A/N: Hullo! Hullo! Dear friends! Tests are finally over! Doth my freedom starts! I greatly hope that you will like the chapter. Please do not hesitate with any feedback, it is always welcome!
And so, I shall see you again!
"Were you looking for a distraction like this?" He repeated sternly.
I stared up at him, searching. Searching for a way out? Searching for an answer? Searching for the truth within myself.
The decision didn't come to me as I had wished. No. Instead, footsteps echoed down the hallway urgently cutting my reflection to a stop. I tore my gaze from his and considered the activity on the other side of his door.
When the knock and the call finally came, the voice was panicked, almost frightened, which caused the king to snap his attention to what was going on outside his walls. Gracefully, he let me go and stood up, draping himself in his bed cover. He smoothly walked to the door on silent steps, and stopped to throw a last glance at me as I moved to his balcony, ready to escape. His eyes were cold and distant. No longer did I find that spark that set the butterflies in my stomach ablaze. He became King Thranduil of Mirkwood again. With a heavy heart, I set my hand on the rail, ready to jump off when the next voice alarmed me to a stop.
"My King, there are beings in the woods of which we know not of. They handle strange powers and fight the spiders with great agility and stealth. They seemed not to care for our presence, and kept dealing with their enemies with unparalleled ease. Orcs then came to ambush us as we laid guard upon these unbidden creatures. Without call or plea they then came to our help. My King, we have brought them to our gates at their bidding. They wish to speak with you. Shall we let them in, or send them away?"
Fear struck me in the guts and my eyes searched the woods as in a desperate attempt for my soul to flee. The string of despair had been struck inside me once again. When Thranduil's response did not come, I turned to his searching face. He read the panic in my eyes and seemed to look for the connection with the situation at hand. Before giving any more away, I let my body drop to the other side of the rail.
I landed with a muffled thump, right on the discarded clothes. Without heeding the look on my small form from above, I dashed for the woods, eager to get out of sight.
From then on, what happened in the King's palace was unknown to me.
Thranduil watched the small frame disappear in the rich variant greens of his inner forest. Somewhere, deep inside, regret and hurt seemed to claw helplessly at the bottom of a pit, unheard, a strange feeling, that she wouldn't be coming back. His head regained his proud posture, and without turning to the door, ordered in a dry voice "get a servant to bring me new clothes, and escort the guests to the throne room.
-It shall be done, my King." The footsteps fainted in the hallway at a rapid pace. The king's gaze remained struck on the vegetation, following the unknown path that she had followed. Perhaps these guests are of her people. But why would she flee them? The theories as to her escape were numerous and each had an equal potential to be true. A forced hand for certain biddings, a high treason to be punished, an over-protective and possessive people… The knowledge about them was too little to narrow down the possibilities. Thranduil paced his room, his impatience growing. It seemed to him that too much time had passed between the messenger and the arrival of the servant. Just as he thought it was needed to inform the servants of the slowness of their tasks, a small shy knock reverberated on the door. "Come in. Do not waste more time" he ordered a little more harshly than he had intended.
The servant entered, keeping her eyes low, and settled the clothes on his bed, then waiting to the side. "I will not need your assistance. You may leave." She gave a stiff bow, and left as swiftly as she came. The king made no word and dressed in haste. With a last look at his reflection in the mirror and to the woods he left his chambers, and stepped towards his next destination.
Had fear not struck me so brutally, I might have stayed, and might've even explained. But the suddenness of the situation caught me off guard. So much so that my actions took the better of my reflection. Branches, leaves, and little twigs seemed to dive for my defenseless face. I battered them away seeing no end to their assault. And yet, my feet kept their rhythm. Determined on their course of action. My mind on the other hand, twisted and rotated the situation in every possible way, leaving doubt to gnaw at my thoughts.
The walls, the borders of his palace were coming into view. It did not change a thing to the situation as my feet kept beating the ground with renewed fervor. It kept coming, closer and closer. In the uncertainty of my mind, I let my body do what it thought was best. I jumped on the side of the wall, and kicked off in the other direction, landing on a tree's bough. From there I jumped again, over the stony heights, and out of his existence. When I touched the ground again, sadness pricked my heart and bubbled up to choke my throat. I'm on the other side… My eyes became slightly misty, and I became more confused. What had I been expecting from this? An escape? A place to hide? A place to…disappear from their sight. But no matter how far I went, I knew they would find me. I knew they would bring me back. So I had to run, and run, and ever run on. This was my life as I had chosen it to be. It was time to accept my own decisions.
I stood straight and looked through the trees, further and further, where tomorrow would bring me. As the present suddenly came rushing back, I felt a presence, and spun around in a defensive position. There upon the wall stood a guard. He eyed me soundlessly, and made no move to stop my leaving. I studied his face, and recognized him for being one of the guards who had once kept my cell. His eyes were solemn and searching, and I thought I saw somewhere in those depths, a twinge of sadness. In a silent agreement, we parted ways, never uttering so much as a sound. My feet picked up their pace, and my ceaseless run continued its course, once again.
And yet, somewhere in the corner of my mind, his presence remained, and with the growing distance, my heart seemed to grow heavier and heavier.
He stalked down his halls, fully gowned in his splendor, head high and proud, and a majestic demeanor. His crown was now of other sorts, like molten crystal dancing about his head, and down along his silken hair. It came around and hugged the base of his jawline, like an extension of his very bone. As he entered the throne room, there stood tall and erect the figures of his present curiosity. Twelve of them there were. Garbed in deep brown cloaks, worn and stained with age. Their hoods were still upon their heads, hiding away their faces from the light. King Thranduil walked up the stairs to his great throne, without giving his guests another look until he was seated.
"What business do you have here in these lands?" he intoned, voice bouncing off the distant walls. One of the figures stepped forward and pulled back the hood from its face. Harsh were the features and smooth was the skin under the many black markings. It was a man, young by appearance, but wise and old by his eyes. His hair was short, inky black, and stabbed at the sky greedily. His voice was otherworldly powerful, deep, and delicately smooth. "We meant to cause no disrespect at our intrusion, King Thranduil." He said with a bow of his head. "One of our own seems to have gone amiss, and walks the lands as she sees fit. Words has reached us that she came to your land. We came in haste, searching for her or remnants of her passage. Have you, King, by chance heard wind of her in these parts?"
The King left a silent pause in which he contemplated whether or not giving information to these beings was deemed wise. Not only had he never seen the like, but report of their fighting skill could not be omitted either. "Before I give you any leave as to the information I possess or not, I would like to know more about your kind and intentions. You seem to know me, but I do not know of you. I do not believe creatures such as yourselves have roamed these lands before. What are you, what do you search, and why?" his voice never rose from its initial level, and yet it dripped with purpose, unwavering determination, and a subtle commanding twist.
Now the guest gave a pause, and his face remained blank of any expression. "The matter of who and what we are, I'm afraid, is none of your concern nor should be. You dislike strangers to tamper with your lands and business. So do we. This situation is not for you to know. We come without evil thought or threat. All that we demand is news whether or not she has taken this path."
Thranduil's eyes then became cold, disliking the retribution that was given to him. His voice was now grave, and no undertone of politeness could be found. "It seems you do not understand your current situation. You walk here on elven ground, and will answer to elven rule. I welcome you in my halls as guests, and yet you cast my hospitality aside and demand—
-It seems it is you who misunderstands the situation, King Thranduil." The stranger cut off. His face remained placid, always devoid of any emotion, yet a threat seemed at the edge of his voice. He cast his eyes to latch on those of the King, pummeling his will in his very face. "Rules of this world do not touch us. We may come, and take leave as we see fit, whether you are willing or not. That you test this out with your magic is a grave insult to the 'hospitality' you claimed earlier. You could not hold us down, even if you used every living breath in this palace to do so. That you have managed to keep her here is a sheer luck in itself." The strangers eyes drilled in Thranduil's, holding them in place, unwilling to let the warning go by unheard. The King was taken off guard by power for the first time in centuries. No force dared to oppose him and hold out for long, yet this creature, this infuriating creature dared to oppose him as on equal grounds. He gave no answer to the man, and merely fought with his eyes instead.
Having made certain that the message had been heard, the man spoke again. "Has she taken this path or not." He all but commanded. Thranduil did not respond, and felt the anger rise speedily within himself.
The other gave a sigh, and faced one of the guards instead. "Answer my question" he ordered. The power in his voice was such that the elf was compelled to respond. "She's been disappearing amongst our walls now for quite some time." He spoke barely hiding the suppressed shake. The stranger cast a last glance at the king before heading for the halls leading further into the palace. A disbelieving look struck his face until his anger, nay, rage snapped out from himself. He stood to his full height and bellowed to his guards "STOP THEM!"
Immediately a hoard closed in on the intruders who seemed to pay no heed. But as the armored elves came to arms reach, faster than a flash the strangers moved, the helms rung noisily upon the floor, their owners rendered unconscious. The twelve cloaked shadows disappeared into the palace depths (not unlike her fashion).
King Thranduil fumed at their outrageous conduct and disrespect. How dare they overstep their boundaries!? He stepped down from his throne, then marching off to his chambers to get his sword himself. On his way, Legolas caught up with him worried and high-strung. "Father, they're in the palace walls!
-I know. Get your weaponry and ready the guards." Was all he responded as he disappeared inside his chambers.
I halted on a small rocky over-hang, offering a clear view of the vibrant-green, leafy sea. I inhaled the fresh hair that fingered through my hair lovingly, reveling in the sensation. The distance had calmed my heart, and freedom seemed to open its arms to me. Yet something….something bothered me. A feeling, a hunch, an itch I could not seem to scratch. My head spun in the opposite direction. That presence that was ever there in the corner of my mind seemed disturbed unsettled.
By now I guessed that they had reached the palace, and wondered how bode Thranduil with such guests. A sudden fear struck me straight in the chest. What if things weren't going well? They were capable of the worst all too well.
Irrational panic crushed my heart, and my feet flew the land twice as fast in the opposite direction I had initially taken. A prayer rose from my heart, pleading, begging to the skies that nothing bad had befallen the King of these lands.