One week later Bard stood quietly waiting in the great throne room of the elven king Thranduil. It had taken almost all day to reach the elven king's great halls, but in the end it was worth it. He glanced around at the sheer beauty and vast expanse of walkways before him. Never had he seen it's equal in any kingdom. The elf whom he had met before returned and gestured for him to follow.

"My king will see you in his study."

Bard followed the elf down a series of paths, walkways, and halls until he was led to a set of large wood doors with glass inlay. The elf held a door open for him as he walked inside. The room was enormous in scale. The walls were large, at least as tall as ten men stacked on each other's shoulders. The ceiling curved upward into a large dome with an impressive stained glass window at the center. Shades of red, blue, and gold painted the entire room in their light. A large wooden table sat in the middle of the open space he had just walked into. It was large enough to hold twenty men, plus an extra person at either end. There were books scattered along the table with candles, parchment paper, inks and quills. Bookcases lined the walls all the way from floor to ceiling. A ladder was on either side of the room to reach the higher areas. Bard could see a path leading further back into the room but the book cases were like the walls of a maze and he could only wonder at just how large the room really was. In the chair closest to the door with his back facing the Bowman sat Thranduil. The elf announced Bard to the elven king who, with a wave of his hand, dismissed his servant. The elf turned and left, shutting the large doors behind him. Bard stood by the doors looking somewhat unsure of how to proceed. Thranduil gestured for him to sit in one of the chairs at the table. The huntsman sat down to the elven king's left and took a small shaky breath.

"I am most honored you agreed to see me. I came here to speak with you about establishing a trading agreement between our people."

Thranduil nodded quietly. "Yes, I am told that congratulations are in order. Not only did you kill the dragon, but now you have received the honor of becoming the King of Dale. I would be happy to establish trade with you and your people."

Bard nodded and smiled happily.

"Thank you my lord. My people will be overjoyed with the news. If I may be so bold to ask my lord," The bowman paused and Thranduil gestured for him to continue. "The road here took longer to traverse than expected. With your permission I would like to remain the night and take this time to begin drafting a contract for our future trade."

Thranduil thought on this a moment. He could not deny the prospect of establishing trade with the city of Dale was most appealing, but the idea of the Bowman spending the night was cause for concern. The hunger inside of him was still very much raging and he did not know if he could contain it with the bowman so close for so long, but if he turned the man away now the two kingdoms' relations might suffer.

"I would gladly welcome your council of trade and would be more than happy to host you for the night, but I do wonder what of your children? Are they not awaiting your return? And what of your people, will they not be missing their new king?"

"I have informed them that my trip may take me several days and I have left my people in the care of a very trusted advisor. He will see to it that things continue to progress in my absence."

Thranduil thought on this a moment. He could not come up with better reasonings to send the bowman away. If he pushed harder would the man become suspicious?

"Very well Bowman."

With that Thranduil picked up his quill and went back to his writings and Bard got to work on the contract. Time flew by and soon it was well past midnight. The contract had been drafted and redrafted at least four times. Food and drink had been brought some time ago and Bard was now working on the fifth revision while sipping his third cup of ale. Thranduil had finished his work some time ago and was now lounging in his chair, his feet up on the edge of the table, and a cup of elven wine in his hand. Bard set his quill down and passed the contract to the elven king. Thranduil took the paper and read it, taking small sips of the deep burgundy wine in his glass. Bard wondered at the strange liquid. He had heard tales about the elven wine. It was said one sip could intoxicate a man for a whole week, but no man he knew had ever tried it. Secretly he longed for a sip, but did not dare voice his wish out loud. He turned his gaze back to the elven king who was now staring at him. Bard blushed lightly, lowering his gaze, embarrassed at having been caught gawking. Thranduil extended his hand and held the glass out in front of the Bowman.

"Would you care for a taste? I must warn you it is very strong."

Bard stared at the glass for a moment then accepted it, his fingers grazing the elven king's softly. He smelt the wine cautiously then took a small sip. It was rich in flavor and very strong. His head swam a little as he handed the glass back.

"It is quite good, though I do admit it is too strong for me."

Thranduil chuckled softly setting the glass down on the table, "This wine is specially made in Dorwinion. It is much stronger than the drinks you are used to and would easily overpower you should you drink much more than a sip. Elves have a higher tolerance than men or dwarves and require stronger drinks to become even slightly intoxicated."

Thranduil slid the contract back over to Bard.

"Everything seems to be in order and is ready to be finalized. In the morning, when your mind is more level, we shall sign it."

Thranduil lowered his feet and began to stand. Bard was happy they were waiting to sign the contract until morning. The wine had affected him more than he had initially thought and he didn't think he'd be able to write in a straight line. Bard rose to his feet stumbling slightly. His hand bumping his glass off the table and, with a sharp crash, it broke against the stone floor. Bard stooped down and began picking up the pieces.

"My lord I am so very sorry. Please forgive my clumsy actions. I will pick it up straight away -ow!"

Bard drew his hand back sharply and stared as blood began flowing from the tip of his ring finger. The bowman lowered his hand, intending to press his finger to his shirt to stop the bleeding, but was caught by the elven king's powerful grip. Thranduil had moved so swiftly and quietly the huntsman hadn't even noticed until the elven king was a mere foot away, bending slightly downwards. Bard stared up at Thranduil questioningly. The elven king's eyes remained transfixed on the bowman's hand, the blood slowly creeping down the delicate finger. Thranduil slowly straightened back into a standing position, pulling Bard up along with him. The Bowman continued to look at the elven king with questioning eyes, unsure of what was going on and why.

"My lord is something wrong?"

Thranduil didn't answer. He continued to stare at the bowman's hand. Bard was about to speak again when the elven king slowly lowered his head, placed the bowman's finger in his mouth, and licked at his wound. Bard's mind went completely blank, his mouth falling open with shock. Thranduil licked and sucked on the human's finger, removing every drop of his blood that had spilled from the wound.

"M-my lord, what"

The Bowman''s voice fell silent as the elven king raised his gaze to meet the human's. Bard's heart skipped a beat, his breath catching in his throat, as he stared into the elven king's eyes now shining a deep, burning, and bloody red.