A week. It has been about a week since I've been out of my cell. It was driving me crazy little by little. The guards hardly paid attention to me at all anymore. It gets boring. Daydreaming is fun, but I needed the physical activity too. As a matter of fact, the routine everyone was going through left them…slobby? So…you can guess that stealing the keys wasn't much of a feat. All I had to wait for was the opportune time to get out.

Chance chose to smile early upon me that day. A guard came up to my keepers, eager to share some information. Or was that wine I saw under his cape? Moving the key though the lock ever so slowly, as to make no sound, I broke myself free. The kingdom's mine! Bwahahahahhahaha! I rolled my eyes at that. Couldn't keep it in could you? I tipped-toed away, one eye constantly kept on the chattering guards. I rounded a corner and went up the stairs, without really thinking where I was going.

To the King? I stopped on a stair. Nah. Let's find another way to take him out.

I wandered the Elvenking's great halls for some time, full of amazement and wonder. It seemed quite surreal at places. Bridges of wood arched themselves up and away in graceful manners. The intriguing part, was that there was no sign of carving in them. As if the tree itself had agreed to bend to the elves' use. Stone halls were hidden away throughout the palace, tall, grand, and very humbling.

Dodging the elves had become one of my new tricks. Despite living in the woods, they seemed to forget to look up quite often…

In the afternoon, (after I had…borrowed…something to eat from a table) I managed to find stables. Spacious, clean, and equally as elegant as the rest of the palace. The jewels of the place though, where the horses. Creatures of beauty, grace, wildness, strength, and free spirit. Through the eyes of the ones that looked up to me, I could see their unusual intelligence. They were absolutely magnificent! Most of the purest white, some greys, and very few of other colors. Their coats shone with absolute brilliance.

At my arrival, they seemed quite intrigued, and came to see me.

"Dearests, how would you all like to go out for spin? Hmm?" Their eyes sparkled in response, and some pawed the ground in anticipation.

A few minutes later, the stables were empty, and I could hear the noisy horses' hooves against the palace grounds, thundering their way through the halls. As I made my way towards the exit to see the commotion, a nonchalant loud snort caught my attention. I spun around to the back of the stable, to find the source of the noise. I could not see anything…The stables were absolutely enormous…and the other end seemed tiny… I started walking towards the back, eyes peeled for any movement. I advanced with precaution, wary of every corner. As I neared the back, all I could see was a wall. I scrunched my eyes a little and got closer. Two great handles blending perfectly with their great wooden doors, shyly unveiled their contours to me. Aaah! Bingo! I grabbed hold of them and pulled back. Nothing.

Okaaay… I tried again, pulling like a maniac, and probably ending bright red from the effort. Nothing. So I tried pushing. The doors gave an uneasy squeak and hardly budged. The snort came again from behind the doors. Yeah, yeah, give me a minute! I rammed in with my shoulder, and kept pushing with all I had. It barely moved. But it moved! I mentally grumbled I can tackle a high ElvenKing into the water, but can't kick open lousy doors! I kept pushing at it, stubbornly, until the open crack was enough for me to slip in. Great brown eyes were my welcome. Peaceful, warm, unafraid, and wise. Of the short thing that I am, the creature's head had no trouble towering over me. It nonetheless lowered its head to my level, and nuzzled my shoulder in greeting. Its great antlers commended respect and admiration, but so did its size, and visible strength. I reached up to touch its face, amazed at its calm and serene vibe. Its fur was soft, and gave off golden reflections to the little rays of sun that came down from an opening. I slowly walked around it, awed by such a fine creature. He looked at me with curiosity, and a hidden anticipation. I smiled at him. "Should we go for a walk?" The great Elk raised its head, and perked his ears in my direction. I couldn't help a laugh escape my throat. "Alright then, let's have some fun!"

I now focused my strength on one door, only to realize why there actually were two… His antlers would not got through with only one. I sighed, working on the first one half way, to then have it pushed aside with the Elk's nose.

When I faced him, I thought he was going to bolt out and run me over. I'll tell you one thing: Elf kingdoms are full of surprises!

No. The great elk walked up to me, and kneeled to the floor, offering his back to me in the most elegant fashion. His head was angled downwards, antlers raised to the sky like dancing forms around a fire. He too had been imbibed with the elven graces, fashion, and respects. Awe-stricken once more, I slowly walked up to him, feeling grand and superior, that such a creature would offer me his back. Lucky bastard…I thought, as Thranduil crossed my mind.

I got on the massive creature's back, holding on to its withers, whilst I found a place to lock my legs. It hit me then how much I had missed horse-riding. Once I got set, the Elk set in motion, walking slowly at first. I believe I guessed why. "You don't have to go easy on me big guy, I can hold on" He gave a glance back, as if measuring my statement. He even got that from Thranduil… I gave him a smile. "Just go. I want to have fun as much as you do" And with that, his mind was set. The great Elk bolted out the stables, startling elves that were bringing back horses. They too, catching onto the raise in adrenaline, once more bolted away from their holders. I was again, surprised at the power surging in the Elk. I could feel his every muscle contract and extend.

For such a great bulk, he slalomed around objects, whirled around, and side-stepped with surprising ease. Then he caught up speed again. I let him go where he wished, enjoying the ride, and the show of startled elves running about. He was going for a hall. Waiiit a minute… It was the hall to Thranduil's private study! He jumped up the stairs like they were nothing, and before I could say "Merry Mirckwood", we busted through the doors, and slid across the ground to a stop.

The ElvenKing, from his sitting position, had jumped up and looked far more startled and surprised than the other elves had been. I couldn't help but laugh at his expression, not sure whether to consider it as cute or silly. His expression remained thus, throughout the laughter crisis, still trying to figure out what to do about this situation. I slid off the Elk, patting it lovingly, broken chuckles escaping my lips every now and then. Thranduil was now going from the Elk to me, back and forth, before finally settling on me.

"Am I doing a good job at my work, sir?" I asked with a teasing smile. He looked positively confused, and at a loss for anything to say. I walked up closer, looking up into his crystal-blue eyes. He didn't seem to know what to do about me. "You're welcome for the little distraction" I purred. The Elk came closer, and nuzzled his master's arm. My lips pinched into a small smile. Check, but not yet mate.

….Oh that sounded weird…

Taking a slight advantage of his lack of response, I got on tip-toes, holding onto the Elk's antlers for balance, and laid a small kiss on the corner of his lips.

I then walked away, and stopped at the door. "By the way…" He looked after me, pulled out of his initial phase of shock. "…the next game already started" I chirped, and disappeared into the great maze of hallways.

A/N: Hey guys! Here's the new chapter! I hope you all like it! It a little shorter than the previous one, but the next one should be….ahem….interesting and….ah…well…quite longer ;-)

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Love you all dear readers!