Impurities

Chapter Seven: Unpredictible

The kingdom was greatly alive as fall harvest grew near."Your methods of agriculture appears to have come through", Thranduil spoke to Annawrete who was standing by his side. Earlier in the year, she had braved a suggestion to him and because he held favor for her and trusted her, he submitted her plans to the field tillers. This year's reaping was to be enormous. As the two looked over a balcony unto the ripe fields below, Annawrete enjoyed the silence that came after Thranduil voiced his acknowledgement of her success. In celebration of a big harvest, Thranduil called for a day of feasting at the end of the week. At week's end it was also Annawrete's twenty-first birthday. It was surely intentional that Thranduil arranged the days to clash as such, because each year on her birthday she would come to him asking the same thing---to join the guards.

Annawrete was not sure if he had set the celebration as a form of distraction to keep her too busy to approach him or if he planned the feast to be an accompanying gift to him finally granting her wish. Sensing her eyes upon him, Thranduil opened his mouth to speak, "There are some that have grown jealous of you, Annawrete". His eyes scanned the fields with their tillers, "But none can take your position. You have secured it". Thranduil turns to face her. His frosted stare locked with her own as he awaited for her to say or do something. Annawrete blinked her eyes away before forcing words out from her mouth, "Thank you my lord, your words are assuring to me". Her glance flashed to his face and returned to the floor, "It is a great pleasure to serve you". Indirectly stating his dissatisfaction of one day losing her to the guards, he responded, "I hope the pleasure continues". 

The king and Annawrete stood still once more. They were within arm's length of one another, if either were to reach out he or she would be capable of touching the other. When nothing more was said or done, Thranduil turned to leave the balcony and in a last attempt to have his gaze Annawrete asked, "Is there anything that I can do to better serve you?" The Elvin king stopped to hold his hands behind his back. Annawrete had a view of his strong back and shoulders under the cascade of his long sun-touched blonde hair. She couldn't see his face, but he was taken back by what she asked him. After what seemed as too long of a pause, Thranduil answered, "There is". He did not extend to explain before stepping through the threshold and re-entering the building. He had gone, but something lingered to eat away at Anawrete's poise. 

She hurried after him, but collided with Tauriel. Before Annawrete could uttered her apology, the guard captain became aware that the young woman was looking over her shoulder at Thranduil who was already several feet down the hall. "Be mindful of your attachment to Thranduil, you have quickly become his shadow", Taurel frowned as she held Annawrete by the arm. Closeness between the two had faded, but they have ever since held a respect for the other. In her frustration of Thranduil getting away and the guard captain the one to retained her, Annawrete broke her arm free from Tauriel's hold, "Are you jealous that you will never find favor with neither Prince or King?" Tauriel looked hurt at what Annawrete said, she did not think that anyone knew of the feelings she held for Legolas---Feelings he does not return and his father not approve. "There is still a limit to the favor you have," Tauriel retorted with a scrawl on her face, "Thranduil has yet to grant your wish to join the guards!" Annawrete turned a shade of red as she clinched her fists. Without saying anything more to the elleth she once called mother, she stomped away in the direction that Thranduil went in.

On the day of the festival, Annawrete chose a shapely dress to wear that night. A number of male elves gave her glances but none were as constant as Thranduil's from across the festival hall. Annawrete was busy receiving recognition and congratulations from Mirkwood's overjoyed farmers, but the entire evening she felt Thranduil staring at her through his wine glasses. He anticipated her coming to him at some point, but when the night dragged on, he concluded that she was far preoccupied and he began to retire to his bedroom. He took one last glance at her and happened to meet her eye before he ascended the stairs.

He was removing his tunic when his bedroom door opened and shut. Thranduil turned to see Annawrete standing behind him and he received her with a light smile, "I knew you would not forget our tradition". He stood there with his chest exposed, awaiting for her to ask his permission about the guards so that he could finally say yes. "I ask something different this year", Annawrete began. In one swift motion she pulled the strings on the front of her dress and the material fell down to her waist. Her nipples stood perky before him. Thranduil's eyes fell and she allowed him to stare. After he had drunk in the sight of her breasts, she began to tug her dress down her thighs until she had removed the dress completely. She looked at Thranduil, knowing that his eyes had not left her the entire night and they were not attempting to leave her now. She reached out for the king's hand but when his skin came in contact with her flesh, he immediately recoiled in what at first seemed like fear but it was anger, "Pick up your dress and depart from me!"