Author's Note: Sorry for the slow updates. Some personal matters have come up as of late and I've been a little side-tracked. None the less the story will continue and it's not over yet.
For a good 30 minutes Himelon had just looked around and it was obvious that the shop keeper was nervous. Not that the raven haired elf was looking but that there would be nothing of interest and the shop keeper feared he might bear that wrath. In truth he had only heard rumors about King Thranduil but they were enough to put him on edge. As a prince the starlight haired elf had been distant and rather introverted with a temper to match his father's. Calm most of the time but fully capable of snapping and lashing out violently. When the two had first entered Thranduil had seemed rather calm and amused but as time had gone on the King's face had changed and furrowed. The shop keeper couldn't exactly tell if it was concern or annoyance but neither would likely end well. Usually after about ten minutes people know what they would like to try on and what they would not but it had been thirty minutes and the raven haired elf was still looking. Thranduil was a bit confused as to why Himelon had said nothing but he was also a little peeved that the shop keeper didn't seem to have very many darker outfits. He had notified him before they came that Himelon preferred darker shades. In all reality Himelon had been looking at the prices as well as the outfits. He knew Thranduil had told him not to think about it but he couldn't help but think about it ever more acutely as he looked over the extravagant outfits. In time the raven haired elf finally accepted that everything was expensive and there was no way around it. Letting out a shaky sigh Himelon finally reached out a hand to touch one of the displayed outfits.
"Your work is beautiful," Himelon spoke so softly that the shop keeper had barely even heard it, "but is there a way to make a variant of the outfit with darker fabric perhaps?" Himelon felt awkward asking such a thing. Asking others to do things they hadn't done just because he may like it was not something that he had done in a very long time. The raven haired elf had always been conscious of the feelings of others and had never asked such questions unless it was necessary even before coming to Middle Earth. It made him feel bad to ask someone to do extra work when the existing work was already so well done. None the less he had asked. Himelon wasn't a fan of large amounts of silver, no matter how beautiful it may be, and thought the shining color was better used as an accent rather than the main focus. No sooner had the soft question left the raven haired elf's lips had the shop keeper glided over to the other.
"Of course my lord," the shop keepers flashed Himelon a soft grin to try and ease the tension as he gestured to the outfit Himelon currently had his hand resting on, "This one?" The particular outfit the raven haired elf was inquiring about was a floor length silver robe with a high collar and sea green trim. Embroidered into it were patterns of greens ranging from dark to light as it wove across that outfit giving the illusion of an over-coat.
"Y-yes please," the raven haired elf suppressed the nervous laugh building in the back of his throat. He couldn't remember the last time someone had called him "lord" and practically feeling Thranduil glaring down the shop keeper for whatever reason didn't help much of anything.
"How would you like it modified?" Yet again the shop keeper was smiling all the while keeping an eye on the Elven King as he slowly stalked across the room. The shop keeper had abruptly put space between himself and Himelon when had noticed the even more sudden change in the King's mood. To gesture to the outfit said shop keeper had found himself nearly touching the raven haired male and that had seemed to spark something less than pleasant in Thranduil.
"Maybe a midnight blue or black base for the robe," Himelon began gently picturing it in his head all the while wondering why the starlight haired king had suddenly felt the need to stand as close to him as physically possible without making contact, "With the trim as silver and the embroidery potentially be silver and light blues? If it's not too much trouble of course." The last had been added because the more Himelon imagined it the more difficult it seemed to be. The shop keeper seemed to already be on edge because of the way Thranduil kept glaring at him and the raven haired elf didn't want to add any more stress to the tailor's day.
"Of course," the tailor nodded and scuttled off into the depths of his shop for a moment before returning with a tape measure and mina bird in hand, "I have a very deep blue fabric, it's almost black, and I'll need to get some measurements. As long as that's alright with you." The last part had been spoken in the general direction of Himelon while the tailor's eyes had been looking at Thranduil. When the King gave no objection and took a few steps back to allow Himelon some room to mover the shop keeper turned his gaze back to the raven haired elf.
"Deep blue sounds nice," Himelon offered a gentle smile before his own expression contorted slightly into apprehension and what seemed to be embarrassment, "Sure. If it has to be done it has to be done." With a nod and gently gesture the tailor ushered Himelon into the back where there was a bit more privacy.
"All I need are the chest, neck, and waist measurements," the tailor continued with an ever more genuine grin, "If you could just remove your tunic please." The raven haired elf blushed softly but complied. After about thirty seconds of watching the raven haired elf struggle to get the silver under-tunic off the tailor lent a helping hand.
"Sorry," Himelon sighed as the shop keeper went about taking the proper measurements, "My left side hasn't been very cooperative lately." A soft chuckle escaped the raven haired elf's lips as he thought about the way that had been phrased.
"Perhaps you should see a healer," the tailor offered gently helping Himelon get the silver tunic back on, "You might have partially dislocated your shoulder or torn something." The shop keepers intentions were good but the sigh and distant look in the other's eyes set the tailor feeling uneasy.
"It's not the type of thing that can be fixed," Himelon gently tried to skirt around the question as to why not, "Elrond said so himself. Just have to deal with it." The sudden look of shock and fear on the tailor's face set Himelon quirking his head to the side.
"I apologize," the tailor bowed rather deeply, "You must have been one of the soldiers who shielded the King. Please forgive my insensitivity." The tailor had yet to break the bow and look up even as Himelon situated the black over-shirt back in place.
"What insensitivity?" The raven haired elf practically pull the other from the bow to look at him normally, "You were just making a kind offer to someone you thought might need a healer." No sooner had the tailor's gentle smile returned that the door separating them from the main store was pushed open. In the doorway stood Thranduil with something akin to worry on his face. Said expression seemed to be mixed with confusion and annoyance.
"Measurements don't take this long." the statement had been accentuated with the Elven King's icy stare being fixed on the tailor. From the way he was looking at said elf one might have thought a crime had just occurred.
"My shirt got caught on my left arm," Himelon cut off anything that the tailor would have to say rather sharply, "It took a while because of that. And why do you glare so at your own tailor? Coming in here was your idea after all." Thranduil had noticeably flinched when Himelon had mentioned his left side giving him some trouble. His gaze had softened and the question as to why he glared at the tailor partially confused him. He felt jealousy when he had seen the tailor stand so close to the raven haired elf and it had not gone away since. He felt protective and possessive and annoyed that Himelon had been helped by said tailor. The raven haired elf was correct. This was his idea so why did it bother him so much? It was illogical and even Thranduil couldn't explain why he felt this way. He just did.
"I was concerned," Thranduil's voice had been cold and distant yet somehow gentle, "that something bad had transpired." It was mostly the truth. As more time had elapsed Thranduil had found himself worrying and thinking about all the things that could occur as the result of asking someone to remove and article of clothing or two. As his illogical, and creative, mind was fed by his newly roused wave of protectiveness the starlight haired elf had found himself moving quickly inside to be near Himelon. It bothered him that such silly notions and innocent context could get to him like that but none the less it had.
"And you told me not to be skittish," the raven haired elf shook his head slightly as it occurred to him that Thranduil might have been acting out of jealousy. The thing the interested and surprised the shop keeper the most was how Himelon was talking to King Thranduil currently. The raven haired elf spoke to the king as if they were equals and Thranduil was tolerating it. As odd as the tailor found it he also felt a smile slip over his face. The reason for his King's annoyance seemed rather clear as he thought about it. Without realizing it the tailor had crossed a line didn't even know was there and had succeeded in setting off the starlight haired king's protective instincts. As he watched them leave, Thranduil once again with his arm around Himelon's waist, he got the sense that the festival was likely going to be very interesting.