Meeting the King of Mirkwood
Natasha followed her two elven companions as they navigated the halls of the palace, trying her best to ignore the stares that were directed her way as they passed groups of elves. The palace had been built right into the side of a mountain, a river running into, and presumably, out of it. The intricately carved stone brought to mind the trees of the forest outside so beautifully, she found herself listening for the wind rustling the leaves, but of course they were well underground. Despite being underground, the palace was well lit, refracted light from dozens of golden crystals lit the halls, brightening even the furthest corners.
It had been around mid afternoon, when Natasha had woken up again to the sound of hushed voices, still wrapped in Strider's and Legolas' arms. They had been in conversation with a new elf, the sound of horses reached her ears, though she hadn't been able to see them at the time. It had taken a few moments for them to notice her awakening, and when introductions had been made, they had left to complete their journey to the palace.
They'd ridden for the rest of the afternoon and it was just beginning to get dark when they had come into the courtyard. Stable hands had run up to hold their horses as they dismounted while the elf who had originally brought them disappeared in the commotion. Legolas had helped her down from her horse, steadying her when her legs gave out beneath her. Another elf had materialized beside Legolas from out of nowhere, said something in Elvish and, turning on a heel, had led the way into the palace. Strider and Legolas followed closely and she'd had no choice but to follow.
"Where are we going?" she asked quietly, looking between Legolas and Strider.
"The King wishes to see us." Legolas stated simply.
Strider didn't say a word but brought a hand to the small of her back, guiding her along the passage. The page continued to pretend she wasn't there, keeping her eyes straight forward. She stopped at a door and gestured for them to enter, speaking again in elvish.
They entered the room and the door was closed softly behind them. A single desk sat at the far end of the room, behind which sat a tall, blond haired elf. He wore varying shades of green in much the same style Legolas did, even down to the insignia embroidered over his heart. He had looked up from what he was doing as they walked in, but didn't say a word until the door was closed. Then he rose silently from the desk and, moving around it, gathered Legolas into a hug, welcoming him back in Elvish, before turning to Strider and repeating the gesture. When his eyes fell on Natasha, they widened slightly and he raised a question eyebrow at her two companions.
"And who is this young lady?" he asked, inclining his head at Natasha.
"Father, this is Natasha McGowan." Legolas said, raising a hand to lead her forward. "Natasha, this is my father, Thranduil."
"And king of Mirkwood." Strider said, a small grin on his lips.
'Obviously, my son has been neglecting his title again.' Thranduil thought with amusement, as he watched the thoughts going through Natasha's mind playing across her face.
"Your majesty." Natasha quickly dropped the best curtsy she could manage, earning a nod from the king.
'And quick too.' he thought with approval before turning to his son. "How is she came to be here? Surely she should be with her people?"
Legolas quickly relayed the story of how they had met Natasha, Thranduil's interest increasing until finally Legolas ended with their discussion of her origins.
"It seems you've had quite the adventure since your arrival in my realm." Thranduil's eyes raised to look behind them, smiling brightly. "Ah Mithrandir, I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance.
"Pleasure's all mine, my dear." Thranduil said warmly, amused with her fumbling. "Ah, Mithrandir, I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance. My son claims to have found a woman from another world. Seems more your jurisdiction than mine, don't you think?"
A man who appeared to be quite ancient had just entered the room and he nodded silently, his eyes trained on the woman in question. He was dressed all in gray and his beard hung down to his knees. He leaned on a gnarled old staff, resting his chin on the uppermost hand. She met his gaze evenly, defiance slipping in and out of her eyes as though she wasn't quite sure he was judging her or not.
"Your son speaks the truth, my old friend." he stated simply. "She knows nothing of our world?"
"No." Strider replied, stepping protectively close to her, as Legolas did the same. "She didn't even recognize us as elves."
'Interesting.' Mithrandir thought, taking in the odd behavior of the two elven lovers. He quirked an eyebrow at the King who merely shrugged with a slightly smug smile on his face.
"Easy my young friend." the wizard soothed, he too noting the odd behavior of the two lovers. "I merely wished to ascertain how much she knows. Now, my dear," he turned to Natasha. "let us have a seat. May I ask how you got here?"
He motioned to the many chairs that sat near the hearth and preceded them all, settling into one with a heavy groan. Natasha was guided to one between Strider and Legolas, who each scooted their a little closer to hers. Mithrandir and Thranduil exchanged an amused glance before giving Natasha their complete attention as she related being attacked by the…orcs, then the spiders and falling off the cliff. Meeting her two companions and their subsequent run for life and finally of the final attack by orcs and the consequent resurgence of her powers.
Mithrandir listened intently to Natasha's story. He felt her power swirling beneath the surface of her mind, just out of conscious control, volatile and ready to take action if their bearer should become frightened or angry. Extremely dangerous if she couldn't get some measure of control over them. Surely someone had recognized her power? But if so, why hadn't they trained her? He said as much when she'd finished her tale.
"No. This…power hasn't shown up since it first showed itself when I was in my teens. The investigators called it a 'gas leak.' As for someone recognizing it, I doubt there's anyone who is aware of this kind of power, unless they're locked away in some government facility out of the way somewhere."
Most of this was lost on the elves but Mithrandir nodded sagely, taking his pipe out of his mouth.
"They would. If I remember correctly, the people of your world aren't as ready to accept anything other than the obvious in such matters. There was a time when magic would have been the first thought on everyone's mind and no time would have been wasted in getting you the training you needed."
"You know of her world, Gandalf?" Strider voiced the very question running through Natasha's mind.
"Yes, I traveled there much in my younger days, though I don't go there as often nowadays. Science is the truth there. Magic, it seems, has been forgotten. At least the true magicks, anyway." he smiled sadly.
"Can you send me home?" Natasha asked quietly.
"I'm afraid not, my dear. The Valar have brought you here for a purpose. And even if I could, I would not. At least not until you had learned to control this gift of yours. As it is, I will teach you while you are here and waiting to find your purpose."
Natasha decided to ignore his use of the term 'gift' in relation to her powers, desperately wishing her brother was here. At least then she wouldn't be alone in facing this. She rapidly blinked back tears, and nodded, not trusting her voice to remain steady.
"I warn you it won't be easy." Gandalf cautioned, leveling a hard stare are her.
"Few things in life ever are." she muttered doubtfully.
Thranduil, who had up until this point been staring thoughtfully out the window, turned to her with smile.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Mithrandir. But for now, I think perhaps you might like to get freshened up before dinner this evening. Anna will show you to your rooms, if there is anything you need, please let her know. If you will excuse us, I have some things I need to discuss with my son and Strider."
Natasha took her leave of the King, Mithrandir, and her new friends, and followed the elf Anna out of the room and to her rooms.
Thranduil watched her leave before turning to his son and Strider. "Now , tell me what else you found on your patrol."
Mithrander sat back, silently smoking his pipe as Strider and Legolas took turns relating the news they had gathered on patrol, the new spiders nests they'd discovered, the orcs they'd encountered, all prior to finding Natasha. The wizard's mind wandered down many paths, trying to determine who could have known about Natasha, could have seen her as a threat stuck in her own world as she was. Not many names came to mind, very few in fact. Which made it all the more troubling in his mind.