Hello!
Here is part 4!
I think i love the romance between Evie and Thranduil more and more as i write this. They are just too cute.
I Hope you enjoy!
R&R! xxx
...
Part 4
It was late morning a few days later when the Elvenking rubbed his hand over his tired eyes. Elves didn't require the same amount of sleep as humans, but they did need rest and Thranduil hadn't found any rest of late.
The Grey Wizard had departed the day after they last spoke - Evie had been sad to see him go he was told - and the words Mithrandir had said had stayed with him.
She dreams about you
That statement in truth had started to crumble his resolve to avoid her. His thoughts seemed to stray to her day and night - always wondering if maybe Mithrandir was right after all. Their case was of course probably the first of its kind so there would be no prior history - things were only proven by first being tested.
Maybe he could try. Maybe it would help her remember. Maybe not.
On and on the battle raged within him. He had not denied the Wizard's words that he loved her. Yes he did - it could not be ignored now more than ever. What did people do when their loved one was hurting? Be there for them was the answer and he had not been there for her in recent weeks.
The truth was that he was afraid. He, the Great and Terrible King of the Woodland Realm, was afraid of a woman. Not the woman herself, but the rejection he might get from her. That was what held him back now. How would she react knowing that he left her to do this alone?
Where had all his courage gone?
No, it was time to take it back he decided. He glanced at the time on the clock and knew from Gwenth that the red headed beauty he was looking for would be in the kitchens.
Standing up from behind his vast desk, he walked around it and strode to the door, hesitating for a second before opening it and taking that first step out.
Even though he did not spend much time in the Kitchens, he knew how to get there and more importantly, the anteroom which would give him a way to see the goings on without been seen.
He made sure to look around before making his way into the observation space - a mezzanine that had another purpose really, but not currently in use. He used hide up here himself as an elfling many many years ago.
He came to the cut away in the wall and glanced down, lucky that that closest workstation was in fact the baking of breads and sweets. And there she was. The vision of her truly did take him breath away even when she had an apron over her clothes and was concentrating on the task at hand. Today she was dressed in in a simple deep green velvet, which made the vivid colour of her hair stand out more than usual. Her curls had been carefully braided back with the singular braid hanging over her right shoulder. From up there he could hear her soft humming.
With expert hands he watched her fill and cover her signature treat - strawberry tarts - and place them on a baking tray. Once the tray was full, she rubbed her hands on the apron and carried the tray to oven, where it was carefully placed in and then she came back to start cleaning up the workstation.
Only when everything was done did she make herself a cup of tea and sit down with a pastry made earlier in the day. He watched her converse with a dark haired male elf he knew to be Amos, the head chef in the kitchen and was heartened to hear her laugh at something that was said. It was a beautiful sound to hear again. Another elf came up to interrupt them after a time to share that the tarts were ready to come out of the oven.
He watched her rise and go to retrieve the now golden tarts, which he could smell, and start putting them on a cooking wire. He could see she had started to fiddle with something white, which when she finished folding was a little package. She lifted two of the now cooler tarts and place them in the package, folding it back up and then tying a dark blue ribbon to seal it.
He saw Amos come over to speak with her again and could make out some of it.
"All done? Great. Now you know the directions of where to go?"
"Yes I remember. He's definitely out?"
"Yes, my little spy has eyes and ears everywhere. Don't get caught." He watched this strange exchange with curiosity and even a tiny bit jealous when the male elf winked at her. He watched her take the apron off, hang it on a peg on the wall and then walk towards the doorway, package in hand.
He had to move quickly and quietly so that he didn't lose track of her movement, but didn't disturb her either. He was glad that she moved about with a similar level of confidence as she had before the accident, she'd certainly picked everything up again quickly. Everybody loved her he knew - what wasn't to love. She was kind, caring, sweet, intelligent, positive to be around and fiercely protective. The negative was a hot temper sometimes that rivaled his own.
On they walked and Thranduil started to notice the direction was that which he had come earlier in the day - they were heading back into the royal residence of the palace. His curiosity had certainly spiked, he had no idea what she was doing here. He wasn't aware she had been in this part before in recent weeks.
He hid himself as he watched her turn the corner into the corridor of his private rooms, eyes narrowing as she conversed with the guards outside the door. His superior hearing meant he heard every word.
"Is he here?"
"No, My Lady"
"I'll be quick I promise, don't tell him I was here."
"We'll keep your secret Lady Evie."
He watched them open the doors for her, which she quickly slipped through. It was only a few minutes later that she re-emerged, thanking both of the elves and then quickly retreating down the corridor towards him. She didn't notice him hidden away as she went by, but he noticed everything about her. The way she had a soft smile on her face that she usually got when she did something nice for someone else. She was happy with something she had done for him. An elf at the moment she barely knew! What on earth had prompted her to do something for him!? All his bloody staff being in on it too. Meddlesome - his bet was on Gwenth starting it. They all knew what kind of person Evie was, her character was easy to read and they had the advantage of knowing it when she didn't remember.
The smell of her feminine lavender scent washed over him as she went past. He closed his eyes savoring it. He'd missed that smell. It was comforting and just so her.
He straightened himself out and proceed to make his way back to his study to find out what she'd done in there in his absence.
Both guards stood tall and perfectly still until they opened the doors for him. He chose to play the game and pretend he hadn't seen what occurred.
When entering the study, he found it completely undisturbed - the bookshelf, the desk - except for the white and blue package placed with care on top of the pile of correspondence that was waiting for him that afternoon.
Seeing it there made him hesitate. She'd never done this before. Every time she'd made strawberry tarts for him and Legolas she'd delivered it in person and never been afraid to interrupt. And he'd always been grateful for the interruption. She didn't want him to know it was her now. Why was that?
He walked around the desk and sat down. He opened the parcel carefully by pulling the blue ribbon, which released the mouthwatering smell from within.
It triggered a memory from the morning that she left.
...
Thranduil was lounged back in his great chair, a young women's scantily clad body was cuddled asleep with her head on his chest, her legs draped over the side. His left arm and side primarily supported her weight, with his right arm draped across her middle. Both figures were relaxed, though possibly going to awaken a bit stiff.
Th Elvenking had been resting, not actually in a deep sleep, so he felt when the red head with curls half covering her face stirred.
The weight of having her held against him was surprisingly comforting. He didn't naturally enjoy contact with others, but she was different. He was glad she had felt safe and relaxed enough to fall asleep with him.
His bright blue eyes found her bright green ones, still blinking away the drowsiness of sleep. She gave him a sleepy contented smile before her eyes widened in surprise and she jerked away - so quickly she would have fallen on to the floor if he hadn't been holding on to her. All it achieved was to change her position so she was now straddling him with his hands holding her waist gently but firmly. She just stared at him almost in disbelief.
His concern was instant. "Are you alright?"
The way she brought her lip between her teeth was distracting beautiful, but he forced himself to look her in the eyes.
"I…ah…um" she whispered her next words, almost like she was afraid it would all disappear. "Last night wasn't a dream then?"
"Definitely not."
"And you really want to court me?"
"Yes. I haven't changed my mind." He smiled reassuringly at her as her reached out a hand to tuck some hair behind her ear. He was glad when she reciprocated some affection by reaching out to touch his cheek softly, and even happier when she kissed him, all her hesitation now gone.
He had to admit that this was a nice way to pass the time, how he'd let her go now he wasn't sure. It was just starting to heat up a bit when there was a knock on the door that startled them both.
Evie looked at him in alarm, her hair a mess and her lips pink from being kissed. She jumped off him at record speed and his behind the desk just as the door opened.
The King had had enough time to pull himself together, but was glad it was only Gwenth who entered and curtseyed.
"Good Morning My King, I was hoping you might know where Lady Evangeline is? It won't be long until they need to leave…"
"I'm here Gwenth!" The female elf certainly was a bit shocked to find the woman in question in the King's study barely dressed. Upon hearing Gwenth's voice, Evie had released a breath of relief and jumped out from her hiding spot. Before she could move an inch, Thranduil moved to place his robe around her shoulders, so she could shield herself from prying eyes. It was the same one he'd offered her the night before and was to see her wrap it more firmly around herself and give him a grateful smile.
He watched her to turn back to the female elf. "I'll be along in a minute. Can you draw a bath for me?"
"Yes of course My Lady. I'll see you shortly. Good day My King."
She left quickly and quietly, closing the door behind to give them their privacy once more.
When the red head turned back to face him again, he could tell she was torn inside. And he felt for her, he really did. It might have been a bit unfair of him to voice a point of view that may sway her decision, but he did supposed that if he indeed courted her then word would get out to the rest of realm soon enough.
"I don't have to go…"
"Yes Evie, I think you do." He had stood up and drawn her to him, resting his chin on the top of her head. He felt contented holding her like this, but with a sigh, he pulled away and looked her in the eyes.
"I know you Evie and you would regret it if you didn't give it your best try. You will be missed, don't doubt that, Legolas in particular. Just promise me one thing?"
She had no hesitations when she said "Anything" in response.
"Come back to me."
"There's no place I'd rather be Thranduil." And she meant it. She'd found a home here.
With his right hand cupping the back of her head he kissed her, slow and deep, pouring all the emotion he felt into that kiss. He wanted her to think of him and this kiss while she was out there to remind her of what was waiting when she returned. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment, loath to let her go. "Off you go, before I change my mind."
She giggled at that, "Yes, My King" she kissed his cheek gently once more and then she was gone, the feminine smell of her lingering behind.
An hour later he found himself near the exit to the hallowed halls, his carbon copy standing tall at his side. One by one he addressed the warriors chosen to go on the mission, each with different skills to make it the best possible success.
There were only 5 of them in total. The last one was of course his darling Evie. She looked incredible dressed in the warrior brown and deep green, her beautiful curls now tamed into various braids down her back, a pack at her feet.
He had to carefully keep the emotion felt buried a bit because of the audience they had, but he still grasped her small left hand in his and brought it up to his lips. His eyes were glued to the emotion swirling in her green ones. He could tell it wasn't easy for her.
"Safe travels Lady Evangeline. Until we meet again."
When his hand left hers, it was to leave a note behind, which he noted that she expertly hid as she turned to the Little Prince she loved so much. Thranduil's normally cold heart broke for his son, who had tears streaming down his face. He didn't want to let go of her.
"Don't go Naneth!"
The red head had kneeled down to be on his level, using her fingers to wipe away the tears and kiss his cheeks.
"I'll be back before you know it. I love you so very much Honey"
When she walked out the door with the others, he knew she leaving her heart behind, and the sadness of that was reflected in her face.
…...
The memory brought back some grief for him, for what they had potentially missed out on the in weeks since the accident. But it also brought forth determination for him to make her fall in love with him again. He had done it once before without really trying, this time he would make every effort. Life without her had been hollow, not to mention the effect it had had on Legolas.
The little elf used to spend all his free time with Evie and since the disastrous attempt to seek her out, he now spent every waking moment not spent in lessons practicing the bow.
Many evenings Thranduil had gone for a wander down near the training rings and had found him shooting arrow after arrow, collecting them all again from the target and starting again. Everyday he improved, but there was a piece of him missing too. He'd asked Feren about it and he seemed to think it was a coping mechanism for the loss of Evie, something that would hopefully return to being in balance.
He was thankful now for the interference of his staff, who understood how important this red headed woman was to them all and had now made him see that too. He had to fight for her because she didn't know what she had lost. In a few months was the Starlight feast and he hoped that things were better by then, even if she hadn't regained everything, but so they could enjoy it together.
A plan fast started to take shape in his head as he ate the fresh strawberry tarts left for him. He opened the top draw of his desk and glanced at the drawing Legolas had done of Evie not long ago, hope starting to grow within him.
…...
Evie continued her daily routine of baking in the kitchens in the morning. This was the third day in a row that she had decided to drop off some treats to the King. As far as she knew, he didn't know it was her leaving the gifts. She'd heard the King had been pretty fired up about someone going into his private study alone, but the guards had not given her up yet.
Thankfully he always seemed to be out and about during the time she dropped the treats off – today was no exception as she approached the double doors and the guards confirmed it for her with friendly smiles. She thought they rather liked keeping her secret.
Upon approaching the large desk, she had to take time to admire the space. It was very masculine to be sure and it did smell strongly of his pine and woodsy scent, but it was far from cold or unfriendly to her. She walked in and felt like she belonged there. And it fascinated her to find out more about this elusive King she almost never saw.
On the desk today were the usual piles of papers and books, but where his current task usually sat right in middle, there was nothing but a single folded up letter.
…...
When the Elvenking returned to his study the next afternoon, his mind was so pre-occupied with the agenda items of the council that had convened and run almost all day. The topic of choice was of course Lord Galion and the warriors that had trekked out and returned without a member of the party. This matter had sit heavy within the King for these many weeks as it had been a delicate matter to address. Additionally, this was not acceptable in normal circumstances, but because they returned without the very individual that their beloved King had a vested interest in, well that took it to a whole new level.
Captain Feren had been talking to all the individual Elves to gleam what the truth of the matter was and why Evie had been left behind. All had been rather similar in their account up until the point that Evie had been noticed missing. She had been with them all most of the time, during travel and rest breaks. One of the younger Elves had let it slip that Lord Galion had asked them to take Evie to a particular place away from the rest of the party. She had done it because he was an adviser to the King and so was her superior. Her instruction had been to take the Lady there and then leave her so that he could have some time with her on his own. It had become apparent to Feren that the actual purpose of this trip was so that Galion could spend some one on one time with Evie, the Elf in question still believing that he might be some chance to court her. What was obvious to apparently everyone else was that this was never going to happen.
What they didn't know was what transpired when the young Elf left Evie – Did Galion join her like he said he would or not?
The punishment for the other warriors in the group had been relatively easy for Feren and Thranduil to arrange – they were talented Elves, they had just acted in a misguided way. They would be restricted to stable duty for the foreseeable future until Feren deemed otherwise. The harder thing to deal with was Lord Galion. He had not disclosed a single thing. Denied the young Elf's accusation and emphasised that he had been with the group the whole time, he too had been apparently surprised by Evie's sudden disappearance. This was incredibly frustrating and not really getting them anywhere at all. The King in particular had moments in which he had lost his temper during the council, not believing anything the Elf had to say for a minute.
Lord Galion was very lucky that the outcome had been worse – Evie could have died – but the fact that she was wandering in a forest she didn't know by herself for a long period, was not ok. The council was in a disagreement over the sentiment of what to do about it. Galion had been temporarily suspended from the council while they worked out what they were going to do. The trouble was that they didn't know – the council was divided.
The King's personal feelings for the red headed beauty conflicted his point of view because he wanted justice for her, but he also knew the Galion was one his more experienced advisers and he was not at heart a bad Elf. Over and over they discussed the details – though the most important ones were sketchy because the female at the heart of the issue did not remember anything so they could not ask her for an account. The lack of concrete evidence made things very difficult and thus why it had dragged on for such a long time.
Upon entering his private sanctuary, Thranduil released a sigh of relief at having a moment's peace for the first time that day. It was without really focusing on anything in the room that he took a seat in his large velvet chair and closed his eyes.
He desperately wanted Evie to remember what happened for more reasons than one, but it was a stress point that nothing seemed to be working to help bring the memories back. Maybe it was time to bring Legolas back into her life? It had been done in the wrong way last time, but it did seem to trigger something. Or maybe he needed to be more aggressive in his approach of seeing her more often as that had proven to do something.
Opening his sharp bright blue eyes, he couldn't help the smile that lit up his face when he say the same white and blue package sitting in the middle of his desk. Today however, there was a folded piece of parchment on the top with his name on it.
The sweet treats had likely been sitting there for a while, but he knew they would still be delicious.
Taking the piece of parchment from the top of the package, he unfolded it and began to read, his smile growing all the time, his previous worries forgotten.
Majesty,
Thank you for your note, it was lovely you took the time to thank me.
I'm glad the strawberry tarts are to your liking.
You deserve to have joy in your life.
From your personal baker
Taking up the quill, the King began to write a response, his mind thinking ahead as to how this might prove to be a successful method of conversing.
When Thranduil had left the note for Evie the day before, he knew her elvish reading skills was limited, but he thought that this might prove a motivation for her to learn. Gwenth had proven to be most helpful as the handwriting was hers.
He decided he would play this game with her as to not knowing who she was for a while more and would reveal it was him in time.
When he was finished writing, he let it dry as he ate the tarts, the taste of them melting on his tongue.
…...
For two weeks Evie and King exchanged many letters to each other, the contents becoming more and more as time went on and they found many shared interests and topics of conversation.
It was something they both looked forward to each day and it brought a lot of joy for all involved.
Gwenth was of course very happy to help Evie and she was learning to read and write elvish quicker than she ever had before.
…...
Evie was racing around the corridors trying to get to the healing halls as quick as she could. She'd been here several weeks now and had come to visit with Healer Melui many times so she knew the way, but she had never been late before, let alone this late.
She was slightly out of breath and just wanted to get there, she just turned the second to last corner when she collided at force with another which resulted in them both falling to the ground, the other individual quick enough to take hold of her and take the impact and then roll them several times to slow down any potential damage.
She'd closed her eyes when she started to fall and only just started to be aware of her surroundings again when she heard a heartbeat that wasn't hers and felt the floor under head move up and down slowly, a bit like breathing. But then the floor didn't breathe?
Opening her eyes, placing her hand down and lifting her head, her green eyes met vivid blue, so startling they took her breath away. They were filled with an emotion she couldn't distinguish, but they belonged to the handsome elf she'd seen a few times she now knew to be the King. And her body was flushed against his on the floor. Holy fuck.
Her lithe shapely body was covered in a lavender coloured dress today, with a fitted bodice that pushed her breast up, made worse for this position, long embroidered sleeves and skirt that fell to the floor beautifully. Her hair was fully up and in a bun to expose her neck and upper body. She could feel the strength of the body beneath her, his hands still very much holding onto her quite tightly. The warmth of him was seeping through her dress.
After what felt like an eternity, Evie finally engaged her brain enough to speak, realizing that a position like this with the King was not acceptable.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you, I just needed to be somewhere…"
He dazzled her with a smile she'd never seen and laughed. This was certainly not the elf she remembered the day she met the Wizard. His words were like honey to her ears.
"Must be quite important for you to be rushing in such a fashion."
"Ahhh…I was meant to be there some time ago but I was…delayed"
"To be here I guess your destination is the healing halls? You're not Ill I hope?"
"Yes. And no. I mean, yes I'm going to see Melui and I'm ok, just a chat I think."
"I'm glad to hear it, Lady Evie."
Her surprise must have been evident on her face for he laughed again.
"You think I do not know you Lady? I can assure you I know everything that goes on here in the Greenwood."
"No, I just…we've never met before?"
That had an effect on him she didn't get, almost like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind.
"I can assure you I know you better than you think."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"Don't play coy with me Lady Evie, you're my little baker."
That shocked her, she truly thought he didn't know she'd been the one to gift the strawberry tarts. The letters they'd exchanged since explained why he thought he knew her.
"So you knew. For how long?"
"Almost the whole time."
"But you didn't say anything."
"I told you I know what goes on in my kingdom, nothing gets past me."
"Right. Of course."
She couldn't stop staring at him in a bit of wonder. He was just so dashingly handsome it wasn't fair. The hair was a colour so many women would pay a lot of money for and looked so silky, it was just perfect. The delicately pointed ears poking through distinguished him from other men, sorry males, that she'd ever met before. There was such an intense pull there to near him. The letters he'd written had only inspired her curiosity.
When she locked eyes with him, the smile on his face, broke her free of her thoughts and reminder her that they were lying in the middle of the floor in a very compromising position. Why he hadn't flung her off him already she didn't know, but it was probably time for her to remove herself.
"Umm, right, I think I'll just…" she wiggled to try and get free and launch herself up, which just resulted in her falling onto the floor in a heap next to him.
Sitting up slowly and looking up she found a concerned face staring at her and an open hand offering her help to stand. Gratefully, she took his larger hand, enjoying the feel of it wrapped around her own. The electricity running up and down her arm at the contact with him was startling, but Evie didn't want to pull away, so there they stood for a moment or two.
Feeling a bit like a fool, Evie decided it probably time to move on, she was super late as it was. So she curtseyed gently with her green eyes locked on his blue ones.
"I'm very sorry Majesty for knocking you over. If there's something I do for you…"
She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. It sounded more like a command than a question. "Join me for a drink later."
Her hesitation must have showed because he decided to elaborate. "We've conversed via letters for a while, I think it's time we talked properly."
"Alright."
His answering grin was insanely beautiful. She thought it was so not fair for someone to have such an effect on another and the worst part was he probably knew it.
Her breath hitched slightly when he brought her hand to his lips to leave a gentle kiss.
"Until then Lady Evie. Good day"
"Good day Majesty."
And then she was alone again. She took a moment to gather herself, hardly believing that the King himself had been so patient. Everything she'd heard about him had been so horrible. His letters had been so incredibly kind and full of insightful thoughts - she could see he was intelligent. She knew she probably shouldn't spend more time with him - a romance between a human woman and an Elven King was in the never going to happen category - but she just couldn't stay away.
She kept moving onwards towards the healing halls, but her thoughts were a million miles away.
…...
Part 5 coming soon! xx