Chapter 9
Thranduil moved before her in regal robes of dark grey and silver. He examined the woman before him, noting her features softer tonight than they were when he had last seen her on the battlefield. One would imagine a frail lady who could not harm a fly let alone lift a sword when they looked upon her. But he knew better for he had seen her that day, and it was a sight that would be etched in his mind for a very long time to come.
"I hope the feast is to your liking" Leanna said as she turned to face The ElvenKing.
"It is bearable…somewhat, though that is hardly any interest of mine at the moment…" responded Thranduil who had no obligation to coat his words in honey. He faced her, his nose lifted slightly in the air as he looked down on her small person.
"You requested a meeting with me mortal and now that you have been granted one, what is it you want?" Thranduil asked, his unfeeling eyes set upon her with a tinge of displeasure in them. But Leanna remained calm as ever, seeing his actions for what they were, an intimidation tactic. With a resolved look in her eyes, much to Thranduil's veiled surprise, she answered.
"I must first apologize for rejecting the gift you sent me…while it is truly a kingly gift, I could not in good conscience accept it" Leanna bowed deeply as she gave her apology.
"Your apology means nothing to me, though I would like to know your reason for such a discourteous action" Thranduil turned from her to focus on the vast darkness before them, the glow of moonlight shining upon the woman beside him was proving to be a distracting sight.
"I could not receive such an illustrious gift knowing the people of Dale who have already been through too much, are still suffering from the war and so it would be highly insensitive of me to think of my own comforts alone" Leanna said looking down, it was a logical course of action, one she did not regret.
"How noble…and I suppose you've thought of another way to settle this matter" Thranduil said rather than asked, knowing there was something she must've wanted in return for rejecting his offer.
"The debt you feel obliged to pay your majesty, is equal to the price of your elk's life…" as Thranduil quietly listened to the woman's words, his eyebrow arched up as her words continued to seem more absurd by the minute. "…therefore I ask in payment for that debt to relinquish some of your skilled warriors to train the men of Dale". Silence ensued and Thranduil smirked coldly with a scathing reply hanging from the tip of his tongue.
"For the period of three months" Leanna finished and felt her heart drop to her stomach, waiting for the refusal that she suspected would come at the end of her request.
"Even if I were to agree to this request, three months is a futile and wasteful attempt to learn any skill from the elves, you would learn nothing and accomplish nothing, even if you were to subject your brief lives training long hours under elven tutelage"
"We may not have thousands of years on our side, but it doesn't change the fact that we are strong, brave when it counts and we can prevail over our obstacles given the right amount of motivation"
"And you would have that motivation come from me…" Thranduil reared his head to the side almost mockingly as he regarded her.
"It is my price for the debt you wish to pay, my Lord" Leanna ignored the jabs he threw at her and only waited for his answer. Thranduil wanted to put her in her place, preferably through a few choice words but decided against it when he thought up an idea.
"I will grant your request, on the condition that you hold a small tournament, after this training of yours is complete"
"I thought the purpose of a debt was to pay back that which was owed, what you're proposing sounds like a bargain" Leanna glared at the arrogant elf before her, careful not overstep her bounds.
"Either you take my offer or I find some other alternative to pay this debt" Thranduil retorted back calmly, his irritation at not having said his mind properly was growing each time she opened her mouth.
Leanna bit her rosy lips which reddened from the pressure as she mulled over the situation in her mind. It was true that her request far outweighed the value of his debt but she had to try. In a heartbeat, she blinked with firm and clear blue eyes and looked at the tall, imposing elf before her.
"Very well, I accept" Leanna said, not bothering to hide her displeasure over his smooth manipulation.
"A wager it is then, though I would imagine your Lord would be displeased by your actions this night" Thranduil turned away from her in a conscious act of dismissal but stopped at her words.
"Your debt is to me King Thranduil, not to him"
"Even so with this, our business is concluded, expect my reply in a week" Thranduil slinked away from the balcony and returned back into the hall in time for Bard's toast, he had wanted to find out more about this woman that the dragonslayer kept by his side. All his sources insisted there was no record of her existence beyond her time at Lake Town and that in turn made him curious. However, there was the question of her abilities.
Thranduil knew of no mortal who could wield magic, even those of both lesser ainur and elven descent could not wield magic in such a crude manner without the aid of a magical object. With this visit, he saw an opportunity fall into his lap.
"Friends, my dear brothers and sisters, through much we have been this past winter, we faced the wrath of dragon, left the only home we've ever known in the wake of its destruction…" Leanna watched Bard as she returned to the hall, beside him she saw Thranduil seated comfortably with a smug look on his face.
She turned away to look around for the first time that night, the people were merry and joyous as were their guests the elves, whom had chosen to wine and dine with them save one who would occasionally look her way.
The browned haired elf in question had stayed next to the wall and on catching her gaze, nodded to her in greeting which caught her somewhat off guard, for no elf other than King Thranduil had had any form of interaction with her. Leanna bowed her head slightly and looked back to Bard who was rounding up his speech.
"…To a new future, one with a chance for a fresh start and hopefully no more dragons, to peace!" Bard said raising his chalice in the air. The room chorused their response to his toast and Leanna caught Thranduil's haughty gaze as he raised his glass silently to her.
Leanna remained unmoved and receded into the thoughts of recent events that had happened. In the end she had gotten what she wanted from him which was far more valuable than any jewel at the moment. Now all that was left was to convince Bard what she had done was the betterment of the people of Dale, though she imagined he would not be too pleased at the sound of a wager with elves and with King Thranduil no less.
The feast was coming to a close and the dancing and merriment had mellowed a bit. Leanna noted the look of exchange between the ElvenKing and her Lord before they both rose and departed silently from the feast, smiling at the efforts Bard was making to establish a trade deal with The Woodland Realm once more. Realizing she was not needed anymore, she thought to retire to her chambers for the night, but not before she made a visit.
The last time she had seen him was at the battlefield months ago but not once did she forget him. As almost every one, save the guards round the city, was at the feast, the stables were sure to be empty. Peeping into the pens, she moved to the last one which had more space than the others and on looking within, Leanna smiled.
"Hello…it's been quite a while since we last saw each other" said Leanna as she moved to the door of the pen. The great elk moved to nozzle her palm as it stretched over to her and snorted softly when his cool nose connected to her warm soft hand. He remembered her, he remembered her unique smell and that she had saved his life. Tallahir bellowed in endearment at the woman who was currently treating him with deep affection.
She had come again, this time he allowed her to approach him confidently without any reason to be weary. Tallahir had smelled her sweet scent before she stepped into the stables and had waited in anticipation for arrival. Sniffing her at once he snorted at his inspection and was content that the grief which plagued her at their first meeting was fading from her.
"You know, I had wanted to see you again even though our meeting was very brief, how are you? Are you well?" Leanna brushed her hand through his thick fur and Tallahir nudged at her to continue, which caused Leanna to giggle.
"Things would be far easier for both of us if I knew what your name was" she whispered to the elk who snorted in response.
The human woman was a funny thing indeed, the only one who had right to his name was his lord, did she not know that? It was part of his bond with the King of the Woodland realm, right from his birth to his maturity Thranduil had personally named and raised him, bonding with him in the process, thus no one else could call him by his name.
"Would it matter anyway? You'll be leaving tomorrow with your lord who between me and you, I'd pick you over any day or hour" Leanna chuckled at the disgruntled bellow the elk gave. She leaned her brow on his large head and remained silent.
"You remind me so much of what I've left behind…" she whispered, memories flashing through her mind, memories of things now in the past. Leanna let go of the elk and stepped back to look at the magical creature before her.
"Goodnight my Lord, I doubt it will be soon before we meet again" Leanna bowing to the elk who continued to look at her, snorting in response to her action. Leanna smiled wistfully and left the stables to her chambers.
The feast had finally ended and Bard looked around him. Leanna had left earlier after which his children who had bid him and his guests goodnight were escorted by Bertha, who made certain to see them safely to bed. Bard leaned back in his seat, his mind humming slightly from the wine in his blood, which was a welcome effect for he was sure to sleep well tonight.
"Your aide has an interesting disposition for a woman of Dale" Thranduil spoke as his long slender fingers slid around his wine goblet. Bard closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, of course he would not be allowed to so easily forget the cunning creature that was his guest of honor for the evening.
"Aye, she keeps me on my toes and has been a good hand on the people but she'd rather remain modest and live a simple life"
"And yet she wields magic…" Ah, there it was. Bard had wondered if he would question him on the events that led to up to this point. He knew Thranduil was searching for answers of his own especially since he had witnessed Leanna on the battlefield, and so had her investigated.
Thranduil did not bother with subtleties on the matter, not after what his sources had told him. He looked at Bard from the corner of his eyes, his nose lifted up as though his body was indirectly communicating his command to one of a lesser station. Bard noted the silent demand but took one last gulp of out of his wine and blatantly ignored the elf beside him.
"The Edain do not possess the strength in their bodies to manifest or control magic, which begs the question of who or what she is" Thranduil faced Bard this time, his unrelenting posture forcing Bard to cave in.
"When I found her across the lake she was unconscious, and when she came to, she could remember nothing so I took pity on her and took her in but not without confirming that she was human " Bard responded, returning Thranduil's gaze with a hard one of his own.
"It would be wise to be discreet with such matters dragon slayer, power of an unknown nature and source can prove fatal…should it fall into the wrong hands" Thranduil said before rising from his seat.
"I look forward to the end of our wager in three months, until then I depart for my kingdom in the morning" Thranduil said smirking at the frown that formed on Bard's face.
"Wager? What are you talking about, I've struck no wager with you" Bard said in both confusion, searching his memory for any kind of deal besides the trade agreement he may have made with King Thranduil but came up blank.
"No you did not, which is why you should probably hear the details from your aide" Thranduil spoke with an air of indifference before leaving the hall along with the rest of his kin to retire to their quarters for the night.
Bard's eyes widened at Thranduil's words but he decided now was not the best time to ask her anything, not when he could hardly think straight. With nothing more to do, he stood up and left the remainder of his people who chose to continue drinking the night away and having their fill of fun. Come morning, Leanna had a great deal of explaining to do.
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!
The next morning, Thranduil and his escort gathered their things as they prepared for the return journey, mounting his elk, Thranduil looked at Bard and then to his aide. Bard watched as The Elven King and his escorts prepared to leave, his eyes followed Thranduil's line of sight, well aware that he was staring at Leanna.
He remembered the conversation with him the previous night and his jaw clenched in tension, whatever the Elven King meant about his return in three months' time guaranteed he would not be pleased with his conversation with Leanna.
Her golden hair caught the glow of the early morning sun which haloed around it, tumbling down the back of her dark blue dress as she stood upright whilst watching him in return. Thranduil grew a cold smirk at the sight of her defiant blue eyes, his message clear only to her as he turned to lead his escorts out of Dale, he would test her words to see if they were true. If the men Dale could not produce any results combat wise then he would be vindicated…and for her sake, he hoped that was not the case.