• His Heartstrings • A Thranduil Love Story.

6 - Love

Ellysia's pov:

After the prince invited me to accompany him to a party being held at the palace, the next few days were a blur for me. I spent hours mending a beautiful dress that had once been my mother's, it had been locked away in a closet for years, my father had never been able to part with it. As well as prepare for the event, my mind was clouded with thoughts about Thranduil.

'I don't know what had started to happen to me, I am feeling so attached to him already, I adore the time we spend together and am starting to feel sad whenever we aren't together. I don't understand my feelings, I have never felt this way about anyone before in my life, and it scares me. It scares me because it is new, because I feel vulnerable around him, but it also greatly intrigues and excites me.

The feeling of butterflies in my stomach whenever the prince says my name, the way he looks into my eyes, the way his voice deepens and softens at the same time when he talks about something earnest.'

"There," I stated contently as I tied the last knot, I had finished mending my mother's old dress. It looked beautiful. I pulled the pins out of it and took it to my room. I slipped out of my clothes and into the outfit, it fit perfectly. I smoothed it out and looked at my reflection in my looking glass, I loved it, and I knew my father would have loved it on me too, if he were here. He would say I looked just like my mother, like he always did; the thought brought tears to my eyes, I missed him. But he had gone to be with my mother in the Halls of Mandos in Valinor, he didn't have to morn her anymore, for they were together again. They had been so in love, my parents, they were smitten with each other and taught me what love was by their example.

I suddenly gasped as I realized something.

'Love. That's it, love. My parents taught me what love was, by their example and now I was beginning to discover it for my self.

No, wait, that cannot be. I cannot be in love with Thranduil. We have only known each other for a few months.

But mother and father had only known each other for a few months before they fell in love. Could it be the same thing is happening to me?

Fine, I admit it, it makes perfect sense. I have fallen in love with the prince of Mirkwood. Deeply, completely in love with him.'

~~~

I stood confidently in my mother's dress, making the final touches to my hair and makeup. My arm had healed from the arrow wound but a zigzag scar had replaced it, but I didn't mind so much, I had grown accustomed to it now. My shimmering light blonde hair hung loose down my back apart from an intricate braided woven into one side, and my makeup was light, but pretty. I stepped back and admired what I had created in the looking glass. Yes, I believed this would be fitting to wear to a royal party.

So I wrapped a protective shawl around my dress, left the house, mounted Legin and started the journey to the palace. I had only seen it from a distance once before, and I was so excited to actually enter it!

Half an hour of riding later I finally laid eyes on the structural masterpiece that was Mirkwood's royal palace. It's huge white walls intricately carved and built to perfection glistened in the setting sun.

A wave of excitement and nervousness washed over me as I rode up to it's main gates. Two elven guards called to me from where they stood at the top, "are you a guest for the party tonight?"

"Yes Sir," I replied, "I am Ellysia Rose, guest of the prince," I repeated exactly as Thranduil had instructed me too.

The guards looked over a list they had and nodded, "very well," he stated, opening the gates, "you may enter, have an enjoyable evening Miss Rose."

~~~

The loud hum of chatter and the occasional outburst of joyful laughter filled the air as I made my way through the palace halls. It was magnificent, elves were standing around in groups of two to ten, holding golden or silver wine glasses as they conversed. I looked up and admired the intricate sculpting and the vines and leaves that twisted around the marble ceiling - amazing.

I continued to walk down the long hall marvelling at everything I laid eyes on; I eventually reached the main room where the party was being held, it was a rectangular shape with a domed ceiling. Giant golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their long polished arms holding many glowing candles from which gave off the most pleasant of scents, vanilla and pine. Several long marble tables were placed around the room with large arrays of food and drink set on top, platters of colourful fresh fruit being the most common.

I looked around for Thranduil and saw many nobles and royalty, but not him. I thought back to the winding passageways I had come through to lead me to this room and guessed he might be there, so I headed back in that direction. I made my way down one long path, careful not to fall off the edges for there was a long drop down to the dungeons if I did. I turned to my left and continued down that path, I then followed it and it came to a fork in the way. I chose the one to the right, it came to a dead-end, so I decided to go back to the main hall of earlier. I turned walked back down the trail I had come from.

About three minutes later realized I had gotten myself lost.