Chapter 8

Dale had been bustling about during the following week, the streets were being swept clean and new stores had begun their early debut as merchants strived to sell their goods. Leanna had just returned from a dressmaker recommended by Percy and was currently in the Lord's mansion which held extra rooms meant for housing guests. Leanna looked out the window and sighed, yes the city was buzzing alive with news. The ElvenKing had sent word…he was coming.

Sigrid and Tilda ran in the hallway calling her name, Leanna who was currently running through the mansion's store inventory with Bertha who had been appointed to oversee the mansion's housekeeping affairs, turned to the entrance as two girls barreled through the door and out of breath. Leanna folded her arms and gave a look of disapproval before casting a glance to the head maid.

"Thank you Madame Bertha, that will be all for now" said Leanna. Bertha bowed and left the room quietly, moving around the girls who had yet to regain their composure.

"Is it…is it true? That King Thranduil will be our guest in a few days??" Sigrid asked, as she managed to calm herself first before Tilda. Leanna sighed and answered, knowing they must've heard something from their father.

"Yes, which is why like always, I would ask you both to handle yourselves with care" even as she said those words, her face cringed slightly, she sounded very much like a stuffy old duchess back in her previous world. Regardless, it was a necessity that they behaved appropriately.

"It's not like he'll bother with us, Da would probably set up another long meeting like he always does with the dwarves or other important people" Sigrid scoffed, clucking her tongue.

"Sigrid, Tilda, both you girls and Bain as well are no longer children of a Bargeman living in LakeTown…" Leanna moved closer, drawing them close by their shoulders. "…You're children of a Lord now, one greatly respected for killing a dragon and winning a war. It would not do to dishonor him by disregarding your statuses now. You're young ladies now so behave properly" Leanna explained gently, taking on a motherly tone ease the discomfort of her admonishment.

"I suppose you're right Leanna…" Sigrid said looking to the floor, seemingly reflecting on the words spoken to her.

"Will we get to wear pretty dresses and shoes and put flowers in our hair??" Tilda spoke, clearly excited about the arrival of the elves. Leanna chuckled and nodded gently.

"Yes, I've already made arrangements for your dress, they will be ready by tomorrow, so please head to your rooms to clean up in time for supper" Leana said as she ushered them out, the girls giggled childishly and dashed to their rooms to prepare in time for dinner.

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Thranduil had been on his throne when his messengers returned and stood before him relaying the message sent from Dale, from Lady Leanna. To say he was displeased would be an understatement, for not only had she rejected his kingly gift but to furthermore request an unsolicited audience with him was in all, a slap to his face. Ever the poised king, Thranduil nodded and sent for his head advisor.

The following days saw the ElvenKing journeying with an escort to the Dale. He had left Galion in charge as always when he needed to leave his kingdom, though this particular reason had little to do matters of his kingdom than it had to do with his pride. Some of the warriors in his company who had fought in the battle months ago exchanged glances amidst the heavy silence that had thrived from the very beginning of their trip. It was clear to anyone present that King Thranduil was indeed displeased, for every word he uttered had a bite in it.

"It seems a small human is to blame for this journey and Aran Thranduil's foul mood" An elf who was part of the rear guard uttered under his breath to the warrior riding next to him.

"Aye, regardless of her discourtesy towards the King, Tis no small human he rides for, Belegir" The elf called Belegir looked at his companion frowning at his words. He amongst others had been made to stay behind in order to guard The Woodland realm whereas the main army marched with The King to war, when they returned fewer than they left, tales of a human with strange powers in Dale had spread through the kingdom, that and the heroic deeds of the current Lord who slew the dragon Smaug, with her help.

"Even so Haelros, rejecting a gift from Aran Thranduil is a daring move, no matter her status" Belegir retorted back to his friend.

Haelros remained silent contemplating the situation they were currently dealing with, he knew the lady in question. He had seen her during the battle while he fought beside the King and he knew he did not wish to be on the opposite end of her blade. The White Rose of Dale is what her people now called her. Yes, word had spread like wild fire, of a human with an unnatural hold over magic, tearing through orc ranks like leaves.

Unfortunately, what had also spread was the fact that this mere mortal regardless of her achievements, had summoned Thranduil as though they were of equal station and Haelros wondered why The King answered to it, it was an insult to his pride and the pride of his people that he journey to the human's city to see a human who sought audience with him. Nevertheless, there was no point crying over a withered rose, in a day's time given the speed at which they were moving, they would reach Dale by noon.

Thranduil ignored the gossip fluttering around him as they rode on rocky pathways, he would not hold blame over their loose tongues when even he mirrored the same thoughts, but it would be an even greater blight to his name if he ignored the debt he owed her. He would do what was right by his crown and be done with it. With a cold glare he silenced the mutterings behind him, while his warriors were entitled to their thoughts and opinions, he had no desire to know them.

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It was morning, and Leanna knocked on the Lord of Dale's study doors waiting for confirmation to enter before she did.

"Good day my Lord" Leanna bowed slightly before rising to look up at the haggard appearance of The Lord of Dale. "…You look…well" Leanna finished poorly as she looked over Bard who had a pale face and dark circles under his eyes.

"Good day to you Lady Leanna" Bard retorted as he glowered at her words.

"Sleep well?" she asked as Bertha and some maids entered with a tray of breakfast for Bard. Bertha nodded her greeting to both Bard and Leanna before they excused themselves.

"Do I look like a man who's had a wink eye of sleep?" Bard responded wryly as he opened his dish. He wasn't certain if he would ever get used to being served food whether it was in the morning or for dinner.

"And I suppose I'm to blame for this?" Leanna asked innocently.

"Well I certainly wasn't the one who on a whim, demanded an audience with an Elf King" Bard muttered, casting a displeased glance at her before turning to his plate. Leanna ignored his words with a smile playing on her face, she picked up one of the scrolls on the table.

Bard looked up to find the young woman skimming through the trade deal he had managed to put up in such short time, he smiled slightly at her appearance which as simple as always. Practical she called it, for easy movement while she worked, however it did nothing to dampen the beauty that his subjects often raved about behind her back. He wondered, did she even know what they called her now?

"You plan to sell wine to the elves?" Leanna looked up from the scroll and to Bard who had finished his meal quickly.

"I see no reason why not, the Mirkwood elves seem fond of our flavor of wine so it's only natural that we continue that line of trade until we're stable enough to add other items to trade with" Bard said picking up his quill and scribbling on the remaining scrolls on his desk. "Plus Percy agrees with this decision since he's known most of the deals the previous lord of LakeTown made with King Thranduil"

"Very well, unfortunately I can't do much to help you in this regard seeing as I know next to nothing about this world or its inhabitants" Leanna sighed, looking outside the windows beyond the blotched fields of Erebor.

"I could ask Dain to borrow me some reading material if that would help" Bard paused and looked at her.

"No! I'm sure I can manage, besides you have your hands full with Mirkwood elves at the moment, yes?" Leanna said as she was about to leave.

"I have you to thank for that" Bard replied back, still having wondered what she aimed to get out of this and he stilled as a shadow fell over his face. Leanna caught the look and frowned, bothered by the grim look on his face.

"The Elven King is not one to be taken lightly Leanna, while he's not our enemy it doesn't mean that he's friendly either" Bard gave his warning beneath his breath and looked up to her.

"What do you mean?"

"He's as shrewd as he is ancient, once he sees an opportunity that would benefit him greatly he will waste no expense to exploit it. Under no circumstance, must he know where you came from… None"

"I'll be careful" Leanna said gently, nodding her head promptly and slipped out quietly.

Noon had passed and The Lord of Dale along with his aides and entourage, waited by the city gates to welcome his guests whom the watchtower informed him, were approaching.

Leanna stood behind the others, only keeping as close as she could to the children so as not to draw any form of attention. Against Bertha and the others wishes, she had chosen to wear her signature simple and flowing dress, its dark velvet blue shimmering at the slightest movement.

Horns blared in the air as Thranduil and his escorts alerted the people of Dale to their arrival. Upon entering, he noted Bard the newly christened Lord standing by the gate with his welcoming party and descended from his elk, his escorts filing into position as he approached Bard.

"My Lord Thranduil, welcome to Dale" Bard bowed his head in greeting while the rest of the people behind him followed.

"It would seem our reunion has come sooner than expected…" Thranduil drawled out, his eyes cast down on Bard while the rest of his unsaid words hung in the air. Bard cringed slightly at the implication of his words. He would definitely have another word with Leanna once the elves were settled in.

"Yes, though it is under some inconvenience, we are certainly pleased to have you here" Bard responded, meeting the gaze of The Elf King. Thranduil's eyebrow rose at his words, most humans cowered before him and yet the young Lord before him dared to stand his ground, which irked him somewhat.

"An inconvenience it is indeed Dragon Slayer, which is why I will not be staying long" Thranduil said as he followed Bard's lead into the higher levels of the city.

"Of course, I would not wish to keep you from the affairs of your kingdom any longer than I have to" Bard said as he led the elves to the rooms they had furnished for them.

Thranduil looked around the city that had been but a ruin months ago, the finesse and strength in the architecture of the buildings indicated dwarvish skill. It was beautiful to look upon but it still left a sour taste in his mouth, his jewels had been returned to him courtesy of Dain but that did not extinguish his dislike for dwarf race.

It seems Bard had made use of their services somehow to rebuild Dale, which in hindsight was a wise choice as the amount of time the people of Dale would need to restore the city would take far longer to do so than the result that had been accomplished now. Their numbers were already below capacity.

He had under the guise of admiring the newly renovated city searched for her, the pale haired woman who had rejected his gift. She was not among the welcoming party when he had arrived and now it was evident that she was eluding him, for whatever reason she was hiding, she would have to face him eventually. The elves were settled into their rooms with Thranduil given a private and much larger room to stay in.

Leanna's nerves were frayed. She had slipped away from the crowd right at the last moment the elves had come into the city. From behind the shadows she watched Bard lead the Elven King and his warriors to the rooms they had prepared and followed from a distance, making certain not be noticed. She had seen his eyes roving over the crowd and knew he was seeking her out. In any case, Leanna did not feel prepared enough to face down a King who was undoubtedly upset over her demands.

She slipped into her chambers and shut the door, breathing a sigh of relief she closed her eyes and recounted the event she had just witness. There was no lie in the tale of the beauty of elves, she had not had the chance to see the Elven King up close and now that she did, she felt her cheeks grow warm at the memory. Patting her cheeks, she snapped herself back into focus, now was not the time to be distracted.

"Enjoying yourself my Lady…?" a voice from behind spoke and Leanna swirled around to find Bard leaning against her table, with his arms folded sporting a frown. Leanna sighed.

"My Lord-"

"Save it! Where were you??" Bard questioned, clearly displeased at her stunt earlier.

"I had to ensure things in the kitchens were in order and the food-" said Leanna, in an attempt to calm him down.

"-And I suppose you also needed to check the washrooms as well?" Bard's clipped tone biting back in return, to which Leanna cringed. "…anywhere but the gates where your presence was actually needed…"

"Alright! Alright, I admit I should've been there but you know as well as I do that the minute he saw me, he would've probably settled our business with him this very moment" said Leanna, she doubted he would believe such a poor excuse but then, would he believe the real reason she avoided the elves?

"Make sure the preparations for tonight's feast run smoothly" Bard knew there was another reason for her actions earlier but decided he did not want to know.

"Of course, I will see to it immediately" Leanna answered as she gave way for Bard who looked to be leaving.

"And this time around you're required to be in attendance" Bard said as he opened the door and left. Leanna exhaled in the silent empty room and whispered.

"Of course, my Lord"

The recently instated aide moved around her room and towards the windows facing Erebor, it had taken a while to adjust to her new life here but at the cost to her inborn noble's pride. Afterall, she had been born a royal and had become queen of her own kingdom, but now for the first time ever she was subject to someone else other than her father.

A pair of thrushes flittered around the air above her window and she smiled softly, gently clasping her window frame, she breathed in the cool air of a slowly diminishing winter.

She had no desire to be Queen again, that life was behind her now. Now she was just Leanna El Alvaron, aide to Lord Bard. All she desired now was to live peacefully and enjoy a life she never had to her own. She chuckled at the thought as it would be a good change for once. She closed her windows and left to ensure the task given to her was handled properly, she had the King of Mirkwood to face afterall.

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Night had descended and the great hall which had been grandly refurbished thanks to the craftsmanship of Erebor's dwarves, glittered beautifully from within as fire encased in crystal glass hung all around from the ceilings. Citizens of Dale trouped in, as the feast commenced with music and gaily laughter.

Thranduil who had been seated by the Lord of Dale, drunk casually from his cup before turning to Bard who seemed to be intent of staring about the crowd.

"Your taste in wine is to be admired as always" Thranduil said as a servant stepped forward and refilled his chalice.

"My Lord is ever gracious, we merely wished to make your stay here as comfortable as possible" Bard said smiling diplomatically at his guest. He wondered where his ever reliable aide and perpetrator had gone and why she was nowhere in sight at the moment.

"One would wonder how you would manage to achieve such a feat, seeing as the cause of my visit has yet to reveal herself…" Thranduil wasted no time getting to the point, he would not engage in whatever game the Dragon Slayer and his cohorts had in mind. He had come at the 'request' of one whom he was unfortunate to owe a debt to.

"Yes, though I admit, I had hoped to entertain you with some trade discussions between our two kingdoms" Bard said as he sighted flowing pale blond hair and blue. She had at least chosen to dress for the occasion, for that he was grateful.

"Perhaps at another hour, Dragon Slayer" Thranduil would humor him, curious of what Dale in its infancy had to offer to him.

Leanna brushed her fingers down on the image reflected in the mirror, she had worn a more elaborate dress tonight at the insistence of Bertha and the girls. Her almost white like wavy hair was woven into a single elegant braid and she sighed at the image before her, her hair was returning to its golden hue signally the end of winter approaching. The door opened and Bertha popped her head in the room.

"My Lady? Its begun" said Bertha wistfully as she took in the sight of the beauty in front of her.

Leanna nodded her head in acknowledgement before breathing deeply and walking out of the room. She quietly trailed behind Bertha who led the way to the grand hall where the feast was to be held, the music and noise sounding in the distance told her that the feast was already well into the evening. She moved elegantly, assuming her noble character as she approached the entrance of the hall while Bertha diverted to enter through the servants door.

On entering, she immediately felt all eyes drawn to her but moved towards the high table prepared for the Lord and his guest of honor, ignoring the murmur around her as she bowed before the Lord of Dale and the King of the Woodland elves.

"Good tidings to you my Lords…" Leanna bowed fluidly as she spoke.

"Lady Leanna, good of you to join us this evening…" Bard responded, acknowledging her presence and turned to Thranduil who had his cold gaze fixed on the woman before him. "My Lord this is Lady Leanna, she has been in my service since the war, Lady Leanna this is King Thranduil of The Woodland realm"

"If I am not to be mistaken, you're the one they say helped Bard slay the dragon" Thranduil said as he looked at the woman before him, at his words, Leanna looked up to meet his intimidating gaze.

"You flatter me my Lord as I merely proved a distraction at the time, the true victory goes to Lord Bard, he was the one who managed to kill it" said Leanna, who was currently looking for a chance to escape anymore questions but Thranduil's interest was clearly piqued.

"That may be, but it does nothing to change your part in it…" Thranduil slightly cocked his head to the side, his eyes full of questions that Leanna did not think wise to answer. The music changed into an upbeat tempo and Bard seeing the tension growing, took this as a chance to break it.

"Ah! Music, would my Lady care to join me?" Bard said as he stood up and moved to Leanna's side with his arm offered to her.

"It would be an honor my Lord" Leanna quickly took his arm and Bard led her to the crowd of men and women already dancing on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Bard asked Leanna who seemed to be in a daze. Leanna snapped to him and nodded.

"Yes, yes I'm fine, I just didn't think…" Leanna didn't finish but Bard understood, having spent some time the company of the Elven King, his blunt and forward attitude would take some getting used to.

"I did warn you Leanna, he's not one to care for casual talk" Bard said as the twirled around, the music changing into a steady paced tune. All the while Bard glanced to Thranduil who was still watching them, watching her.

"I know, I'll be careful" Leanna spoke gently to Bard's hearing, smiling at his concerned look. Bard disarmed by her smile, returned it in form of his own and whispered to her.

"You look beautiful this evening, no doubt any man in this hall would give a leg or an arm to have one dance with you…" Bard stepped away from the woman who was speechless at his words, her cheeks flushing red against her pale skin. "You've worked hard these past months, enjoy the rest of the evening" and with that Bard left to return back to his seat.

Leanna having regained her senses back, made her way out to the private balcony stretching out over the rocky planes under the dark moonlit night sky. It was unoccupied which she was grateful for, for she needed a moment to herself.

How long had she been away from court life to already find it exhausting, she held the brass rail for support and breathed in the cold air, her pale skin and eyes glowing beneath the dim moonlight.

"I believe the lady and I have some unconcluded business to attend to…" a voice from the shadows spoke out and Leanna turned swiftly to the source. The figure stepped out to reveal the one person she did not wish to speak with at that very moment.

"My Lord Thranduil…"