The Hobbit Imagines

#16~ Thranduil

PROMPT: You're a witch accompanying the dwarves on their quest, and you run into the elves. A certain Elvish king and you don't get along very well in the beginning...

Aiding the dwarves in their quest turned out to be more than you originally bargained for. If dealing with the smelly and obnoxious group of dwarves wasn't enough, you all ran into Orcs and other troublesome creatures that only served to prolong the journey. You were a friend of Gandalf's though, and you would do anything to pay him back for that one time that he saved your life back when you were a child in your home land. You were much more powerful than you were when you were younger, though, and that power left you eager to repay your debt to him in the best way that you could (even if it meant that you were left to essentially babysit a company of dwarves and their hobbit).

When you all reached the edge of Mirkwood, you knew that it wouldn't take long for something to go wrong. You followed near the back of the party and watched as the horror unfolded before you. In a way, it was almost humorous to watch the misfortune of one false move. You could feel the elves nearby before they even arrived on the scene, and you couldn't help but to mutter profanities under your breath as the skilled creatures took the whole group captive. It was really quit laughable when you thought about it; it was hardly a fight at all between dwarf and elf. The outcome was painfully obvious to both groups.

In the end, you were all bound and taken to the Elvenking's Halls; the long stretches of seemingly dirt and stone made bridges stretched in every direction and some even twisted and turned. Elves stopped to gawk at the line of elves preceding the witch. You wanted to desperately to use your skills and tricks to get out of the sticky situation, but you knew that you had to stay with the dwarves. So, you did nothing but watch as the elves threw each dwarf into a cramped cell except for Thorin.

The elves took interest in you as well; there was the gibberish of Elvish chatter exchanged between them until one of them yanked you along and commanded for you to fall into step beside the dwarf king. Grudgingly, you did as you were told. Eventually, you were brought to a place where several bridges merged and there was a large, smooth, and flat area like that of a clearing in a forest (with remarkably less grass and trees, though). It wasn't bare, though; decorated guards stood by a lavish throne where a man with long silver hair sat gracefully. He would have been the face of pure beauty if it hadn't been for the 'holier than thou' expression that seemed to be etched into his features.

You learned very fast that there was a quick temper behind the sour yet pretty face. From the start, it was obvious that Thorin was hot headed. This Elvish king surprised you, though, when the bargain he proposed to Thorin fell on deaf ears and a civil conversation turned into a hissing fit between the two kings. All you could do was roll your eyes at them; both of their people suffered in the past conflicts, you understood that, but you would never understand how someone could be so focused on their past that they failed to pave a better future for themselves because of it. Nevertheless, it was not your place to interfere in their affairs; you were there to assist the dwarves and nothing more.

The two guards dragged Thorin away when all was said and done, but you were left to stand before the Elvish king. He took a moment to collect himself before turning back towards you, and he returned to his sour, yet relaxed, expression. "Where do you come from, witch?" he questioned while climbing the short set of steps that led back up to his extravagant throne. The way in which he spat out the word 'witch' made your shoulders stiffen.

"I come from the north," you supplied plainly, which earned a roll of his eyes.

"Yes, but where from the north?" he continued to press the subject, and his tone sounded as if he was already leaning towards another outburst.

"The north is the only origin I bear," you stated, "I know nothing more of it than that." One of his perfectly symmetrical eyebrows rose in question of that, but it soon lowered again when he realized what you meant. You had no parents; you wandered the land in the north from a very young age and never settled in one place for long. With a life like that, it was no wonder that you got yourself into trouble and had to be saved by Gandalf.

"Why do you travel with the group of fools?" Thranduil demanded while he let his posture relax in the thrown for a moment. He was at ease for the moment, and you could feel that the two guards from earlier were coming back to take up their places once again.

"Gandalf requested that I accompany them on their journey as a healer," you spoke again, "I only do as he asks."

"Gandalf," he scoffed upon hearing the name, and your eyes narrowed when you heard the disrespectful sound, "if he is assisting this journey then he is a fool as well." The comment nearly sent your temper into its own frenzy, but you were silenced when he chose to speak once again. "What is your name, witch?"

"Y/N," was your truthful answer even though you had to say it through a clenched jaw.

Your reputation as one of the most powerful witches (though you preferred the term 'healer') in middle earth must have been evident to him, because he was taken aback slightly. His posture changed to something more correct, and he looked your way with an almost befuddled expression. "The Y/N?" You nodded, and he scoffed yet again. "You're known for brilliance and yet you choose to accompany dwarves who are only looking to burn everything in their path?"

"I have a debt to pay." He nodded at that, but the reply that he gave showed that he wasn't going to give up at that.

"And if I relieved you of that debt would you leave for your northern origin peacefully?" he offered, and you regarded him with a look that could only imply that you thought he was utterly stupid.

"You can't relieve me of a debt when I'm not your debtor," you protested pointedly.

There was a sigh of exasperation after that, and he waved his hand dismissively with a roll of his eyes. You were tempted to reach forward and pluck those very same eyes from his head if he did it one more time. The guards saw the wave of his hand, and they grabbed your arms from behind. Not wanting to be led any more than you had been in that day, you yanked your arms free from their grip and then brought both of your elbows back quickly so that they smacked into the guard's chests. There was a pair of groans before the two guards took a step away from you. You turned on your heels and walked back down to the stone bridge that you remembered walking across. One thing was set into your mind; you really did not like the man who sat on that thrown.

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Okay, this is not the end of this prompt; there will be more parts for it. I just felt like a progression from indifference/hatred to romance woud be too quick to fit into one small prompt. So, this one will span for a little bit. This prompt is for the lovely imlostincitylights because she was kind enough to message me her request and be very sweet about it. In other news; I still have yet to see The Hobbit: BFA! I really hope to be able to see it Sunday, but there is no one to go with which is a big bummer. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this prompt, and there is another on coming soon.

-cow_queen