The King and The Outcast

Chapter 5

Faelia walked back to the room she was supposed to meet Thranduil in, although when she knocked there was no answer she opened the door no one was inside so she decided to wait outside for him. After a just a few minutes he appeared,

"Ah, your little one is better at going to bed than mine." He said with a smirk.

Faelia smiled in return with a nod of her head, she followed him into the room,

"Would you like to join me for a glass of wine?"

"Yes, I'd love to thank you."

He poured out two glasses of wine then gestured for her to take a seat across from him. Taking her seat she readied herself for finishing her story.

"Are you alright to continue with your story, I've already granted you sanctuary but I'm curious about you?"

"I don't like to talk about my past, but i feel like you should know about me."

Thranduil nodded to her waiting patiently for her to continue,

"I never entered the village, but I didn't leave straight away I stayed in the woods waiting for Haenir, I was so naive that I thought he would go against his family and come to find me. But he never did. I waited and waited, I'm not even sure how long I did, eventually I realised he wasn't coming and I left."

Faelia sat silently for a few moments as if reliving that time in her head.

"I wandered for a long time never staying in one place for too long, I didn't want to get close to anyone, I would work in each place for a while then I would pack up and go on to the next place. Years later I was working for with a healer when an elf was bought into the healers cabin."

She sipped at her wine,

"He was badly injured and in need of help so we healed him, after the healer left I was curious, I hadn't seen another elf for so long that he seemed like mirage. I stayed with him for days keeping his fever down eventually he opened his eyes, he had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Looking back now I think I fell for him right there."

Flashback-
"Where am I and who are you?" The elf asked in elvish

Faelia just stood staring at him she hadn't heard the elvish language in years so it took her a few minutes to answer him.

"You're in a village not far from Rohan, you were found a week ago, you were injured and developed a fever you've been unconscious the whole time." She explained to him.

"A week? Who are you?" He spoke rather abruptly.

"Oh I'm sorry, i eneth nin (my name is) Faelia. I helped to heal you. Man eneth lin? (What's your name)"

"I eneth nin Andir, what are you doing in this town it's not a place elves usually live?"

At this point the chief healer came back into the hut to check on the patient after a quick check up he told Andir to take it easy for a few days, he left leaving the two elves alone.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I've was banished from my home and ever since I've been travelling around on my own."

"That's awful. You're welcome to travel with me if you want to move on. I'd be glad of the company as I'm regularly travelling alone."

Faelia was a little shocked by his offer, but thought about going with him despite only just meeting him.

"I'll think about it." She said "I'll get you some food and see about a bath and clean clothing."

With that she too left the hut.

End of flashback -

"As you probably already guessed I did leave with him. We traveled around together, we met up with friends of his from Laketown and they travelled with us too. Years later just after Taiika was born we ran into a small warg pack, we fought them but Andir was killed. It was one of the worst times of my life, but one of the men we were traveling with offered to take us in, in my grief I agreed thinking it wouldn't be for long but when we got to Laketown, the people there assumed we were together and that Taiika was his and we both just went along with that."

Thranduil sat across from her silently, he didn't know what to say to her he could not believe all the things she'd been through.

"We stayed with him until a few months ago, Taiika treated him like a father he loved her like she was his own. He was attacked by an intruder in our house he was stabbed and the wound got infected and because no one would let me treat him he died. After he was buried his brother verbally attacked me saying that I killed him, nothing I said made any difference and eventually others turned on us too. We were chased from that town so I decided to come here to greenwood hoping that other elves would help us."

She downed the remaining wine from her glass, waiting for his response. He just looked at her seemingly lost in thought.

"What a life you have led. As I already said you are welcome here, I don't think Legolas would ever forgive me if I sent his new friend away."

She smiled in response.

"Thank you again my Lord. I don't think Taiika would be happy either she seems different around Legolas, she saw her Andir get stabbed and I guess the shock of it was too much for young mind to comprehend."

"She communicates with you though, does she not?"

"Yes she has a strong mental connection with me, we've always had it, but it became a lot stronger after witnessing that. I hope that being around Legolas will help her to open up a bit more and start talking again."

Thranduil nodded knowing that if anyone could help Taiika open up and not be so shy it was his rambunctious?? elfling. Faelia set her wine glass on the table,

"I think I should retire for the night as well if you don't mind my Lord, I have the strange notion that my days are going to be rather busy keeping an eye on both our young ones?"

"That's probably a good idea, I have no doubt that Legolas is going to be incredibly excitable tomorrow, losto mae! (Sleep well)"

"Losto mae my Lord" with that said she bowed to him and left the room making her way back to her room.