Iythrinel watched the elven bride-to-be walk off in anger. Feeling slighted herself, she turned to Thranduil and kicked him in the shin, muttering something about tree kings at which he jolted and looked down to her with curious eyes. However she turned away from him and crossed her arms.
"For what reason did you deem to kick me for?" he asked. A sigh from Legolas had him turn, and the look on his son's face truly made him feel dim.
"You've insulted her, indirectly but still, really father?" Realization dawned on Thranduil's face. His friend also carried a body that differed from most elves, shortness aside.
Iythrinel clicked her tongue and spun back around, "Either way, when she comes back you must apologize Thranduil, your insult was uncalled for. You truly are horrible with first impressions."
Thranduil's brows furrowed "I was only speaking what I thought. I should not be at fault for how the woman took it."
Legolas sighed "It is still on you Father." Iythrinel sighed slightly yanking on a braid.
"Remember your plan, Thran, angering her will not do you any service. Now shall I go to clean up this mess?"
At this, they were interrupted by Mithrandir. "A mess indeed, but nothing to be too worried about I'm sure." He smiled, reassuringly, but even still, uncomfortably. Fae was not known for her patience or tame temper. Iythrinel waved a hand, dismissing the unease she could see in his eyes.
"I shall do what I can to correct this mess, I'm used to cleaning up after my king after all, you know this well Mithrandir." She smiled at the old man ignoring the look Thranduil was using on her.
Legolas jumped in, "It's true Nel deals with alot of things Father is prone to mess up."
Iythrinel nodded grinning and shooting a now thoroughly annoyed Thranduil a mischievous look, "The absolute worst at first impressions."
The king broke royal character and smacked her lightly on the head. "Enough of that now," He turned to Mithrandir "Do you carry the Advir? The Isilme Rî?"
Mithrandir looked at him with a raised brow and made a rude sound, "It was never mine to carry. You insulted the carrier. Now how do you feel about that?"
"She over rea-"
"Not her. The beast, as you called him."
Iythrinel perked up at the mention of the large white tiger. "That beautiful tiger? He carries the crown? You must tell me his name if he is in possession of one, Mithrandir!" She asked excitedly hand actually clutching the front of her tunic like that of a child. Thranduil had felt slightly betrayed by his guards fawning over the beast, it had threatened him after all!
Mithrandir, however, gave Iythrinel a fond smile, and dipped his head to her, "His name is Ainur, my lady. He wa a gift from her parents."
Iythrinel looked to the ground and whispered the tigers name. "I envy her, I wish I had such a companion by my side."
Legolas turned to his father, a slender brow raised, "Perhaps you should somehow acquire a large feline for Nel?"
Thranduil tossed his head to the side, hair billowing behind him at the movement, "I should think not, just the one will be more than enough I can assure you."
Iythrinel shook her head. "Enough about that, we really should do something about this."
"And what do you propose?" There was Thranduil's haughty voice again, taking no responsibility for what he'd done. That earned him a sharp look from all present.
Growing tired of his thoughtlessness, Iythrinel answered somewhat coldly "Mithrandir and I shall go out and get your Queen to be my King." And with that said she whistled and a horse came up. Jumping onto the mares back she bowed her head in Mithrandir's direction.
Thranduil watched with a raised brow, but made no move to stop them, "Very well then." Was all he said as he turned on his heel, the rest of the guard parting to let him through before trailing behind him.
"Should I accompany you?" Legolas asked softly, leaning closer to Nel, out of earshot of his father, his eyes soft with sympathy and worry.
Nel shot the archer a smile, "No, go and be with your father, as much as I trust the guards I have trained myself I will feel better if you are with him." In reality Iythrinel could not handle Legolas' pitying looks for the moment.
Mithrandir saddled himself on a horse, one he'd left at the end of the trail for the guards to bring up, and the poor guards had just gotten back with the horse when he'd taken it from them again. "Let us go then, Lady Iythrinel. She could not be far, and night will soon fall."
Bard smiled as he got yet another laugh out of the woman who didn't seem to mind sitting next to him on a dirty barrel, despite wearing fine silks and velvet. For what seemed like the thousandth time, he caught himself staring at her, in awe by the way her eyes sparkled like the sun reflecting over rippling waves. He lifted a brow.
"You are an elf, aren't you?" he asked softly, and she choked on the apple she'd bitten into. She looked at him with a shocked expression, then cleared her throat, smiling a little behind the hand she used to cover her mouth.
"Is it so obvious?" she asked him once her mouth was clear, and then it was his turn to laugh.
"No, not very." he winked, and she smiled, gracefully sliding from the barrel and dusting off her dress. They both lifted their heads as they heard another growl, and the great cat nudged his head from the trees. Fae dipped her head to him as if she understood before turning back to Bard, who held a curious expression on his face.
"I must go." Her eyes held a bit of sadness, and he knew without a doubt that his own did. And before he could think better of it, he spoke up, his words rushed.
"Will I ever see you again?"
Faeilân's heart broke, put itself back together, and broke again as she watched the emotions play across the mortal Bard's face. she gave him a sad smile, and started to say no, but instead, a different sentence all together fell from her lips.
"I will find you again." And she turned and disappeared into the trees, the tiger curling its lips silently at the man before following after her.
That was a bad idea, my Lady. You give the mortal hope where there is none.
"Shut up, Ainur. I do not know what I was thinking." She knew there could never be anything with the mortal, she was about to marry, and apparently in the future give the elvenking a child, though she did not know why. He had a perfectly healthy and handsome son for an heir. and, she'd also neglected to tell the Barrel man this fact.
You were not thinking, that is just it.
She gave her companion another scowl at his "helpfulness", which he seemed to ignore, and lifted his head to sniff the air. Fae lifted a brow before doing the same.
"What?"
Mithrandir approaches, along with the female.
Faeilân sighed, picking up her robes and then straddled Ainur's back, who lowered himself to accommodate her. He lifted, shaking his great head before he took off in a sprint, eating up ground faster than her own feet and speed could have. He burst from the trees, skidding to a halt just before the horses the two rode.
"Ah! There you are, my Lady. We were beginning to worry." Mithrandir spoke, bowing his head, a sparkle in his eye.
The female elf that had been by the elven king'ss side had a long sword brandished, sharp end pointing at the two. When she realized who it was she sheathed her sword and hopped off her horse going into a bow, "My apologies my lady, I had thought you a threat. Are you harmed?" She asked her Queen to be, trying to see any possible wounds with her eyes.
Fae smiled at the other female, a soft smile, and a real one in fact, and shook her head, gently patting Ainur on the neck, "No, I am fine, thank you. It occurs to me that we do not know your name. Will your share it?"
Iythrinel tilted her head forward, "I am Iythrinel daughter of Limdur, my lady." Lifting her head she motioned towards Mithrandir, "We have come to escort you back to my kings realm."
"Mae govannen, Iythrinel, daughter of Limdur. I thank you." She lifted a brow as Ainur moved them a little closer, sniffing at the air around the redhead. Fae opened her mouth to scold him, but he pushed his great head against the other woman's stomach, nuzzling her.
She appears to like me. His voice was a deep rumble, a happy one, and Fae rolled her eyes. Iythrinel, taken with the large creature smiled softly and lifted a hand to pet him, but hesitated looking to his eyes, "May I pet you Ainur?" she asked. He nudged against her, as if saying yes, and Fae laughed.
"He seems to like you, very much so. That is rare."
Iythrinel looked to Fae but this time there was no real warmth to her smile, "Is that so? I am honored." Looking back down Iythrinel smoothed her hand against the silken coat, relishing in its feel. Quickly she backed away, "I'm afraid we must go my lady, it can be dangerous the later we stay out here." and with that she turned to her mare once again straddling it.
Ainur chuckled in her mind, and Fae frowned, watching the female. She looked to Mithrandir, a look passing over his face, and for a moment he looked paler than usual. But he quickly recovered, smiling "reassuringly", and turned to lead the way back to Thranduil's palace.
She seems to like me very much. But not so much you, I'm afraid. Ainur chuckled, and Fae looked down at him as he padded silently behind them. As if she needed something else to worry about. She supposed she wasn't here to make friends, but it would have been nice to have at least had one. She made a face, and Ainur pushed his head into her fingers, stumbling only a little as he did so as he tried to walk. She curled her fingers in his fur, smiling a little. Even when he was angry at her he tried to comfort.
The ride back to the palace was a silent one, filled with tension that really, Fae had no idea where it stemmed from.
Legolas, after seeing Iythrinel and Mithrandir off followed swiftly after his father who upon seeing his son next to him raised a brow "I had assumed you would go off Galavanting with Nel."
Legolas' stared forward, "I offered but she refused, insisting I stay with you father."
Thranduil furrowed his brows observing his son, and then cast a look at the guards around him, "Honestly that girl, I can take care of myself. I am not a mere king who sits upon his throne."
Legolas kept the sarcastic remark he had to himself. "She is merely doing her job father. One you appointed her."
Thranduil stuck his nose up remembering his childhood with the red haired elf, "She appointed herself. I merely made her title official when I was given the crown." Legolas smiled to himself, knowing well how the two thought of each other, and hearing rather humorous stories from Nel herself.
He then walked ahead but not without a final word to his father, "Too bad you have made her mad at you once again."
Thranduil stared after him with a raised brow, but couldn't really think of anything else to say. He wasn't really sure what Legolas was talking about, but if it had anything to do with his "insult" towards the other female, that would be taken care of soon. It didn't even register in the elvenking's mind that he was already planning, trying to soften Nel to him again.