haired elf straightened his back and began walking through the current near the bank where it was still shallow.
"Maybe they thought I wasn't worth it this time." Himelon chuckled to himself. He'd never gotten this far without encountering someone before. His hopes were shattered however by the slight sound of footsteps behind him. There was no need to turn and see who it was. Himelon knew the identity of his pursuers and he was not going to stick around to be tied and dragged in front of the king. He bolted into the forest. As braches whipped past him and his feet took him from the ground to the tree branches the sound of footsteps grew faster and a few shouts and orders were defiantly audible. The chase raced through the whole of Greenwood for upwards of an hour. Himelon had been the first to fire an arrow. When he'd gotten sight of a young brunette female he'd sent an arrow singing past her ear ever so slightly cutting her cheek. Had he been trying to hit her he would have. Yet the response was immediate. White feathered arrows came at him sticking in the branches, ground, and tree trunk where his feet and body had been mere moments before. The chase came to an abrupt end when Himelon felt himself make contact with something large and furry. He had spun around to fire another arrow and as he faced forward the raven haired male had found himself running smack dab into an oversized elk carrying someone garbed in silver starlight. With a gasp and a thud Himelon found himself laying on his back in the middle of the forest path. In moments he had every guard in the area pointing white feathered arrows in his face. The choice at hand, draw his sword and become a pincushion or surrender.
Thranduil had been startled when the raven haired male had collided with his mount. His shock had grown when he angrily turned his gaze to the elf now sprawled out on the path on to be struck with a deep pang in his gut. As Himelon raised his hand in surrender he froze. His eyes made contact with the ice blue ones of the starlight haired elf atop the large beast and his heart stopped. Himelon knew him. Or at least that was the first thought to ring forcefully in his brain. Even as the guards hauled him to his feet and bound his hands Himelon couldn't tear his eyes away from the male garbed in silver. His gut told him that he knew him, but he just couldn't place where from. It wasn't until he found himself being led through large wooden doors and down into the depths of the tree infused cave that was the palace of Greenwood that Himelon found himself trying to rationalize and suppress the powerful thought. They couldn't know each other. The only other elf Himelon had had extended contact with since waking in Middle Earth was Elrond. And the blonde he had seen atop the elk was certainly not the master of Imladris. As the gate of the cell Himelon had been, all too forcefully, shoved into closed he came out of his daze shaking his head and growling audibly. He did not know him and he could not believe he was going to be stuck down here for goodness knows how long.
"Stupid elk!" Himelon grumbled to himself, "Bad brain! Damn beautiful, distracting elf!" Wait did he just say beautiful? No. Not beautiful. Just distracting. Why would he think that of some youth he'd just seen for a split second? There it was again. That pang that said he knew the starlight haired male. With a growl and a strong punch to the cell wall causing a rather large chunk to break off and clatter to the floor, Himelon tried in vain to put the starlight haired, elk riding elf from his mind.