Title: TH Elvenking's Visitors
Chapter 11: Reveal
Spoiler Alert: The Hobbit (books, maps and movies)
Warnings: Language, Sexual Situations, Violence, Humor.
Pairing: Thranduil/OC
Summary: Ship - Thranduil lost his wife years ago to war. After the death of the dragon, there is a group of humans who are causing problems. One sparks Thranduil's interest.
A/N: When someone is speaking Elvish, it will be in italics. A big thanks to all who review! I hope Thranduil visits your dreams. I have to work a lot, so I am writing this in parts. I originally intended this to be the second part of ch 10. NASA? Who said NASA?
Legolas held a chair for Alyssa. She sat down in front of a circular table that appeared to be a dinner table. She wanted to sit closer to Thranduil, but didn't know if that was proper.
Alyssa decided Thranduil had appeared to regain some of his senses as his head tipped back and he was peering down his nose at everyone. He paused to adjust his cloak before sitting down on a golden chair.
Celeborn sat on his left and Elrond sat to his right in similar chairs. There was a low stone table in the middle.
Alyssa noticed their chairs were about four or five feet apart and angled so that Elrond faced Celeborn. It unnerved her that even though Thranduil was facing her from about twenty feet away, he would not look directly at her.
She turned to ask Legolas if she should leave and come back when it was her turn to talk, but he ducked out of the room.
Instead, they sat there in silence with Celeborn appearing solemn, Elrond smiling as if greatly amused and Thranduil by all accounts was annoyed and bored at the same time.
Legolas returned holding a plate with food on it and his other hand held a goblet. He briskly moved to her and set it on the table in front of her. "Lady Alyssa, I thought you would be hungry, and they'll be arguing for hours."
Alyssa was sitting sideways in her chair so she could see Thranduil and instantly moved to sit forward. She knew he could see her profile even though he was not looking at her. She even sat up straighter knowing if her grandmother were in the room that she would not approve of slouching in front of royalty. She took her arm off the table and tipped her head forward. "My thanks, Prince Legolas Greenleaf."
She didn't know where those words came from, but guessed it was the waves of Celeborn's disdain for her presence that was making her feel as if she were in a formal dining room instead of some type of marble and stone meeting room.
Legolas bowed briefly. "My pleasure my Lady."
When he turned, she noticed he did not bring any silverware. She picked up the goblet and admired the diamond inset. She took a sip tasting berries and decided it was juice. She set it down and folded her hands in her lap.
Alyssa now had no view of the men sitting of to her left and was being tormented by the appetizing smell of freshly cooked food. She glanced down seeing what appeared to be purple herbed potatoes, something that resembled green beans that had red stripes. Her mouth watered at what could have been a slice of roast with gravy.
She didn't want to grab at her food like a Dwarf, which she suspected would further amuse Elrond, so she sat, smelled the food, and drank her juice.
She glanced over thinking maybe she could get Legolas' attention while the other Elves murmured in Elvish. All of them were watching her but Thranduil.
Legolas smiled looking at her then the plate. He stood behind his father's chair with his hand resting on it.
Thranduil barked something out in Elvish.
Legolas jerked then glanced back and forth. He quickly sat next to Elrond then tipped his head to look at her with a question in his eyes.
She tipped her head to the plate and mouthed the word silverware having no idea the only thing the men had talked about so far was the fact she was not eating the food.
Celeborn sat back with a sigh flicking his hand to the side letting it be known to the other Elves that nothing would be accomplished until the human was dealt with. He spoke low and in Elvish. "Deal with her Thranduil. She is your…decorator."
Thranduil's voice boomed out with an ice cold edge as he spoke her language. "What is it?"
Alyssa felt the weight of his anger and lowered her head. "I can't eat…" She tried to add without silverware, but he cut her off.
"Try putting it in your mouth." Thranduil seethed.
If he had said this earlier when they were alone, she would have joked with him that what he said sounded sexual. There was no way she was going to say it now. She didn't know what had changed other than they were now in front of other rulers. She reminded herself of what she saw in the Hobbit movies concerning him and kept her mouth closed. She told herself that he was a great Elvenking, and she was after all a nobody human here in this place of refined beauty.
The reality of it and the way he was speaking sank in, and she wanted to leave the room. His ability to go from hot to cold was giving her whiplash.
She had no idea that Elrond's next words were in her defense because he was speaking Elvish. "If you upset her then of course she cannot eat. Besides what is she to eat with, her hands? Maybe she should just stick her face in the plate."
Legolas stood up knowing now that she was tormented at seeing and smelling nourishment she could not partake of and the fact that his father was now in a very bad mood.
Celeborn shook his head once and whispered in Elvish. "He hunts for her. He serves her food. Kissed her. What next? He is going to fetch for her? Are you? She's a human."
Thranduil was speechless. It wasn't something that happened often. He knew how it would appear to Elrond and Celeborn. He was having a dalliance with a human, which was unheard of even for the lowest cast of Elf. On top of that, his own son appeared to be vying for her attention by catering to her like a servant. He himself had offered his robe after she asked for it.
Thranduil wanted her. He needed her in his life, but his pride had taken too hard a blow. A haughty façade spread over his features. His blue eyes shimmered with all the warmth of the arctic, and he held perfectly still as if he were an ice sculpture.
Elrond shrugged then spoke in Elvish watching them all as if it were a play for his amusement. "I think she shows remarkable restraint. She has probably been starved since her arrival or only given shall I be polite and say fruit? If I were human, I would have eaten with my hands by now. Just being honest."
Legolas moved toward her.
Celeborn inclined his head speaking in Elvish, "This is intolerable. Is Legolas her pet then? If so, what does that make you Thranduil? Her toy perhaps?"
Thranduil spoke to Legolas in English, "You will not leave this chamber again because of her."
Alyssa was thankful that at least he spoke where she could understand. She lowered her head more and guessed that maybe Legolas' attention to her and her response had made Thranduil remember the kiss. She hoped that was all it was.
Legolas pulled a knife out and walked to her. He set it on the table then raised his eyebrows.
She nodded in reply. It would do.
Elrond shook his head and spoke where she could understand, "You must forgive me. Why did you not just use your hands when no utensils were presented?"
Alyssa drained her drink and reached for a pitcher that had already been on the table. "What and eat like a Dwarf and throw a roll past your head? At least it looked like a roll, but no my grandmother's voice is in my head." Alyssa cut a small piece of the meat and slowly raised it to her mouth with the knife noticing her coordination was off.
Elrond almost stood up, but leaned forward instead. It was completely lost to her that he was now serious. "How do you know about that?"
Alyssa blundered on. "I was barely fifteen when I stayed with my grandparents for Christmas at the Governor's Mansion. You see my grandfather Preston was a governor. Umm our country is divided up into states and a governor rules a state so to speak. Our state has about six to nine million people. Internet doesn't work here obviously, so I can't get exact numbers. Anyway, at the last minute we were invited to the White House. The President who rules our whole country invited them, and they inquired about me. They said yes. So off we go with only four hours notice to the capital and we dined with a couple foreign leaders. I made the monstrous mistake of reaching for the wrong fork. My grandmother never to her dying day let me live it down. It became more of a joke. After that, I waited on everyone else before I did anything. So, no I'm not going to use my hands to eat in front of royalty when using the wrong fork with the wrong food item was treated as if I ate like a Dwarf and danced on the table singing throwing food."
Alyssa leaned to the side and blinked a few times then managed to stab a piece of potato and put it in her mouth.
Elrond scooted to the edge of his chair. "How do you know what happened that day in Rivendell?"
"How do I not know? Wait. Did you know that Bilbo and Thorin were listening to you talk to Gandalf about Thorin's family issue with gold sickness? The barrel thing was fun, but you weren't there for that. Legolas was. He jumped from the top of one of their head to another shooting the bad guys. Elrond you know you shouldn't try to separate them or make her think there is no hope. She's your daughter and she loves him. Don't be like Thrandy when he went all don't give him hope where there is none…let them make their own decision." Alyssa took the glass of juice again and smelled it.
Legolas sprinted to her. The goblet was out of her hand in a second. "You mustn't drink anymore."
Celeborn turned on Thranduil. "She comes from a family of rulers? You chose to keep that from me? Is she really a human? Is she a Valar here under the guise of being human? The last time that happened, it didn't go well for me."
Legolas turned to his father who was watching him. "I did it this time. I had no idea when I sent for a glass telling them it was for the meeting that they thought it was for you. I gave her wine."
Elrond stood facing Alyssa. "Who am I trying to separate?"
She smiled at him remembering her old crush on him. "Your daughter from her one true love, but wait that hasn't happened yet. I shouldn't have said that. What's wrong with me?"
"Legolas gave you wine. Stop talking or you could change the future." Thranduil ordered.
Celeborn was oblivious to everything they were saying and believed he knew now why Thranduil had let her stay in the meeting. He wondered if she was spelled to appear as a human, but was really some other powerful race or even a lesser god come to visit. It had happened once before very long ago. "Lady Alyssa if you are a peer you should present your full name and designation upon meeting with Elven rulers. It is only proper."
"I'm sorry." Alyssa tried to stab a piece of food and failed.
Thranduil waved his hand. "Legolas, get more of the herb to counter the wine."
Alyssa set the knife down feeling completely dizzy and starved. "I don't have a designation. My grandfather does, but not me. I went to college and am making something of myself without my family's help. I applied to NASA and got the job. You see I help with experiments on the impact of the microgravity environment on plant growth. I know that is so technical sounding. Here." She pulled out her cell phone causing Thranduil to stand to his feet thinking he would have to take the devil box from her. "If nothing else, I might get to create experiments that will be in space one day."
Alyssa held the phone out thinking one of them would come and get it to see the picture of the space station surrounded by thousands of stars. "Wait. Can you guys see this because of your super Elf eyes?"
Elrond nodded and was not able to make out any of the constellations. He then turned to Thranduil. "She is not from Middle Earth is she?"
Celeborn folded his hands standing to join the others. "And she knows the future like Galadriel does?"
Thranduil inclined his head letting them know it was so.
Legolas sprinted in with a glass in his hand. "Alyssa drink this."
"No. I've had enough. I think I need to lie down or eat." She shook her head and the room spun.
"It is not wine. It will help." Legolas held the glass to her mouth and helped her drink a little.
Alyssa knew that her companions would die if they could have Legolas touching their face and hands. She pushed the glass back from her mouth thinking that they would be turning green if they were watching. "Jealous."
Elrond cleared his throat and glanced at Celeborn thinking she was meaning that Thranduil was jealous of Legolas who was touching her. "Maybe we should come back at another time."
"No. I need to talk to you about the Lord of the Rings. You have to make decisions." Alyssa let Legolas give her another sip. "Like not pushing her too hard to leave Middle Earth when you know there is a child and when she tells you to then you have to remake the sword that was broken. He'll fix everything just stop beating him over the head with the fact he is a human. Lighten up. We're not that bad."
Thranduil strode forward taking the glass from Legolas and accidently dumped the remaining liquid down her cleavage. He swallowed fighting the urge to lick the fluid off of her now glistening breasts.
"Stop. Are you trying to drown me? Hot then cold. Hot n cold. Perry had it right." She thought about the song. "And you. I don't really know what to say to you." She pulled back from Thranduil and looked at Celeborn. "Why would you stay here when she is going to the ummm White Shores or that place where she was born? Why do you stay here when she goes with Gandalf and the ring bearer? Hell I think even Elrond goes. Even Bilbo. Wait. I think in one version you were there, but I didn't see you get on the ship. That doesn't matter. What matters is when the Fellowship shows up without Gandalf your guards must let them in to rest. The ring bearer must talk to Galadriel. They need to talk and she gives them gifts even if Gandalf warns not to have contact with them because of the Eye." Alyssa felt as if a great weight had pressed down with the last few sentences she spoke then it lifted when she was done.
Elrond and Celeborn were looking at their rings of power that had glowed when she felt the weight. They turned to her and lowered their heads a fraction.
Her mind was so foggy she had no idea what just happened or what she said. "I need to lie down."
"Just be silent and let the herbs work." Thranduil gripped her arm.
Alyssa pulled back thinking he might snap her arm in half.
He let go, and she remained quiet.
After several minutes, everyone took their seats, but Legolas. He pulled out a fork. "I picked his up when I got the herbs. I hope it is the right one."
She smiled and took it from him. It was only moments later when the other three Elves started speaking Elvish again. They talked over what she had said.
Legolas sat with Alyssa as she ate. Over time, the herbs started working and she wondered what Thranduil was thinking because he was back to peering down his nose. His arctic eyes remained on her even when he was talking to the other two Elves.
Celeborn spoke in Elvish. "She isn't human."
Thranduil ground his teeth then responded. "She is."
Elrond added. "Alright, whatever she is…she isn't from this world, and she knows about the One Ring."
Thranduil nodded.
Elrond folded his hands. "Is she certain it is destroyed?"
Thranduil nodded again.
"What else can you tell us?"
Thranduil took a breath. "That's all I know."
"Who has the ring now?"
"I don't know."
Elrond tapped his finger. "She knows?"
Thranduil nodded not trusting himself to speak. He couldn't bring himself to explain to them about the promise he made to her about not getting information from her.
"Ask her?"
Thranduil shook his head no. Every question was like a hammer was being taken to his pride. He had allowed a human to manipulate him into promising not to pursue a certain line of questioning. He had allowed them to see him gaping at her body as she walked toward them in the hall, and she reprimanded him. His mind ran over a list of every minute way that she had caused him to act like anything other than the great Elvenking that he was. A domineering thought prevailed after the lengthy list; he was being controlled by a human girl.
Elrond would not give up. "Maybe next time you are, let me say, decorating…ask her who has the ring."
The muscle in Thranduil's cheek twitched.
Legolas wasn't paying attention to the whispering behind him as he watched Alyssa eat. "I can help with that."
"What? Download Elvish into my brain like this is the Matrix? I don't see that happening." Alyssa shook her head and stabbed a piece of meat. She brought it to her lips. Some gravy dripped off onto her lower lip and traced down her chin. No napkin in sight, she ran her finger over it then licked it off.
From across the room, Thranduil watched her tongue greedily flick out and her mouth close over the end of her finger as she sucked.
Thranduil lost his concentration again. He thought of her words from earlier about what she wanted to do to him after the meeting. His mind envisioned her mouth closing over his hardness. He let out a shuddering breath that he had been holding.
He shook himself then noticed that Celeborn and Elrond glanced seeing what she was doing. He felt their eyes then boor into him. He knew they understood where his mind went. Their Elvish ears could hear the renewed racing of his heart. Their eyes could not miss the dilation of his eyes.
Thranduil had no idea what they had been saying or if they asked him yet another question. He was dumb struck again.
He watched as Legolas put his hand on her shoulder. Thranduil's guts churned and heat flooded his body with the urge to draw his sword. He gripped the arms of the chair to force himself to stay where he was.
Legolas leaned forward bringing his face mere inches from Alyssa's. Thranduil pictured Alyssa leaning forward to kiss him the way she had before when she thought he was Thranduil.
Elrond watched the chair thinking it would break soon. "Thranduil?"
Thranduil did not hear him as his ears strained to hear the lightly whispered words that Legolas was chanting. He could not understand what he was saying, but his mind offered that they were words of praise to her beauty.
Thranduil thought over the word she spoke earlier when Legolas touched her; she said the word jealousy. It was a new emotion to him, and it burned with an intensity that took over his mind.
Legolas removed his hand and spoke in Elvish. "Do you understand?"
Alyssa gasped and a broad smile took over her face. She could understand what he was saying in Elvish. "Yes!"
Elrond leaned back in his chair. "On second thought, maybe you should have Legolas ask her the question."
Thranduil came back to himself and understood what Elrond was implying. His dagger like words came out in Elvish and he did not know that Alyssa could understand him, "No one is going to ask her questions. She is mine. She will do whatever I say like a good little human."
Celeborn tipped his head still not convinced she was human. "I do not believe so. She has some kind of hold over you. Is it her beauty or a spell?"
Thranduil broke one of the arms off the chair and let it drop. "No one controls me especially not some common human girl." He didn't like Celeborn commenting on her being attractive, so he lashed out even more. "She is human. In a hundred years, they are born and die. It is but a blink of an eye. Their beauty lasts a few years then fades. I will keep her while she is useful and pleasant to look upon then I will discard her as I have countless others. She means nothing to me, but she can believe I'm taken with her since it serves a purpose. For now."
Alyssa let out a breath and pressed her hand to her chest.
All of the Elves listened as her heart skipped a beat then another.
She gasped in air, and her heart beat again. It thundered in her chest as her peripheral vision blackened out. She struggled to maintain consciousness.
Legolas took her arm. "Lady Alyssa?"
She heard his voice and pulled herself back. "I…I…"
Alyssa stood then stumbled. She would have fell on her face, but Legolas held firm to her arms.
Thranduil trembled with the need to kick Legolas away from her…or drop him off a cliff…or chop off his head. His mind kept offering ways to remove his hands from her arms. No other conscious thoughts existed. He kept telling himself that he would not harm his son, but his eyes stayed fastened on where Legolas touched her.
Thranduil was finally able to whisper out a few words where the Elves could hear. "Stop touching her."
Elrond's amusement caused him to lose his mind as well. "Because she is a human or because she is your human?"
Alyssa stood on her own by gripping the back of her chair. She didn't pay any attention to Elrond, and only had eyes for Thranduil. "You don't mean that." She thought about his hurtful words.
Thranduil's mind partially returned from the jealous rage. He thought about the fact that he said for no one to touch her. "I do."
The pain of his words pierced her heart again. She thought over the short time they had together and wondered if it was all some act. After all, he was a master manipulator. She thought to herself over what was more possible…the Elvenking fell madly in love with her in this short time or he had a plan to get information he wanted.
The broken shards of her heart froze over at the thought of him pretending to like her. "Everything that happened was fake." She made it a statement.
Thranduil thought she meant the display that she just put on in front of him with Legolas. Anger ran over him that she was admitting that she pretended to be drunk, so that Legolas would touch her to make Thranduil jealous.
"Then there is no point in continuing." He was talking about the fact that she swayed causing Legolas to hover.
Alyssa thought he meant there was no point in Thranduil pretending to be interested in her. "No."
She watched him with all the hurt and loss in her eyes. She knew how pitiful she must appear to the others, so she let go of the chair and tried to stand on her own.
Her leg gave out and Legolas caught her.
Legolas helped her stand again and commented, "You may need to lay down somewhere."
Thranduil broke off the other arm of his chair and held onto it for a few moments before it fell to the ground. He didn't know why she was prolonging his torture. It was a slap in the face that she kept toying with his emotions and pretending frailty so that Legolas would keep grabbing onto her. He thought of Legolas's last words and pictured Alyssa in his bed with her lips pressed to Legolas's mouth.
Alyssa kept her eyes on Thranduil wondering if this would be the last time she would see him. He had so completely captured her heart in a short amount of time then destroyed it, but she still loved him anyway. She didn't want to leave. Her mind offered the thought that maybe it was a show for the other Elves.
Alyssa took a deep breath and prepared to humiliate herself. She knew somewhere inside of him that he really did care for her. "Admit it. You care."
Thranduil glanced at Legolas's hand that was holding her arm. He feared if he said yes that he cared that she was being touched by another man that she was going to kiss Legolas again just to torment him. He had no idea what game she was playing, but only understood he was losing. "No."
Alyssa's heart skipped another beat, and she leaned forward curling up as her eyes stared out blindly. Her hope was gone. She thought to herself that she should have seen this coming. He was the Elvenking after all.
Legolas put his arm around her waist and held onto her. "I'm taking you to lay down."
She nodded.
When they made it to the door, Thranduil finally spoke again. "Now what? Do you think I'm going to run after you? What exactly do you expect from me?"
She remembered his words earlier, which were similar to what he said to Thorin in his throne room about a hundred years being a blink in the life of an Elf. Anger skirted the edges of her grief. She thought everything that happened between them was a manipulation for information. Even knowing that, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. She told herself she knew all along this was who he was.
"What do I expect from you?" With great effort, Alyssa turned looking over her shoulder at him. "I expect you to forget me…in the blink of an eye."
With that, she strode out the door with Legolas's help.
Thranduil watched after her having no idea where he went wrong.
Elrond waited till the door shut before he spoke. "Aren't you going to go after her?"
Thranduil contemplated it then feared if he did that it might be part of her plan. He would charge out to find her only to see her on the floor grinding against Legolas. He admitted to himself that he had no idea why she was acting the way she was. He also feared he didn't know how far she was going to take it.
Celeborn stood and paced believing that he was going to somehow be the one punished by the Valar. Somehow, their wrath always found a way to him. "Apologize to her."
Thranduil found his voice. "For what?"
Celeborn stopped pacing seeing how the Valar would blame him. "I implied both you and Legolas were her playthings. Then you told her that she was your plaything. Apologize to her and make her happy then they will not hold me accountable."
"What are you speaking of?" Thranduil turned to him.
Elrond shook his head knowing that Thranduil did not understand his folly. "Legolas spelled her to understand Elvish. She fully understood you when you said she means nothing to you and that you falsely make her believe you care."
Thranduil could have swore he heard the ringing of bells as understanding flooded him.
Celeborn watched him. "It nearly killed her. Didn't you hear her heart stop?"
Thranduil stood rethinking over everything that happened since they came into the room. He played back every sentence that was said. Every reaction. Every movement.
The door burst open and an Elven guard fell to his knees in instant supplication. "My Elvenking. She is dying."
Thranduil lunged over the table and grabbed him off the floor so that his feet dandled. "What?"
His words could not form because he was being strangled.
"Answer me!"
Elrond and Celeborn grabbed Thranduil's arms lowering the guard to his feet.
Thranduil let go and the guard fell to the floor.
Elrond kept a hold on Thranduil and spoke to the guard. "Answer him before he kills you."
"Lady Alyssa." His voice choked out. "She fell. Legolas sent me to you before he want to get the healers. He said she turned red and fell. He said she said that she can't die from a broken heart and not to bother with healers. My Elvenking, I know nothing else."
Thranduil grabbed his arm and drug him out into the hall. The guard fought to get to his feet as he was dragged like a doll.
Thranduil stomped along as he spoke. "Show me where she is?"
Elrond stood with Celeborn watching him disappear around a corner.
"She will die and go back to Valinor, and I will be to blame." Celeborn started pacing.
Elrond smiled. "Not everything is about you. Besides, isn't it a human saying that when you are separated from your love that you have a broken heart? It doesn't mean their physical heart breaks."
"I have heard them talk of the dead and say that they died of a broken heart." Celeborn changed direction and clasped his hands behind his back. "You heard her heart stop a few times."
Elrond raised his eyebrows. "You better send for Gandalf."
Celeborn stopped. "You believe he can sway their wrath that will be directed toward me?"
"No, but we need to talk to him about the One Ring."
Celeborn went back to pacing. "I've never seen Thranduil behave like this."
"He is in love."
"There has to be something I can do to fix this." Celeborn stopped. "How did Thranduil's last kingdom survive his falling in love the first time?"
Elrond started pacing. "It didn't."
A/N: Oooh that evil wine is at it again and what is it with the men of Mirkwood getting women tipsy? It took me long enough creating this chapter. For that I am sorry, but I hope you liked it. I enjoy crazy jealous Thrandy breaking things.