A/N: I wasn't exactly sure where to take this story next, so immediately my mind went somewhere dirty, and I don't mean the garden this time.

Disclaimer: I do not own LotR, The Hobbit or any of these characters.

Pairings: Thranduil/OC

Warnings: This chapter is PG, but I expect the next one to be more graphic.

Summary: Thranduil thinks that Brinya might have an interest in Bard. He decides to do something drastic.

Chapter 8: May Day Queen

Thranduil had watched Brinya's conversation with Bard that morning with something akin to jealousy. It had taken him some time to pinpoint the source of his agitation and he had yelled and thrown things at several minor officials before he realized why he was so upset. He supposed that Bard was attractive for a human. It was possible that Bard had certain qualities a young woman from Balinor might find appealing. The moment he realized it, he looked down to find that he had completely snapped the quill he was holding in half and his hands were covered in black ink. He sighed and went to clean himself up. He needed to do something. He needed to make sure that Brinya thought of him and only him when it came to love, marriage, and physical intimacy. He needed to make a big play for her heart. Snatching up the broken quill, he penned her a note in his elegant slanting hand, "If you would have your heart's desire, meet me tonight at midnight in our garden. Tell no one where you have gone."

Brinya was jittery all day. She had managed to conceal the note from her well-meaning companions, but try as she did, she couldn't ascertain its meaning. What exactly was her heart's desire, and if she didn't know, how did Thranduil? Did she want to be queen, to be loved, to be valued? She wanted all of these things, but which one did she want most? What if he was wrong? She wasn't sure he knew her better than she knew herself. He was so arrogant. What if he really thought he was doing something wonderful for her, but she didn't like it? This was such a complicated request. It seemed simple, but it wasn't. Nevertheless, she made up her mind to go to the garden and see him. Perhaps if he told her what he thought she desired and he was wrong, she would have a chance to correct him.

To her surprise, she found him waiting for her outside the garden entrance. "You came," he said, looking pleased with himself, "I wasn't sure you would."

"Yes you were. Otherwise you wouldn't have wasted your time waiting."

"I had hope. Hope and faith are not the same."

"They are if you're fortunate."

"Are you fortunate, Brinya?"

The seriousness of the question took her by surprise. Gone was the joking banter. Gone was the goading glint in his eyes. He seemed to want an honest answer. "Yes, I'm very fortunate in many ways."

He nodded, "It's good that you think so. People often are not grateful for what they have until it is too late. Will you come with me?" He offered her his hand.

She hesitated, "Where are we going? Your note said to come if I wanted my heart's desire. How do you know what my heart desires?"

Thranduil's seriousness melted away and was replaced with an impish smile. He clapped his hands together and said, "I knew you would find that part intriguing! You desire what most of us do, to do something unexpected and exciting. To take charge of your own destiny. After all, some rules are made to be broken." She didn't look convinced. "Don't worry," he assured her, "No one will get hurt and we won't do anything dangerous. I simply wanted to show you some parts of my kingdom that are off limits, except to those of us who know how to sneak into them."

"You're the king. Surely you could just declare them not in limits."

"But that wouldn't be any fun. It's the thrill of the doing something forbidden that makes it exciting. Come on, we don't have all night."

Actually, we kind of do, she thought as she followed him.

"Where are we going?" Brinya asked irritably. They'd been walking for at least an hour and her feet were starting to hurt. She was wearing some Eldar-made shoes she'd picked up after their arrival. They seemed comfortable at first, but they didn't provide much arch support.

"Be silent," he commanded, "It's not much farther and you'll know it when you see it. I don't want to ruin the moment with idle conversation." She was itching to know where he was taking her, but she kept quiet. She trusted him when he said it would be worth it.

At last, the woods gave way to a clearing. In the clearing was a crystal clear waterfall that ran down moss covered rocks in a gentle rhythm. It pooled into a placid lake where the calm surface reflected the waxing moon and stars. It seemed to her that she could see every star in the heavens out here. There was no artificial light to drown out their brilliance. There was smoke from fires to obscure them from view. There were so many of them and they were so beautiful, but they paled in comparison to the man beside her. His pale skin reflected the moonlight and he seemed to sparkle in the dark.

He spoke for the first time since they entered the glade, "Do you know what this place is?" She shook her head, her power of speech still lost. I don't think I know what anything is right now, she thought. He took several steps toward her, his long stride almost bringing him close enough to touch. In Balinor, her height intimidated many men, but he was at least half a foot taller than her. This was really happening. The Elven King was standing this close to her. She could feel his hot breath on her face and smell its sweet odor. She realized he still smelled like the wine from dinner. The thought was so random that she almost laughed out loud. She wondered if there was anything else about him besides his breath that wasn't perfect.

His grey eyes bore into hers and she could feel him trying to bend her to his will. Women didn't refuse him. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to refuse him, but she wasn't sure she was ready for whatever this was. She couldn't breathe. Before their departure, the queen had led them through a crash course in Eldar customs in the vain hope that it would save them from making fools of themselves at Thranduil's court. Brinya couldn't remember most of it, but Elven marriage customs had stuck in her mind. Maybe she had some preternatural inkling that information like that might be useful to her. She recalled reading that the Eldar viewed physical intimacy as marriage. If two people went to bed together, they were husband and wife. If she did this, she would be Mirkwood's queen. Her head spun. She needed to be sure this was the right thing. Sure, she wanted him. She would have to be blind or dead not to want him. He was Thranduil. But, was she ready to say yes to forever with someone she had only known for a few weeks?

"What's wrong?" he whispered, pushing an errant hair back behind her ear, "I can feel your anguish. It's such a strong emotion."

She clenched her jaw against the tears that threatened to fall. "I'm not sure that this is what I want. I mean, I want it, but I'm not sure that I'm ready."

Confusion clouded his perfect features. "Am I not the one you want?" he asked. "Does your heart belong to someone else?"

She shook her head violently. She was so embarrassed. Of course he would assume there was someone else. She was so stupid. "It's not that," she said quickly, "I know of the marriage customs of your people. I am not sure that I'm ready to commit to such a monumental decision without my family's knowledge and approval."

He regarded her skeptically, "So you wouldn't rather be with Bard?"

She coughed violently, "What? Bard? No. Why would you think that?"

He almost looked sheepish, "I saw you talking to him today and wondered if perhaps he struck your fancy. He seems pleasant enough for an Edain."

Brinya decided to ignore that last part. "It was Anoria who truly enjoyed talking to him. I was merely there to encourage the flow of conversation."

He reached up and gently stroked her cheek, "Then your feelings toward me have not changed?"

She smiled a sad smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Of course they haven't. I don't even think I could change them if I tried, but I want to be sure that you won't regret this decision."

He smirked, "Do you think I'm so fickle?"

"Not fickle, no. But I worry that when you look at me you only see the good things. We humans are imperfect and in time you might come to regret a decision made without prudence."

"How did someone so young become so wise?" he asked.

"My only wisdom lies in knowing that I am ignorant of many things."

His eyes twinkled with amusement, "I will remedy your ignorance on at least one subject tonight. Humans have the strangest notions about love. For us, physical love and marriage are one and the same."

"Marriage?" she choked.

"Be calm. That is not exactly why I have brought you here tonight. This is the Everwood. Elves often come here when they wish to… consummate their relationships." She flicked her gaze back over the glossy lake. She was a lot less excited about getting in there now. If he noticed her change in demeanor he didn't comment. "Most nights of the year, a love consummated in the Everwood seals a bond between two beings for life. Every night, in fact, but one. Do you know what tonight is?

She thought back to when they had arrived here. How long ago had it been? Three weeks? Four? She couldn't be sure. The days all ran together in Mirkwood. Without news from other kingdoms time was a blur here. She shook her head.

"Tonight is Beltane."

"May Day?"

"To my people, Beltane is a sacred holiday. It signifies many things for us, but the most popular is trial marriage."

"Trial marriage?"

"Normally Elven marriages are for life. We live a very long time so choosing a partner is not a decision we make lightly. Sometimes a couple feels like they need to get to know each other on a deeper level than conventional courtship allows before they can come to a decision about marriage. In these cases, the couple enters into a trial marriage, which lasts a year and a day. The couple lives exactly as any other married couple and after a year and a day they decide if they want to be permanently bound to each other. Trial marriages begin and end only on Beltane."

Brinya thought about it and realized that her mind was already made up.