My Little One (King Thranduil x Bilbo Baggins)

Chapter Four: Flowers

"Seven meals?!"
Legolas' startled voice is loud enough to send birds from the treetops flying away in panic. Bilbo nods, embarrassed as he sits on a stone bench outside in the garden with the prince.

"Yes," the Hobbit answers slowly, shrinking down a little as Legolas sits next to him. "That is what is considered normal for a Hobbit."
"But...how? If I eat more than three meals, I'll get nauseous," Legolas blinks, bewildered.
Another day has passed since meeting with the prince formerly.

After insisting to King Thranduil that he is well enough to walk, Bilbo was invited to walk around the palace garden with Legolas. Both Hobbit and Elf soon got to talking, and that's how Bilbo stunned the prince with what he always assumed was normal.

Bilbo shrugs, uncertain of how to truly answer. "It's always been normal for Hobbits," he explains. "We tend to spend a lot of time gardening and walking everywhere in the village on foot. That seems to burn a lot of calories."
"Fascinating," Legolas murmurs, then looks back down at Bilbo. "How are you feeling? Anymore pain?"

"Just a little on my side," he responds, still feeling the bandages wrapped lightly around his chest. Despite only having been recovering for three days, Bilbo always becomes flustered whenever Thranduil changes his bandaging.
The Hobbit prays that the Elven King doesn't notice how embarrassed he feels. If Thranduil does notice, he never says anything.
****
"How was your walk with Legolas?" Thranduil asks over dinner, head tilted to the side.
"It was nice getting some sunshine and fresh air. Your son was a positive companion. You've raised him well," Bilbo states with a smile.

Thranduil smiles back, his attitude much softer these past few days whenever he's alone with the Hobbit.
"No pain anywhere?" The king asks, looking more worried now.
"No, Your Highness," Bilbo responds, eating another forkful of the salad with spring greens in it. "No headache, either, to my relief."

The king relaxes, sighing a little. "Thank Valar for that. If you had gotten worse or hadn't woken up yet...Well, I'd rather not think of the situation. If you are still feeling better come morning, would you like to walk the gardens with me?"

Bilbo looks up, surprised. "I would love to, Your Highness. Prince Legolas hadn't gotten the chance to show me everything outside. It would be a pleasure."
Thranduil nods, then gazes out the window at the starry sky.

Later in the night, Bilbo seems too excited to the point sleep is hard to come. He tosses and turns as the king sleeps quietly beside him. Despite his amnesia not getting any better, fragments of a song loop in his mind. Scattered pieces of the lyrics almost seem to whisper in the warm wind of the summer night.

To calm himself, he repeats the lyrics in his mind like a lullaby, soothing himself to sleep.
'Far over the misty mountains cold,
Through dungeons deep and caverns old,
We must away, e're break of day,
To find our long forgotten gold...'
Where had he heard that song before?

In the morning, Bilbo wakes up to the smell of breakfast in the room. He sits up warily, momentarily forgetting where he is. He sees Thranduil thanking the servant at the door as he takes the two covered trays. The king smiles when he sees Bilbo awake.

"Forgive me, Bilbo, I didn't mean to wake you," he states gently, setting the trays on the table.
"It is all right, Your Highness," Bilbo responds with a smile, forgetting about the mysterious song plaguing his mind. "I think the scent of the food would have woken me up anyways."

They eat breakfast for a few minutes in silence.
"Still nothing new memory wise?" The Elven King asks softly. Bilbo sadly shakes his head no, figuring the song in his mind is of little importance right now.
Thranduil sighs, fingers drumming on the table, looking worried.

"Would you still want to go for that walk?" he asks with a raised eyebrow, figuring seeing the gardens will help ease Bilbo out of his anxiety. The Hobbit nods, happiness clear in his eyes instead of constant worry. Thranduil just wants Bilbo to be happy after all he has been through.
****
Keeping his pace slow and steps even, Thranduil keeps glancing down at Bilbo. Heeled shoes clicking on the cobblestone path, Thranduil's footsteps sound much louder than Bilbo's. Even with his small size, Bilbo would make the perfect little burglar, the king realizes with amusement.

Then again, a being as pure hearted as Bilbo would never stoop so low. The Hobbit doesn't seem like a stealing type. No, no, he is too pure. Too kind hearted, to the Elven King's assumption.
"Oh!" Bilbo pauses as they reach the quiet and shaded garden, standing under an arch covered in vines, watching the various flowers blowing slightly in the wind.

"Do you like it?" The King asks with great amusement.
"It's beautiful," the Hobbit replies, genuinely looking relaxed and happy ever since his headache incident in the morning.
"Would you like to sit down?" Thranduil motions to another stone bench tucked in the shade of the trees. Bilbo nods, walking over and is gently lifted up to the bench by the King.

Thranduil sits next to him, enjoying the sounds of nature around them.
"This reminds me of my little garden back in The Shire," states Bilbo softly, smiling fondly at the memory of his quiet home.
"I did not realize you are a gardener, Mr. Baggins," the Elf tilts his head with curiosity.
"Oh, it's nothing, really," Bilbo replies with an embarrassed laugh. "Just a vegetable patch and a few tulips here and there."

"I think that sounds wonderful," the King smiles, watching as a butterfly lazily flutters along the flowers. "Sometimes it's the simpler things that bring the most joy."
Gently, he brushes back a loose curl away from Bilbo's eyes. Bilbo, flustered, smiles as his cheeks turn pink.

"What is The Shire like? I've heard it is fairly far from Mirkwood," muses the King.
Bilbo spends the next few minutes talking about his home, the quietness of it, his collection of books, and everything else that brings him happiness before his amnesia.

The Hobbit sighs when he is finished, looking at the flowers with a sense of longing. "I do miss it a lot."
Thranduil frowns a little, vowing to take Bilbo back once his memories return to him.
"Once your memories come back to you, may I be honored to escort you back home?"
Bilbo looks up at the Elf in surprise.
"You would do that for me?"
Thranduil nods. "I would be happy to."