Done

It took only a few days for the king to travel to lothlorien, only stopping when completely necessary.

He could tell it was different here, even the air smelt different to him. He looked upon the elves that guarded the boarder coldly as they rose their arrows to him as he rounded a corner

"Your highness!" Haldir instantly lowered his bow and bowed lowly as the others followed.

The king slipped off of his elk gracefully and stood a good few inches taller than haldir. " I am here to see galadriel, lady of light" he said sternly.

"Of course" said haldir politely.

Haldir escorted the king to galadriel who go course was expecting him and left the two alone.

"Thranduil, king of mirkwood" she said cooly, staring levelheadedly at him.

"Where is she?" He asked rather rudely.

"So concerned. Do you not think that we have taken good care of her?" Galadriel questioned as she stepped down the steps.

"She is a nervous creature" he stated plainly, masking his worry.

"Indeed, almost froze my best maid when she awoke" said galadriel as the king remembered the first time one of his maids had found out that she was an iceling. "I know you care deeply for her" stated galadriel staring into the kings's eyes.

"You know nothing of me" the king whispered angrily but quietly. The two elves stared at each other for a few minutes before galadriel finally spoke. "She is resting at the moment, I will lead you to her"

The king followed behind galadriel as he walked through the halls of lothlorien, people stopping and bowing to him.

Finally they stopped at a white wooden door which galadriel opened quietly and stepped in. Thranduil's eyes locked onto helke's sleeping form in the large bed, a silk blanket covering her.

"She is weary" said galadriel softly as her and thranduil looked upon the sleeping iceling. Thranduil walked forwards as calmly as he could and leaned down to examined helke, the cut on her forehead, the bruise on her cheek.

"Where are they?" Asked the king angrily as he rose, "those filth that did this to her"

"Justice has been served" galadriel replied cooly.

"I shall see their heads are-"

"She is safe for now, let her rest" galadriel interrupted looking upon helke's sleeping form. Thranduil looked coldly at galadriel before kissing helke's forehead and stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers and followed galadriel out, shutting the door softly behind them.

Helke awoke just as the door shut and she sat up quickly. She pounced from her bed and ran to the door, tripping up on her way. She wrenched the door open and looked out as she saw thranduil and another female elf walking away, through the halls. Both elves turned around when they heard the door opening and thranduil smiled. Helke ran to the king and threw herself into him as tears began flowing down her cheek.

The king held her close to him protectively and smiled gently as she sobbed into him.

"Hush" he cooed as he stroked her hair lovingly and galadriel smiled.

"I was so scared" she sobbed into his chest.

"I know my love. But I am here now." He said softly and helke breathed in heavily through her mouth.

"You were very brave" said galadriel as she watched helke. Helke shyly looked over to galadriel but buried her face within the kings's chest. Thranduil placed a hand over her head soothingly and held her close. It sent waves of relief through his body to hold her close, know she was under his wing again.

"You should sleep now, regain your strength" she said softly to helke but helke obviously did not like that idea. Galadriel could not help but see how helke resembled a child. The way she clung to the king, not wanting to be left alone again.

"I shall be close by, you are safe" comforted the king quietly as helke clung to his silk coat.

"You promise?" She asked quietly.

"Of course" replied the king sincerely. Helke pulled back and looked between galadriel and her king before slipping back into the room.

"She is strong" said galadriel as they looked out at lothlorien.

"She is unstable" the king corrected.

"She has a name?" Asked galadriel.

"Helke" he replied shortly as a breeze gently picked up his blonde locks.

"You do love her, do you not? The affections you displayed upon her" said galadriel.

"Yes.." Said the king.

"And yet something is holding you back" she said looking at him from the corner of her eye to see him tense up. "The love for your queen" galadriel said. "If you never let her go, you shall never fully love helke"

Thranduil said nothing to the lady of light, knowing she was right. "Fate had brought you two together. It is time to leave the past as it is" said galadriel as she turned away and left the king to his own thoughts.

The king stared out at lothlorien for what felt like forever. Thinking of his queen. She had been an inch or two taller than helke with a thin frame and long blonde hair. He closed his eyes as he remembered her beautiful green eyes. He could almost hear her voice now as the wind blew gently. He had not been there to protect her either. He had allowed her and Legolas to venture out to the woods on a warm sunny day as he sat outside nearby on a wooden seat. It was the scream that had pulled him out of his drowsy thoughts. He had sat up bolt upright when he heard her screaming.

"GO LEGOLAS!"

"Caladwen?!" He called his wife's name as he bolted from his seat to see a younger Legolas running out to his father in tears.

"Ada!" He called as his father picked him up. A crowd formed around the forest edge and thranduil handed legolas to a maid as legolas sobbed. The king headed out to the forest and tears filled his eyes when he saw his wife lying on the floor, red blood covering her middle where a sword had impaled her. He held her limp body close as he cried. Nearby he saw a nearly dead Orc, twitching slightly. He placed his wife down on the ground with a kiss and unsheathed his sword, stalking towards the Orc, like an animal hunting it's prey. The Orc chuckled when he saw the tears on thranuil's face and the rage in in his eyes. Before he could say anything thranduil stabbed him with his sword viciously.

That night legolas had slept with his father in his mother's place on their bed. Neither of them could sleep, they just lay in the warmth as thranduil tried to hush his son's heartbreaking cries...

"Thranduil?" Asked a quite voice behind him, pulling him out of his past. He turned around to see helke, her white hair slightly messy, a shawl covering her small shoulders.

"How long have you been there?" Chuckled the king as she came forward sleepily.

"Not long, I couldn't sleep" she said drowsily as she leaned into him. He wrapped his red silk coat around her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

"I am sorry" he said quietly as the breeze rustled the trees.

"For what?" She asked confused, looking up at him.

"For not protecting you, letting you be captured" he explained but she shook her head.

"It was my fault. I did not stay close as you requested and I suffered the consequences" she said and the king smiled at her new maturity.

"You have learnt your lesson then? Asked the king and the iceling nodded.

"Thranduil" she said quietly and the king looked down at her.

"Yes?"

"I hate dwarves" she replied angrily.

"As do I" he said as he pulled her hair back softly from her neck. "Come, let us go home" he said turning away from the window and she nodded.

'Keep a very close eye on this one thranduil.' Galadriel whispered in thranduil mind as thranduil rode out with helke side saddle in front. He felt very uneasy and on guard as he rode through the grassy lands with an exhausted helke. He knew really he should have waited the night before traveling back but he wanted to be in his own kingdom with helke as soon as was possible.

He was going to keep helke's danger to a minimum, even if that meant her staying with him 24/7.